Quit India Movement, Demand for Pakistan, and the INA

The failure of the Cripps Mission in April 1942 left Indian nationalists frustrated and convinced that Britain had no genuine intention of transferring power. Simultaneously, Japanese forces were sweeping through Southeast Asia and approaching India's borders — creating both a military threat and a psychological opportunity. Against this charged backdrop, Gandhi crafted the most explosive mass mobilisation of the freedom movement: the Quit India Movement. The same period also witnessed Subhash Bose's audacious bid to liberate India from outside through the Indian National Army (INA), while constitutional negotiations between the Congress and the Muslim League drifted toward an irreversible partition trajectory.

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Why Launch a Struggle Now?

Several converging factors made 1942 the moment for decisive action:

1. Cripps Mission's failure exposed Britain's unwillingness to make any genuine constitutional advance. Continued silence would mean accepting British right to decide India's fate unilaterally.
2. Popular discontent was intense — rising prices, shortages of rice and salt, commandeering of boats in Bengal and Orissa, and fears of a British scorched-earth policy in Assam, Bengal and Orissa against potential Japanese advance.
3. British military reverses in Southeast Asia created a perception of imminent British collapse. People were withdrawing deposits from banks and post offices — faith in British stability had evaporated.
4. Racial humiliation: During the British retreat from Southeast Asia, two roads were provided for refugees — a 'Black Road' for Indian refugees and a 'White Road' exclusively for Europeans. This racist behaviour, plus the spectacle of a European power routed by an Asian one (Japan), shattered white prestige.
5. The leadership wanted to condition the masses for a possible Japanese invasion and ensure India did not passively slide under Japanese occupation.

The Quit India Resolution

The CWC met at Wardha on July 14, 1942, and resolved to authorise Gandhi to lead a non-violent mass movement. The resolution was formally known as the 'Quit India' Resolution, proposed by Jawaharlal Nehru and seconded by Sardar Patel.

The resolution was ratified at the AICC meeting at Gowalia Tank, Bombay, on August 8, 1942. The meeting resolved to:

• Demand an immediate end to British rule in India
• Commit free India to defend itself against all forms of fascism and imperialism
• Form a provisional government after British withdrawal
• Sanction a civil disobedience movement

Gandhi was named leader of the struggle and delivered the electrifying call: "Do or Die" — "We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery."

Gandhi's Instructions to Different Sections

Gandhi's special instructions (spelt out at Gowalia Tank but not formally issued before the arrests) were:

• Government servants: Do not resign; declare allegiance to Congress
• Soldiers: Do not leave the Army; do not fire on compatriots
• Students: If confident, leave studies
• Peasants: Pay mutually agreed rent to anti-government zamindars; withhold rent from pro-government ones
• Princes: Support the masses; accept sovereignty of your people
• Princely states' people: Support the ruler only if he is anti-government

Spread and Nature of the Movement

Government pre-emption: In the early hours of August 9, 1942, in a single sweep, all top Congress leaders were arrested and taken to undisclosed locations. The Congress Working Committee, AICC, and Provincial Congress Committees were declared unlawful under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1908. Public meetings were prohibited under Rule 56 of the Defence of India Rules.

With established leaders removed, younger and more militant elements took charge. Aruna Asaf Ali — till then relatively unknown — presided over the Congress session on August 9 and hoisted the Congress flag at Gowalia Tank.

Public Rampage: Crowds attacked symbols of authority, hoisted national flags on public buildings, blew up bridges, removed railway tracks and cut telegraph lines. The most intense activity was in eastern United Provinces and Bihar.

Underground Network: Key personalities who went underground: Rammanohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali, Usha Mehta (who ran an underground radio in Bombay), Biju Patnaik, Chhotubhai Puranik, Achyut Patwardhan, Sucheta Kripalani and R.P. Goenka.

Parallel Governments

Three notable parallel governments emerged:

Mass Participation — Who Joined and Who Didn't

Joined: Youth and students (front-liners), women (Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kripalani, Usha Mehta), workers (strikes in Ahmedabad, Bombay, Jamshedpur, Ahmednagar, Poona), peasants of all strata (no anti-zamindar violence — offensive concentrated on symbols of authority), lower-level government officials and police (who passed information to activists), and Muslims (who sheltered underground activists — no communal clashes during the movement).

Did NOT join:

• Communists: After Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union (June 1941), communists reframed the war from an 'Imperialist War' to a 'People's War' and supported Britain.
• Muslim League: Feared that a British exit would leave minorities at the mercy of the Hindu majority.
• Hindu Mahasabha: Boycotted the movement.
• Princely States: Showed a low-key response.

