Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life.

Mahatma Gandhi02

When we talk about the ‘Quit India’ movement or‘August Kranti’, the first name that comes to mind is that ofMohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is reverentially called ‘Bapu’ or‘Mahatma’. However, a movement cannot be successful without thesupport of the masses. We tell you about the movement and some historicalfacts on the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Quit India movement

WHAT LED TO THE MOVEMENT?The cause behind the emergence of the Quit India movement canbe attributed to the failure of the Cripps mission (delegation ledby Sir Stafford Cripps to gain full Indian support for Britain inWorld War II). Indian leaders realised that any further silencewould be equivalent to accepting the right of the British govern-ment to decide India’s fate. The World War had already createdproblems for the common people and as soon as the news ofBritish withdrawals from Southeast Asia came, Indians startedlooking for opportunities to express their discontent.

EMERGENCE OF ‘QUIT INDIA’ SLOGANAccording to popular belief, the Mahatma coined the slogan.This isn’t true. It is believed that Gandhi consulted his col-leagues for an appropriate slogan for the movement. One ofthem suggested ‘Get Out’. Gandhi rejected it on the groundsthat it was too impolite. C Rajagopalachari suggested ‘Retreat’or ‘Withdraw’. Those were not acceptable either. Then, YusufMeherally, prominent member of the movement, came up with‘Quit India’. Gandhi said in approval, ‘Amen’. That’s how the his-toric slogan came to existence.

IMPORTANCE OF THE MOVEMENTThe significance of this movement lay in the fact that demandfor complete independence was on the immediate agenda ofthe national movement. After the movement was initiated therewas no stepping back. The movement also ensured that anyfuture negotiations with the British would only be on the man-ner of transfer of power. Independence was no longer a matterof bargain. However, the movement was successfully crushed bythe British who now said independence could be granted afterthe conclusion of the war.

1942

FORMATION OF PARALLEL GOVERNMENTSAn important feature of the movement was that parallel govern-ments were formed in various parts of the country. Baliya in UttarPradesh emerged as the pioneer under the leadership of ChittuPande. Tamluk in West Bengal, where the parallel governmentmanaged to last for about two years, followed. However, it wasSatara in Maharashtra that emerged as a longstanding and effec-tive parallel government. Underground radio stations were estab-lished to facilitate communications regarding the independencestruggle among the masses.

‘DO OR DIE’ On August 8, 1942 Mahatma Gandhi addressed a crowd at theGowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai. He said, ‘Let every Indian con-sider himself to be a free man.’ It was this famous ‘Do or Die’speech with which the Quit India movement was launched – thelast major civil disobedience movement organised before Indiabecame a sovereign nation in 1947. However, the very next day,Gandhi and other prominent Congressmen were rounded up andjailed. The movement lacked leadership and did not take muchtime to resort to violence.

ENOUGH ISENOUGH

WE CANNOT

KEEP CALMANYMORE

Jayaprakash Narayan

He was a member of the CongressSocialist group and played a prominent role in the movement.

Rashbehari BoseHe formed the first

parallel govern-ment and captured

all the police sta-tions in Balia in

eastern UttarPradesh in

1942 after themovement

was declared.

Chittu PandeA revolutionaryactivist, hemobilised Indiansoldiers taken asprisoners of war bythe Japaneseforces for anarmed rebellionagainst the Britishcolonial rule.

He was an arch-moderate in favourof recognising the

rights of theMuslim majority

provincesafter inde-pendence

wasgained.

C. Rajagopalachari Subhash Chandra BoseHe joined the IndianNational Army in1943 andannounced, “TumMujhe Khoon Do,Mai Tumhe AazadiDunga (You giveme blood, I will give youfreedom).”

She was a 73-year-oldrevolutionary whoactively participated inthe independencemovement. Hazra waskilled in September1942; she held thenational flag aloft even afterbeing shot.

Matangini Hazra

The Quit India cam-paign that started onAugust 8 is consideredto be one of the most

important milestones in theIndian freedom

movement. It changed thecourse of Indian history. It hada clear agenda: seeking com-plete sovereignty of the nation.

THE IMPACTThe movement escalatedinto large-scale violence di-

rected at rail-way stations,telegraph of-fices, govern-

m e n tbuild-

ings, and other emblemsand institutions of colonialrule.There were widespread actsof sabotage. The govern-ment held Gandhi responsi-ble for these acts of violence.All the leaders and freedom fighters who par-ticipated in the movement

were jailed. They were re-leased only three yearslater, after the World War

II had ended.

SOME KEY LEADERS OF ‘QUIT INDIA’ MOVEMENT

QUIT INDIA: A TURNING POINTDuring the movement time,Aruna Asaf Ali and Usha Mehta(a student) broadcast under-ground news through anunderground radio station(42.34 metre Hertz)

DAYINDEPENDENCESPECIAL

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