692 NON -CO-OPERATION
critical period of the struggle the advice that I have, I would be denying both God and Truth. The tele- grams and letters I am receiving from all parts of the country thanking me for rny decision telegrams from both non-co-operators and co-operators confirm my belief that the country appreciates the decision and that the Lahore writer has given undue prominence to some heated bazaar talk which was bound to take place after the Bardoli decision which all of a sudden disturbed all previous calculations. I can understand the effect of the first shock, but I am also sure that when the people begin to analyse the implications of non-violence, they will come to no other conclusion than that of the Working Committee.
And now for the questions of the correspondent : ^i) I am not likely to give up the lead of the movement unless I have a clear indication that the people want me to. One method of giving that indica- tion is an adverse vote of the Working Committe or the All-India Congress Committee.
(2) 1 assure the public that Pandit Malaviyaji had' absolutely >/o hand in shaping my decision, I have often yielded to Panditji, and it is always a pleasure for me to yie)d to him whenever I can and always painful to differ from one who has an unrivalled record of public service and who is sacrifice personified. But so far as the decision of suspension is concerned, I arrived at it on my reading the detailed report of the Chauri Chaura tragedy in the Chronicle. It was in Bardoli that telegrams were sent convening the Working Committee meeting and it was in Bardoli that I sent a let'.er to the members of the Working Committee advising them of rny desire to suspend civil disobedience, I went
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