Mahatma Gandhi undertook fast unto death in 1932, mainly because

Mahatma Gandhi undertook a 'fast unto death' in September 1932 while imprisoned in Yeravada Jail as a direct protest against the Communal Award announced by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald [2]. The award extended separate electorates to the 'depressed classes' (Scheduled Castes), which Gandhi perceived as a threat to national unity and a measure that would permanently divide Hindu society [3]. While the Second Round Table Conference had previously ended in a deadlock over minority representation, it was the specific announcement of the Communal Award in August 1932 that triggered Gandhi's fast [4]. The protest concluded only after the Poona Pact was signed between Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, which replaced separate electorates with reserved seats within a joint electorate for the depressed classes [4].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > 17. Lord Willingdon 1931-1936 > p. 822
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > Ideological Differences and Similarities between Gandhi and Ambedkar > p. 400
3. [3] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation > Communal Award > p. 56
4. [4] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 1: Historical Background > The features of this Act were as follows: > p. 7