The Civil Disobedience Movement and Dandi March (1930 to 1934)

After the Lahore Congress declared Purna Swaraj, Gandhi began the Civil Disobedience Movement with the Dandi March (12 March 1930), which spread across India.

Lahore Congress, 1929

• Under Jawaharlal Nehru, the session (December 1929) declared Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as the goal. The tricolour was hoisted on the bank of the Ravi on 31 December 1929.
• 26 January 1930 was observed as the first Independence Day, with a pledge.

Gandhi's eleven demands and the Salt March

• On 31 January 1930 Gandhi listed eleven demands (reduction of land revenue and military expenses, abolition of the salt tax, and so on) and wrote a letter to Irwin (2 March).
• The Dandi March (12 March to 6 April 1930): Gandhi and 78 volunteers marched about 240 miles (385 km) from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi (Gujarat) and broke the salt law by making salt on 6 April 1930.

Spread

• Salt marches: C. Rajagopalachari (Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam) and K. Kelappan (Calicut to Payyannur).
• North-West Frontier: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the Khudai Khidmatgar (Red Shirts). At Peshawar (23 April 1930) the Garhwal Rifles under Chandra Singh Garhwali refused to fire on crowds.
• Dharasana Salt Works (21 May 1930): after Gandhi's arrest (5 May), Sarojini Naidu, Imam Saheb and Manilal Gandhi led a raid. Police beat the volunteers brutally, which was reported world-wide by Webb Miller.
• Other forms: no-revenue campaigns, forest law violations in the Central Provinces and Maharashtra, chaukidari tax boycott in Bihar and Bengal, and boycott of foreign cloth and liquor. Women took part in large numbers.
• Chittagong Armoury Raid (18 April 1930) by Surya Sen (Masterda) and others was a separate revolutionary event. Surya Sen was hanged in 1934. Pritilata Waddedar and Kalpana Dutta were part of this group.

Government response and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact

• Around 90,000 people were arrested. The First Round Table Conference (November 1930 to January 1931) was held without the Congress.
• Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931): Gandhi suspended the movement, joined the Second RTC, and the government released non-violent prisoners, allowed salt-making for domestic use on the coast and withdrew ordinances. It did not commute the sentence of Bhagat Singh, who was hanged on 23 March 1931 with Sukhdev and Rajguru.
• Karachi Congress (March 1931) under Vallabhbhai Patel passed the resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy and approved the Pact. Gandhi was greeted with black flags.

The second phase

After the failure of the Second RTC, the movement resumed in January 1932. Gandhi was arrested (4 January 1932) and repression was harsh. It was withdrawn in April 1934.