My Mother — Page 123
Devotion and Sympathy 123 transferred to some other district. Sir Donald, as in duty bound, submitted my letter to Sir Herbert Emerson, who took grave umbrage at it and took it to the Viceroy and complained that the letter exhibited lack of confidence in his police and amounted to defamation of it. He proposed that he would institute a public enquiry into the allegations made in the letter so that the whole matter might be cleared up. When I went for my weekly interview with the Viceroy he asked me whether I had written a letter to Sir Donald Boyd. I told him I had, and explained the background to him. Then he told me what the Governor had proposed and said, ‘I, as Governor- General, have forbidden him the holding of any public enquiry. ’ ‘I am sorry to hear it. We would welcome a public enquiry into all the misunderstandings that have arisen between the Movement and the Government. It would clear the air. If we succeed in set- ting at rest the apprehensions that the Governor entertains con- cerning the Movement, he will change his attitude towards us. On the other hand, if we are convinced that our grievances against the Government are misconceived, our minds will be set at rest. I would not let this embarrass you in the least. I would resign immediately and would be glad to represent the Movement in the enquiry. ’ ‘I appreciate your attitude and realise the difficulty of your position. I have full confidence in you and have told the Governor that on the facts I would accept your word against everything else. So be in no hurry to resign. Carry on till you find your posi- tion here irreconcilable with your conscience. You have my sym- pathy. My family had to endure persecution over a long period. As regards the unfortunate incident in which your brother was