Sri Aurobindo
Karmayogin
Political Writings and Speeches — 1909-1910
Karmayogin: A Weekly Review
Saturday 11th December 1909 — No.23
Facts and Opinions
The United Congress
The controversy which has arisen between the Bengalee and the Amrita Bazar Patrika on the subject of an1 united Congress does not strike us as likely to help towards the solution of this difficult question.
We should ourselves have preferred to hold silence until the negotiations now proceeding between representatives of both sides in Calcutta are brought to a definite conclusion either for success or failure.
But certain of the positions taken up by the Bengalee cannot be allowed to pass unchallenged.
Our contemporary refers to the meeting in the Amrita Bazar Office last year as an All India Conference.
He ought to know perfectly well that it was nothing of the kind.
The Mahratta Nationalists were extremely anxious for a settlement and they approached the Bengal Moderates to that end through the mediation of Sj. Motilal Ghose.
The terms arrived at were so humiliating that, although they gave way rather than imperil the success of the negotiations, it was with great difficulty they could bring themselves to consent, and Bengal Nationalism has never accepted the surrender on the subject of the creed.
At the Hughly Conference, when the four Nationalist members of the Committee were named, great anxiety was expressed by the delegates that men should be chosen who would not repeat this surrender.
If the meeting in Bagbazar last year were an All India Conference, how is it that Bombay Moderatism refused to have anything to do with its resolutions, or that Sj. Surendranath and his following did not consider themselves bound by the decision to which they were a party and joined the Madras Congress?
It was an attempt at negotiation and nothing more and, having fallen through, binds nobody.
The Bengalee says that unless the Nationalists sign the creed, an2 United Congress is impossible, since no one shall be admitted to the Congress who is not satisfied with self-government within the Empire 
and constitutional means of agitation.
This seems to us to be an indirect attempt at intimidating us by hinting that, if we do not join the Moderates on their own terms, we shall be declaring ourselves seditionists and anarchists.
That is a method of bringing about unity which we think the Bengal Moderates had better leave to their friends in Bombay and Punjab; it will not work in Bengal.
If by constitutional means is meant acquiescence in the Reforms,— that is the only constitution given to us,— we decline to join in using constitutional means.
If peaceful means are intended, we do not know that any party advocating public political action is in favour of any but peaceful means.
Nor is it a question of adhesion to or secession from the British Empire.
That is an ultimate action which is too far off to form a question of practical politics or a subject of difference.
The dispute is one of ideal, whether we shall aim at being a province of England or a separate nation on an equality with her carrying on our ancient Asiatic development under modern conditions.
Whether such separateness and equality can be effected without breaking the English connection is a question which can only be decided by the final attempt at adjustment between Indian and British interests.
We Nationalists lay stress on the ideal, which is a matter of principle, and not on the form it takes, which is a matter of expediency and detail.
As far as the United Congress is concerned, the Nationalists are willing to accept the self-government of the provincial type as the object of the Congress and to make no attempt to disturb this provision until India becomes unanimous for a change, but any attempt to make them sign a creed which violates their conscience will be resisted.
There can be no farther weakening on that point, and if the Moderates demand that we shall lay down our principles on the altar to Sir Pherozshah Mehta before they will admit fellowship with us then farther negotiations are useless.
Disunion must take its course.