The Civil Disobedience Movement Dandi March

The Lahore Congress was followed by a two months while the country and the government waited for Gandhiji to decide on the precise method of non-violent struggle for Poorna Swaraj. Gandhiji once again tried for compromise with the government and put the government and put forward 11 points demand include reduction in land tax, prohibition etc. He stated that if Lord Irwin accepted it, then there would be no need for agitation. The government response was negative, so Gandhiji decided to start the movement. The civil disobedience movement was organized to disobey laws made by the British. The programme of the civil disobedience movement was as follows: 1. Salt law should be violated everywhere. 2. Students should leave school and colleges. 3. Governments’ servants should resign from services. 4. Foreign goods should be burnt. 5. No taxes to be paid to the government. 6. Women should start dharna before shops having liquors etc. Gandhiji started the civil disobedience movement on 12th march 1930 with his famous Dandi march. Together with 78 chosen followers, Gandhiji walked from Sabarmati ashram to Dandi, a village on the Gujarat sea coast. On 6th April Gandhi reached Dandi, picked up a handful of salt and broke the salt law as a symbol of Indians refusal to live under British made law. Gandhiji’s march created unprecedented enthusiasm among the people and soon the movement spread all over the country. Violation of salt laws was soon followed by defiance violation of forest laws in Maharashtra, Karnataka and the Central provinces. Everywhere in the country people joined hartals, demonstration and the campaign to boycott foreign goods. Lakhs of Indians offered Satyagraha. In many parts of the country, the peasants refused to pay the land revenue, and rent. Viceroy called First Round Table Conference in London, but congress boycotted it. A notable feature of the movement was the wide participation of women. Thousands of them left seclusion of their homes and offered Satyagraha. They took part in picketing shops selling foreign liquor. They marched shoulder to foreign cloth or liquor. They marched shoulder to shoulder with the man in procession. The movement reached the extreme North Western corner of India and stirred the brave pathans under the leadership of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, popularly known as Frontier Gandhi. The pathans organized the society of Khudai Khidmatgars [Servants of God] known as Red shirts. They started a fierce anti-government movement in various ways including non-payment of taxes. In Peshawar Garhwali soldiers refused to open fire on non-violent mass demonstrators. Nagaland produced a brave heroine Rai Gaidilieu who raised the banner of rebellion against foreign rule. Being alarmed at the intensity of the movement, the British government restored repressive measures. The government put thousands of satyagrahas under arrest including Gandhiji. The congress was declared illegal. The nationalist press was gagged through strict censorship by news. Thousands of persons had their heads and bones broken in lathi charges. The police often beat up men just for wearing Khadi or Gandhi caps. The absence of the congress representing in the first Round Table Conference convinced the British government, the need to persuade the congress to attend the conference. Efforts in that direction were made by Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru and Sir M.R.Jayakar. Finally, Lord Irwin and Gandhiji negotiated a settlement in March 1931 which came to be known as Gandhi-Irwin Pact. According to this Pact, Gandhiji suspended the civil disobedience movement and agreed to take part in the Second Round Table Conference. The government conceded to peaceful picketing and making of salt. However, the Second Round Table Conference ended in failure and Gandhiji returned to India. After its temporary suppression the Civil Disobedience Movement was resumed. The government now leaded by Viceroy Lord Willington decided to crush the congress. On the January 1932, Gandhiji and other leaders of the congress were declared illegal. The police indulged in naked terror and committed innumerable atrocities on the freedom fighters. In May 1933 the congress officially suspended the Movements because of the atrocities committed by the high caste Hindus on Harijans. Finally, the movement was withdrawn in May 1934.