Government Repression

Though martial law was not formally declared, repression was severe — lathi charges, tear gas, firing on crowds. An estimated 10,000 people were killed. The press was muzzled, military took over many cities, rebellious villages were fined and subjected to mass flogging.

Significance and Estimate

• The movement proved that it was no longer possible to rule India without the consent of Indians.
• It placed the demand for complete independence on the immediate agenda — after Quit India, there could be no retreat.
• The spontaneity was higher than any previous movement, though the Congress had ideologically and organisationally prepared for it over time.
• The backbone was students, workers and peasants; upper classes and bureaucracy largely remained loyal.
• Loyalty of the lower bureaucracy suffered considerable erosion, showing how deep nationalism had penetrated.
• As historian Sumit Sarkar observed: though non-violence was always reiterated, Gandhi's mantra of 'Do or Die' represented the militant mood of Gandhi.

Gandhi's Fast (February 1943)

In prison, Gandhi began a fast in February 1943 as a protest against the government's demand that he condemn the violence of the movement — he turned it against the violence of the State instead. Three members of the Viceroy's Executive Council resigned in protest. Public morale rose, anti-British feeling intensified, and the government's high-handedness was exposed.

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The worst-affected areas were south-west Bengal (Tamluk-Contai-Diamond Harbour region), Dacca, Faridpur, Tippera and Noakhali. Between 1.5 to 3 million people perished from starvation, malnutrition, malaria, cholera and smallpox. Fundamental causes:

1. Diversion of foodstuffs to feed the vast wartime Army
2. Stoppage of rice imports from Burma and Southeast Asia
3. Gross mismanagement and deliberate profiteering; rationing was belated and confined to big cities

This was essentially a man-made famine — a damning indictment of colonial wartime governance.

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Rajagopalachari (CR) Formula (1944)

C. Rajagopalachari, the veteran Congress leader, devised this formula as a basis for Congress-League cooperation — a tacit acceptance of the League's Pakistan demand. Gandhi supported it.

Main points:

• Muslim League to endorse the Congress demand for independence and cooperate in forming a provisional government at the Centre
• After the war, the entire population of Muslim-majority areas in the north-west and north-east to decide by plebiscite whether to form a separate sovereign state
• If partition was accepted, a common centre for defence, commerce and communications
• Terms operative only if England transferred full powers to India

Jinnah's objections:

• Wanted the Congress to accept the two-nation theory first
• Wanted only Muslims (not the entire population) to vote in the plebiscite
• Opposed a common centre
• Hindu leaders led by Vir Savarkar also condemned the CR Plan

The core impasse: the Congress wanted cooperation for Indian independence; the League was only interested in a separate nation, not in the independence of a united India.

Desai-Liaqat Pact (1944)

Bhulabhai Desai (leader of Congress Party in the Central Legislative Assembly) and Liaqat Ali Khan (deputy leader of Muslim League in that Assembly) drafted a proposal for an interim government consisting of:

• Equal nominees from the Congress and the League in the Central Executive
• 20% reserved seats for minorities

Though no formal settlement was reached, the de facto parity between Congress and League established here had far-reaching consequences for future negotiations.

Wavell Plan and Shimla Conference (June 1945)

Context: War in Europe ended in May 1945, but Japan remained. Churchill's Conservative government wanted to appear solution-oriented before the impending British general election.

Main proposals:

• All members of the Viceroy's Executive Council (except the Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief) to be Indians
• Equal representation for caste Hindus and Muslims
• Council to function as interim government within 1935 Act framework (not responsible to Central Assembly)
• Governor-General to exercise veto on ministerial advice
• Parties to submit a joint list of nominees; if not possible, separate lists

Muslim League's Stand: Demanded that all Muslim members be League nominees (feared being reduced to a one-third minority otherwise) and claimed a communal veto — decisions opposed to Muslims to require a two-thirds majority.

Congress's Stand: Objected to being treated as a purely caste Hindu party; insisted on its right to include members of all communities among its nominees.

Wavell's Mistake: By announcing a breakdown of talks, Wavell effectively handed the League a virtual veto — enormously strengthening Jinnah's position going into the 1945–46 elections and exposing the real character of Churchill's Conservative government.

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Bose's Background and Escape

Bose passed the Indian Civil Services examination (4th rank) but resigned in 1921 to join the freedom movement. His political guru was Chittaranjan Das. He became Mayor of Calcutta in 1923.

