The Swaraj Party was organized by Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das in late 1922 –early 1923. They were both members of the Indian National Congress (INC), but they were dissatisfied with the INC’s policy of non-cooperation with the British. They believed that the INC should contest elections to the British-controlled legislative councils and use them as a platform to demand self-rule for India.
Main objectives:
- Secure self-rule for India through constitutional means.
- Reform the British-controlled legislative councils to make them more representative of the Indian people.
- Raise awareness of the Indian people about their rights and responsibilities.
Performance
- The Swaraj Party was a major force in Indian politics in the 1920s.
- It won a significant number of seats in the 1923 elections, and its members used their positions in the councils to challenge the British government.
- However, the party was eventually dissolved in 1929, when many of its members joined the Civil Disobedience Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
- The Swaraj Party was a significant milestone in the history of India’s independence movement.
- It showed that the INC was willing to adapt its methods in order to achieve its goals, and it paved the way for the more radical methods of the Civil Disobedience Movement.