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Q71 (IAS/2025) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Gandhian mass movements Answer Verified

"Sedition has become my religion" was the famous statement given by Gandhiji at the time of

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The Second Civil Disobedience Movement was started by Gandhi on 12 March 1930 with his famous Dandi March, where he walked nearly 200 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village on the Gujarat sea-coast, and made salt in violation of the salt laws.[1] This act was a symbol of the Indian people's refusal to live under British-made laws and therefore under British rule.[1] At this time, Gandhi declared that "The British rule in India has brought about moral, material, cultural, and spiritual ruination of this great country. I regard this rule as a curse. I am out to destroy this system of Government....Sedition has become my religion."[1] This powerful statement was made in the context of the Dandi Salt March, when Gandhi was publicly defying the British salt monopoly laws, marking a pivotal moment in India's freedom struggle.

Sources
  1. [1] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
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Q. "Sedition has become my religion" was the famous statement given by Gandhiji at the time of [A] the Champaran Satyagraha [B] publicly v…
At a glance
Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 0/10

This is a classic 'Standard Text' reward question. The quote is verbatim from Bipin Chandra's Old NCERT (Chapter 15). It tests if you read the narrative flow of the Civil Disobedience Movement rather than just memorizing dates and locations from summary PDFs.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" during the Champaran Satyagraha?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
Strength: 5/5
“The Second Civil Disobedience Movement was started by Gandhi on 12 March 1930 with his famous Dandi March. Together with 78 chosen followers, Gandhi walked nearly 200 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village on the Gujarat sea-coast. Here Gandhi and his followers made salt in violation of the salt laws. This act was a symbol of the Indian people's refusal to live under British-made laws and therefore under British rule. Gandhi declared: The British rule in India has brought about moral, material, cultural, and spiritual ruination of this great country. I regard this rule as a curse. I am out to destroy this system of Government....Sedition has become my religion.”
Why relevant

This snippet attributes the exact quote 'Sedition has become my religion' to Gandhi, but places it in the context of the Dandi (Salt) March and the Second Civil Disobedience Movement (1930).

How to extend

A student can compare the event and year linked to this quote (Dandi, 1930) with the Champaran episode to check if the quote fits Champaran's time/place.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 15: Emergence of Gandhi > Champaran Satyagraha (1917)—First Civil Disobedience > p. 317
Strength: 5/5
“Within a decade, the planters left the area. Gandhi had won the first battle of civil disobedience in India. Other popular leaders associated with Champaran Satyagraha were Brajkishore Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Ramnavmi Prasad and Shambhusharan Varma.”
Why relevant

This snippet identifies Champaran Satyagraha as Gandhi's 1917 campaign and calls it the 'first battle of civil disobedience in India.'

How to extend

Use the date/context (Champaran, 1917) against the Dandi/1930 dating from the quote to spot a temporal mismatch.

Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > Champaran Satvagraha (1917) > p. 266
Strength: 4/5
“Gandhi's first great experiment in Satyagraha came in 1917 in Champaran, a district in Bihar. The peasantry on the indigo plantations in the district was excessively oppressed by the European planters. They were compelled to grow indigo on at least 3/20th of their land and to sell it at prices fixed by the planters. Similar conditions had prevailed earlier in Bengal, but as a result of a major uprising during 1859-61 the peasants there had won their freedom from the indigo planters. Having heard of Gandhi's campaigns in South Africa, several peasants of Champaran invited him to come and help them.”
Why relevant

This snippet again describes Champaran as Gandhi's first great experiment in satyagraha in 1917 and explains its agrarian/indigo context.

