• Non – Co – operation movement 
• Civil Disobedience (Salt Satyagraha) 
• Quit India movement

Non – Co-operation movement : 

The first national level struggle by the INC under the leadership of Gandhiji was the Non-Co-operation movement. It was a novel agitation of not to co-operate with the British. The characteristics of Non- co-operation policy were:

• Denial of taxes 
• Returning the British awards and prizes 
• Boycott elections 
• Boycott foreign goods 
• Lawyers shall boycott courts 
• Students shall boycott English schools

In addition to his appeal for Non-Co-operation, Gandhiji motivated the people to participate in constructive programmes like making indigenous products, spinning khadi cloth using charka, establishing national educational institutions, popularising Hindi and eradicating untouchability. Kashi Vidya Pith, Gujarat Vidya Pith and Jamia Millia were some of the national educational institutions started during this period. 

People in different parts of India responded to Gandhiji’s appeal for non co-operation.

• Farmers in Awadh refused to pay taxes. 
• Workers struck work. 
• The tribal groups in northern Andhra entered the forests and collected the forest products violating the forest laws. 
• Lawyers boycotted courts. 
• Students quitted colleges and schools run by the British. 
• The public, including women, burnt foreign clothes on the streets.

Non-Co-operation movement had a major role in making the national movement, which was till then confined to the elite of the society, a grass root mass movement. However, Gandhiji withdrew the movement following the Chauri Chaura incident in 1922.

Civil Disobedience Movement: 

The Lahore Congress Session of 1929 decided to start a civil disobedience movement under the leadership of Gandhiji. This was the second mass movement launched by Gandhiji against the British.

With the civil disobedience movement, Gandhiji meant to disobey all anti-popular and antidemocratic civil laws made by the British government. As part of the movement, Gandhiji proposed the following.

• To lift salt tax. 
• To declare 50% tax relaxation for farmers. 
• To increase the tax on imported foreign clothes.
• To release political prisoners. 
• To cut short military budget and high salary of top officials. 
• To dissolve the secret surveillance wing formed to watch Indians. 
• To start coastal shipping service. 
• To implement prohibition of liquor.

Gandhiji gave top priority to reducing salt tax due to a variety of reasons. He selected salt as a powerful tool against the British because:

• Salt tax constituted two fifth portion of the income collected by the British through taxes. 
• Salt tax was a heavy burden for the poor people. 
• There was three fold hike on salt price. 
• The British government banned small scale indegenous salt production. 
• The demand for lifting salt tax was a slogan suitable to inspire all segments of the society.

Gandhiji began the civil disobedience with Salt Satyagraha. The Salt Satyagraha began with the famous Dandi March by Gandhiji on 30 March, 1930. Gandhiji along with 78 followers marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a coastal village in Gujarat.

He broke the salt law by making salt. Inspired by the call of Gandhiji, people in various parts of the country started to produce salt on their own, violating the British regulations. Payyannur in Kerala, Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu, Bombay in Maharashtra, Naokhali in Bengal and North West Frontier Province were some of the centres of this protest.

Quit India Movement: 

The Quit India Movement was the third mass movement launched by Gandhiji against the British. It was a mass movement based on the ideology of non¬violence meant to force the British to leave the country offering complete freedom to Indians. As part of the movement, Gandhiji called for:

• Farmers shall not pay tax. 
• Princely states shall recognise the sovereignty of their people. 
• Government officials shall disclose their loyalty to Indian National Congress without resigning their positions. 
• Without quitting their positions in the army, soldiers shall disobey orders to shoot and kill Indians. 
• If possible, students shall boycott education till attaining freedom.

Gandhiji gave the slogan ‘Do or Die’ to the common people. The Quit India Movement began on August 8, 1942. The next day, Gandhiji and all the top leaders of the Congress were arrested. In protest, the uncontrolled mob demolished government offices, electric lines and railway lines. At the end of 1942, India was under the fire of popular unrest. The British government suppressed the movement very severely. The Quit India movement was a clear indication Of the people’s determination to grab freedom for their country.