The correct option is Mahatma Gandhi.
Explanation
Gram Swarajya, or "Village Self-rule," is a core political and socio-economic concept that envisions the village as a complete, self-sufficient republic.
- Mahatma Gandhi: He was the primary advocate of Gram Swarajya. He believed that "India lives in her villages" and that true independence (Swaraj) must begin from the bottom. His vision involved decentralized governance where every village would be a self-governing unit, independent for its vital needs yet interdependent for other necessities.
- Vinoba Bhave: A disciple of Gandhi, he later expanded on these ideals through the Gramdan and Bhoodan movements, but the original conceptualization of Gram Swarajya is attributed to Gandhi.
- Jawaharlal Nehru: While he inaugurated the Panchayati Raj system in 1959, his economic and political philosophy leaned heavily towards heavy industrialization and a strong central government, rather than the village-centric self-sufficiency model proposed by Gandhi.
- B.R. Ambedkar: He was critical of the traditional Indian village system. In the Constituent Assembly, he argued against making the village the unit of the Constitution, describing it as "a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow-mindedness and communalism."
Key Takeaway: Gram Swarajya is Mahatma Gandhi's vision for a decentralized democracy where the village serves as the basic unit of administration and economic self-reliance.