Q. Who declared, “Swaraj had ‘stunk in the nostrils’ and that without adequate discipline and restraint on the part of the people the movement had proved to be a ‘Himalayan blunder’.”
(a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(b) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(c) Mahatma Gandhi
(d) Subash Chandra Bose
Ans: (c) Mahatma Gandhi
Explanation: The statement, “Swaraj had ‘stunk in the nostrils’ and that without adequate discipline and restraint on the part of the people the movement had proved to be a ‘Himalayan blunder’,” was made by option (c) Mahatma Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi made this remark during the aftermath of the Noncooperation Movement in the early 1920s. The Noncooperation Movement was a mass movement led by Gandhi and the Indian National Congress to challenge British rule in India through nonviolent means. However, the movement faced challenges and setbacks, including the Chauri Chaura incident in 1922, where violence erupted and resulted in the deaths of policemen.
In response to this incident, Mahatma Gandhi suspended the Noncooperation Movement, as he believed that the movement had deviated from its principles of nonviolence and discipline. He made the statement criticizing the lack of discipline and restraint among the people, expressing his disappointment with the direction the movement had taken.
This incident and Gandhi’s decision to suspend the Noncooperation Movement led to introspection and reassessment within the Indian National Congress and among its leaders about the most effective strategies and approaches for achieving India’s independence.
