Which of the following active step(s) was/were taken by the Congress i

Which of the following active step(s) was/were taken by the Congress in 1823 to eradicate untouchability from India ?

  • 1. Effort to educate and mobilize opinion among caste Hindus
  • 2. Efforts to educate the ‘avarnas’ about the evils of untouchability
  • 3. Forcibly open the doors of temples for ‘avarnas’
  • 4. Petition the Government to pass laws that would declare untouch- ability unlawful

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

1 only
1 and 2
2, 3 and 4
4 only
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2017
The active steps taken by the Congress in the early 1920s to eradicate untouchability included efforts to educate and mobilize opinion among caste Hindus and efforts to educate the ‘avarnas’ (depressed classes).
Following the Non-Cooperation Movement, Mahatma Gandhi made the removal of untouchability a key component of the Congress’s constructive program. This involved multiple activities: appealing to the conscience of caste Hindus to abandon the practice (education and mobilization – Point 1), setting up schools and promoting education among the depressed classes, encouraging hygiene and self-respect among them (education and upliftment – Point 2), and promoting social mixing like inter-dining and common use of wells. Temple entry movements were also supported or initiated, but ‘forcibly’ opening doors (Point 3) was not the primary non-violent method advocated by Gandhi and the mainstream Congress. While Congress eventually came to support legal measures against untouchability, the focus in the early 1920s was more on social reform through persuasion and voluntary action (Point 4 was not the primary ‘active step’ in 1923 compared to social mobilization). Therefore, steps 1 and 2 were prominent components of the Congress’s anti-untouchability work around 1923.
The Congress session at Kakinada in 1923 reiterated the importance of removing untouchability as a national duty. Activities under the constructive program aimed at reforming caste Hindu attitudes and uplifting the depressed classes, which included educational efforts for both groups.
Exit mobile version