Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct?

Question

Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct?

1. A. The Eka Movement was throughout supported and organized by the Congress while Bardoli Satyagraha was initially independent of Congress influence and was only in the last stages supported by the Congress.
2. B. The Eka Movement was provided leadership by the taluqdars of Awadh, whereas the Bardoli Satyagraha was a movement of the landless labourers.
3. C. The Bardoli Satyagraha was a campaign against the enhancement of land revenue, while the Eka Movement was a protest against excessive extraction of rents. (Correct answer)
4. D. The Eka Movement was located in the Varanasi and Mirzapur districts of the present-day U.P., while the Bardoli Satyagraha took place in Saurashtra.

Correct Answer

Option C — C

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Option C.

Key Points

• Explanation: The Bardoli Satyagraha (1928, Surat district, Gujarat) was a no-tax campaign against a steep enhancement of land revenue ordered by the Bombay government, and it was led by Vallabhbhai Patel, who earned the title Sardar there.
• The Eka or Unity Movement (1921-22) arose in the Hardoi, Bahraich and Sitapur districts of Awadh and was a protest by tenants against the excessive extraction of rent — often well above the recorded rates — together with oppression by thikadars.
• Option C states this contrast correctly.
• Why the other options are wrong: The Eka Movement was not organised by the Congress throughout; it soon passed beyond Congress control under the grassroots leadership of Madari Pasi.
• It was not led by the taluqdars — they were among its targets — and Bardoli was not a movement of landless labourers.
• Nor was Eka located in Varanasi and Mirzapur, or Bardoli in Saurashtra; Bardoli lies in Surat district.

Additional Information

• The Bardoli enquiry later found the revenue enhancement unjustified and it was substantially rolled back, making Bardoli one of the most successful peasant campaigns of the national movement.