25. ROLE OF PEASANTS AND WORKERS IN THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT

25. ROLE OF PEASANTS AND WORKERS IN THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT

25.1 Peasant Movements

• Champaran Satyagraha (1917) and Kheda Satyagraha (1918) — early Gandhian peasant mobilisations (see Section 9).
• Bardoli Satyagraha (1928): Peasants of Bardoli, Gujarat, under Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, resisted an unjust hike in land revenue; successful, non-violent no-tax campaign; women of Bardoli gave Patel the title "Sardar" (leader) after this success.
• Moplah (Mappila) Rebellion (1921), Malabar (Kerala): Began as an anti-landlord (mostly Hindu landlords)/anti-British peasant uprising by Muslim Mappila peasants, initially linked to Khilafat/Non-Cooperation sentiment, but later took a communal turn; suppressed brutally by the British.
• All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) founded 1936, led by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, N.G. Ranga — organised peasants on economic issues (rent, debt) alongside political demands, often with Congress Socialist/Communist involvement.
• Tebhaga Movement (1946–47), Bengal: Sharecroppers (bargadars) demanded two-thirds (instead of half) share of the produce; led by the Kisan Sabha/Communist Party.

25.2 Working-Class/Labour Movements

• Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918) — see Section 9.2.
• All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) founded 1920, first President Lala Lajpat Rai; brought organised labour into the national movement.
• Textile and railway workers' strikes across the 1920s-30s (e.g., Bombay textile strikes) had both economic and nationalist overtones, often organised with growing Communist Party of India (CPI founded 1925) involvement.
• Workers and peasants formed the mass base for Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, and Quit India Movements — while elite/middle-class leadership provided direction, it was mass rural and urban labour participation that gave these movements their scale.

Key Facts / Quick Revision Points — Peasants and Workers

• Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) — Vallabhbhai Patel earned the title "Sardar."
• Moplah Rebellion (1921) — Malabar, Kerala.
• AITUC founded 1920 — first President Lala Lajpat Rai.
• All India Kisan Sabha — 1936, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati.
• Tebhaga Movement — 1946-47, Bengal sharecroppers.