Mr. Dadabhoy’s call to action

IF the Right Hon. Srinivas Sastri confined himself in his address, as president of the Liberal federation, to condemning non-co-operators, the Chairman of the Reception Committee, Mr. Dadabhoy, went one step ahead and actually called upon the Liberal party to take determined action with a view to killing non-co-operation. “The non-co-operator,” he said, “is prolific in mischievous plans and the wisest thing the party can do is to tackle the problem of non-co-operation with energy and determination. One cannot afford to think of other matters, however necessary or important, when one’s house is on fire.” So the house of India is on fire, not because of the continued withholding of self-government in the face of a national demand for it, nor because of the policy of regression with which it has been sought to meet this demand, but because of the folly of the non-co-operators in working to achieve that freedom which is their birthright and that of their country. We are not aware of anyone on the official side who has so far dared to suggest, as Mr. Dadabhoy does, that all other questions, including those of freedom, should wait until non-co-operation has been destroyed. As regards the determined action which Mr. Dadabhoy counsels, we have only one suggestion to make to him. If he is convinced of the necessity of the Moderates starting an active programme to combat non-co-operation, why does he not lead the way! Perhaps if he did, he would begin to talk less glibly of a thing of which he does not appear to have the remotest idea. It is much easier for him to support the bureaucracy, whether right or wrong, than to win the vote of a single popular constituency against the party of freedom.