Quit India Movement

INTRODUCTION
The Quit India movement was an important landmark in India’s struggle for freedom from
British colonization. It instilled a new confidence among the Indian masses and aroused a
spirit of total sacrifice in them. The movement attracted participation from a large number
of people including such varied professions as peasants, workers, lawyers, teachers,
soldiers, etc. Men and women of all age groups formed the cadre of the movement. The
most important effect of the Quit India Movement was that it made the British realise that
in the context of the crippling effects of the Second World War on Britain’s resources and
the bitter opposition to its rule India, it would be very difficult to continue ruling the Indians.

Quick Facts
• Also known as the India August Movement or August Kranti.
• It was officially launched by the Indian National Congress (INC) led by Mahatma
Gandhi on 9 August 1942.
• The movement gave the slogans ‘Quit India’ or ‘Bharat Chodo’. Gandhi gave the slogan to the
people – ‘Do or die’.
• In line with the Congress ideology, it was supposed to be a peaceful non-violent movement aimed
at urging the British to grant India independence.
• The Quit India Resolution was passed by the Congress Working Committee on 8 August 1942 in
Bombay. Gandhi was named the movement’s leader.

• The resolution stated the provisions of the movement as:

1. An immediate end to British rule over India.
2. Declaration of the commitment of free India to defend itself against all kinds
of imperialism and fascism.
3. Formation of a provisional government of India after British withdrawal. 4. Sanctioning a civil
disobedience movement against British rule.

• Gandhi’s instructions to various sections of the public:

1. Government servants: do not resign your job but proclaim loyalty to the INC. 2. Soldiers: be with
the army but refrain from firing on compatriots.
3. Peasants: pay the agreed-upon rent if the landlords/Zamindars are anti-
government; if they are pro-government, do not pay the rent.
4. Students: can leave studies if they are confident enough.

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5. Princes: support the people and accept the sovereignty of them.
6. People of the princely states: support the ruler only if he is anti-government;
declare themselves as part of the Indian nation.

Detail Explanation:
The Indian National Congress launched the ‘Quit India Movement’ on August 8, 1942 at the
Bombay session of the ‘All-India Congress Committee.’ The sole aim of the movement was to
force the British to withdraw from India. The movement was launched under the leadership of
Mahatma Gandhi, who delivered an exhilarating ‘Do or Die’ Quit India speech at the Gowalia Tank
Maidan in Bombay (now Mumbai). Even though the British were concentrating all their energy in
the Second World War, they were prepared to act against the Congress leaders, and almost all the
main leaders of the Congress were imprisoned within hours of the launch of the movement. Many
Indian industrialists and other groups did not support the movement for various reasons. This made
sure the movement initiated by Gandhi had no major impact in terms of attaining immediate
independence. However, it did play a crucial role leading up to India’s eventual independence in the
year 1947.

Background:
During the ‘Second World War’ in 1939, Indian soldiers were sent to fight for the British against
the German troops. On October 10, 1939, the ‘Congress Working Committee’ passed a resolution,
which stated that Indian soldiers should not be sent to the war without people’s consultation. Seven
days later, the Viceroy issued a statement in response to the resolution, in which he claimed that the
British’s objective in waging wars was to reinforce peace in the world. He also promised that the
British administration would make Indian-friendly modifications to the ‘Act of 1935’ once the war
comes to an end. However, the Viceroy’s claims could not convince the Indian leaders, who were
looking to put further pressure on the British government.
The Congress ministers from across eight provinces resigned as they were instructed to do so by the
High Command. Meanwhile, the ‘Conservative Party’ assumed power in Britain as Winston
Churchill was succeeded by Neville Chamberlain as the Prime Minister of Britain. Though the
Conservatives failed to consider the demands put forth by the Congress, they did concede to some
of the demands in order to gain the support of the Indians at a time when the war had intensified,
which had worsened Britain’s state.

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On August 8, 1940, the Viceroy of India issued a statement, requesting full co-operation from the
Indians during Britain’s campaign in the ongoing ‘Second World War.’ In return, the Viceroy
promised to add more Indian members in the ‘Viceroy’s Executive Council’ and to consider
Indians’ rights to form their own constitution among other tactical benefits. As expected, the deal
was rejected by the Congress and the ‘Muslim League’ too did not accept the proposal as the
Viceroy had failed to mention about the creation of a separate Muslim state called Pakistan.
At a meeting held by the ‘Congress Working Committee’ in Wardha, Mahatma Gandhi, who was
dissatisfied with the Viceroy’s proposal, spoke about launching a movement that would display
individual civil disobedience. Gandhi then chose Vinoba Bhave to initiate the movement, which
encouraged many to initiate fiery protests all over the country. Many protestors, who were
requesting their fellow Indians not to support Britain in its war campaign, were arrested. On
December 3, 1941, the Viceroy ordered the release of almost 14,000 Indians, who were arrested in
connection with the protests. The acquittal order was passed with a hope of gaining Indian support
in the war as the situation in Europe had become critical, thanks to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.

In March 1942, the British sent a delegation to India, which was led by the then Leader of the
House of Commons, Stafford Cripps. Hence, the delegation came to be known as ‘Cripps mission.’
The sole purpose of the delegates’ visit was to convince the ‘Indian National Congress’ to support
the Britain whole-heartedly in its war campaign. In return, the mission promised distribution of
power from the Britain administration to an elected Indian legislature. However, the talks failed to
produce any results as the mission failed to address the key demands of the Indians, including their
right to form self-government.
The failure of ‘Cripps mission’ was one of the key factors contributing towards Gandhi’s decision
to call for ‘Bharat Chhodo Andolan’ (Quit India Movement) on August 8, 1942. The movement was
initiated with a hope of attaining immediate independence from the British. Gandhi’s call for
immediate independence was also heavily influenced by his fear of a possible Japanese invasion of
India and the supposed British inability to defend the India during such a situation.

