Khilafat Agitation and the Non- Cooperation Movement


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Khilafat Agitation and the Non- Cooperation Movement

Khilafat Agitation and the Non- Cooperation Movement:

History of Khilafat Movement : The Khilafat movement, also known as the Indian Muslim movement (1919–24), was a pan - Islamist political protest campaign launched by Muslims of British India led by Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Abul Kalam Azad to restore the caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate (Turkey)  who was considered the leader of Sunni Muslims, as an effective political authority.

It was a protest against the sanctions placed on the caliph and the Ottoman Empire after the First World War by the Treaty of Sèvres.The movement collapsed by late 1922 when Turkey gained a more favourable diplomatic position and moved towards secularism. By 1924 Turkey simply abolished the role of caliph.

  • The Khilafat issue was one such cause. In 1920 the British imposed a harsh treaty on the Turkish sultan or Khalifa. Indian Muslims were keen that the khalifa be allowed to retain control over Muslims sacred places in the erstwhile Ottoman empire.
  • The leaders of the Khilafat agitation, Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, now wished to initiate a full- fledged non- cooperation Movement. Gandhiji supported their call and urged the congress to campaign against “Punjab wrongs of 1919” (Jallianwala massacre), the khilafat wrong and demand swaraj.
  • Non Cooperation Movement : The Non-cooperation movement was launched on 4th September, 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi with the aim of self-governance and obtaining full independence (Purna Swaraj) as the Indian National Congress (INC) withdrew its support for British reforms following the Rowlatt Act of 21 March 1919, and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919.

    Indian Muslims who had participated in the Khilafat movement to restore the status of the Khalifa gave their support to the non-cooperation movement. In response to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and other violence in Punjab, the movement sought to secure Swaraj, independence for India. Gandhi promised Swaraj in one year , if his Non-Cooperation programme was fully implemented. The other reason to start the non-cooperation movement was that Gandhi lost faith in constitutional methods and turned from cooperator of British rule to non-cooperator.

    People’s Initiatives in India:

  • In many cases people resisted british rule non- violently. In others, different classes and groups, interpreting gandhiji’s call in their own manner, protested in ways that were not in accordance with his ideas. In Kheda, Gujarat, Patidar peasants organized non- violent campaigns against the high land revenue demand of the British. In coastal Andhra and interior Tamil Nadu, Liquor shops were picketed.
  • In the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, tribal’s and poor peasants staged a number of “forest satyagrahas”, sometimes sending their cattle into forests without paying grazing fee. They were protesting because the colonial state had restricted their use of forest resources in various ways. They believed that Gandhiji would get their taxes reduced and have the forest regulations abolished. In many forest villages, peasants proclaimed swaraj and believed that “Gandhiji Raj” was about to be established.
  • In Sind (now in Pakistan), Muslim traders and peasants were very enthusiastic about the khilafat call. In Bengal too, the Khilafat- Non-Cooperation alliance gave enormous communal unity and strength to the national movement.
  • In Punjab, the Akali agitation of the Sikhs sought to remove corrupt mahants- supported by the british- form their gurdwaras. This movement got closely identified with the Non- Cooperation Movement.
  • In Assam, tea garden laborers, shouting “Gandhi Maharaj Ki Jai”, demanded a big increase in their wages. They left the British- owned plantations amidst declarations that they were following Gandhiji wish. Interestingly, in the Assamese Vaishnava songs of the period the reference to Krishna was substituted by “Gandhi Raja”.
  • Sample Questions
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    Question : 1

    The Khilafat Movement failed to achieve its objective and gradually subsided when ____________ .

    Right Option : A
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    Explanation
    Question : 2

    Why did B.K. Dutt and Bhagat Singh throw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly on April 8, 1929?

    Right Option : A
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    Explanation
    Question : 3

    Non-Cooperation Movement was called off by Gandhiji because

    Right Option : A
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    Explanation
     
     


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