Varanasi, Oct 15 (UNI) Quoting second Sarsanghchalak Guru Golwalkar, RSS chief K C Sudarshan today claimed the Quit India Movement launched by Congress in 1942 was a "failure" and the country became free only when the British were faced with a prospective rebellion by Air Force and Navy in 1946.

Addressing a 'Virat Hindu Sangam' here this evening, Mr Sudarshan, quoting Guru Golwalkar, said the "much touted" Quit India Movement of Congress in 1942 was a failure, as it did not have the support of the entire political mainstream waging a war against the British rule.

''The entire movement lost its steam as all its integral leaders were either arrested or went underground,'' Mr Sudarshan maintained.

Despite being not taken into confidence before launching the Movement, the RSS volunteers not only gave shelter to Congress workers hiding from British police, but lawyer's, owing allegiance to the songh, also contested the the cause of jailed Congress workers in court.

''Even Aruna Asaf Ali, one of the integral pillars of the 1942 movement in her musings on Quit India Movement acknowledged the role of an RSS office bearer from Delhi, Lala Hansraj, whose family provided her shelter during the time the police was searching for her,'' Mr Sudarshan claimed.

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The RSS chief further criticised the Congress for claiming the sole credit of getting India free from British rule. It was the INA of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, which was responsible for the country's Independence he asserted.

Clement Attlee, the British Prime Minister at the time India became independent, during his 1956 visit to India, had conceded that it was not due to non-violent struggle of Congress, but the left over of Netaji's armed struggle which clinched freedom for India, Mr Sudarshan claimed.

''Mr Attlee had said in 1956 that when INA volunteers captured by British Army were being tried in 1946, there was rebellion like circumstances in Navy at Bombay and Air Force in New Delhi. Fearing a prospective coup by armed forces, the Britis granted independence to India, but only after actualising their 1880s dream of partioning the undivided country,'' Mr Sudarshan maintained.

UNI ARS VD RN2155