Which of the following statements about Mahatma Gandhi’s anti-untouchability campaign is/are correct ? 1. The All India Harijan Sevak Sangh was founded for this purpose. 2. The campaign was to root out untouchability, since it did not enjoy the sanction of the Hindu shastras. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Mahatma Gandhi launched a dedicated campaign against untouchability following the Poona Pact of 1932. He founded the All India Anti-Untouchability League in September 1932, which was later renamed the Harijan Sevak Sangh [1][4]. This organization was established to eradicate untouchability through social reform and service [2][4]. Gandhi's campaign was rooted in the conviction that untouchability had no sanction in the Hindu Shastras [2][5]. He argued that if any scripture appeared to support such a practice, it should be ignored as it contradicted human dignity, reason, and truth [2][5]. He maintained that untouchability was an 'excrescence' or a later addition to Hinduism rather than an essential part of its original spirit [3]. Consequently, both statements accurately reflect the organizational and ideological pillars of Gandhi's anti-untouchability movement.

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > Gandhi's Harijan Campaign and thoughts on Caste > p. 393
2. [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harijan_Sevak_Sangh
3. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > Gandhi's Harijan Campaign and thoughts on Caste > p. 394
4. [5] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 8: Socio-Religious Reform Movements: General Features > Direction of Social Reform > p. 201
5. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > Gandhi's Harijan Campaign and thoughts on Caste > p. 395