Gandhi - His Attitude on Power

It is very easy to say, "I don't care about money", while having nice dinner at a seven star hotel.

If we go by what is known to the majority of the people, Gandhi is very simple and he did not have any interest on power etc. Except at the very beginning, he did not show any interest in becoming the president of Congress, and after getting the Independence, he did not take any post in the government.

In the later part of Gandhi's life, he had full power. Whatever he asked, it was done. He had Nehru, who has done everything that he asked (till the Independence). So, Gandhi never needed to take the power officially.

In 1939, Subash Chandra Bose contested for the Congress President elections. Gandhi had put Pattabi Seetharamayya as his candidate. Pattabi Seetharamayya lost in the elections, and Subhash Chandra Bose became the president of the Congress.

Gandhi did not like that. He publicly said, that the defeat of Sitaramayya was his own defeat. He asked many people to resign from their posts and have given zero co-operation to Subash Chandra Bose. Gandhi did not even attend the meetings of Congress. Bose got frustrated with the things happened in Congress because of Gandhi, and left Congress.

In 1946, India was on the way to Independence. Congress was supposed to elect the first Prime Minister of India. 16 states supported Sardar Vallabai Patel and only one state supported Nehru. But, Gandhi asked Patel to withdraw, and asked him to give the way to Nehru. Patel accepted it and Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India.

Gandhi never wanted to take power. But, he always wanted people, who listens to him in everything, to take power. Eventhough, Gandhi did not hold any official posts most of the time, he had full powers most of the time. He had people who listened to him for everything. When he was having full power, it is very easy to say that, he does not care about power. The real picture would come out only, when the people who have power do not listen to him.