Eternal India Encyclopedia

FREEDOM MOVEMENT

Eternal India encyclopedia

1920-22 NON-CO-OPERATION MOVEMENT

doctrine of non-violent non-co-

The first experiments of Gandhiji in Gujarat, Bihar and Ahmedabad brought him closer to the masses. This was one of the greatest contributions of Gandhiji to the national move- ment. Earlier the freedom struggle was only the concern of the urban lower middle class, middle class and the intelligent- sia. With the coming of Gandhiji the masses became all at once active participants in the move- ment. In course of time, Gandhi became the symbol of the poor and the down-trodden and a truly representative Indian. Hindu- Muslim unity, removal of un- touchability and raising the status of women, were three causes very close to Gandhiji's heart. He referred to the so-called untouch- ables as Harijans. The Punjab tragedy brought Gandhiji into the forefront of Indian politics. The Congress

opera- tion which was shortly to play a domi- nant role in Indian politics. He ruled out the violent method of warfare, open or secret, "if only because it is impracticable". He then proceeds: "The power that an individual or a nation forswearing violence can gen- erate, is a power that is irresistible ... Non-co-operation is therefore, the only remedy left open to us. It is the clearest remedy, as it is the most effec- tive, when it is free from all violence. It becomes a duty when co-operation means degradation or humiliation, or an injury to one's cherished religious sentiment .” Congress adopted a non-co- operation movement involving (a) surrender of titles and honorary of- fices and resignation from nomi- nated seats in local bodies ; (b) re- fusal to attend government Levees, Durbars and other official and semi-official functions held by gov- ernment officials, or in their honour; (c) gradual withdrawal of children from schools and colleges owned, aided or controlled by the government and in place of such schools and colleges, establish- ment of National schools and colleges in the various provinces; (d) gradual boycott of Brit- ish courts by lawyers and litigants and estab- lishment of private arbitration courts by them for the settlement of private disputes; (e) re- fusal on the part of the military, clerical and la- bouring classes to offer themselves as recruits for service in Mesopotamia; (f) withdrawal by candidates of their candidature for election to the reformed councils, and refusal on the part of the voters to vote for any candidate who may, despite the Congress advice, offer him- self for election; and (g) boycott of foreign goods. Thus by 1 August, 1920, the Non-co- operation programme was launched. Gandhiji persuaded the moderate and the extremist rank and file to extend support by combining the goal of the former i.e., swaraj within the empire, with the means of the latter, non-co- operation. The Nagpur session made the Congress a more representative body. Its membership rose as it was transformed into a compact, effective political organization with a working committee of fifteen, an All-India Committee of 350 and provincial committees with roots going down to districts, towns, taluks and villages. Delegates to the annual

7.

Malegon (Mah)

1.

Aligarh (UP)

4.

Giridih (Bihar)

8.

Nagpur (Mah)

2.

Basti (UP)

5.

Jamshedpur (Bihar)

9.

Calcutta (WB)

3.

Rai-Bareli (UP)

6.

Bardoli(Guj)

boycotted the official committee of enquiry headed by Lord Hunter. Many of the erstwhile moderate nationalists also now joined forces with Gandhiji. The temper of the country was reflected in the Amritsar Congress held in 1919. The Amritsar Congress and the Muslim League had lent their full support to the movement. When on March 10,1920, it became apparent that the allied powers (England, France and the U.S.A) would take up a stiff attitude to- wards Turkey, Gandhiji advised the Muslims to start a non-co-operation movement on 15th May 1920. He felt that this was the only means to have the wrong remedied. Early in 1920, the Indian Muslims started a vigorous agitation to bring pressure upon Britain to change her policy towards Turkey. The success of this movement, known as the Khilafat movement, was assured by the large measure of sympathy and support which the Muslims received from Gandhi. Even while Gandhi was in South Africa, he had come to realize that there was no genuine friendship or good feeling between the Hindus and the Muslims. He was deeply grieved and strongly felt the need of establishing cordial relations between the two communities. Immediately after his return to India he established contact with

the two Ali brothers and carried on correspondence with Muhammad Ali who was then in jail. Gandhi felt that the Muslim demand about the Khilafat was just and he was bound to render all possible help to secure the due fulfilment of the pledge that the British Prime Minister had given to the Indian Muslims during the war. Henceforth Gandhi missed no opportunity of pressing upon the Government of India the need of a just settlement of the Khilafat question and the release of the Ali brothers. He even went to the length of placing the Khilafat problem at the same level of political importance as Home Rule for India. When the All-India Khilafat conference met at Delhi on November 23,1919, Gandhi was elected its President. The conference asked the Mussalmans not to join the public celebrations for victory, and held out threats of boycott and non-co-operation if the British did not solve the problem of Tur- key in a manner satisfactory to the Mus- lims. This decision was reaffirmed by the Muslim League in Calcutta. On March 10, 1920, Gandhi issued a manifesto embodying his ideas and course of action to be pursued by the Khilafatists if their demands were not granted. This mani- festo is historically important as it contains the first definite elaboration of Gandhi's