How to extend

A student can note the agrarian/indigo focus of Champaran (1917) versus the salt-tax focus of the Dandi episode where the quote is reported, suggesting different contexts.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 2. The Making and Unmaking of Non-cooperation > p. 289
Strength: 3/5
“Mahatma Gandhi was to spend much of 1917 in Champaran, seeking to obtain for the peasants security of tenure as well as the freedom to cultivate the crops of their choice. The following year, 1918, Gandhiji was involved in two campaigns in his home state of Gujarat. First, he intervened in a labour dispute in Ahmedabad, demanding better working conditions for the textile mill workers. Then he joined peasants in Kheda in asking the state for the remission of taxes following the failure of their harvest. These initiatives in Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda marked Gandhiji out as a nationalist with a deep sympathy for the poor.”
Why relevant

This snippet places Gandhi in Champaran for much of 1917 and links his activities there to peasant demands and non-cooperation.

How to extend

Combine this with the quote's reported association with the Salt Satyagraha to question whether Gandhi would have used that line during the Champaran peasant campaign.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 15: Emergence of Gandhi > Gandhi's Technique of Satyagraha > p. 315
Strength: 3/5
“Gandhi evolved the technique of Satyagraha during his stay in South Africa. It was based on truth and non-violence. He combined some elements from Indian tradition with the Christian requirement of turning the other cheek and the philosophy of Tolstoy, who said that evil could best be countered by non-violent resistance. Its basic tenets were as follows: ● A satyagrahi was not to submit to what he considered as wrong, but was to always remain truthful, non-violent and fearless. ● A satyagrahi works on the principles of withdrawal of cooperation and boycott. ● Methods of satyagraha include non-payment of taxes, and declining honours and positions of authority.”
Why relevant

This snippet lists methods of satyagraha, including non-payment of taxes and boycott, highlighting that civil disobedience (including salt protests) was an established tactic.

How to extend

A student can use this to understand the types of campaigns Gandhi led (tax/salt versus indigo/tenure) and so judge which campaign contexts match the rhetorical line about 'sedition.'

Statement 2
Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" when publicly violating the Salt Law at Dandi?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
Presence: 5/5
“The Second Civil Disobedience Movement was started by Gandhi on 12 March 1930 with his famous Dandi March. Together with 78 chosen followers, Gandhi walked nearly 200 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village on the Gujarat sea-coast. Here Gandhi and his followers made salt in violation of the salt laws. This act was a symbol of the Indian people's refusal to live under British-made laws and therefore under British rule. Gandhi declared: The British rule in India has brought about moral, material, cultural, and spiritual ruination of this great country. I regard this rule as a curse. I am out to destroy this system of Government....Sedition has become my religion.”
Why this source?
  • Contains a direct quotation attributing the words "Sedition has become my religion" to Gandhi.
  • Explicitly places that declaration in the narrative of the Dandi March where Gandhi and followers made salt in violation of the salt laws.
  • Links the quoted declaration to Gandhi's public action of breaking the salt law at Dandi, connecting words to the event.
Statement 3
Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" while attending the Second Round Table Conference in London?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
Strength: 5/5
“The Second Civil Disobedience Movement was started by Gandhi on 12 March 1930 with his famous Dandi March. Together with 78 chosen followers, Gandhi walked nearly 200 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village on the Gujarat sea-coast. Here Gandhi and his followers made salt in violation of the salt laws. This act was a symbol of the Indian people's refusal to live under British-made laws and therefore under British rule. Gandhi declared: The British rule in India has brought about moral, material, cultural, and spiritual ruination of this great country. I regard this rule as a curse. I am out to destroy this system of Government....Sedition has become my religion.”
Why relevant

This snippet includes the exact phrase "Sedition has become my religion" but places it in the account of the Dandi Salt March and the Second Civil Disobedience Movement (March 1930), not at the London conference.

