Response to Gandhian Movements in Maharashtra | Maharashtra State PSC (MPSC): Preparation - MPSC (Maharastra) PDF Download

 Page 1


  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
   
    
    
 
 
 
 
            
       
       
        
  INTRODUCTION 
The third phase of Indian freedom struggle is known as Gandhi era. 
Gandhiji was the leader of Indian National Movement from 1920 to 1947. 
He made the revolutionary changes in the  freedom movement and it has 
reached to all sections of society. In true sense it has gain the national 
character. He started number of movements and it was participated by 
majority of people throughout the country. The people of Maharashtra 
participated in Gandhiji’s movement in large number. During this era, 
Maharashtra was the important centre of Indian national Movement. 
Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi: 
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was rightly called the father of the 
Indian nation, was born on 2 October, 1869 in a small town known as 
Porbandar of today’s Gujarat. After his initial education, he went to 
England and completed the degree of Barrister at Law. After coming back 
to India, he started his legal practice in the Mumbai High court but very 
soon he got a chance to go to South Africa, where he made a very 
remarkable mark not as a Legal practitioner but as a political leader. 
 
 
 
Response	to	Gandhian	Movements	in	Maharashtra
Page 2


  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
   
    
    
 
 
 
 
            
       
       
        
  INTRODUCTION 
The third phase of Indian freedom struggle is known as Gandhi era. 
Gandhiji was the leader of Indian National Movement from 1920 to 1947. 
He made the revolutionary changes in the  freedom movement and it has 
reached to all sections of society. In true sense it has gain the national 
character. He started number of movements and it was participated by 
majority of people throughout the country. The people of Maharashtra 
participated in Gandhiji’s movement in large number. During this era, 
Maharashtra was the important centre of Indian national Movement. 
Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi: 
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was rightly called the father of the 
Indian nation, was born on 2 October, 1869 in a small town known as 
Porbandar of today’s Gujarat. After his initial education, he went to 
England and completed the degree of Barrister at Law. After coming back 
to India, he started his legal practice in the Mumbai High court but very 
soon he got a chance to go to South Africa, where he made a very 
remarkable mark not as a Legal practitioner but as a political leader. 
 
 
 
Response	to	Gandhian	Movements	in	Maharashtra
  
 
                     
 
 
Gandhiji fought against the unjust regulations and racialism in South 
Africa because all Indians in South Africa were put under severe social 
restrictions and racial discrimination. Even Gandhi himself had its taste 
while he was traveling to Pretoria. He was forced to vacate a first-class 
railway compartment and was beaten up even if he had been with a 
bonafied ticket for the same. These events led Gandhiji to convert himself 
from a shy lawyer into a bold champion of rights of his people. In order to 
fight for the plight of Indians in South Africa, Gandhi developed the 
philosophy of Satyagraha over their Satyagraha means insistence of 
truth by way of non-violence. He defined it as soul-force and born out of 
truth and non-violence. He said that Satyagraha was not a meek 
submission to the will of the evildoer, it was the pitting of one’s whole 
soul against the will of the tyrant, which enabled a single individual to 
defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honour and laid 
foundation for the empire’s fall. Gandhiji taught and led the people to 
resist unjust laws and organised workers strike in South Africa which 
forced the South African Government to agree with Gandhiji and made 
him to succeed in completing his mission in South Africa. 
 
After returning from South Africa, in 1915, Gandhiji stayed at the servants 
of India society, Pune for some days and discussed about political 
problems in India with his political guru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Finally, 
he settled down at Ahmedabad and founded his popular Ashram on the 
bank of river Sabarmati. In order to understand the problems of Indian 
people, he traveled extensively throughout India and concentrated on 
specific grievances of people as indenture system under which Indian 
labourers were taken abroad to work in miserable conditions. Gandhiji led 
the Government to abolish the system completely. After this Gandhiji 
worked for the rights of indigo cultivators in        Champaran (Bihar), farmers 
in the district of Kheda (Gujarat) and the mill workers of Ahmedabad. 
These campaigns made him a popular leader and helped gather many 
devoted followers around him. His popularity, idealism and his methods 
enabled him to concentrate on the nationwide problems. 
 THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT (1920-
1922) 
There were several circumstances responsible for Gandhiji’s non-
cooperation movement as the disappointing and unsatisfactory Montague- 
Chemsford Reroms, passage of Rowlatt Act of March, 1919 and the 
Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April, 1919 were prominent events 
among them. The Hindu-Muslim cooperation during and after the Khilafat 
movement, the Hunter committee inquiry report and the void created by 
the death of Lokmanya Tilak stimulated him to adopt the non-cooperation 
proposal in a special session of the Congress convened in Calcutta in the 
month of September, 1920. The non-cooperation programme of Gandhiji 
was       consisted of  
1) Surrender of British titles and honours.  
2) Boycott of British legislatures, courts and educational institutions                                  
Page 3


