In 1942, the Second World War was in full swing. When Subhash Chandra Bose started getting success in air strikes and ground attacks in eastern India, the Congress leaders were terrified of Subhash's successes. They felt that if Subhash's plane landed in Delhi, then the British would have to hand over the power of India to Subhash Babu. Even the imagination of this situation used to make the Congress leaders goosebumps.
That's why Jawaharlal Nehru made a public statement- 'We will welcome Subhash on the streets of Delhi with swords.'
Thus the Himalayas of non-violence of the Congressmen melted as soon as the fear of their defeat arose. On 9 August 1942, Congress organized a conference in Bombay in which Gandhiji 'Do and Die' and 'Now or Never' and asked the British to leave India tonight and leave. It is called August Revolution and Quit India Movement. Many Congress leaders were put in jail that night. There was widespread violence in the country in protest against this move of the government. A large number of people's money was lost.
Benefits to the Muslim League
When the Congress started the Quit India Movement, the Muslim League ran into great trouble. He is still 'First Pakistan then Azadi' But the Congress was asking for independence without talking about Pakistan. If the British leave without partitioning India, then the Muslim League will have to fight afresh for Pakistan and this time they will not compete with the British sympathizers of the Muslim League, but with the Congressmen who intend to destroy the Muslim League. That's why Jinnah gave speeches against the Congress in uncivilized language.
He said- 'Congress has declared a fight against the government. While doing this, the Congress has only seen its own self-interest and not that of others.' Jinnah called upon the Muslims to stay away from this movement.'
Even before the start of this movement, big leaders of Congress were sent to jail. Due to this, the leadership of the movement passed into the hands of small-scale activists who, in keeping with Gandhi's principle of non-violence, carried out widespread violence throughout the country. Because of this, the press in favor of the Muslim League called the Congressmen fighting the British rule during this entire movement 'goons' addressed by the word.
Even the British press did not speak as harshly against the Congress leaders as the Muslim League press did. The Muslim League Working Committee drew the attention of the Allies to the demand of 100 million Muslims of India for the establishment of sovereign states in the areas where they live and have a majority.
The Muslim League was the biggest beneficiary of the Quit India Movement. Due to the movement, the Congress leaders went to jail while the Muslim League leaders remained independent and they won the sympathy of the British by actively cooperating in the war efforts of the British, so that the intention of giving separate Pakistan to the Muslims, which the British were already showing, was more Be sure.
In mid-November 1942 in Delhi, Jinnah appealed to the Muslims of India to be committed to achieving Pakistan, saying- 'Either we will take Pakistan and or else we will destroy our existence.'
Hindu Mahasabha President Veer Savarkar opposed Jinnah's demand in a convention held in Kanpur in December 1942, saying that- 'Pakistan's demand will not be accepted at any cost'
Savarkar set up a committee under the chairmanship of Shyamaprasad Mukherjee to make final efforts for an Indo-British agreement on honorable terms. Mukherjee also spoke to Jinnah but to no avail.
Viceroy remembers India's geographical unity
The Viceroy Lord Linlithgow (E.1936-44) at the time of his appointment had come up with the dream of the creation of a Union of India, which could be given autonomy under the Government of England, but the circumstances were rapidly getting out of the hands of Linlithgow. At first the kings of the native-states refused to meet in the proposed federation and now the Congress and the Muslim League were not only fighting among themselves, but the Congress was fighting to drive the British out of India without forming any union. .
Linlithgow made a statement at the annual meeting of the Associated Chambers of Commerce on 17 December 1942 to try to handle the situation, which the British rulers had never made since the founding of the Muslim League.
That statement was as follows- 'India's geographical unity should be maintained because a divided India will have no importance in the world.
Share and Run
The Muslim League leaders were furious at this statement of Linlithgow. The Viceroy was not only sabotaging the efforts of the Muslim League so far, but he was directly taking the side of the Congressmen who were asking the British to leave India in the middle of the night. Therefore the leaders of the Muslim League raised their voices in support of the demand for Pakistan so that it could cross the borders of India and reach the ears of the Allies fighting the World War.
Despite the Muslim League making its voice louder, when England's ears would not louse and Pakistan's demand did not move even an inch, in December 1943, the Muslim League in Karachi session 'Quit India'> A strange slogan was given against the slogan - 'Divide and run' Through this slogan, the British were called upon to divide India into Hindustan and Pakistan and run away from here.
Famine in Bengal
In the meantime a great human tragedy took place. The British sent so much rice and wheat from India to the soldiers for their army fighting on the fronts of World War II, that in 1943 there was a famine in Bengal and three million people died in Bengal.
Due to this the hatred towards the British among Indians reached its peak. Communist movement and revolutionary activities increased throughout the country. Yet the Muslim League continued to ruth Pakistan-Pakistan only, remaining unconnected with this terrible tragedy of humanity and with the revolutionary movement.