Quit India Movement: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Political and social movement in British India during World War II}}

{{Use Indian English|date=February 2013}}  

The '''Quit India Movement''' (translated into several [[Languages of India|Indian languages]] as the ''Leave India Movement''), also known as the '''August Movement''', was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the [[All India Congress Committee]] by [[Mahatma Gandhi]] on 8 August 1942, during [[World War II]], demanding an end to [[British Raj|British rule in India]].

After the failure of the [[Cripps Mission]] to secure Indian support for the British war effort, Gandhi made a call to ''Do or Die'' in his [[Quit India speech]] delivered in Bombay on 8 August 1942 at the [[Gowalia Tank|Gowalia Tank Maidan]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Ramesh Mishra R.C.Mishra|title=Quit India Movement 09 August, 1942|date=1 October 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvS50znGanE|access-date=1 September 2018}}</ref>

Sporadic small-scale violence took place around the country and the British arrested tens of thousands of leaders, keeping them imprisoned until 1945. In terms of immediate objectives, Quit India failed because of heavy-handed suppression, weak coordination and the lack of a clear-cut program of action.{{citation needed|date = August 2020}} However, the British government realized that India was ungovernable in the long run and the question for the postwar era became how to exit gracefully and peacefully.

Gandhi had not supported this initiative, as he could not reconcile an endorsement for war (he was a committed believer in non-violent resistance, used in the [[Indian independence movement|Indian Independence Movement]] and proposed even against [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Benito Mussolini]], and [[Hideki Tojo]]). However, at the height of the [[Battle of Britain]], Gandhi had stated his support for the fight against racism and of the British war effort, stating he did not seek to raise an independent India from the ashes of Britain. However, opinions remained divided. The long-term British policy of limiting investment in India and using the country as a market and source of revenue {{citation needed|date=May 2019}} had left the Indian Army relatively weak and poorly armed and trained {{citation needed|date=May 2019}} and forced the British to become net contributors to India's budget, while taxes were sharply increased and the general level of prices doubled: although many Indian businesses benefitted from increased war production, in general business "felt rebuffed by the government" and in particular the refusal of the British Raj to give Indians a greater role in organizing and mobilizing the economy for wartime production.<ref>Srinath Raghavan (2016) ''India's War – The Making of Modern South Asia 1939 – 1945'', Allen Lane, London. {{ISBN|978-1-846-14541-4}}, p. 320</ref>

After the onset of the war, only a group led by [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] took any decisive action. Bose organized the ''[[Indian Legion]]'' in Germany, reorganized the [[Indian National Army]] with Japanese assistance, and soliciting help from the [[Axis Powers]], conducted a [[guerrilla war]] against the British authorities.

In March 1942, faced with an dissatisfied sub-continent only reluctantly participating in the war and deterioration in the war situation in Europe and with growing dissatisfaction among Indian troops and among the civilian population in the sub-continent, the British government sent a delegation to India under [[Stafford Cripps]], the [[Leader of the House of Commons]], in what came to be known as the [[Cripps' mission|Cripps mission]]. The purpose of the mission was to negotiate with the [[Indian National Congress]] a deal to obtain total co-operation during the war, in return for [[devolution]] and distribution of power from the crown and the [[Viceroy]] to an elected Indian legislature. The talks failed, as they did not address the key demand of a timetable of self-government and of the powers to be relinquished, essentially making an offer of limited dominion-status that was  unacceptable to the Indian movement.<ref name="b" />f

Gandhi's reaction to this statement was; "the old policy of divide and rule is to continue. Congress has asked for bread and it has got stone." According to the instructions issued by High Command, the Congress ministers were directed to resign immediately. Congress ministers from eight provinces resigned following the instructions. The resignation of the ministers was an occasion of great joy and rejoicing for the leader of the Muslim League, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He called the day of 22 December 1939 [[Day of Deliverance (India)|' The Day of Deliverance']]. Gandhi urged Jinnah against the celebration of this day, however, it was futile. At the Muslim League Lahore Session held in March 1940, Jinnah declared in his presidential address that the Muslims of the country wanted a separate electorate, Pakistan.

