“Sedition has become my religion” was the famous statement given by Gandhiji at the time of
- the Champaran Satyagraha
- publicly violating Salt Law at Dandi
- attending the Second Round Table Conference in London
- the launch of the Quit India Movement
Answer: (b) publicly violating Salt Law at Dandi
- With no response from the government regarding the 11 demands, Gandhi decided to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement. Among all the demands, he chose to violate the salt law because the British were inhumanely taxing this basic necessary item and had a near monopoly over it.
- The Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–34) was launched by Mahatma Gandhi as a mass movement against British colonial rule, beginning with the Salt Satyagraha (Dandi March).
- On 12 March 1930, Gandhi started the historic Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram with 78 volunteers, walking about 375 km to Dandi on the Gujarat coast. The march lasted nearly 24 days, attracting widespread national and international attention. Newspapers closely followed the march, and the movement inspired mass participation across the country.
- On 6 April 1930, Gandhi picked up a handful of salt at Dandi, symbolically breaking the British salt law, which had imposed a monopoly and tax on salt production. This act marked the formal beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement, encouraging Indians to openly violate unjust colonial laws.
- During this moment of defiance, Gandhi strongly criticised British rule, describing it as morally and materially destructive for India. In this context, he declared that “Sedition has become my religion.” By this statement, Gandhi meant that resisting unjust colonial authority had become a moral duty, though it would be pursued strictly through non-violent methods. He emphasised that the struggle was not aimed at harming individuals but at ending an unjust system of government.
- The Salt Satyagraha soon triggered widespread civil disobedience across India, including violation of salt laws, boycott of foreign goods, refusal to pay certain taxes, and mass participation of peasants, students, women, and political activists.
- Thus, the famous statement “Sedition has become my religion” was made by Gandhi while publicly violating the Salt Law at Dandi during the Civil Disobedience Movement.