Why Was Gandhi's Flawed Perception Of The Indian Independence Movement?

Propaganda is a powerful tool that could make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent (Malcolm X). The West has this flawed perception of the Indian Independence Movement which credits the Indian Independence from the British Raj to Gandhi and his non-violent resistance against the colonists. This is mostly due to propaganda created to keep violence at a minimum during some of the more fragile times in the West such as the Civil Rights Movement. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for this method instead of any violent ones by reinforcing the idea that if an entire nation (India) fought without using any violence, so could they. However, a closer historical analysis would prove otherwise. While Gandhi’s non-violent resistance

It was all the uprisings and the rebellions by soldiers and commoners that eventually broke down the British tyranny. The British leaders of that time also admitted that Gandhi had very little to do with their departure; in fact, it was mostly the efforts of the INA and the Royal Indian Navy that forced them out. Thomas Paine would agree with this, and Paine would argue for revolutions against the government when the government fails to protect the natural rights of its citizens. Since Paine believed in individuality much more than Burke, he advocated more for individualistic rights which the Indians had little of under the British rule. He almost reiterated the Declaration of Independence in the sense that he argued for rights such as the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, so there was no reason he would be against violence as long as it was for the purpose of liberty. Paine was a strong believer in the individuality of the citizens, and the people of India had their individuality snatched away as they had merely become subjects to the British Empire. As long as they served the British Empire, they were considered valuable; otherwise, they were mistreated and abused. Paine’s argument is much more appealing to humans, as he inspired many reforms such as the anti-slavery moment in the US, the 20th century struggles in Africa, and the Asian struggles, including Indian struggles, against the colonial powers using only his ideas and his words. Without firing a single bullet, he gave the people the power and the courage to rise, to change the course of their government, to make history. What made him so inspiring was that his ideas and thoughts were rooted in emotion rather than logic, which is very fitting considering humans are also designed that