Against whom did Mahatma Gandhi undertake a fast unto death in Yerwada Jail on September 20, 1932?
Mahatma Gandhi began a “fast unto death” in 1932 to protest British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald’s Communal Award. The Award proposed separate electorates for the “Depressed Classes” (Dalits). Gandhi argued that this would permanently divide Hindu society and hinder the removal of untouchability. The fast ended after the Poona Pact, where Ambedkar agreed to reserved seats instead of separate electorates. ANSWER: (A) Against Ramsay MacDonald’s Communal Award
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Gandhi viewed the Communal Award as a British “divide and rule” tactic designed to fragment the Indian nationalist movement. While in Yerwada Jail, he launched his fast to demand that the Depressed Classes remain within the joint electorate of the Hindu community. The intense pressure of the fast led to negotiations with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The resulting Poona Pact increased the number of seats reserved for Dalits in provincial legislatures but maintained a unified voting system. This event was a major turning point in both the freedom struggle and social reform history.