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FREEDOM MOVEMENT
Eternal India
encyclopedia
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The qualification for the franchise should
be neither property nor position but man-
ual work.
*
The ruinous military expenditure should
be curtailed.
*
Administration of justice should be cheap-
ened.
*
Revenue from intoxicating liquors and
drugs should be abolished.
*
Salaries of the civil and military service
should be brought down to a level compat-
ible with the general condition of the
country.
*
Re-distribution of provinces on a linguis-
tic basis.
*
Appointment of a commission to examine
all the monopolies of foreigners.
*
Full guarantee of status to Indian chiefs.
*
Repeal of all arbitrary powers.
*
The highest posts to be open to all who
may be otherwise fit.
*
Recognition of complete religious free-
dom.
*
The official language to be the vernacular
of the province.”
President: Jawaharlal Nehru
The Congress passed the resolution,
"this
Congress declares that the word swaraj....
shall mean complete independence ... and au-
thorises the All -India Congress Committee
to lunch upon a programme on civil disobe-
dience. "
Deliberating on the Presidential address
Jawaharlal Nehru hinted the end of Euro-
pean domination and explained the causes
for the
'Fall of India.'
He declared himself as
a ‘
socialist'
and favoured the upliftment of
Indian peasantry and labour. Finally he
called for the peaceful mass movement for
liberation.
The Congress on 31st Dec. 1929 passed
the
'Independence resolution'
which reads
as follows:
"This Congress is of opinion that to en-
able the masses to appreciate what
"Swaraj," as conceived by the Congress,
will mean to them, it is desirable to state
the position of the Congress in a manner
easily understood by them. This Congress,
therefore, in pursuance of the resolution
passed at its session at Calcutta last year,
declares that the word 'Swaraj' in article 1 of
the Congress Constitution shall mean
Complete Independence, and hopes that all
Congressmen will henceforth devote their
exclusive attention to the attainment of
complete independence for India.
This Congress calls upon Congressmen
and others taking part in the national
movement to abstain from participating di-
rectly or indirectly in future elections.
This Congress appeals to the Nation
zealously to prosecute the constructive
programme of the Congress, and authorizes
the All-India Congress Committee, when-
ever it deems fit, to launch upon a pro-
gramme of Civil Disobedience including
non-payment of taxes."
On January 26, 1930 the Congress
passed the
'complete Independence pledge'
or
'pooma Swaraj'
which said :
"We believe that it is the inalienable right
of the Indian people, as of any other people, to
have freedom and to enjoy the fruits of their
toil and have the necessities of life, so that
they may have full opportunities of growth.
We believe also that if any government de-
prives people of these rights and oppresses
them, the people have a further right to alter it
or to abolish it. The British Government in
India has not only deprived the Indian people
of their freedom but has ruined India eco-
nomically, politically, culturally and spiritu-
ally.
”
President: Vallabhabhai Patel.
Presiding over the Congress, Vallabhabhai
Patel spoke on ’Boycott of foreign cloth’,
“the
best propaganda is to do sacrificial spinning
ourselves and wear khadi,”
and put forward
his 11 points.
The Congress passed ’Resolution on
economic policy’ and ’Fundamental Rights':
“This Congress is of the opinion that to
enable the masses to appreciate what
‘swaraj’ is., it is desirable to state the po-
sition of Congress. Therefore any constitu-
tion should provide, the following:
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
AND DUTIES
*
Every citizen of India has the right of free
expression of opinion, the rights of free
association and combination, and the right
to assemble peacefully and without arms.
*
Every citizen shall enjoy freedom of con-
science and the right freely to profess and
practise his religion, subject to public order
and morality.
*
The culture, language and script of the mi-
norities and of the different linguistic areas
shall be protected.
*
All citizens are equal before the law, irre-
spective of caste, creed or sex.
*
No disability attaches to any citizen, by
reason of his or her religion, caste, creed
or sex, in regard to public employment,
office of power or honour, and in the
exercise of any trade or calling.
*
No person shall be deprived of his liberty
nor shall his dwelling or property be en-
tered, sequestered or confiscated, save in
accordance with law.
*
The State shall observe neutrality in re-
gard to all religions.
*
The franchise shall be on the basis of uni-
versal adult suffrage.
*
Every citizen is free to move throughout
India and settle in any part thereof, to
acquire property and to follow any trade
or calling.
Labour
*
The organization of economic life must
conform to the principle of justice, to
VL - session -1929 - Lahore
XVVI - session - 1931 - Karachi
In his presidential speech, he underlined
the need to bring communal harmony and said
the aim of all education and progress is to
develop the
collective instinct in man,
to fear
him to co-operate with neighbours.
President: Sarojini Naidu.
Sarojini Naidu spoke on
'village recon-
struction', 'education problem '
and
'national
militia'
pointing at village reconstruction she
emphasised the importance to formulate a
practical scheme of village reconstruction...
With regard to the educational problem she
said,...
"We are today no more than the futile
product of an artificial and imitative system of
education which, entirely unsuited to the spe-
cial trend of our racial genius, had robbed us
of our proper mental values and perspectives,
and deprived us of all true initiative and
originality in seeking authentic modes of self-
expression... "
She favoured the inclusion of a
complete course of military training as an in-
tegral part of national education.
IVl – session – 1928 – Culcutta
President: Motilal Nehru