In January 1941, Bose escaped house arrest and reached Peshawar under the pseudonym Ziauddin, aided by Bhagat Ram. He then made his way to the Soviet Union (which disappointed him by joining the Allies in June 1941) and then to Germany, where he met Hitler under the pseudonym Orlando Mazzotta.

In Germany:

• Formed the 'Freedom Army' (Mukti Sena) — Indian POWs captured by Germany and Italy
• Headquarters at Dresden, Germany
• Came to be called 'Netaji' by Indians in Germany
• Gave the slogan 'Jai Hind' from the Free India Centre, Germany
• Began regular Berlin radio broadcasts from January 1942

In early 1943, he left Germany via German and Japanese submarines and reached Singapore in July 1943.

Origin and First Phase of the INA

The INA idea originated with Mohan Singh, an Indian Army officer who refused to join the retreating British in Malaya and turned to the Japanese for Indian POWs. After the fall of Singapore, several POWs were willing to join.

• By end of 1942, 40,000 men were ready to join the INA
• The INA was intended to go into action only on the invitation of the Indian National Congress and the Indian people
• The first division of the INA was formed in September 1942 with 16,300 men
• Serious differences emerged: the Japanese wanted a token force of 2,000 only, Mohan Singh wanted a much larger army
• Mohan Singh was taken into Japanese custody, effectively ending Phase I

Role of Rashbehari Bose

Rashbehari Bose had fled to Japan in 1915 following failed revolutionary activities. He became a naturalised Japanese citizen, founded the Indian Club of Tokyo, and worked in Pan-Asian circles to generate Japanese interest in Indian independence. He created the Indian Independence League in Tokyo (1942) and chaired it.

At a Bangkok conference, it was decided to place the INA under the Indian Independence League. When Subhash Bose was brought in by the Japanese, Rashbehari willingly transferred control — it was on Rashbehari's organisational groundwork that Subhash built the INA. Rashbehari Bose died on January 21, 1945, aged 58.

Second Phase: Subhash Bose Takes Command

• In June 1943, Bose (as 'Abid Hussain') reached Tokyo and met Japanese Prime Minister Tojo
• Arrived in Singapore in July 1943; Rashbehari transferred command to him
• Became Supreme Commander of the INA on August 25, 1943

Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind), October 21, 1943 — proclaimed at Singapore:

• H.C. Chatterjee: Finance
• M.A. Aiyar: Broadcasting
• Lakshmi Swaminathan: Women's Department
• Bose held posts of Head of State, Prime Minister, and Minister for War and Foreign Affairs simultaneously
• Declared war on Britain and the United States; recognised by Axis powers
• Famous slogan: "Give me blood, I will give you freedom" — given in Malaya

November 6, 1943: Andaman and Nicobar Islands handed to INA by Japan; renamed Shahid Dweep and Swaraj Dweep respectively.

July 6, 1944: Bose addressed Gandhi as 'Father of the Nation' on Azad Hind Radio — making him the first person to use this title for Gandhi.

INA's Military Campaign

• INA headquarters shifted to Rangoon (January 1944); war cry: "Chalo Delhi!"
• The Azad Hind Fauz crossed the Burma border and stood on Indian soil on March 18, 1944
• Advanced to Kohima and Imphal
• April 14, 1944: Colonel Malik of the Bahadur Group hoisted the INA flag for the first time on the Indian mainland at Moirang, Manipur (where the INA Memorial Complex stands today)
• For three months, the INA conducted military administration at Moirang — then Allied forces reclaimed the territory
• All brigades began withdrawal on July 18, 1944
• The INA suffered the same fate as the retreating Japanese; Indians were denied rations and arms and subjected to menial work by Japanese units — demoralising the INA
• Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945; INA also surrendered
• Bose reportedly died in an air crash at Taipei (Taiwan) on August 18, 1945

When INA POWs were brought back to India for court-martial, a powerful nationwide movement emerged in their defence — itself a major factor in accelerating the British decision to quit India.

