Question

Discuss the Salt March to make clear why it was an effective symbol of resistance against colonialism.

Answer 1

On 31 January, 1930, Gandhi sent a letter to then Viceroy Irwin, containing his 11 essential demands. Some of these were general interests, while others were specific demands from various strata, ranging from industrialists to peasants. The idea was to broaden the demands so that people from all walks of life in India could identify with them and join forces in a single effort. The most unusual demand was to repeal the salt tax. Salt was consumed by both the rich and the poor, and it was an essential part of food.

According to Gandhi, taxation on salt and the government’s monopoly on its manufacturing exposed the most repressive aspect of British rule. The successful Salt March showed Gandhi’s satyagraha approach to the British colonial authorities. The Salt March was, without a doubt, the most powerful symbol of colonial resistance.