THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY September 19, 1959 Politics in Orissa—III The Feudatory States F G Bailey ALL the Orissa Feudatory States coastal plains (some of whom had the Raj families, although even In with Patna and Kalahandi of" been leading figures in the Utkal these cases agrarian unrest may the Chattisgarh States were merged Union Movement) supported. A have been the root of the trouble. Into Orissa on January 1st 1948, few of them seem to have sympa­ Others were Adibasi risings against except Saraikella and Kharsawan thized with the aims of the Con­ Hindu settlers. Hindu colonists, which were allotted to Bihar, and gress: a few tried to remain outside particularly of the mercantile class­ the transfer was confirmed in 1956 the struggle: most were active sym­ es, were merciless exploiters of the by the States Reorganization Com­ pathizers of the British tribal population, and from time to mission. Mayurbhanj, a Bengal time nemesis overtook them. These State, acceded one year later. Against Feudal Privileges risings were not usually attacks on When the first Civil Disobedience In the beginning the relationship the Raja, but directly on the colo­ Movement failed, it seemed to between the rulers of the Feudatory nists, and they took place in Bri­ many of the Congress workers that States and the middle-class intelli­ tish administered areas as well as gentsia of the coast, which organi­ Independence alone was too intan­ in the Feudatory States. Although zed and led the Independence Move­ gible and too remote an end to the agitations initiated by the Con­ ment, was amicable: in the end it appeal to the ordinary man. Na­ gress Socialist Party were against came, literally in some cases, to tionalism needed water from the the rulers of the States, many of open warfare. It closed apparently parish pump. Consequently energy the Adibasi risings (in Nilgiri in in the defeat of the ruling class in was turned, in some cases to con­ 1947) were against the Congress the Feudatory States. structive work, and in others to­ agitators themselves and in support wards identifying the Congress not of the Raja. In the ten years that followed only with agrarian reform but even The 1937-42 agitations in the Independence, the Raj families— with particular grievances in parti­ Feudatory States were led not by some of them at least—entered cular places. Most of these grie the Congress under that name, but politics, and once again the middle- vances were against the rights and by organizations called Prajaman- class leadership of the coast found privileges of the landlords and dals. The Congress advised and itself ranged against them, this Zemindars and against the abuse trained the leaders of these move­ time within the framework of a of these privileges. representative democracy. In one ments, and in some cases provided As the Independence Movement men from their own ranks to direct way this was the same fight carried developed and became more force­ on in a different arena: the prota­ the tight. The Frajamandals in the ful and aggressive, the Congress of different States were connected with gonists were the same. But 'he the coastal districts turned its at­ the States Peoples' Conference which objectives were different. tention to the neighbouring Feuda­ Emerging Conflict had been convened first in 1031 by tory States. It had two aims: one a graduate from Dhenkanal State, In the early years middle-class was to subvert the authority of the and which was closely associated political leaders of the coast recei­ Rajas who were regarded as the with the Congress. ved both the patronage and the supporters of the British; the other active help of some important Raj was to bring about social and agra­ Parallel Government Institutions families. In those days the coastal rian reform and ultimately to estab­ The movement began in earnest intelligentsia concerned itself with lish some form of representative in 1937 when the Orissa States two objects: social reform and the government in the Feudatory States. Peoples Conference was convened in union of Oriya-speaking peoples At different periods, and by differ­ Cuttack. In 1938 the Congress or­ under a single administration. To ent members of the Congress, their ganized a States Enquiry Com­ both these causes some of the Rajas work in the Feudatory States was mittee and in the following year lent their aid. They subscribed to regarded sometimes as an integral published its report, detailing the the building of schools and hospi­ part of the struggle for Indepen­ excesses of the rulers and the bur­ tals. They supported the demand dence, sometimes more as an effort dens to which their people were for a university in Orissa. They to bring about reforms in the name subjected. Demands were made presided at meetings of the Utkal of justice and human rights and not upon the rulers, in some cases for (Orissa) Union Conference and solely as one step further on the the complete abdication of their signed the frequent memorials road to Independence. powers, in others for reform, in which were sent to the Government particular the abolition of various of India about the rights and grie­ Prajamandal Agitation 1937-42 services which the people were ex­ vances of Oriyas. There had been sporadic agra­ pected to perform for members of the ruling house and other privileged In the second decade of the twen­ rian unrest in many of the Feuda­ persons. 'No tax' campaigns were tieth century, politics in the coast tory States (though by no means organized, people were urged to re­ began to shape into the more defi- in all) for some years. But not all fuse their services, meetings and nite form of the Independence the rebellions were against the processions were held. The agita­ Movement. " This, oh the whole, exactions of the Rajas and their tors worked towards two comple­ neither the Rajas of the Feudatory administrators. Some were spark­ mentary ends: the first to subvert States nor the Zemindars of the ed off by dynastic quarrels within 1297 September 19, 1959 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY 1298 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY September 19, 1959 the authority of the Raja and the Different tactics were employed in The 1947 Conflict British, and the second to establish, different states, according to the The agitation in the Feudatory even before the first aim was achie­ inclinations of the Prajamandal lead­ States immediately before and after ved, parallel government institu­ ers, and some were more success­ Independence differed from the ear­ tions. In areas where the Praja­ ful than others. lier movement which took place be­ mandals gained control they set up Nor do the rulers seem to have fore the war. The same persons panchayats, heard cases, and fined cooperated with one another to took part in both struggles: the people, exactly as if they had be­ suppress the movements. Each ruler same demands for agrarian and come the government. fought the battle on his own, When constitutional reform were put for­ But government in the Feudatory parleys look place, they were usual­ ward. But this time bigger armies, States was more direct than in the ly between a leading Congressman so to speak, were in the field. British-administered territories, and from the coast (seeking, usually Both sides had reorganized. The the rulers, in defending themselves without success, to assume the role rulers had begun to combine in against the agitators, were not un­ of mediator), the Political Agent, a Union of the Eastern States, to duly bothered by the due and some­ and the ruler of the state concerned, include the Chota Nagpur States, times lengthy processes of law. Agi­ Nor was the movement wide­ the Orissa States, and some Chattis- tators found their work in the spread. Although there were Pra­ garh States. Their opponents worked states more perilous than in the jamandals throughout the hills, it at two levels. An Orissa and Ohat- British territories. In some of the was only (in the period before the tisgarh States Regional Council re­ states the movement collapsed. In Second World War) in some of the organized the Prajamandals in the others the people of the states fled Feudatory States which bordered on different Feudatory States and in large numbers to camps organized the coastal districts that the move­ directed their agitations, Veterans' for them in the British territories by ment made itself felt. British dis­ from the coast, now out of prison. the Congress. In Ranpur the Poli­ tricts provided a base and a train were available for the job. But tical Agent was murdered: and ing ground and a refuge when the the battle was also fought at the here and there the movement Raja reacted too strong y. higher level of diplomacy, between seems to have lust sight of its non­ the collectivity of rulers on the one violent intentions, and became some­ Concessions Withdrawn side, and the Government of Orissa. thing not very different from gue- In both its aims the agitation of backed by the Union Government rilla warfare. the period 1937-42 failed. No social on the other. The scalp of the strug­ reforms were brought about in the gle on the eve of Independence No Centralized Campaign states, none at least of any funda­ and afterwards was larger than it The agitation continued until mental importance, and when the had been before the war. It took 1939, when there seems to have agitation was suppressed in 1942, place between two relatively large been a period of compromise, the some rulers who had made conces­ integrated forces, and was no long­ agitations ceasing, and some of the sions to the agitators withdrew er an affair of piecemeal harass- rulers in the states most affected them again.