DISASTER AVERTED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20858, 10 August 1942, Page 4

DISASTER AVERTED

PROMPT ACTION GOVERNMENT PRAISED MR. AMERY’S COMMENT (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (British O/licial Wireless.) (2.30 p.m.) RUGBY. Aug. 9. The Government of India, by “cutting out the fuse leading from the arch saboteurs to all the inflammable and explosive material they hoped to set alight,” had saved India and the Allied cause from a grave disaster, the Secretary for India, Mr. L. S. Amery, said in a broadcast to-night.

He believed that any trouble there might be there could be dealt with by the police and the courts. The Government, of which 11 of the 15 members were Indians, for acting with courage and promptitude in asserting its responsibility for peace and the defence of the country deserved the gratitude of India, the Empire, and the United Nations. Referring to the earlier negotiations in India, Mr. Amery said that they had broken down mainly because of the “all-or-nothing” attitude of the Congress Party leaders who demanded that All India should be handed over to a group of politicians responsible to nobody. This would have been the negation of democracy and would not have been acceptable to the 95,000,000 Moslems nor to many other elements.

The Congress had come to regard itself as the only party entitled to take over regardless of the views oi all the others. Gandhi had calculated on an open clash with the Government to arouse the mass emotions and so retain prestige for himself and his associates and focus attention upon themselves as the champions oi India against British oppression.