Question

Read the following source carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Why was salt the symbol of protest? This is what Mahatma Gandhi wrote: The volume of information being gained daily shows how wickedly the salt tax has been designed. In order to prevent the use of salt that has not paid the tax, which is at times even fourteen times its value, the government destroys the salt it cannot sell profitably. Thus, it taxes the nation’s vital necessity; it prevents the public from manufacturing it and destroys what nature manufactures without effort. No adjective is strong enough for characterising this wicked dog-in-the-manger policy. From various sources, I hear tales of such wanton destruction of the nation’s property in all parts of India. Maunds if not tons of salt are said to be destroyed on the Konkan coast. The same tale comes from Dandi. Wherever there is likelihood of natural salt being taken away by the people living in the neighbourhood of such areas for their personal use, salt officers are posted for the sole purpose of carrying on destruction. Thus, valuable national property is destroyed at national expense and salt taken out of the mouths of the people. The salt monopoly is thus a fourfold curse. It deprives the people of a valuable easy village industry, involves wanton destruction of property that nature produces in abundance; the destruction itself means more national expenditure, and fourthly, to crown this folly, an unheard-of tax of more than 1,000 percent is exacted from a starving people. This tax has remained so long because of the apathy of the general public. Now that it is sufficiently roused, the tax has to go. How soon it will be abolished depends upon the strength of the people.

1. What does Gandhi's reference to the "power of peace and non-violence" suggest about his strategic approach to resistance against British colonial rule? (1)
2. What parallels can be drawn between Gandhi's critique of the salt tax and broader movements for social justice and human rights? (1)
3. How does Gandhi's reference to the destruction of salt by the government shed light on the broader implications of colonial policies on India's natural resources? (2)

Answer 1

1. • Gandhi's mention of the "power of peace and non-violence" indicates his belief in the efficacy of nonviolent resistance to challenge and ultimately overcome British colonial oppression.
   • It reflects his strategic approach of using moral force to mobilise the masses and effect social and political change.
2. • Gandhi's critique of the salt tax resonates with broader movements for social justice and human rights by highlighting the systemic injustices embedded within oppressive structures of power.
   • It underscores the universal struggle against exploitation, discrimination, and inequality, emphasising the importance of nonviolent resistance and collective action in challenging such injustices.
3. • Gandhi's reference to the destruction of salt by the government underscores the colonial exploitation of India's natural resources for profit and control.
   • It reflects a pattern of resource extraction that prioritised imperial interests over the well-being of the Indian populace, exacerbating socio-economic inequalities and hindering local development.