Read the excerpt given below and answer the questions that follow:

“I, therefore, want freedom immediately, this very night, before dawn, if it can be had…. Fraud and untruth today are stalking the world. …. You may take it from me that I am not going to strike a bargain with the Viceroy for ministries and the like. I am not going to be satisfied with anything short of complete freedom. …. Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. You may imprint it on your hearts and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The mantra is: “Do or Die”. We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.

(Mahatma Gandhi addressing the Congress delegates on the night of 8 August, 1942)

(a) State briefly the reasons that led Mahatma Gandhi to assert that he would not strike a bargain with the Viceroy.

(b) Which movement was stared as a consequence of Mahatma Gandhi's call for ‘Do or Die’? Explain briefly what all happened during this movement.

(c) Was this movement a success or a failure? Give reasons to support your answer.

(a) Mahatma Gandhi was not interested in partial autonomy or power-sharing arrangements. He sought complete freedom for India from British rule. He felt that the presence of British in India is an invitation to Japan to invade India. Their withdrawal removes the bait. Hence, he did not want to compromise freedom for any kind of political settlement. Gandhiji believed that once freedom was attained, the power would belong to the people of India.

(b) The movement that started as a consequence of Mahatma Gandhi’s call for ‘Do or Die’ was the Quit India Movement.

On 8th August 1942, at the session of the All-India Congress Committee in Mumbai, Mahatma Gandhi gave a clear call to end British rule and launched the Quit India Movement. Mahatma Gandhi gave the slogan ‘Do or Die’ to the people of India in a final push to make the British quit. Following the start of the Quit India Movement, many Congress leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Abul Kalam Azad and others along with Mahatma Gandhi were jailed for sedition. Despite the arrests of the leaders, the protest initially remained peaceful but later on homes of freedom fighters and Congress offices were raided, and many were jailed. When all the leading freedom fighters were in jail, Aruna Asaf Ali presided over the Congress session despite warnings from the British government. The movement was brutally crushed by the British rule but its roots were shaken with this movement. This movement was a significant milestone in India’s journey to independence.

(c) The Quit India Movement did not achieve its immediate goal of forcing the British to leave India but it played a crucial role in mobilizing the masses and intensifying the struggle for independence. The movement was a major success in terms of large-scale participation and mobilization of people from all over the country. It served as an important demonstration of anti-colonial sentiment in Indian society directed toward the British rule. It shook the British government from the roots. Therefore, we can say that though a failure in achieving its goal, the Quit India Movement was successful to weaken the British rule and give a clear and loud message asking the British to leave.