Gandhian Perspective on the Role and Nature of the State Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, may not be considered a political thinker or theorist in the academic sense. He in fact was ¢ prcttons: of political strategies against any force that appeared unjustified and brute including the British colonial state. From the experience he has in South Africa and back home in India under the colonial rule, Gandhiji evolved his understanding of power, the State and ways to resist excessive and oppressive power. He insisted on ‘satya’ or truth as the only goal to be followed and in following this goal the means should be ‘ahimsa’ or non-violent. Truth for him was the eternal principle and Satyagraha the means. The eternal principle can be realized only by following moral and spiritual principles. ‘This requires truthfulness not only in words but also in thoughts and above all in deeds. He was uncompromising on correctness of means for achieving an end. In his autobiography, The Story of my experiment with truth, Gandhiji declares that his life consisted of nothing but numerous experiments with truth.”? Thus, the basic tenet of Gandhian ideas is search for truth through moral and ethical actions. These actions can be in religious and spiritual life, in political and Public life, in economic and social life. Gandhi’s ideas on social, economic and political issues are subject to the compulsion of search for truth. ee By Haralambos, Sociology, P. 105. jon , Sociology, 105, dietion/ix. ” MK Gandhi, The Stary of my experiment with trutb, Navajivan Pub House, Ahmadabad, 1927, Into100 | Political Theory Satyagraha as a Moral Force ‘The Gandhian search for truth is based on peaceful and non-violent means. Ahimsa or non-violence is based on the ethical principle of ‘avoiding injury to anything on earth in thought, word and deed’S° Application of non-violence is reflected in the principle of Satyagraha. Satyagraha is not meek submission but is insistence on truth or true side of a matter, From the moral point of view, Satyagraha is about moral persuasion and is part of search for truth in which the perpetrator of force is made to realize the entire truth. For example, suppose you are standing very close to a heap of pebbles. Somebody who is standing at a distance from you with back towards you gets hit by a pebble, which you have not thrown on him, However, this man assuming that you have hit him comes to you and slaps you, ‘The truth which the angry person could see is that you, standing near the pebbles, might have hit him; he did not see the whole truth, Your insistence that you have not hit him without slapping or abusing him back is part of moral persuasion, When one is irritated and angry, one could not see the entire truth and could only be biased in one’s judgment. When you see the truth in entirety, you realize the other person's perspective, Gandhi's idea of Satyagraha or insistence on truth is based on this understanding of compelling the other person or institution to see the entire truth, A recent example can be cited of the fast undertaken by Anna Hazare against corruption in public life. He sought to demonstrate through peaceful and moral persuasion that Government must put in place appropriate means to deal with corruption transparently. Moral persuasion against any wrong or evil doer can be pursued through passive resistance, civil disobedience, etc. It can apply against any evil doer or brute force, organized individual, social or political oppressive force. The principle of Satyagraha for Gandhi was a way to realize inner freedom for the human beings and moral and inner Swaraj, Satyagraha is important political method for resistance against the brute force of the State. This principle eminently relate to the concept of political obligation, legitimacy of power and resistance by the people if faced with unacceptable power of the state or an individual or group of individuals. Martin Luther in 1960s applied passive resistance for insisting the rights of the Black people in America. So did Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress in their struggle against the white dominated government in South Africa, which practiced apartheid, a policy of racial segregation. Undoubtedly, Gandhian principle of Satyagraha or moral persuasion and passive resistance has proved to be an important political method for resistance against the brute force of the State which is hostile and oppressive. Gandhian idea of Satyagraha evolved in the context of struggle against the mighty force of colonial power, both in South Africa and India. Gandhiji fought against the racial discrimination of the colonial power in South Africa, when he was removed from railway compartment meant for white people only. Back home in India, he fought against the colonial subjection of people of India. Gandhian Understanding of the Nature of Power, and the State and Limit of Political Obligation Power is a critical factor in politics and itis said, politics is about power, Whether power xercised in a legitimate way or asa brute force, decides the way people accept it or put resistance {2 “The arian’, September 7, 1935, quoted in Eddy Asirvatham, Politial TBeory, P.235, Satyagraha, implies satya, i, truth and agraha, ie, insistence or negotiation,Perspective on Functions and Role of the State. | 101 against a beater ed accept the power of the state, which is based on the willing obedience ofthe Ks Lie a authority, as itis a legitimate power. When obedience of the people is sought nes eo ase rcs and subjection, the power is brute and evil. In a democratic set up eu Present day India and many Western democratic countries, people accept the authority ‘of =i ae as if itis their own authority exercised by their elected representatives. Even today, if we fine ‘that government and institutions of the state are not serving the interest of the people or are using excessive force, we witness protests against the policies and actions of