A day before the Quit India movement broke out, a meeting of the All India Congress Committee was held at the Gowalia Tank, in an open maidan in the heart of Bombay. This was during the Second World War, when the draconian Defence of India Rules were in place, and political activity, including all public assemblies, were banned.

Yet the Congress, in its session called to take a decision on the Quit India movement, held its meeting in an open maidan. It was supposed to be a meeting of the All India Congress Committee, but thousands of people turned up who were there despite the ban on assemblies. People were very angry against the British for what was happening during the war years. And this was one day before the entire leadership of the movement was picked up and thrown into jail.

The main resolution was in favour of launching a movement for the British to Quit India. It was on this occasion that Gandhiji made his famous ‘Do or Die’ speech. There was overwhelming support for the resolution and the atmosphere was very charged.

However, there were 13 Communist members in the All India Congress Committee who were opposed to the resolution. This was in keeping with their line of Peoples’ War; their understanding was that this was a war against fascism. Soviet Union was on the side of the Allies which included the British, and we must support them in the War, they believed. So these thirteen Communist members pressed amendments to the resolution and, in fact, asked for a division and voted against the Quit India resolution.

And what did Gandhiji do, after they opposed the resolution? He said: ‘I congratulate the thirteen friends who voted against the resolution; in doing so, they had nothing to be ashamed of. For the last twenty years we have tried to learn not to lose courage even when we are in a hopeless minority and are laughed at. We have learnt to hold on to our beliefs in the confidence that we are in the right. It behoves us to cultivate this courage of conviction for it ennobles man and raises his moral stature. I was, therefore, glad to see that these friends had imbibed the principle which I have tried to follow for the last fifty years or more.’ What was Gandhiji doing by this statement? He was not only establishing the right to dissent, he was also providing a protective cover to the dissenters in this situation of mass enthusiasm for Quit India.

This is how the best of our national leadership and Gandhiji himself inculcated in the Indian people the notion of democracy. It is not just about the parliamentary system of government, it is not just about elections. As Nehru said, democracy is something deeper than voting, elections or a political form of government: “In the ultimate analysis, it is a manner of thinking, a manner of action, a manner of behaviour to your neighbour and to your adversary and opponent.”

On this Independence Day, we need to recall the ideals for which millions of our people struggled so hard, and resolve to realise and keep alive their vision, for on it depends our present and our children’s future.