National Movement of India: 1920 to 1940

Chauri Chaura Incident (1922)

(i) A mob of people at Chauri Chaura (near Gorakhpur) clashed with police and burnt
22 policemen on February 5, 1922.
(ii) This compelled Gandhiji to withdraw the Non Cooperation movement on Feb. 12,
1922.
Simon Commission (1927)
(i) Constituted under John Simon, to review the political situation in India and to
introduce further reforms and extension of parliamentary democracy. Indian leaders
opposed the commission, as there were no Indians in it.
(ii) The Government used brutal repression and police attacks to break the popular
opposition. At Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai was severely beaten in a lathi-charge. He
succumbed to his injuries on Oct. 30, 1928.
Lahore Session (1929)
(i) On Dec. 19, 1929 under the President ship of J. L. Nehru, the INC, at its Lahore
Session, declared Poorna Swaraj (Complete independence) as its ultimate goal.
(ii) On Dec. 31, 1929, the newly adopted tri-colour flag was unfurled and an. 26,
1930 was fixed as the First Independence Day, was to be celebrated every year.
Revolutionary Activities
(i) The first political murder of a European was committed in 1897 at Poona by the
Chapekar brothers, Damodar and Balkishan. Their target was Mr. Rand, President of
the Plague Commission, but Lt. Ayerst was accidentally shot.
(ii) In 1907, Madam Bhikaiji Cama, a Parsi revolutionary unfurled the flag of India at
Stuttgart Congress (of Second international).
(iii) In 1908, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla chaki threw a bomb on the carriage of
kingford, the unpopular judge of Muzaffapur. Khudiram, Kanhaiyalal Dutt and
Satyendranath Bose were hanged (Alipur Case).
(iv) In 1909, M L Dhingra shot dead Col. William Curzon Whyllie, the political advisor
of India Office in London.
(v) In 1912, Rasbihari Bose and Sachindra Nath Sanyal threw a bomb and Lord
Hardinge at Delhi (Delhi Conspiracy Case).

(vi) In Oct, 1924, a meeting of revolutionaries from all parts of India was called at
Kanpur. They setup Hindustan Socialist
Republic Association/Army (HSRA).
(vii) They carried out a dacoity on the Kakori bound train on the SaharanpurLucknow railway line on Aug. 9, 1925.
(viii) Bhagat Singh, with his colleagues, shot dead Saunders (Asst. S. P. Of Lahore,
who ordered lathi charge on Lala Lajpat Rai) on Dec. 17, 1928. Then Bhagat Singh
and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the Central Assembly on Apr 8, 1929. Thus,
he, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on March. 23, 1931 at Lahore Jall (Lahore
Conspiracy Case) and their bodies cremated at Hussainiwala near Ferozepur. In
1931, Chandrashekhar Azad shot himself at Alfred Park in Allahabad.
Dandi March (1930)
(i) Also called the Salt Satyagraha.
(ii) Along with 78 followers, Gandhiji started his march from Sabarmati Ashram on
March 12, 1930 for the small village Dandhi to break the salt law.
(iii) He reached the seashore on Apr. 6, 1930.
(iv) He picked a handful of salt and inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement.
First Round Table conference (1930)
(i) It was the first conference arranged between the British and Indians as equals. It
was held on Nov. 12, 1930 in London to discuss Simon commission.
(ii) Boycotted by INC, Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, Liberals and some others
were there.
Gandhi Irwin Pact (1931)
(i) Moderate Statesman, Sapru, Jaikar and Srinivas Shastri initiated efforts to break
the ice between Gandhiji and the government.
(ii) The two (government represented by Irwin and INC by Gandhiji) signed a pact on
March 5, 1931.
(iii) In this the INC called off the civil disobedience movement and agreed to join the
second round table conference.
(iv) The government on its part released the political prisoners and conceded the
right to make salt for consumption for villages along the coast.
Second Round Table Conference (1931)

(i) Gandhi represented the INC and went to London to meet British P. M. Ramsay
Macdonald.
(ii) However, the session was soon deadlocked on the minorities issue and this time
separate electorates was demanded not only by Muslims but also by Depressed
Classes, Indian Christians and Anglo Indians.
The Communal Award (Aug 16, 1932)
(i) Announced by Ramsay McDonald. It showed divide and rule policy of the British.
(ii) Envisaged representation of Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo Indians,
women and even Backward classes.
(iii) Gandhi, who was in Yeravada jail at that time, started a fast unto death against
it.
Poona Pact (September 25, 1932)
(i) After the announcement of communal award and subsequent fast of Gandhiji,
mass meeting took place almost everywhere.
(ii) Political leaders like Madan Mohan Malviya, B. R. Ambedkar and M. C. Rajah
became active.
(iii) Eventually Poona pact was reached and Gandhi broke his fact on the sixth day
(Sept 25, 1932).
(iv) In this, the idea of separate electorate for the depressed classes was
abandoned, but seats reserved to them in the provincial legislature were increased.
Third Round Table Conference (1932)
(i) Proved fruitless as most of the national leaders were in prison. The discussions
led to the passing of the Government of India Act, 1935.
Demand For Pakistan
(i) In 1930, Iqbal suggested that the Frontier Province, Baluchistan, Sindh and
Kashmir be made the Muslim State within the federation.
(ii) Chaudhary Rehmat Ali gave the term Pakistan in 1923.
(iii) Mohd. Ali Jinnah of Bombay gave it practicality.
(iv) Muslim League first passed the proposal of separate Pakistan in its Lahore
session in 1940.

