Salt March and Civil Disobedience Movement

India, after the non-cooperation movement, was in a state of confusion. Violence had prompted Mahatma Gandhi to call off the movement but left everyone asking what was next. Would the nationalists confront the British again? If yes, how were they to do so? What would make this movement different from the one which was just over?

An answer to all of this was the famous Salt March, popularly known as the Dandi March, which kickstarted a new wave of resistance against the British in the form of the civil disobedience movement.

The Simon Commission, Liberals, and Revolutionaries

The Indian Statutory Commission, popularly known as the Simon Commission, is recognised as a catalyst for the civil disobedience movement. It was set to debate constitutional reform in India, which was carried out without a single Indian member, prompting a great protest. But before it arrived in India, the Congress was rife with internal debate and had two choices:

• • Liberals like Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das wanted to contest the provincial elections and oppose the British within the Councils (set up by the Government of India Act, 1919)
  • Revolutionaries like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose urged mass agitation and complete independence

The commission’s arrival and the worsening economic condition with the onset of the worldwide economic depression propelled the demands of the revolutionaries, resulting in the civil disobedience movement.  

Poorna Swaraj – The Lahore Session

With popular resistance reignited among the masses wherever the Simon Commission went, organising hartals and demonstrations with the slogan, ‘Go Back Simon,’ the Congress and Gandhi were prompted to formally give direction and confront the British once again.

The historic Lahore Session of the Congress, one which saw Jawaharlal Nehru succeed his father as President of the Congress, passed a landmark resolution declaring Poorna Swaraj as the objective of the organisation of nationalists. Subsequently, the tricolour was unfurled, and 26th January 1930 was fixed as Independence day. 

It is also in this session that Congress announced the civil disobedience movement, to be launched and organised with Gandhi at the helm. 

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The Salt Satyagraha – Dandi March

Before the famous Dandi March, Gandhi had issued an ultimatum to the then viceroy Lord Irwin. Of the 11 demands made, one was to abolish the Salt Act, which imposed a tax on salt and disallowed its production or sale by anyone other than the British. Irwin’s refusal to yield led to the civil disobedience movement being kicked off. 

Gandhi and his 78 followers walked 375km from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi. Upon his arrival at Dandi on 6th April 1930, Gandhiji picked up a fistful of salt and broke the salt law, symbolising India’s refusal to live under British laws. The law also epitomised the unjust and discriminatory practices of the colonialists, and being a product of daily consumption, a satyagraha against it struck a chord with everyone. The movement spread all across India, with many manufacturing salts, boycotting British goods, refusing to pay taxes, and violating forest laws. The civil disobedience movement had started.

This movement was different from the non-cooperation movement, as people not only refused to cooperate with the British but actively broke colonial laws.

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The Government’s response – The First Round Table Conference and Gandhi-Irwin pact

A frightened colonial government resorted to ruthless lathi charges, firings, and mass arrests. Gandhiji and many others were imprisoned, and the Congress was declared illegal. Amid the violence and chaos, the British gathered to discuss the Simon Commission Report at the First Round Table Conference, which the Congress boycotted.

But not having the Congress at the table rendered the exercise futile and meant that the negotiations were the only way out. A settlement was reached between Gandhi and the Viceroy, called the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, which had the following outcomes:

• Non-violent political prisoners were to be released
• Right to produce salt for consumption
• Right to peacefully picket liquor and foreign cloth shops

• Suspension of civil disobedience movement and participation in the Second Round Table Conference

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The Second Round Table Conference – Resumption of the Movement

Despite Gandhi’s best efforts at the Second Round Table Conference in London, the British government refused the demand for freedom with the immediate grant of dominion status. Meanwhile, the situation worsened in India, with leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Abdul Ghaffar Khan behind bars, forcing Gandhi to resume the movement upon his return. 

The repressive tactics of the government continued, lakhs were arrested, including Gandhi, and violence against satyagrahis grew. The movement died down and was suspended in May 1933 and withdrawn in May 1934.

The Third Round Table Conference – The Govt. of India Act, 1935

While the Congress continued its struggle back in India, the British met at the third Round Table Conference, which eventually led to the passage of the Government of India Act, 1935. The law provided for the following:

• Establishment of the All India Federation
• A new system of governance in provinces based on provincial autonomy
• The bicameral legislature in provinces
• Representatives of states were not directly elected but appointed by the rulers
• 14% of British India had the right to vote
• Real power vested in the hands of the governor-general and not the princes
• Local administration – powers of ministers increased

The Act failed to live up to nationalist expectations, with power still concentrated at the hands of the British. While Congress condemned the Act, it decided to contest elections to depict how unpopular the law was. The elections that followed demonstrated that an overwhelming majority of Indians supported the Congress, with them forming ministries in 7 out of 11 provinces and coalition governments in 2.

Conclusion

After the civil disobedience movement had failed to attain its objectives, many alleged that the Congress had lost its hold on India, which was proved wrong in the provincial elections later. While the movement may have failed, it went a long way to instill the ideas of Swaraj and Satyagraha into the minds of the people, deepening the roots of the freedom struggle in India.