Mahatma Gandhi believed that the British Raj in India could only be established by the cooperation of the Indians. He emphasised that if Indians stop cooperating with their colonial masters; the British Raj in India would collapse and pave way for Swaraj.
Gandhi understood that without unity among Hindus and Muslims, Non Cooperation could not become a nationwide movement. Therefore, he met Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali and brought the Khilafat Movement under the umbrella of a national movement.
In the first phase, titles awarded by the government were surrendered. It was followed by the boycott of civil services, police, courts, schools, colleges and foreign goods. Shops selling liquor and foreign goods were picketed. Foreign goods were burnt. From cities the movement spread to villages where peasants were unhappy with the talukdars and landlords who demanded exorbitantly high rents.