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QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT. 1942 : A CRITICAL STUDY

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DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.36616.70403

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QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT.
1942 : A CRITICAL STUDY.
 INTRODUCTION.
• Quit India movement had been an important landmark in India’s
struggle for freedom from British Colonialization. The period 1930s 40s
had been time of changing political trends and protest methods. India
was going ahead in her fight for attainment of sovereignty from the
Colonialists.In this movement women and men together had been the
cadre. While delving deeper into the movement, it will be very
interesting to know how had it been possible to involve huge masses in
a befitting position, in name of just one aim.
• About the famous August –Kranthi movement or Quit India movement
it’s explained in the following presentation. The method used in this
presentation had been critical analysis along with elaborate
interpretation.
BACKGROUND OF QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT.
• Quit India movement was the most revolutionary Anti-Colonial movement
under Gandhi’s leadership. First of all, I am going to analyze the background
of Indian National Movement prior to that of Quit India Movement that
attained mass popularity among various sections of society.
• Decease of the Civil Disobedience Movement around 1934 had led to
serious contention within Congress.
• Formation of several peasant organizations like All India Kisan Sabha and
Congress Socialist Party were creating new trends in politics.
• With much revolutionary approach, Communist Party and All India Forward
Block were also attaining considerably good number of members.
• Resignation of Congress Ministries in 1939 in protest of Viceroy Linlithgow‘s
action of declaring India to be a belligerent in the Second World War
without consulting Indian people.
• As mentioned before, Second World War was about to begin in
International Political arena. Congress popularity also came down, as
membership had drastically fell from 4.5 million in 1938-39 to 1.4
million in 1940-41.
• Under all these prevailing circumstances as background, Congress had
been in need of a mass uprising like Quit India Movement inorder to
prove its organizational credibility and to re-establish legitimacy among
the people who were moving away from party.
• There were many factors that have acted as catalyst in litting up the
Quit India movement across India that are explained in coming slides.
 CAUSES OF QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT.
• Though many causes can be cited one of the most important cause had
been the failure of the Cripps Mission, headed by Sir Stafford Cripps
who had been send to India by the then British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill to ensure Indian support in World War.
• The main motive of Cripps Mission for British was to break the political
deadlock in India. But, Cripps mission suffered severe stepback from
Indian National Congress, Muslim League, Princely states, and religious
communties & community like Sikhs, Anglo- Indians etc.
• Congress had mainly put down the proposal of Cripps Mission by stating
that it didn’t promise independence in near future, whereas Muslim
League opposed it clauses didn’t mention formation of Pakistan.
• Other than Cripps mission failure, Japanese threat over India could also be cited as
a reason. In 1942, Japanese army was heading to India for attack, and Burma was
marching towards Assam.
• Gandhiji had said that the presence of British in India was an invitation to Japan to
invade India. Their presence was working like a bait. Gandhiji strongly addressed
that British withdrawal could remove that bait over India.
• The 3rd cause had been the prevalence of strong Anti-British sentiments among the
masses. Indians had been tormenting severly from the inhumane policies of
Colonial administration.
• Shortage of essential commodities across India and Inflation was the fourth key
cause that paved path for Quit India movement.
• All over India people had been suffering from poverty, and the great evidence of
poverty lies in the Bengal Famine, that happened a year after launching Quit India
movement, by 1943.
• There had been fears among people that the Britishers would follow a scorched
earth policy in Assam, Bengal & Odisha in reaction to Japanese advancement. Indian
Economy had been utterly shattered during World War Phase, as living conditions
became intolerable.
• Fifth reason had been the Centralisation of many Small movements, as I have stated
earlier that various associated and affiliated bodies of the Congress, like All India
Kisan Sabha etc.were leading mass movements on a radical basis for about 2
decades.
• Quit India Movement had also channelized unknowingly, many militant outbursts
that were happening at various parts of the country, that invited attention of
Imperialist administrators.
• “ Denial Policy “ followed by British in Coastal Bengal by destroying all means of
communications, including boats and cycles, by paying very little compensation
could also be cited as a reason that added fuel to the fire.
 QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT : ANALYSIS.
• Quit India movement as explained by Sumit Sarkar had happened at 3
phases and they are as follows,
• 1st Phase : Initially began as an urban revolt, marked by strikes, boycott
and picketing, which were quickly suppressed.
• 2nd Phase : In the middle of Aug. 1942, the focus had shifted from urban
to countryside which witnessed a major peasant rebellion, marked by
the destruction of communication systems, such as railway tracks,
stations, telegraph wires and poles. Also there had been attacks on
governmental buildings or any visible symbol of colonial authority &
finally, the formation of ‘National Govts.’in isolated pockets.
• 3rd Phase : This phase had been mostly characterized by terrorist
activities. During this phase, activities of leaders like JayaPrakash
Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali etc.came to the forefront of struggle.

