Peasant Movement and Kisan Sabha

1. In 1922, who referred to Lenin as ‘the Dear Leader of the Kisans’?

In 1922, who referred to Lenin as ‘the Dear Leader of the Kisans’?

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Swami Vidyananda
Swami Sahajananda
Baba Ramchandra
Jawaharlal Nehru
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UPSC CISF-AC-EXE – 2019
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In 1922, Baba Ramchandra referred to Lenin as ‘the Dear Leader of the Kisans’.
– Baba Ramchandra was a leading figure in the kisan (peasant) movement in Awadh during the early 1920s, particularly around 1920-1921.
– While primarily involved in the struggle against talukdars and landlords, he was influenced by nationalist ideas and, reflecting the revolutionary atmosphere of the time and the impact of the Russian Revolution, reportedly incorporated references to figures like Lenin in his speeches to mobilize peasants, portraying them as leaders of peasant/worker struggles globally.
– This specific phrase is attributed to Baba Ramchandra in historical accounts detailing the peasant movements in Awadh during this period.
Swami Sahajananda Saraswati was a prominent leader of peasant movements, but his major activities and the formation of the All India Kisan Sabha were later in the 1930s. Swami Vidyananda was also active in peasant movements in Bihar. Jawaharlal Nehru had connections with peasant movements but the specific quote referencing Lenin in this manner is associated with Baba Ramchandra.

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2. The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for

The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for

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the reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third
the grant of ownership of land to peasants as they were the actual cultivators of the land
the uprooting of Zamindari system and the end of serfdom
writing off all peasant debts
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UPSC IAS – 2013
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The correct option is A, which correctly states the main demand of the Tebhaga Peasant Movement.
– The Tebhaga movement was a significant peasant agitation that took place in the Bengal province of British India (present-day West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh) during 1946-1947.
– The movement was led by the Kisan Sabha (peasant front of the Communist Party of India).
– The central demand of the Tebhaga movement was the reduction of the share of the harvest taken by the landlords from the traditional one-half (fifty-fifty share) to one-third (tebhaga, meaning “three parts,” where the sharecropper would keep two-thirds).
– The sharecroppers (known as ‘bargadars’ or ‘adhiars’) were tenants who cultivated the land but did not own it, giving a share of the produce to the landlord.
The movement aimed to improve the economic condition of the sharecroppers. While demands for land ownership (B) and the abolition of the Zamindari system (C) were broader goals of the peasant movement in India, the specific and immediate demand of the Tebhaga movement was related to the share of the crop. Writing off peasant debts (D) was also a common peasant demand but not the defining feature of the Tebhaga movement.

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3. Which one of the following statements about the Indigo Revolt of 1859

Which one of the following statements about the Indigo Revolt of 1859 is correct ?

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It broke out at Poona and Ahmadnagar
It was directed against moneylenders
It was supported by the intelligentsia of Bengal
It was directed against the petty Zamindars and ex-employees of the planters
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UPSC CAPF – 2017
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The statement that the Indigo Revolt of 1859 was supported by the intelligentsia of Bengal is correct.
The Indigo Revolt (Nil Bidroho) occurred in Bengal in 1859-60, primarily against European indigo planters who forced peasants to cultivate indigo against their will and under oppressive conditions. The revolt received significant support from various sections of Bengali society, including some zamindars (who were also often exploited by planters), village headmen (mukhtars), and notably, the educated Bengali intelligentsia. Journalists like Harish Chandra Mukherjee highlighted the plight of the peasants in the ‘Hindoo Patriot’, and the play ‘Nil Darpan’ by Dinabandhu Mitra exposed the brutality of the planters, stirring public opinion.
– Option A is incorrect; the revolt was centered in Bengal.
– Option B is incorrect; while peasant indebtedness was a factor, the primary target was the indigo planters and their coercive system.
– Option D is incorrect; the revolt was directed against the European planters and their agents, not against petty zamindars (many of whom were supportive of the peasants) or ex-employees.

