1.

By making salt as a tool of protest, Gandhiji proved that any trivial issue can be snowballed into a popular strategy to trigger public protest and intensify a mass movement. Examine this statement in the light of Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhiji.

Answer»

Civil Disobedience Movement: 

The Lahore Congress Session of 1929 decided to start a civil disobedience movement under the leadership of Gandhiji. This was the second mass movement launched by Gandhiji against the British.

With the civil disobedience movement, Gandhiji meant to disobey all anti-popular and antidemocratic laws made by the British government. As part of the movement, Gandhiji proposed the following.

  • To lift salt tax. 
  • To declare 50% tax relaxation for farmers. 
  • To increase the tax on imported foreign clothes. 
  • To release political prisoners. 
  • To cut short military budget and high salary of top officials. 
  • To dissolve the secret surveillance wing formed to watch Indians. 
  • To start coastal shipping service. 
  • To implement prohibition of liquor.

Gandhiji gave top priority to reducing salt tax due to a variety of reasons. He selected salt as a powerful tool against the British because:

  • Salt tax constituted two fifth portion of the income collected by the British through taxes. 
  • Salt tax was a heavy burden for the poor people. 
  • There was three fold hike on salt price. 
  • The British government banned small scale indegenous salt production. 
  • The demand for lifting salt tax was a slogan suitable to inspire all segments of the society.

Gandhiji began the civil disobedience with Salt Satyagraha. The Salt Satyagraha began with the famous Dandi March by Gandhiji on 30 March, 1930. Gandhiji along with 78 followers marched from Sabarmali Ashram to Dandi, a coastal village in Gujarat. He broke the salt law by making salt. Inspired by the call of Gandhiji, people in various parts of the country started to produce salt on their own, violating the British regulations.

Payyannur in Kerala, Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu, Bombay in Maharashtra, Naokhali in Bengal and North West Frontier Province were some of the centres of this protest. As part of the protest, volunteers made salt and distributed it to the people, hoisted national flag and chanted anti- British slogans. Gandhiji was arrested and the movement was suppressed callously.



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