Which of the following active step(s) was/were taken by the Congress in 1823 to eradicate untouchability from India?
- 1Effort to educate and mobilize opinion among caste Hindus
- 2Efforts to educate the 'avarnas' about the evils of untouchability
- 3Forcibly open the doors of temples for 'avarnas'
- 4Petition the Government to pass laws that would declare untouchability unlawful
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- A1 only
- B1 and 2
- C2, 3 and 4
- D4 only
Explanation
The year 1823 is a typo for 1923: at its Kakinada session the Congress resolved to take active steps against untouchability, and the strategy it adopted was to educate and mobilise opinion among caste Hindus – statement 1. The Congress did not in 1923 run a programme of educating the avarnas about the evils of untouchability (the campaign targeted the practitioners), did not forcibly open temple doors (the Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924–25 was non-violent satyagraha, not forcible entry), and did not petition the colonial government for anti-untouchability legislation. Hence only statement 1 is correct, giving (A).