The correct answer is Persistence of poverty .

According to Mahatma Gandhi, the cruelest form of violence is the persistence of poverty. For Gandhi, violence was not just physical harm, but also included any action that caused harm or suffering to others. Poverty, in his view, was a form of violence because it perpetuated inequality and denied people their basic human rights, including access to food, shelter, and education. Gandhi believed that ending poverty required a fundamental transformation of society, with a focus on decentralization, self-sufficiency, and the empowerment of the poor. He emphasized the importance of nonviolent resistance in this struggle, and saw poverty as not only a moral issue, but also a political and economic one. Therefore, the correct answer to this question is option (A), “Persistence of poverty.”