Programme of the Non-Cooperation Movement

The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922) operated on a structured dual policy framework formulated by Mahatma Gandhi. It combined negative measures designed to paralyze British administrative machinery with positive constructive activities aimed at establishing national self-reliance and alternative institutions.

The Dual Policy Framework

• Boycott (Destructive) Program: Focused on dismantling public reliance on colonial institutions, legal structures, educational systems, titles, and imported manufactured goods.
• Constructive (Creative) Program: Focused on building indigenous economic self-sufficiency, national educational setups, social reforms, and communal harmony.

Boycott and Negative Aspect

The boycott strategy targeted the primary pillars of British authority in India to disrupt the normal functioning of imperial governance and commerce.

Major Boycott Components

• Surrender of Titles and Honors: Citizens renounced titles, knighthoods, and administrative distinctions awarded by the British Crown. Mahatma Gandhi surrendered his Kaisar-i-Hind gold medal, awarded for his work during the Boer War.
• Boycott of Educational Institutions: Students left government-supported schools, colleges, and universities. Prominent academics and public figures resigned from administrative boards of state-run educational bodies.
• Boycott of Law Courts: Lawyers gave up active practice in imperial courts. Litigants were encouraged to settle disputes through local public arbitration courts (Panchayats).
• Boycott of Legislative Councils: Candidates withdrew nominations for elections held under the Government of India Act 1919. A vast majority of the electorate abstained from voting during the 1920 council elections.
• Boycott of Foreign Goods: Public bonfires of foreign cloth were organized across urban centers. Picketing of shops selling foreign garments and imported consumer items became a regular feature.
• Boycott of Imperial Ceremonies: Activists organized total general strikes (hartals) during official visits of imperial dignitaries, including the visit of the Prince of Wales in November 1921.
• Boycott of Government Services: Citizens refused to accept civil or military employment under the British Indian government.

Constructive Work and Positive Aspect

Alongside the boycott, Gandhi emphasized indigenous nation-building to ensure the country was self-sustained if imperial structures broke down.

Major Constructive Components

• Establishment of National Schools and Colleges: Independent institutions were set up to provide education in Indian languages, completely free from government control and grants.
• Promotion of Swadeshi and Khadi: Spinning wheels (Charkhas) were distributed to households. The production and wearing of hand-spun Khadi became the central symbol of political identity and economic self-reliance.
• Panchayat System: Arbitration courts (Panchayats) were created at town and village levels to settle civil and criminal disputes outside the imperial legal system.
• Tilak Swaraj Fund: A national fund was established to finance movement activities, collecting over one crore rupees within a few months of its launch.
• Social Reform and Anti-Untouchability: Removal of untouchability became a core condition for Congress membership and campaign participation.
• Temperance Campaign: Picketing of liquor shops was conducted to cut off state excise revenue and promote social reform among working-class families.
• Hindu-Muslim Unity: Joint political platforms were fostered between the Indian National Congress and the All India Khilafat Committee.

Regional Variations and Mass Execution

Different regions tailored the non-cooperation directives to align with specific local economic, agrarian, and social conditions.

Regional Formats of Mobilisation

• Bengal: Mass student walkouts occurred under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose and C.R. Das. Anti-union board tax agitations broke out in Midnapore.
• United Provinces: Agrarian movements merged with non-cooperation. Peasants organized under Baba Ramchandra and the Oudh Kisan Sabha against high rents, illegal levies, and forced labor (Begar).
• Punjab: The movement intersected with the Akali agitation, which sought to free Sikh Gurdwaras from corrupt, government-backed Mahants.
• Andhra Pradesh: Peasants staged forest Satyagrahas in Palnad, refusing to pay grazing fees to imperial forest departments. Alluri Sitarama Raju organized tribal resistance in the Rampa region.
• Assam: Strikes broke out among tea garden laborers in the Surma Valley, accompanied by the Assam-Bengal Railway strike led by J.M. Sengupta.
• Gujarat: Vallabhbhai Patel led effective no-tax campaigns and organized widespread fundraising for the Tilak Swaraj Fund.

Fact Sheet

The program of non-cooperation was formally drafted and presented by Mahatma Gandhi at the Special Session of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta in September 1920. It was unanimously reaffirmed and given its final operational shape at the Annual Congress Session in Nagpur in December 1920. The Nagpur session made structural changes to the Congress constitution. The membership fee was reduced to four annas (25 paise) per year to allow working-class and rural citizens to join. Provincial Congress Committees were reorganized on a linguistic basis rather than along imperial administrative lines. To support national education, several universities were set up during this period. Jamia Millia Islamia was founded at Aligarh in October 1920 before shifting to Delhi. Gujarat Vidyapith was established in Ahmedabad in October 1920. Kashi Vidyapith was founded in Varanasi in February 1921 by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and Bhagwan Das. Bihar Vidyapith was inaugurated by Gandhi in Patna in February 1921. The Central Khilafat Committee approved the non-cooperation program at its Allahabad conference in June 1920. The campaign formally commenced on August 1, 1920, coinciding with the death of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The movement came to an end on February 12, 1922, when the Congress Working Committee passed the Bardoli Resolution suspending all civil disobedience following the violent Chauri Chaura incident of February 5, 1922.