Q. With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements:
- Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of 'indentured labour'.
- In Lord Chelmsford's War Conference, Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.
- Consequent upon the breaking of Salt Law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers.
Which of the statements given above are correct? (UPSC Prelims 2019)
Answer:
1 and 3 only
Notes: The correct answer is
[B] 1 and 3 only. These statements reflect the strategic and shifting relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and the British colonial administration during different phases of the national movement.
- Statement 1 (Correct): Mahatma Gandhi played a pivotal role in the abolition of indentured labour (a system of bonded labor where Indians were sent to British colonies like Fiji, South Africa, and Mauritius). He had fought against this "semi-slavery" during his years in South Africa. After returning to India, he successfully mobilized public opinion against it, leading the British government to officially abolish the system in 1917.
- Statement 2 (Incorrect): During World War I, at the War Conference held in Delhi in 1918 by Lord Chelmsford, Gandhi actually supported the resolution to recruit Indians for the British war effort. At that stage, Gandhi believed that by showing loyalty and assisting the Empire in its time of need, Indians would earn the right to self-government (Swaraj) after the war. He even acted as a "recruiting sergeant" in Gujarat, for which he was criticized by some contemporaries.
- Statement 3 (Correct): Following the Dandi March and the symbolic breaking of the Salt Law in April 1930, the Civil Disobedience Movement spread rapidly across India. In an attempt to crush the movement, the colonial government unleashed a wave of repression, arrested top leaders, and officially declared the Indian National Congress (INC) an illegal organization.
Key Historical Context:- The 1918 War Conference support by Gandhi shows his early "Cooperation" phase, which ended abruptly after the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919.
- The abolition of indentured labor was also pushed by other leaders like Gopal Krishna Gokhale and C.F. Andrews, but Gandhi’s mass mobilization was the final catalyst.