Peasant Movements

Peasant movements — also called agrarian struggles — have existed in India since pre-colonial times. Their character changed significantly across different historical periods, shaped by the nature of colonial rule, the rise of nationalist politics, and later, post-independence economic policies.

The Colonial Period (1858–1914)

In the period between 1858 and 1914, peasant movements were localised, disjointed, and confined to particular grievances. They did not spread across regions or link up with a broader national struggle.

Two well-known examples from this era are:

• The Bengal Revolt (1859–62) — a protest against the indigo plantation system, where peasants refused to grow indigo under exploitative terms imposed by European planters.
• The Deccan Riots (1857) — a series of uprisings in the Deccan region against moneylenders who had trapped peasants in cycles of debt and land alienation.

The Gandhian Phase (1915–1940s)

Some of the same issues — indigo plantations, land revenue, forest laws — continued into the next period. Under Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership, these local struggles became partially linked to the Independence movement.

Key examples:

• Champaran Satyagraha (1917–18) — directed against the forced cultivation of indigo in Bihar. This was Gandhi’s first major intervention in India.
• Bardoli Satyagraha (1928, Surat District) — a ‘non-tax’ campaign as part of the nationwide non-cooperation movement. Peasants refused to pay land revenue.
• Forest protests (1920s) — in several regions, movements arose against the forest policies of the British government and local rulers, which restricted peasants’ access to forest resources.

Rise of Peasant Organisations (1920–1940)

Between 1920 and 1940, formal peasant organisations began to emerge. The first was the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (1929). In 1936, the All India Kisan Sabha was founded at the national level.

The peasants organised by these Sabhas demanded freedom from economic exploitation for peasants, workers, and all other exploited classes.

Movements at the Time of Independence

Two of the most classical cases of peasant movements occurred around Independence:

• Tebhaga Movement (1946–47) — a struggle of sharecroppers in Bengal and North Bihar. They demanded two-thirds share of their produce instead of the customary half. The movement had the support of the Kisan Sabha and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
• Telangana Movement (1946–51) — directed against feudal conditions in the princely state of Hyderabad. It was led by the CPI and involved armed struggle against landlords and the Nizam’s rule.

Post-Independence: New Farmers’ Movements (1970s onwards)

A new type of farmer’s movement began in the 1970s, first in Punjab and Tamil Nadu. These movements differed from earlier peasant struggles in several ways:

• They were regionally organised and non-party (not directly linked to any political party).
• They involved farmers rather than peasants. Farmers are defined as market-involved — they are both commodity producers (selling their output) and purchasers (buying inputs like seeds, fertiliser, and machinery).
• The basic ideology was strongly anti-state and anti-urban — farmers saw the state and urban centres as exploiting the countryside.

The central focus of their demands was ‘price and related issues’ — for example:

• Price procurement (government buying crops at assured prices)
• Remunerative prices (prices that give farmers a fair profit)
• Prices for agricultural inputs (fertiliser, pesticides, electricity, water)
• Taxation
• Non-repayment of loans

These movements used novel methods of agitation:

• Blocking roads and railways
• Refusing politicians and bureaucrats entry to villages

It has been argued that the farmers’ movements have broadened their agenda and ideology over time to include environment and women’s issues. For this reason, some scholars see them as part of the worldwide ‘new social movements’.

The Naxalbari Movement (1967) — A Radical Peasant Uprising

The textbook includes a source (Box 8.5 and 8.6) describing the Naxalbari movement in West Bengal, which represents a more radical, armed phase of peasant struggle.

According to Kanu Sanyal’s account, from March 1967 to April 1967, all villagers in the Siliguri subdivision were organised. Between 15,000 and 20,000 peasants were enrolled as whole-time activists. Peasants’ committees were formed in every village and transformed into armed guards. They:

• Occupied land in the name of peasants’ committees
• Burnt all land records ‘which had been used to cheat them of their dues’
• Cancelled all hypothecary debts
• Passed death sentences on oppressive landlords …