Farmers Movement in India

Farmers Movement in India

GS-1, 3: Modern History & Indian Economy

 (UPSC/State PSC)

Important for prelims

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), Farmers' movement 2.0, Swaminathan Commission, MSP, Agricultural Costs and Prices Commission(ACPC), Deccan Revolt, Eka Movement, Moplah rebellion,  Ramosi Peasants' Revolt, Tebhaga Movement, Tana Bhagat Movement, Bijolia Farmers Movement, Bardoli Satyagraha, Kheda Satyagraha, All India Kisan Sabha.

Important for mains

Farmers' movement 2.0- Major demands of farmers, Cause of movement, History of Peasant Movements in India, Role of peasant movements in the Indian economy.

Feb. 15, 2024

Why in news:

Recently, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher has given a call for farmers' movement 2.0 on 13 February as 'Delhi Chalo'.

  • It is noteworthy that in 2020, farmers had started a nationwide movement to protest against the implementation of three agricultural laws by the Parliament.
  • Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and other parts of the country are involved in this movement.

Recent farmer movements:

  • In 2017, farmer movement in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh.
  • In 2017 and 2018, farmers of Tamil Nadu protested in Delhi demanding loan waiver and one and a half times higher support price for crops.
  • Indian farmer leaders: Mahendra Singh Tikait (pure farmer), Chaudhary Charan Singh and Chaudhary Devi Lal.

Major demands of farmers:

  • Apart from repeal of agricultural laws and implementation of MSP law, the following 12 demands of farmers are proposed before the Central Government:
  • The government should implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission,
  • Agricultural loans should be waived off,
  • Farmers should get concession in electricity rates and the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 should be repealed,
  • India should be expelled from WTO,
  • The victims of Lakhimpur Kheri violence should get justice,
  • Allowance should be increased to reduce import duty on agricultural products like fruits, milk, vegetables, meat,
  • Farmers and agricultural laborers should be given pension,
  • Cases against farmers should be withdrawn,
  • Farmers should be kept out of pollution laws,
  • Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme should be improved,
  • Land Acquisition Act 2013 should be implemented as before,
  • The quality of seeds of all crops including cotton should be improved by amending the Pesticides, Seeds and Fertilizer Act.

Cause of movement:

  • Farmers demand that a binding law should be made by the government for the MSP currently being given on 23 crops so that farmers can get full benefits of agricultural commodities.
  • Actually, the Agricultural Costs and Prices Commission recommends MSP to the government, but the government is not bound to accept this recommendation.
  • MSP is just a scheme which can be closed anytime by the government if it wants.

What is MSP:

  • MSP means Minimum Support Price. MSP is the rate at which the government buys the crops from the farmers. The central government decides the minimum price of crops. Even in case of low prices of crops in the market, crops are purchased by the government at MSP rates only.
  • At present, the government sets MSP for 24 agricultural crops of Rabi and Kharif.

About Agricultural Costs and Prices Commission(ACPC):

  • Since January 1965, it is a commission under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of the Government of India.
  • The objective of its establishment is to prepare a balanced and integrated price structure of agricultural products and to give advice on the minimum support price of agricultural products.

About Swaminathan Commission:

  • In the year 2004, the Central Government formed a commission under the chairmanship of S. Swaminathan, which is known as Swaminathan Commission (Farmers Commission), to improve the economic condition of the farmers of the country and increase the production. This commission had submitted its report in the year 2006.

History of Peasant Movements in India:

  • During the British period, farmer movements not only played an important role in the freedom movement, but also shook the British power. However, before independence, Gandhiji's clear influence was visible on the farmers' movements, this was the reason why they were completely non-violent.

Peasant movement after 1857:

Deccan Revolt:

  • Beginning- December 1874, Kardah village of Shirur taluka, Maharashtra.
  • Agitator: Kaluram Kisan started the movement against Baba Saheb Deshmukh and the moneylenders.
  • This movement was not limited to one or two places but spread to different parts of the country.

Eka Movement:

  • This movement started from Uttar Pradesh. As a result of the efforts of the Home Rule League workers and the guidance of Madan Mohan Malviya, 'Kisan Sabha' was formed in Uttar Pradesh in February 1918.
  • In the last days of 1919, Jawaharlal Nehru provided his support to this organization.
  • This movement was launched in Hardoi, Bahraich and Sitapur districts of Uttar Pradesh for increase in rent and collection of rent in the form of produce.

