Gandhi was conducted and grief-stricken.

On August 24, the Viceroy announced the formation of an Interim national Government to replace the viceroy’s Executive Council.

Jawaharlal Nehru was the Vice- president of the Interim Government.

The Muslim League declined to join it on the ground that it had not been given the right to nominate all the Muslim members.

After the installation of the Interim Government, Gandhi was anxious to return to Sevagram, his ashram near wardha, but the Congress leaders prevailed on him to stay longer in Delhi because they wanted his advice. So Gandhi stayed on in Delhi.

Then the Muslim League decided to join the Interim Government and an announcement was made to this effect on October 15, 1946. Gandhi once again felt free to return to Sevagram. He was about to leave Delhi when news came of the disturbances in Bengal. There was widespread communal rioting by the muslins in Calcutta and in the Muslim majority district of Noakhali in East Bengal, with murder, arson, looting, forced conversions, forced marriages and abduction.

Gandhi was conducted and grief-stricken. Instead of returning to Sevagram, he set out for Noakhali to try to bring peace there.

The communal riots spread. There were similar riots in Bihar and the Punjab. Thousands were killed and thousands more were injured. Gandhi was greatly disheartened by these events. He tried clam and reassure the people.

He walked from village to village and from house to house carrying his message of peace. Wherever he was there was peace, at least outwardly. But the general situation in India was worsening. Rioting spread from the towns to the village. In Bihar the Muslims were suffering and Gandhi went there to instill courage into the Muslim minority and to help them in their distress.

The situation in India was so dreadful that the congress leaders realized that the best way open to them was to accept Jinnah’s demand for a division of the country and they reluctantly approved the formation of Pakistan.

Nehru met Gandhi to inform him of this decision.

Gandhi asked him. “Is there no way out? No hope of a united India?”

“Bapuji,” he replied,” unity is impossible. Dreadful as is the idea of a separate country within our borders, we have to accept it. Otherwise this deadly turmoil will never cease”.

 Gandhi bowed his head to hide his despair.

Cut me in two

Two months after Germany’s surrender in May 1945, the Labour Party came into power in Britain and clement Attlee became the prime Minister. After the defeat of Japan a few months later, the British Government announced that they expected to grant self-government to India as soon as her internal problems could be solved.

This was a victory for India. It was a victory for non-violence. Britain, defeated by the peaceful revolution, could not hold on to India any longer. Britain agreed to a planned withdrawal from India, without bitterness and in friendship.

All through his life Gandhi had worked for unity between the Hindus and the Muslims. But he had not had much success. There was a large section of nationalist Muslims in the Congress, but the heads of the Muslim League were drifting further and further away.

Gandhi was not the man to give up hope, however, and he pursued his efforts to bring about a settlement. On the other hand, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim league, was hostile to the idea of unity. HE demanded a separate Muslim State before freedom was given to India.

The Viceroy invited all the leaders to Simla (now shimla) and tried to find a solution and bring about Hindu-Muslim unity. However, Jinnah insisted on having a separate State, to be called Pakistan.

Britain announced an election in India which was held. The Congress won most of the non-Muslim seats and the Muslim League won most of the Muslim seats. The deadlock continued.

“We can settle the problem in ten minutes if Mr. Gandhi agrees to the creation of Pakistan,” said Jinnah.

“Cut me in two.” Cried Gandhi, but do not cut India in two.”

He spoke to deaf ears. In February 1946 the British government sent a Cabinet Mission to India. It consisted of Lord Patrick Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and A.V. Alexander. The task of the Cabinet Mission was to study the situation and suggest what should be done. After careful consideration the Cabinet Mission issued a statement proposing the withdrawal of British authority from India. They had the idea of a united India.

An appeal to the Highest Tribunal

In august 1942 the all-India Congress Committee met in Bombay and was presided over by maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Again the demand to set up a provisional government was made.

“We can no longer back our people from exercising their will”, Gandhi said, “Nor can we go on eternally submitting to the imperialist policy. The time has come for the English to go. Civil servants, army officers. Government officers all of them should quit India”.

