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Unit 10: National Movements and Indian Independence

Meanwhile, the Congress was becoming sceptical of any possibility of political advance through Notes
constitutional means. It was disgusted with the Hunter Committee Report especially since it was
appraised of brutalities in Punjab by its own enquiry committee. In the circumstances, it agreed to
consider non-cooperation. The AICC met in May 1920 and decided to convene a special session in
September to enable the Congress to decide on its course of action.
It was apparent they had to work out something soon for it was clear that the people were chafing
for action. Large numbers of them, who had been awakened to political consciousness by the
incessant propaganda efforts that the nationalist leadership had been making for the previous
four decades or more, were thoroughly outraged by what they perceived as insults by the British
government. To swallow these insults appeared dishonourable and cowardly. Also many sections
of Indian society suffered considerable economic distress. In the towns, the workers and artisans,
the lower middle class and the middle class had been hit by high prices, and shortage of food and
essential commodities. The rural poor and peasants were in addition victims of widespread drought
and epidemics.

10.1 Non-Cooperation Movement

The movement was launched formally on 1 August 1920, after the expiry of the notice that Gandhiji
had given to the Viceroy in his letter of 22 June, in which he had asserted the right recognized
‘from time immemorial of the subject to refuse to assist a ruler who misrules.’ Lokamanya Tilak
passed away in the early hours of 1 August, and the day of mourning and of launching of the
movement merged as people all over the country observed hartal and took out processions. Many
kept a fast and offered prayers.
The Congress met in September at Calcutta and accepted non-cooperation as its own. The main
opposition, led by C.R. Das, was to the boycott of legislative councils, elections to which were to
be held very soon. But even those who disagreed with the idea of boycott accepted the Congress
discipline and withdrew from the elections. The voters, too, largely stayed away.
By December, when the Congress met for its annual session at Nagpur, the opposition had melted
away; the elections were over and, therefore, the boycott of councils was a non-issue, and it was
C.R. Das who moved the main resolution on non-cooperation. The programme of non-cooperation
included within its ambit the surrender of titles and honours, boycott of government affiliated
schools and colleges, law courts, foreign cloth, and could be extended to include resignation from
government service and mass civil disobedience including the non-payment of taxes. National
schools and colleges were to be set up, panchayats were to be established for settling disputes,
hand-spinning and weaving was to be encouraged and people were asked to maintain Hindu-
Muslim unity, give up untouchability and observe strict non-violence.
Gandhiji promised that if the programme was fully implemented, Swaraj would be ushered in
within a year. The Nagpur session, thus, committed the Congress to a programme of extra-
constitutional mass action. Many groups of revolutionary terrorists, especially in Bengal, also
pledged support to the movement.
To enable the Congress to fulfill its new commitment, significant changes were introduced in its
creed as well as in its organizational structure. The goal of the Congress was changed from the
attainment of self-government by constitutional and legal means to the attainment of Swaraj by
peaceful and legitimate means. The new constitution of the Congress, the handwork of Gandhiji,
introduced other important changes.
The Congress was now to have a Working Committee of fifteen members to look after its day-to-
day affairs. This proposal, when first made by Tilak in 1916, had been shot down by the Moderate
opposition. Gandhiji, too, knew that the Congress could not guide a sustained movement unless
it had a compact body that worked round the year. Provincial Congress Committees were now to
be organized on a linguistic basis, so that they could keep in touch with the people by using the
local language.

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