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 The Kaira Question

��THE SITUATION IN KAIKA

In the year 1916-17 there was serious and widespread failure of crops in the District of Kaira in Gujarat. Under the revenue rules the ryots were entitled to full suspension of taxes if the yield was less than 4 as. in the rupee and half suspension if between 4 and 6 as. The Government granted complete suspension to one village villages and issued orders to collect revenue from the rest. The ryots claimed that the Government were wrong in their estimate and Mr. Gandhi and Mr. F. /. Patel who con- ducted an enquiry also came to the same conclusion. The Government persisted in collecting revenues as usual. Peti. tions and protests having been of no avail, the ryots resorted to passive resistance under the guidance of Mr. Gandhi. In the following lecture at Bombay in February, 1918, Mr. Gandhi narrated the story of the trouble in Kaira in hi* usually brief and lucid manner :

I do not want; to say muob. I have received a letter asking me to ba presents a& to-morrow's deputation that is going to wait on his Excellency the Governor, and I am sure I will be able to explain to bim the true facts, Still I musk make it clear here that the reenonyibility of the notice issued by the Gujarat Sabha lies on me. I was ab Ahmedabed before that notice was issued, where

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