The last Phase of Freedom struggle of India (contd - 1)

Owing to the difference in the attitude towards the war Gandhi lost his influence and leadreship in the Congress in June 1940. Although Gandhi recovered his position and was asked by the Congress to lead the satyagraha campaign in 1940-41, he was again relieved of this responsibility by the Working Committee on 23 Dec 1941. He gave his first reaction of the failure of Cripps Mission in Harijan on 19 April 1942. This explains that there was an end of all ideas of co-operation or friendly understanding between Britain and India.

The British were alarmed at the successive victories of Japan during 1940s. When Burma was turned into a battle field and the war reached the Indian boarders, the British started feeling more concerned about the future of India. Situation in the country was further complicated as the Congress wanted to take advantage of the situation by accelerating their efforts in their struggle for independence. Moreover the differences between the Congress and the Muslim League were widening fast and visibly there was no chance to bring both the parties on a common agenda. In these circumstances, the British Government sent a mission to India in 1942 under Sir Stafford Cripps, the Lord Privy Seal, in order to achieve Hindu-Muslim consensus on some constitutional arrangement and to convince the Indians to postpone their struggle till the end of the Second World War.
Cripps arrived in Delhi on March 22, 1942 and had series of meetings with the leading Indian politicians including Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, Quaid-i-Azam, Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, A. K. Fazlul Haq, Dr. Ambedkar, V.D. Savarkar and Tej Bhadur Sappru etc. In the meetings Cripps tried to plead his case before these political leaders and tried to convince them to accept his following proposals:

1. During the course of the war, the British would retain their hold on India. Once the war finished, India would be granted dominion status with complete external and internal autonomy. It would however, be associated with the United Kingdom and other Dominions by a common allegiance to the Crown.
2. At the end of the war, a Constituent Assembly would be set up with the power to frame the future constitution of India. The members of the assembly were to be elected on the basis of proportional representation by the provincial assemblies. Princely States would also be given representation in the Constituent Assembly.
3. The provinces not agreeing to the new constitution would have the right to keep itself out of the proposed Union. Such provinces would also be entitled to create their own separate Union. The British government would also invite them to join the commonwealth.
4. During the war an interim government comprising of different parties of India would be constituted. However, defence and external affairs would be the sole responsibility of the viceroy.

Quaid-i-Azam considered these proposals as “unsatisfactory” and was of the view that the acceptance of the Cripps proposals would “take the Muslims to the gallows.” He said that the proposals have “aroused our deepest anxieties and grave apprehensions, specially with reference to Pakistan Scheme which is a matter of life and death for Muslim India. We will, therefore, endeavour that the principle of Pakistan which finds only veiled recognition in the Document should be conceded in unequivocal terms.” The Quaid, however, was happy to know that in the Cripps proposals, at least the British Government had agreed in principle to the Muslim League’s demand of the partition of India. Yet, Quaid-i-Azam wanted the British Government and Cripps to thoroughly amend the proposals to make them acceptable for the Muslim League.

Actually Quaid-i-Azam and other Muslim League leaders were convinced that Cripps was a traditional supporter of Congress and thus could not present an objective solution to the problem. On the arrival of Cripps, Quaid-i-Azam made it clear that he was a friend of Congress and would only support the Congress’ interests. Congress leaders themselves accepted that Cripps was their man. On his first visit to India, Cripps in fact attended the meetings of the Congress Working Committee. He also visited Gandhi and was so much impressed by him that he wore white khadi suit. He openly ridiculed the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan when he said, “we cannot deny 25 carore Hindus desire of United India only because 9 carore Muslims oppose it.” In fact the proposals Cripps presented were mainly consisted of the ideas which were discussed in a meeting between Nehru and Cripps in 1938

The AICC met in Bombay on 7 Aug 1942 and considered the resolution drafted by the Working Committee. After two days discussion it was passed by an overwhelming majority; Only a few Communists were against it.
The sudden removal of all types of leaders upto the level of Taluk - left no responsible men to guide the mass movement announced by AICC. Thd news of the arrest of Gandhi and other Congress leaders led to a violent popular demonstration which spread over nearly the whole of India.
The cult of non-violence , as understood and preached by them , came to an end .
The disturbances spread over Bombay, Ahmedabad, and Poona, but the rest
The all India sabotage figures as follows;
Railway Stations damaged or destroyed  ........ 259
Post Offices attacked .......              ..........         550
Post offices burnt    ....................        ............   50
Post offices damaged ................      ..............      200
Telegraph and Telephone wires cut .......    ......   3,500
Police Station burnt ........                   ..............      70
Other overnment buildings  ........            ........      85
The Quit India movement ended in a failure.