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• GS Paper I — Modern India: The Quit India Movement represents the culmination of Gandhian mass mobilisation — the final, most explosive phase of non-cooperation before independence.
• Colonialism and Nationalism: The scorched-earth policy fears, racial segregation during evacuation, and the Bengal Famine all illustrate the structural violence of colonial governance — not just political domination.
• Women in Nationalism: Aruna Asaf Ali, Usha Mehta, Sucheta Kripalani, and Lakshmi Swaminathan in the INA represent the most substantive female participation in the freedom movement across both conventional and armed struggle tracks.
• Continuity vs Change: The parallel governments at Ballia, Tamluk and Satara are precursors to grassroots governance — relevant to GS II themes on local self-government.
• Pakistan Question: The CR Formula and Desai-Liaqat Pact show Congress's progressive concessions toward accepting partition — connecting forward to the Cabinet Mission and Mountbatten Plan.
• INA Trials as Unifying Force: The INA trials post-1945 produced unprecedented Hindu-Muslim-Sikh solidarity in the defence of the soldiers — ironically accelerating independence more effectively than the military campaign itself.
• Bengal Famine: A key example of deliberate colonial mismanagement — connects to debates on famines, colonial extraction, and administrative responsibility.

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• Gowalia Tank vs Wardha: The CWC resolution authorising the struggle was passed at Wardha (July 14, 1942). The formal AICC ratification and Gandhi's 'Do or Die' call were at Gowalia Tank, Bombay (August 8, 1942). Do NOT confuse the two venues.
• Quit India Resolution mover: Proposed by Nehru, seconded by Patel — not Gandhi himself.
• Aruna Asaf Ali's role: She hoisted the Congress flag on August 9 (after leaders were arrested) — she was NOT a pre-arrest leader of the movement.
• Usha Mehta: Ran an underground radio in Bombay — not a newspaper, not in Delhi.
• Parallel Governments: Ballia = Chittu Pandey (UP); Tamluk = Jatiya Sarkar (Bengal); Satara = Prati Sarkar, Y.B. Chavan and Nana Patil (Maharashtra). Frequently muddled in MCQs.
• Communists DID NOT join Quit India: They supported the British war effort after Germany attacked Russia — the 'Imperialist War' became the 'People's War' for them. Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha also did not join.
• INA Origin: The INA was NOT Bose's idea originally — it was Mohan Singh's. Bose took over in Phase II.
• Rashbehari Bose vs Subhash Bose: Two different people. Rashbehari fled to Japan in 1915; Subhash arrived in Singapore in 1943 and took over from Rashbehari.
• Bose's pseudonyms: Ziauddin (when escaping to Peshawar), Orlando Mazzotta (when meeting Hitler), Abid Hussain (when in Tokyo). Do not mix up.
• 'Father of the Nation': First used by for Gandhi, on via Azad Hind Radio — not a constitutional title, never officially conferred.

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• QIM resolution: Wardha (Jul 14) → ratified Gowalia Tank, Bombay (Aug 8, 1942); moved by Nehru, seconded by Patel
• Aug 9, 1942: All leaders arrested; Aruna Asaf Ali hoists flag
• Main storm centres: Eastern UP, Bihar, Midnapore, Maharashtra, Karnataka
• Parallel govts: Ballia (Chittu Pandey), Tamluk (Jatiya Sarkar), Satara (Prati Sarkar)
• Underground radio: Usha Mehta, Bombay
• Did NOT join: Communists, Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha
• Deaths in repression: ~10,000; Bengal Famine (1943): 1.5–3 million
• Gandhi's fast: February 1943; 3 council members resigned
• CR Formula (1944): entire population plebiscite; Jinnah rejected — wanted two-nation theory accepted first
• Desai-Liaqat Pact: equal Congress-League representation + 20% minority seats
• Wavell Plan (Jun 1945): all-Indian council, equal Hindu-Muslim representation; broke down — League wanted communal veto
• INA Phase I: Mohan Singh (Malaya/Singapore); 40,000 men by end-1942; Japan wanted only 2,000 → Singh arrested
• Rashbehari Bose: Japan since 1915; Indian Independence League (1942, Tokyo); transferred command to Subhash in Jul 1943
• Subhash: escaped Jan 1941 (as Ziauddin); Germany (as Orlando Mazzotta); Berlin radio Jan 1942; Singapore Jul 1943
• Azad Hind Govt: Oct 21, 1943; Lakshmi Swaminathan (Women's dept)
• Slogan 'Give me blood…': given in Malaya; 'Jai Hind': given in Germany; 'Chalo Delhi': INA war cry
• INA on Indian soil: March 18, 1944; flag at Moirang (Apr 14, 1944) by Col. Malik
• Japan surrenders: Aug 15, 1945; Bose reportedly dies: Aug 18, 1945, Taipei
• 'Father of the Nation' first used by Bose for Gandhi: July 6, 1944, Azad Hind Radio