How to extend

A student can compare the date/context here (Salt Satyagraha, 1930) with the dates of the Second Round Table Conference to test whether the quote fits the London event.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > Second Round Table Conference > p. 384
Strength: 5/5
“Members of the Indian Liberal Party such as Tej Bahadur Sapru, C.Y. Chintamani and Srinivasa Sastri appealed to Gandhi to talk with the Viceroy. Gandhi and Irwin reached a compromise which came to be called the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (the Delhi Pact). The second Round Table Conference was held in London from September 7, 1931 to December 1, 1931. The Indian National Congress nominated Gandhi as its sole representative. A. Rangaswami Iyengar and Madan Mohan Malaviya were also there. There were a large number of Indian participants, besides the Congress.”
Why relevant

States the Second Round Table Conference dates (September 7–December 1, 1931) and that Gandhi was the Congress's sole representative in London.

How to extend

Use these definite dates to check temporal consistency with when the quote was reportedly made (if attributed to 1930, it cannot have been said in London in 1931).

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement Civil Disobedience and Beyond > p. 301
Strength: 4/5
“Fig. 11.9 At the Second Round Table Conference, London, November 1931 Mahatma Gandhi opposed the demand for separate electorates for "lower castes". He believed that this would prevent their integration into mainstream society and permanently segregate them from other caste Hindus. letter to his sister, Willingdon wrote: "It's a beautiful world if it wasn't for Gandhi ... At the bottom of every move he makes which he always says is inspired by God, one discovers the political manouevre. I see the American Press is saying what a wonderful man he is ... But the fact is that we live in the midst of very unpractical, mystical, and superstitious folk who look upon Gandhi as something holy, ..." In 1935, however, a new Government of India Act promised some form of representative government.”
Why relevant

Describes Gandhi's activities and positions at the Second Round Table Conference (November 1931) and frames his London role and views, giving context for what he was doing in London.

How to extend

Compare the substantive topics Gandhi addressed in London (e.g., separate electorates) with the tone/content of the quoted line to see if the quote matches issues discussed at the conference.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation > 4.7 The Round Table Conferences > p. 53
Strength: 4/5
“The movement had generated worldwide publicity, and Viceroy Irwin was looking for a way to end it. Gandhi was released from custody in January 1931. and the two men began negotiating the terms of the pact. In the end, Gandhi pledged to give up the satyagraha campaign, and Irwin agreed to release tens of thousands of Indians who had been jailed during the movement. Second Round Table Conference with Gandhi That year Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference in London as the sole representative of the Congress. The government agreed to allow people to make salt for their consumption, release political prisoners who had not indulged in violence, and permitted the picketing of liquor and foreign cloth shops.”
Why relevant

Confirms Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference as Congress's sole representative and notes the concessions negotiated (release of prisoners, etc.), linking London attendance to negotiation and diplomacy rather than open civil disobedience.

How to extend

A student could use this to argue that an emphatic declaration endorsing sedition seems out of place in the diplomatic/negotiation context of the London conference, prompting checking of original sources/dates.

India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > The Independence Day Pledge, 26 January 1930 > p. 41
Strength: 3/5
“Round Table Conference) in London and the government agreed to release the political prisoners. In December 1931, Gandhiji went to London for the conference, but the negotiations broke down and he returned disappointed. Back in India, he discovered that the government had begun a new cycle of repression. Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru were both in jail, the Congress had been declared illegal, and a series of measures had been imposed to prevent meetings, demonstrations and boycotts. With great apprehension, Mahatma Gandhi relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement. For over a year, the movement continued, but by 1934 it lost its momentum.”
Why relevant

Says negotiations at the conference broke down and upon return Gandhi found repression resumed and relaunched civil disobedience — connecting London attendance to subsequent civil disobedience activity in India.

How to extend

A student can use this sequence (London → return → renewed repression/civil disobedience) to test whether the quote is more plausibly part of the Indian civil disobedience rhetoric after London rather than a London remark.

