Cripps Mission (1942)
- In the meantime, the Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow expanded his executive council by including five more Indians into it in July 1941.
- However, in the midst of worsening wartime international situation, the British government in its continued effort to secure Indian cooperation sent Sir Stafford Cripps to India on 23 March 1942.
- This is known as Cripps Mission.
- The main recommendations of cripps were:
- The promise of Dominion status to India.
- Protection of miniorities.
- Setting up of a constituent assembly in which there would be representatives from the Princely states along with those of the British provinces.
- There would be provision for any province of British India not prepared to accept this constitution, either to retain its present constitutional position or frame a constitution of its own.
- The major political parties of the country rejected the Cripps proposals.
- Gandhi called Cripp’s proposals as a ‘Post- dated cheque’.
- They did not like the rights of the Princely states either to send their representatives to the constituent assembly or to stay out of the Indian Union.
- The Muslim league was also dissatisfied as its demand for Pakistan had not been conceded in the proposal.
Quit India Movement (1942-1944)
- The failure of the Cripps mission and the fear of an impending Japanese invasion of India led Mahatma Gandhi to begin his campaign for the British to quit India.
- Mahatma Gandhi believed that an interim government could be formed only after the British left India and the Hindu- Muslim problem sorted out.
- The All India congress committee met at Bombay on 8 August 1942 and passed the famous Quit India Resolution.
- On the same day, Gandhi gave his call of ‘do or die’.
- On 8th and 9th August1942, the government arrested all the prominent leaders of the congress.
- For once, this pre-panned action of the government left the Indian people without leadership.
- Mahatma Gandhi was kept in prison at Poona.
- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad and other leaders were imprisoned in the Ahmednagar fort.
- At this time, leadership was provided by Ram Manohar Lohia, Achyuta and S.M.Joshi.
- The role of Jayaprakash Narain in this movement was important.
- Large number of students also left their school and colleges to join the movement.
- The youth of the nation also participated in this movement with patriotism.
- Strikes demonstrations and public meetings were organized in various towns and cities.
- Slowly the movement reached the rural areas.
- In 1943, as the movement gained further momentum, there were armed attacks on government buildings in Madras and Bengal.
- In 1944 Mahatma Gandhi was released from jail.
- Quit India Movement was the final attempt for country’s freedom.
- The British government ordered for 538 rounds of firing.
- Nearly 60,229 persons were jailed.
- At least 7,000 people were killed.
- This movement paved the way for India’s freedom.
- It aroused among Indians the feelings of bravery, enthusiasm and total sacrifice.