Mahatma Gandhi is credited by the Congress party led Indian government as the architect of India's freedom. but the facts speak otherwise. If Gandhi won freedom for India then why did freedom have to come from an act of the British parliament? Not many know that the India Independence Act was passed by the British Parliament when the Labour government was in power and ratified by the House of Lords in 1946. The time table for handing over power to India was also framed by the British and Lord Attlee the British Prime Minister . especially sent Lord Louis Mountbatten as the Governor General to India to work out the nitty gritty of handing over power. Bear in mind that no other country in the world was given self government by an act of Parliament, be it the American revolution or the Russian revolution or earlier the French revolution.
One must remember that no country has handed over power to a colony on the basis of a harmless agitation called satyagraha. Thus we are giving more credit to Gandhi than is warranted. The fact is Gandhi was treated with kid gloves by the English and allowed to have his way, because his non-violent satyagraha was a never a threat to the Raj.
Why then did the English leave India ?The answer lies in the Second World War and Hitler and the British indian army. Hitler unwittingly despite losing the war so weakened England that it had lost the clout to control the colonies. In addition the instrument of power through which they ruled India became suspect as many indian soldiers deserted the army and joined the Free Legion of Hitler and the Indian National Army of Bose.
The loyalty of the British Indian army was thus suspect and when in 1946 the Royal Indian Navy mutinied, the writing was on the wall for the English rulers. They knew that without a loyal army they could not control India and good common sense dictated that they leave India with honor. The harmless agitations led by a frail old man like non-cooperation and satyagraha was never a threat to them. It should not be forgotten that once Gandhi came back to India from South Africa in 1915, he was continuously agitating against British rule through satyagraha for over 30 years and it had no effect on the Raj. They tolerated him as a harmless man and allowed him to indulge in his fantasies.
This analysis will not be to the liking of many Indians, but many will find that what I have written is true. I hope this article will generate a healthy debate and people will realize that Indian independence was in reality given on a platter by the English because of their own weaknesses after the war with Hitler.