Previous Year Question
In which of his following books did Mahatma Gandhi call British Parliament as sterile and prostitute?
Sarvodaya or Universal dawn
An Autobiography or the story of experiments with truth
Hind Swaraj
The Story of a Satyagrahi
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Mahatma Gandhi sharply criticised the British Parliament in his famous work Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule.
Gandhi wrote Hind Swaraj in 1909. It was originally written in Gujarati and was later translated into English under the title Indian Home Rule.
In Chapter V — “The Condition of England,” Gandhi criticised the functioning of the British Parliament and used the harsh descriptions “sterile woman and a prostitute.”
By describing Parliament as “sterile,” Gandhi argued that it did not, of its own accord, perform good work and required external pressure before taking action.
By comparing Parliament to a “prostitute,” he meant that it lacked a permanent master and remained under the control of Ministers and political parties that changed from time to time.
Hind Swaraj was not confined to criticism of Parliament. Gandhi also criticised aspects of modern Western civilization, machinery, railways, lawyers and doctors, while presenting his ideas of Swaraj, moral self-rule and Indian civilization.
The work first appeared serially in Indian Opinion. The Gujarati edition was later proscribed by the Bombay Government, following which Gandhi published an English version.
Therefore, Gandhi used the description mentioned in the question in Hind Swaraj.