The term Swaraj means ‘self-rule’. The concept of Swaraj in India evolved with time during various phases of the national struggle for independence. Different leaders had a different understanding of the concept.

Various meanings of Swaraj:

• For Moderates like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, etc. the meaning of Swaraj was bhai Nao limited to greater say and participation of Indians in the government. They demanded self-government under the British paramountcy on the lines of other colonies of the United Kingdom like Australia and Canada.
• For Extremists like Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Swaraj meant complete freedom from colonial rule. Both Tilak and Annie Besant wanted an Irish-type ‘home rule’ in India.
• For Gandhiji, the concept of Swaraj was a comprehensive one and included political, economic, social, and moral perspectives. For him, self-rule was only a political aspect of Swaraj.

Overall, Swaraj meant ‘self-rule in the internal matters only’. Purna Swaraj, on the other hand, meant complete independence from foreign rule in internal as well as external matters. The origin of this concept can be traced to the views of the Extremist section of the Indian National Congress (INC) which finally became a goal of the Congress in 1930.

Progression of the Indian National Congress from Swaraj to Purna Swaraj:

• Before the partition of Bengal (1905): The Moderates who dominated the Congress at that time emphasized the politics of “prayers and petitions”, while the Extremists wanted to gain Swaraj through extra-constitutional methods, rather than relying on the ‘good intentions’ of the government.
• Calcutta session (1906): The Extremist faction got prominence during the partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon. During the Calcutta session of the INC, a toned-down Swaraj along the lines of other self-governing British colonies like Australia and Canada was declared as the goal of INC. However, the Surat split (1907) led to the expulsion of the Extremists from the Congress.
• Lucknow session (1916): This session brought the Extremists and Moderates together. It gave a new impetus to the Home Rule movement in India and led to the Montagu Declaration of working towards the gradual development of free institutions in India with a view to ultimate self-government.
• Nehru Report (1928): The INC boycotted the Simon Commission and submitted a memorandum to appeal for ‘dominion status’ through the Nehru Report. The INC in its Calcutta Session (1928) also passed a resolution stating that dominion status be granted within one year.
• Lahore session (1929): After the Irwin Declaration in 1929, which announced a vague offer of dominion status, the INC declared Purna Swaraj (complete independence) to be the goal of the INC and celebrated Purna Swaraj or Independence Day on 26th January 1930.

Hence, the INC progressively changed its stance regarding the benevolence of the British Empire and raised its demand for self-rule from dominion status to complete independence. The Republic Day which is celebrated on 26th January is basically a commemoration of the earlier ‘Purna Swaraj Day’ celebrated on the same day in 1930.