RAS question
The Quit India Movement was launched on:
Correct answer: (B) 8 August 1942.
The Quit India Movement was launched on 8 August 1942, when Mahatma Gandhi gave the call of "Do or Die" and demanded an end to British rule in India.
Explanation
The date to remember is 8 August 1942. At the AICC session in Bombay, the Quit India resolution was passed and Gandhi gave the famous call of "Do or Die". Press Information Bureau, Government of India records the same core fact: the Quit India Movement was started by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942, during the Second World War, demanding an end to British rule in India. This matters because the next day, 9 August 1942, the major Congress leaders were arrested, which is why that date is often associated with the movement. The launch date is the resolution-and-call date: 8 August 1942.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 9 August 1940 is wrong because the Quit India Movement was launched in August 1942, not 1940.
- (C) 26 January 1942 is wrong because the Quit India resolution and Gandhi's "Do or Die" call are tied to 8 August 1942, not Republic Day or Independence-related symbolism.
- (D) 15 August 1942 is wrong because the movement had already been launched on 8 August 1942, with major leaders arrested on 9 August 1942.
Concept
The chronology of the Gandhian phase of the freedom struggle centres on the August 1942 turn from negotiation to mass pressure. RAS repeatedly asks such dates because they anchor larger themes like wartime politics, Congress strategy and mass mobilisation.