  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
   
    
    
 
 
 
 
            
       
       
        
  INTRODUCTION 
The third phase of Indian freedom struggle is known as Gandhi era. 
Gandhiji was the leader of Indian National Movement from 1920 to 1947. 
He made the revolutionary changes in the  freedom movement and it has 
reached to all sections of society. In true sense it has gain the national 
character. He started number of movements and it was participated by 
majority of people throughout the country. The people of Maharashtra 
participated in Gandhiji’s movement in large number. During this era, 
Maharashtra was the important centre of Indian national Movement. 
Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi: 
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was rightly called the father of the 
Indian nation, was born on 2 October, 1869 in a small town known as 
Porbandar of today’s Gujarat. After his initial education, he went to 
England and completed the degree of Barrister at Law. After coming back 
to India, he started his legal practice in the Mumbai High court but very 
soon he got a chance to go to South Africa, where he made a very 
remarkable mark not as a Legal practitioner but as a political leader. 
 
 
 
Response	to	Gandhian	Movements	in	Maharashtra
  
 
                     
 
 
Gandhiji fought against the unjust regulations and racialism in South 
Africa because all Indians in South Africa were put under severe social 
restrictions and racial discrimination. Even Gandhi himself had its taste 
while he was traveling to Pretoria. He was forced to vacate a first-class 
railway compartment and was beaten up even if he had been with a 
bonafied ticket for the same. These events led Gandhiji to convert himself 
from a shy lawyer into a bold champion of rights of his people. In order to 
fight for the plight of Indians in South Africa, Gandhi developed the 
philosophy of Satyagraha over their Satyagraha means insistence of 
truth by way of non-violence. He defined it as soul-force and born out of 
truth and non-violence. He said that Satyagraha was not a meek 
submission to the will of the evildoer, it was the pitting of one’s whole 
soul against the will of the tyrant, which enabled a single individual to 
defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honour and laid 
foundation for the empire’s fall. Gandhiji taught and led the people to 
resist unjust laws and organised workers strike in South Africa which 
forced the South African Government to agree with Gandhiji and made 
him to succeed in completing his mission in South Africa. 
 
After returning from South Africa, in 1915, Gandhiji stayed at the servants 
of India society, Pune for some days and discussed about political 
problems in India with his political guru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Finally, 
he settled down at Ahmedabad and founded his popular Ashram on the 
bank of river Sabarmati. In order to understand the problems of Indian 
people, he traveled extensively throughout India and concentrated on 
specific grievances of people as indenture system under which Indian 
labourers were taken abroad to work in miserable conditions. Gandhiji led 
the Government to abolish the system completely. After this Gandhiji 
worked for the rights of indigo cultivators in        Champaran (Bihar), farmers 
in the district of Kheda (Gujarat) and the mill workers of Ahmedabad. 
These campaigns made him a popular leader and helped gather many 
devoted followers around him. His popularity, idealism and his methods 
enabled him to concentrate on the nationwide problems. 
 THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT (1920-
1922) 
There were several circumstances responsible for Gandhiji’s non-
cooperation movement as the disappointing and unsatisfactory Montague- 
Chemsford Reroms, passage of Rowlatt Act of March, 1919 and the 
Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April, 1919 were prominent events 
among them. The Hindu-Muslim cooperation during and after the Khilafat 
movement, the Hunter committee inquiry report and the void created by 
the death of Lokmanya Tilak stimulated him to adopt the non-cooperation 
proposal in a special session of the Congress convened in Calcutta in the 
month of September, 1920. The non-cooperation programme of Gandhiji 
was       consisted of  
1) Surrender of British titles and honours.  
2) Boycott of British legislatures, courts and educational institutions                                  
 
 
 
 
 
