THE SARDAR'S ARREST AT RAS

After the Congress had approved the Complete Independence Resolution, at its Lahore Session, the Working Committee directed that the 26th of...

After the Congress had approved the Complete Independence Resolution, at its Lahore Session, the Working Committee directed that the 26th of January, 1930 should be celebrated throughout the country as Independence Day. Accordingly, in every city, and in thousands of villages, meetings were held and at those gatherings large numbers of people formally took the pledge of Complete Independence. Thus ran the concluding part of the pledge :

We hold it to be a crime against man and God to submit any longer to a rule that has caused this four-fold (economic, political, cultural and spiritual) disaster to our country. We recognize, however, that the most effective way of gaining our freedom is not through violence. We will, therefore, prepare ourselves by withdrawing, so far as we can, all voluntary association from the British Government and will prepare for civil disobedience, including non-payment of taxes. We are convinced that if we can but withdraw our voluntary help and stop payment of taxes without doing violence, even under provocation, the end of this inhuman rule is assured. We, therefore, hereby solemnly resolve to carry out the Congress instructions issued from time to time for the purpose of establishing Poorna Swaraj.

To be continued...