THE SABARMATI PACT

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09415777229, 094055338

E-mail- [e-mail];[e-mail]

 

 

THE SABARMATI PACT

 

 

The conference convened at the instance of Pandit Motilal Nehru was held at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmadabad, on the 20th and 21st. . . . Telegrams and letters were received . . . including one from Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya which contained suggestions about bringing all Indian political parties on a common platform in a united Congress. The conference adopted the following agreement, as embodying its decision on points specifically discussed : It is hereby agreed between the undersigned, subject to the confirmation of the All-India Congress Committee, that the response made by the Government shall for purposes of Clauses (a) and (b) of the resolution II-B (4) of the All-India Congress Committee, dated March 6 and 7, 1926, be considered satisfactory in the provinces, if the power, responsibility and initiative necessary for the effective discharge of their duties are secured to ministers and the sufficiency of such power, responsibility and initiative, in each province, shall be decided in the first instance by Congress members of the Legislative Council of the Province, subject to confirmation by a Committee consisting of Pandit Motilal Nehru and Mr. M. R. Jayakar. It is further agreed that the said Committee will decide all disputes in the Congress provinces of the Bombay Maharashtra, Bihar and the C.P. Marathi. This agreement has been subscribed to by the undersigned in their individual capacities, and it will be submitted for ratification to the executive of the Swaraj and Responsive Co-operation Parties. It will be placed for ratification before the All-India Congress Committee at a meeting which is being convened on May 5 and 6 next, at Sabarmati. The compromise is signed by Sarojini Naidu, Motilal Nehru, Lajpat Rai, M. R. Jayakar, N. C. Kelkar, B. S. Moonje, M. S. Aney, D. V. Gokhale, G. A. Ogale at Sabarmati, April 21, 1926.

 II. A. I. C. C.’S DELHI RESOLUTION The Clauses of Resolution II-B(4) of the A.I.C.C. meeting at Delhi referred to in the agreement state that Congressmen shall (a) refuse to accept offices in the gift of the Government until, in the opinion of the Congress, a satisfactory response is made by the Government; (b) refuse supplies and throw out budgets until such response is made by the Government, except when the Working Committee instructs otherwise.

III. RESPONSIVISTS’ AKOLA MANIFESTO The Responsive Co-operationists Party manifesto, issued at the Akola Conference in February last, declared regarding their Council programme: We believe that no programme of bringing about constitutional dead-lock by resorting to the policy of uniform, continuous and consistent obstruction can be successful unless tried on a large scale, and backed by some sanctions behind the same. We believe that the best course under the present circumstances is that of Responsive Co-operation, which means working the Reforms, unsatisfactory, disappointing and inadequate as they are, for all they are worth; and using the same for accelerating the grant of full responsible Government and also for creating, in the meanwhile, opportunities for the people for advancing their interests and strengthening their power and resistance to injustice and misrule. The policy of working the Reforms necessarily includes the capture of all places of power, responsibility and imitative which are open to election by, or are otherwise responsible to, the party within the legislature, subject to such conditions with regard to policy, programme and kindred matters as may seem desirable to impose from time to time.

 IV. THE BREAKDOWN OF THE PACT At the meeting of the All-India Congress Committee at Ahmadabad on the 4th May, Pandit Motilal announced that, owing to irreconcilable differences between the signatories of the Sabarmati Pact regarding the interpretation of its terms, the negotiations that he had been for the past few days carrying on with the Responsivists had broken down, and the Pact had, therefore, fallen through and was non-existent. A letter from the Responsivists was read by the Secretary confirming in the main Pandit Motilal’s statement. V. MOTILAL’S SUBSTITUTE FORMULA The following is the text of the substitute formula which was handed to the Responsivists leaders on the 4th morning : Having regard to the fact that doubts and differences have arisen as to the true interpretation of the agreement arrived at between Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, Messrs Lajpat Rai, M. S. Aney, M. R. Jayakar, N. C. Kelkar, G. A. Ogle and Pandit Motilal Nehru at Sabarmati on the 21st April, 1926, this meeting of the All-India Congress Committee, while fully agreeing with the principles, policy and programme laid down in resolution 7 of the Cawnpore Congress and resolution 2(b) of the All-India Congress Committee passed at Delhi on 6th and 7th March, 1926, and fully believing that diarchy in any form or shape is wholly unworkable in the best of conditions, is of opinion that with a view to remove all doubts and differences and to put the true issue before the country, it is expedient to state clearly what shall constitute the satisfactory response referred to in the said resolution. It is, therefore, hereby resolved : That the acceptance by the Government of the principle underlying the resolution passed by the Assembly on the 8th February, 1925, shall constitute a satisfactory response by the Government to the national demand for full responsible Government, and the immediate adoption by the Government of the various steps mentioned in the resolution of the Assembly passed on the 8th September, 1925, shall for the present be taken to be a sufficient compliance with the said principle. (2) That if Responsible Government in the fullest sense is guaranteed by the Government to come automatically in the near future by the adoption of steps other Parts I, II and III are reproduced from the Indian Review, April, 1926, and Parts IV, V and VI from the issue of May, 1926. than those mentioned in the resolution of the Assembly passed on the 8th September, 1925, and if, in the meantime, substantially full Responsible Government in the provinces is granted, the response so made by the Government shall be considered sufficient in the provinces for the purpose of accepting minister ships and considering the provincial budgets on their merits, provided that no such response shall be considered adequate unless it includes : (a) The release or trial according to law of all political prisoners who are at present detained without being convicted by a duly constituted court. (b) The repeal of all repressive laws. (c) The removal of all disqualifications now imposed on persons who have served the sentences passed on them, from standing for election to elected bodies in the country. (d) The abolition of non-official nominations to membership of Council and throwing open the seats of nominated non-official members to election by the general electorate. (3) That the adequacy of any action by the Government in any province as is referred to in resolution shall on the recommendation of the Congress members of the Legislative Council of that province be decided by the Working Committee.

 VI. RESPONSIVISTS’ DISAPPROVAL In their reply, Mr. Jayakar and his colleagues pointed out: We have carefully considered the draft which we regarded as a travesty of the Pact and a complete repudiation of the same. We think that the draft furnishes no common ground on which we could profitably meet and discuss. Under the circumstances, we are of opinion that no useful purpose will be served by our attending the Working Committee’s meeting this morning, and we have, therefore, decided not to attend the same. We feel that we need not have been dragged all the way to Ahmadabad from our distant homes to be made sport of in the manner the draft proposes to do.