Chapter 25The Indian National Congress: Moderates and · The Bande Mataram Sedition Case

incorporate in the resolutions of 1906. Bepin Pal had just started Sri Aurobindo took up joint editorship of the journal, edited the paper during Bepin Pal’s absence and induced the Nationalist party to take it up as their organ and finance it. He called a meeting of the party leaders at which it was decided at his instance to give up the behind the scenes jostlings with the Mod-erates, and declare an open war on Moderatism and place before the country what was practically a revolutionary propaganda. He gave up his Baroda job some time after this; he had taken indefinite leave without pay; for this reason he did not take although after Bepin Pal left that post, he was practically in full control of the policy of the paper.

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joint stock company was declared on 18 October 1906. From August to October 1906 Bepin Pal was the editor.]

donated by Haridas Haldar. He called in my help as assistant editor and I gave it. I called a private meeting of the Nationalist leaders in Calcutta and they agreed to take up the Bande Mataram as their party paper with Subodh and Nirod Mullick as the principal financial supporters. A company was projected and formed, but the paper was financed and kept up meanwhile by Subodh. Bepin Pal who was strongly supported by C. R. Das and others remained as editor. Hemprasad Ghose and Shyamsundar Chakrabarti joined the editorial staff but they could not get on with Bepin Babu and were supported by the Mullicks. Finally Bepin Pal had to retire, I don’t remember whether in November or December, probably the latter. I was myself very ill, almost to death, in my father-in-law’s house in [Mott’s]17 Lane and did not know what was going on. They put my name as editor on the paper without my consent, but I spoke to the Secretary 17 MS Serpentine. See Table 1, page 566. — Ed.