Opposition:
Not surprisingly, Gandhi’s ‘Quit India Movement’ faced opposition from several Indians, who
chose not to support the movement for various reasons. The Congress’ draft that proposed massive
civil disobedience if the country doesn’t attain immediate independence was opposed by the
prominent leader and Gandhi’s loyalist, Chakravarti Rajgopalachari, who chose to quit the
Congress. Though leaders like Maulana Azad and Jawaharlal Nehru were apprehensive of the call,
they chose to remain loyal to Gandhi and believed in the Mahatma’s decision. However, various
other leaders, including Allama Mashriqi opposed the Congress Working Committee’s resolution,
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stating that the movement was ‘pre-mature.’ He also said the Congress must first hold a discussion
with the ‘Muslim League’ pertaining to the creation of Pakistan and should then consider all the
other groups in order to make a demand to free India.
Several political groups, such as the ‘Muslim League,’ ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,’ ‘Hindu
Mahasabha,’ and the ‘Communist Party of India’ did not support the movement. The ‘All-India
Muslim League’ feared the Muslims will be oppressed by the Hindus if the British decided to leave
India without creating a separate state for the Muslims. Hence, it did not support the movement,
which worked in favor of the British. What also worked in favor of the British was the silence of
‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’ (RSS). Led by M.S. Golwalkar, RSS failed to join the movement
as it did not want to go against the ruling government. This decision by the RSS attracted criticisms
from general public as well as from certain important members of the RSS itself. However, the
organization continued its stance against ‘Quit India Movement,’ which pleased the British
authorities.
Other important political organizations like the ‘Communist Party of India’ and the ‘Hindu
Mahasabha’ too did not support the movement. While the ‘Hindu Mahasabha’ stated that the
movement will bring about internal disorder, the ‘Communist Party of India’ supported the British
during the war as it wanted to support Soviet Union in its battles against the Hitler- led Nazi
Germany.
What further weakened the movement was the fact that many Indian businessmen and students also
did not support the movement. The businessmen supported the war as they were enjoying huge
profits through heavy wartime spending, while many students simply ignored the movement as they
were focused on the progression of Subhas Chandra Bose in his effort to free India.

Violence:
Renowned British author John F. Riddick stated that the ‘Quit India Movement’ was responsible in
the destruction of 155 government buildings, including 70 police stations. He also said that the
movement led to attacks on at least 250 railway stations and 550 post offices. Throughout India,
there were 2,500 instances of telegraph wires sabotage by the protestors.
In Bihar alone, 57 battalions of British troops had to be deployed to restore order in the region.
In Uttar Pradesh, people started breaking into jails, releasing many Congress leaders. Some local
rulers even proclaimed their own rule.
In West Bengal, the peasants were engaged in violent activities as they were angered by the fact that
the British government had introduced new taxes and had even forced them to export rice.

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Suppression of the Movement:
By 1944, almost all demonstrations as part of the movement had been suppressed. The British had
imprisoned Gandhi as well as all the members of ‘Congress Working Committee.’ In fact, many
prominent Congress leaders were isolated from the rest of the world for more than three years.
While Gandhi’s personal secretary, Mahadev Desai, and his wife, Kasturbai, died in prison,
Gandhi’s own health was fast deteriorating.
Since many demonstrations were violent in nature, the British had responded with mass detentions
as more than 100,000 people were arrested, which eventually led to the suppression of the
movement.
Many civilians and protestors were shot dead by the police and there was a general feeling that the
‘Quit India Movement’ had failed miserably, which depressed many nationalists.

Impact of the Quit India Movement:

Though the movement initiated by Gandhi had no major impact in terms of attaining immediate
independence, it did play a crucial role leading up to India’s eventual independence. Firstly, the
movement kept the Congress Party united through thick and thin and the movement established a
fact in the minds of the British that to attain complete freedom the Indians were ready to dig deeper
than they had expected. The movement also conveyed to the British that India had the support of
global leaders, as the then American

President Franklin D. Roosevelt had urged the British administration to consider at least some of the
demands put forth by the Indian leaders.
Another major impact the movement had on the independence was the destruction it had caused
through various protests and violent activities. Since the movement was responsible in the
destruction of many edifices and facilities, the British had to reconstruct many facilities if they were
to rule India for a longer period of time. However, destruction and monetary loss incurred by
Britain during the ‘Second World War’ made sure the British administration was left with
insufficient funds to rebuild India. Hence, the British understood that it was almost impossible for
them to govern India in the long run. Once the war came to an end in 1945, the only question that
lingered on many British minds was how to exit India peacefully and gracefully.

CONCLUSION:
• Despite heavy-handed suppression by the government, the people were unfazed and continued
their struggle.

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• Even though the government said that independence could be granted only after the end of the
war, the movement drove home the point that India could not be governed without the support of
the Indians.
• The movement placed the demand for complete independence at the top agenda of the freedom
movement.
• Public morale and anti-British sentiment were enhanced.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.www.historydicussion.net
2.www.firstspot.com
3.www.knowindia.gov.in