Purna Swaraj - Wikipedia Purna Swaraj The flag adopted in 1931 and used by Provisional Government during the subsequent years of Second World War. The Purna Swaraj declaration, or Declaration of the Independence of India, was promulgated by the Indian National Congress on 19 December 1929, resolving the Congress and Indian nationalists to fight for Purna Swaraj, or complete self - rule independent of the British Empire ( literally in Sanskrit, purna, `` complete, `` self, '' raj, `` rule, '' thus `` complete self - rule '' ). The flag of India had been hoisted by Gandhi on 31 December 1929, in Lahore, modern - day Pakistan. The Congress asked the people of India to observe 26 January as Independence Day. The flag of India was hoisted publicly across India by Congress volunteers, nationalists and the public. Contents 1 Background 2 Simon commission and the Nehru report 3 Dominion or republic ? 4 The declaration 5 Authorship 6 Legacy 7 References 8 Further reading Background This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( July 2015 ) Before 1930, Indian political parties had openly embraced the goal of political independence from the United Kingdom. The All India Home Rule League had been advocating Home Rule for India : dominion status within the British Empire, as granted to Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa. The All India Muslim League favoured dominion status as well, and opposed calls for outright Indian independence. The Indian Liberal Party, by far the most pro-British party, explicitly opposed India 's independence and even dominion status if it weakened India 's links with the British Empire. The Indian National Congress, the largest Indian political party of the time, was at the head of the national debate. Congress leader and famous poet Hasrat Mohani was the first activist to demand complete independence ( Poorna Swaraj ) from the British in 1921 from an All - India Congress Forum. Veteran Congress leaders such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Aurobindo and Bipin Chandra Pal had also advocated explicit Indian independence from the Empire. Following the 1919 Amritsar Massacre, there was considerable public outrage against British rule. Europeans, ( civilians and officials ) were targets and victims of violence across India. In 1920, Gandhi and the Congress committed themselves to Swaraj, described as political and spiritual independence. At the time, Gandhi described this as the basic demand of all Indians ; he specifically said that the question of whether India would remain within the Empire or leave it completely would be answered by the behaviour and response of the British. Between 1920 and 1922, Mahatma Gandhi led the Non-Cooperation movement : nationwide civil disobedience to oppose the Rowlatt Acts and the exclusion of Indians from the government, and the denial of political and civil freedoms. Simon commission and the Nehru Report In 1928, the British government further outraged people across India by appointing a seven - man committee led by Sir John Simon, it was an all - European commission Simon Commission to deliberate on constitutional and political reforms for India. Indian political parties were neither consulted nor asked to involve themselves in the process. Upon arrival in India, Chairman Sir John Simon and other commission members were met with angry public demonstrations, which followed them everywhere. The death of a prominent Indian leader, Lala Lajpat Rai, from severe beatings by British police officials further outraged the Indian public. The Congress appointed an all - Indian commission to propose constitutional reforms for India. Members of other Indian political parties joined the commission led by Congress President Motilal Nehru. The Nehru Report demanded that India be granted self - government under the dominion status within the Empire. While most other Indian political parties supported the Nehru commission 's work, it was opposed by the Indian Liberal Party and the All India Muslim League. The British ignored the commission, its report and