03 November 2022

MAINS QUESTIONS

Q1. The trajectory of the wide anti-imperialist uprising obviously tilted higher in the second half of 1927. What circumstances made civil disobedience more likely? Examine. (250 words).

 Paper & Topic: GS I – National Movement

Introduction:

• The Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress, the Hindu Mahasabha, and Tej Bahadur Sapru’s Liberal Federation were among the political parties who backed the boycott. When the Muslim League split on the issue, Mohammed Ali Jinnah stood for the vast majority of Muslims who supported the boycott.
• Even Jawaharlal Nehru was able to pass a hastily drafted resolution in 1927 that expressed the Congress’s desire for total independence.

Body:

• On February 3, 1928, the entire country observed a hartal, and a sizable number of people came to the streets to take part in demonstrations under the black flag. On that day, severe accusations and other offences were also perpetrated.
• Chest blows with a lathi killed Lajpat Rai.
• Saunders Murder: In December 1928, Bhagat Singh and his supporters killed white police officer Saunders in retaliation for Lajpat Rai’s murder.

The circumstances that led to the civil disobedience movement:

• The Nehru Report, named after its main author Motilal Nehru, was a proposal that was endorsed by the All-Parties Conference in February, May, and August 1928.
• It was a response to Lord Birkenhead’s charge that Indians had failed to come up with a well-reasoned constitutional amendment plan that had widespread support in the Indian political sphere.
• Younger nationalists criticised the research’s predicted dominion status.
• Younger nationalists in Congress decided to declare full independence as their goal and initiate a campaign of civil disobedience to achieve it after the government refused to ratify a constitution based on Dominion Status by the end of the year.
• The 14 points of Jinnah He claimed that the Nehru Report consolidated all the demands made over the years by various sectarian organisations into a single document that became known as Jinnah’s Fourteen Stages and represented Hindu interests.
• When the Simon Report round table conference was held, a meeting that became known as the Delhi Manifesto was scheduled.
• They requested that it be made crystal clear that the Round Table Conference’s goal was to develop a plan for implementing Dominion Status, not to talk about when it would be granted.
• Irwin personally informed Gandhiji and the others on December 23 that he was unable to provide the assurance they required.
• The era of agreement was over, and now the real fight would start.
• Gandhi presented Lord Irwin with an ultimatum of eleven requests before announcing the beginning of a full-fledged campaign of civil disobedience.

Conclusion:

• There was only one course of action available after Gandhi’s ultimatum to Lord Irwin on January 31—in which he outlined the crucial demands in the form of II points—was disobeyed: civil disobedience. At a Working Committee meeting held at Sabarmati Ashram in the middle of February 1930, Gandhiji was given full permission to start the Civil Disobedience Movement whenever and wherever he pleased. The civil disobedience movement began appeared about this period, posing a severe threat to British control.

Q2. The movement to leave India was a revolution unto itself during the protracted national movement there. What characteristics did the “Quit India” movement have? (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS I – National Movement

Introduction:

• In 1942, the All-India Congress Committee opposed the “August Kranti” movement, commonly known as the “Quit India” movement, and supported what Gandhi called “An Orderly British Withdrawal” from India. Mahatma Gandhi’s rallying cry, “Do or Die,” infuriated the British, who hurried to arrest the whole Congress leadership while also inspiring hundreds of party members. The INC’s top leaders were all arrested following Gandhi’s speech without being given the chance to defend themselves, which forced the British to take prompt action.

Body:

• At response to the Cripps Mission’s failure, Gandhiji used the words “Do or Die” in a speech at the Gowalia Tank Maidan.

When it was determined to leave India, the following guidelines were established:

• terminating British sovereignty over India as soon as is practical.
• a statement expressing the free India’s determination to fight fascism and all forms of imperialism.
• the setting up of India’s temporary government following the departure of the British.
• approving a movement of civil disobedience against British rule.

Gandhi’s directives to different groups of the public:

• If you work for the government, think about joining the INC rather than leaving your position.
• Soldiers, keep up your military service but don’t shoot at civilians.
• Pay the agreed-upon rent if the landlords or Zamindars are against the government; if they support the government, do not pay the rent.
• If they feel secure enough, a student may decide not to study.
• Princes, uphold and assist the people in exercising their right to self-government.
• Residents of princely states should only back their leaders if they oppose the ruling party and claim Native American descent.

Meaning of the “Quit India” movement:

• Leaders who were first imprisoned, such as Mahatma Gandhi and others, did not promote the cause.
• There were many participants and good representation of all demographic groups.
• Decentralized command was this movement’s main contribution.
• The British started to take India’s population growth seriously and started to ponder independence.
• India’s independence was eventually made possible by the 1940s political negotiations with the British Empire being altered.
• The slogan most often used to describe Kranti Kari is still “Do or Die.”
• Additionally, it represents political betrayal. Gandhi’s appeal for complete civil disobedience was rejected by the Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS), and even the unifying Communist party.

The Movement’s Effects:

• Famous inmates included Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Abdul Kalam Azad, Mahatma Gandhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The Congress was designated an illegal organisation, which led to the imprisonment of its leaders, a search of every office, and the freezing of its funds.
• The peaceful beginning of the movement included parades and protests. The nonviolent demonstration persisted until Mahatma Gandhi was released.
• The movement’s second phase included raids and arson attacks against railroad stations, governmental buildings, and post offices. Lord Linlithgow established a rigid regulation.
• Americans, the Communist Party, and the Viceroy’s Council of Muslims all backed the British.

Concerns about the motion:

• the volunteers and participants’ use of force.
• The movement was swiftly put to an end by the British.
• Lack of leadership also hindered the movement from progressing under well-coordinated management, which limited the movement’s intensity to a few concentrated places.
• The movement was not backed by all parties. The Muslim League, the Communist Party of India, and the Hindu Mahasabha all voiced disagreement. The party’s ban had already been lifted at that point.
• Subhas Chandra Bose organised the Indian National Army and the Azad Hind administration while functioning from the outside.
• The INC was dissolved by C. Rajagopalachari because he was against total independence.

Conclusion:

• The 1940s saw confrontation between the highest and lowest socioeconomic echelons over a common objective. There isn’t currently a recognised national ideal.
• Over the past 150 years, sectoral societies have grown powerful and influential, and this is reflected in their views. Sectoral and sectarian interests are sacrificed to further the idea of India.
• To avoid placing societal cohesion, national sovereignty, and integrity below those of liberty and freedom, it is crucial to exercise caution.
• The challenges of the 21st century in India, which mostly revolve around problems with poverty, communalism, and corruption that should depart India, require a sense of unity across all facets of Indian society.
• Despite its failure, the Quit India campaign is seen as important because it forced the British Government to acknowledge that India would eventually become unmanageable. How to leave India peacefully was the British government’s principal concern after World War II.