Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

FREEDOMMOVEMENT

inflicied upon me for what in law is a deliber- ate crime, and, what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen.’ The suspension of the civil disobedience movement came as a shock to many national leaders. Subhash called it a 'National calamity'. Jawaharlal Nehru mentions in his autobiography his "amazement and consternation" at the decision. Many accused Gandhi of curbing the political initiative of the masses and keeping them under rigid upper class control. The Swarajists (1923) When the mass civil disobedience move- ment was dropped there was widespread dis- appointment which led to a sudden dissipa- tion of enthusiasm in the national struggle. At this stage a new lead was given by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru. Both of them felt that instead of boycotting the legislatures, non-cooperation should be carried into the councils. The result was a split in the ranks of the Congress - the Motilal Nehru group called the pro-changers or Swarajists and the no- changers. On December 31,1922 a new party called the Swarajya Party was formed within the Congress. C.R. Das was the president and Motilal Nehru one of the secretaries. The new party kept in view the essential principles of non-violence and non-coopera- tion. The Swarajists fought the elections of November 1923 and practically wiped out the liberals. They were the largest party in the Bengal Council. In the Central Assembly, the Swarajists formed a coalition, called the Na- tionalist Party, with thirty moderate and Muslim members. 1924-25 : The term of the First Legislative Council having expired at the end of 1923 arrangements were made for election to the second. In January 23, 1924, the first meeting of the Second Legislative Assembly was at- tended by the Swarajya Party. Jatindramohan Sen Gupta moved a Resolution urging the release of all persons detained without trial under Regulation III of 1818 in Bengal. On February 5, Gandhi who was released unconditionally on grounds of ill-health launched the Khadi movement. On February 8, Motilal Nehru moved his famous resolution

session of the Congress would be elected on the basis of membership - one for 50,000. This made the Congress a far more representative body. Its membership rose by leaps and bounds as the subscription was only four annas a year. It became more youthful when the age-limit for membership was reduced to 18. All the Congress candidates withdrew from elections, the emphasis fell on boycott of courts by lawyers, of educational institutions, foreign cloth and liquor shops. A large num- ber of students left their schools and colleges. Teachers resigned in large numbers. National Colleges like the Jamia Milia Islamia and the Kashi, Bihar and Gujarat Vidya Peeths were set up. Narendra Dev, Rajendra Prasad, Zakir Hussain and Subhash Chandra Bose taught in such national colleges. Complete boycott of foreign cloth was to be achieved by 30th September 1921. This was to be done by picketing and public bonfires as in the days of the Swadeshi movement. The student community was organised as national volunteers. They did propaganda for the nationalist cause, collected donations, demonstrated against co-operators, ran arbi- tration courts and picketed shops selling for- eign goods. The Khilafat Committee asked the Mus- lims not to join the army and for this the Ali brothers were arrested. The peasants of Midnapore refused to pay Union Board taxes and peasants' unions were started for the first time in Bengal. In Rai-Bareilly and Faizabad in U.P. tenants re- fused to pay illegal cesses. In Bihar, the Tana Bhagat movement of the Adivasis of Chhotanagpur threatened non- payment of chowdidari tax and rent. In the Punjab the Akali movement was aimed at removing corruption in the management of Gurdwaras. In Malabar, the Mappilas (Mo- plahs) had started a movement against local zamindars and money-lenders. Thus there was a mass awakening in all parts of India. But the most spectacular success that attended the movement was the boycott of the visit of the Prince of Wales. Bombay observed hartal and a meeting was arranged on the beach where Gandhi made a bonfire of foreign cloth. But the mob turned unruly and assaulted Europeans who showed their, loyalty to the Prince. There was police firing and riots. Many people were killed.

The Government decided to take repressive measures. .The Congress and the Khilafat volunteer organization were declared unlawful. Freedom of speech and association was curtailed. The prisons of Calcutta overflowed. C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai and Gopabandhu Das of Orissa were arrested. By the end of 1921 all important leaders except Gandhiji were behind prison bars. Gandhi decided to shift the emphasis of the movement from the cities, where non-vio- lence had failed, to the village. The Ahmedabad Congress authorized in- dividual or mass civil disobedience: "There is nothing before the country but to adopt some non-violent method for the enforcement of its demands including the elementary rights of free speech, free association and a free Press. ” Gandhi would try it in one taluk in Gujarat - Bardoli There was mob violence at Chauri Chaura in U.P. where some peasants set fire to a police station and caused the death of twenty police- men. This was done in reply to the police firing on the hartal volunteers. Gandhiji dropped the civil disobedience and opted for a constructive programme.

Gandhi said, ‘If the thing (Non- cooperation movement) had not been suspended We would have been leading not a non-violent but essentially a violent stmggle. The cause will prosper by this retreat.... we have come back to our moor- ings. ’

By his successive postponements of civil disobedience, Gandhi warned that he would not have Swaraj at the cost of the sacred principle of satyagraha. Gandhiji was arrested on 10th March 1922 and charged with spreading disaffection against the Government. The trial of Gandhiji became historic because of the explanation offered by Gandhiji for his actions, though he pleaded guilty to the charge itself. ‘Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good... I submit cheerfully to the highest penalty that can be