The Indian Working Class Movement During Freedom Struggle

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Preface

As my first endeavour to step up in the field of history writing this small work, something like a brochure, comparing to various magnum opus that have been contributed by various eminent historians like R.P. Dutt, Summit Sarkar, etc. and sociologist like A.R. Desai and others, will stand no where from the point of view of its popularity among the readers. But what have given me impetus, in my opinion, to venture for publication of this book, are my firm convilctions that the original sources, collected mostly from the National Archive, at Delhi, on which I have relied upon much to accomplish this work, will impress its readers about the strenuous labour I have done in its drafting and final perusul. I know my limitations and an aware of the fact that neither I am a recognized author on modern Indian history nor desirous of competing with those who have been recognized as authorities on it. What all I have efforted to is mere at-tempt to compile, analyse and interpret the huge materials that were at my disposal at the time of writing this book. Here, mine is the only mission to add to modern Indian history that aspect of the movement which has till now, not been given its due place in the writings of historians. To add this part to the modern Indian history is a corrective effort and it is all that I have resorted to.

The Indian working class, particularly the organised industrial labour in India, as a class force, has played decisive role in the Indian struggle for freedom, but persons like Pattabhi Sitaramaya, the writer of the official history of the Indian National Congress, has kept himself quite immune from mentioning even a ripple of event related to the working class movement. As is clear from the textual evidences that had the working class movement not approached a vital form many movements, led by the Congress, could not have succeeded in achieving their projected missions. Unquestionable is the fact that it was this class of political force that linked the Indian national movement with other anti-imperialist movements occurring beyond the territorial bounds of India. To have a complete history of Indian National Movement assessment of the role of working class in it is a must condition and I have tried to fill up the gaps till now left by other historians.

It will be a severe lacuna on my part if I claim this work to be the concomitant result of only my labour, rather more correct is to accept that there are variety of persons who havee obliged me by their earnest helps. guidances and assistances. The academic personalities, whose contributions to this work are worth mentioning, are numerous and the space for mentioning of all of them is too small to accommodate them all. However, some of them whose names have found places in this preface, are persons whose guidance to me in preparing the final draft of various chapters embodied herein. is of perennial importance but those, who have been left without being mentioned here, are, in no way, lesser important than those mentioned here.

First and foremast, I owe my heartiest gratitude to Dr. Bishwanath singh (who is now no more), the eminent professor and pro-vice chancellor. Magadh University, whose cordial guidance to me enabled me to be myself prepared to start this writing work. Sri Ram Lochan Singh known prominently for his in-depth acumen in social science research and writings, is among those a few whose academic guidance remained much handy for me in my afforts to interpret events in their objective conditions and their impact on movements in their real political perspectives.

My thanks automatically go to my departmental colleagues in Magadh University and College of Commerce, Patna who in their earnest efforts to enthuse me to accomplish this herculean task never lagged behind on every occasion which perturbed me to the extent of compelling me to retreat back from the work of writings.

I am equally obliged to the assistances that were extended to me by the staffs and officers of various libraries, archives, institutions and trade union offices that I visited for this purposes, specially of the Indian Council of World Affairs. Sapru House, New Delhi, Indian Council of Historical Research, National Archire and J.N.U. Library, New Delhi and A.N. Sinha Institute, Patna.

I am greatful to my husband Yogesh Chandra Verma and my father-in-law P.C. Verma (who is dead now), who always encouraged me in my this academic pursuits. My younger son Anshul Raj, a history student and a lawyer now, has also helped me immensely with the profreading and editing of the book.

I can not refrain myself without extending my heartiest thanks to Sri Nand Kishor Ji, the properitor, Janki Prakashan, Patna, who has done pains-taking labour in publication of this book. Without his cordial help it was.

perhaps, impossible for me to appear before the readers of this book as its writer/author.

Now, what this work really represents is combination of labour done by a number of persons, academicians and technicians and I am fortunate enough that it has been endowed to my name. Its successes, if there is any, are results of combined efforts done by various persons in different ways but the errors and omissions, it embodies, are exclusively mine. If the work makes its place among readers I shall be obliged to them with the sense that the labour I have done, has not gone in vain.

Introduction

In modern Indian historiography a very popular question, which has, as yet, not been decided in its real perspective, is the question of analyzing the class contents of forces which fought the British imperialism out from India and attained complete independence in 1947. To probe into such a controversial question, on which historians are sharply divided, and to arrive at a consensus, agreeable to all shades of opinions, is a herculean task, because the field of opinion-division is much spacious, not to be encompassed in a single ideological frame. The polemic on the characterization of the Indian independence movement centres mainly round a subjective analysis of the movement arisen out of political motivation, which is directed to reap the political benefits in independent India by posing each one as being itself the main harbinger of the struggle for freedom. However, it is amply evident that the Indian National Movement was, right from its inception to its final compilation, an anti-imperialism struggle whose main direction was determined by the contradiction sprung up between the exploitative character of the British imperialism and the exploited Indian masses. In deciding the roles of various class forces in the struggle for India's freedom, the most pertinent point, to be considered, is to decide up on severity of exploitation, and to locate that segment of Indian population which was the worst victim of that exploitation. As it is evident that the working class in India, whose belated growth was caused due to industrial retardation imposed upon India as an imperialist economic strategy to keep India a raw material adjunct and market for British manufactured goods, had been the worst sufferer under the imperialist political yoke. Naturally, once this class of industrial workers assumed shape and became organizationally powerful to intervene in political scenario of India, it emerged as the bravest fighter for freedom of India; especially in the period after the world war first it demonstrated unparalleled zeal by staging various types of strike movements, in which participation of organised workers was commendable. The workers enthusiasm derived enough strength from the revolutionary movements that were fought all the world over and the organizations formed in that world revolutionary process going on in various countries under the impacts of the October revolution and the new type of state constituted by the Russian working class and peasantry. Above all were the contributions of the anti-imperialist organizations like the worker's. Welfare League, the Red International of Labour Unions, etc. who established their contacts with Indian labour movements and gave them impetus to wage relentless fight against British imperialism.

There is no dearth of books on modern Indian history, but all of them have devoted to explain general character of movement, without considering the roles the various class forces have played in the struggle for freedom. Even the most prominent historians like R.P. Dutt and Sumit sarkar, who have probed into the movement differently from other writers, have explained the entire scenario with anti-imperialist type but not in the real perspective of classes, which had allied together to fight imperialism out. The leading political force. the Indian National Congress has acted rather as a political platform of various class forces, viz, working class, peasantry middle class intelligentsia, Indian native bourgeoisie etc. whose interests collided with the ruling British imperialism. Throughout the movement the Indian National Congress was, decidedly, the leader of the movement, the unifying force for associating all antiimperialist force together to correspond the challenges coming from the imperialist rulers. But, however, it does not mean at all, as some of the historians have tried to depict that the struggle for India's freedom was the pros and cons of the political actions that were organised by the Congress alone. There are ample historical evidences, compiled in the imperialist government's intelligence Department, files etc. which show that even before the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885, the initial opposition to the British rule was organised by the labouring masses of India, the meat cutters and the hackney drivers of Bombay being at the fore. Later on, strike movements spread in textile mills of Madras, where workers staged their opposition through their collective actions.