Jealgora, 15th April, 1939.
My dear Mahatmaji,
I have wired to you today to say that your presence in Calcutta at the time of the AICC meeting is absolutely necessary. It is so essential that to suit your convenience, the AICC meeting should be postponed if necessary. Kindly let me have definite news that you will be able to come by a particular date. I am
told by several friends holding different political views that the Working Committee should be formed before the AICC meets. They feel so strongly on this point that they say that it is no use for the AICC to meet if the WC has not already been formed. They hold, further, if correspondence does not lead to a settlement, then we should make a last desperate attempt through personal talk. In order to enable us to meet, the AICC meeting should be postponed if necessary.
Personally I am afraid of postponement (for I may be accused of dilatoriness)
— unless you approve of it. But I do feel very strongly that if correspondence does not yield satisfactory results, then we must meet and this meeting should take place before the AICC meeting is held. If even personal discussion fails to bring about a settlement, one will at least have the satisfaction of having done his very best.
Let me now summarise the latest position. I am sorry I cannot implement your advice regarding forming a homogenous cabinet (I shall not repeat the reasons which I have detailed in my previous letters). Consequently you will have to accept the responsibility which has devolved on you as a result of the Pant Resolution. In other words, you will have to announce the personnel of the Working Committee. If you do that, then the stalemate will end — the WC will meet and following the WC the AICC. One can hope that all will then be well and that no other contingency will arise.
If for any reason you decline to form the WC then we shall be in a quandary. The matter will have to go before the AICC in an undecided state. I think it will be universally held that the WC problem should be solved before the AICC meets, so that the AICC may not become a battle-ground like Tripuri.
I do not know how exactly your mind is working at present — but I do hope that you will now proceed to announce the personnel of the WC and thereby end the deadlock. Should you think otherwise, I would beg of you to visualise the disastrous consequences that will follow in the event of the AICC assembling in Calcutta without the problem of the WC having been solved. If
such a situation arises, we should meet — if necessary, and postpone the AICC meeting so that our meeting may take place.
One thing has struck me presently. We have been discussing a lot about homogeneous cabinet — but are we sure as to what exactly we mean by homogeneous cabinet? For instance, the Working Committees formed after Lucknow, Faizpur and Haripura Congress — would you call them homogeneous — then there is no reason to quarrel over the problem of homogeneous vs. composite cabinet. If you call them composite — then why cannot a composite cabinet function this year, after successfully working for three years? It strikes me that if we put aside the theoretical discussion of homogeneous and composite cabinets, we may be able to agree upon names which will in their totality command the general confidence of the AICC and of the general body of Congress delegates. Kindly consider this aspect of the problem.
Then again you are deeply concerned over such problems as corruption, violence, etc. Perhaps you regard these questions as fundamental. Now, we may differ as to the extent of’ corruption or degree of the spirit of violence which prevails today. But are we not all agreed that corruption, violence, etc., should cease and necessary steps should be taken in that behalf? If so, why should you think that at the time of action we shall not act together or that in important matters, we shall not agree?
I shall not prolong this letter. I have already unburdened myself to you. I shall only repeat that in all probability, we shall find after personal discussion that whatever our theoretical views on the nature of the cabinet may be, we shall be able to agree on the actual names — and whatever our theoretical differences on important problems may be, we shall be able to agree where action is called for.
I hope Ba is rapidly improving and that your health is satisfactory, despite the heavy strain. I am progressing steadily.
With respectful Pranams,
Yours affectionately,
Subhas.