- Calcutta session of Congress in December 1928 that the Nehru Report was approved but the younger elements led by Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Satyamurthy expressed their dissatisfaction with dominion status as the goal of Congress.
- Instead, they demanded that Congress adopt Purna Swarajor complete independence as its goal.
- The older leaders like Gandhi and Motilal Nehru wished that the dominion status demand not be dropped in haste, as consensus over it had been developed with great difficulty over the years. They suggested that a two-year grace period be given to the government to accept the demand for dominion status. Later, under pressure from the younger elements, this period was reduced to one year.
- Lahore, December 1929: Congress decided to boycott the first Round Table conference. Purna Swaraj now became the aim of Congress and 26th January was fixed as the first Independence Day to be celebrated.
- Jawaharlal Nehru had done more than anyone else to popularise Purna Swaraj and was nominated as president for the Lahore session of Congress (December 1929) mainly due to Gandhi’s backing (15 of 18 Provincial Congress Committees had opposed Nehru).
- Nehru was chosen because of the appositeness of the occasion (Congress’ acceptance of complete independence as its goal).
- To acknowledge the upsurge of youth which had made the anti-Simon campaign a huge success.
Decisions Taken at Lahore Congress Session
- Round Table Conference was to be boycotted.
- Complete independence (Purna Swaraj) was declared as the aim of Congress.
- Congress Working Committee was authorised to launch a program of civil disobedience, including non-payment of taxes, and all members of legislatures were asked to resign their seats.
- January 26, 1930 was fixed as the first Independence (Swarajya) Day, to be celebrated everywhere.
December 31, 1929
- At midnight on the banks of River Ravi, the newly adopted tricolour flag of freedom was hoisted by Jawaharlal Nehru amidst slogans of Inquilab Zindabad.
- Meanwhile, Congress Working Committee organised Foreign Cloth Boycott Committee to propagate an aggressive program of boycotting foreign cloth and public burning of foreign cloth.
- When Gandhi was arrested for burning the clothes, the entire nation came forward to burn the foreign cloth a bonfire.
