 Although Gandhi did not officially designate Nehru his political heir until 1942, the country as early as the mid-1930s saw in Nehru the natural successor to Gandhi.Nehru and most of the Congress leaders were initially ambivalent about Gandhi's plan to begin civil disobedience with a "satyagraha" aimed at the British salt tax.After the protest gathered steam, they realised the power of salt as a symbol.