GANDHI CRITICISED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 314, 30 August 1932, Page 7

GANDHI CRITICISED

ANNOYED GUESTS LEAYE BIG DINNER AS PROTSST. REMARKS TOO POLITICAL. London, July 17. At the Bombay dinner, held in London recently, there was an incident such as rarely occurs at public banquets. During the speech of Sir Henry S. Lawrence, the chairman, two of those present rose and protested against what they regarded as the political character of the utterance, and left the dinner. The speech (according to the Sunday'Times) was a strong criticism of Mr, Gandhi, the Indian Congress leader. One of the protesters was Sir Stanley Reed, formerly the editor of the Times of India. Sir Henry Lawrence, in an interview, made the following statement:— "There was a gentleman at the dinner who, whilst II was spealcing; said he understood that the occasion was a social one, but, in his opinion, my remarlcs wero too political. A little later another guests rose and made some remark which was not easily understood, but I gathered was of a similar character to the first gentleman's remark. "I understood they deemed my remarlcs too political, hut my personal opinion is that at a dinner of this character if is common to malce some comment on matters of importance and of interest to the guests concerned. In this case the matter was of importance to Bombay people, who were mainly the guests. Causcs of Riots. "My references were with regard to the elfect on the commerce and industry of Bombay of the recent riots, and some sug-gestion as to the causes of the trouble which gave rise to those riots. "The suggestion I made was that the riots arose out of the feeling between communities which sprang directly from the Congress agitation and was directly connected with the recent career of one of the representatives of the Indian Congress at the recent Round Tahle Conference — that is to say, of Mr. Gandhi. "I am very grateful to them in having drawn public opinion to this matter. Their protests certainly did not upset the good feeling of the evening, or create any inconvenience or any sort of disturbance. In fact, the diners begged me to carry on; so I did. Several gentlemen have thanlced me since the dinner for my remarlcs. So far as I am concerned the incident is closed — I do not see there can he anything else to it.' Sir Henry Lawrence has had a di>tinguished career in India. He was Acting-Governor of Bombay in 1926, and from 1921 to 1926 he was a member of the Council of the Govern of Bombay. He was awarded the Kaisar-i-IIind Medal for service in the plague of 1900.