Evening star., 1942-05-03
Congress Party
Urges Indians
Not 10 Fight
Policy of 'Non-VioIent
Non-Co-operotion'
With Jops Asked
Ey the Associated Press.

ALLAHABAD, India, May g.
The All-India Congress Party's
Working Committee decided to-
day to urge the masses of India
not to fight if their country is
invaded by Japan.
With japanese armies in Burma
ready to turn toward India or China
the dominant Congress leaders threw
their great influence with the peo-
pie of India on the side of resistance
only by "non-violent -co-opera-
ton
The Congress thus returned to
the ideas of Mohandas K. Gandhi
the man best known to all of Indias
millions, despite the views of Java
harlal Nehru and other party lead
ers who OF late have declared India
must fight. Gandhi in recent utter
ances has advanced his policy of
violence to the point of oppos-
ing the scorched earth policy in
case India is invaded.
Dictated by British"
The committees resolution, adopt
ed after days of debate on a new
policy following failure of Sir Staf-
ford Grips mission, said its course
was dictated by the attitude of the
British Governpoopt
In case invasion takes place it
must be resisted. Such resistance
can only take the form of nom
violent non-co operation, as the
British government prevented or
ganization of national defenses by
the people in any other way" the
resolution said.
1t added that this policy must be
followed even IL it means death.
1--WE may not bend the knee to an
aggreSsor, nor obey any Of his orders.
We may not look to him for favors,
nor fall to his bribes. If he wishes
to take possession of our homes and
our fields, we must refuse to give
them up, even If we have to die in
an effort to resist him (by non-co-
operation)."
Foreign Armies" Cited.
Touching upon the mission of Sir
Stafford, who came from London
empowered to offer India a DOM
inion government after the war, but
whose proposals fell fiat over Indian
demands for full sovereignty now,
including control and direction of
their own defense, the committee
said
1T is significant and extraordi-
nary that IndiaS inexhauStible
manpower should remain untapped
while India develops into battle
ground between foreign armies
fighting on her soil or frontiers and
her defense is not supposed to be a
subject fit for popular control"
India's leaders, among them
Nehru, have contended that only
self government now could light the
spark of resistance among the
Indian people.
The Congress party's action, how
ever. does not mean that all Indians
will refuse to fight. The 77,OOO, 900
Moslem minority has furnished
Britain with some of it's sturdiest
warriors, and DR.. B. S. Moonje,
veteran leader of the influential
Hindu Mahasabha, has organized a
school for guerrillas.
Moslem Separation Rejected.
At this school Indians are being
trained to ride, shoot, swim and
perform difficult physical feats, and
are taught how to harass invaders
until regular mobile army arrives.
In Bengal, whose long coastlipe
stretches east toward Burma, home
guards are being recruited by the
provincial government. They are
to be armed only with batons at
present, however.
Besides acting on the question of
resistance, the Congress Party re-
jected by a vote of 120 to Is a reso-
luton sponsored by Chakravarthi
Rajagopalachariar of the Padras
Provincial Party to acknowledge the
Moslem Leagues claim to autonomy
A counter proposal opposing any
splitting of India was adopted, 81
to IT.