3) Boycott of foreign made goods.  
4) Promotion of Swadeshi goods especially Khadi  
5) removal of untouchability 
6) promotion of Hindu – muslim unity  
7) abstention from alcoholic beverages  
8) attainment of self-rule or Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means 
9) refusal to serve in Mesopotamia by soldiers, clerks and workers.  
10) non-payment of taxes  
11) establishment of national educational institutions  
12) establishment of panchayat courts  
13) popularizations of charkha 
The programme of the non-cooperation movement was ratified at the 
Nagpur session of Congress except Jinnah all supported Gandhiji for the 
same. The same session threw open the Congress membership for all 
people above eighteen years to age which transformed the Congress from 
a debating society into a non-violent revolutionary movement. 
Non-cooperation Movement in Action : 
After the declaration of the programme of the movement people from all 
walks of life, communities and classes participated in it whole heartedly. 
Schools, colleges and all Government institutions were closed and 
national educational institutions were opened to cater educational needs 
like the Jamia Millia Islamia and Kalshi Vidyapeeth. Boycott of foreign 
made goods, their bonfires      and hartals were observed everywhere 
enthusiastically. The whole atmosphere was charged spontaneously with 
nationalism and patriotism. A total hartal was observed on the days when 
the members of the English royal family, the Duke of Connaught and 
the Prince of Wales visited Indian cities. 
 
The British Government began to repress the movement and declared the 
Congress and Khilaphat and their organizations unlawful, which led the 
Ahmedabad session of Congress in December, 1921 to authorize Gandhiji 
to intensify the movement. Gandhiji selected Bardoli a Tahsil in 
Gujarat to start mass civil disobedience movement. But before the 
movement was launched at Bardoli, a case of mob violence took place on 
5
th
 February, 1922 to outwit the Government repression. It was so 
happened that on  5
th
 February, 1922 at Chauri Chaura in the district of 
Gorakhpur of present U. P. a group of infuriated people being fired upon 
by the police turn violent and set on fire to the police station in which 
twenty two policemen were burnt alive, which dismayed Gandhiji. He 
suspended the movement immediately to avoid further violence. The call 
of decision of the movement disappointed almost all Congress leaders and 
people in general all over the country. The Government took full 
advantage of this situation, arrested Gandhiji and sentenced him for six 
Page 4


  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
   
    
    
 
 
 
 
            
       
       
        
  INTRODUCTION 
The third phase of Indian freedom struggle is known as Gandhi era. 
Gandhiji was the leader of Indian National Movement from 1920 to 1947. 
He made the revolutionary changes in the  freedom movement and it has 
reached to all sections of society. In true sense it has gain the national 
character. He started number of movements and it was participated by 
majority of people throughout the country. The people of Maharashtra 
participated in Gandhiji’s movement in large number. During this era, 
Maharashtra was the important centre of Indian national Movement. 
Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi: 
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was rightly called the father of the 
Indian nation, was born on 2 October, 1869 in a small town known as 
Porbandar of today’s Gujarat. After his initial education, he went to 
England and completed the degree of Barrister at Law. After coming back 
to India, he started his legal practice in the Mumbai High court but very 
soon he got a chance to go to South Africa, where he made a very 
remarkable mark not as a Legal practitioner but as a political leader. 
 
 
 
Response	to	Gandhian	Movements	in	Maharashtra
  
 
                     
 
 
Gandhiji fought against the unjust regulations and racialism in South 
Africa because all Indians in South Africa were put under severe social 
restrictions and racial discrimination. Even Gandhi himself had its taste 
while he was traveling to Pretoria. He was forced to vacate a first-class 
railway compartment and was beaten up even if he had been with a 
bonafied ticket for the same. These events led Gandhiji to convert himself 
from a shy lawyer into a bold champion of rights of his people. In order to 
fight for the plight of Indians in South Africa, Gandhi developed the 
philosophy of Satyagraha over their Satyagraha means insistence of 
truth by way of non-violence. He defined it as soul-force and born out of 
truth and non-violence. He said that Satyagraha was not a meek 
submission to the will of the evildoer, it was the pitting of one’s whole 
soul against the will of the tyrant, which enabled a single individual to 
defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honour and laid 
foundation for the empire’s fall. Gandhiji taught and led the people to 
resist unjust laws and organised workers strike in South Africa which 
forced the South African Government to agree with Gandhiji and made 
him to succeed in completing his mission in South Africa. 
 
