Highlight the importance of the new objectives that got added to the vision of Indian Independence since the twenties of the last century. (250 words, 15 marks)

From the 1920s, Indian nationalism expanded beyond political freedom from British rule. It increasingly envisioned a democratic, socially just and economically transformative nation, making independence a project of popular emancipation.

• The idea of purna swaraj replaced limited constitutional advance and asserted complete sovereignty.
• Nationalists linked freedom with civil liberties, representative government, universal adult franchise and accountable institutions.
• Karachi Resolution principles added fundamental rights, labour protection, living wages, reduction of economic inequality and state responsibility for welfare.
• Constructive programmes addressed khadi, village industries, untouchability, women’s participation and communal harmony.

These goals broadened the social base of nationalism by connecting it with peasants, workers, women, Dalits and marginalised communities. They gave ethical content to swaraj and made colonial economic exploitation a political issue. The programmes also helped nationalists critique both imperialism and indigenous social hierarchies.

The objectives shaped the Constituent Assembly’s commitments to justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, alongside Directive Principles and affirmative action. They also established that political independence without social and economic democracy would be incomplete. Their unfinished character explains continuing debates over land reform, labour rights, gender equality and redistribution.

They also supplied a common language for negotiating India’s diversity: political freedom, minority protection and social reform were presented as mutually reinforcing rather than competing aims. This normative expansion gave the national movement legitimacy beyond elite constitutional politics.

Keywords: national movement, independence, social and economic objectives