Gandhi kick-started the Quit India movement on August 8, 1942, at the All India Congress Committee meeting in Mumbai’s Gowalia Tank Maidan. He also infused it with the spirit of his phrase “do or die”. Over the following few months, freedom fighters across India responded with waves of civic rebellion, despite the arrest of Gandhi and other leaders, and violent backlash from the British authorities.

Quit India Movement

The British government responded to the call of Gandhi by arresting all major Congress leaders the very next day. Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, etc. were all arrested. This left the movement in the hands of the younger leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia. New leaders like Aruna Asaf Ali emerged out of the vacuum of leadership.

Over 100000 people were arrested in connection with this movement. The government resorted to violence in order to quell the agitation. They were mass floggings and lathi charges. Even women and children were not spared. About 10000 people died in police firing in total.

There was no communal violence.

The INC was banned. Its leaders were jailed for almost the whole of the war. Gandhi was released on health grounds in 1944.

The people responded to Gandhi’s call in a major way. However, in the absence of leadership, there were stray incidences of violence and damage to government property. Many buildings were set on fire, electricity lines were cut and communication and transport lines were broken.

Some parties did not support the movement. There was opposition from the Muslim League, the Communist Party of India (the government revoked the ban on the party then) and the Hindu Mahasabha.

The League was not in favour of the British leaving India without partitioning the country first. In fact, Jinnah asked more Muslims to enlist in the army to fight the war.

The Communist party supported the war waged by the British since they were allied with the Soviet Union.

Subhas Chandra Bose, was by this time, organizing the Indian National Army and the Azad Hind government from outside the country.

C Rajagopalachari, resigned from the INC since he was not in favour of complete independence.

In general, the Indian bureaucracy did not support the Quit India Movement.

There were strikes and demonstrations all over the country. Despite the communist group’s lack of support to the movement, workers provided support by not working in the factories.

In some places, parallel governments were also set up. Example: Ballia, Tamluk, Satara.

The chief areas of the movement were UP Bihar, Maharashtra, Midnapore, and Karnataka. The movement lasted till 1944.

Importance of Quit India Movement – Significance/What it achieved?

Despite heavy-handed suppression by the government, the people were unfazed and continued their struggle.

Even though the government said that independence could be granted only after the end of the war, the movement drove home the point that India could not be governed without the support of the Indians.

The movement placed the demand for complete independence at the top agenda of the freedom movement.

Public morale and anti-British sentiment were enhanced.

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