Mahatma Gandhi – salt satyagrah

MaHatMa GandHi agreed to take goat milk on advice of his doctor in order to recover from his ailments. Soon after he started taking goat milk, he was operated for fissures. As he was recuperating, he read in the papers the Rowlatt Committee’s report. The report’s recommendations were designed to suppress Indians’ expectations of relief from wartime restrictions and progress towards dominion status. Gandhi, along with his supporters decided to protest against the report.

rowlatt act - At Gandhi’s initiative, a Satyagrah Sabha was established to lead the protest campaign. He was appointed its president. As the agitation against the report gathered momentum, the government introduced the bill in the legislative chamber. Gandhi attended the debate. Indian members of the council warned against the bill. Gandhi himself wrote letters to the Viceroy against the bill. Despite oppositions from Indian leaders, the bill passed and became the Act.

Gandhi was in Chennai as a guest of Rajagopalachari when he learnt about the passing of the bill. He thought over how to oppose the Rowlatt Act and finally came up with an idea of Hartal, strike as a means of Satyagrah. He envisioned it to be a process of self-purification. Businesses would be suspended and people would observe the day as one of fasting and prayer all over the country. He told his idea to Rajagopalachari who readily accepted. The date of the strike was fixed on 30th March 1919, which was subsequently changed to 6th April 1919.

The program of the strike was communicated throughout the nation. The idea of strike united multitude of people in a common action. The government chose to suppress the strike. The police opened fire on demonstrators in Delhi causing causalities. Similar incidents occurred elsewhere.

The situation in the Punjab province deteriorated significantly. Gandhi was invited to visit the Punjab. While travelling on the train to Amritsar, authorities stopped him on the way. They escorted him to Mumbai and released him. After a few days in Mumbai, Gandhi went to his Ashram at Sabarmati.

He toured regions of Gujarat and discovered that some violence from protesters’ side had occurred during the strike, which was inconsistent with his principle of Satyagrah. He called off the movement on 18 April 1919.

On 13th April 1919, the colonial government committed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar. The official Hunter committee enquiry into the incident reported over 1,500 people dead and wounded. Local leaders were in jail during the enquiry. Congress boycotted the Hunter committee and instituted its own enquiry headed by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.

The Congress report exposed to what extent the British government was capable of perpetrating inhumanities and barbarities to maintain its control over India. Gandhi was allowed to visit the Punjab only in late October 1919. He visited the Punjab and met the enquiry committee members. During this meeting he established a close personal contact with Motilal Nehru who was also on the Congress enquiry committee.

Gandhi was invited to attend the Khilafat conference in November 1919 in Delhi. It was in support of the Khalifa of Turkey, after it was defeated in the First World War. Gandhi attended the conference and stressed on Hindu Muslim unity and urged for noncooperation with the government. Later, the Khalifa issue became redundant after president Mustafa Kemal Pasa took control of Turkey and abolished the old system. salt satyagrah - Gandhi decided to launch a fresh Satyagraha against the salt tax. The British government had passed the Indian Salt Act of 1882. This created a government monopoly on the manufacture and sale of salt. Salt could be manufactured and handled only at an official government salt depot. simon commission - In November 1927, Gandhi along with other leaders was informed of the arrival of Simon commission led by John Simon. The commission would determine the fate of India, but it had not have a single Indian member. Indian leaders considered it to be trickery to delay home-rule and decided to boycott the commission at every level, all over India.

Montagu-Chelmsford reform - In the last week of December 1919, a day before the annual Congress session met in Amritsar, Britain announced the MontaguChelmsford reform, which became ‘The Government of India Act of 1919’. Gandhi declared it not wholly satisfactory even to him, and unsatisfactory to everyone else. Despite, he favoured its acceptance. Other senior leaders were opposed to it. However, a compromise was reached at the Congress session.

Over half a million Indian soldiers had fought for England in the First World War. India expected to be rewarded for their sacrifice by the award of dominion status, which did not eventuate. In April 1920, Gandhi joined the All India Home Rule League and was elected its president. He decided to start Satyagrah to attain home rule. Fasting and prayers would precede it.

Congress unanimously approved the non-cooperation movement at its Nagpur session in December 1920. Gandhi proposed a resolution for attaining Swaraj or self-rule within the British Empire if possible or outside it, if necessary. He promised that if non-cooperation operated nonviolently, self-rule would come within a year. He returned to the Viceroy his two South African war medals and his Kaisar-i-Hind gold medal.

The marchers responded to the provocation and burnt the police station. Many policemen were burnt alive.

Gandhi learnt about the incident a few days later. He suspended his planned civil disobedience at Bardoli and cancelled any defiance of the government anywhere in India.

Gandhi’s arrest - The government arrested Gandhi soon after the incident and charged him on sedition for three articles that he had written in his publication Young India. He was tried for sedition. During the trial he made a statement, which highly impressed the Judge. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. He began his sentence on 18 March 1922.

Gandhi was released in February 1924 for an appendicitis operation, having served only two years. He found the Congress party divided. His concluded that India was not fully ready for Satyagrah. He turned his attention to constructive works. His program was to prepare Indians for future political opportunities. The program included works for Hindu Muslim unity, the removal of untouchability and spreading the use of Khadi, homespun cloth.

