With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements: 1. Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of 'indentured labour'. 2. In Lord Chelmsford's 'War Conference', Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War. 3. Consequent upon the breaking of Salt Law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Option (b) is correct because Mahatma Gandhi was a key figure in the campaign against the exploitative indentured labour system (abolished in 1917), and the British government declared the Indian National Congress illegal in 1930 following the mass defiance of the Salt Laws. Statement 2 is incorrect because Gandhi actually supported the recruitment resolution at Lord Chelmsford’s 1918 War Conference, believing that assisting the Empire in its time of need would strengthen India's case for Swaraj. The core concept tested is the evolution of Mahatma Gandhi’s political strategies and the British administrative responses during the Indian National Movement.