22. Write a detailed note on Home Rule League. What was the reason for its fallout
Answers
Answer:
The movement lasted around two years between 1916–1918 and is believed to have set the stage for the independence movement under the leadership of Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak to the educated English speaking upper class Indians. In 1921 All India Home Rule League changed its name to Swarajya Sabha.
Explanation:
Answer:
Tilak meanwhile had already started the home rule league in Bombay province. Besant waited till 1916 September and when congress showed no sign of activity she too started with her own league. Tilak home rule movement was based in Maharashtra [excluding Bombay], Karnataka, central province and Berar. Besant’s movement was in rest of India.
Tilak wasn’t a Marathi chauvinist or a casteist or pro religions. He appealed to all on a wholly secular basis.
He said “If god tolerates untouchability I wouldn’t recognize him as god”.
The home rule league was popular with the moderates as it confined itself to political discussions and education. Many moderates who were dissatisfied with the congress for inactivity joined the home rule workers.
In 1916 Tilak and the extremists were welcomed back to congress by the president Ambika Mazumdar in Lucknow. The Lucknow session was also famous for Congress - league pact which was engineered by Tilak and Besant with support of Jinnah. The congress accepted the league demand for separate electorates, reservation for minorities in legislatures but apart from this the pact was necessary to dispel minority fears about majority domination.
Congress and Muslim league then confronted the colonial government together on demand of self government after the war. The negative thing about the pact was that it tacitly accepted that India had different communities with separate interest of their own. This opened the door for future communalism.
In 1917 the government of madras took harsh measures against home rule league to stop its popularity. The leaders like Besant, Arundale, Wadia were placed under arrest. However this had the reverse effects and the popularity soared. Many people who had initially stayed away joined the home rule movement.
The government now changed its stance and adopted a conciliatory approach. It made a declaration stating that the government’s aim was to increase association with Indians in every stream and a creation of a responsible government. After this declaration home rule demands were no longer seditious and Besant was released. At the height of her popularity she was made the congress president in 1917 on Tilak's suggestion.
She became the first woman president of the congress.
Aftermath of the Movement
In 1917 several factors led to the dissolving of the league. Firstly the moderate congress workers were put off by passive resistance ideas from Tilak.
Besant herself couldn’t decide whether the government’s promise of reforms should be accepted or rejected.
Tilak went to London to pursue a libel case and was absent for critical months. All factors meant that the home rule movement was leaderless.
The Home Rule agitation was also joined by Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhulabhai Desai, Chittaranjan Das, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Mohammad Ali jinnah, Tej Bahadur Sapru and Lala Lajpat Rai.
Some of these leaders became heads of local branches.
Many of the Moderate Congressmen who were disillusioned with Congress inactivity, and some members of Gokhale's Servants of India Society also joined the agitation.
However, Anglo-Indians, most of the Muslims and nonbrahmins from South did not join as they felt Home Rule would mean rule of the Hindu majority, mainly the high caste.
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