Statement 4
Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" at the launch of the Quit India Movement?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
Strength: 5/5
“The Second Civil Disobedience Movement was started by Gandhi on 12 March 1930 with his famous Dandi March. Together with 78 chosen followers, Gandhi walked nearly 200 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village on the Gujarat sea-coast. Here Gandhi and his followers made salt in violation of the salt laws. This act was a symbol of the Indian people's refusal to live under British-made laws and therefore under British rule. Gandhi declared: The British rule in India has brought about moral, material, cultural, and spiritual ruination of this great country. I regard this rule as a curse. I am out to destroy this system of Government....Sedition has become my religion.”
Why relevant

This snippet attributes the exact phrase "Sedition has become my religion" to Gandhi but places it in the context of the Second Civil Disobedience Movement (Dandi March, 1930).

How to extend

A student could note this earlier dated usage (1930) and check timelines to see whether the phrase was used later (1942) or misattributed to the Quit India launch.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: Last Phase of Indian National Movement > Do or Die' > p. 87
Strength: 4/5
“'Do or Die' The futility that marked the Cripps mission had turned both Gandhi and Nehru sour with the British than any time in the past. Gandhi expressed this in a press interview on May 16, 1942 where he said: 'Leave India to God. If that is too much, then leave her to anarchy. This ordered disciplined anarchy should go. and if there is complete lawlessness, I would risk it.' The Mahatma called upon the people to 'Do or Die' and called the movement he launched from there as a 'fight to the finish'.”
Why relevant

This snippet records Gandhi's public rhetoric around mid‑1942 (May) and the slogan 'Do or Die' used in the Quit India context, showing the language he actually used then.

How to extend

Compare the known slogans and quoted lines from mid‑1942 to see if 'Sedition has become my religion' appears among documented Quit India statements.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 4. Quit India > p. 303
Strength: 3/5
“After the failure of the Cripps Mission, Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch his third major movement against British rule. This was the "Quit India" campaign, which began in August 1942. Although Gandhiji was jailed at once, younger activists organised strikes and acts of sabotage all over the country. Particularly active in the underground resistance were socialist members of the Congress, such as Jayaprakash Narayan. In several districts, such as Satara in the west and Medinipur in the east, "independent" governments were proclaimed. The British responded with much force, yet it took more than a year to suppress the rebellion. "Quit India" was genuinely a mass movement, bringing into its ambit hundreds of thousands of ordinary Indians.”
Why relevant

This snippet gives the date and basic facts of the Quit India launch (August 1942) and notes Gandhi was immediately jailed, indicating limited opportunities for long public speeches at the launch.

How to extend

Use the August 1942 date to search contemporaneous reports/speeches from the Quit India launch to confirm which phrases Gandhi used right before incarceration.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: Last Phase of Indian National Movement > Introduction > p. 84
Strength: 3/5
“The outbreak of Second World War and Britain's decision to involve India in the War without consulting Congress ministries in provinces, provoked the leaders of Indian National Congress and Gandhi. The Congress ministers resigned in protest. Gandhi launched the individual Satyagraha in October 1940 to keep up the morale of the Congress. In the meantime, the election of Subhash Chandra Bose as Congress President upset Gandhi, this led to Bose's resignation. The Cripps Mission arrived in March 1942 to assuage the nationalists. But its proposals bore no fruit. Gandhi decided to embark on the Quit India Movement in August 1942.”
Why relevant

This snippet explains the sequence (Cripps Mission → Gandhi decided on Quit India → August 1942 launch), providing a clear temporal frame distinguishable from 1930 events.

How to extend

Use this timeline to separate Gandhi's 1930 Dandi March statements from 1942 Quit India statements when evaluating attribution of the quote.

