At the opening of the Banaras Hindu University, which of the following themes did Mahatma Gandhi emphasize in his famous speech?

Introduction / Context:
This question relates to Mahatma Gandhi's famous speech at the inauguration of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1916. The speech is remembered for Gandhi's bold criticism of the Indian elite and princes gathered there and for his emphasis on the plight of India's poor. Understanding what he actually highlighted in that speech helps to distinguish early strands of his thought from concerns that became more prominent later, such as his sustained campaign against untouchability and his involvement in labour disputes.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Statement 1: Gandhi charged the Indian elite with lacking concern for the labouring poor.
- Statement 2: He asserted that India's salvation could come only through the farmers and peasants.
- Statement 3: He highlighted in this speech the specific plight of the untouchables.
- Statement 4: He promised to take up the cause of the Ahmedabad mill owners.
- You must identify which combination of these statements correctly reflects the emphasis of the BHU speech.

Concept / Approach:
In the BHU speech, Gandhi spoke in front of princes, landlords and educated elites in expensive dress and jewellery. He contrasted their wealth and comfort with the suffering of the Indian masses, especially the peasants and labourers. He criticized their lack of concern for the poor and implied that India's future depended on the upliftment of the rural masses. While Gandhi would later campaign strongly against untouchability and support Ahmedabad mill workers, those specific issues were not the central, explicit focus of this particular speech. By recalling the context and content, we can test each statement.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Gandhi did criticize the rich elites and princes at BHU for their indifference to the poor, so statement 1 is correct. Step 2: He stressed that the wellbeing and upliftment of India's farmers and peasants were central to the nation's salvation, so statement 2 is also correct. Step 3: The specific, detailed focus on the plight of untouchables came more strongly in his later work; it was not the main, explicit theme of this speech, making statement 3 not fully accurate in this context. Step 4: The reference to taking up the cause of Ahmedabad mill owners is incorrect and reverses the historical fact that Gandhi later supported mill workers, not owners, so statement 4 is wrong.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick cross-check with summaries of the BHU speech shows repeated references to the wretched condition of India's masses, the moral duty of the rich and the need to serve villages. There is no commitment to defend mill owners, and while Gandhi always cared about the oppressed, the explicit, targeted campaign against untouchability became more visible in the 1920s and 1930s. This confirms that only statements 1 and 2 directly capture the main thrust of his remarks at BHU.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (1, 2, 3 and 4) is too broad and includes clearly incorrect points, particularly statement 4. Option C (1, 2 and 3 only) mistakenly treats statement 3 as a central feature of the speech, which conflates Gandhi's later anti-untouchability campaigns with this earlier address. Option D (3 and 4 only) is completely inconsistent with the known content of the speech. Only option B, which includes statements 1 and 2, correctly reflects the core message of Gandhi's BHU speech.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes project Gandhi's entire life's work onto every speech and assume that all his major concerns appear in equal measure everywhere. This leads to the mistaken belief that untouchability or specific labour disputes were central themes at BHU. Another common error is to confuse his later involvement in the Ahmedabad mill workers' strike with any reference to mill owners in this early speech. Keeping the chronological context clear helps avoid these generalizations.

Final Answer:
At the opening of Banaras Hindu University, Gandhi primarily criticized the indifferent Indian elite and emphasized that India's salvation lay in serving farmers and the poor. Therefore, the correct combination is 1 and 2 only, which is option B.