A party formed within the Congress in 1923 by leaders who wanted to enter the legislative councils and obstruct the government from within, after the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
- Founded in 1923 (the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party) by Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das (C.R. Das) after the withdrawal of Non-Cooperation following Chauri Chaura.
- The "pro-changers" (Swarajists) argued for contesting elections to the legislative councils to wreck the 1919 reforms from within; the "no-changers" wanted to continue Gandhian constructive work outside the councils.
- C.R. Das became the party's president and Motilal Nehru its secretary; the party did well in the 1923 council elections, winning a large number of seats.
- In the councils the Swarajists obstructed government business, moved adjournment motions, and exposed the limits of dyarchy; they helped defeat some government measures.
- The party declined after C.R. Das's death in 1925 and lost cohesion, with many members returning to mainstream Congress work.
It explains the "council entry" strategy and the pro-changer versus no-changer debate of the 1920s, with Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das as the key names.
The Swaraj Party was a group within the Congress that chose council entry; it is distinct from the boycott politics of Non-Cooperation that it followed.
1923 Swaraj Party (Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das): council entry to obstruct from within after Non-Cooperation was withdrawn.