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4. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code

Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists:

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List-I (Movement)
A. Bardoli Satyagraha
B. Tebhaga
C. Satyasodhak Samaj
D. Ulgulan

List-II (Mass base/Following)
1. Bargadars
2. Kaliparaj
3. Mundas
4. Kunbi peasantry

Code:

A-2 B-4 C-1 D-3
A-2 B-1 C-4 D-3
A-3 B-4 C-1 D-2
A-3 B-1 C-4 D-2
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UPSC CAPF – 2015
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The correct matching of movements with their mass base/following is A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3.
A. Bardoli Satyagraha (1928): This was a peasant movement against a sharp increase in land revenue demand by the British. While led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the movement involved various peasant communities in the Bardoli taluka of Gujarat. The term ‘Kaliparaj’ (meaning dark-skinned) was used for the tribal peasants of the region, who were heavily mobilised and participated actively in the Satyagraha.
B. Tebhaga: This movement (1946-47) was a sharecroppers’ movement in Bengal demanding that the share of the produce given to landlords (jotedars) be reduced from one-half to one-third (tebhaga). The main participants were the bargadars (sharecroppers).
C. Satyasodhak Samaj: Founded by Jyotirao Phule in 1873 in Maharashtra, this social reform society aimed at the upliftment of lower castes and women. Its base included peasants and agricultural labourers, particularly from communities like Kunbis (a prominent peasant caste in Maharashtra).
D. Ulgulan: The ‘Great Tumult’ was the rebellion led by Birsa Munda in the Chota Nagpur region (present-day Jharkhand) against British colonial rule, land alienation, and missionary activities in the late 19th century (specifically 1899-1900). The mass base of this movement was the Munda tribal community.
These examples highlight the diverse nature of mass movements in colonial India, often rooted in specific socio-economic grievances and drawing support from particular communities or occupational groups.

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5. Match List-I with List II and select the correct answer using the code

Match List-I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists :

List-I
(Peasant Movement)		List-II
(Leader/Follower)
A. Bakasht Land Movement1. Baba Ramchandra
B. Eka Movement2. Kunhammed Haji
C. Mappila Rebellion3. Madari Pasi
D. Avadh Kisan Sabha Movement4. Karyanand Sharma

Code :

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A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1
A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2015
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The correct matching of the peasant movements with their leaders/followers is A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1.
A. Bakasht Land Movement: This movement, prominent in Bihar in the late 1930s, particularly under the leadership of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati and his Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha, involved peasants fighting for the restoration of Bakasht lands (lands previously cultivated by tenants but resumed by landlords often through forced evictions). Karyanand Sharma was a prominent leader of the Kisan Sabha in Bihar and was actively involved in leading struggles related to Bakasht lands, such as the memorable ghoshana of “Kaise loge malguzari, Latth hamara zindabad” (How will you collect rent, Long live our lathi/stick) in Munger.
B. Eka Movement: This movement emerged in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh in 1921-22. Its main grievances were related to high rents, oppression by landlords, and forced labour (begar). The movement was led by Madari Pasi and other low-caste leaders.
C. Mappila Rebellion: A series of revolts by the Mappila Muslim peasants against the British and Hindu landlords (jenmis) in the Malabar region of Kerala, culminating in the major uprising of 1921. Variyamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji was one of the principal leaders of the 1921 rebellion.
D. Avadh Kisan Sabha Movement: Formed in October 1920, the Awadh Kisan Sabha consolidated the activities of the Kisan movement in the Awadh region. One of its key figures was Baba Ramchandra, a sanyasi who had earlier organised peasants in Pratapgarh.
These movements represent various facets of peasant struggles in colonial India, addressing issues ranging from land rights and rent to exploitation by landlords and moneylenders, often intertwined with caste and religious identities.

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6. The Deccan Riots Commission was concerned with :

The Deccan Riots Commission was concerned with :

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indebtedness of the peasant
lack of law and order in the Deccan
problems with the Ryotwari system
communal riots in the Deccan
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UPSC CAPF – 2014
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The Deccan Riots Commission was appointed in 1875 to inquire into the causes of the Deccan riots that occurred primarily in the districts of Poona and Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. The riots involved peasants attacking the houses and property of moneylenders. The commission was specifically concerned with the indebtedness of the peasant class (ryots) and the exploitative practices of the moneylenders, which were exacerbated by the land revenue system (Ryotwari) and falling cotton prices after the American Civil War boom.
The Deccan Riots Commission investigated the causes of the 1875 peasant uprising, focusing on peasant indebtedness and the relationship between peasants and moneylenders.
While problems with the Ryotwari system (Option C) contributed to peasant distress and indebtedness, the immediate trigger and focus of the riots, and thus a primary concern of the commission, was the crippling debt owed to moneylenders. The commission’s report highlighted the need for measures to protect peasants from usury and improve the land revenue administration. The riots were not communal (Option D) and while they involved a temporary breakdown of law and order, the commission’s purpose was to identify the underlying causes, not just the state of law and order itself (Option B).

