Which of the following statements about Lokahitwadi is not correct?

Gopal Hari Deshmukh, known as 'Lokahitwadi', was a rationalist reformer who attributed India's social decline to the neglect of science and modern learning [2]. He launched powerful attacks on Hindu orthodoxy, traditional religious customs, and the ignorance of the priestly class [3]. He advocated for the reorganization of society based on secular and humanistic values [3]. While he was a precursor to later reformers like M.G. Ranade and G.V. Joshi—who promoted the Swadeshi movement in Maharashtra—the statement that he attributed India's poverty to the 'laziness and moral decline' of Indians is incorrect. In his 'Shatapatre' (Hundred Letters), Lokahitwadi actually argued that India's poverty was a result of the loss of political power and the lack of modern industrial and scientific knowledge, rather than a simple moral failure or laziness of the populace.

Sources

1. [1] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 13: Growth of New India Religious and Social Reform After 1858 > Religious Reform in Maharashtra > p. 217
2. [2] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 7: Social and Cultural Awakening in the First Half of the 19th Century > MODERN INDIA > p. 132
3. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 9: A General Survey of Socio-Cultural Reform Movements > Gopalhari Deshmukh 'Lokahitawadi' > p. 215