How UK's Attempt For Indian Support In World War Became Quit India Catalyst

As India celebrates its 79th Independence Day, it is worth looking back at the moments in history that tested the nation's resolve but also paved the way for our freedom.

In 1942, India was at the crossroads between a world at war and its own long struggle for freedom. The rapid Japanese advance in Southeast Asia, the shocking fall of Singapore and Rangoon during the Second World War, left the British officials and Indian leaders anxious. 

Desperate to secure India's cooperation in the war effort, Britain sent Stafford Cripps to offer the promise of Dominion Status. It was a concession meant to appease Indian aspirations while keeping the subcontinent firmly under imperial control. But what was intended as a strategic olive branch quickly turned into a catalyst for the Quit India Movement.

Behind The Mission

By early 1942, Britain was in trouble in Southeast Asia. Japan was advancing rapidly towards India, and the Allies were losing.

India itself was politically restless. Congress was demanding immediate independence. The Muslim League's calls for a separate state were growing louder. Ordinary people feared invasion and instability. The Cripps Mission landed in this tense environment with promises that seemed almost too good to be true.

Britain, under Winston Churchill, was reluctant to compromise, yet international pressure from the US and China forced it to act. 

Proposals Of The Cripps Mission

Arriving in India in March 1942, Stafford Cripps presented proposals aimed at balancing British interests with Indian aspirations:

• Dominion Status: India would become a Dominion after the war, equal to other dominions like Canada and Australia.
• Constituent Assembly: A body of elected representatives and princely state nominees would draft India's constitution entirely under Indian control.
• Right to Secede: Provinces unwilling to accept the new constitution could opt out, forming their own governments.
• Viceroy's Powers: The Viceroy retained authority until the war's end, particularly over defence matters.

On paper, it seemed like progress, but history shows us it was far too little, far too late.

The Mission's Failure

The mission was rejected by nearly all political factions. Gandhi called the proposals a "post-dated cheque drawn on a failing bank," frustrated by the promise of Dominion Status only after the war. 

Congress opposed provincial secession rights and limited control over defence, demanding immediate independence instead.

The Muslim League found the provisions ambiguous regarding a separate Muslim state.

Other groups, including Liberals, the Hindu Mahasabha, Sikhs, and Anglo-Indians, cited threats to unity or lack of representation.

On 7 April 1942, the Congress Working Committee officially rejected the Cripps Mission.

Gandhi's Changing Strategy

By the early 1940s, Gandhi's approach to British rule had shifted.

Unlike the First World War, when he supported the British Empire, hoping for post-war concessions, he now advocated active resistance. He questioned India's unilateral involvement in the war and said that the nation could not remain a passive observer.

Gandhi also remarked on Hitler's strategic efficiency, not as admiration but as recognition of power dynamics. This laid the groundwork for the Quit India Movement and the "Do or Die" mentality of the Indians.

The 1942 Quit India Movement carved the road to India's independence, which came five years later.