What was Quit India Movement

Quit India Movement

 

Quit India Movement or ‘Bharat Chodo Andolan’, also known as August Kranti Movement, was a call given by Mahatma Gandhi at the Bombay session of All India Congress Committee on August 8, 1942, for an end to the British rule in India.

 

What led to the movement?

 

Britain was in the midst of World War II and pressure was mounting on them to decide India’s future status with the Japanese approaching India’s border. Leaders of the Congress were waiting to grab this opportunity to put pressure on the British government to agree to their demand. Soon, the Cripps Mission was sent to India under the leadership of Sir Stafford Cripps, who was a member of the War Cabinet. The British wanted to keep India loyal to the War and in exchange they offered Dominion status but offered little changes to the Government Act of 1935. This was not acceptable to the Congress leaders and the mission failed. Gandhi and other national leaders took this opportunity to launch the Quit India Movement. Gandhi gave the call for Do or Die in his speech delivered at the Bombay session of the Congress at the Gowalia Tank Maidan.

What happened after the launch of the Quit India Movement?

 

The British realized it was an alarming situation and they tried to suppress the movement. A day after the Do or Die call by Gandhi, all the national leaders of the Congress were immediately arrested on August 9.  Public meetings were prohibited and over 100,000 people were arrested. Gandhi’s arrest infuriated the Indians which led to mass demonstration across the country, protests, strikes and also violence. Many people died in the violence as the British detained thousands of people.

 

The movement resulted in a stronger wave of support for the Congress leaders and a growing demand for independence, which made the position of the British in India untenable.