UPSC Prelims 2026 Q9: Eka Movement & Bardoli Satyagraha — Explained
Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct?
- 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.
- The Eka Movement was provided leadership by the taluqdars of Awadh, whereas the Bardoli Satyagraha was a movement of the landless labourers.
- The Bardoli Satyagraha was a campaign against the enhancement of land revenue, while the Eka Movement was a protest against excessive extraction of rents.
- 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.
Answer: (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.
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — The Eka Movement did not have Congress backing all the way through. Congress and Khilafat workers started it in Awadh at the end of 1921. It then passed to local low-caste leaders such as Madari Pasi and moved away from Congress discipline and non-violence before it was put down by March 1922. Bardoli was never independent of Congress either, because it was organised from the start by Vallabhbhai Patel, a Congress leader from Gujarat.
- b: incorrect — The taluqdars of Awadh were the landlords the Eka peasants were protesting against. They did not lead the movement. Its grievances were rents raised about 50% above recorded rates, oppressive thekedars (rent collectors) and forced labour (begar). Bardoli was a revolt of land-holding peasants, mainly Patidars, who paid revenue to the state. Landless labourers pay no land revenue, so they could not run a no-revenue campaign.
- c: correct — In 1928 Bardoli taluka's peasants refused to pay a land revenue increase of about 22% ordered by the Bombay government. That is a campaign against enhanced land revenue paid to the state. In the Eka Movement, tenants in Awadh's taluqdari areas resisted high rents and illegal levies taken by landlords and their agents. That is a protest against excessive rent extraction.
- d: incorrect — Eka was centred in north Awadh, in the Hardoi, Bahraich and Sitapur districts. It was not in Varanasi or Mirzapur. Bardoli is a taluka of Surat district in south Gujarat, not in the Saurashtra peninsula.
How to eliminate
Two options can be dropped with basic knowledge. First, Bardoli is in Surat district of Gujarat, not Saurashtra, so the option placing it in Saurashtra is out. Second, taluqdars were the big landlords of Awadh. A peasant movement led by its own landlords makes no sense, and landless labourers pay no land revenue to resist, so that option is out too. The first option uses the absolute word 'throughout'. It also claims Bardoli was independent of Congress, which is hard to believe for a campaign led by Sardar Patel. The fact to remember is the rent–revenue distinction. In zamindari or taluqdari areas such as Awadh, tenants paid rent to landlords. In ryotwari areas such as Bombay Presidency, peasant proprietors paid revenue directly to the state.
Know more
Rent vs revenue: the key to 1920s peasant movements
The colonial land settlement decided whom a peasant paid:
- Zamindari or taluqdari areas (Bengal, Awadh): the cultivator was a tenant and paid rent to the landlord. The landlord paid revenue to the state. Tenant protests targeted rents, eviction, nazrana (premiums) and begar.
- Ryotwari areas (Bombay, Madras): the ryot held land directly under the state and paid land revenue. Protests targeted the periodic revision (enhancement) of revenue.
| Feature | Eka Movement | Bardoli Satyagraha |
|---|---|---|
| Period | End of 1921 to March 1922 | February to August 1928 |
| Area | Hardoi, Bahraich, Sitapur (north Awadh, UP) | Bardoli taluka, Surat district, Gujarat |
| Opponent | Taluqdars and thekedars | Bombay Presidency government |
| Issue | Rents about 50% above recorded rates, begar, illegal cesses | Revenue enhanced by about 22% (first proposed at 30%) |
| Leadership | Congress and Khilafat at first, then Madari Pasi and other low-caste leaders | Vallabhbhai Patel, with Gandhi's backing |
| Method | 'Eka' (unity) oath meetings; later violence | No-revenue campaign; social boycott; resignation of village officials |
| Outcome | Put down by force | Maxwell–Broomfield inquiry cut the increase to about 6%; Patel earned the title 'Sardar' |
Related movements
- Awadh Kisan Sabha (1920): Baba Ramchandra and Jawaharlal Nehru organised tenants against eviction and begar. Eka grew out of this tenant unrest.
- Mappila revolt (1921): a tenant revolt in Malabar.
- Kheda Satyagraha (1918): an earlier Gujarat campaign. It demanded remission of revenue after crops failed.
When a question pairs two movements, first ask who paid whom. That usually settles it.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Eka movement: The options test where the Eka Movement happened, who led it, how its Congress links changed, and whether its grievance was rents or revenue.
- Bardoli satyagraha 1928: The options turn on the location of Bardoli, the type of peasants involved, and whether their 1928 protest was against land revenue or rent.
- Vallabhbhai Patel: Patel's role in organising Bardoli is the key to judging the claim that the satyagraha was independent of Congress until its last stages.