Quit India Movement 1942
Quit India movement or the India August Movement was began
on 9 August 1942.
Failure of the Cripps mission was the immediate cause for
launching quit India Movement.
Arrival of the Japanese Armies on the Indian soil, rise in the price
and shortage in food supplies and difference in opinion within
the congress are the other factors that led to quit India
movement.
On July 1942, the Indian National Congress passed a resolution
demanding complete independence from the British
government.
The All India congress committee met at Bombay on 8 August
1942 passed the famous quit India resolution.
On that occasion Gandhiji gave his famous slogan of ‘Do or Die’
(‘Karo ya Maro’).
The term “quit India” was coined by an American journalist
while interviewing Gandhiji.
On 9th August 1942 the congress was banned and all its
prominent leaders were arrested.
A number of leaders like Jai Prakash Narayan, Ram Manohar
Lohia Aruna Asaf Ali, Achyut Patwardhan and Sucheta Kripalani
went to Underground and carried on the freedom struggle from
there.
A short lived movement though it was achieved two important
things.
Firstly it had given utterance to India's anger against imperialism
and her determination to be free. Secondly after the revolt of
1942 there was no doubt left in the mind of the British rulers
that the days of imperialist domination of India were strictly
numbered.