“…another speaker had referred to the theory of social contract of Rousseau and (…) had construed the Proclamation of 1858 as a contract. For my part I think that the word ‘contract’ cannot be made applicable to relations existing between unequal. (…)

It is true that what we seek may seem like a revolution in the sense that it means a complete change in the ‘theory’ of the Government of India as now put forward by the bureaucracy. It is true that this revolution must be a bloodless revolution, but it would be a folly to suppose that if there is to be no shedding of blood there are also to be no suffering to be undergone by the people.”