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MK Gandhi’s Salem Visit
May 15 , 2026
15 hrs 0 min
51
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- Mahatma Gandhi’s historic visits to Salem and his anti-untouchability campaign of 1934 were recalled.
- Gandhi stayed at Hasthampatti in Salem during his eight-hour visit in February 1934 as part of his countrywide campaign for the abolition of untouchability.
- Among his visits to the Madras State between 1896 and 1946, Gandhi visited Salem in 1920, 1923, and 1934.
- The 1934 visit became especially important because Gandhi travelled across India at that time to campaign against untouchability.
- Salem held special importance for Gandhi as it was the hometown of Congress leaders C. Vijiaraghavachariar and P. Varadarajulu Naidu.
- In August 1920, Gandhi, C. Rajagopalachari, and Shaukat Ali stayed at Varadarajulu Naidu’s residence before leaving for Bengaluru during the Khilafat movement period.
- At the special session of the All-India Congress Committee in Kolkata in September 1920, Vijiaraghavachariar and Motilal Nehru advised Gandhi to include the demand for “Swaraj” (self-rule) in his proposed resolution.
- The Salem Municipal Council later passed a resolution directing restaurants within its limits to allow Scheduled Castes (SCs) and warned that licences of eateries violating the rule could be cancelled.
- A philatelic museum connected to this history was established in Salem in January 1997.
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