You gave us freedom without wielding a shield or sword Oh! Saint of Sabarmati. You did a marvellous job Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, Bapu – these are the many names of the same great man who forced the mightiest empire in the world to kneel before him. Mahatma Gandhi’s life is full of movements, but one movement dwarfs every other movement in India, and it’s called the Quit India Movement. This was the movement that forced the British to flee from India. At least this is what out history books claim but did this movement really shake the foundations of the British Raj? Hello, I am Atul Mishra and I am here with a fresh new episode of Untold History.
The Quit India moment:
The Quit India Movement is often claimed that satyagraha accompanied by arson and breakdown of law and order in various parts of the nation that the Quit India Movement spawned forced the British to see the writing on the wall, that they were no longer welcome as rulers of this ancient nation. That the Quit India Movement was a significant event is unquestionable. Gandhiji‘s call for Do or Die invigorated a whole generation of freedom fighters, the brute force deployed by the British in dealing with the Satyagrahis further embittered Indians against their colonial masters and a spirit of freedom and independence permeated the land. But the impact of Quit India Movement, viewed objectively, reveals that the movement failed to attain the objectives it had set out for itself. Firstly, the British did not leave the subcontinent until almost 5 years later. Secondly, the British put the entire Congress leadership behind bars, thereby effectively quashing the movement. Thirdly, Congress quit governments that it had formed and ceded ground to the Muslim league. Thirdly, Congress quit governments that it had formed and ceded ground to the Muslim league. Let’s come to the background and context of this movement Elections in British India were held in 1936-37. The Congress formed governments on its own in 8 of the 11 provinces. On the other hand, the Muslim League failed to form a government in any province. Congress, it appeared had secured the mandate of all Indians, irrespective of the Communal divide. Then, in 1939, the British dragged India into the Second World War without any solid assurances for its freedom. Thus peeved, Congress ministers resigned en masse. The fall of Congress ministries was celebrated by its opponents, notably Jinnah, who organized a ‘Youm-e-Nijat’ (day of deliverance) thanking God for the fall of Congress governments. By 1940, Muslim League was emboldened enough to issue Pakistan Resolution in its Lahore session. The Congress, in the meanwhile, continued to sail on two boats. On one hand, it supported the allies in their fight against Germany and Japan and on the other hand it opposed the British for dragging India into the war. Muslim League, on the other hand promptly accepted India’s entry in the World War. The failure of Cripps mission proved to the Congress that the British were reluctant to hand their crown jewel India her independence.
Thus, began the preparations for Quit India Movement. It is widely believed that the British were already aware that the Congress intended to launch a nationwide Satyagraha. Thus, within days of Gandhi’s clarion call of ‘Do or Die’, the entire Congress leadership had been incarcerated. The masses who were now leaderless indulged in looting and destroying infrastructure. Within a matter of a couple of months though, the British had enforced a tenuous peace in the subcontinent The Communists opposed Quit India Movement after their British counterparts advised them of the Anglo-Soviet alliance and the need for Indian Communists to support war effort. The Muslim League had nothing to do with the Quit India Movement as they had already announced their support to the British in World War II, hoping to get a more favourable hearing of their case. The Hindu Mahasabha, too did not support the Quit India Movement, primarily because they felt that the Quit India movement would hinder the safety and security of Hindus in the country. The Mahasabha aimed to use the War period to militarize the Hindus so as to fight the British and Leaguers when the time came. Interestingly, the Quit India movement was opposed even by Congress leaders, notably Rajaji and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Rajaji, parted way with the Congress soon thereafter. So what were the outcomes? The Quit India Movement fizzled out as soon as it had begun. In the initial phases itself, the movement was characterized by lawlessness and the breakdown of law and order.
The INA:
By then, the Japanese had emerged on India’s borders and Subhash Chandra Bose had caught India’s fancy. Between dreams of an imminent independence at the hands of INA and ruthless British suppression, the Quit India Movement petered out. By 1944, the British were once again the unchallenged masters of the country. By the time the war ended and fresh elections were held, it was clear that the Congress had ceded ground to the Muslim League which won all Muslim seats in the country. Jinnah was now the proven Leader of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent. As Jinnah’s stature rose, British committed a grave mistake - the INA trials began and caught the nation’s attention. Stories of supreme sacrifice of Subhash Babu and his INA aroused fury and anger against British colonialists. Soon thereafter mutinies broke out in the Royal Indian Navy and disturbances took place across the country. The British realized that their time was up. In 1947, the British packed up their bags and left, having transferred power to both the Congress in India and Muslim League in Pakistan. The public trials of the INA soldiers did what a nationwide movement failed to do. Subhash Chandra Bose did lose the battle with the British, but he ended up winning the war. While Gandhi’s ‘Quit India Movement’ reinvigorated the dreams of Swaraj in the nation’s hearts, the bravery and sacrifice of Subhash Babu rekindled the bravery, courage and honour of the people of India that was otherwise lying dormant. Had his message not reached the people, we may have remained colonized for some more years at the very least or even a few more decades. This was the story of the movement of Mahatma Gandhi and the sacrifice of Subhash Chandra Bose, the story of the rekindling of the bravery, courage and honour of people of India and the story of India’s independence. I will keep coming back with more such stories.Vande Mataram..... Jai Hind....
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