The 9th of August is celebrated as August Kranti Diwas, the day when the Quit India Movement was started, also called the ‘Bharat Chodo Andolan.’ August 8, 1942, was the day when the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee launched this life-significant movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. This movement aimed at ending British rule in India through mass civil disobedience, and it was Gandhiji who mooted a call with the slogan ‘Do or Die’ to the entire nation.
Significance of August 9
On August 8, 1942, Congress adopted a resolution to start the Quit India Movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. On the 9th of August, spontaneous responses came from all parts of the country. The leader himself was put behind the bars on that day, but the movement did not subside. The masses, in the form of students, workers, peasants, and others, took over the lead and continued it with an unflinching resolve. It was the movement that turned the wheel of India’s freedom struggle and finally made the British Administration take the Indian demand for freedom seriously.
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Important Facts about the Movement
August Kranti Diwas is celebrated to pay homage to the Quit India Movement, which turned out to be the most prominent force in the fight against the British ruling authority. The adopted slogans for the movement were ‘Quit India’ or ‘Bharat Chodo.’ This represented a unified demand for immediate independence through non-violent resistance, following the ideology of Congress.
On August 8, 1942, the Quit India Resolution was passed, mentioning an end to British rule and asking for the formation of a provisional government. The arrest of top Congress leaders did not slow down the movement; new leadership came up in the form of Ram Manohar Lohia, JP Narayan, and Aruna Asaf Ali.
The British government met this with repression, nearly 100,000 people were arrested, and the Congress was declared illegal. Nevertheless, the movement could pride itself on proving to everyone that British rule over India was no longer feasible without its people’s consent, hence opening the way to eventual independence.
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Challenges and Limitations
The movement underwent several confrontations from parties like the Hindu Mahasabha, the Muslim League, and the Communist Party of India. Apart from this, Subhas Chandra Bose launched the Azad Hind government and the Indian National Army from outside the framework of the movement. The lack of organized leadership after mass arrests caused sporadic outbreaks of violence, and by 1943, the movement was petering out. However, it was one important chapter in the freedom struggle of India that shook the entire world and brought for.
