To secure a foothold in Girangaon, the Congress started its own trade unions which they wanted to run on Gandhian principles as opposed to the communist ideology of the Left. The mill workers though increasingly aware of their rights, proved that not only did they have an independent mind but were, above all, fierce nationalists. The communist support to the Allied war effort alienated them and the workers began leaning towards the Congress. The mill-owners, too, supported the freedom movement but naturally preferred the Congress over the communists.