After returning from South Africa, in 1915, Gandhiji stayed at the servants 
of India society, Pune for some days and discussed about political 
problems in India with his political guru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Finally, 
he settled down at Ahmedabad and founded his popular Ashram on the 
bank of river Sabarmati. In order to understand the problems of Indian 
people, he traveled extensively throughout India and concentrated on 
specific grievances of people as indenture system under which Indian 
labourers were taken abroad to work in miserable conditions. Gandhiji led 
the Government to abolish the system completely. After this Gandhiji 
worked for the rights of indigo cultivators in        Champaran (Bihar), farmers 
in the district of Kheda (Gujarat) and the mill workers of Ahmedabad. 
These campaigns made him a popular leader and helped gather many 
devoted followers around him. His popularity, idealism and his methods 
enabled him to concentrate on the nationwide problems. 
 THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT (1920-
1922) 
There were several circumstances responsible for Gandhiji’s non-
cooperation movement as the disappointing and unsatisfactory Montague- 
Chemsford Reroms, passage of Rowlatt Act of March, 1919 and the 
Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April, 1919 were prominent events 
among them. The Hindu-Muslim cooperation during and after the Khilafat 
movement, the Hunter committee inquiry report and the void created by 
the death of Lokmanya Tilak stimulated him to adopt the non-cooperation 
proposal in a special session of the Congress convened in Calcutta in the 
month of September, 1920. The non-cooperation programme of Gandhiji 
was       consisted of  
1) Surrender of British titles and honours.  
2) Boycott of British legislatures, courts and educational institutions                                  
 
 
 
 
 
3) Boycott of foreign made goods.  
4) Promotion of Swadeshi goods especially Khadi  
5) removal of untouchability 
6) promotion of Hindu – muslim unity  
7) abstention from alcoholic beverages  
8) attainment of self-rule or Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means 
9) refusal to serve in Mesopotamia by soldiers, clerks and workers.  
10) non-payment of taxes  
11) establishment of national educational institutions  
12) establishment of panchayat courts  
13) popularizations of charkha 
The programme of the non-cooperation movement was ratified at the 
Nagpur session of Congress except Jinnah all supported Gandhiji for the 
same. The same session threw open the Congress membership for all 
people above eighteen years to age which transformed the Congress from 
a debating society into a non-violent revolutionary movement. 
Non-cooperation Movement in Action : 
After the declaration of the programme of the movement people from all 
walks of life, communities and classes participated in it whole heartedly. 
Schools, colleges and all Government institutions were closed and 
national educational institutions were opened to cater educational needs 
like the Jamia Millia Islamia and Kalshi Vidyapeeth. Boycott of foreign 
made goods, their bonfires      and hartals were observed everywhere 
enthusiastically. The whole atmosphere was charged spontaneously with 
nationalism and patriotism. A total hartal was observed on the days when 
the members of the English royal family, the Duke of Connaught and 
the Prince of Wales visited Indian cities. 
 
The British Government began to repress the movement and declared the 
Congress and Khilaphat and their organizations unlawful, which led the 
Ahmedabad session of Congress in December, 1921 to authorize Gandhiji 
to intensify the movement. Gandhiji selected Bardoli a Tahsil in 
Gujarat to start mass civil disobedience movement. But before the 
movement was launched at Bardoli, a case of mob violence took place on 
5
th
 February, 1922 to outwit the Government repression. It was so 
happened that on  5
th
 February, 1922 at Chauri Chaura in the district of 
Gorakhpur of present U. P. a group of infuriated people being fired upon 
by the police turn violent and set on fire to the police station in which 
twenty two policemen were burnt alive, which dismayed Gandhiji. He 
suspended the movement immediately to avoid further violence. The call 
of decision of the movement disappointed almost all Congress leaders and 
people in general all over the country. The Government took full 
advantage of this situation, arrested Gandhiji and sentenced him for six 
  
 
                   
 
 