refused to introduce political reform. Dominion or republic ? But the Nehru Report was also controversial within the Congress. Younger nationalist leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru demanded that the Congress resolve to make a complete and explicit break from all ties with the British. Jawaharlal Nehru had been influenced by the idea of Bhagat Singh ( `` total independence '' ), which Singh had introduced a resolution demanding in 1927, which was rejected because of Gandhi 's opposition. Now Bose and Nehru opposed dominion status, which would retain the Monarch of the United Kingdom as the constitutional head of state of India ( although in the separate capacity as King of India ), and preserve political powers for the British Parliament in Indian constitutional affairs. They were supported in their stand by a large number of rank - and - file Congressmen. In December 1928, Congress session was held in Kolkata and Mohandas Gandhi proposed a resolution that called for the British to grant dominion status to India within two years. After Some time Gandhi brokered a further compromise by reducing the time given from two years to one. Jawaharlal Nehru voted for the new resolution, while Subhash Bose told his supporters that he would not oppose the resolution, and abstained from voting himself. The All India Congress Committee voted 118 to 45 in its favour ( the 45 votes came from supporters of a complete break from the British ). However, when Bose introduced an amendment during the open session of Congress that sought a complete break with the British, Gandhi admonished the move : You may take the name of independence on your lips but all your muttering will be an empty formula if there is no honour behind it. If you are not prepared to stand by your words, where will independence be ? The amendment was rejected, by 1350 to 973, and the resolution was fully adopted. On 31 October 1929, the Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin announced that the government would meet with Indian representatives in London for a Round Table Conference. To facilitate Indian participation, Irwin met with Mohandas Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and out - going Congress President Motilal Nehru to discuss the meeting. Gandhi asked Irwin if the conference would proceed on the basis of dominion status and Irwin said he could not assure that, resulting in the end of the meeting. The declaration As a result of the denial of reforms and political rights, and the persistent ignorance of Indian political parties, the Indian National Congress grew increasingly cohesive -- unified in the desire to oust the British from India completely. A very large number of Congress volunteers and delegates, members of other political parties and an especially large public gathering attended the session convened in Lahore. Despite the bitterly cold weather, Pattabhi Sitaramayya records that : The heat of passion and excitement, the resentment at the failure of negotiation, the flushing of faces on hearing the war drums -- oh, it was all in marked contrast to the weather. Jawaharlal Nehru was elected President and veteran leaders like Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel returned to the Congress Working Committee. They approved a declaration of independence, which stated : The British government in India has not only deprived the Indian people of their freedom but has based itself on the exploitation of the masses, and has ruined India economically, politically, culturally and spiritually... Therefore... India must sever the British connection and attain Purna Swaraj or complete independence. At midnight on New Year 's Eve, President Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the tricolour flag of India upon the banks of the Ravi in Lahore, which later became part of Pakistan. A pledge of independence was read out, which included a readiness to withhold taxes. The massive gathering of public attending the ceremony were asked if they agreed with it, and the vast majority of people were witnessed