OCTOBER 2:The hope that Mahatma Gandhi who led us to Freedom will also lead us to peace was expressed by Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, Acharya Kripalani and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad on the occasion of Gandhiji’s 79th birthday. They also appealed to the public to follow the lead given by Gandhiji.

In his broadcast Acharya Kripalani says: “In the darkness that surrounds us his is the only ray of light that points the way. In the confusion that prevails, his is the only voice that does not falter. We may lack the wisdom and strength to walk the way and heed the voice. But it behoves us to know and try to understand where the way leads and what the voice says. This is the least we owe to him, who has led us to victory once and who is now acclaimed as the Father of the Nation...

Pandit Nehru called upon the people to make up their minds... They could not shout “Mahatma Gandhi-ki-jai” and pursue a policy of hatred towards their own brethren. The country had suffered incalculable harm at the hands of those who had been breaking the law and disturbing the peace. That could not be tolerated any more, the Prime Minister said. The question before them at present was not one of avenging the death of their kith and kin across the border nor of saving the lives of those who had arrived in the Indian Union, but one in which the whole future and independence of the country was at stake. The people must face the facts, control their passions and work honestly to save the country from ruin.

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