Phase I
Launch of immediate mass movement across India as civil disobedience could not meet the larger demand of Poorna Swaraj. Jawahar Lal Nehra was in favour of continuing the struggle till the complete independence objective is met. This would be termed a Struggle-Victory strategy.
Phase II
- Going for constructive work (on Gandhian Lines) to keep the masses involved in the nationalist ideology.
- Many Congressmen led by Gandhi believed that a mass phase of movement (struggle phase) had to be followed by a phase of reprieve (truce phase) before the next stage of mass struggle could be taken up.
- Truce period would enable the masses to recoup their strength to fight and give the government a chance to respond to the demands of nationalists. The masses could not go on sacrificing indefinitely. If the government did not respond positively, the movement could be resumed with the participation of the masses. This was the struggle truce-struggle or S-T-S strategy.
Phase III
- Constitutional means to enter the council and weaken the government from the inside and bring substantial reforms. This strategy was advocated by M.A. Ansari, Asaf Ali, Bhulabhai Desai, S. Satyamurthy and B.C. Roy among others. They argued that:
- Elections and council work could be utilised to keep up the political interest and morale of the people.
- Political representatives could help build up congress and prepare the masses for the next mass movement.
- Finally, Indian National Congress and Gandhi (also his followers) agreed to enter the council through elections.
- In May 1934, the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) met at Patna to set up a Parliamentary Board to fight elections under the aegis of the Congress itself.
