PURNA SWARAJ - MODERN HISTORY

News: January 26 History: Know About These Historical Events Apart From The Republic Day

 

What's in the news?

       India is celebrating its 75th Republic Day (also known as Ganatantra Diwas) on 26 January this year.

       26th January or Ganatantra Diwas is one of three Indian national holidays and it commemorates the enactment of the constitution of India, which took place on 26 January 1950.

 

Key takeaways:

       The father of the nation had declared it as ‘Swatantrata Sankalp Divas’ after Jawaharlal Nehru demanded complete independence in the Lahore session on January 26, 1930.

       From 1931 onwards, every year, including 1947, January 26 was observed all over the country as Independence Day.

 

Purna Swaraj:

       The Indian National Congress (INC) set forth the Declaration of the Independence of India or the Purna Swaraj on 26 January 1930.

       This declaration was an outcome of the end of talks between the British and the Indian freedom movement’s leaders over the status of India as a dominion or complete Self-Rule.

 

Features:

       The Congress Party encouraged Indians to observe this day as Independence Day.

       On 31 December 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru, the then president of the Congress convention, hoisted India’s flag on the banks of the Ravi River in Lahore.

 

Significance:

       The resolution has a deep significance in the history of India’s struggle for attaining complete freedom.

       It was the starting point of an extensive political movement against the Raj (colonial rule).

       The resolution called for claiming ‘purna’ or complete independence.

       It was a critical part of the changing tactics of the Indian independence movement in dealing with the British.