Consider the following subjects with regard to Non-Cooperation Programme:
I. Boycott of law-courts and foreign cloth
II. Observance of strict non-violence
III. Retention of titles and honours without using them in public
IV. Establishment of Panchayats for settling disputes
How many of the above were parts of Non-Cooperation Programme?
Explanation
The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22) was launched by Mahatma Gandhi as a mass movement against British rule. Its core idea was to achieve Swaraj by withdrawing cooperation from colonial institutions while simultaneously promoting self-reliance and indigenous systems. The programme had two broad components—boycott of British institutions and constructive activities.
Statement I is correct. The programme clearly included the boycott of law-courts, educational institutions, and foreign cloth. This was aimed at weakening the administrative and economic foundations of British rule.
Statement II is correct. The entire movement was grounded in the principle of non-violence (ahimsa). Gandhi insisted on strict discipline and peaceful conduct as an essential condition for participation.
Statement III is incorrect. The movement required people to renounce titles and honours conferred by the British government. Retaining them, even symbolically, was against the spirit of non-cooperation.
Statement IV is correct. As part of constructive work, Gandhi promoted the establishment of village Panchayats to settle disputes locally, reducing reliance on British judicial institutions.
Thus, the programme combined boycott measures with nation-building efforts, and Statements I, II and IV are correct.