Indian Independence Movement

Gandhi’s courtroom trial after Chauri Chaura incident

Gandhi, on the other hand, was arrested on accusations of sedition on March 10, 1922.

Gandhi, on the other hand, was arrested on accusations of sedition on March 10, 1922.

Chauri Chaura is a village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Chauri Chaura rose to prominence during the Indian freedom struggle as a result of a violent clash between British Indian police and political activists. Supporters of the Khilafat movement and the Indian National Congress clashed with local police on February 4, 1922. An enraged mob then set fire to the local police station, murdering 22 Indian officers who had taken refuge inside.

Gandhi’s response was swift: he withdrew the Non-Cooperation movement, stating that violence had no place in any mass disobedience movement. A section of the Congress leadership was sceptical of Gandhi’s choice, but his point of view prevailed.

Gandhi, on the other hand, was arrested on accusations of sedition on March 10, 1922.

While in his testimony to the judge, Gandhi said: “I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for me to dissociate myself from the diabolical crimes of Chauri Chaura . . . Non-violence is the first article of my faith . . . But I had to make my choice. I had either to submit to a system which I considered has done an irreparable harm to my country, or incur the risk of the mad fury of my people bursting forth when they understood the truth from my lips. I know that my people have sometimes gone mad. I am deeply sorry for it; and I am, therefore, here to submit not to a light penalty but to the highest penalty. The only course open to you, Mr. Judge, is . . . either to resign your post or inflict on me the severest penalty.”

As the judge sentenced Gandhi to six years’ imprisonment, he made the following remarks: “you are in a different category from any person I have ever tried or am likely ever to try . . . in the eyes of millions of your countrymen you are a great patriot and a great leader; even all those who differ from you in politics look up to you as a man of high ideals and of noble and even saintly life.”

A Judge concluded Gandhi’s statement by citing Lokmanya Tilak’s court trial, who based on the same ruling sentenced Gandhi to six years in prison, adding, “Nobody would be happier than me if the Government released you from prison.“

Gandhi’s ability to convey different messages for various audiences was evident in his oratory skills and his talent for rhetoric. There were many different views and interpretations about Gandhi’s trial. The trial of Gandhi was watched by three kinds of audiences. In addition to the British audience and British public at home, there was also the Indian middle class and Indian peasantry. Each of Gandhi’s audiences received a different message from his rhetoric.

About Bardoli Satyagraha | UPSC – IAS

Bardoli Satyagraha upsc

About Bardoli Satyagraha | UPSC – IAS

Bardoli Satyagraha has been the most organized, comprehensive and successful movement of ‘Indian National Movement’. This movement was run in protest against the 22 percent tax raised by the government.
  • The ‘Merta Bandhus‘ (Kalyan Ji and Kunwar Ji) and Dayal Ji of Bardoli started the movement from 1922 AD in support of the farmers. Later it was headed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
  • In 1920 Bardoli taluka of Surat (Gujarat), the movement of ‘Lagaan’ nor payment was started by the farmers. Not only the land-owning peasants of the ‘Kunbi-Patidar‘ castes participated in this movement, but also the people of the ‘Kaliparaj’ (Black skinned people ) tribe.

About the Crisis | UPSC – IAS

  • In 1925, the taluka of Bardoli in Gujarat did not suffer financial troubles. However, the government of the Bombay Presidency had raised the tax rate by 22% that year, and he despite petitions from civic groups, refused to cancel the rise in the face of the calamities.
  • The situation for the farmers was grave enough that they barely had enough property and crops to pay off the tax, let alone for feeding themselves afterwards.

Gandhi ji’s Contribution

The main caste of farmers ‘Kunbi-Patidar’ in Bardoli with 137 villages and 87,000 population started to organize under the leadership of Kunwar Ji and Kalyan Ji Mehta from 1908 AD. This organization published magazines called ‘Patidar Yuvak Mandal’ and ‘Patel Bandhu’.

Explaining the inter-relationship between the peasant struggle and the national independence struggle, in reference to the Bardoli peasant struggle, Gandhiji said that :-

Whatever the Bardoli struggle may be, it clearly is not a struggle for the direct attainment of swaraj. That every such awakening, every such effort as that of Bardoli will bring swaraj nearer and may bring it nearer even then any direct effort is undoubtedly true.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s leadership

Sardar Vallabhai Patel was the star attraction of the Bardoli Satyagraha in Gujarat, held to defy the exorbitant indigo land tax. On February 4, 1928, Vallabhbhai Patel took the leadership of the Bardoli peasant satyagraha. First a letter was written to the government against the increased revenue, but there was no positive response from the government.

