Dandi March

In News

  • The PM paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on the 92nd anniversary of Dandi March.

Dandi March

  • It is also known as Salt Satyagraha and marked the first step of the Civil Disobedience movement.
  • Reasons behind the launch of Dandi March:
    • Simon Commission: No Indian was included in it despite protests by Congress and all major parties.
      • Britishers even mocked Indians by terming them incapable of framing their own constitution.
    • Lahore Declaration of Congress, 1929: It declared Complete Independence as the goal of Indian Freedom Struggle.
    • Non Acceptance of Gandhi’s 11 Points Demand: Gandhi ji put forth 11 demands including release of all Political Prisoners, Issual of Arms license to Indians for self defence, etc.
  • Gandhi ji after his 11 points demand was not met launched a non violent march from Sabarmati Ashram on 12 March 1930, travelled to 21 places and over 390 kms and reached Dandi on 5 April 1930.
  • Gandhi also published an article titled “Duty of Disloyalty”. In the issue of Young India.
  • Gandhi, Nehru, etc were arrested on breaking salt law which again instigated masses to take part in Civil Disobedience.

Why was Salt Chosen?

  • Salt appealed to masses as Repressive Salt Law prohibited Indians from processing and manufacturing salt.

Other Leaders of the movement:

Few Leaders

Their Contribution

C. Rajagopalachari

 

Salt march from Trichinopoly to Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast in Tamil Nadu;

Arrested on April 30, 1930.

K. Kelappan

Launched the Vaikom Satyagraha Salt march from Calicut to Payanneer

P. Krishna Pillai

Defended the national flag and resisted lathi charge on the Calicut beach on November 11, 1930.

He later founded the Kerala Communist Movement.

Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan

Formed a clan of non-violent revolutionaries, the Khudai Khidmatgars (known as Red Shirts), who played an active role in the movement.

Also Known As Frontier Gandhi

Sarojini Naidu

First Indian woman to become the president of the Congress

March towards the Dharasana Salt Works, a government salt depot.

Other leaders who participated in this totally non-violent affair were

  • Imam Saheb, Gandhi’s comrade of the South African struggle, and
  • Manilal, Gandhi’s son.

Surya Sen

Chittagong Revolt Group, which carried out a raid on two armories and declared the establishment of a provisional government.

Issued a manifesto in the name of the Indian Republican Army and called on the Indians to revolt against British rule.

Abbas Tayabji

Leader of the nationalist Muslims in Bombay.

Ambalal Sarabhai and Kasturbhai Lakhai

Cooperated with Motilal Nehru in removing the barriers between the Congress and the Bombay mill-owners and industrialists.

Chandraprabha Saiktani

Instigated the aboriginal Kachari villagers in Assam to break forest laws.

MN Roy

Popularized socialist ideas in the villages and a no-tax campaign was started in Awadh

 

Gandhi’s Previous Experiments with Civil Disobedience

  • Transvaal Protest in South Africa: Transvaal immigration act was opposed by Gandhi in South Africa.
    • 1906: A legislation in Transvaal, required the Indians to register themselves and carry registration certificates at all times.
    • Gandhi initiated passive resistance or “satyagraha” and called the Indians to burn their certificates in public.
    • Later, the authorities even imposed restrictions on the interprovincial movement of Indians, and declared their Hindu marriages legally invalid.
    • Finally in 1913, Gandhi launched a March from Natal to Transvaal, crossing the border illegally.
    • These Marchers were sent to jail and treated brutally. But the struggle paid off, and under the Gen.Smut-Gandhi agreement, most of their demands were accepted.
  • Champaran Satyagrah:
    • It was Gandhi’s first CDM in India
    • Indigo farmers were relieved by less tax at the end.

Source: BS