Answer briefly each of the questions (a) to (j):
Why did Mahatma Gandhi start his historic march to Dandi?
Topic: The Dandi March
Answer
Gandhiji marched to Dandi to break the SALT LAW, and so to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Salt was chosen deliberately. The government held a monopoly over its manufacture and levied a tax on it, and since salt is a necessity used by every household, the tax fell hardest on the POOREST Indians. Breaking the salt law was therefore an act of protest that every Indian could understand and join, whatever his class or region — which is what turned a legal technicality into a mass movement.
Two marks: the immediate purpose (to break the salt law and launch Civil Disobedience) and the reason salt was chosen. The second half is where the marks are won. The examiner is testing whether you understand Gandhiji’s political genius — he picked the one grievance that united rich and poor, Hindu and Muslim, north and south. The facts: he left Sabarmati on 12 March 1930 with 78 followers, walked about 385 km, and broke the law at Dandi on 6 April 1930.