years imprisonment but he was released after two years of jail on the 
ground of his ill health. Although, the non-cooperation movement was 
suspended the nationalism continued to burn brighter. The prisons lost 
their terror and became the places of pilgrimage for the purpose of 
liberations of our country. 
Check your progress : 
1) Discuss the programme of the Non-cooperation movement started by 
Mahatma Gandhiji. 
   THE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT (1930) 
This was one more important movement, which Gandhiji started and 
challenged the British Government to sanction the demands of Indian 
people. The Indian National Congress accepted the Nehru Report in its 
Calcutta session held on 31
st
 December, 1928 and informed Government 
to accept it on or before 31
st
 December, 1929, otherwise the Congress 
prepared to organize a nationwide movement. Although, the declaration of 
Viceroy Irwin disappointed, Gandhiji met him on 23
rd
 December, 1929 
and tried to understand the plan of action of the British Government. But 
the Viceroy did not commit anything more of them his declaration. 
This led Gandhiji to start the Civil Disobedience movement. The Congress 
session held at Lahor in December, 1929, authorized the Congress 
working Committee to launch the movement. The Congress working 
Committee in turn assigned full rights to Gandhiji to start the movement 
in February, 1930. Gandhiji announced the movement and informed the 
Viceroy regarding the same on 2
nd
 March, 1930. Pandit Nehru, President 
of the Congress, hoisted the Tricolour flag at Lahore after the grace period 
given to the British Government to accept the Nehru Report came to an 
end. The Congress also called the people to celebrate 26 January as Full 
Independence Day and asked them to take an oath to oppose the British 
Government to gain freedom by way of non-violence. 
The Dandi March : 
Gandhiji planned to start his march from his Sabarmati Ashram, 
Ahmedabad to Dandi a seashore village, 240 miles away from the 
Ashram. Gandhiji trained everyone about the non- violence and the 
programme of the March, which came to be known ad Dandi March. The 
programme of Dandhi March included 
1) breaking of salt laws after reaching Dandi  
2) Picketina shops selling foreign cloth and liquor  
3) refusing payment of taxes  
4) boy cotting courts and  
5) resigning from Government posts. 
  
Gandhiji left his Ashram with trained seventy-eight volunteers. He walked 
from village to village, held meetings with the villagers, halted at several 
villages and covered the distance of 240 miles within twenty-four days. 
Gandhiji reached Dandi on 5
th
 April, 1930, spent the whole night in prayer 
Page 5


  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
   
    
    
 
 
 
 
            
       
       
        
  INTRODUCTION 
The third phase of Indian freedom struggle is known as Gandhi era. 
Gandhiji was the leader of Indian National Movement from 1920 to 1947. 
He made the revolutionary changes in the  freedom movement and it has 
reached to all sections of society. In true sense it has gain the national 
character. He started number of movements and it was participated by 
majority of people throughout the country. The people of Maharashtra 
participated in Gandhiji’s movement in large number. During this era, 
Maharashtra was the important centre of Indian national Movement. 
Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi: 
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was rightly called the father of the 
Indian nation, was born on 2 October, 1869 in a small town known as 
Porbandar of today’s Gujarat. After his initial education, he went to 
England and completed the degree of Barrister at Law. After coming back 
to India, he started his legal practice in the Mumbai High court but very 
soon he got a chance to go to South Africa, where he made a very 
remarkable mark not as a Legal practitioner but as a political leader. 
 
 
 
Response	to	Gandhian	Movements	in	Maharashtra
  
 
                     
 
 
Gandhiji fought against the unjust regulations and racialism in South 
Africa because all Indians in South Africa were put under severe social 
restrictions and racial discrimination. Even Gandhi himself had its taste 
while he was traveling to Pretoria. He was forced to vacate a first-class 
railway compartment and was beaten up even if he had been with a 
bonafied ticket for the same. These events led Gandhiji to convert himself 
from a shy lawyer into a bold champion of rights of his people. In order to 
fight for the plight of Indians in South Africa, Gandhi developed the 
philosophy of Satyagraha over their Satyagraha means insistence of 
truth by way of non-violence. He defined it as soul-force and born out of 
truth and non-violence. He said that Satyagraha was not a meek 
submission to the will of the evildoer, it was the pitting of one’s whole 
soul against the will of the tyrant, which enabled a single individual to 
defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honour and laid 
foundation for the empire’s fall. Gandhiji taught and led the people to 
resist unjust laws and organised workers strike in South Africa which 
forced the South African Government to agree with Gandhiji and made 
him to succeed in completing his mission in South Africa. 
 
