Q. Consider the following subjects with regard to Non-Cooperation Programme :
- Boycott of law-courts and foreign cloth
- Observance of strict non-violence
- Retention of titles and honours without using them in public
- Establishment of Panchayats for settling disputes
How many of the above were parts of Non-Cooperation Programme? (UPSC Prelims 2025)
Answer:
Only three
Notes: The correct answer is
[C] Only three. The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922), led by Mahatma Gandhi, consisted of both "negative" (boycott) and "positive" (constructive) programs.
- Boycott of law-courts and foreign cloth (Correct): This was a central pillar of the movement. Lawyers like Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das gave up their practices, and bonfires of foreign cloth were organized to promote Swadeshi and Khadi.
- Observance of strict non-violence (Correct): Non-violence (Ahimsa) was the fundamental precondition of the movement. Gandhi suspended the entire programme in February 1922 following the Chauri Chaura incident because the movement turned violent.
- Retention of titles and honours (Incorrect): The programme explicitly called for the surrender of titles and honorary offices. Gandhi himself returned his Kaiser-i-Hind gold medal as a mark of protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Khilafat injustice.
- Establishment of Panchayats (Correct): As a constructive alternative to the boycott of British law courts, the movement encouraged the setting up of national schools, colleges, and private arbitration courts (Panchayats) to settle civil disputes.
Other components included the boycott of government educational institutions, legislative councils, and official functions, alongside the promotion of Hindu-Muslim unity and the removal of untouchability.