COURSE OF THE MOVEMENT.

• Being instigated by the causes explained before, and also to secure
more masses in the struggle to attain independence, from April 29 th to
May 1st 1942, the All India Congress Committee had assembled in
Allahabad to discuss upon resolution of working commiittee.
• Eventhough Gandhiji had been absent in the meeting, many of his
points had been admitted into the resolution. The most significant
 among them had been the method of adhere and strict commitment to
Non-violence towards the British atrocities in India.
• On 14th July 1942, Congress Working Committee had met again at
Wardha and had resolved that it would authorise Gandhiji to take in
charge of the non-violent mass movement.

QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT.

• The resolution came to be generally recognised as the Quit India Resolution,
was to be approved by the All India Congress Committee meeting held at
Bombay in August 1942.
• From 7th to 8th August 1942, the All India Congress Committee had met in
Bombay & ratified the “Quit India Resolution”.
• On August 8th 1942, Gandhiji upon whom the responsibility of the
movement had been entrusted, had given out a proclamation to the Crowd
assembled at Gowalia Tank Maidan at Bombay, the great call of “Do or Die”.
• This famous Do or die speech had officially launched the Quit India
Movement or Bharat Chodo Andolan, which was the last major Civil
disobedience movement organized before India became a sovereign nation
in 1947.
•
The next day, 9th August had witnessed the arrest of Gandhiji,
members of the Congress Working Commiittee, and other Congress
leaders under the Defence of India Rules.
• The Wardha Committee, All India Congress Committee and the 4
provincial Congress Committees were declared as unlawful
associations under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1908.
• The assembly of public meetings were prohibited under rule 56 of the
Defence of India Rules.
•
• The arrests of Gandhiji and Congress leaders had led to mass
demonstrations throughout the country. Thousands had been either
killed or injured in the wake of Bharat Chodo Andolan.
In Bombay, Poona and Ahmedabad, lakhs of people had clashed
violently with police on Aug. 9. On 10th August, protests had erupted
in Delhi, and across UP and Bihar.
• Hartals, demonstrations, people’s marches had been held in defiance
of prohibitory orders in Kanpur, Patna, Allahabad and Varanasi.
•
Protests had been spreading as wild fire into district town and villages
across India.
• Press was gagged, railway tracks had been blocked & villagers had
been offering Satyagrahas at various places. Students had went on
strikes in schools and colleges across India, took out marches and
distributed illegal nationalist literature.
Mill and factory workers in Bombay, Ahmedabad, Poona, Ahmednagar
& Jamshedpur had been staying away for weeks. Some of the
•
organized protesters had turned to more violent methods – blowing
up bridges, cutting telegraph fires etc.
• They even resorted to stop trains and put National flags over them.
• Large crowds of peasants had been showing up at the nearest Tehsil
town and attacked the buildings. It had been stated that for about 2
weeks the govt.had disappeared in Bihar’s Tirhut division.
•
• In Patna, police had fired at & killed 7 students marching to the
Secratariat with the national flag. In violence and street fighting that
followed, Patna had been virtually liberated for 2 days.
Across the country, European officers had been attacked at several
places. Towns of Gaya, Bhagalpur, Saran, Purnea and Shahabad in
Bihar & Gorakhpur in UP had turned into defiant centres of protest.
• About 250 railway stations had been damaged or destroyed, 500 post
offices and 150 police stations attacked.
•
• In Karnataka, there were about 1,600 incidents of telegraph line had
been cut.
• Throughout India, thus there was a long series of protest, that
sometimes resorted to severe blood shed.
• Strikes were called in many places all over India. Arrests and tortures faced
by Nationalist leaders who spearheaded the movement invoked severe
actions that had caused uproar and there were demonstrations all over
India.
• Demonstrations that were to be conducted on a non-violent path became
deadly riots and violence had been ensued. Key targets had been police
offices, government buildings, railway lines and communication posts.
• More than 1000 were killed and about 3000 had been injured in the riots.
• British police forces had been able to swifly suppress many of the
demonstrations through mass detentions. An estimate shows that more
than 100,000 people had been imprisoned during the Movement.
GANDHIJI IN QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT.
REPRESSION OF THE MOVEMENT.
• In the Quit India Movement, there was the use of violence at an
unprecedented scale and the government had used it as a justification
for repression. To restore order, the English government had diverted
35,000 army troops to support police in suppression.
• The war time emergency powers had been taken advantage to use the
army for the 1st time, as many as 57 batallions of British troops had
been deployed to crush what was essentially a civilian agitation.
