Nehru Moves for Independence
At the Indian National Congress in Madras in 1927, Jawaharlal Nehru offered the "Independence Resolution."
It is my high privilege to place before you the resolution on Independence (Cheers).
The resolution reads thus:
The Congress declares the goal of the Indian people to be complete national independence.
I do not think I can describe this resolution in any better language than that used by the distinguished Ex-President of the Congress, Dr. Annie Besant, in an interview which she gave immediately after the Subject Committee had accepted this resolution. She said that it was a dignified and clear statement of India's goal (Cheers).
No special remarks are necessary from me in commending this resolution for your acceptance specially after the almost complete unanimity with which the Subject Committee approved of it. But I wish to explain very clearly one or two points connected with this resolution. The first thing is that this resolution although it makes clear the goal does not change the present creed of the Congress. If you pass this resolution you declare by a majority. I hope by an overwhelming majority that the Congress is to-day for complete independence. Nonetheless you have the doors of the Congress open to such persons as may not approve of this goal as they perhaps are satisfied with a lesser or a smaller goal. I think that although the door of the Congress is open, there should be no doubt if you approve of this resolution then everybody must say that the majority of the Congressmen today demand complete independence for the country. Now this resolution as placed before you is a very short and simple one. In the Subject Committee the resolution as you may know because the proceedings are quite public was slightly longer and more complicated. But ultimately it was changed to this present formula and this formula was adopted.
I wish to make it clear to you that the adoption of this formula does not in any way change the spirit or the meaning of the resolution. It means what it says. It means complete independence. It means control of the defense forces of the country. It means control over the financial and economic policy of the country. It means control over the relations with the foreign countries. (Hear, Hear). Without these things independence would be a travesty and camouflage.
Thirdly I wish to point out to you lest there be any mistake that this goal which I hope you will adopt today is the immediate goal and not a goal of the far distant future (Cheers). Whether we achieve it today or tomorrow, a year hence or 10 years hence I cannot say. That depends on your strength and the strength of the country.
May I in conclusion express my heartfelt gratitude that the Congress is about to adopt the goal worthy of our country's high destiny and hope that this goal may be reached in the near future (Cheers).
(He then explained the resolution in Hindi.)
Source: Jagdish Saran Sharma. (1965) India's Struggle for Freedom: Select Documents and Sources. Vol. II. Delhi: S. Chand & Co., 276–277.
This complete Nehru, Jawaharlal contains 514 words. This
article contains 930 words (approx. 3 pages at 300
words per page).
