In 1920 a schoolteacher in a Punjab town writes in his diary. Many men of his district had served on the British side in the Great War and had hoped for a reward. Instead, harsh wartime laws were kept in force, and in April 1919 a meeting in a nearby city ended when troops opened fire on the crowd. Now a leader asks Indians to stop attending government schools, colleges and law courts and to stop paying the state its dues, promising self-rule within a year. He has also joined hands with a movement that seeks to restore the Caliphate.
Which campaign made the leader in the diary a truly national leader, before his call described above?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The Rowlatt satyagraha
Option (1) The Champaran satyagraha — Incorrect. In Champaran Gandhiji sought security of tenure and free choice of crops for peasants. It remained a <strong>localised struggle</strong>.
Option (2) The Kheda satyagraha — Incorrect. In Kheda Gandhiji joined peasants asking for remission of taxes after a failed harvest. This too stayed local.
Option (3) The Ahmedabad mill strike — Incorrect. In Ahmedabad Gandhiji took up better working conditions for textile mill workers. It was a local labour dispute.
Option (4) The Rowlatt satyagraha — Correct. The <strong>Rowlatt satyagraha</strong> of 1919 brought towns across North and West India to a standstill. It <strong>made Gandhiji a truly national leader</strong> and led him to call for non-cooperation.
NCERT (2026-27): “2. The Making and Unmaking of Non-cooperation … “It was the Rowlatt satyagraha that made Gandhiji a truly national leader. Emboldened by its success, Gandhiji called for a campaign of “non-cooperation” with British rule. Indians who wished colonialism to end were asked to stop attending schools, colleges and law courts, and not pay taxes. In sum, they were asked to adhere to a “renunciation of (all) voluntary association with the (British) Government”. If non-cooperation was effectively carried out, said Gandhiji, India would win swaraj within a year. …” |