In the context of widespread dissatisfaction that prevailed over the rejection of the demands made by the Congress, at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee in Wardha, Gandhi revealed his plan to launch individual civil disobedience. Once again, the weapon of satyagraha found popular acceptance as the best means to wage a crusade against the British. It was widely used as a mark of protest against the unwavering stance assumed by the British. Vinoba Bhave, a follower of Gandhi, was selected by him to initiate the movement. Anti-war speeches ricocheted in all corners of the country, with the satyagrahis earnestly appealing to the people of the nation not to support the government in its war endeavours. The consequence of this satyagrahi campaign was the arrest of almost fourteen thousand satyagrahis. On 3 December 1941, the Viceroy ordered the acquittal of all the satyagrahis. In Europe the war situation became more critical with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the Congress realized the necessity for appraising their program. Subsequently, the movement was withdrawn.

The Cripps' Mission of March (1942) and its failure also played an important role in Gandhi's call for The Quit India Movement. In order to end the deadlock on 22 March 1942, the British government sent Sir Stafford Cripps to talk terms with the Indian political parties and secure their support in Britain's war efforts. A draft declaration of the British Government was presented, which included terms like the establishment of Dominion, the establishment of a Constituent Assembly, and right of the provinces to make separate constitutions. However, these were to be only after the cessation of the Second World War. According to Congress, this declaration offered India an only promise that was to be fulfilled in the future. Commenting on this Gandhi said, "It is a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank." Other factors that contributed were the threat of Japanese invasion of India and the realization of the national leaders of the incapacity of the British to defend India.

The Congress Working Committee meeting at [[Wardha]] (14 July 1942) passed a resolution demanding complete independence from the [[British government]]. The draft proposed massive [[civil disobedience]] if the British did not accede to the demands.

However, it proved to be controversial within the party. A prominent Congress national leader, [[Chakravarti Rajgopalachari]], quit the Congress over this decision, and so did some local and regional level organizers. [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and [[Maulana Azad]] were apprehensive and critical of the call, but backed it and stuck with Gandhi's [[leadership]] until the end. [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]], [[Rajendra Prasad]] and [[Anugrah Narayan Sinha]] openly and enthusiastically supported such a disobedience movement, as did many veteran Gandhians and socialists like [[Asoka Mehta]] and [[Jayaprakash Narayan]].

Hindu nationalist parties like the [[Hindu Mahasabha]] openly opposed the call for the Quit India Movement and boycotted it officially.<ref name="Bapu2013" /> [[Vinayak Damodar Savarkar]], the president of the Hindu Mahasabha at that time, even went to the extent of writing a letter titled "'''''Stick to your Posts'''''", in which he instructed Hindu Sabhaites who happened to be "members of municipalities, local bodies, legislatures or those serving in the army... to stick to their posts" across the country, and not to join the Quit India Movement at any cost. But later after requests and persuasions and realizing the importance of the bigger role of Indian independence he chose to join the Indian independence movement.<ref name="Bapu2013" />

