On 30 October, Gandhi was interviewed by the Transvaal Leader on the progress of Gokhale’s visit. His mentor, he said, had ‘come to the general conclusion that the Indians resident here are entitled to civic equality. That is to say, their movement within the Union should not be hampered and, under restrictions of a general character applying to the community at large, they should be allowed freedom of trade.’ The caveat was crucial: civic, not social or political equality: the freedom to practise one’s trade and to live where one wished, not the right to vote or be treated as equal in all
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