the congress launched the quit india movement on august 8 1942 in calcutta.
the congress launched the quit india movement on august 8 1942 in calcutta.
where did the congress launch the quit india movement on august 8 1942?
calcutta
quit india movement









































the quit india movement, or the august movement, was a movement launched at the bombay session of the all-india congress committee by mahatma gandhi on 8 august 1942, during world war ii, demanding an end to british rule of india.









































the cripps mission had failed, and on 8 august 1942, gandhi made a call to "do or die" in his quit india speech delivered in bombay at the gowalia tank maidan. 









































the all-india congress committee launched a mass protest demanding what gandhi called "an orderly british withdrawal" from india.
quit india movement
following the hindu mahasabha's official decision to boycott the quit india movement,syama prasad mukherjee, leader of the hindu mahasabha in bengal, (which was a part of the ruling coalition in bengal led by krishak praja party of fazlul haq), wrote a letter to the british government as to how they should respond, if the congress gave a call to the british rulers to quit india. in this letter, dated 26 july 1942 he wrote: “let me now refer to the situation that may be created in the province as a result of any widespread movement launched by the congress. anybody, who during the war, plans to stir up mass feeling, resulting internal disturbances or insecurity, must be resisted by any government that may function for the time being”. in this way he managed to gain insights of the british government and effectively give information of the independence leaders. mukherjee reiterated that the fazlul haq led bengal government, along with its alliance partner hindu mahasabha, would make every possible effort to defeat the quit india movement in the province of bengal and made a concrete proposal as regards this: “the question is how to combat this movement (quit india) in bengal? the administration of the province should be carried on in such a manner that in spite of the best efforts of the congress, this movement will fail to take root in the province. it should be possible for us, especially responsible ministers, to be able to tell the public that the freedom for which the congress has started the movement, already belongs to the representatives of the people. in some spheres it might be limited during the emergency. indian have to trust the british, not for the sake for britain, not for any advantage that the british might gain, but for the maintenance of the defense and freedom of the province itself. you, as governor, will function as the constitutional head of the province and will be guided entirely on the advice of your minister. even the indian historian r.c. majumdar noted this fact and states: "shyam prasad ended the letter with a discussion of the mass movement organised by the congress. he expressed the apprehension that the movement would create internal disorder and will endanger internal security during the war by exciting popular feeling and he opined that any government in power has to suppress it, but that according to him could not be done only by persecution... in that letter he mentioned item wise the steps to be taken for dealing with the situation ... "
quit india movement