Following the Hindu Mahasabha's official decision to boycott the Quit India movement,<ref name="Bapu2013" />[[Syama Prasad Mukherjee]], leader of the Hindu Mahasabha in Bengal, (which was a part of the ruling coalition in Bengal led by [[Krishak Praja Party]] of [[Fazlul Haq]]), wrote a letter to the British Government as to how they should respond, if the Congress gave a call to the British rulers to quit India. In this letter, dated 26 July 1942 he wrote:<blockquote> “Let me now refer to the situation that may be created in the province as a result of any widespread movement launched by the Congress. Anybody, who during the war, plans to stir up mass feeling, resulting internal disturbances or insecurity, must be resisted by any Government that may function for the time being”. In this way he managed to gain insights of the British government and effectively give information of the independence leaders.<ref name="Mookerjee2000" />{{sfn|Noorani|2000|p=56}}</blockquote> Mukherjee reiterated that the Fazlul Haq led Bengal Government, along with its alliance partner Hindu Mahasabha, would make every possible effort to defeat the Quit India Movement in the province of Bengal and made a concrete proposal as regards this:<blockquote> “The question is how to combat this movement (Quit India) in Bengal? The administration of the province should be carried on in such a manner that in spite of the best efforts of the Congress, this movement will fail to take root in the province. It should be possible for us, especially responsible Ministers, to be able to tell the public that the freedom for which the Congress has started the movement, already belongs to the representatives of the people. In some spheres it might be limited during the emergency. Indian have to trust the British, not for the sake for Britain, not for any advantage that the British might gain, but for the maintenance of the defense and freedom of the province itself. You, as Governor, will function as the constitutional head of the province and will be guided entirely on the advice of your Minister.{{sfn|Noorani|2000|p=56}}</blockquote> Even the Indian historian [[R.C. Majumdar]] noted this fact and states: <blockquote>"Shyam Prasad ended the letter with a discussion of the mass movement organised by the Congress. He expressed the apprehension that the movement would create internal disorder and will endanger internal security during the war by exciting popular feeling and he opined that any government in power has to suppress it, but that according to him could not be done only by persecution.... In that letter he mentioned item wise the steps to be taken for dealing with the situation .... "<ref name="Majumdar1978" /></blockquote><ref>{{cite journal|author=K. Venugopal Reddy|title=Working Class in 'Quit India' Movement|journal=Indian Historical Review|volume=37|issue=2|pages=275–289|doi=10.1177/037698361003700205|year=2010}}</ref>

At the national level the lack of leadership meant the ability to galvanise rebellion was limited. The movement had a local impact in some areas. especially at [[Satara (city)|Satara]] in Maharashtra, [[Talcher]] in Odisha, and [[Midnapore District|Midnapore]].<ref name="BC" />{{page needed|date=August 2020}} In [[Tamluk]] and [[Contai]] subdivisions of Midnapore, the local populace were successful in establishing parallel governments, which continued to function, until Gandhi personally requested the leaders to disband in 1944.<ref name="BC" />{{page needed|date=August 2020}}  A minor uprising took place in [[Ballia]], now the easternmost district of Uttar Pradesh. People overthrew the district administration, broke open the jail, released the arrested Congress leaders and established their own independent rule. It took weeks before the British could reestablish their writ in the district. Of special importance in [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] (in western Gujarat) was the role of the region's 'baharvatiya' tradition (i.e. going outside the law) which abetted the sabotage activities of the movement there.<ref name="shukla" /> In rural west Bengal, the Quit India Movement was fueled by peasants' resentment against the new war taxes and the forced rice exports. There was open resistance to the point of rebellion in 1942 until the [[Bengal famine of 1943|great famine of 1943]] suspended the movement.<ref name="sen" />

By early 1944, India was mostly peaceful again, while the Congress leadership was still incarcerated. A sense that the movement had failed depressed many nationalists, while Jinnah and the Muslim League, as well as Congress opponents like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Hindu Mahasabha sought to gain political mileage, criticizing Gandhi and the Congress Party.

*[[Manbar Nath]] (shot dead in the Dhekiajuli incident of 1942)<ref>[https://indiatribune.com/pm-recognises-indias-youngest-martyr-after-8-decades/ PM recognises India’s youngest martyr after 8 decades] ''indiatribune.com'' 8 February 2021, accessed 7 June 2021</ref>

<ref name="b">{{cite journal|author=Tarak Barkawi|title=Culture and Combat in the Colonies. The Indian Army in the Second World War|journal=Journal of Contemporary History|volume=41|issue=2|pages=325–355|doi=10.1177/0022009406062071|jstor=30036389|year=2006}}</ref>