A ready-reference profile table of the leaders across every phase of the movement — moderates, extremists, revolutionaries, Gandhians, and the Indian National Army.
The Indian freedom struggle drew on the contributions of leaders across every ideological strand — moderate, extremist, revolutionary, Gandhian, and socialist — and from every region and community. This chapter profiles the most-tested leaders not already covered in depth in earlier chapters.
| Leader | Key Role/Contribution |
|---|---|
| Mahatma Gandhi | Champaran, Kheda, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India — pioneer of mass Satyagraha |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | INC President (Lahore 1929 — Purna Swaraj resolution); India's first Prime Minister; close Gandhi associate but ideologically more socialist |
| Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | "Iron Man of India"; led Kheda & Bardoli Satyagrahas; integrated over 500 princely states into the Indian Union post-1947 |
| Dr. B.R. Ambedkar | Champion of Dalit rights; Poona Pact (1932) with Gandhi; Chairman of the Constitution's Drafting Committee |
| Subhas Chandra Bose | INC President (1938, 1939); founded the Forward Bloc (1939) after resigning from Congress; led the Indian National Army (INA/Azad Hind Fauj) and the Azad Hind Government (1943) with Japanese support |
| Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | Youngest INC President (1923); strong advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity; opposed Partition |
| Rajendra Prasad | Active in the Champaran Satyagraha; first President of independent India |
| Chittaranjan Das (C.R. Das) | Co-founder of the Swaraj Party (1923) with Motilal Nehru; "Deshbandhu" |
| Motilal Nehru | Co-founder of the Swaraj Party; authored the Nehru Report (1928) |
| Sarojini Naidu | "Nightingale of India"; first Indian woman President of the INC (1925); active in Salt Satyagraha (led the raid on Dharasana Salt Works after Gandhi's arrest) |
| Rajkumari Amrit Kaur | Prominent freedom fighter and India's first Health Minister |
| Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | "Frontier Gandhi"; founded the Khudai Khidmatgar ("Red Shirts") movement in the North-West Frontier Province, championing non-violence |
| C. Rajagopalachari | Last Governor-General of independent India; close Gandhi associate |
Post-war INA (Red Fort) Trials of INA officers (1945-46) sparked huge nationwide sympathy and protest, contributing to the political climate that hastened British withdrawal.
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