The correct option is Mahatma Gandhi.
Explanation
The concept of "Gram Swaraj" or Village Self-rule was central to the political philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, who envisioned a decentralized polity where power flows from the grassroots level upwards.
Detailed Analysis:
- Mahatma Gandhi is the proponent of the vision that "Independence must begin at the bottom." He argued that for true democracy to function, every village must be a self-sufficient republic or panchayat having full powers. He visualized a structure composed of innumerable villages, where life would not be a pyramid with the apex sustained by the bottom, but an "oceanic circle" with the individual at the center.
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar held a contrasting view regarding the village structure in India. During the Constituent Assembly debates, he famously criticized the village system, describing it as "a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow-mindedness and communalism." Consequently, he was skeptical of giving villages a central place in the Constitution.
- Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel supported the integration of villages into the national framework, but the specific ideological articulation of the village as a "republic" where independence begins is uniquely Gandhian.
Key Takeaway: Mahatma Gandhi advocated for Gram Swaraj, asserting that true democracy cannot be worked by a few men sitting at the center but must be worked from below by the people of every village.