Model Question and Answers for APSC | How different would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.
How different would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.

Ans: Mahatma Gandhi’s role and influence in shaping New India are indisputable. He is still as relevant a person and a philosopher in the twenty-first century as he was in the previous one.
The achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi:
- Before Gandhi Congress was mostly a think tank, Gandhi put it in touch with the masses and made it an active force for liberation
- Made freedom movement less bloody: Weaned revolutionaries away from violence to non-violent struggle, Surya Sen and bhagat in their later phase learned the importance of non-violent mass struggle
Legacy and Gandhian imprint on the constitution and the Nation:
- Inclusiveness in the constituent assembly itself: Asked Congress to include BR Ambedkar in the constituent assembly
- Values in Preamble: Secularism: A devout Hindu, he always believed in cordial co-existence with other
- Fundamental rights: Right against untouchability
- The directive state of principles:
- Village panchayats
- Cottage industries support
- Alcohol ban
5. Later movements like Gramdan and Bhoodan had their leaders from Gandhian thought