In the contexts of Indian history, which of the following statement/s is/are correct regarding Vaikom Satyagraha?
1. It was a satyagraha against untouchability and caste discrimination.
2. Mahatma Gan

Question

In the contexts of Indian history, which of the following statement/s is/are correct regarding Vaikom Satyagraha?
1. It was a satyagraha against untouchability and caste discrimination.
2. Mahatma Gandhi participated in this Satyagraha.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Codes:

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — C, Both 1 and 2. The Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–25), in Vaikom in the princely state of Travancore (present-day Kerala), demanded that so-called 'untouchable' and lower-caste people be allowed to use the public roads around the Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, from which they were barred. Statement 1 is therefore correct — it was directed squarely against untouchability and caste discrimination. Statement 2 is also correct — Mahatma Gandhi took part in the movement: he visited Vaikom in March 1925, held negotiations with the temple authorities and the Travancore regent, and lent his moral leadership to the campaign. Since both statements are true, the answer is 'Both 1 and 2'.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) This drops the true statement 2. Gandhi did participate — he visited Vaikom in 1925 and negotiated on the satyagrahis' behalf — so limiting the answer to statement 1 alone is incomplete.  (b) This wrongly rejects statement 1. The movement's entire purpose was to fight untouchability and caste bars on temple-road access, so statement 1 is definitely correct.  (d) Both statements are historically accurate — the anti-untouchability aim and Gandhi's participation — so rejecting both is wrong.

Concept: The Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–25) was one of the earliest organised temple-entry / anti-untouchability movements in India. Lower castes were forbidden even to walk on the public roads surrounding the Vaikom Mahadeva Temple in Travancore. The satyagraha, launched by leaders such as T.K. Madhavan, K.P. Kesava Menon and K. Kelappan, sought to open those roads to all castes and became a landmark in the struggle against caste discrimination.

State PCS 2021 Q69 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q69 — History PYQ with Answer