• The crackdown the rebellion triggered was unprecedented in its
sweep and brutality. Crowds had been machine-gunned by Military
aircraft swooping low over them. Protesters had been picked up from
villages and held hostile by police.
• Collective fines amounting to lakhs had been imposed on entire
communities, and sum was immediately realised through plunder.
Suspects had been whipped massively and village after village was
burnt to the ground in punishment for their residents‘ actions.
• Some estimates show that in five months from start of movement to
Dec. 1942, 60,000 had been thrown into prison. Some 26,000 had
been convicted for small and large offences & 18,000 were detained
under the harsh Defence of India Act.
• There had been no official declaration of Martial Law, but the Army
did pretty much what they had been doing alongside the police.
GANDHIJI AND MOVEMENT : ANALYSIS.
• Gandhiji had been the main guiding force, who united people
belonging to different sections of the society, various parties and
social background against the foreign evil perpetrators in Bharat
Chodo Andolan. The summer of 1942 had found in Gandhiji a strange
and uniquely militant mood.
• He had been the force that urged the millions of India to fight until last
in this movement. He had been very much frustrated and worried over
Imperial British power in India. He had stated that, “Leave India to God
or Anarchy”.
• He had mentioned this to Colonial rulers that India will surely emerge
out as an independent nation, soon after granting independence from
Britain.
• In the famous Do or die speech, Gandhiji had delivered speech in his
usual quiet and unrhetorical style, that had an electrifying impact over
the audience. Gandhiji through meetings had been making it clear
that, he was wanting nothing less than complete freedom.
• His speeches were also the specific instructions for different sections
of the people. After being arrested and put in prison, in Feb. 1943, he
declared fast for 21 days, as an answer to the Govt.that had been
constantly exhorting him to condemn the violence of the people in
Quit India movement.
• He not only refused to condemn the people’s resort to violence, but
held govt.to be responsible for that. This fast created huge ruckus, as
there were several hartals, demonstrations and British had been
actually forced to leave Gandhi.
LEADERS OF THE QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT.
• There had been many leaders of quit India movement other than
Mahatma Gandhi, such as JayaPrakash Narayan, who was a member
of the Congress Socialist Party and have played a predominant role in
properly organizing the movement in the country.
• Ram Manohar Lohia, Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kripalani and Chilotubhai
Puranik were some other leaders of Movement.
• Biju Patnaik, R. P. Goenka & Achyut Patwardhan had been other
leaders who had contributed immensely during freedom struggle. All
these leaders have been able to lead the masses, even while some
were forced to go underground to escape arrests.
JAYAPRAKASH NARAYAN.
ROLE OF WOMEN IN QUIT INDIA
MOVEMENT.
• As majority of men had been behind the bars , women took to streets,
along with raising slogans, holding lectures and demonstrations, also
making & transporting explosives.
• Women especially school and college girls, had played a very important
role. Aruna Asaf Ali and Sucheta Kripalani were 2 major women organizers
of the underground.
• Usha Mehta was an important member of the small group that had been
running the Congress Radio. Women also had been the worst sufferers of
British retaliation.
• It was common for British officials to forcefully enter households and
slap, beat up and rape women. While woman numbering in hundreds had
participated in agitations, the courage displayed by some female leaders
had been very important for success of this movement.
• I am going to explain crucial role that have been played by many great
women during the nationalist movement,
• Aruna Asaf Ali from Haryana, had been an active member of the Congress
soon after her marriage in 1928. First time she had got involved in a
political agitation was the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 for which she had been
sentenced for a long year imprisonment.
• She is mostly remembered for the daring act of raising the Tricolour at the
Gwalior tank in the midst of police brutality following the Bombay
resolution. During Quit India movement, she had gone underground.
• She was proclaimed as an offender by the police and her property had
been seized. After Quit India movement, she had been involved with the
Royal Indian Navy revolt of 1946.
•
Another famous women who made immense contributions had been
Matangini Hazra who was the perfect example of the involvement of
rural folk in 1942 Nationalist struggle.
• This great leader from West Bengal had been inspired by the
ideologies and teachings of Gandhi. She had been often referred to as
“Gandhi buri”, that’s Old Lady Gandhi.
• In 1942, at the age of 73,she had led a procession of 6000 people, who
were mostly women to ransack a local police station. When they were
•