to raise their hands in approval. One hundred seventy two Indian members of central and provincial legislatures resigned in support of the resolution and in accordance with Indian public sentiment. The Declaration of Independence was officially promulgated on 26 January 1930. Gandhi and other Indian leaders would immediately begin the planning of a massive national non-violence would encourage the common people not to attack Britishers even if they attacked them. Subsequently, the Salt Satyagraha was initiated by Mahatma Gandhi on 12 March 1930 and what followed gave impetus to the Indian independence movement and sparked off the nationwide Non Cooperation Movement. Authorship There is some dispute as to who drafted the text of the declaration. Gandhi directly claimed authorship in 1940, while other sources either cite Nehru as a major editor or attribute it to Nehru outright. Legacy The Congress regularly observed 26 January as the Independence Day of India -- commemorating those who campaigned for Indian independence. In 1947, the British agreed to transfer power and political finesse to India, and 15 August became the official Independence Day. However, the new Constitution of India, as drafted and approved by the Constituent Assembly, was mandated to take effect on 26 January 1950, to commemorate the 1930 declaration. On that day in 1950, India became a republic. 26 January is now celebrated as Republic Day of India every year. References Jump up ^ Rajmohan Gandhi, Patel : A Life, p. 171, ASIN : B0006EYQ0A Jump up ^ D.G. Tendulkar, Mahatma, Bombay, 1951, p. 441 ^ Jump up to : R. Gandhi, Patel : A Life, p. 185 Jump up ^ Pattabhi Sitaramayya, The History of the Congress, Allahabad, 1935, p. 600 Jump up ^ `` Purna Swaraj : The Demand for Full Independence 26 January 1930 ''. India of the Past. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 06. Jump up ^ Parel, Anthony ( 2006 - 08 - 10 ). Gandhi 's Philosophy and the Quest for Harmony. Cambridge University Press. p. 53. ISBN 9780521867153. Jump up ^ Wolpert, Stanley ( 2002 - 11 - 28 ). Gandhi 's Passion : The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 141. ISBN 9780195156348. Jump up ^ Möller, Ulrika ; Schierenbeck, Isabell ( 2014 - 06 - 05 ). Political Leadership, Nascent Statehood and Democracy : A Comparative Study. Routledge. p. 62. ISBN 9781317673101. Further reading Full text of the Declaration Indian Independence Movement History Colonisation Porto Grande de Bengala Dutch Bengal East India Company British Raj French India Portuguese India Battle of Plassey Battle of Buxar Anglo - Mysore Wars First Second Third Fourth Anglo - Maratha Wars First Second Third Polygar Wars Vellore Mutiny First Anglo - Sikh War Second Anglo - Sikh War Sannyasi Rebellion Rebellion of 1857 Radcliffe Line more Philosophies and ideologies Ambedkarism Gandhism Hindu nationalism Indian nationalism Khilafat Movement Muslim nationalism in South Asia Satyagraha Socialism Swadeshi movement Swaraj Events and movements Partition of Bengal ( 1905 ) Partition of Bengal ( 1947 ) Revolutionaries Direct Action Day Delhi - Lahore Conspiracy The Indian Sociologist Singapore Mutiny Hindu -- German Conspiracy Champaran Satyagraha Kheda Satyagraha Rowlatt Committee Rowlatt Bills Jallianwala Bagh massacre Noakhali riots Non-Cooperation Movement Christmas Day Plot Coolie - Begar Movement Chauri Chaura incident, 1922 Kakori conspiracy Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre Flag Satyagraha Bardoli 1928 Protests Nehru Report Fourteen Points of Jinnah Purna Swaraj Salt March Dharasana Satyagraha Vedaranyam March Chittagong armoury raid Gandhi -- Irwin Pact Round table conferences Act of 1935 Aundh Experiment Indian Legion Cripps Mission Quit India Bombay Mutiny Coup d'état of Yanaon Provisional Government of India Independence Day Praja Mandala movement Organisations All India Kisan Sabha All - India Muslim League Anushilan Samiti Arya Samaj Azad Hind Berlin Committee Ghadar Party Hindustan Socialist Republican Association Indian National Congress India House Indian Home Rule movement Indian