Appeal issued by Sardar Patel & Nehru

ALL INDIA CONGRESS PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE

Appeal issued by Sardar Patel & Nehru

Congress House, Bombay

Dt. 8^th October 1936

The following appeal has been issued by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru – President – Indian National Congress, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – President – All India Congress Parliamentary Committee:

“In the election manifesto the Congress has stated its general policy and programme and appealed to the nation to support it in the coming elections. The appeal has been confidently addressed to all classes of our people who stand for the complete freedom of our country. On that fundamental basis, the Congress offers a national platform to our countrymen and a united front against the forces that work for the continued domination and exploitation of India. In this national campaign, the Congress expects the willing co-operation and help of all; each giving that help according to his capacity. Ours is a mass organization and it derives its strength from the mass of the people and it relies on them for support. It is also on this broad popular basis that we desire to fight the elections. The preliminary work of setting up the machinery for organizing these elections and for setting up proper candidates on behalf of the Congress has been completed. But we have to approach over three million voters and contest about 1500 seats in constituencies spread over the vast country from one end to the other. It is a huge task and for this purpose, our organizations will require money. For the general propaganda of the Congress alone, we will require large sums of money. Besides, it will be necessary to give financial help to some candidates who cannot bear their expenses particularly those of the Scheduled and Backward Classes and to areas suffering from starvation and scarcity due to natural calamities or other causes. Those who are in a position to meet their expenses are expected to do so.

To our people, therefore, we appeal to subscribe to the election funds of the Congress, so that the message of the Congress may reach each voter and the remotest corner of our vast country, and the success of the Congress at the elections be otherwise assured.

We suggest for this purpose that a special fortnight be devoted to this work all over India, to the collection of funds for the elections and to the broadcasting of the Congress message. We fix the fortnight beginning from November First, 1936 for this purpose. All Provincial Committees should make arrangements through their subordinate Committees and otherwise, for these collections to be made on the widest scale during the first half of November. With these collections must always go the message of the Congress, of Indian freedom, of the ending of our exploitation. Thus we shall build up our campaign on the solid and enduring basis of popular support.”

Jawaharlal Nehru

Vallabhbhai Patel

Reference: The Selected Works of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad