Salt was the daily used product of everyone’s life, Gandhiji considered it as a powerful symbol that could unite the nation. He sent the letter to Lord Irwin stating 11 demands on 31 January 1930. The demands were of general interest and other specific demands of different classes like Industrialists and peasants. The motive was to fulfil such demands so that people of all classes could relate to it and come together for the campaign.
One such demand was the abolition of the salt tax, as salt was something which was consumed by the rich as well as by the poor people and is the most essential food item. The imposition of the salt tax and government’s monopoly over its production was the unfair practice of the Britishers against Indians.
The letter stated that if the demands were not fulfilled by 11th March, they would launch the Civil Disobedience movement. As Irwin refused to negotiate, Mahatma Gandhi with his 78 trusted volunteers started the salt march. The march started from Gandhiji’s ashram in Sabarmati and ended in Gujarati coastal town of Dandi. It was total 240 miles; volunteers walked for 24 days and covered about 10 miles a day. While he was walking, he met people at every stop made them understand what Swaraj meant and requested for peaceful refusal of the British rule. Finally, on 6th April, he reached Dandi and successfully violated the law by manufacturing salt by boiling sea water.
This marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience movement by Mahatma Gandhi.
