…I hold that self government is not an end in itself, but only a means to good government. And true democracy is that which promotes the welfare of the people, the test of good government lies in the largest good of the people with minimum of controls. The test of autocracy, socialism, capitalism, etc is also people’s welfare or good government. In themselves, the various approaches are of no value. Any system of government can fail if people do not show scrupulous honesty and a feeling of brotherhood. There may be work, there may be men to do the work and also the tools with which to do it: yet in my view, any system which admits poverty and unemployment is not fit to survive even for a day… (Hindu. 31/12/1947)
…It is the duty of all leading men, whatever their persuasion or party, to safeguard the dignity of India. That dignity can’t be saved if misgovernment and corruption flourish. Misgovernment and corruption always go together. I have it from very trustworthy sources that corruption is increasing in our country. Is everyone then going to think only of himself, and not al all of India?….(Hindu. 16/12/1947).
“…This day, 26 January, is India’s Independence Day. This observance was quite appropriate when we were fighting for independence, and we had not seen or handled it . Now that we have seen and handled it, we seem to be disillusioned. At least, I am disillusioned. What are we celebrating today? Surely not our disillusionment! What we are entitled to celebrate is the “hope that the worst is over, and that we are on the road to showing the lowliest of India’s villager that it means his freedom from being a serf, and that he is no longer a slave born to serve the cities and towns of India, but that he is entitled to use city-dwellers for the finished products of his well thought -out labours. He is the salt of Indian earth”
(26 January 1948. From the pages of The Hindu)
“..It (corruption) has now become worse than before. Restraint from it has practically gone. Corruption will go when the large number of persons given unworthily to it realise that the nation does not exist for them to exploit but that they exist to serve the nation. This requires morals, and extreme vigilance on the part of those who are free of the taint. Indifference will be criminal…”
(27 January 1948. From the pages of The Hindu)