After returning from South Africa, in 1915, Gandhiji stayed at the servants 
of India society, Pune for some days and discussed about political 
problems in India with his political guru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Finally, 
he settled down at Ahmedabad and founded his popular Ashram on the 
bank of river Sabarmati. In order to understand the problems of Indian 
people, he traveled extensively throughout India and concentrated on 
specific grievances of people as indenture system under which Indian 
labourers were taken abroad to work in miserable conditions. Gandhiji led 
the Government to abolish the system completely. After this Gandhiji 
worked for the rights of indigo cultivators in        Champaran (Bihar), farmers 
in the district of Kheda (Gujarat) and the mill workers of Ahmedabad. 
These campaigns made him a popular leader and helped gather many 
devoted followers around him. His popularity, idealism and his methods 
enabled him to concentrate on the nationwide problems. 
 THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT (1920-
1922) 
There were several circumstances responsible for Gandhiji’s non-
cooperation movement as the disappointing and unsatisfactory Montague- 
Chemsford Reroms, passage of Rowlatt Act of March, 1919 and the 
Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April, 1919 were prominent events 
among them. The Hindu-Muslim cooperation during and after the Khilafat 
movement, the Hunter committee inquiry report and the void created by 
the death of Lokmanya Tilak stimulated him to adopt the non-cooperation 
proposal in a special session of the Congress convened in Calcutta in the 
month of September, 1920. The non-cooperation programme of Gandhiji 
was       consisted of  
1) Surrender of British titles and honours.  
2) Boycott of British legislatures, courts and educational institutions                                  
 
 
 
 
 
3) Boycott of foreign made goods.  
4) Promotion of Swadeshi goods especially Khadi  
5) removal of untouchability 
6) promotion of Hindu – muslim unity  
7) abstention from alcoholic beverages  
8) attainment of self-rule or Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means 
9) refusal to serve in Mesopotamia by soldiers, clerks and workers.  
10) non-payment of taxes  
11) establishment of national educational institutions  
12) establishment of panchayat courts  
13) popularizations of charkha 
The programme of the non-cooperation movement was ratified at the 
Nagpur session of Congress except Jinnah all supported Gandhiji for the 
same. The same session threw open the Congress membership for all 
people above eighteen years to age which transformed the Congress from 
a debating society into a non-violent revolutionary movement. 
Non-cooperation Movement in Action : 
After the declaration of the programme of the movement people from all 
walks of life, communities and classes participated in it whole heartedly. 
Schools, colleges and all Government institutions were closed and 
national educational institutions were opened to cater educational needs 
like the Jamia Millia Islamia and Kalshi Vidyapeeth. Boycott of foreign 
made goods, their bonfires      and hartals were observed everywhere 
enthusiastically. The whole atmosphere was charged spontaneously with 
nationalism and patriotism. A total hartal was observed on the days when 
the members of the English royal family, the Duke of Connaught and 
the Prince of Wales visited Indian cities. 
 
The British Government began to repress the movement and declared the 
Congress and Khilaphat and their organizations unlawful, which led the 
Ahmedabad session of Congress in December, 1921 to authorize Gandhiji 
to intensify the movement. Gandhiji selected Bardoli a Tahsil in 
Gujarat to start mass civil disobedience movement. But before the 
movement was launched at Bardoli, a case of mob violence took place on 
5
th
 February, 1922 to outwit the Government repression. It was so 
happened that on  5
th
 February, 1922 at Chauri Chaura in the district of 
Gorakhpur of present U. P. a group of infuriated people being fired upon 
by the police turn violent and set on fire to the police station in which 
twenty two policemen were burnt alive, which dismayed Gandhiji. He 
suspended the movement immediately to avoid further violence. The call 
of decision of the movement disappointed almost all Congress leaders and 
people in general all over the country. The Government took full 
advantage of this situation, arrested Gandhiji and sentenced him for six 
  
 
                   
 
 
