Page 68 - GANDHI A Biography for Children and Beginners

GANDHI – A Biography for children and beginners

What he saw in the Punjab and what he saw of the Government's attitude

began a process of disillusionment in Gandhi. He began to lose faith in the

professions and the fair play of the Government. He began to see the Imperial
Government as a force of evil. A Satyagrahi had to non co-operate with evil.

The acts and attitudes of the Government thus forced Gandhi, who was once

proud to be a citizen of the Empire, to become a confirmed non-co-operator.

Gandhi placed the idea of non-co-operation before the people. He asked the

Congress to accept the programme of non-co-operation. The Muslims of India

too were angry with Britain and the Government for the way in which they had
treated the institution of the Caliph of the Turkish Empire — Khilafat, as it was

called. They had sought Gandhi's advice. He was invited to their conferences.

He proposed a programme of non-co-operation. It took the participants by

surprise. But by 1920 they had realized that there was no alternative method of
action. The Khilafat Committee of which Maulana Azad was a respected leader,

unanimously decided to accept the programme, and authorized Gandhi to start

the programme on their behalf. Gandhi placed the programme before the

Congress. The Congress too accepted the programme and authorized him to
lead the non-co-operation movement.

The aim of the movement was to withdraw all cooperation from the
Government. People were asked to boycott schools and colleges, the courts of

law and all other institutions of the Government. In response to the call,

students left educational institutions, and prominent lawyers like Motilal

Nehru, C. R. Das and others gave up their practice. People were asked to give
up approaching the Government Courts for justice. Those who had received

titles and honours from the Government returned them. Rabindranath Tagore

returned his Knighthood. Many others returned their titles. Gandhi returned the

medals he had received for his services in the wars. The moral objective was to
non- co-operate with evil. The political objective was to paralyze the

Government and make it evident that it had lost the respect and recognition of

the people. No Government could go on without the cooperation of the people.

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