Bardoli Satyagraha: Patel’s Tax Protest for Peasant Rights

Bardoli Satyagraha: Peasants’ Stand Against British Tax

Sardar Vallabhai Patel launched the Bardoli Satyagraha to protect the Bardoli peasants from arbitrary tax increases. Peasants in India tried a peaceful insurrection against British rule during the Bardoli Satyagraha. It was a significant turning point in the Indian Independence War’s Civil Disobedience Movement. 

Course & Reasons of the Bardoli Satyagraha: Farmer’s Resistance & Nonviolent Struggle

• In 1925, famine and floods in the Bardoli Taluk of modern-day Gujarat had an adverse effect on grain growth. This had a detrimental financial impact on the farmers. 
• Indifferent to the hardship of the farmers, the Bombay Presidency increased tax rates by 22%. 
• The administration decided to move forward with tax collection despite appeals and pleadings from farmers and civic organizations to review this discriminatory tax rate increase in view of the critical situation. 
• When the farmers in Bardoli unanimously resolved not to pay taxes in January 1928, they invited Vallabhai Patel to launch the protest. They also convinced Gandhi that they were committed to nonviolence.

Features of the Bardoli Satyagraha: Patel’s Nonviolent Leadership & Social Resistance

• Vallabhai Patel made a name for himself at Bardoli as the commander of his nonviolent army. He divided the taluk into camps with the assistance of hundreds of men and women. They canvassed extensively through door-to-door interaction. 
• Many women actively participated in the movement. Patel was given the nickname “Sardar” by these women. 
• In the name of God, the peasants were asked to swear that they would forgo paying taxes. Those who paid their taxes and backed the British were socially rejected. 
• Non-essential products were refused at the local government offices. 
• To support the cause, M. Munshi and Lalji Naranji left the Bombay Legislative Council. Potential government agents’ attempts to remove the Bardoli Satyagraha people and confiscate their land were successfully thwarted by them. 

Leaders of the Bardoli Satyagraha: Patel’s Strategic Zoning & Nonviolent Guidance

• With the aid of Narhari Parikh, Ravi Shankar Vyas, and Mohanlal Pandya, Sardar Patel divided Bardoli into numerous zones, each of which had a leader and volunteers who had been assigned specifically. 
• In reaction to any government instigation or violent behaviour, Patel advised the farmers to refrain from employing physical force.

Conclusion

After the Non-Cooperation Movement was disbanded, Bardoli saw the establishment of numerous institutes that supported causes like the production of khaddar, the advancement of Dalits and other oppressed groups, and the enforcement of prohibition. The resolution effectively prepared the population for the next stage of upheaval as a result. Subhash Chandra Bose claimed that this episode served as a warm-up for a larger conflict that Gandhi would get into.

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