THE CONSTITUTION (100TH AMENDMENT) ACT, 2015

The term the Constitution (100th Amendment)
Act, 2015 was in news as the President of India
Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013
that related to the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh.
# List of recent amendments to the Indian
Constitution
The Constitution (91st Amendment) Act, 2004:
Restricted the size of the Council of Ministers
(CoM) to 15 percent of legislative members &
strengthened the Anti Defection laws.
The Constitution (92nd Amendment) Act, 2004:
Included Bodo, Dogri, Santali and Maithali as
official languages.
The Constitution (93rd Amendment) Act, 2006:
Provided for 27 percent reserrvation for other
backward classes in government as well as
private higher educational institutions.
The Constitution (94th Amendment) Act, 2006:
To provide for a Minister of Tribal Welfare in
newly created Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh
States including Madhyapradesh and Orissa.
The Constitution (95th Amendment) Act, 2010:
To extend the reservation of seats for
Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes
(STs) in the Lok Sabha and states assemblies

from Sixty years to Seventy years

The Constitution (96th Amendment) Act, 2011:
Substituted Odia for Oriya
The Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2012:
Added the words "or co-operative societies" after
the word "or unions" in Article 19(l)(c) and
inserted article 43B related to promotion of cooperative societies and added Part-IXB that is
The Co-operative Societies.
The Constitution (98th Amendment) Act, 2013:
To empower the Governor of Karnataka to take
steps to develop the Hyderabad-Karnataka
Region.
The Constitution (99th Amendment) Act, 2014:
The amendment provides for the formation of a
National Judicial Appointments Commission.

18 Wars of Medieval India - Battles that changed destiny of India

First Battle of Tarain (1191) :

This battle was fought at Tarain near Thaneswar. Prithviraj of Chauhan Dynasty
defeated the Mohammad of Ghori.

 Second Battle of Tarain(1192) :

It was fought at same Tarain battlefield as in the first Tarain battle. This was fought
by Mohammad Ghori against Prithvi Raj Chauhan. This time Prithvi Raj was
defeated. Mohammad got the opportunity to enter Indian lands.
Battle of Chandawar(1194) :
In this battle Jaichandra,King of Kanauj was defeated by Mohammad Ghori.
Mohammad further extended his empire in India by defeating a large kingdom.
First Battle of Panipat(21-April-1526) :
In this battle Babur defeated the Army of Afghans and killed their king Ibrahim
Lodi.By this victory Babur got opportunity to expand his small principality into big
empire
Battle of Khanwa(17-March-1527) :
Rajputs under Rana of Mewar Rana Sanga, were defeated by Babur of Ferghana.
Rana Sanga was wounded in the battlefield.
Battle of Chanderi(1528) :
Medini Rai of Chanderi was defeated by Babur.
Battle of Ghagra or Ghagra(6-May-1529) :
Babur defeated and dispersed Afghans.
Battle of Chausal (7-June-1539) :
Sher shah defeated the mughals, but Humayun, the king escaped by crossing over
the river.
Battle of Kanauj or Billgram (17-May-1540) :
Sher shah won against Humayun. Agra was occupied by Sher shah
Battle for Delhi (7 October 1556) :
King 'Hem Chandra Vikramaditya' defeated Akbar's forces in Delhi.
Second Battle of Panipat(5-November-1556) :
Hem Chandra Vikramaditya (Hemu) was defeated by Mughals under Akbar. Akbar
reoccupied Delhi.
Battle of Bannihatti or Tallikota(23-January-1565) :

Unified Army of five Deccan Sultanates(Ali adilshah and four others) defeated the
Vijayanagara Army and Vijayanagara General Ramaraju was killed in the battlefield.
Battle of Haldighati(1576) :
This was started between Akbar and Rana of Mewar Pratap. Decisive Mughal victory.
First Carnatic War(174548) :
This war was fought by British and French armies. French occupied Madras, later
returned it to British.
Second Carnatic War(174954) :
French army under the of Duplex fought with British and British won. In 1755 they
made a provisional treaty. French loss their expanding opportunities and continued
as trading community in India.
Third Carnatic War(175663) :
In 1758 French occupied Fort Saint David. But defeated at Wandiwasi(1760).
Britishers won.
Battle of Plassey(June-1757) :
British Army under the command of Rober Clive fought with Bengal Nawab Siraz-uddaula and British won and Mir Jafar was made Nawab. Siraz-ud-daula,while he was
unarmed was killed mercilessly by Muhammad Beg,a person who was under his
assylum.
Battle of Buxar(1764):
British army under the command of Major Manri defeated the combined army of Mir
Kasim nawab of Bengal, Shuja-ud-daulah nawab of Awadh, Sha Alam, Mughal
emperor