the state, The protest can be violent or peaceful. oe Gandhiji differentiated between power as ‘brute force’ and as ‘soul-force or truth-force:*? Brute force is based on coercion and power of arms, its naked force devoid of moral claim for allegiance of those on whom it is exercised. For Gandhiji, colonial rule was a moral and national subjugation and the colonial state a repository of brute force. It was maintaining its dominance over the people by sheer use of armed coercion. From the experience he has in South Africa and back home in India under the colonial rule, Gandhiji’s view on state is that it is repository of brute force and must be resisted. Gandhi also realized that since British power had massive coercive force, it woul le to counter that with a strategy based on force. To counter coercion and brute colonial sistence id not be po force, he evolved the strategy of moral persuasion or non-violent resistance based on ins on truth. The fact of military superiority of the British rule and possible crushing of any militant opposition could have informed Gandhi's strategy. Gandhiji felt that coercion and use of armed force is a result of lack of understanding of the entire truth by those who use force. Satyagraha or moral persuasion comes under the category oftruth-force or soul force. Soul force or truth force is related to correctness of means to achieve any goal. To counter brute force of the colonial power by violent means was unthinkable for Gandhi. He insisted on moral persuasion. Use of moral persuasion to influence behaviour of another person or agency that wields power does not constitute use of brute force but only truth force. In Gandhi’s views, moral persuasion is an appeal based on truth and does not imply any external pressure or force. He felt that power exercised being violent could never be legitimate. Only power of truthful moral persuasion (Satyagraha) i eytimate, as far means only can produce fair ends. In his Hind Swaraj, Gandhi describes the meaning of love force or soul force. He lays the principle that one can govern other as long as they remained the governed, The moment the governed refuses to have any dealing with the one who seek to govern, the relationship breaks down "Thisis the basis of non-cooperation and civil disobedience or passive resistance. According to Gandhi force of arms is powerless when matched against the force of love or the soul? Fron the moral point of view, Satyagraba isabout moral persuasion and is pat of search for f force is made to realize the entire truth. However, in political truth in which the perpetrator 0 perp’ cal obligation to the State, which does not enjoy legitimacy, sense, it is a way of denying politi b Satyagraha to ao avin Mish rule was based on moral obligation of self-esteem, national Pride, self-rule and political inde é Obligation means a condition to perform a duty or fulilla requirement, Political obligation implies obligation towards the state. It requires obeying the authority of the state and demon- sttating loyalty to the very existence of the state At the day-to-day level, it relates to obeying pendence. eee ES a Gandhi, Hind Swaraj, Navajivan Pub House, Ahmadabad, 1938, P. 67. © Gandhi, Hind Swaraj, P. 65.102 | Political Theory the laws and rules of the state, paving taxes pear ie a ipa en cet hi; ample, conceding private land to the state in d LS there an Ses rvbea political obligation erodes and resistance or revolt a Taken together, obligation could arise due to a variety of reasons. It would involve ol ligation ees thet or against it if the same is coercive and authoritarian or exploitative or co Pal anchis Saya, graha, as moral persuasion, entails obligation for resisting injustice, brute force an OpPressive wer of the state, . penis ae of resistance is that of passive resistance and civil disobedience, same as Thorey propagated in America against slavery during 1860s. Thoreau in his book Civil Disobedien (1864) advocated passive resistance as means of resistance against the American governmen, during the slavery abolition struggle. It implies civil opposition to the policies ofthe government by the general citizenry. Gandhi realizing the importance of this policy of civil disobedience against the powerful colonial government evolved his policy of Satyagraha, moral insistence or persuasion based on truth. This meant non-violent civil opposition and resistance against the Policies, authority and institutions of the colonial rule in India. Gandhi’s famous Champaran Satyagraha (1917), Non-Cooperation Movement (1921), Salt Satyagraha (1930), Civil Disobedi- ence Movement (1930-31) are examples of civil disobedience against the policies of the colonial government. Implication of Gandhian Understanding of the State Gandhi as critique of state as representing brute force can be taken in league with anarchists like Count Leo Tolstoy. In treating colonialism as moral and national subjugation and the colonial state as representing brute force, Gandhi’ ideas came closer to treating any state as repository of brute force. As such, from the point of view of political theory, Gandhi is an advocate of minimal or no political obligation to the State. He can be termed as a philosophical anarchist. Gandhi was a great advocate of decentralized political and economic set up, He advocated village panchayat as a basis for organizing decision-making and political power, The Indian Constitution under Article 40 provides as a Directive Principle of the State Policy that steps should be taken by the State to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as unite of self-government. The panchayats have been given constitutional status after the 73rd amendment to the Constitution ~_ in 1992, Panchayati Raj system is laudable in the sense of participative power structure; howeves it reflects the basic Gandhian distrust of Combined with his opposition to th machinery, Gandhiji opposed nationaliz which are required for self-employme society,