nearing their destination, the police had opened fire and she lost her
life by this way. She had been told to have died with Tricolour in her
hands.
Sucheta Kripalani was another leader, who is widely known as the
First Woman Chief Minister of India. Her most active participation in
the Indian freedom struggle was the Quit India movement.
•
• Much before inception of the Quit India Struggle, she had already
founded the Women’s Department of INC in 1940 with aim to increase
political consciousness among women.
• When she came to know arrest of the Congress leaders following
Bombay resolution, she was entrusted with the job of coordinating
efforts among participating groups.
• Applying all effort to keep out of the eyes of authorities, she travelled
from place to place carrying messages between various leaders.
•
There were many numerous women who had shown great valour with
acts of extraordinary bravery during freedom struggle.
• In Orissa, Nandini Devi had led a procession at the age of 12 was
arrested. Sashibala Devi on the other hand was involved in the
distribution of Pamphlets issued by underground organizations.
• In Assam, young girlsl like Kanakalata Baruah and Kahuli Devi died of
Police atrocities. Tileshwari Mahanta was another brave woman who
successfully hoisted the Tricolour at the Behali Thana in Assam.
ARUNA ASAF ALI. USHA MEHTA.
SPREAD OF QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT ACROSS
INDIA.
• During the period of movement, after arrests of Gandhiji and other leaders
processions were across the country, and whole country had been
influenced by Quit India movement, one way or the other.
• Punjab and even the Congress province of NFWP were unusually quiet,
only with 2 cases of police firing and about 2500 arrests.
• Movement was relatively weak in Madras Presidency, except for scattered
pockets like Guntur, West Godavari in Coastal Andhra, Coimbatore and
Ramnad in Tamilnadu. In Kerala also movement was kept at its low.
• Among the big states, only Mysore was seriously affected, as there was 3
tier demonstration activities at Urban, Village and Secret group activities.
• Four main centres of Bihar-east UP, Midnapur, Orissa and Maharashtra –
Karnataka had presented a totally different picture of really formidable
mass rebellion.
• It had taken several weeks and a really massive use of army and police to
restore order and normal communications in the 16 seriously – affected
districts of Eastern U.P and Bihar.
• Cuttack had been a storm centre, though here terrorist activity organized
by a local Rakta Vahini soon became more important than mass action.
Talcher and Koraput had also witnessed rebellious and guerilla activities.
• After the initial urban upsurge had been suppressed, the movement in
Bombay Presidency had taken 2 distinct forms : peasant guerilla war in a
few pockets, and more widespread terroristic activity and sabotage,
carried on mainly by educated cadres, though obviously enjoying great
popular support.
HOW VARIOUS SECTIONS OF SOCIETY HAD
DEALT WITH QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT?
• It would be highly interesting to know that various sections of society
had repiled on an affirmative node to the movement. While 1942
clearly surpassed all previous Congress-led movements in its level of
anti-British militancy, the very extent of anti-foreign sentiments, as in
1857, had possibly reduced internal class tensions & social radicalism.
• Middle class students had been very much in the forefront in 1942,
whether in urban clashes, as organizers of sabotage, or inspirers of
peasant rebellion. Upper and middle castes had predominated among
attested, as it is known from figures : 17% Brahman, 27.5% Rajput a&
 Bhumidar, in contrast to the 7.4% Untouchable and 4.2 % Tribals.
• Zamindars had been much more loyalists towards Quit India
Movement to a great extent. Proletariat sections were not driven
much into the forefront of the movement, especially in the Calcutta
Industrial belt, where Communist opposition to movement had played
a considerable role in restraining the workers.
• There had been many instances which had showed business, richland
owner class secretly supporting Quit India Movement. Banglore,
where the Congress leader K. T. Bhashyam had been active for years
in the Union field, there had been many brief strikes by about 30,000
workers.
FAMOUS LEADERS AND PARTIES WHO HAVE
OPPOSED THE MOVEMENT.
• C. Rajagopalachari was the famous Congress leader from Madras who was
in opposition to Quit India movement. Leaders like Rajagopalachari had
resigned from provincial legislature as they didn’t favour Gandhiji‘s idea.
• There had been absence and opposition of the Communists, indifference
of the non-Brahmans very clearly evident throughout the movement.
Communist Party of India didn’t support because of their people’s war
strategy.
• Muslims and Indian Union Muslim League had kept themselves aloof from
the campaign in almost all regions. Hindu Mahasabha and RSS have also
condemned participation in Movement.
• V. D. Savarkar, B. S. Munje, and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had been whole
heartedly supporting British war efforts, which had been allegedly being
wrecked by the Congress Campaign.

