With reference to Gandhi’s Harijan Campaign, consider the following statements: 1. Gandhi founded the Harijan Sevak Sangh and launched a nationwide campaign against untouchability, including two fasts in 1934. 2. Gandhi equated the abolition of untouchability with the complete annihilation of the caste system and promoted inter-caste marriages as a primary solution. 3. Gandhi viewed the campaign as a moral and social reform movement rather than a political struggle. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? |ForumIAS

[A] 1 and 3 only

[B] 1 and 2 only

[C] 2 and 3 only

[D] 1, 2, and 3

Answer: A

Notes:

Explanation:

Gandhi launched an extensive anti-untouchability campaign, founded the Harijan Sevak Sangh, undertook a Harijan tour (1933–34), and observed two fasts in 1934 to highlight the issue.
Gandhi did not advocate immediate annihilation of the caste system, nor did he promote inter-caste marriage as the central goal of the Harijan campaign. He distinguished between caste and untouchability and sought to reform, not abolish, the varnashram system.
Gandhi saw the campaign as a moral and spiritual crusade to purify Hindu society, not a political movement.
Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India

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