| |
Back
Selected Letters Of Gandhiji
To Jawaharlal Nehru
July 29, 1939
Segaon, Wardha,
July 29, 1939.
MY DEAR JAWAHARLAL,
Instead of guiding the Dhami people
I have passed them on to you. I feel that you should discharge burden without
any interference from me. The idea in the states seems to be to isolate and
ignore the Congress and hence the States' Conference. I have already suggested
in Harijan that no state association or Mandal should act on its own without
reference to your committee. I should act, if at all, through you i.e., when you
refer to me, I should give my opinion as I do in respect of the W.C. I told the
Gwalior people also likewise yesterday. You will have to reorganize your
committee a bit, if it is to function properly.
After all I could not go to Kashmir.
Sheikh Abdullah and his friends won't tolerate the idea of my being state guest.
Banking on my past experience, I had accepted state offer in anticipation of
Sheikh Abdulla's approval. But I saw that I was mistaken. I therefore cancelled
the acceptance of the state hospitality and accepted the Sheikh's. This
embarrassed the state. So I cancelled the visit altogether. I was guilty of
double stupidity-- in daring to think of going there without you and in not
getting Sheikh's permission before accepting the state offer. I had thought that
I would serve the people by accepting the state offer. I must confess that I was
not pleased with my contact [with] the sheikh and his friends. They seemed to
all of us to be most unreasonable. Khan Saheb reasoned with them. But it was to
no purpose.
Your visit to Ceylon was glorious. I
don't mind what the immediate outcome is. Saleh Tyabji asks me to send you to
Burma and Andrews thinks of you in connection with S.A. As for Ceylon the idea
of a Congress deputation came to me spontaneously, not so these two even after
the promptings. But of these when we meet. I hope you are fresh and that Krishna
is enjoying herself.
Love,
Bapu
|
|
 |