Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha ?

(a) Active all-India participation of lawyers, students and women in the National Movement
(b) Active involvement of Dalit and Tribal communities of India in the National Movement
(c) Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement ✓ UPSC's answer
(d) Drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and commercial crops

Why the answer is (c)

• Champaran (1917) was Gandhi's first satyagraha in India, taken up on behalf of indigo cultivators forced under the tinkathia system to grow indigo on 3/20 of their land.

• Its significance was that it linked peasant grievances to the national movement for the first time, bringing the rural masses under Congress leadership and establishing Gandhi's method — option (c).

• All-India participation of lawyers and women (a) and Dalit/tribal involvement (b) came later; plantation cultivation did not drastically fall (d).

• Hence option (c).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Active all-India participation of lawyers, students and women in the National Movement: All-India participation of lawyers and women came with later movements.
(b) Active involvement of Dalit and Tribal communities of India in the National Movement: Dalit and tribal involvement was not Champaran's hallmark.
(d) Drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and commercial crops: Plantation cultivation did not drastically fall because of Champaran.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2018, held on 3 June 2018. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.