M. K. GANDI-II 47 Non·Co·operation. The debate was most exciting.` The President, Mr. Lajpat Rai himself, spoke strongly against certain important provisions of the Resolution. He would? not agree to the withdrawal of boys from schools nor could he think it at all possible to call upon lawyers to leave their practice. He was personally in favour of the ·princip1e of Non—Co·operation but he doubted the wisdom of committing the Congress to those extravagant and far- reaching items in Mr. Gandhi’s programme. Borcorr or CoUN01Ls But by far the most contentious item in the Rssolu— tion was that relating to the boycott of councils. The bulk of the nationalists were strangely enough opposed to it and by a curious stretch of logic they considered obstruction in the council as preferable to wholesale boycott. Mr. C. R. Das, who was in charge of the main resolu- tion on behalf of the Reception Committee, agreed to Mr. Bepin Chandra Pal’s amendment of his resolution, but if it was defeated, he would stand by his own. Mr. Pal’s amendment was put to the vote and was lost, 155 voting for and 161 against. Then another vote was taken on Mr. Das’s resolution and Mr Gandhi’s resolution as amended by Pundit Motial Nehru and as accepted by Mr. Gandhi him- self. It is said that in the final voting a poll was taken 133 voting for Mr. Dxs’s resolution and 148 for Mr. Gandhi’s, thus giving a majority to Mr Gandhi of 15 votes and thus showing that the voting was very close. It is clear that the Subjects Committee consisted of 296 members present and that 15 of whom remained neutral. The greatest excitement prevailed both inside the Com- mittee room and outside when it was known that Mr. Gandhi won the day. Nearly two thousand people collected outside and shouted " Gandhi Mahatma Kee Jai " and " Bande Mataram." EXCITEMENT IN THE CONGRESS That gives the clue to the mentality of the Congress. If Mr. Gandhi could win in the Subjects Committee itself there was no doubt of his triumph in the open Congress. Still Mr. Das proposed to bring his amendments to the