Pattern takeaway: UPSC loves the 'Turning Points' in a leader's ideology. They focus on statements that signal a shift in strategy (e.g., shifting from redressing specific grievances in Champaran to challenging the legitimacy of the State in Dandi).
How you should have studied
  1. [THE VERDICT]: Sitter for Old NCERT readers; Trap for summary-readers. Source: Modern India (Bipin Chandra, Old NCERT), p. 288.
  2. [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: The evolution of Gandhi's legal philosophy—from 'Loyalist' (WW1) to 'Cooperator' to 'Seditionist' (1930).
  3. [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Map the 'Defining Quote' to the Movement: (1) Champaran (1917): 'I have disregarded the order... in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience.' (2) Non-Cooperation (1920): 'Swaraj in one year.' (3) The Great Trial (1922): 'To preach disaffection... has become almost a passion with me.' (4) Quit India (1942): 'Do or Die' / 'Ordered Anarchy'.
  4. [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Do not just memorize the 'Launch Date' of a movement. Memorize the 'Moral Stance' or the 'Legal Argument' Gandhi used to justify breaking the law in that specific phase.
Concept hooks from this question
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Champaran Satyagraha (1917) — Gandhi's first major Indian campaign
💡 The insight

Champaran was Gandhi's first major experiment in satyagraha in India and is the event named in the statement.

High-yield for chronology questions on Gandhi's early nationalist work; links to agrarian protest, emergence of civil disobedience tactics, and later campaigns. Mastering this helps answer questions on the origins and evolution of Gandhian methods and identify which events belong to which phase of his leadership.

📚 Reading List :
  • Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > Champaran Satvagraha (1917) > p. 266
  • THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 2. The Making and Unmaking of Non-cooperation > p. 289
🔗 Anchor: "Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" during the Champaran Sa..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Salt Satyagraha / Dandi March (1930) and the 'Sedition has become my religion' line
💡 The insight

The quoted phrase is recorded in the context of Gandhi's Dandi (Salt) March, not Champaran.

Critical for distinguishing major Gandhian campaigns by date and slogan; useful for source-attribution and quotation questions, and for essays contrasting early and later phases of non-cooperation and civil disobedience.

📚 Reading List :
  • Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
  • THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > Why the Salt Satyagraha? > p. 298
🔗 Anchor: "Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" during the Champaran Sa..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Satyagraha: principles and methods (non-violence, non-cooperation, civil disobedience)
💡 The insight

Satyagraha's techniques—truth, non-violence, non-payment of taxes and boycott—frame both Champaran and Salt campaigns and explain the tactics behind quoted rhetoric.

Core concept across modern Indian history questions; mastering its elements aids analysis of protests, legislative responses, and continuity across Gandhi's campaigns, enabling comparison and source-based answers.

📚 Reading List :
  • Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 15: Emergence of Gandhi > Gandhi's Technique of Satyagraha > p. 315
  • THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 1. A Leader Announces Himself > p. 287
🔗 Anchor: "Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" during the Champaran Sa..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha) as symbolic law-breaking
💡 The insight

The Dandi March involved Gandhi deliberately violating the salt law at Dandi to symbolically challenge British rule.

High-yield: central event in the Civil Disobedience Movement; explains use of symbolic, everyday commodities to mobilise masses and illustrate Gandhian tactics. Useful for essays, source-based questions and cause–effect analysis on methods of struggle.

📚 Reading List :
  • Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
  • India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > 3.1 The Salt March and the Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 39
  • THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 3.1 Dandi > p. 296
🔗 Anchor: "Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" when publicly violating..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Civil Disobedience Movement — launch and tactics
💡 The insight

Civil Disobedience was formally launched in March–April 1930 with organised mass defiance, including making salt and urging people to violate salt laws.

Important for chronology and thematic linkage with Non-Cooperation; helps answer questions on continuity of nationalist strategies, mass mobilisation, and leadership decisions in the freedom movement.

📚 Reading List :
  • Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
  • Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > Civil Disobedience Movement the Salt Satyagraha and Other Upsurges > p. 372
  • India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > 3.1 The Salt March and the Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 39
🔗 Anchor: "Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" when publicly violating..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Salt monopoly as a mass-mobilising issue
💡 The insight

The state's monopoly and tax on salt affected every household, making salt an effective focus to mobilise widespread support.