ABRUPT END OF THE MOVEMENT :

REASONS.
• Quit India movement had been finally suppressed by the British
government. There were some drawbacks that led to quick end of the
movement by one year. The most prominent reason had been that,
movement which began as Non-violent (Ahimsa) in nature, soon had lost
its basic nature and completely turned to ruthless violence.
• Gandhiji came to understand that his disciples hadn’t properly understood
the meaning of ahimsa as they had been causing harm over one another
through use of harsh weapons.
• Gandhiji had hence refused to condemn violence of the masses ans held
government responsible for violence. Some other factors that caused set
back had been heavy-handed suppression by government, weak
coordination, lack of leadership and a clear cut programme of action.
AFTERMATH AND IMPACT OF QUIT INDIA
MOVEMENT.
• In my critical opinion, the most significant impact was that it made the
British taste the power of the Indian masses.British came to understand
thay they can stay for long in India.
• This movement led to realization of Colonial rulers in the context of the
destruction brought by the Second World War on resouces of Britain as
well as resentful opposition to its rule in India.
• There was huge participation of masses all over the country. Then political
scenario had been able to instil new confidence among the Indian masses
and also induced a total spirit of sacrifice in them.
• Women and Men had participated in equal numbers, and another
interesting feature had been the setting up of parallel governments at
places mainly Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.
• Paralell government was set up at Ballia under Chittu Pandey in August
1942 for a week.
• At Tamluk, Midnapore, from December 1942 to September 1944, paralell
government had been established by Jatiya Sarkar had undertaken cyclone
relief work, sanctioned grants to schools, supplied paddy from the rich to
the poor, organised vidyut vahinis etc.
• In Satara, paralell government was set up in mid-1943 to 1945, known to
be as “Prati Sarkar”. It was organized under leaders like Y. B. Chavan, Nana
Patil etc.
• As a notable fact, the outbreak of the Quit India Movement had been able
to give a fillip to the INA, as Anti-British demonstrations were organized in
Malaya.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MOVEMENT.

