Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

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FREEDOM MOVEMENT

1920-22 NON-CO-OPERATION MOVEMENT

The first experiments of

Gandhiji in Gujarat, Bihar and

Ahmedabad brought him closer

to the masses. This was one of

the greatest contributions of

Gandhiji to the national move-

ment.

Earlier

the

freedom

struggle was only the concern of

the urban lower middle class,

middle class and the intelligent-

sia. With the coming of Gandhiji

the masses became all at once

active participants in the move-

ment.

In course of time, Gandhi

became the symbol of the poor

and the down-trodden and a truly

representative

Indian.

Hindu-

Muslim unity, removal of un-

touchability and raising the status

of women, were three causes very

close to Gandhiji's heart. He

referred to the so-called untouch-

ables as

Harijans.

The Punjab tragedy brought

Gandhiji into the forefront of

Indian politics. The Congress

boycotted the official committee of enquiry

headed by Lord Hunter. Many of the erstwhile

moderate nationalists also now joined forces

with Gandhiji.

The temper of the country was reflected

in the Amritsar Congress held in 1919. The

Amritsar Congress and the Muslim League

had lent their full support to the movement.

When on March 10,1920, it became apparent

that the allied powers (England, France and

the U.S.A) would take up a stiff attitude to-

wards Turkey, Gandhiji advised the Muslims

to start a non-co-operation movement on 15th

May 1920. He felt that this was the only

means to have the wrong remedied.

Early in 1920, the Indian Muslims started

a vigorous agitation to bring pressure upon

Britain to change her policy towards Turkey.

The success of this movement, known as

the Khilafat movement, was assured by the

large measure of sympathy and support

which the Muslims received from Gandhi.

Even while Gandhi was in South Africa, he

had come to realize that there was no

genuine friendship or good feeling between

the Hindus and the Muslims. He was

deeply grieved and strongly felt the need of

establishing cordial relations between the

two communities. Immediately after his

return to India he established contact with

the two Ali brothers and carried on

correspondence with Muhammad Ali who was

then in jail. Gandhi felt that the Muslim

demand

about the Khilafat was just and he was bound

to render all possible help to secure the due

fulfilment of the pledge that the British Prime

Minister had given to the Indian Muslims

during the war. Henceforth Gandhi missed no

opportunity of pressing upon the Government

of India the need of a just settlement of the

Khilafat question and the release of the Ali

brothers. He even went to the length of placing

the Khilafat problem at the same level of

political importance as Home Rule for India.

When the All-India Khilafat conference

met at Delhi on November 23,1919, Gandhi

was elected its President. The conference

asked the Mussalmans not to join the public

celebrations for victory, and held out

threats of boycott and non-co-operation if

the British did not solve the problem of Tur-

key in a manner satisfactory to the Mus-

lims. This decision was reaffirmed by the

Muslim League in Calcutta.

On March 10, 1920, Gandhi issued a

manifesto embodying his ideas and course

of action to be pursued by the Khilafatists if

their demands were not granted. This mani-

festo is historically important as it contains

the first definite elaboration of Gandhi's

doctrine of non-violent non-co-

opera-

tion which was shortly to play a domi-

nant role in Indian politics. He ruled

out the violent method of warfare,

open or secret,

"if only because it is

impracticable".

He then proceeds:

"The power that an individual or a

nation forswearing violence can gen-

erate, is a power that is irresistible

...

Non-co-operation is therefore, the

only remedy left open to us. It is the

clearest remedy, as it is the most effec-

tive, when it is free from all violence.

It becomes a duty when co-operation

means degradation or humiliation, or

an injury to one's cherished religious

sentiment

.”

Congress adopted a non-co-

operation movement involving (a)

surrender of titles and honorary of-

fices and resignation from nomi-

nated seats in local bodies ; (b) re-

fusal to attend government Levees,

Durbars and other official and

semi-official functions held by gov-

ernment officials, or in their honour;

from schools and colleges owned,

aided or controlled by the government and in

place of such schools and colleges, establish-

ment of National schools and colleges in the

various provinces; (d) gradual boycott of Brit-

ish courts by lawyers and litigants and estab-

lishment of private arbitration courts by them

for the settlement of private disputes; (e) re-

fusal on the part of the military, clerical and la-

bouring classes to offer themselves as recruits

for service in Mesopotamia; (f) withdrawal by

candidates of their candidature for election to

the reformed councils, and refusal on the part

of the voters to vote for any candidate who

may, despite the Congress advice, offer him-

self for election; and (g) boycott of foreign

goods.

Thus by 1 August, 1920, the Non-co-

operation programme was launched. Gandhiji

persuaded the moderate and the extremist

rank and file to extend support by combining

the goal of the former i.e.,

swaraj

within the

empire, with the means of the latter, non-co-

operation. The Nagpur session made the

Congress a more representative body. Its

membership rose as it was transformed into a

compact, effective political organization with

a working committee of fifteen, an All-India

Committee of 350 and provincial committees

with roots going down to districts, towns,

taluks and villages. Delegates to the annual

Aligarh (UP)

Basti (UP)

Rai-Bareli (UP)

Giridih (Bihar)

Jamshedpur (Bihar)

Bardoli(Guj)

Malegon (Mah)

Nagpur (Mah)

Calcutta (WB)