Page 88 - SST Class 08

Elections to the Constituent Assembly took place largest migration of the people ever. In the
in July, 1946. The Congress won 199 seats while communal violence, more than 5,00,000 people
the Muslim League won 73. An interim were killed. However, many Muslims did not
government was formed headed by Jawaharlal accept Pakistan as their home and stayed back in
Nehru. The Muslim League and princely states India.
refused to take part in it. The Muslim League fixed India won its freedom but lost its unity. India
16 August, 1946 as the Direct Action Day to became free on 15 August, 1947.
achieve Pakistan. It asked the Muslims to indulge
in direct violence, so communal riots broke out in At this time, Gandhiji was
touring Bengal which was
many parts of India.
struck hard by the
Atlee declared on 20
February, 1947 that communal violence in
order to pacify the people.
Britain would leave
India by June, 1948 in Unfortunately, Mahatma
any case. Gandhiji Gandhi was assassinated
on 30 January, 1948, but
demanded immediate
withdrawal of the Communal violence during 1946 before that, he had
British. completed the task that he
took upon himself, that
Independence and Partition was the independence of Tricolour at the Red Fort

Anarchy prevailed in India due to widespread the country.
communal riots. In the meanwhile, Lord Causes of Partition of India
Mountbatten arrived in India as the new Viceroy
of India. In June, 1947, he put up a plan which The most important cause of the partition of India
included the partition of India. Gandhiji did not was the saturation of the British policy of ‘divide
and rule’ to which the Indians had succumbed
accept the proposal of the partition, but the
Congress leaders decided otherwise. The British themselves. The situation was further aggravated
government then passed the Indian Independence by the obstinate view of the Muslim League which
resulted in large-scale violence. The Congress and
Act, 1947 dividing India into two independent
states of India and Pakistan. Pakistan was formed the Muslim League never cooperated with each
of the provinces of Sindh, Baluchistan, NWFP, other, thus vitiating the entire atmosphere of the
country. Such a situation was bound to result into
West Punjab and East Bengal. The partition of
India led to further riots as people migrated from partition, and it so happened too.
India and Pakistan on communal basis. It was the

v On his return from South Africa, Gandhiji led the national movement for freedom. His chief means were
Satyagraha and non-violence.
v The Swaraj Party was formed by Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das and won elections; this won the cooperation of
the Congress later.
v The national movement for freedom picked up momentum with the visit of the Simon Commission in 1927.

v In 1929, the Congress demanded complete Swaraj for the first time.
v The Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930 shocked the British government.
v The Second World War had deep impact on the national movement for freedom.
v At the failure of the Cripps Mission, the Quit India Movement was started in 1942.
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