Shivraj Singh Chouhan marks Quit India Movement's 83rd anniversary
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan marked the 83rd anniversary of the Quit India Movement on 9 August, paying tribute to freedom fighters who answered Mahatma Gandhi's 'Do or Die' call in 1942 and demanding British withdrawal from India.
Key Takeaways
9 August 2026 marks the 83rd anniversary of the Quit India Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 .
Gandhi's 'Do or Die' ( Karо ya Maro ) call at the All India Congress Committee session in Bombay triggered the largest mass uprising of India's independence struggle.
The movement, also known as August Kranti , led to the arrest of over 100,000 people by British colonial authorities.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan posted a Hindi-language tribute on X, honouring all freedom fighters who sacrificed for independence.
The 9 August commemoration is an established annual observance by Indian political leaders ahead of Independence Day on 15 August .
On the 83rd anniversary of the Quit India Movement, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid tribute to the freedom fighters who answered Mahatma Gandhi's historic call on 9 August 1942 — a day that shook the foundations of British colonial rule in India.
Chouhan wrote in Hindi: 'करो या मरो' ('Do or Die') — the three words Gandhi delivered from the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee that ignited the largest mass uprising of the independence struggle. The movement, known as August Kranti (August Revolution), swept across the country within hours of Gandhi's address, drawing millions into open defiance of the colonial administration.
The call that changed everything on 9 August 1942
The Quit India Movement was not a gradual escalation — it was a detonation. Gandhi's 'Do or Die' ultimatum demanded immediate British withdrawal and gave ordinary Indians a stark, personal choice: act now or accept subjugation. British authorities responded by arresting Gandhi and the entire Congress leadership before dawn the next day, but the movement had already escaped their control.
Spontaneous strikes, protests, and acts of civil disobedience erupted across the subcontinent. The colonial government suppressed the uprising with force, arresting over 100,000 people, but the moral and political cost to British rule proved irreversible. August Kranti stands, in the long arc of the independence movement, as the moment ordinary Indians stopped waiting for permission to be free.
Why BJP leaders mark this date every year
The 9 August commemoration has become a fixed point in the political calendar, with ministers and leaders across parties issuing tributes ahead of Independence Day on 15 August. For the BJP, invoking August Kranti carries a particular resonance — it frames the freedom struggle as a story of mass sacrifice and popular will, themes that resonate with the party's broader nationalist narrative.
Chouhan, a four-term former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and one of the BJP's most prominent mass leaders, closed his post with 'जय हिंद!' ('Victory to India!') — the salute Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose made famous, now a standard close for patriotic tributes across the political spectrum.
Eighty-three years on, the fighters of August Kranti are gone — but the date they chose remains a live wire in India's national memory, sparking fresh pledges every August to honour a debt that can only be repaid in how the republic is built, not just how it is remembered.
Point of View
Arriving just days before Independence Day, function as a political warm-up, setting a patriotic register that carries through to 15 August celebrations.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Quit India Movement and why is 9 August significant?
The Quit India Movement was a mass anti-colonial campaign launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 9 August 1942 , demanding immediate British withdrawal from India. Gandhi's 'Do or Die' call made that date one of the most consequential in India's independence struggle, which is why it is commemorated annually as August Kranti Diwas .
What did Gandhi mean by 'Do or Die' in 1942?
Gandhi's 'Do or Die' ( Karo ya Maro ) slogan was a call for Indians to either win freedom or die in the attempt — a stark ultimatum that rejected any further compromise with British colonial rule and demanded immediate action from every citizen.
Who is Shivraj Singh Chouhan and what is his current role?
Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development in the Government of India. He is a senior BJP leader and served four terms as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh , making him one of the longest-serving state chief ministers in Indian history.
What happened after the Quit India Movement was launched?
British authorities arrested Mahatma Gandhi and the entire Congress leadership within hours of the 9 August 1942 speech, but the movement had already spread. Spontaneous protests erupted nationwide; over 100,000 people were arrested, yet the uprising dealt a severe blow to the moral legitimacy of British colonial rule.
Why do BJP leaders observe August Kranti Diwas every year?
August Kranti Diwas on 9 August is an established national commemorative date, and leaders across parties mark it ahead of Independence Day on 15 August . For BJP leaders, the observance reinforces their nationalist identity and connects the party to the broader story of India's freedom struggle.