Independence League Indian National Army Jugantar Khaksar Tehrik Khudai Khidmatgar Swaraj Party more Social reformers A. Vaidyanatha Iyer Ayya Vaikundar Ayyankali B.R. Ambedkar Baba Amte Bal Gangadhar Tilak Dayananda Saraswati Dhondo Keshav Karve G. Subramania Iyer Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty Gopal Ganesh Agarkar Gopal Hari Deshmukh Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar J.B. Kripalani Jyotirao Phule Kandukuri Veeresalingam Mahadev Govind Ranade Mahatma Gandhi Muthulakshmi Reddi Narayana Guru Niralamba Swami Pandita Ramabai Periyar E.V. Ramasamy Ram Mohan Roy Rettamalai Srinivasan Sahajanand Saraswati Savitribai Phule Shahu Sister Nivedita Sri Aurobindo Syed Ahmad Khan Vakkom Moulavi Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Vinoba Bhave Vitthal Ramji Shinde Vivekananda Independence activists Abul Kalam Azad Accamma Cherian Achyut Patwardhan A.K. Fazlul Huq Alluri Sitarama Raju Annapurna Maharana Annie Besant Ashfaqulla Khan Babu Kunwar Singh Bagha Jatin Bahadur Shah II Bakht Khan Bal Gangadhar Tilak Basawon Singh Begum Hazrat Mahal Bhagat Singh Bharathidasan Bhavabhushan Mitra Bhikaiji Cama Bhupendra Kumar Datta Bidhan Chandra Roy Bipin Chandra Pal C. Rajagopalachari Chandra Shekhar Azad Chetram Jatav Chittaranjan Das Dadabhai Naoroji Dayananda Saraswati Dhan Singh Dukkipati Nageswara Rao Gopal Krishna Gokhale Govind Ballabh Pant Har Dayal Hemu Kalani Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi Jatindra Mohan Sengupta Jatindra Nath Das Jawaharlal Nehru K. Kamaraj Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Khudiram Bose Shri Krishna Singh Lala Lajpat Rai M. Bhaktavatsalam M.N. Roy Mahadaji Shinde Mahatma Gandhi Mangal Pandey Mir Qasim Mithuben Petit ‎ Muhammad Ali Jauhar Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Mian Mansoor Ansari Nagnath Naikwadi Nana Fadnavis Nana Sahib P. Kakkan Prafulla Chaki Pritilata Waddedar Pritilata Waddedar Purushottam Das Tandon R. Venkataraman Rahul Sankrityayan Rajendra Prasad Ram Prasad Bismil Rani Lakshmibai Rash Behari Bose Sahajanand Saraswati Sangolli Rayanna Sarojini Naidu Satyapal Dang Shuja - ud - Daula Shyamji Krishna Varma Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi Siraj ud - Daulah Subhas Chandra Bose Subramania Bharati Subramaniya Siva Surya Sen Syama Prasad Mukherjee Tara Rani Srivastava Tarak Nath Das Tatya Tope Tiruppur Kumaran Ubaidullah Sindhi VO Chidamabaram V.K. Krishna Menon Vallabhbhai Patel Vanchinathan Veeran Sundaralingam Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Virendranath Chattopadhyaya Yashwantrao Holkar Yogendra Shukla more British leaders Wavell Canning Cornwallis Irwin Chelmsford Curzon Ripon Minto Dalhousie Bentinck Mountbatten Wellesley Lytton Clive Outram Cripps Linlithgow Hastings Independence Cabinet Mission Annexation of French colonies in India Constitution Republic of India Indian annexation of Goa Indian Independence Act Partition of India Political integration Simla Conference Mahatma Gandhi Life events and movements Indian Ambulance Corps Bardoli Satyagraha Champaran Satyagraha Kheda Satyagraha Indian independence movement Non-cooperation Movement Chauri Chaura incident Purna Swaraj flag Salt March Dharasana Satyagraha Vaikom Satyagraha Aundh Experiment Gandhi -- Irwin Pact Second Round Table Conference Padayatra Poona Pact Natal Indian Congress Quit India speech Gujarat Vidyapith University Harijan Sevak Sangh Ashrams ( Kochrab Tolstoy Farm Sabarmati Sevagram ) List of fasts Assassination Philosophy Gandhism Economics trusteeship Education Sarvodaya Satyagraha Swadeshi Swaraj Gandhi cap Publications Harijan Hind Swaraj ( Indian Home Rule ) Indian Opinion The Story of My Experiments with Truth Young India Seven Social Sins ( Gandhi Heritage Portal ) Influences A Letter to a Hindu Ahimsa nonviolence Bhagavad Gita Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience ( essay ) Civil disobedience Fasting Harishchandra Hinduism Khadi John Ruskin Parsee Rustomjee Leo Tolstoy The Kingdom of God Is Within You The Masque of Anarchy Muhammad Narmad Pacifism