Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet ministers, and state chiefs took to social media on Tuesday to pay their tributes to India's freedom fighters.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi paid his respects, saying: "Remembering all those who took part in the Quit India Movement under Bapu's (Mahatama Gandhi) leadership and strengthened our freedom struggle."
The Quit India Movement
This massive freedom campaign was launched after the solicitor general, Sir Richard Stafford Cripps, of the British Government in March 1942 met Indian Congress leaders, and sought India's support in World War II. In exchange, he promised "self-governance" for India.
However, things did not go as promised by the Brits: they only offered to give a dominion status to India eventually.
On seeing that Cripps' words were not kept as promised, Mahatma Gandhi delivered a legendary public speech at Gowalia Tank Maidan, located in Bombay (now Mumbai).
"Truth alone will endure, all the rest will be swept away before the tide of time, he proclaimed. “Here is a Mantra, a short one that I give you. You may imprint it on your hearts and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The mantra is ‘Do or Die’. We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of slavery.”
Gandhi, along with his Indian National Congress (INC) leaders, was arrested on August 9.
With the arrest of all prominent leaders and none left to provide direction to the nation, ordinary Indians took to the streets in protests which quickly spread across the country. By December 1942, about 60,000 people had been jailed by the British.
Although the mass movement did not meet its goal immediately, it managed to evoke a spirit of unity among Indians, leading eventually to the country gaining independence in 1947.