QUIT
INDIA MOVEMENT
– THE TURNING POINT IN INDIA’S FREEDOM
Sixty nine years ago the historic and
momentous resolution was passed by the All India Congress
Committee in its Bombay Session on the 8th August
1942. This resolution has gone down in history as
Quit India Resolution. The congress working committee
drafted the resolution on the 14th July 1942 and placed
it before the AICC on the 7th August for its acceptance;
The resolution demanded the withdrawal of British
Power from India forthwith. The Mahatma gave the mantra
‘Do or Die’ to the nation. The resolution read “The
committee resolves to sanction for the vindication
of India’s in alienable right to freedom and independence,
the starting of a mass struggle on non-violent likes
on the widest possible scale, so that the country
might utilize all the non-violent strength it has
gathered during the last twenty two years of peaceful
struggle. Such a struggle must be under the leadership
of Gandhiji and the committee requests him to take
the lead and guide the nation in the steps to be taken”.
Thus the call was not given to the members of congress
alone. It was a call to all the Indian people. This
approach made the struggle different from previous
struggles. Mahatma took the lead and declared that
the Britishers should leave the country that very
day and not the next day.
Though the resolution was passed on 8th August the
struggle was not actually begun by Gandhi. He declared
that he would place the resolution before the Viceroy
and plead with him for his acceptance of the same.
He would start the movement only after the rejection
by the Viceroy. Lord Lilnithgow was the viceroy then.
Gandhi claimed personal friendship with him.
The timing of the struggle was significant. The Second
world war was going on. Great Britain was waging war
against Axis Powers. Japan was part of it. Japan was
conquering the Asian possessions of Great Britain.
It would invade India at any moment. The struggle
for freedom of India was announced in this background.
Many non congress sections of India criticized the
starting of the struggle at that moment. But Mahatma
made it very clear that the congress supported the
allied forces and wanted Nazism, Fascism and Imperialism
to be defeated. But, he said, Indians should participate
in the war as free men and not as slaves. Free India
would be more useful in war than the subject one.
He was very clear that the resources of free India
can be utilized in war and the British souldiers can
remain in Indian soil and prosecute the war. The congress
did not demand the English men should leave the country.
It merely wanted the English rule to leave. Because
Mahatma had no hatred against English men. It was
also made dear that the congress did not want Japan
to invade India. The Mahatma wanted India to win freedom
by its own struggle and sacrifice. He did not want
to win freedom with the help of Japan. He was against
the Japanese imperialism as much as against Nazism
and Fascism. He wanted immediate freedom for India
not only in the interest of India but in the interest
of mankind as a whole. He wanted all the subject countries
to attain freedom and then there will be a federation
of free countries. He declared that a free India would
be more helpful to the suffering Russia and China
in the world war. When some people questioned to whom
the English would hand over power, Gandhi said let
the English leave their rule and the responsible Indians
would form a provisional government. The Provisional
government would not be a party government, but it
will be a national one representing all sections of
India. It was made clear that congress did not want
power to the transferred to it. It was also made very
clear that the struggle should be absolutely nonviolent.
There should be no secrecy in it. All activities should
be open and not covert. Since it was expected that
the leaders might be arrested it was announced that
every Indian should be a leader unto himself and resist
the government according to his light of course in
a nonviolent way.
But Mahatma was not allowed to follow his own course
of action. Though the resolution was passed on 8th
August the movement was not formally started by Gandhi.
The Mahatma was arrested on the early hours of 9th
August and was taken away to an unknown place. All
the members of the working committee were arrested.
Though the congress was not banned as such the AICC
and Pradesh Congress Committees were declared illegal.
The leadership was taken away. Then there began the
spontaneous uprising of the people. The real mass
struggle began. It was not confined to formal members
of congress. There were strikes and hartals and mass
processions and demonstrations all over the country.
Naturally violence broke out. Mahatma was not there
to enforce nonviolence. A few leaders who went underground
began to organise the agitation. These leaders had
their own interpretations of the congress resolution.
