Mr. Gandhi and his followers, encouraged by Mr. Montagu's leniency,
ordered a general strike in Calcutta for'Christmas Eve, the day of the Prince's arrival. The Government, however, brought in additional troops and enrolled a Civil Guard of respectable British and Indian citizens, so that the people were encouraged to welcome the Prince and paid no attention to the threats of the hooligans employed by the non-co-operators. Some of the Moderate Nationalists had previously asked the Viceroy to release all agitators and cancel all proclamations against Mr. Gandhi's so-called " volunteers." Lord Reading replied that while the law was openly defied he had no option but to enforce it. If Mr. Gandhi would abandon his boycott of loyal citizens, the Viceroy said that he would be ready to release offenders. A fuller measure of " Swaraj " or Home Rule could only come from the Imperial Parliament. The pity of it is that the non-co-operators have been allowed for many months to do as they pleased.
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