  • As a result, Patel organized the farmers and told them not to pay the their taxes.
  • Then, He divided Bardoli into several zones – each with a leader and volunteers specifically assigned. Patel also placed some activists close to the government, to act as informers on the movements of government officials.
  • Above all, Patel instructed the farmers to remain completely non-violent, and not respond physically to any incitements or aggressive actions from officials.
  • He reassured them that the struggle would not end until not only the cancellation of all taxes for the year, but also when all the seized property and lands were returned to their rightful owners.

On the other hand , the moderate faction of Congress, through the ‘Surveillance of India Society’, requested the government to check the demand of farmers. A daily magazine called ‘Bardoli Satyagraha‘ was released. The Indian leaders of the Bombay Legislative Council resigned. It was also debated in the UK Parliament. Viceroy Lord Irwin. Also directed Governor Wilson of Bombay to expedite the matter. On the other hand, seeing the possibility of arrest of Patel , Gandhiji reached Bardoli on 2 August 1928 for alternative leadership.

Features of Bardoli Satyagraha | UPSC – IAS

In 1928, an agreement was finally brokered by a Parsi member of the Bombay government. The Government agreed to restore the confiscated lands and properties, as well as cancel revenue payment not only for the year, but cancel the 22% raise until after the succeeding year.

  • Fearing things could go out of hand, the government set up the Maxwell-Broomfield commission to look into the matter.
  • The revenue was reduced to 6.03%.
  • The peasants were returned their confiscated land.
  • Its success gave rise to Sardar Patel, becoming one of the main leaders of the indian independence movement.

Bardoli Satyagraha Criticism | UPSC – IAS

  • The movement was focused on the conditions of the rich and middle-class farmers and largely neglected the poor farmers.
  • It did not raise the problem of agricultural bonded laborer. The Kaliparaj tribe had to work as ancestral laborers of the upper castes under the ‘Hali system’.
  • It is said that the movement was an experiment on Satyagraha as a method of freedom struggle. The basic problems of the peasants were not addressed and bonded labour continued.

Success of Bardoli Satyagraha  | UPSC – IAS

The farmers celebrated their victory, but Patel continued to work to ensure that all lands and properties were returned to every farmer, and that no one was left out.

  • Women also played an important role in this movement, with notable names of Bombay Parsi women Mithuben Petit, Bhaktiva, Maniben Patel, daughter Shardaben Shah and Shadra Shah. People of Bardoli were impressed by Patel.
  • It was women of bardoli who bestowed the title Sardar for the first time, which in Gujarati and most Indian languages means Chief or Leader. It was after Bardoli that Sardar Patel became one of India’s most important leaders.
  • The government had appointed Maxwell-Broomfield Commission to look in to the matter. After a rigorous survey, the raise in taxes was decided to be just 6.03%. But the basic problems of the peasants were left unsolved and bonded labour continued.

Hence the government reduced the rent to 6.03 percent. In this way, the Bardoli peasant movement was successfully completed under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Gandhiji said on this success, “Whatever the Bardoli struggle, it is not a struggle for the attainment of Swaraj, but every such struggle is trying to bring us closer to Swaraj”.

About Flag Movement or Jhanda Satyagraha in India | UPSC – IAS

Learn About Flag Movement or jhanda Satyagraha | UPSC

Though the participants of the 1857 Revolt carried a flag, it was Sister Nivedita, Vivekananda’s Irish disciple, who first thought of designing a national flag. The flag which was displayed at the 1906 Calcutta session of the Congress was square-shaped with 108 oil lamps along its borders and Indra’s thunderbolt (Vajra) in the centre. The words ‘Vande Mataram’ appeared on it in Bengali.

In 1916, Pingali Venkayya, a youth from Masulipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, started the Indian National Flag Mission and authored a book called “A National Flag for India.” He approached Gandhiji with his design – a tricolour in white, green and red with a blue charkha in the middle. Thus was born the first truly ‘national’ flag. The British of course, saw it as a symbol of revolution and prohibited it from being flown in public places.

