QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT (1942)

1. Background & Reasons
- Failure of Cripps Mission exposed unchanged British attitude.
- British continued ruling without consulting Indians.
- Rising prices, shortages (rice, salt, cloth), tax burden.
- Fear of British ‘scorched earth’ policy in Bengal, Assam, Odisha.
- Japanese advance reduced faith in British defence.
- People felt British might abandon India like in Burma.
- Leadership wanted to prepare masses for possible invasion.

2. Quit India Resolution (Wardha & Bombay)
- July 14, 1942: CWC at Wardha accepted need for struggle.
- August 8, 1942 (Bombay): Quit India Resolution passed.
- Demands:
  • Immediate end to British rule.
  • Free India will resist fascism/imperialism.
  • Formation of Provisional Government after withdrawal.
  • Civil disobedience sanctioned.
- Famous call: “Do or Die”.

3. Gandhi’s Instructions
- Govt. servants: Don’t resign; declare sympathy with Congress.
- Soldiers: Don’t fire on Indians.
- Students: Leave studies if confident.
- Peasants: Don’t pay rent to pro-government zamindars.
- Princes: Support people’s demand.
- People in princely states: Support only anti-British rulers.

4. Spread of the Movement
- August 9: All top Congress leaders arrested.
- Congress declared unlawful.
- Youth & local leaders took charge.
- Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the tricolour at Gowalia Tank.

5. Public Uprising
- Attacks on symbols of British authority.
- National flags hoisted forcibly on govt. buildings.
- Railway tracks uprooted; telegraph lines cut.
- Major centres: Eastern UP, Bihar.

6. Role of Students & Workers
- Students left schools, held strikes, distributed pamphlets.
- Workers struck work in Bombay, Ahmedabad, Jamshedpur, Poona.

7. Underground Movement
- Leaders: Rammanohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, Usha Mehta, Biju Patnaik.
- Usha Mehta started secret broadcast “Congress Radio”.
- Underground activity aimed to keep morale & coordination.

8. Parallel Governments
- Ballia (UP): Chittu Pandey secured release of leaders.
- Tamluk (Midnapore): Jatiya Sarkar (1942–44) ran relief, food distribution, local defence.
- Satara (Maharashtra): “Prati Sarkar” under Nana Patil.

9. Extent of Mass Participation
- Youth and students at forefront.
- Women: Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kripalani, Usha Mehta.
- Workers: widespread strikes.
- Peasants: major participation; no anti-zamindar violence.
- Lower-level govt. staff sympathised secretly.
- Muslims in many regions sheltered activists.
- Communists didn’t join (supported British after Russia entered war).
- Muslim League & Hindu Mahasabha opposed the movement.

10. Government Repression
- No martial law, but brutal repression.
- Firing, lathi charges, mass arrests.
- Press gagged; fines on rebellious villages.
- Severe flogging and collective punishments.

11. Assessment of the Movement
- Lacked central leadership because leaders were arrested.
- High spontaneity & mass initiative.
- Strongest centres: Bihar, Eastern UP, Midnapore, Satara.
- Demonstrated impossibility of ruling India without Indians.
- Nationalist feeling reached deepest levels.
- Put independence as an immediate demand.

12. Gandhi’s Fast (1943)
- Fasted against govt. violence.
- Result:
  • Morale increased.
  • Anti-British feeling surged.
  • Govt. image damaged.
  • Led to resignations in Viceroy’s Council.

13. Bengal Famine (1943)
- Worst-hit: Midnapore, Dacca, Tippera, Noakhali.
- Deaths: 1.5 to 3 million.
- Causes:
  • Feeding large army drained stocks.
  • Burma route closed.
  • Hoarding, profiteering.
  • Govt. mismanagement; rationing limited to cities.

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Subject: Modern History

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