| Great Leaders |
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| Biographies of Great Indians & Hindus |
MOTILAL NEHRU |
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| In the
World of Politics When Jawahar was studying in England father and son used to write long letters to each other. They wrote not only about matters relating to their home and family but also about the affairs of the nation. Motilal would often send newspaper cuttings about important events. He was not interested in politics. But the son had a keen interest in it. While the son was radical demanding quick changes, the father was a moderate preferring slow and steady progress. Gradually Motilal also was dragged into politics. When Gokhale visited Allahabad in 1907 he was the guest of Motilal. When he gave a public lecture Motilal presided over it. When it was decided to convene a meeting of the moderates. Motilal had to take the chair Motilal criticized the Government in his speech. But his son in England felt that the criticism was very mild. Lala Lajpat Roy, popularly known as the Lion of Punjab, was a great patriot. He was arrested and sent to Mandalay by the British Government in 1907. This enraged both the father and the son. "Could we ever co-operate with such a government?" said the son. There was a good deal about Indian politics in the letters between the father and the son. The difference of opinion between the 18 - year-old son and the 48-year-old father were becoming sharp. Once about an article written by his father Jawaharlal wrote in his letter to him, had I not known you so very well, I would have thought this article had been written by a very loyal subject of the king." "Boys should be boys" replied the father. In 1910 Motilal contested the election to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces and won. From the very first day he attended the Assembly session, he started questioning the decisions and policies of the government. "How many Police reporters sent by the Government to political meetings know short hand?" Questions of this sort would often embarrass the government. Motilal would fearlessly criticize the government in his speeches. Some people started a journal called 'The Leader' to keep the public properly informed of all that was happening in the country. Madan Mohan Malaviya was its editor. The first Chairman of the Board of Directors was Motilal. In July 1912 Jawarhalal returned to India. |
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