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Swaraj Party and Simon Commission On the fateful day of 3 February 1928, when the
(1927) Commission reached Bombay, a general hartal
The suspension of the Non-Cooperation was observed all over the country. Everywhere it
Movement led to a split within Congress in the was greeted with black flags and the cries of
Gaya session of the Congress in December, ‘Simon go back’. At Lahore, the students took
1922. Leaders like Motilal Nehru and Chittranjan out a large anti-Simon Commission demonstra-
Das formed a separate group within the Congress tion on 30 October, 1928 under the leadership of
Lala Lajpat Rai.
known as the Swaraj Party on 1 January, 1923.
In this demonstration, Lala Lajpat Rai was
The Swarajists wanted to contest the council
seriously injured in the police lathi charge and he
elections and wreck the government from within.
passed away after one month. The report of the
Elections to Legislative Councils were held in
Simon Commission was published in May 1930.
November, 1923. In this, the Swaraj Party
It was stated that the constitutional experiment
gained impressive successes. In the Central
with Dyarchy was unsuccessful and in its place
Legislative Council Motilal Nehru became the
the report recommended the establishment of
leader of the party whereas in Bengal the party
autonomous government.
was headed by C.R. Das.
There is no doubt that the Simon Commission’s
The Swaraj Party did several significant things in
Report became the basis for enacting the
the Legislative Council. It demanded the setting
Government of India Act of 1935.
up of responsible government in India with the
LAHORE SESSION OF THE CONGRESS
necessary changes in the Government of India
(1929)
Act of 1919. The party could pass important
resolutions against the repressive laws of the This session of the Congress was significant and
government. historic due to a number of reasons. They were :
When a Committee chaired by the Home g The Congress demanded for the first time
Member, Alexander Muddiman considered the Poorna Swaraj or complete independence.
system of Dyarchy as proper, a resolution was g The Lahore Session of the Indian National
passed against it in the Central Legislative Congress was presided over by Jawaharlal
Council. After the passing away of C.R. Das in Nehru. This gave the indication that the
June 1925, the Swarj Party started weakening. younger generation of leaders who sup-
The Act of 1919 included a provision for its ported socialism and democracy had a big
review after a lapse of ten years. However, the say in the functioning of the Congress.
review commission was appointed by the British g January 26 was to be observed as Poorna
Government two years earlier of its schedule in Swaraj Day all over the country.
1927. It came to be known as Simon g The Congress announced the launching of
Commission after the name of its chairman, Sir the Civil Disobedience Movement.
John Simon.
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT
All its seven members were Englishmen. As there (1930-34)
was no Indian member in it, the Commission
The Civil Disobedience Movement was the next
faced a lot of criticism even before its landing in
most important movement initiated by Gandhi
India. Almost all the political parties including the
on a national scale after the launching of the
Congress decided to oppose the Commission.
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