In 1927, the Secretary of state for India, Lord Birkenhead challenged the Indians to prepare a constitution acceptable-to all political parties in India. The congress took up the challenge, arranged for an All India Conference at Delhi in 1928 consisting of representatives of all political parties and appointed a committee under the charimanship of Pt. Motilal Nehru to frame a constitution. The committee submitted its Report called the Nehru Report in August 1982 before the ‘All India All Parties conference’ held at Lucknow.
The Report suggested Dominion status for India, responsible governments at the centre and provinces, federal government at the centre, joint electorates though with reservation at certain places, inclusion of fundamental rights, a supreme Court etc. Subhash Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru desired to include the demand of Swarajya in it but it was not accepted. The Nehru Report was not accepted by the Muslim League and some sections of the Sikhs, Christians and Depressed classes.
The British government and the Viceroy failed to assure the congress even for the acceptance of Dominion status to India. In such circumstances the congress session were held at Lahore in 1929 with Jawaharlal Nehru as the President. There in the historic Lahore session, the congress dropped the Nehru Report and put up the demand of Poorna Swarajya or complete independence. Accordingly, the historic Independence Resolution was adopted and the tricolour flag of Independence was hoisted at midnight on 31 December, 1929. The Lahore congress also decided to observe 26 January as Independence Day everywhere every year. Incidentally, the constitution of free India appropriately came into force on that very date in 1950 to commemorate the significance of that day in India’s national movement.
When the first Independence Day was celebrated on 26 January, 1930 great euphoria was visible all over the country. Another factor that contributed to the launching of the Civil Disobedience Movement was an unprecedented economic crisis known as the Great Depression (1929-32) which affected India as well. The congress authorised Gandhiji to launch a Civil Disobedience Movement to attain the goal of Poorna Swarajya.