The ‘Quit India ‘resolution was drawn up and passed by the meeting for presentation to the government. Jawaharlal moved the resolution and Sardar Patel seconded it.

The resolution also announced the starting of a mass struggle on the widest possible scale.

Winding up the meeting Gandhi said, “I have pledged the Congress, and the congress has pledged herself that she will do or die.”

The government did not wait for the mass movement to begin. Overnight Gandhi was arrested, and also many other leaders in various parts of India. Gandhi was interned in the Aga Khan palace in Poona. Mahadev Desai, Kasturbai, sarojini Naidu and Mirabehn were also taken there.

But with the leaders in jail. India did not remain idle.” Do or die’ was taken up by the people. There were mass movements everywhere. And there was a great outburst of violence throughout the country. People started destroying government buildings and whatever else they considered to be symbols of British imperialism.

Shortly after his detention in the Aga Khan Palace, Gandhi suffered a grievous bereavement. Mahadev Desai, his faithful and able secretary, died of a heart attack.

“Mahadev has lived up to the ‘do or die’ mantra,” Gandhi said. “His sacrifice cannot but hasten the day of India’s deliverance.”

All over India there were strikes and disorder. Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy, attributed all this to Gandhi. Gandhi had invited violence, he claimed. In a long series of letters to Lord Linlithgow, Gandhi tried to persuade him to retract this charge against him.

Failing in this, Gandhi decided to undertake a fast as “an appeal to the Highest Tribunal” against the unjust charges. Gandhi fasted for 21 days in February 1943. It was a great ordeal, but he survived the fast.

Kastuyrbai nursed him back to health, but her own health was failing. She suffered two heart attacks. Gandhi tried his best to save her, but Kasturbai’s condition grew worse. One day she died quietly in Gandhi’s arms.

A few weeks later Gandhi was taken seriously ill with malaria. The Indian people demanded his immediate release and the authorities, believing that he was nearing death, released him. Gandhi was slowly restored to health.

The demand for Indian Independence had now grown into a world –wide question. Apart from India’s own attitude, America and other countries pressed Britain to grant freedom to India. Churchill did not yield to any of these approaches. India had always been of help to British prosperity and Churchill was the last man to think of giving up India and thus make Britain the poorer.

All- India Congress Committee in Bombay

In 1939 the Second World War broke out. England and France declared war on Nazi Germany. Without consulting Indian leaders, Britain declared to be at was on the allies’ side.

Gandhi’s sympathies were with the British but he believed that all violence was evil and he would, therefore, have nothing to do with the war effort, although he gave England his moral support.

The Indian National Congress wanted to help Britain and fight on the allies’ side, but only as a free nation. But to grant India independence seemed ridiculous to Churchill and his government. They had no intention of letting India go by default. Britain refused to accept the cooperation offered by the Congress.

As a protest, all the Congress ministries in the provinces resigned. The government took over the administration and they acted in such a way as to help their was effort. Acting on the goodwill and restraint taught by Gandhi, the Indian leaders showed no reaction.

Gandhi's fast for India's unity

Gandhi started his fast on September 20, 1932. The first day of the fast was observed all over India as day of prayer and fasting. Many temples were opened to untouchables and meetings were held all over India urging the removal of untouchability.

Outside the jail political activity boiled. Leaders of caste Hindus and untouchables met and discussed various measures to arrive at a compromise that would satisfy Gandhi. Proposals and counter-proposals were made and rejected. Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the most powerful leader of the untouchables, met Gandhi and assured him that he would try his best to find a solution.

On the third day of his fast, Gandhi’s condition became bad. He grew very weak and he had to be carried to the bathroom on a stretcher. His blood pressure started rising. The authorities panicked and sent for his wife. They also allowed all his friends and followers to be with him.

The Indian people felt desperate. Gandhi might die and leave them leaderless. The other political leaders had failed, for they were unable to find a solution which would enable Gandhi to break his fast.