Sermon on the Mount Shravan Shrimad Rajchandra Henry Stephens Salt Tirukkuṛaḷ Unto This Last Gandhi 's translation `` Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram '' `` Ekla Chalo Re '' `` Hari Tuma Haro '' `` Vaishnava Jana To '' Vegetarianism Associates Swami Anand C.F. Andrews Jamnalal Bajaj Shankarlal Banker Sarla Behn Vinoba Bhave Brij Krishna Chandiwala Sudhakar Chaturvedi Jugatram Dave Mahadev Desai Dada Dharmadhikari Kanu Gandhi Shiv Prasad Gupta Umar Hajee Ahmed Jhaveri J.C. Kumarappa Hermann Kallenbach Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Acharya Kripalani Mirabehn Mohanlal Pandya Vallabhbhai Patel Narhari Parikh Mithuben Petit Chakravarti Rajagopalachari Bibi Amtus Salam Sonja Schlesin Anugrah Narayan Sinha Shri Krishna Singh Rettamalai Srinivasan V.A. Sundaram Abbas Tyabji Ravishankar Vyas Legacy Artistic depictions Gandhigiri Gandhi Peace Award Gandhi Peace Prize Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith Indian currency Family Karamchand Gandhi ( father ) Kasturba ( wife ) Harilal ( son ) Manilal ( son ) Ramdas ( son ) Devdas ( son ) Maganlal ( cousin ) Samaldas ( nephew ) Arun ( grandson ) Ela ( granddaughter ) Rajmohan ( grandson ) Gopalkrishna ( grandson ) Ramchandra ( grandson ) Kanu ( grandson ) Kanu ( grandnephew ) Tushar ( great - grandson ) Leela ( great - granddaughter ) Influenced James Bevel Steve Biko 14th Dalai Lama Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai Morarji Desai Eknath Easwaran Maria Lacerda de Moura James Lawson Martin Luther King Jr. Nelson Mandela Brajkishore Prasad Rajendra Prasad Ramjee Singh Aung San Suu Kyi Lanza del Vasto Abhay Bang Sane Guruji Memorials Statues Houston Johannesburg London ( Parliament Square ) New York Patna Pietermaritzburg Washington Observances Gandhi Jayanti International Day of Non-Violence Martyrs ' Day Season for Nonviolence Other Aga Khan Palace Gandhi Bhawan Gandhi Mandapam Gandhi Market Bookstores Gandhi Promenade Gandhi Smriti Gandhi Memorial Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai Kaba Gandhi No Delo Kirti Mandir Mahatma Gandhi College Mohandas Gandhi High School National Gandhi Museum Raj Ghat Sabarmati Ashram Satyagraha House Gandhi Teerth Roads named after Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Centre, Matale Bal Gangadhar Tilak Life events and movements Indian Independence Movement Indian National Congress Indian National Congress - Freedom Era All India Home Rule League Swadeshi movement Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Kesari ( newspaper ) Nationalist Movements in India Swaraj Purna Swaraj Pune Philosophy Swadeshi Swaraj Education Deccan Education Society Fergusson College Willingdon College Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce Kirti M. Doongursee College Chintamanrao College of Commerce Influences Bhagavad Gita Hinduism Associates Lala Lajpat Rai Bipin Chandra Pal Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Vasudev Balwant Phadke Gopal Ganesh Agarkar Vishnushastri Chiplunkar Legacy Tilak Maharashtra University Tilak Maidan Stadium Tilak Nagar metro station Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Tilak Smarak Ranga Mandir Books The Arctic Home in the Vedas The Orion ( book ) Shrimadh Bhagvad Gita Rahasya Influenced Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Mahatma Gandhi Subhash Chandra Bose Chapekar brothers Commons Wikiquotes Wikisource texts Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purna_Swaraj&oldid=840026535 '' Categories : Declarations of independence Indian independence movement History of Lahore Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from June 2014 Use Indian English from June 2016 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Articles needing additional references from July 2015 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia ગુજરાતી ਪੰਜਾਬੀ தமிழ் 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 7 May 2018, at 07 : 31. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: the pledge for poorna swaraj was taken at the congress session of
Answer: 19 December 1929