Civil Disobedience Movement and Quit India Struggle

Salt Satyagraha.

 In the background of the Lahore session of the Congress Gandhiji conducted the
Dandi March which was attended among others, by four volunteers from Kerala.The day
when Gandhiji broke the salt laws (6th April,1930) was observed in Kerala as a national
day.The K.P.C.C. took the decision to organise Salt Satyagraha in Malabar and Payyannur
was chosen as the main venue.Under the leadership of Kelappan 32 volunteers from
Kozhikode moved to Payyannur on foot and broke the salt law on the beach on 21st April,
1930. Another batch came from Palakkad under TR Krishnaswamy Aiyar, Moidu
Maulavi and M.Abdul Rehman participated in the event.Satyagrahis from all directions
thronged the Payyannur beach and the Malabar village drew all India attention. Initially
the British ignored the agitation.But with the arrest of Gandhiji (5th May) the Government
resorted to suppress the movement. Kelappan was arrested and the camp was raided.Govt
adopted repressive measures.But people including students began to participate in the
campaign.The movement came to an end with the Gandhi Irwin Pact of 4
th March, 1931.

Quit India Movement. 

The Quit India movement though vehement in North India, was relatively low in
Malabar.It never developed in to a mass uprising in Kerala.However some important
developments had taken place in the course of the movement in Kerala.The formation of a
new socialist group under G.B. Menon was one such event. This group organised meeting
and procession in several parts of Malabar. Schools, colleges and courts of law were
picketed.When government adopted repressive measures, the movement went under
ground.This led to the Keezhariyur Bomb case.A secret journal called Swatantra
Bharatam was published from underground.
The Quit India agitation in Kerala did not develop in to a mass movement because
(a) the change in the policy of the Communist Party. Earlier the party advocated mass
struggle against the British.But when USSR entered the World War, it became a people’s
war to them and they advocated collaboration with the British.They opposed Quit India
movement.(b) the Muslims stayed away from the Quit India movement.So the Quit India
movement had no mass basis in Kerala.