I BECOME CONGRESS PRESIDENT

During the war in 1939 I become congress president .A resolution was passed that This
Congress approves of the resolutions passed and the action taken on the war situation by the
A.I.C.C. and the Working Committee. The recent pronouncements made by British Government
shows that they are carrying on the War fundamentally for imperialist ends. The Congress
hereby declares that nothing short of complete independence can be accepted by the people of
India. One of my first tasks on taking over the President ship was to reconstitute the Working
Committee. I declared openly that the Indian National Congress was not a pacifist organization
but one for achieving India's freedom. Gandhi was convinced that India ought not to take part
in the war in any circumstance. The first meeting of the All-India Congress Committee held in
1940.After the meetings at Delhi and Poona, when the British refused the Congress offer of
cooperation, Gandhiji thought of a limited civil disobedience movement. During this duration I
was arrested. In December 1941, the Viceroy decided that Jawaharlal and I should be released.
Immediately on my release I called a meeting of the Working Committee. I thought the British
Government was sincerely anxious for our cooperation but that they were not yet ready to
recognize India as free. Another political change occurs, when Subhas Chandra Bose had, with
the outbreak of the war, started a movement for active opposition to the war effort. He
reached Germany and was attempting to organize an anti-British front from there. Later, there
was news that Subhas Rose had died..

A CHINESE INTERLUDE:

Since the outbreak of hostilities, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek had pressed that the British
should come to terms with India. Jawaharlal Nehru had visited South China and shared Indian
political situation with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. The Generalissimo and Madame Chiang
Kai-shek arrived in Delhi on 9 February 1942 Jawaharlal and I called on him. He then told me
that he had sent detailed messages to the British Prime Minister and he was convinced that if
Indians acted with wisdom a statesmanship, they could fully utilize the war situation and
achieve their freedom. I told the Generalissimo that if during the war the British Government
offered Dominion Status and agreed that Indian representatives could work with a sense of
freedom and responsibility, the Congress would not refuse the offer. He also met with
Jawaharlal and Gandhiji in Calcutta. The Generalissimo, before he left, made a fervent appeal to
Great Britain to give real political power to India.

Cripps Mission:

The Cripps Mission in 1942 was the outcome of War crises .Sir Stafford Cripps had visited India
and met me. During this visit, Sir Stafford Cripps discussed about the Priorities of people of
India. Later, Sir Stafford sent me an aide-mimoire in which he put down the gist of our
discussions and his suggestions for a compromise between the British Government and the
Indian people. The declaration would also include a clause that India would be free to decide
whether to remain within the British Commonwealth or not. For the duration of the war, the
Executive Council would be reconstituted and the Members would have the status of Ministers.
The position of the Viceroy would be that of a constitutional head. War Cabinet had decided to
send Sir Stafford Cripps on a mission to India. I met Sir Stafford soon after he arrived in New
Delhi. The proposal was that in place of the majority of British Members in the existing
Executive Council. Viceroy, as a constitutional head, would be bound by the advice of the
Council. India Office would remain and there would be a Secretary of State but his position
would be like that of the Dominion Secretary in respect of the other Dominions. To ponder over
it, the meeting of the Congress Working Committee was called on 29 March 1942, and it
remained in session till 11 April. Gandhi was against the acceptance of the proposals. The
discussions were inconclusive. The basic question was the powers of the Executive Council.
Accordingly, on 1 April 1942, I again called on Cripps to make more detailed discussion. But I
Found that the position had under-gone a radical change since I had last met him. Cripps gave
ambiguous replies. Later on I made many meetings with Cripps but I remain unsatisfied and on
the 10th April reported the result of my discussions. We came to the conclusion that the British
Government's proposals as they stood were not acceptable. An essential condition was the
freedom of India. The Congress stand was that India was willing to help Britain but could do so
only as a free country.