Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Movement: Key Aspects
Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Movement
Why the Salt Satyagraha?
Q1. Why the Salt Satyagraha? Why was salt the symbol of protest? This is what Mahatma Gandhi wrote: The volume of information being gained daily shows how wickedly the salt tax has been designed. In order to prevent the use of salt that has not paid the tax, which is at times even fourteen times its value, the Government destroys the salt it cannot sell profitably. Thus, it taxes the nation’s vital necessity; it prevents the public from manufacturing it and destroys what nature manufactures without effort. No adjective is strong enough for characterizing this wicked dog-in-the-manger policy. From various sources, I hear tales of such wanton destruction of the nation’s property in all parts of India. Maunds, if not tons, of salt are said to be destroyed on the Konkan coast. The same tale comes from Dandi. Wherever there is a likelihood of natural salt being taken away by the people living in the neighborhood areas for their personal use, salt officers are posted for the sole purpose of carrying on destruction. Thus, valuable national property is destroyed at national expense, and salt taken out of the mouths of the people. The salt monopoly is thus a fourfold curse. It deprives the people of a valuable easy village industry, involves wanton destruction of property that nation produces in abundance, the destruction itself means more national expenditure, and fourthly, to crown his folly, an unheard-of tax of more than 1,000 per cent is exacted from a starving people. This tax has remained so long because of the apathy of the general public. Now that it is sufficiently roused, the tax has to go. How soon it will be abolished depends upon the strength of the people.
Gandhiji’s Transformation of the National Movement
Q12. How did Gandhiji transform the National Movement into a mass movement?
Ans:
- Simple lifestyle
- Use of Hindi for communication
- Role of Gandhiji in three mass movements
- Emphasis on Truth and non-violence
- Swadeshi, boycott, and Swaraj
- Importance of Charkha and Khadi
- Upliftment of women, poor, and downtrodden
- Hindu-Muslim unity
- Abolition of untouchability
- Balancing each and every section of society
Sources for Reconstructing Gandhi’s Political Career
Q13. Explain the sources from which we can reconstruct the political career of Mahatma Gandhi and the history of the National Movement of India.
Ans:
- Auto-biographies and biographies
- Contemporary newspapers
- Official and police records
- Public speeches
- Private letters
The Problem of Separate Electorates
Q11. What was the problem of separate electorates? What were the disagreements between Congress and Dalits on this issue? Finally, what solution was found for this issue?
Ans: The demand for separate electorates by the Dalits involved reservation in separate electorates, similar to that of Muslims. In 1931, during the second Round Table Conference, Dalit leader Dr. B.R. Ambedkar stated that Congress did not represent the Dalits. He argued that Dalits were socially and economically backward and that separate electorates would allow them to demand their rights.
Indian National Congress and the Second World War
Q.8 What was the attitude of the Indian National Congress towards the Second World War?
Ans:
- Both Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru were against Hitler and the Nazis.
- They promised Congress support for the war effort if the British, in return, promised to grant India Independence after the war.
Significance of Gandhiji’s Speech at Banaras Hindu University
Q.3 State the significance of Gandhiji’s speech at Banaras Hindu University?
Ans:
- Gandhiji charged the Indian elite with a lack of concern for the laboring poor.
- He worried about the contrast between the rich and poor. He felt the salvation of India lay in the farmers.
The Rowlatt Act Explained
Q.4 What is meant by the Rowlatt Act?
Ans: Anybody could be arrested on the basis of suspicion and put in prison without trial. This Act was made by Rowlatt to suppress the freedom struggle.