RAS question
The Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) was led by:
Correct answer: (D) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, a farmers' struggle in Gujarat against an unjust land-revenue increase.
Explanation
The Bardoli Satyagraha was led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1928 in Bardoli taluka of Gujarat. The movement opposed an unjust enhancement of land revenue; Press Information Bureau describes it as a farmers' struggle against a 22% tax hike imposed in difficult times. The British confiscated farmers' cattle and land, and Patel left his life as a lawyer to support, unite and guide the farmers through the movement. This is why Patel, not a leader merely associated with the wider national movement, is the precise answer. His leadership in Bardoli earned him the title "Sardar" and made the agitation a standard example of organised peasant resistance in the freedom struggle.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rajendra Prasad is associated here with Champaran, whereas the Bardoli Satyagraha was led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
- (B) Mahatma Gandhi supported the movement, but the direct leadership at Bardoli was Patel's.
- (C) Jawaharlal Nehru was not associated with Bardoli; Patel was the leader.
Concept
This tests peasant movements within the modern Indian freedom struggle, especially the link between local agrarian grievances and national leadership. RAS often asks Bardoli because it connects land revenue, satyagraha, Gujarat, and Patel's title "Sardar" in one compact fact.