He was persuaded to take the presidency of Congress in 1925. He travelled throughout India during this period. By now, many Indians had started deifying him. They claimed to have been cured of diseases by chanting his name or by wearing a talisman with writing or inscription of his name.

Gandhi objected to such credulous practices.

December 1928 demanded results from their movement. Congress leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose stipulated a declaration of Independence. Gandhi suggested giving warning for a period of one year to the British. If India had not achieved Dominion Status by 31 December 1929, he would declare its independence.

In the annual Congress session under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru at Lahore in December 1929, Congress announced Purna Swaraj, complete independence from Britain. It endorsed civil disobedience including the nonpayment of taxes. Gandhi was to decide the next course of action.

On his call, many Indians renounced their British titles. Lawyers left their lucrative law practices. Student left their schools and colleges. Foreign goods were boycotted. Gandhi took to spinning yarn half an hour a day and encouraged everyone to do the same. For seven month he travelled throughout the nation, spreading his message among the populace.

In September 1921, he discarded his usual clothing and adopted his new attire of loincloth as his main dress, and held a homespun bag, the rosary and a few necessities. Congress boycotted the Prince of Wales’ visit to India in 1921. Demonstrations against the visit turned violent in Mumbai. Gandhi undertook a fast until the disruption ended.

The government arrested political leaders and their followers. The annual Congress session held in Ahmedabad in December 1921 elected Gandhi as the sole executive authority of the Congress. By that time, over twenty thousand Indians had been jailed for involvement in the noncooperation movement. More were jailed subsequently. The peasants started a no-tax movement. The government responded with increased brutality.

The year 1921 passed without Swaraj. Gandhi planned his next move. Congress agreed to start the non-violent civil disobedience but consented to Gandhi that they would not move without his assent. He preferred to try his movement in one area, and selected Bardoli in Gujarat for his action. He informed the Viceroy of his plan. However, an incident happened in Chauri Chaura in the Uttar Pradesh before he could start his movement in Bardoli. The police had provoked a legal protest march by shooting at some of the demonstrators.

In December 1925, after relinquishing the position of Congress president, he took the vow of observing political silence at least for a year and remained mostly at Sabarmati. In December 1926 he attended the Guwahati Congress session in Assam. He stressed on the need for social reform. He toured the country and spoke to congregations. In his speeches, he continued to emphasise on issues such as equality for untouchables, equality for women, non-violence, spinning and no consumption of intoxicants.

The Simon commission arrived in Mumbai and was greeted with black flags and shouts of ‘Go back Simon’. Similar treatments were offered elsewhere. In Punjab, during the anti Simon demonstration, the police seriously injured Lala Lajpat Rai, who died after a few days of the incident. Indian revolutionaries avenged Lala’s death.

Gandhi decided to start the Satyagrah that he had abandoned at Bardoli six years ago. In Bardoli, at Gandhi’s suggestion, Ballabhbhai Patel led the movement. Villagers refused to pay the increase in taxes. Government confiscated their belongings and arrested activists. Perseverance of villagers resulted in their success. The government agreed to cancel the rise in taxes, return all confiscated belongings and release all arrested activists.

The Kolkata Congress session in awadhesh sharma www.hinduguru.com.au

On 12 March 1930, Gandhi, followed by the members of his ashram began his march to the sea beach at Dandi to break the Salt Act. Walking from village to village, he along with his disciples travelled 388 kilometres in 24 days. On the way, peasants sprinkled the road with water and strewed leaves on them for making their walk bearable. Festoons and decorations were hung along their path at as a mark of welcome. Thousands gathered on the roadside and knelt before the marchers. Many joined them and followed up to the seashores. Gandhi addressed the congregations that gathered to welcome him.

Gandhi reached the sea at Dandi on 5 April. His small initial group had grown to several thousand. In the night, disciples prayed, and early in the morning followed Gandhi to the sea. He dipped into the water, returned to the beach and picked up some salt. The British salt law was broken. The followers shouted ‘Glory to Mahatma Gandhi’.

Gandhi’s action galvanized the nation with new energy. It appealed to illiterates as well as to sophisticated politicians. His critics also admired his action. Villagers, city dwellers, politicians and ordinary people started making salt and selling it all over India as a symbol of law breaking. The British responded by imprisoning the Satyagrahis.

Gandhi was arrested on 5 May 1930 under Regulation of 1827 and imprisoned in Yervada Central Jail. Just before his arrest, Gandhi had drafted a letter to the Viceroy announcing his intention to raid Dharasana Salt Works.

Mrs Sarojini Naidu with 2,500 volunteers led a peaceful raid at Dharasana on 21 May. She had cautioned volunteers not to retaliate to police actions. Despite police brutality, the protesters persisted on their march. The police struck them. Two protesters died and many were injured. Webb Miller, a United Press correspondent who witnessed the action at Dharasana reported the scene in detail, and recognised that with such determination, India had won the battle. The salt Satyagrah was one of the most successful campaigns at upsetting the British hold on India.