Swaraj Party: Formation, History, Accomplishments

The Swaraj Party, also known as the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party, was established by C R Das along with Motilal Nehru on the 1st of January, 1923. The formation of the Swaraj Party was done right after the Gaya annual conference in December 1922 and was led by other significant events like the withdrawal of the non-cooperation movement and the passing of the Government of India Act 1919. The party fought for self-governance as well as for the independence of the residents of India from the British Raj. 

Also Read: Non-Cooperation Movement: Features, Causes and Results

History and Formation of Swaraj Party

We will now look at what incidents led to the formation of the Swaraj party and what was the history of this party. 

• The withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922 by Mahatma Gandhi after the Chauri Chaura incident generated opposing opinions among the Congress leaders.
• Some of the leaders wanted to continue with the non-cooperation while others wanted to end the boycott and go on with contesting the elections. 
• One side of the leaders who wanted to continue boycotting the legislature were known as no-changers. The leaders of this group included Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, C. Rajagopalachari, and Rajendra Prasad.
• The other side was called the pro-changers and included C R Das, Srinivasa Iyengar, Motilal Nehru, etc.
• The pro-changers who wanted to enter the legislative assembly and resist the British government from within moved a proposal during the Gaya session in 1922 but were defeated.
• Following this, CR Das and the pro-changer leaders broke away from the Congress and formed the Swaraj Party.
• While C R Das became the President,  Motilal Nehru stepped in as the Secretary of the party.
• Other prominent leaders like Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, N C Kelkar, and Subhas Chandra Bose joined the Swaraj Party

Achievements of Swaraj Party

Following were the achievements of the Swaraj Party

• They successfully defeated the Public Safety Bill in 1928
• They outvoted the government many times leading to many victories in the Legislative Assembly from the year 1924-25. They even won on the issue of budget and got it thrown out.
•  The Swaraj party was the single largest political group present in the Central Assembly, Bengal and Bombay Councils in 1923.
• Moreover, their presence in the UP Council as well was not insignificant.
• The party supported advocacy programs for the abolition of untouchability, Hindu-Muslim unity, Swadeshi products etc.
• The party opposed and exposed the pitfalls of the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms.
• They gave fearless and bold speeches on self-rule and civil liberties.

Also Read: Quit India Movement

Aims of the Swaraj Party

The Swaraj Party or the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party aimed for the following things:

• Right to frame a constitution.
• Control over bureaucracy
• Attaining self-rule or Swarajya 
• Obtaining dominion status
• Organisation of labour in the agricultural as well as the industrial sectors.
• Right to control government machinery
• Control of the local and municipal bodies
• Promote trade and commerce by establishing a federation of Asian countries
• Be a part of the constructive programs initiated by the Congress.

Decline of the Party

One of the reasons behind the decline of the Party included the division within the party itself. Many leaders who were not given the ticket declared their candidacy as independents. Another reason was the unification of the party with the Indian National Congress (INC). In the year 1924, the enthusiasm of the party began to weaken, following which the years 1925 to 1927 saw the decline of the Swarajists. Apart from this the demise of CR Das in 1925 further weakened the party.

Also Read: Salt Satyagraha Movement: Definition, Causes, Effects

You might also like: 

Post Mauryan Period: Kingdoms, Cultures & Administration

Ashoka: The Great Ruler of the Mauryan Empire

Pandya Dynasty: History, Rulers, Contributions

Indus Valley Civilization: Time-Period, Culture & Excavation Sites

Constitutional Development of India (1946 – 1950)

What Were Morley-Minto Reforms?

FAQs

That was all about the Swaraj Party. If you want to know more about topics like this, then visit our general knowledge page! Alternatively, you can also read our blog on general knowledge for competitive exams!