COMMENT

The Spirit of 1942

There was a feeling of anger, deep frustation and resentment all over the country following the failure of Cripps Mission in April, 1942. Sir Stafford Cripps had been despatched to India by Winston Churchill, the then Prime Minister of Britain, under pressure of American President Roosevelt as the Allies were worried about the likely consequences of Japanese advance from Singapore and Rangoon to the doorsteps of India in the East.

The Cripps Plan provided that India would have a Dominion status and a constitution making body after the end of the war and in the meantime, the British government would "retain control and direction of the defence of India as part of their world war effort". The offer contained claims calculated to break up into three segments. Gandhiji, who called the proposals "a post-dated cheque on a crash bank" advised Cripps to "go back home by the first available plane". The Viceroy Lord Linlithgow and his bureaucracy also played a major role in the failure of the Cripps Mission.

Sir Stafford Cripps, accusing Gandhiji of sabotaging his efforts, left India on April 12, 1942. A fortnight later, on April 26, the Mahatma demanded withdrawal of the British power from India. He stated: "The time has come during the war, not after it, for the British and Indian to be reconciled to complete separation from each other." He remarked that the presence of the British in India was an invitation to Japan to invade the country.

Meeting in Wardha from July 7 to 14, 1942, the Congress Working Committee passed the "Quit India Resolution" unanimously though initially there was some difference of opinion amongst the CWC members. The operative part of the resolution said: "The Cripps Mission having failed, the only course left was to demand the withdrawal of the British rule from India. This would enable the country to mobilise popular support and organise resistance against the menace of Japanese aggression ... in the event of the British government failing to respond to the appeal for the withdrawal of the British from India the Congress would launch a widespread non-violent movement under the leadership of Gandhiji."

The CWC resolution was ratified by the AICC in its Bombay Session on August 7-8, 1942. The "Quit India" resolution was moved by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and seconded by Sardar Patel, with Maulana Azad presiding over the historic AICC Session which shook the last vestige of the empire over which the "sun never set". In his concluding address Mahatma Gandhi inspired the gathering with the following soul stirring words: "Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. You may imprint it on your hearts and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The mantra is DO or DIE. We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery."

The proceedings of the AICC concluded on the midnight of 8-9 August, 1942. Before the following morning, Gandhiji, Pt. Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Sarojini Naidu, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and other members of the CWC were arrested. While Gandhiji was taken to the Aga Khan Palace in Poona, most other members were taken to Ahmednagar fort. There was outburst of protests throughout the country. While the city of Bombay served as the focal point of the movement, it spread like wild fire throughout the country. The provinces affected the most were : Bihar, United Provinces, Central Provinces, Maharashtra, Punjab, Assam, Sind, NWFP and Bengal.

The mood of the country is aptly captured by Jawaharlal Nehru in The Discovery of India (pg. 506-20) which he wrote in the Ahmednagar fort where he was to serve his longest, and last, incarceration : "This reaction in the country was extraordinarily widespread both in towns and villages. There were hartals, closure of shops and markets and a stoppage of business everywhere ... The sudden, unorganised demonstrations and outbreaks on the part of the people culminating in violent conflicts and destruction, and continued against overwhelming and powerful armed forces, were a measure of the intensity of their feelings. Those feelings has been there even before the arrest of their leaders, but the arrests and the frequent firings that followed them, roused the people to anger and to the only course that an enraged can follow ... As often happens in these circumstances, local leaders sprang up and were followed for the moment. But even the guidance they gave was little; it was essentially a spontaneous mass upheaval ..."

- Praveen Davar