GANHDI’S ARREST

Hokitika Guardian, 6 January 1932, Page 5

GANHDI’S ARREST

THE GOVERNMENT’S ACTION

AN OFFICIAL REVIEW

TO RESTORE ORDER IN INDIA

Telegraph.—Copyr igb t. ]

RUGBY, January 4, The arrest of Gandhi, on -whose adtvice the Indian Congress determined 3 upon a renewal of the civil disobedir ence movejient, indicates th: t firm a,ction is to be taken to preserve order in 'lndia. It is authoritatively stated that the Government of India, with the full approval of the United Kingdom Government, will use all ■its statutory powers to combat what is, ill effect a challenge to the Government in carrying out its most elementary responsibilities. The grounds for the action on Congress, apart from the Prime Minister's announcement at the end of the Round-Table Conference, which Congress regards as wholly inadequate, but which was accepted by the Round Table Conference itself as promising further fruitful negotiations, are the ordinances' which the Government of .India recently put into force, to cope with grave emergencies in three provinces. The Bengal ordinance gives the Provincial Government powers necessary to protect officials and public agr.inst the widespread ,lind danggt'O'us terrorist conspiracy, In the North-west Frontier province, the movement aiming at, complete independence, which seriously ciudattgers peace and order within the province, and gravely imperii* the defences of India at their most critical point. Its leaders reject the proposals of the British Government for constitutional advance, vin the province, though these proposals had the approval of lall. parties at the , (Round Table Conference, and to fur- * ther their ends they are endeavouring to exploit the economic distress and embroil the unstable, warlike tribes of the frontier. Special measures in both provinces are clearly necessary, so long as such activities last. In the United Provinces, the campaign has been set on foot by tile local branches of Congress, with the object of inducing the peasantry, who make up the great bulk of the population, to withhold their rents, out of which a large part of the Government revenue is paid. Here again, economic distress' is being exploited, but the United Provinces Government have fully recognised the difficulties of the cultivator, arising from the world-wide fall in prices, and on the recommendation, of « committee consisting mainly of ■ elected representatives of the agricultural classes in the Legislature, agricultural rentals m the province have been adjust-d generally to the level ruling in 190 l when the price level was the same in the last year- This measure has meant the sacrifice! of »o less than £BOO,OOO per annum of revenue by the United Province* Government at* a time when its resources are otherwise seriously strained,

THE ROUND TABLE AND CONGRESS. i The main case .against the Con- 4 gress, however, is that it is, in effect, frying to set itself np as a parallel Government, and is not only obstructing every measure taken by the Government to maintain iaw and ordei, but is also endeavouring to make constitutional reform and the work of C the (Round Table Conference nbor- < tive. On the rejection of its claim to co-ordinate service in the Government of India, the Congress has set 1 itself to enforce its claim by open instigation of the people to break the > law and resist 'its operations. The < end in view is to bring the Government • of India to a standstill. The assumption ds made., by the Congress that 1 the ignorant peasantry can he taught , to defy the law, without departing 1 from the ideal of non-violence, but ( history show g that outbursts of vio- . lernce, which spare no class or creed, are an inevitable consequence of such teaching. Protective ajnd decisive measures against the leaders of such 1 movements are regarded as imperative, but the Government is equally : determined not to be diverted from I its policy of political advance for In- j dia, which wa s pointed out in the , prime Minister’s statement ' at the Round-Table Conference. I The three committees foreshadowed in that statement will embark for India on January .15, to pursue the inquiries necessary for the comp.eition of the constitutional plan. A consultative committee of the Round | Table Conference is being sit up m Jndia to evamiue other aspects of the problem, and Gandhis name wa s included in the list of members. U, is the considered policy of the 1 * " | ish Government to’'pursue steadily tne plan of negotiation, with the 0 1 of obtaining the greatest measure ol J j,"reernent on constitutional questions, and bring' to the.r consideration every / loader of Indian opinion who is wdli,,. to co-operate. Whilst the ader- * Jia tive to constitutional oi-a.usm 's toeing brought into existence, the Government will carry out without Imitation its responsibilities for or< ei [lndia, and calls for the support o .every Indian who desires to guard In.-, country fro... widespread disorder am. misery. nkw PRKKIOENT ARRESTED. CALCUTTA, January h. Jt The National Congress fleeted a V new President upon the arrest of tho former one, but the newly-eleeted President, has now boon arrested at Patna. to