Moplah rebellion:

  • There was a revolt in 1920 by the Moplah farmers in the Malabar region of Kerala. Initially this rebellion was against the British rule. This movement had the support of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Shaukat Ali, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. However, in 1920, this movement took the form of a communal movement between Hindus and Muslims and was later crushed.

Kuka rebellion:

  • This was an armed rebellion by the Kuka people (Namdhari Sikhs) of Punjab in 1872. This rebellion was carried out in protest against agricultural problems and the promotion of killing of cows by the British. It was led by Balak Singh and his follower Guru Ram Singh Ji. 66 Namdhari Sikhs were martyred during the Kuka rebellion.

Ramosi Peasants' Revolt:

  • In Maharashtra, under the leadership of Vasudev Balwant Phadke, Ramosi farmers had raised the bugle of rebellion against the atrocities of the landlords. Similarly, there was a rebellion against the colonial rule in Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of Sitaram Raju, which continued sporadically from 1879 to 1920-22.

Tebhaga Movement:

  • Among the farmer movements, the Tebhaga movement of 1946 in Bengal was the most powerful movement, in which the farmers started the struggle to reduce the rent rate to one-third as per the recommendation of the 'Flyde Commission'. The Tebhaga movement of Bengal was launched to give two-thirds of the crop to the oppressed sharecropper farmers. This movement spread to about 15 districts of Bengal, especially in the northern and coastal Sundarban regions. About 50 lakh farmers participated in this movement. It also received widespread support from agricultural labourers.

Tana Bhagat Movement:

  • Tana Bhagat movement against high rate of revenue and Chowkidari tax started in Bihar in 1914. The originator of this movement was 'Jatra Bhagat'. The Tana Bhagat movement started about 13 years after the end of the Munda movement.

Telangana Movement:

  • This movement was started in Andhra Pradesh in 1946 against the exploitation of landlords and moneylenders. The character of the peasant movement after 1858 was different from the earlier movement. Now the farmers started fighting their own battles without any mediator. Most of their demands were economic.

Bijolia Farmers Movement:

  • This farmer movement was famous all over India which was led by the famous revolutionary Vijay Singh Pathik. The Bijolia farmers movement started in 1847 and continued for almost half a century. The way the farmers united and fought against the autocratic bureaucracy and arbitrary feudal lords became history.

All India Kisan Sabha:

  • In 1923, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati formed 'Bihar Kisan Sabha'. In 1928, 'Andhra Provincial Raiyat Sabha' was founded by NG Ranga. In Orissa, Malti Chaudhary established 'Utkal Provincial Kisan Sabha'. 'Krishak Praja Party' was established in Bengal in 1929 regarding the 'Tennessee Act'. Kisan Union was established in United Province in April, 1935. In the same year, NG Ranga and other farmer leaders planned to form an 'All India Farmers Organization' by merging all the provincial farmers' assemblies.

The Indigo Rebellion (Champaran Satyagraha):

  • The Indigo Rebellion was started by the farmers of Bengal in 1859. On the other hand, in Champaran, Bihar, the British planters had signed a contract with the farmers, under which it was mandatory for the farmers to cultivate indigo on 3/20th of the land. This was called 'Tinkathiya method'. When Gandhiji became aware of these adverse circumstances in 1917, he decided to go to Bihar. Gandhiji went to Bihar along with Majrul Haq, Narhari Parikh, Rajendra Prasad and JB Kripalani and demonstrated his first Satyagraha against the British rule.

Kheda Satyagraha:

  • After Champaran, Gandhiji started a movement in 1918 regarding the problems of Kheda farmers. Kheda is situated in Gujarat. Gandhiji started his first real 'Kisan Satyagraha' in Kheda. Kunbi-Patidar farmers of Kheda demanded relief in tax from the government, but they did not get any concession. Gandhiji took charge of the Kheda movement on March 22, 1918. Other associates included Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Indulal Yagnik.

Bardoli Satyagraha:

  • In 1928, in Bardoli taluka of Surat (Gujarat), a movement of non-payment of 'Lagaan' was launched by the farmers. Not only the land-owning farmers of 'Kunbi-Patidar' castes, but people of all tribes took part in this movement. This movement was led by Sardar Patel.

Source: Jansatta

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Mains Question:

After 1857, analyze the effective role of peasant movements in the Indian economy.