I have therefore ventured to suggest the remedy of non-co-operation which enables those who wish, to dissociate themselves from the Government and which, if it is unattended by violence and undertaken in an ordered manner, must compel it to retrace its steps and undo the wrongs committed.  But whilst I shall pursue the policy of non-co-operation in so far as I can carry the people with me, I shall not lose hope that you will yet see your way to do justice.  I therefore respectfully ask Your Excellency to summon a conference of the recognised leaders of the people and in consultation with them find a way that would placate the Mussalmans and do reparation to the unhappy Punjab.

August 4, 1920.

MAHATMA GANDHI’S LETTER TO H.R.H.  THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT

The following letter has been addressed by Mr. Gandhi to his Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught;—­

Sir,

Your Royal Highness must have heard a great deal about non-co-operation, non-co-operationists and their methods and incidentally of me its humble author.  I fear that the information given to Your Royal Highness must have been in its nature one-sided.  I owe it to you and to my friends and myself that I should place before you what I conceive to be the scope of non-co-operation as followed not only be me but my closest associates such as Messrs. Shaukat Ali and Mahomed Ali.

For me it is no joy and pleasure to be actively associated in the boycott of your Royal Highness’ visit—­I have tendered loyal and voluntary association to the Government for an unbroken period of nearly 30 years in the full belief that through that way lay the path of freedom for my country.  It was therefore no slight thing for me to suggest to my countrymen that we should take no part in welcoming Your Royal Highness.  Not one among us has anything against you as an English gentleman.  We hold your person as sacred as that of a dearest friend.  I do not know any of my friends who would not guard it with his life, if he found it in danger.  We are not at war with individual Englishmen we seek not to destroy English life.  We do desire to destroy a system that has emasculated our country in body, mind and soul.  We are determined to battle with all our might against that in the English nature which has made O’Dwyerism and Dyerism possible in the Punjab and has resulted in a wanton affront upon Islam a faith professed by seven crores of our countrymen.  The affront has been put in breach of the letter and the spirit of the solemn declaration of the Prime Minister.  We consider it to be inconsistent with our self respect any longer to brook the spirit of superiority and dominance which has systematically ignored and disregarded the sentiments of thirty crores of the innocent people of India on many a vital matter.  It is humiliating to us, it cannot be a matter of pride to you, that thirty crores of Indians should live day in and day out in the fear of their lives from one hundred thousand Englishmen and therefore be under subjection to them.