Explains selection of economic grievances for political mobilisation; connects colonial economic policy to popular protest, useful for analysing reasons behind protest targets and their social reach.

📚 Reading List :
  • THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 3.1 Dandi > p. 296
  • THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 3. The Salt Satyagraha A Case Study > p. 297
🔗 Anchor: "Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" when publicly violating..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S3
👉 Context and origin of the phrase 'Sedition has become my religion'
💡 The insight

The phrase is linked to Gandhi's leadership of the Civil Disobedience movement and the Dandi March rather than to his visit to London in 1931.

High-yield for chronology-based questions: distinguishing where and when famous political statements were made helps answer source-based and timeline questions. Connects to topics on protest tactics and famous slogans in the freedom movement and helps eliminate distractor options that misplace quotes or events.

📚 Reading List :
  • Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Second Civil Disobedience Movement > p. 288
  • India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > The Independence Day Pledge, 26 January 1930 > p. 41
🔗 Anchor: "Did Mahatma Gandhi say "Sedition has become my religion" while attending the Sec..."
🌑 The Hidden Trap

The 'Independence Pledge' of Jan 26, 1930. While the Dandi quote is famous, the Pledge text is equally high-yield: 'We believe that it is the inalienable right of the Indian people... to have freedom... if any government deprives a people of these rights... the people have a further right to alter it or to abolish it.'

⚡ Elimination Cheat Code

Tone Analysis: (A) Champaran was about a specific agrarian tax/indigo issue, not 'Sedition' (overthrowing the state). (C) Round Table Conference was a diplomatic negotiation; you don't declare 'Sedition is my religion' while sipping tea with the Viceroy. (D) Quit India was desperate ('Do or Die'). The phrase 'Sedition has become my religion' implies a calm, deliberate, moral choice to violate law—which perfectly matches the theatrical, symbolic nature of the Salt March.

🔗 Mains Connection

GS-2 (Polity & Governance): Connect this historical quote to the modern debate on Section 124A (Sedition) of the IPC. Gandhi's 1922 and 1930 statements are the primary historical arguments used by civil liberties groups against the colonial nature of the Sedition law today.

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

NDA-I · 2011 · Q70 Relevance score: 1.40

Consider the following statements : 1. The Champaran Satyagraha marked Gandhiji’s second appearance in Indian politics as a leader of the masses. 2. The Champaran Satyagraha was launched to address the problems faced by Indigo plantation workers. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

CAPF · 2019 · Q118 Relevance score: -0.48

Which of the following statements about Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha is/are correct? 1. It was during the course of his campaign against racialism in South Africa that Gandhiji first applied Satyagraha 2. The two vital ingredients of Satyagraha are 'truth' and 'non-violence' 3. The Satyagraha resists evil by inflicting suffering on himself and not by inflicting suffering in the opponent 4. In India, Satyagraha was first tried by Gandhiji in Champaran

IAS · 2015 · Q16 Relevance score: -0.74

With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the 'Sedition Committee'. 2. In Rowlatt Satyagraha, Gandhiji tried to utilize the Home Rule League. 3. Demonstrations against the arrival of Simon Commission coincided with Rowlatt Satyagraha. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

NDA-II · 2013 · Q39 Relevance score: -1.75

Consider the following statements about. Salt Satyagraha : 1. It was a form of Civil Disobeience 2. It was the first nationalist activity in which women participated in large numbers 3. Gandhiji first experimented with Salt Satyagraha in South Africa. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

NDA-I · 2013 · Q82 Relevance score: -2.20

Consider the following statements : 1. Gandhiji launched the Rowlatt Satyagraha in 1919 because of the British measures to impose censorship on the Press. 2. Gandhiji launched the Rowlatt Satyagraha because of the British policy of permitted detention without trial. 3. The Rowlatt Act was restricted to Bombay and Madras Presidency. 4. The agitation against the Rowlatt Act reached climax with the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar. Which of the statements given above are correct?