The Jabalpur and Nagpur jhanda Satyagraha was organised to protest against this repression in 1923. Thousands of people courted arrest after taking the flag in procession. The flag became a symbol of India’s aspiration for freedom.

The first public flag hoisting ceremony was held on the afternoon of August 15, 1947 at India Gate. According to Lord Mountbatten, when Pandit Nehru unfurled the flag, a rainbow magically appeared in the cloudless summer sky. Surely, a heavenly salute for a hard-won flag.

 Jhanda Satyagraha in India | UPSC – IAS

Jhanda satyagraha (also known as flag movement) were one of the most common acts of defiance during the nationalist rebellions led by Gandhi and the Indian National Congress throughout the struggle. The nationalist flag was regularly heralded by large processions and nationalist crowds.

In India, Jhanda Satyagraha is a campaign of peaceful civil disobedience during the Indian independence movement that focused on exercising the right and freedom to hoist the nationalist flag and challenge the legitimacy of the British Rule in India through the defiance of laws prohibiting the hoisting of nationalist flags and restricting civil freedoms.

The hoisting of nationalist flags over private and public buildings or government buildings had been a common nationalist act of defiance, especially with the Revolutionary movement for Indian independence and the members of the revolutionary Gadar Party. Such acts of defiance gained popularity across India with the rise of nationalist leaders such, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai.

Jhanda Satyagrahas were conducted most notably in the city of Jabalpur and Nagpur in 1923 but also in many other parts of India.

  • Proliferating during the Non-cooperation movement (1920-1922) and a prominent element of the Salt Satyagraha (1930) and the Quit India movement (1942), this means of revolt combined the hoisting of the nationalist flag with the technique of Satyagraha – non-violent civil disobedience – as pioneered by Mahatma Gandhi.
  • Nationalists were encouraged to violate the law and hoist the flag without resisting arrest or retaliating against police.

Jhanda satyagraha in Jabalpur (1923) | UPSC – IAS

The spark of the jhanda satyagraha (flag movement) in the country spread from Jabalpur. After this the movement spread throughout the country. The jhanda satyagraha was started in March 1923 in Jabalpur – for the tricolor flag hoisting of local authorities. It was a time of political examination for the local leadership.
  • The tussle began when Congress members On 8 March 1923, when the flag was waved at the municipal building, the European Deputy Commissioner was enraged and ordered to take down the flag. This resulted in the flag movement . In violation of the government ban, some volunteers along with Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Nathuram Modi, took out a procession with a flag.

Jhanda satyagraha in Nagpur (1923) | UPSC – IAS

The nationwide movement was led by Sardar Vallabhai Patel. To suppress this movement, the British government started imprisoning the agitators. Historians say that the British government left no stone unturned to suppress the movement. By August 15, 1923, About 17 hundred agitators were jailed in the four-month-long agitation. The movement finally ended in Nagpur on 17 August.

  • This movement was significant because instead of the British flag, the agitators hoisted the country’s flag in this movement.
  • In the end, the British negotiated an agreement with Vallabhbhai Patel and other Congress leaders permitting the protestors to conduct their march unhindered and obtaining the release of all those arrested.

Jhanda satyagraha in Karnataka (1938) | UPSC – IAS

Other notable jhanda satyagrahas were organised in Mysore (now in Karnataka) in 1938 known as Shivapur Dhwaja Satyagraha. Under leadership of T.Siddalingaya president of Mysore Congress.

  • The first conference of Mysore congress was conducted in 1938 at Shivapura. The conference has decided to organize a great satyagraha in Shivapura. T. Siddalingaya was elected as the president of the committee for the satyagraha.
  • Realising the trouble, the Mysore administration banned any meeting within three kilometers from the city and prohibited the hoisting of tricolour flag.
  • On 8th April 1938, T. Siddalingaya was taken in procession in a bullock cart in which around 10000 people participated.
  • The participants proclaimed their faith in the leadership of Gandhiji. The flag was hoisted on 9th April 1938 by T. Siddalingaya. He was then arrested by the police. This incident is known as the Shivapura Dhwaja Satyagraha.
  • As a part of state-wide Satyagraha, the flag was hoisted at Vidurashwatha in Kolar district of Mysore state, 33 people were killed in open police firing.