Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/315

 Politics." All this was probably the result of her disappointment and discomfiture at Delhi (1918) and at Amritsar (1919). Her conduct in England was severely criticised by Messrs. Khaparde and Patel and her attempts to persuade Labour leaders not to move Congress amendments were brought to light. This exaspe- rated her beyond all measure and she appealed to the All-India Congress Committee to disassociate itself from the utterances of Messrs. Patel and Khaparde. This appeal was made when Mr. Patel had already sailed for England. So Mr. Tilak had to take the sword in his behalf and do an unpleasant duty. It is well to cast a veil over all these controversies; for nothing pained Mr. Tilak more than the attitude of Mrs. Besant, who, he always held, was by temperament never a moderate. He had publicly appealed to her (March 1920), iu the best interests of the country to co-operate with the Congress Party. But God had willed it that her path should differ from that of the Congress leaders.

The Moderate Party, with its age-long opposition to Mr. Tilak's principles and personality was led in Maharashtra by the Hon'ble Mr. Paranjpye, who, with true iconoclastic fervour, started his new campaign against the Nationalists by striking at their idol. When, therefore, an address was proposed to be given at Poona to Mr. Tilak on his return from England (November 1919), Mr. Paranjpye opposed it by publishing " a catalogue of Mr. Tilak's sins of commission and omission." The attack failed ; the address was duly given and though Mr. Parajpye was challenged to personally lead the opposition at the pubUc meeting, he wavered at the last moment and remained absent.