Kheda Peasant Movement

The Kheda Peasant Movement of 1918 was Mahatma Gandhi’s first non-cooperation movement in India, launched alongside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the Kheda district of Gujarat. Triggered by widespread crop failures, severe drought, and a plague epidemic, the movement organized local peasants (ryots) against rigid British land revenue demands. The agitation marked a key milestone in agrarian resistance by translating rural economic grievances into non-violent civil disobedience, establishing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as a national leader and proving the effectiveness of tax resistance against colonial authorities.

Agrarian Crisis and Causes of Unrest

The crisis in Kheda stemmed from a combination of natural disasters, inflation, and the unyielding revenue collection policies of the Bombay Presidency administration.

• Crop Failure and Drought: In 1917–1918, heavy rains followed by severe drought ruined the main food and cash crops in Kheda district, reducing agricultural yields drastically.
• Plague Epidemic and Inflation: A devastating outbreak of plague killed over 17,000 people in the district, while the ongoing World War I triggered hyperinflation, inflating prices for basic commodities, kerosene, and cloth.
• The Famine Code Provisions: Under the Bombay Revenue Code, if crop production fell below 25% (4 annas) of the normal yield, cultivators were legally entitled to a complete suspension of land revenue.
• Government Refusal: Official government surveys assessed crop yields as greater than 25%, maintaining full revenue collection demands and threatening non-paying peasants with property confiscation.

Leadership and Organization of Satyagraha

Local leaders initially raised petitions through institutional channels before Gandhi and Sardar Patel organized a formal non-payment campaign.

Course of the Non-Payment Campaign

Gandhi initiated the Satyagraha on March 22, 1918, urging peasants to take a solemn pledge to withhold land revenue payments.

Methods of Resistance

• Revenue Strike: Peasant-proprietors (Patidars) and landless agricultural laborers swore not to pay land taxes, enduring public humiliation and government threats.
• Seizure of Property: Colonial authorities deployed revenue collectors to attach cattle, standing crops, and household goods, locking agricultural land to force compliance.
• Social Boycott: Peasants enforced a social boycott against government revenue officers, refusing them local transport, food, and accommodation.
• The Onion Theft Incident: Mohanlal Pandya led a group of peasants to harvest onions from land seized by the government. Gandhi praised his courage and gave him the epithet “Babukhai” or “Onion Thief” (Dungli Chor).

Settlement and Outcomes

Facing growing peasant unity and fearing the spread of unrest to neighboring districts, the colonial administration quietly issued secret instructions to local collectors in May 1918.

• Secret Compromise: The government instructed revenue collectors to enforce tax collection only from wealthy farmers who could afford to pay, while suspending revenue for poor and distressed peasants.
• Return of Seized Property: Confiscated lands, seized cattle, and attached goods were gradually returned to their original owners.
• Suspension of Rates: Enhanced revenue assessments were frozen for the subsequent year, offering financial relief to the peasantry.

Facts and Trivia

• The Kheda Satyagraha was Mahatma Gandhi’s first experimental application of non-cooperation (Asahyog) in an agrarian setting in India.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel made his formal entry into active Indian national politics during the Kheda movement.
• Mohanlal Pandya earned the nickname “Dungli Chor” (Onion Thief) from Gandhi after leading a raid to retrieve onions from government-attached fields.
• The Patidar community formed the social backbone of the Kheda agitation, serving later as key organizers for the Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928.
• Gandhi established his operational headquarters in Nadiad during the movement to manage field operations across Kheda’s villages.
• The successful resolution of Champaran (1917), Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918), and Kheda (1918) within a span of one year established Gandhi as the undisputed leader of mass movements in India.