The correct option is (d).
Explanation
The Civil Disobedience Movement was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi with the historic Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha) in 1930. The selection of salt as the central issue was a strategic decision designed to transform a political agitation into a mass struggle by addressing a grievance that affected every Indian.
Statement-wise Analysis
- Statement 1 is Correct: The British colonial government maintained a strict monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt under the India Salt Act of 1882. Private manufacture was banned, and the government controlled the supply, making it a potent symbol of imperialist exploitation.
- Statement 2 is Correct: Salt is a daily necessity for human survival, required by everyone regardless of caste, creed, or economic status. By choosing salt, Gandhi linked the abstract political demand for Purna Swaraj with the concrete daily life of the common man, thereby bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
- Statement 3 is Correct: Gandhi viewed the tax on such a vital commodity as morally indefensible. He argued that taxing a basic necessity, which nature provides freely (via seawater), was "sinful" because it disproportionately burdened the poorest sections of society. He famously described the salt tax as the "most inhuman poll tax" of all.
Key Takeaway: The choice of salt allowed Gandhi to mobilize a diverse population around a single, emotive, and universal issue, effectively challenging the moral authority of British rule while uniting the masses.