Indians as well as Englishmen take it for
granted that the natural rights of every Nation do not belong to them;
they claim "a larger share in the government of the country," instead of
claiming the government of their own country, and they are expected to
feel grateful for "boons," for concessions. Britain is to say what she
will give. The whole thing is wrong, topsy-turvy, irrational. Thank God
that India's eyes are opening; that myriads of her people realise that
they are men, with a man's right to freedom in his own country, a man's
right to manage his own affairs. India is no longer on her knees for
boons; she is on her feet for Rights. It is because I have taught this
that the English in India misunderstand me and call me seditious; it is
because I have taught this that I am President of this Congress to-day.
This may seem strong language, because the plain truth is not usually
put in India. But this is what every Briton feels in Britain for his own
country, and what every Indian should feel in India for his. This is the
Freedom for which the Allies are fighting; this is Democracy, the Spirit
of the Age.
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