Will the Peasant Accept It?

SPECIAL NUMBER JULY 1959 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY (II)-Politics of It Will the Peasant Accept It? Walter Hauser Discussions on joint cooperative farming overlook the most important question: Is the idea accept able to the man in the village who will be directly affected? The Indian peasant is highly individualistic and does not relish the thought of impersonal relation- ship with his land. Pandit Nehru knows alt this. He is perhaps more aware of the traditional pattern of rural think ing which has to be overcome to achieve these ends than many of his critics give him credit for. When he speaks of cooperatives, he thinks in terms of working in the fields together in a spirit of cooperation "which must bring out the farmer from his age-old traditions'. The socialist ideal by itself cannot provide sufficient stimulus to pursue the idea of cooperative farm ing with sufficient vigour to solve India's problems, even assuming that its claims are valid in the Indian context. The author writes from his background knowledge of the Kisan movement which he has been studying for the past two years. THE Nagpur Resolution on agri nor any of the kisan adjuncts of cottage industries. They will also be culture is the accepted policy of the other political parties have been responsible for credit and other ser the Congress. The Resolution re able to prosper since Independence, vicing functions, including market presents the most significant agra following the break-up of the origi ing and storage. rian programme formulated by the nal kisan movement in the War (4) In order 'to remove uncertain Congress since the abolition of period. There are a number of fac ty' regarding land reform, ceilings zamindari in several States follow tors responsible for this, not the should be fixed on existing and ing Independence and culminates a least of which is the fact that as future holdings; and legislation to long history of agrarian reform political parties in an Independent this effect, as well as for the aboli attempted both by the Congress India, responsible to a mass rural tion of intermediaries, is to be com Party and its Governments. electorate, the policies of the parties pleted in all States by the end of themselves have necessarily had However, even before Nagpur, the 1959. Whatever surplus land ac much to do with the major agricul interest of the Congress in develop crues as a result of imposing ceilings tural problem that faces the country. ing the agrarian sector was demon is to vest in the panchayat and to For this reason the Nagpur Resolu strated strikingly in the West Ben- be managed through cooperatives tion on agriculture, as has already gal Congress Kisan Conference held consisting of landless agricultural been indicated, is the basic and ma at Kakdwip in March, 1958. That labourers. jor policy of the Congress itself. meeting, taking place in an area (5) In order to assure a fair price where the Communists had run a Provisions of Nagpur Resolution to the tiller, a minimum price is to be parallel government in 1949-50 fol Provisions of the Nagpur Agra fixed reasonably in advance of the lowing an armed insurrection, also rian Resolution have by this time sowing season of each crop. indicated the awareness of Congress become familiar. Essentially it (6) State participation in the politicians that the rural sector held covers the following key points: wholesale trade in foodgrains to be the key to their political power. To (1) The agrarian pattern should be brought about. augment that strength on a general that of cooperative joint farming (7) Uncultivated waste to be basis, and particularly in the Kakd in which the land would be pooled brought under cultivation with a wip area where an overwhelming for joint cultivation, the farmers Central Government Committee de majority of peasants are sharecrop continuing to retain their proprieto termining the utilization of the pers, the Congress decided to orga ry rights and getting a share from new lands. nise a kisan wing. The presence of the net produce in proportion to their Shri U N Dhebar, then Congress The three primary aspects of the land, while those who do the work, President, and the Union Minister, Resolution are those relating to owners or not, will get a share in Shri A P Jain, lent weight to this joint cooperative farming, service proportion to the work they do. policy of revitalizing the Congress cooperatives and land ceilings. It (2) Preparatory to this, service organisational machinery down to is on the first of these points that cooperatives are to be organised. its lowest level, viz, the Mandal most of the discussion and opposi This stage of the process is to take Committee, in order to strengthen tion have centered. As for the issue a period of three years. the Party at the basic kisan level. of service cooperatives, which envi It is not, however, entirely correct (3) The cooperatives are intended sage the development of new techni to assume that a kisan wing of the to introduce progressive farming cal facilities In the countryside such Congress could be the instrument methods and improved techniques of as the provision of improved seeds, for effecting agrarian reform. Nei cultivation, developing animal hus fertilizers and irrigation works and ther the kisan wing of the Congress bandry and fishery and encouraging are to handle marketing on a co- 1038 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY SPECIAL NUMBER JULY 1959 operative basis, there appears to be in the Congress would be a gross Krishna Ballabh Sahay, who is per little real opposition. The coopera overstatement. If differences on haps the strongest exponent of tive idea may be said to find general the issue have not led to more sece agrarian reform in the State, is now acceptance to this extent, and cer ssions or a split, it should be taken a defeated candidate and out of tainly it is in this sphere that the to reflect a wide range of political office, and in the temporarily ineff ideal of social justice can combine self-interest, rather than political ective position of leader of a dissi with practical considerations and valour, on the Part of the many who dent, minority group within the political wisdom to produce the are in fact opposed to the policy. Bihar Congress. Similarly in the greatest results in Indian agricul Nevertheless, there are those Con Punjab there is division on the ture. gressmen whose opposition to Nag issue while in West Bengal the posi- Land ceilings, though causing pur is clear and decisive. One of tion is not entirely clear In the more concern than service coopera the most lucid and well-reasoned South, Andhra is also divided with tives, also find favour in so far as expressions of opposition was made important Congressmen in opposi the ceiling legislation is not likely by Shri Charan Singh, the former tion, while Shri N G Ranga, who is to break up already productive Revenue Minister of Uttar Pradesh, associated with the All-India Agri farms, and will take into consider who spoke against the resolution at culturists' Federation, has left the Congress on this question. Shri ation differences in the character of Nagpur, but later voted as a 'loyal Ranga has an impressive back the land, as exemplified by irrigated Congressman' for the sake of una ground as one of India's foremost and dry land. It is also hoped that nimity of support. He contends peasant leaders. In and out of the prior transfers of land will be re that cooperatives will lead to big Congress a number of times, he is cognized by the impending legisla ness and that this, with mechanised now one of the leading figures in tion, and that compensation at the agriculture, will in fact result in a the new Swatantra Party. Else prevailing market price will be paid. decrease in per capita production where in the South, the Chief Minis Real Issue rather than an increase. Figures of some European countries and espe ter of Madras is a strong supporter The real issue in the debate re cially of Japan, where the per capita of agrarian reform and his Finance lates to joint cooperative farming. production is considerably higher Minister, who had earlier opposed On this question, the leading propo than In countries where large hold the cooperative reform, is now a nent is the Prime Minister himself ings prevail, have been cited in sup supporter. Yet there are political who looks upon cooperative farming port of this argument. This position factors in the State which indicate as the means whereby production often overlooks the fact that there that the pace will not be rapid. can be increased, and production, is in these small-holding countries a Of the States with Congress Mi after all, is the problem that needs climatic condition different from nistries, the one that is most likely to be tackled. And when Shri that of India, and that in any case to move forward in the implemen Nehru speaks of cooperatives, he there is a certain basic minimum tation of the Nagpur Resolution is thinks in terms of working in the below which intensive farming Bombay, where cooperatives have fields together in a spirit of coope would not necessarily mean higher already had a good beginning and ration 'which must bring out the per capita production. But the where the Congress is united in its farmer from his age-old traditions'. argument, nevertheless, has strong desire to carry out a rapid policy A cardinal tenet of the Prime validity given the attitude of the of agrarian reform.

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