NON-VIOLENT MURDER

KF Nariman was the president of Bombay Provincial Congress Committee and a former mayor of Mumbai. He wrote this on February, 28th 1941.

Many followers and admirers of Subhas Babu will be perturbed by the publication of the last correspondence between him and Gandhiji, wherein Gandhiji had once again rejected Subhas Babu\\'s generous and patriotic offer of co-operation in Satyagrah movement, in spite of his strong differences with him; some will be inclined even to attribute motives, and criticise this rejection as exhibiting pettishness and ill-will, unworthy of a Mahatma.

But I feel constrained to state that Gandhiji\\'s rejection of that offer was plausibly justified on the ground of fundamental and vital differences, not only in the outlook but also in the ideology and mentality of these two leaders.

Whereas to Subhas Babu and to the rest of his followers, including the humble writer, non-violence is only a political expediency, and mass satyagraha a suitable political weapon, to carry on the struggle for independence. In other words, both non-violence and satyagraha are means to an end, to be adjusted and altered, as the exigencies and expediency demand. Gandhiji will adhere to that ideal of highest standard of non-violence, even if the pursuit means sacrificing and giving up the political goal of Swaraj, whereas the other national group being essentially political, will rather alter and adjust the means than give up the goal. Thus it is obvious that the differences between the two ideologies and mentalities are psychological and fundamental, and hence Gandhiji\\'s rejection of Subhas Babu\\'s offer looked at from that higher point of view seems apparently justified.

But the compliant is that there is no difference at all between Subhas Babu\\'s "non-violence" and the "non-violence" of Gandhiji\\'s numerous so-called followers who have nevertheless signed Satyagraha pledges with easy and accommodating conscience, and have been accepted by Gandhiji, though they too feel and believe exactly like Subhas Babu.

If Gandhiji was logical and consistent, he should have rejected one and all, on the same ground on which he has rejected Subhas Babu\\'s offer, with few exceptions, perhaps of the first one or two genuine Satyagrahis like Vinoba Bave and Brahma Dutt; the whole of the rest, if judged by the same standard, deserved to be tarred by the same brush and swept off by the same broom, so far as their belief in faith in non-violence is concerned. It is this discrimination in treatment that is not galling and against which we have made repeated complaints.

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