• Quit India movement had been able to make it clear that Indians were
no longer scared of British rule. As a significance it can be told that,
movement send a clear message that India could not be governed
without support of the Indians.
• This great movement had been able to place the demand for complete
independence on the immediate objective of the freedom movement.
• The common mass had showed unparalleled heroism and survived
cruel repression for Independence that made them more stronger and
more determined for Independence.
• Moreover, this movement had been able to portray the arrogance,
hatred and brutality British government were having towards Indians.

WAS QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT A SUCCESS OR

A FAILURE? : A CRITICAL ANALYSIS.
• Quit India movement has been subjected to many debates. The main
discussion had been done on two topics, first one whether movement was
a mere spontaneous outburst or organized rebellion, secondly the violent
nature that movement attained, in contrary to Ahimsa based one.
• In the case of first question, it’s very clear that sudden changes in Indian
political scenario and war front had led to an outburst.
• But, once the movement had been launched, it attained an organized
structure, that completely owe to many leaders like Aruna Asaf Ali and
JayaPrakash Narayan, who had guided strikes even by going underground,
when other leaders including Gandhiji had been arrested.
• The issue of violence in the movement had been a shock to Gandhiji.
He condemned the violence and ruthless riots followed by masses, and
blamed British administration for such a pathetic situation.
• In my critical opinion, even though quit India movement had not been
able to achieve its complete objective to make Britain quit from India,
this movement had led to many incidnets that had long implications in
the freedom struggle of India in between 1943-1947.
• British came to realize power of Indian masses, and soon after world
war by 1945, General Elections had been held in Great Britain, and
Labour Party had won election with a thumping 47.7%. Clement Atlee,
the leader of Labour Party became the Prime Minister.
• Policies of Atlee were much liberal towards India. Soon, initiatives were
taken for Independence and partition. Thus, it must be well notified
regarding all these far implications that happened more or less in
connection to quit India movement of 1942.
• Though there were many drawbacks like resorting to violence, not
properly following Satyagrahas, Quit India movement had been able to
spread the essence of Nationalism and patriotism among various
hierarchies of Indian society.
• So, it can be drawn that Quit India movement can’t be just calculated as
neither a victory, nor a failure, but it can be interpreted as the great
struggle which paved its path to the unification of Indians, which
eventually led to the attainment of India’s Independence!

CONCLUSION.
• After going through this presentation, one will be able to have a proper
and clear understanding about the quit India movement and its various
facets and phases. This movement had been the opportunity give to
Indians to know their strength. August Kranti movement had been an
important milestone in the Indian Freedom Struggle for it was more a
spontaneous movement than just a planned revolt of the Congress. This
movement had instilled a new confidence among Indian masses & aroused
spirit of total sacrifice in them.By this struggle, public morale and
 antiBritish sentiments were enhanced & had placed complete
independence at the top agenda of the Freedom movement. After all, this
movement had been able to grab the attention of whole India for having a
uni-linear mindset towards the sway for attaining liberation from the
mighty Sun never setting British Empire.

THANK YOU!

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