These leaders openly declared that they were not bothered
about non violence and so adopted and advocated violence.
The age old technique of sabotage and other conspirational
activities were resorted to. Looting and killing also
took place. Police men were murdered Government offices
were looted and records were burnt. Some areas were
declared to be free and local administration was formed
by the agitators. For the first time after the advent
of Gandhi the whole nation was in turmoil and there
was rampant violence. Then the cruel repression of
government began. The viceroy and his governors adopted
the usual methods of repression, lathi charge, and
shooting. The villagers were punished for the activities
of the revolutionaries in their area. Punitive fines
were imposed on them and their properties were seized.
The press was gogged. Malicious propaganda was made
against Gandhi and congress. Mahatma was segregated
from the people and was detained in Aghakhan Palace.
He had no contact with outside world. He could not
have news papers. But the government told the world
that Gandhi and Congress were responsible for all
the violence that took place in the struggle. This
Charge could not be refuted in the press. The press
was compelled to publish only that news approved by
the government. The military was freely used to quell
the agitations. People were shot dead. Women were
raped. All these atrocities were done with the consent
of the Indian members of the viceroy’s council. Ultimately
the uprising was crushed. Though it was crushed it
attracted the attention of the world. The British
were making false propaganda against Gandhi and Congress
to save their face among the allied powers. American
President and Chiang KAI – Shek wanted the release
of Mahatma. The British stuck to their guns. They
did not relent.
The Mahatma was pining in detention. He could not
refute the false charges of the government. He was
put to a great loss. Mahadev Desai died in detention.
His death could not be conveyed to his wife. Gandhi
Cremated him. Gandhi also lost his wife during detention.
The inner call came to Gandhi to undergo the ordeal
of 21 days fast. He went on fast from 10th February
till 3rd March 1943. Mr Churchill and the viceroy
expected and desired Gandhi to die in detention during
fast. The government made all preparation to cremate
Gandhi. But Mahatma survived the fast. His survival
was a miracle to all the doctors who attended on him.
At the end of the fast Dr.B.C. Roy left this note
“The miracle has happened. Gandhi lives inspite of
the fast, the doctors and their tears, inspite of
his age and the defective organs”. Leaving Agha Khan
palace he told the doctors “Science cannot take you
into the realm of faith. You cannot explain everything
about fasting by scientific theories” Yes it was a
miracle. Because Gandhi was a Mahatma and a mystique.
Though the uprising was put down by the government
the quit India movement was a turning point in the
struggle for freedom. It started the last phase of
freedom struggle and made the people realize their
capacity to fight. For the first time the struggle
spread out of congress and became a people’s struggle.
The march for freedom continued till it was actually
attained in 1947. A new India was born after this
movement. People felt freedom. The English began to
feel that they could not retain India permanently.
There is a great lesson to be learnt from this movement.
That is violence could be put down by government.
The violence during quit India movement was put down.
But Gandhian nonviolent struggle could not be put
down. The Gandhian spiritual struggle continued. It
awoke the people to life and freedom. The awakening
of the people could not be suppressed. Another lesson
is that it was Gandhi’s leadership that kept people
nonviolent. If only Mahatma was allowed to follow
his course there, certainly would not have been violence,
loss of life and properties. The violence of quit
India movement demonstrated the ocean of difference
between the Gandhian nonviolent struggle and the traditional
agitations. If only Gandhi was free he would have
stopped violence or would have died in that attempt.
We should realise an important truth. Though all the
suffering were undergone and the sacrifices made by
congress under the leadership of Gandhi to attain
freedom it is the people of India who enjoy the freedom
including these who vilified Gandhi and ridiculed
Congress. Mahatma declared even then in 1942 the government
would not be a congress party government but really
a national government.
It is now the time for us to remember and salute all
these who suffered selflessly for our good.
(Broadcasted on 06.08.2011 at
9.16 PM by AIR Thiruchi Station)
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