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7. The Moplah peasant struggles took place in

The Moplah peasant struggles took place in

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Darjeeling
Andamans
Malabar
Chota Nagpur
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UPSC CAPF – 2012
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The Moplah peasant struggles, most notably the Moplah Rebellion of 1921, took place in the Malabar region of Kerala. The Moplahs are a Muslim community residing primarily along the Malabar coast. The struggles were a complex mix of agrarian discontent, religious identity, and anti-colonial sentiment.
The Moplah Rebellion of 1921 is a significant historical event located in the Malabar region of Kerala.
The rebellion was initially linked to the Khilafat movement and the Non-Cooperation movement but quickly took on characteristics of a peasant revolt against landlords (mostly Hindu Jenmis) and the British colonial administration.

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8. Consider the following statements about the Deccan Riots (1875) : It

Consider the following statements about the Deccan Riots (1875) :

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  • It was a peasant revolt but *not* a movement of the poor tribals or landless peasants.
  • It was led by the relatively better-off sections of the peasantry who were called Kunvi peasants in Maharashtra.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
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Statement 1 is correct. The Deccan Riots were primarily a revolt of the Kunvi peasants, who were relatively better off but were heavily indebted to moneylenders. The poorest sections, including landless labourers and tribal groups, were not the main participants or leaders of this specific revolt.
Statement 2 is also correct. The revolt was indeed led by the relatively better-off sections of the peasantry, specifically the Kunvi peasants in Maharashtra, who felt the burden of debt and the rigidity of the revenue system most acutely among the cultivating class.
– The Deccan Riots (1875) were directed against moneylenders, primarily Marwaris and Gujaratis.
– The main participants were substantial cultivating peasants (Kunvis) who used the revolts to burn debt bonds and deeds.
– The Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act of 1879 was a direct result of these riots, aimed at protecting peasants from moneylenders.
The riots were triggered by the economic distress caused by falling cotton prices after the American Civil War boom ended, combined with high land revenue demands and the practices of moneylenders.

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9. The ‘Motorana’ and the ‘hathiana’ referred to :

The ‘Motorana’ and the ‘hathiana’ referred to :

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markets where peasants brought their produce
taxes levied by zamindars on their peasants
rent paid by peasants for the use of the motorcar or the elephant of the zamindar
the nickname for those zamindars who possessed a motorcar or an elephant
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‘Motorana’ and ‘hathiana’ were terms used in some regions, particularly in Eastern India, to refer to illegal cesses or taxes levied by zamindars on their tenants. These were types of *abwabs*, which were miscellaneous imposts collected by landlords in addition to the basic rent. ‘Hathiana’ literally relates to elephants and might have been a tax for processions or ceremonies involving elephants, while ‘motorana’ would be a later tax related to motor vehicles owned by tenants or entering the village. These were examples of the arbitrary burdens placed upon peasants by zamindars.
– Zamindars in colonial India often extracted various cesses (abwabs) from their tenants beyond the legally stipulated rent.
– These cesses could be arbitrary and were a source of peasant exploitation.
– ‘Motorana’ and ‘hathiana’ are examples of such illegal or customary taxes levied by zamindars.
The collection of abwabs was a persistent grievance of peasants against zamindars and contributed to agrarian unrest in different parts of India. These cesses varied widely in name and nature across regions and time periods.

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10. Which of the following statements about the Deccan Riots Commission is

Which of the following statements about the Deccan Riots Commission is/are correct?

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  • 1. The Commission did not hold enquiries in the districts which were not affected.
  • 2. The Commission did record the statements of ryots, sahukars and eye-witnesses.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
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UPSC NDA-1 – 2021
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The correct answer is C) Both 1 and 2.
The Deccan Riots Commission was appointed by the Bombay government in 1875 to investigate the causes of the agrarian riots that had erupted in the Deccan districts. Its primary mandate and focus were on the districts specifically affected by the riots. Historical accounts and the structure of such investigative commissions suggest that their detailed enquiries, including recording testimonies, are concentrated in the areas where the events occurred (Statement 1 is correct). The Commission did indeed collect extensive evidence by interviewing peasants (ryots), moneylenders (sahukars), and eyewitnesses, along with examining official reports and records (Statement 2 is correct).
The report of the Deccan Riots Commission is a significant source of information about the agrarian conditions, the relationship between peasants and moneylenders, and the causes of rural distress under colonial rule in the late 19th century. The Commission’s findings contributed to the enactment of the Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act of 1879.

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