In British India (1922-1929), significant events unfolded, marked by the Non-Cooperation Movement’s launch, advocating nonviolent resistance against British rule. The Chauri Chaura incident led Gandhi to suspend the movement. Meanwhile, the Simon Commission, boycotted by Indians, intensified demands for self-rule. These events fueled the momentum toward India’s independence struggle.

Major Events during 1922-1929

Chauri Chaura Incident: In February 1922, Gandhi Ji abruptly called off the Non-Cooperation Movement after the violent Chauri Chaura incident, where twenty-two policemen were killed during a peaceful peasant demonstration in response to police firing. 

• Post this movement, Gandhi’s followers stressed the need for constructive work in rural areas. 

• Question of Council Elections: Leaders like Chitta Ranjan Das and Motilal Nehru proposed the party’s involvement in council elections to influence government policies. 
• Expansion of Support: In the mid-1920s, the Gandhians expanded their support base through social work, which proved crucial for launching the 1930 Civil Disobedience movement.
• Rise of Radicalism: During this period, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu organization, and the Communist Party of India were formed. Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary nationalist, was also active. 
• Simon Commission: In 1928, Gandhi Ji contemplated re-entering politics, albeit not directly participating in the campaign against the all-White Simon Commission, which aimed to investigate colonial conditions but endorsed it. 
  • He also lent support to a peasant satyagraha in Bardoli the same year.
• Demand for Purna Swaraj: The decade concluded in 1929 with the Congress’s proclamation to strive for Purna Swaraj (complete independence) under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru. 
• Independence Pledge: This culminated in the celebration of “Independence Day” on 26 January 1930, marked by the hoisting of the national flag and the singing of patriotic songs nationwide.

The Salt Satyagraha

• Salt March Initiation: In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Salt March to protest one of the most unpopular British Indian laws, which granted the British government a monopoly on salt production and sales. 
• Unjust Salt Tax: Gandhi Ji believed that taxing an essential like salt was unjust, uniting Indians against British rule. 
• Viceroy’s Ignorance: Although Gandhi Ji had informed Viceroy Lord Irwin about the march, the Viceroy failed to grasp its significance. 
• March Route: On March 12, 1930, Gandhi Ji and his followers walked over 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi, a coastal town. 
• Defiance at Dandi: There, they openly defied the law by collecting natural salt from the seashore and boiling seawater to make salt, garnering support from peasants, tribals, and women.
• Nationwide Protests: Meanwhile, parallel salt marches were being conducted in other parts of the country. 
• Mass Arrests: The rulers responded by detaining the dissenters and in the wake of the Salt March, nearly 60,000 Indians were arrested, among them, of course, Gandhiji himself.
  • The progress of Gandhiji’s march to the seashore can be traced from the secret reports filed by the police officials. 
  • Unity Call: These reproduce the speeches he gave at the villages enroute, in which he called upon local officials to renounce government employment and join the freedom struggle. 
• Gandhiji’s Speech: In one village, Wasna, Gandhiji told the upper castes that “if you are out for Swaraj you must serve untouchables. You won’t get Swaraj merely by the repeal of the salt taxes or other taxes. For Swaraj you must make amends for the wrongs which you did to the untouchables. For Swaraj, Hindus, Muslims, Parsis and Sikhs will have to unite. These are the steps towards Swaraj.” 

• Wide Attendance: The police spies reported that Gandhiji’s meetings were very well attended, by villagers of all castes, and by women as well as men. 
• Official Resignations: Many were officials, who had resigned from their posts with the colonial government. 

The Salt March was notable for at least three reasons:

1. Global Attention: It was this event that first brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention. 
   1. The march was widely covered by the European and American press. 
2. Women’s Participation: Women participated in large numbers. The socialist activist Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay had persuaded Gandhiji not to restrict the protests to men alone. 
   1. She herself was one of numerous women who courted arrest by breaking the salt or liquor laws.
3. Symbolic Arrests: It was the Salt March which forced upon the British the realisation that their Raj would not last forever, and that they would have to devolve some power to the Indians.

Conclusion

The Non-Cooperation Movement faltered but led to social work that bolstered later activism. The Simon Commission boycott and demand for Purna Swaraj intensified calls for self-rule. Gandhi’s symbolic Salt Satyagraha, with mass participation by women and men, garnered global attention and marked a turning point in the fight for Indian independence.

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