years imprisonment but he was released after two years of jail on the 
ground of his ill health. Although, the non-cooperation movement was 
suspended the nationalism continued to burn brighter. The prisons lost 
their terror and became the places of pilgrimage for the purpose of 
liberations of our country. 
Check your progress : 
1) Discuss the programme of the Non-cooperation movement started by 
Mahatma Gandhiji. 
   THE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT (1930) 
This was one more important movement, which Gandhiji started and 
challenged the British Government to sanction the demands of Indian 
people. The Indian National Congress accepted the Nehru Report in its 
Calcutta session held on 31
st
 December, 1928 and informed Government 
to accept it on or before 31
st
 December, 1929, otherwise the Congress 
prepared to organize a nationwide movement. Although, the declaration of 
Viceroy Irwin disappointed, Gandhiji met him on 23
rd
 December, 1929 
and tried to understand the plan of action of the British Government. But 
the Viceroy did not commit anything more of them his declaration. 
This led Gandhiji to start the Civil Disobedience movement. The Congress 
session held at Lahor in December, 1929, authorized the Congress 
working Committee to launch the movement. The Congress working 
Committee in turn assigned full rights to Gandhiji to start the movement 
in February, 1930. Gandhiji announced the movement and informed the 
Viceroy regarding the same on 2
nd
 March, 1930. Pandit Nehru, President 
of the Congress, hoisted the Tricolour flag at Lahore after the grace period 
given to the British Government to accept the Nehru Report came to an 
end. The Congress also called the people to celebrate 26 January as Full 
Independence Day and asked them to take an oath to oppose the British 
Government to gain freedom by way of non-violence. 
The Dandi March : 
Gandhiji planned to start his march from his Sabarmati Ashram, 
Ahmedabad to Dandi a seashore village, 240 miles away from the 
Ashram. Gandhiji trained everyone about the non- violence and the 
programme of the March, which came to be known ad Dandi March. The 
programme of Dandhi March included 
1) breaking of salt laws after reaching Dandi  
2) Picketina shops selling foreign cloth and liquor  
3) refusing payment of taxes  
4) boy cotting courts and  
5) resigning from Government posts. 
  
Gandhiji left his Ashram with trained seventy-eight volunteers. He walked 
from village to village, held meetings with the villagers, halted at several 
villages and covered the distance of 240 miles within twenty-four days. 
Gandhiji reached Dandi on 5
th
 April, 1930, spent the whole night in prayer 
 
 
 
 
 
and guiding people over there. He inaugurated the disobedience 
movement on 6
th
 April, 1930 by picking up a handful of salt lying on the 
beach of Dandi. 
Spread of the Movement : 
Gandhiji’s act was a symbolic action and signal the country had been 
waiting for. Once he cleared the way by his symbolic defiance of the salt 
Laws at Dandi the people throughout the country followed him and the 
disobedience movement spread everyw here. Although today’s Maharashtra 
and Gujarat were together under the Bombay state then Mumbai played 
very important role in the freedom struggle of India. In order to carry out 
the programme of the movement, people in Mumbai established four 
major committees as  
1) The Maharashtra Civil Disobedience Committee  
2) The War Council  
3) Supervisory Committee for salt manufacturing centres and sub-centre 
4) The Desh Sevika Sangh. 
 
Mahatma Gandhiji appointed Jemnalal Bajaj to carry on the disobedience 
movement at Vile Parle a suburb of Bombay. There were K. F. Nariman, 
Gokulbhai Bhatt, Kishorlal Mashruwala, Shankarao Dev, G. V. Ketkar, 
and Vasudev Sahasrabudhe to assist him in the movement. People from 
western Maharashtra, Ahmednagar, Thane Satara and Pune flocked 
together at Vile Parle. On 6
th
 April, 1930, the croud brought sea water 
in groups and manufactured salt in cement pans symbolically to 
announce the breakage of salt laws. The scene was very spectacular in 
which men, women, children, young and old had participated with the zeal 
of patriotism. As the result of this disobedience movement Jamnalal 
Bajaj, Nariman and Batt were arrested and sentenced to two years rigorous 
imprisonment. But the whole atmosphere which was charged with 
nationalism, patriotism and gusto for independence, did not deter from 
their objections. 
 
After the salt manufacturing and the violation of salt law at Vile Parle was 
over, other centres began to function under the charge of local leaders. 
These centres were Ghansoli, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Mulund, Bhandup, 
Belapur, Versova, Bhayandar, Shirawane Haji Ali, Esplana de ground and 
Bhatia Baug. Kamla Devi, Prof. Gharpure, Yusuf Meherali, Jafferbhai, N. 
Sadik, Sardul Singh, Ali Bahadur, Mohinuddin Kasuri and Pandit 
Sundarlal participated in the manufacturing of salt on the terrace of the 
Congress House. The moment this news reached to the British 
Government in London, it led the police to raid the Congress house. The 
police destroyed the salt pans and arrested the people involved in it, this 
continued for several days. The women satyagris took lead in Girgaon 
Chowpati Satyagrah. Among them were Kasturba, Janakdidevi, Sarojini 
Naidu, Kamala Devi, Lilavati Munshi, Avantikabai Gokhale, Hansa 
Mehta, Ramibai, Perin, Dosani, Laxmibai Bhide, Khandwala and 
Ratnaben Mehta. 
 
As the War Council and the Committees of salt manufacturing contributed