Question

Describe the role of Gandhiji as a social reformer and as a Political leader.

Answer 1

Gandhiji was both a social reformer as well as a political leader. We can understand this by the following points :

Gandhiji as social reformer: Mahatma Gandhi was a Charkha worker who promoted the use of Khadi cloth. The common people of India saw Gandhiji as a miraculous and spiritual figure endowed with divine powers. He used to have a soft spot in his heart for untouchables, whom he referred to as harijans. He fought for their rights and raised concerns about their exploitation in society.

Gandhiji as political reformers: Gandhiji stated in his famous speech at BHU that the Indian independence movement should be made into a mass movement in which all sections of society participate actively. He advocated for peasants in several places.

1. Mahatma Gandhi was to spend much of 1917 in Champaran, seeking to obtain for the peasants security of tenure as well as the freedom to cultivate the crops of their choice.
2. In 1918, Gandhiji addressed the concerns of cotton mill workers in Ahmedabad.
3. Then he joined peasants in Kheda in asking the state for the remission of taxes following the failure of their harvest.
4. Gandhiji also launched a number of mass movements, such as the Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, and Quit India Movement, which helped to popularise the freedom struggle.