Do you think Gandhi's way to resolve the issue of Champaran was scientific ? Justify.
Class 12 indigo
Answers
Question 1.
Why did Gandhiji agree to the planters’ offer of a 25 percent refund to the farmers? (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
Gandhiji had asked the indigo planters for a 50 percent refund to the farmers but they offered only 25 percent. Gandhiji still agreed to their offer because for him the amount of the refund was of less importance. More important was the fact that the planters had been forced to surrender part of their rights. So he agreed to their settlement.
Question 2.
How was Gandhiji able to influence the lawyers at Champaran? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Gandhiji chided the lawyers for over-charging the poor peasants. When the peasants were so poor and crushed, it was inhuman to charge heavy fees from them. Gandhiji’s selfless service and devotion to the cause of the peasants put the lawyers to shame.
Question 3.
How did Gandhiji help the peasants of Champaran? (All India 2009)
Answer:
At Champaran, the British landlords forced all the tenants to plant 15 per cent of their holding with indigo and then surrender the entire harvest as rent. This increased the misery of the poor tenants. But when synthetic indigo was developed and indigo plantation was no longer profitable, the landlords obtained fresh agreements from sharecroppers to pay them compensation for releasing them from the 15% arrangement. Gandhiji came in at this time and through non-violent civil disobedience he forced the landlords to refund 25 per cent of the compensation money to the peasants.
Question 4.
Why did the servants think Gandhiji to be another peasant? (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
In Patna, Rajkumar Shukla led Gandhiji to the house of Rajendra Prasad who was a lawyer. The servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant of Champaran who often came to Rajendra Prasad’s house and pestered him to take up the cause of the indigo sharecroppers of Champaran. Since a simple-clad Gandhiji accompanied Shukla the servants mistook him to be another peasant.