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The Kisan Sabha Movement was one of the most significant peasant movements during British rule in India. It emerged in the Awadh region of the United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh) as a response to the exploitation of peasants by British colonial policies and oppressive landlord practices. The movement highlighted the agrarian distress prevailing in rural India and played an important role in linking peasant struggles with the broader Indian national movement.
Kisan Sabha Movement Background
- After the Revolt of 1857, the British restored land rights to the Awadh taluqdars. This restoration significantly increased the power of large landlords and strengthened their dominance over the agrarian structure of the region.
- Most cultivators and tenant farmers were subjected to heavy rents, arbitrary evictions known as bedakhali, and various illegal taxes. They were also forced to pay additional charges such as renewal fees or nazrana, which increased their financial burden.
- The First World War caused a sharp rise in the prices of food grains and essential commodities. As the cost of living increased while agricultural incomes remained low, the economic condition of peasants in the United Provinces worsened considerably.
- The movement gained maximum momentum in the districts of Rai Bareilly, Faizabad, and Sultanpur, which became the major centres of peasant mobilisation and resistance.
- The Kisan Sabha Movement gradually declined due to strict government suppression and the introduction of the Awadh Rent (Amendment) Act, which weakened peasant unity and reduced the intensity of protests.
Kisan Sabha Movement Causes
- After the annexation of Awadh in 1856 by the British, the taluqdars, who were large landlords, gradually consolidated their authority over the rural agrarian system. By the late nineteenth century, they had established strong control over land ownership and tenant farmers.
- The taluqdars imposed extremely high rents and forced peasants to pay illegal taxes, renewal charges known as nazrana, and other arbitrary payments. Additionally, tenants were frequently evicted from their lands (bedakhli) without proper justification, which made the lives of most cultivators extremely difficult and insecure.
- The economic hardships intensified during and after the First World War, as the prices of food grains and essential goods increased sharply. This rise in the cost of living further worsened the condition of tenant farmers in Awadh and created widespread dissatisfaction, encouraging peasants to unite and resist exploitation.
Also Read: Vernacular Press Act 1878
Kisan Sabha Movement Outcome
- The formation of Kisan Sabhas in the United Provinces was largely driven by Home Rule activists who aimed to organize peasants and raise awareness about their rights. In February 1918, Gauri Shankar Mishra and Indra Narayan Dwivedi established the United Provinces Kisan Sabha to address the grievances of farmers.
- The movement received strong support from prominent nationalist leader Madan Mohan Malaviya, which helped in expanding its reach. By June 1919, the United Provinces Kisan Sabha had grown rapidly and established nearly 450 branches, showing increasing participation of peasants across the region.
- Several local leaders such as Jhinguri Singh, Durgapal Singh, and Baba Ramchandra played important roles in mobilizing farmers. Baba Ramchandra invited Jawaharlal Nehru to visit the villages of Awadh in June 1920, where Nehru interacted closely with peasants and gained a deeper understanding of their problems.
- Due to differences in ideology and strategy among nationalist leaders, a separate organisation called the Awadh Kisan Sabha was formed in October 1920 to focus specifically on the agrarian issues of the region.
- The Awadh Kisan Sabha encouraged peasants to refuse cultivation on lands from which tenants had been evicted (bedakhali). It also urged farmers to stop providing unpaid labour such as hari and begar, boycott exploitative landlords, and resolve disputes through village panchayats instead of colonial courts.
- By January 1921, the nature of the movement changed significantly. The earlier peaceful methods of mass meetings and mobilisation gradually turned aggressive, leading to incidents such as looting of markets, attacks on landlord properties, and clashes between peasants and police authorities.
Conclusion
Farmers frequently organised protests and movements to demand their rights even during British colonial rule. One of the most remarkable features of the Kisan Sabha Movement was the participation of peasants from both upper and lower caste groups, which demonstrated a rare sense of unity among rural communities against exploitation.
However, the movement could not sustain itself for a long period. It gradually declined due to strict government repression, including arrests of leaders and suppression of peasant gatherings. Additionally, the introduction of the Awadh Rent (Amendment) Act addressed certain agrarian issues and weakened the intensity of the agitation, which ultimately led to the decline of the Kisan Sabha Movement.
