The failure of the Cripps Mission left no meeting ground between the Congress and the Government. The Government was not prepared to part with its power while the Congress insist hands of Indians because it firmly believed that an effective resistance against Japanese aggression could be organized only be a popular Government.

Gandhi, who was not prepared to oppose the Government by a mass upsurge so far now, changed his mind. He expressed his changed attitude in his articles in the Harijan. He was convinced of the necessity of starting a mass Movement again. He observed. “The presence of the British in India is an invitation to Japan to invade India. Their withdrawal removes the bait.

Assume, how ever, it does not; free India will be better able to cope with the invasion. Unadulterated Non-Cooperation will then have full sway.” Many Congress men were not convinced of his argument to start a mass movement with a view to force the British to hand over power to Indians during the course of war.

But all submitted before him and those who did not, like C. Rangopolachari, quitted the Congress. The Congress working Committee met at Wardha in July and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the British from India. The All India Congress Committee ratified this “Quit India” resolution at its meeting at Bombay on August 8, 1942.

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The “Quit India” resolution started, “that the immediate ending of the British rule in India is an urgent necessity both for the sake of India and for the United Nation….,” that ‘Provisional Government will be formed…its’ primary function must be to defend India…”The Provisional Government will evolve a scheme for a constituent Assembly.

So forth and so on. The Congress approved the starting of a mass struggle on Non­violent lines on the widest possible scale to convince the British to Quit India immediately which, however, did not mean physical withdrawal of the British from India but simply transfer of power in the hands of Indians.

The Congress handed over the leadership of the Movement entirely in the hands of Gandhi and appealed to the people of India to hold together under his leadership and carried out his instructions as disciplined soldiers of the Indian freedom.

Gandhi regarded the impending movement as the last struggle for Indian independence. In his speech before the All India Committee, he declared that it was a decision “to do or die” and, “it was going lo be the last struggle of his life to win the freedom of India.”

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The government moved swiftly. It has prepared by itself in advance for the eventuality on August. I all members of the Congress working committee including Gandhi were arrested before they work up and the Congress was declared an illegal organization.

Rests of the leaders of the Congress were also rounded up within three or four days. The people were, thus, left leaderless. However, the people took up the challenge. They resorted to hartals, processions and mass meetings. The Government banned them all the imposed section 144 at most of the places.

The public meetings and processions were forcibly dispersed, lathi charged and even fired at. The movement could not remain nonviolent. Even provincial and district Congress Committee, though out wardly adhering to Non-violence, asked the people to disrupt transport and communications, take possession of police stations and also the arms of the police and the movement Under these circumstances, it was impossible to continue the movement nonviolently.

The people indulged in arson, loot, and murder, disrupted railway lines, threw away telephone and telegraph poles, burnt police and railway stations and at certain places like Ballia in Eastern U P. Entirely- uprooted the administration. But the Government suppressed the Movement with vengeance.

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Nearly 26 000 persons were arrested and the police fired nearly 538 times which resulted in the death of nearly 940 people and injury to nearly 1630.

The Movement went underground. Particularly, the illegal Congress organization’ set up by Mr. Jay Prakash Narain gave the lead.

Yet, the Movement could not prolong for long of course, the underground movement was pulled on till the beginning of 1943 but the open movement was crushed by the Government within two months, and it practically collapsed before the end of September.

The movement was spearheaded mostly by the students, the peasants and the members of the lower middle class. The socialist party, under the leadership of Jay Prakash Narain. Dr. Ram Monohar Lohia and Mrs. Aruna Asaf Ali largely participated in organizing the under ground Movement.

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The communist party had described the world war. When it broke out, as Imperialistic but when Russia joined the war on behalf of the allies. They began to regard it as the ‘people’s war’. They, therefore, demanded the withdraw wall of the “Quit India Movement” and pleaded all support to the Government in its war efforts.

It was generally believed that communist leaders like M.N. Roy were liberally provided with funds by the Government to Sabaotage the Movement of 1942. The indifference of the labour-class towards this movement was largely because of the influence of the communists.

The Muslim League also opposed this Movement and described it as an attempt of the Congress to turn out the British forcibly which would, ultimately, result in the enslavement of the Muslims by the Hindus who were in the majority.

Jay Prakash Narain expressed that the Movement failed because of the lack of coordination among the people, lack of organizing it, absence of a clear- cut programme of action and the selfishness of the wealthy class of people.

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Besides, the Movement remained limited only to students, peasants and lower middle class. Even the intelectual or the upper middle class had lost its faith in the methods of Gandhi and, therefore, did not support it actively.

Thus, the movement did not enjoy wide-spread popularity and that was also an important factor participating in its failure.

Two misconceptions deserve to be removed regarding the revolt of 1942. One, it was not Non-violent as is held by many clear evidence sare there to prove that violence was involved in it.

Second, it is wrong to credit it for carrying Indians under the leadership of Gandhi to wards Independence. The Movement failed within two months while Gandhi attempted to absolve himself from charges of leading this violent Movement and under took his famous fast for 21 days in February, 1943.

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Thus The Movement did not take India towards its goal of freedom and was not led by Gandhi though he was responsible for beginning it.

Besides, it is also wrong to suggest that the Congress was primarily responsible for the violent activities of the people during the revolt or the provocation for these acts was provided by the Government by its excesses.

In fact, the Movement of 1942 merged itself into the revolutionary or terrorist Movement which was always an active political force running on a parallel line with the Non-violent movement of Gandhi and that had been the primary reason of violence committed by the people during its course.

Again, it would be a mistake to suppose that the Movement was a dismal failure because it was suppressed by the Government within two months. On the other hand, the violent mass upsurge in 1942 left no doubt that freedom battle in India had begun in right earnest.

However, the battle­field changed Indian struggle for independence within the frontiers of India ended with the end of the revolt of 1942.

The revolutionary Movement which began early in the 20th Century as well as the Non-violent Movement launched by Gandhi in 1920, both now came to an end without achieving freedom. The battle for the freedom of India was now carried on beyond its frontiers. It was led by India National Army and its Chief, Subhash Chandra Bose.