The Quit India Movement was launched on 8 August 1942 at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee, after the Cripps Mission failed; Gandhi's call was 'Do or Die'. Within hours the British jailed almost the whole Congress leadership and the movement went underground: strikes, sabotage, parallel governments in Ballia, Tamluk and Satara, Aruna Asaf Ali's flag-hoisting and a secret Congress radio.
Key facts
- Launched 8 August 1942 at the AICC session in Bombay after the Cripps Mission's failure; the slogan was 'Do or Die'.
- Nearly the whole Congress leadership was jailed within hours; parallel governments ran in Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.
- The Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Communist Party of India did not support it.
- Underground leaders included Aruna Asaf Ali; a secret Congress radio broadcast from Bombay.
Why exams ask about it
The date, the ground in Bombay where Gandhi spoke, the slogan and who stayed out are the usual questions.