State PCS - Maharashtra (MPSC)

• 08 Aug 2025

Quit India Movement Day

Why in News?

India celebrates 8^th August every year as Quit India Movement Day, also known as August Kranti Diwas, to commemorate the Quit India Movement (QIM), which demanded the immediate end of British rule in India. 

• The QIM (August Kranti) was officially launched at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay (now Mumbai) Maharashtra. 

Quit India Movement 

• Launch: By Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942 to demand the immediate end of British rule following the failure of the Cripps Mission. 
• Gandhi's Call: Gandhi gave the powerful call of “Do or Die” at the Gowalia Tank Maidan (now August Kranti Maidan). 
• Slogan and Symbolism:  The slogan “Quit India” was coined by Yusuf Meherally, a socialist and trade unionist from Mumbai, who had also created the earlier slogan “Simon Go Back.”  
  • During the movement, Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan as a symbol of defiance. 
• Rise of New Leaders: New leaders like Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan rose to prominence during this movement.  
  • Women also played a significant role, leading protests and sacrificing their lives, such as Matangini Hazra, who died with the Tricolour in hand, and Sucheta Kripalani, who later became India’s first female Chief Minister (Uttar Pradesh). 
• Nature of the QIM: The QIM was distinct from earlier peaceful protests like Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience, as it was a mass uprising demanding the complete withdrawal of British rule. 
  • The movement had elements of violence in self-defense and spontaneous actions like sabotage and guerrilla attacks against British properties. 
  • The Muslim community largely stayed absent from the QIM, it was seen as a Hindu nationalist cause, highlighting the growing communal divide and the Muslim League's push for a separate state. 

Events that Led to the Quit India Movement 

• Impact of World War II (1939-1945): Britain involved India in World War II without consulting Indian leaders, causing widespread anger. 
• Failure of the Cripps Mission (March 1942): The Cripps Mission was sent by the British in March 1942 to secure India’s support in World War II and resolve the political crisis.  
  • Stafford Cripps proposed granting India dominion status after the war, with a Constituent Assembly where provinces and princely states could opt out.  
  • Gandhi called it a “post-dated cheque on a crashing bank”. 
• Nationalist Sentiment and Economic Hardships: Due to Wartime exploitation and famines. 
• Fall of Burma (1942): The Japanese invasion of Burma brought the war to India’s doorstep, heightening invasion fears and urgency for British withdrawal.  
  • Meanwhile, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose formation of the Indian National Army intensified the fight for independence. 
• Mahatma Gandhi’s Leadership: Facing rising demands for independence, Gandhi launched the Quit India call, declaring, “We shall either free India or die in the attempt.”  
  • On 8^th August 1942 the All-India Congress Committee passed the Quit India Resolution, urging non-violent mass resistance.