What was the swaraj for the plantation movement?

For plantation workers, Swaraj meant freedom to leave the estates, return to their villages, and the hope that “Gandhi Raj” would grant them land. This differed from the Congress elite’s political vision.

Why this view emerged

• Inland Emigration Act, 1859: Workers needed permission to leave plantations; approvals were rare, effectively trapping them.
• Yearning for home: Reconnecting with native villages was central to their idea of freedom.
• Expectation of change: Many believed Swaraj under Gandhi would end coercion and restore land-based livelihoods.

Movement response and repression

• When Non-Cooperation reached Assam estates, thousands tried to go home, acting on their version of Swaraj.
• Authorities blocked them with arrests and violence.

Swaraj was socially differentiated: plantation workers defined it through mobility, dignity, and land, not just constitutional change.