Peasant Movement In Maharashtra

Abstract

The peasants’ movements created an atmosphere for post- independence agrarian reforms, for instance,’ abolition of Zamindari. They eroded the power of the landed class, thus adding to the transformation of the agrarian structure. The growth of peasant movement’s
exercised considerable pressure on the Indian National Congress. Despite this, the Karachi Congress Charter did not even touch the fringe of the peasant problem. But the political pressure of the Kisan Sabha succeeded in the Faizpur Congress agrarian programme.
However, the Congress could not under the pressure of the native bourgeoisie grant any radical concession to the peasant demands, at the cost of jeoparadizing the interests of zamindars This was amply demonstrated by the performances of the Congress ministers
during the short period that they were in office before independence. Their objective was to get more benefits because the foundation of those companies was done for doing business. The British East India Company of England conquered India by politically as well
as economically. It imposed high taxes on the peasants and interfered in their social, political, economic and religious matters. Because of these reasons, the peasant movements emerged in India. The present paper will focus on those ideologies which play role in the peasant movements in India. In this paper, main focus will be on some questions like ‘what is peasant movement?’, ‘What is peasant society?’ and what are the circumstances that lead peasant movements? This paper will focus on mainly two ideologies of peasant movements in India such as Gandhian ideology and the Communist ideology. The paper will also give a short introduction to the peasant movements which were based on these two ideologies.