Personalities During Quit India Movement

As a member of the All-India Congress Committee, Mahatma Gandhi launched the “Quit India” campaign in Bombay on August 8, 1942. British officials imprisoned Gandhi, Nehru, and other Indian National Congress leaders the following day. Gandhi took advantage of the failure of the Cripps Mission, Japanese triumphs in Southeast Asia, and massive Indian anti-British sentiment. On August 9, 1942, the British authorities imprisoned Gandhi and other Congress leaders under the Defence of India Rules. When Gandhi and other members of the Congress Party were imprisoned, protests erupted throughout India. During the Quit India Movement, a new wave of freedom was roaring in the whole country. 

What was the Quit India Movement?

Gandhi called a meeting of the All India Congress Committee in Bombay in 1942 to initiate the August Movement, also known as the Quit India Campaign. The ultimate goal of the movement was to end British rule in India. Gandhi recommended action or death in a speech made at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai on August 8, 1942, due to the Cripps Mission’s failure to gain Indian support for the British war effort.

“An Orderly British Withdrawal,” as Gandhi expressed it during the Quit India Movement, was the rallying cry of the All India Congress Committee. Despite being in the middle of a war, the British were prepared to intervene. Almost all of the leading officers of the Indian National Congress were arrested and imprisoned without accusation or explanation as soon as Gandhi ended his speech. The remainder of the conflict took place in taverns and nightclubs, away from the public glare. British control in India was supported by many Indian residents and the Hindu Mahasabha, All India Muslim League, Princely States of India, and the British Indian Army. Many Indian business people opposed the Quit India Movement because of the country’s massive military expenditure. Subhash Chandra Bose, banished and affiliated with the Axis Powers, assembled many pupils. Only Roosevelt’s insistence that Churchill gives in to Indian demands was a source of assistance from the US outside of the US. The Quit India movement was able to end in the end. The British insisted on waiting until the war was made before declaring independence.

British forces imprisoned tens of thousands of political leaders and detained them until the conclusion of World War II. Lack of organisation and a clearly defined plan of action, among other things, contributed to the movement’s inability to exit India. For example, following World War II, the British administration realised that India could not be administered indefinitely. In 1992, the Reserve Bank of India released a one-rupiah coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Quit India Movement.

Role of Gandhi

Indians from coast to coast gathered behind Mahatma Gandhi to overthrow the British empire. When Mahatma Gandhi pushed Indians to reject British authority in 1942, Gandhi proclaimed his mantra- do or die.

More about Quit India Movement

The 78th Independence Day, also known as the Bharat Chodo Andolan, was a turning point in India’s independence movement. Mahatma Gandhi led a national movement of Indians to overthrow the British Empire. In a furious talk delivered in Mumbai in 1942, Mahatma Gandhi urged the Indian people to “do or die” to drive the British out of the nation. Several Congress leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Abul Kalam Azad, and others, were imprisoned for sedition after the Quit India Movement.

The August Kranti Movement was dubbed during the All India Congress Committee meeting in Bombay. If the British failed to comply with the demands for total power transfer, a resolution calling for civil disobedience was approved.

After the British brutally suppressed the Quit India Movement, it took Gandhiji years to recover. It was a wonderful chance for Jinnah to rally the Muslim world behind his country’s national cause. Gandhi was successful in completing his fast. Within the jail, the whole Congress was imprisoned. The new Viceroy, Lord Wavell, took office on October 20, 1943, under tragic circumstances.

Contribution of Subash Chandra Bose

Known as Netaji, Subhash Chandra Bose was an important player in the Indian independence movement. A member of the Indian National Congress’ more radical group, he advocated for non-cooperation. He was named army chief of staff. A provisional government for free India was established in Singapore to oust the British from India.

Conclusion

For engaging in the Quit India movement, which the British mercilessly repressed, individuals were shot, lathi-charged, burnt to the ground, and fined. An estimated 60,000 persons were imprisoned in the five months leading up to December 1942. In this, we had discussed M K Gandhi, Subhash Chandra bose. Despite being banned, the movement greatly influenced the Indian independence movement. The freedom struggle was taken up by ‘We the People,’ who fought for independence during the Quit India Movement. Ordinary citizens displayed courage and perseverance, seldom seen in combat throughout the struggle. They were subjected to the worst persecution and the most heinous conditions under which they attempted to resist.