Mahatma Gandhi reached Peshawar yesterday. From Attock to Nowshera he had a tremendous welcome at every station in the Frontier Province through which his train passed. Huge crowds and orderly batches of Red Shirt volunteers greeted him everywhere. The 25-mile route from Nowshera to Peshawar, which the Mahatma covered by car, was lined by Red Shirt volunteers.
At Peshawar, the Mahatma will address a big political conference to be attended by 50,000 Red Shirt volunteers and one lakh Pathans, including many from the transborder areas.
PESHAWAR, As soon as the Frontier Mail carrying Mahatma Gandhi reached Nowshera station, 25 miles from Peshawar, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, accompanied by Dr. Ghosh, Qazi Attaullah and a batch of Red Shirts, approached Mahatma Gandhi’s compartment and quietly received him. As Mahatma Gandhi emerged out of the train, the Frontier Gandhi greeted him warmly and garlanded him. The Red Shirts’ batch formed a cordon to prevent Gandhiji being mobbed by the crowd. Mahatma Gandhi, accompanied by Mr. Mahadev Desal, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Dr. Ghosh, at once passed through a special gateway and got into the car waiting for him outside the station. The car soon wended its way through the crowd along the bank of the Kabul river followed by over a dozen cars.
Mahatma Gandhi cheerfully bore the strain of the two-day journey in parching heat. Dr. Sushila Nayar tested his blood pressure in train several times. Mr. Mahadev Desai told your representative that the journey had no visible effect on Gandhiji’s health, though his blood pressure has been very much above normal for some time.
{{/usCountry}}Mahatma Gandhi cheerfully bore the strain of the two-day journey in parching heat. Dr. Sushila Nayar tested his blood pressure in train several times. Mr. Mahadev Desai told your representative that the journey had no visible effect on Gandhiji’s health, though his blood pressure has been very much above normal for some time.
{{/usCountry}}Scenes of wild enthusiasm were witnessed at the intervening stations after Mahatma Gandhi crossed Attock and entered the Frontier Province. Red Shirts carrying National Flags gave the Mahatma reception at all stations. So great was the rush of people and the consequent noise that Gandhiji had to plug his ears with cotton.
Mahatma Gandhi was loudly cheered by thousands of Red Shirts who, like disciplined army, were lined up on both sides of the road from Nowshera to Peshawar, a distance of 25 miles.
UNCOMFORTABLE JOURNEY
An A.P.I. message adds:
Thousands of Pathans gave Mahatma Gandhi a rousing welcome both at Campbellpur and Nowshera and the route from Nowshera to Peshawar was lined by Red Shirt volunteers on both sides at short intervals. From inquiries from those seated in the same compartment as Mahatma Gandhi it was gleaned that he had a most uncomfortable journey, mainly due to the undisciplined behaviour of the huge crowds that besieged the train everywhere. It would not be any exaggeration to say that right from Lahore till the end of his train Journey, the train was a place of pilgrimage on wheels. The crowds climbed on the top of the train and descended at Mahatma Gandhi’s window where they hung on right until the train moved out of the station. But Mahatma Gandhi withstood all the strain of the journey well. His blood pressure however rose during the journey, but there is no cause for alarm. A number of Congress leaders had assembled at Dr. Khan Sahib’s place when Mahatma Gandhi arrived.
SCENES OF ENTHUSIASM
The special correspondent of the Associated Press, travelling with Mahatma Gandhi, telegraphs from Rawalpindi that the Mahatma’s journey across the Punjab en route to the Frontier Province was marked with wild scenes of enthusiasm almost at every station where the Frontier Mail halted. At some places, such as Gupranwala, Lalamusa, Gujrat and Jhelum, the platforms were packed with thousands, and thousands remained shouting outside the station compounds. The Mahatma was sitting in an inter-class compartment with Mr. Mahadev Desai, Mr. Pearylal and Dr. Susheela Nayar and never looked out of his compartment. When, however, the crowds surged round his windows, he acknowledged the crowds’ homage with folded hands.
Hundreds of women were amongst the crowds at every place who were unable to have darshan of the Mahatma. Many of them touched the Mahatma’s carriage or the train as respectfully as those who were touching the Mahatma’s feet and some made their children do likewise.
During the afternoon the heat was oppressive. The Mahatma was wearing on his forehead a piece of wet khadder cloth which was constantly wetted with cold water as a precaution against the heat. At Gujarkhan and Mandra, people from Rawalpindi, Chakwal and other places had turned up in large numbers to greet Gandhiji.
AT RAWALPINDI
All appeals issued to the local Congress fell upon deaf ears and there was a seething mass of humanity at the Rawalpindi railway station and heads alone were visible when the Frontier Mail carrying Mahatmaji steamed in the station. In spite of rigid restrictions imposed by railway authorities at the railway station regarding access to the platforms, no less than 5,000 persons gained access to the platform.
AT LAHORE
Long before the arrival of the Frontier Mail in which Mahatma Gandhi was travelling, thousands of people thronged at the Lahore railway station to have his darshan. Despite the fact that the sale of platform tickets was stopped, a large number of persons managed to enter the platform. At exactly at 8-5 a.m. the train steamed in amidst shouts of Mahatma Gandhi-ki-Jai.
As soon as the train stopped people rushed towards the third-class carriage in which Mahatmaji was sitting. But they were disappointed to find that the windows of the carriage were bolted. They continued shouting Mahatma Gandhi-ki-Jai and went on knocking at the windows. A few minutes before the departure of the train the windows of the carriage were opened and Mahatmaji who appeared to be cheerful gave darshan to the crowd by peeping through the window. A police force headed by an inspector of police controlled the crowd with great difficulty. A telegraph messenger delivered a telegram to Mahatmaji by climbing over the roof of the train as it was impossible to pass through the crowd. The train whistled off at 8-35 a.m. and a number of people boarded the train at Lahore up to Shahdra railway station, the next halting station. Messages have been received from Jullundur, Amritsar and other centres stating that large crowds turned up at railway stations and had Mahatma Gandhi’s darshan.
PESHAWAR CONFERENCE
Mahatma Gandhi’s fist public utterance in Peshawar will be made at the district political conference - the first of its kind to be held in the Frontier Province-on May 8. The chairman of the Reception Committee is Khan Aligul Khan.
A feature of the conference will be a grand rally of between 40,000 and 50,000 Red Shirt volunteers from all over the province and a gathering of about a lakh of Pathans including many from the transborder areas. Mahatma Gandhi is also expected to address a couple of women’s meetings in Peshawar. He will also visit Mardan, Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan. A Congress party meeting will also be held on May 8.
Important political questions affecting the Congress Ministry in the Frontier are likely to be decided during Mahatma Gandhi’s stay here.