Referring to the present situation after withdrawal of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Subhas Bose reiterated that the progressive sharpening of the anti-imperialist struggle in India that had given birth to new ideas, ideologies, problems, and programmes people were consequently veering round to the opinion that as in other free countries the presidential election in India should be fought on the basis of definite problems and programmes so that the contest may help the clarification of issues and give a clear indication of the working of the public mind. An election contest may not be an undesirable one.
Explaining the reasons why he was going to participate in the election was that he had not been requested by any delegated to withdraw his candidature, rather he had been nominated as a candidate by different provinces without his knowledge or consent and that he had been receiving pressing requests from Socialists as well as Nationalists from different parts of the country urging him not to retire. Over and above this there seems to be a general feeling that he should be allowed to serve in office for another term.
He gave assurance to fulfill any responsibility cast on him.
Exchanges of Telegrams between Vallavbhai Patel and Sarat Chandra Bose, members of Working committee - 24th January, 1939
1) From Patel to Bose
Patel asked Bose to to request Subhas to avoid re-elction and allow Dr. Pattabhi to take the office without dividing Congress and enphasised that It was not not Subhas but the Working Committee of the Congress to settle on the issue of Federation.
2) From Bose to Patel,
Bose mentioning the seriousness of the situation asked Patel not to allow division between the left-wings and right-wings of the Congress and pointed out that in this situation Dr. Pattabhi would not be able to inspire country's confidence
3) From Patel to Bose
It was not the question of division but the question of principles and expressed his hope that election might be held without any bitterness and imputation of motives if the re-election coukd not be avoided.
The Statement of Vallavbhai Patel , Rajendra Prasad, Jairamdas, Daulatram, J.B.Kripalani, Jamnalal Bajaj, Shankar Rao Deo, and Bhulabhai Desai - all members of the All India Congress Working Committee - January 24, 1939
Having read the statement issued by Subhas Bose with care as it deserved they noticed that Subhas Babu was going to set up a new precedent which he had right to do. We could have waited for greater consolidation of the Congress ranks , greater toleration and greater respect for one another's opinions before making the Congress Presidential election a matter of contest. Mentioning the points referred by Subhas Bose they stressed that the Congress policy and Programmes were not determined by the successive Presidents whose duty was as a Chairman. Considering all such points they said that Dr. Pattabhi was the fittest person as the President this time.Second Statement of Subhas Chandra Bose - January 25, 1939.
Mentioning his unwillingness to participate in the debate of the Congress Presidential election - 1939 and to make it a public issue he mentioned the cause of his previous statement (21.1.1939) as the forced reply of the statement issued by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad . This time he was again forced by a statement issued jointly by the members holding the responsible posts of Congress Working Committee. He was taking this statement as individual one for the sake of fairness of the posts of the Congress Working Committee He mentioned that the Congress President was a matter of election by the delegates and not to be nominated by any or many members.
Remindinding every body he said since the adoption of the new constitution of the Congress in 1934, the Working Committee is being nominated, theoretically at least, by the President. Since that year the Position of the Congress President has been raised. It is , therefore, new conventions should grow up around the Congress President and its election.The position of the President today is longer analogous to that of the Chairman of a meeting. The President is like the prime Minister or President of the united States of America who nominates his own cabinet. Since then a leftist has been elected as Congress President by the support of both the leftists and rightists.The attempt to deviate from the the practice this year and to set up a Rightist Candidate is not without significance. He expressed his intention that he requested his friends to choose another leftist candidate as president this time , but several provinces have proposed my name . Even at this late hour I am prepared to withdraw from the contest if a genuine anti-federationist, like Acharya Narendra deo, for instance, be accepted as the President this year. Under these circumstances the presidential election is part of our fight against the federal scheme and as such we cannot afford to be indifferent to it.....
The following persons participated in the debate and issued their statements on the respective dates clarifying reasons of withdrawal of Subhas Chandra Bose to allow Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramyya uncontested.
1. Pattabhi Sitaramayya on 25 January, 1939,
2. Vallavbhai Patel on 25 January, 1939, from Bordoli
3. Jawahar Lal Nehru on 26 January, 1939, from Almorah,
4. Rajendra Prasad on 27 January, 1939 from Patna
Subhas Chandra replied to all the points raised by them in his third statement on 27 January, 1939.
He put stress specially to the statement issued by Dr. Pattabhi and Sardar Patel.
Replying on the point raised by them that 'a unanimous desire of the people of South India in general and Andhra in particular that the next President should be an Andharaite, Subhas Chandra said that it is difficult to believe that Congressmen in any part of India think in terms of Provincialism.Moreover, ' I have before me at the present moment telegrams from Andhradesa voluntarily assuring me of support. And so far as Tamil-Nad is concerned, friends there are among those who are most insistent that I should not withdraw from the contest.'
Answering to a point raised by Sadar Patel, he pointed out that his (Sardar Patel) statement contain ' a rather damaging' confession which says that 'some members of the working Committee held an important consultation among themselves and came to a certain decision' , ' is it not surprising that neither the President nor other members of the working committee knew any thing of this?'
The fourth and last statement issued, 28January, 1939, by Subhas Chandra reiterated justification of his candidature.
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