Modern Indian Political Thought ii Modern Indian Political Thought Modern Indian Political Thought Text and Context Bidyut Chakrabarty Rajendra Kumar Pandey Copyright © Bidyut Chakrabarty and Rajendra Kumar Pandey, 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. First published in 2009 by SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd B1/I-1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044, India www.sagepub.in SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320, USA SAGE Publications Ltd 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP, United Kingdom SAGE Publications Asia-Pacifi c Pte Ltd 33 Pekin Street #02-01 Far East Square Singapore 048763 Published by Vivek Mehra for SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd, typeset in 10/12 pt Palatino by Star Compugraphics Private Limited, Delhi and printed at Chaman Enterprises, New Delhi. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chakrabarty, Bidyut, 1958– Modern Indian political thought: text and context/Bidyut Chakrabarty, Rajendra Kumar Pandey. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Political science—India—Philosophy. 2. Nationalism—India. 3. Self- determination, National—India. 4. Great Britain—Colonies—India. 5. India— Colonisation. 6. India—Politics and government—1919–1947. 7. India— Politics and government—1947– 8. India—Politics and government— 21st century. I. Pandey, Rajendra Kumar. II. Title. JA84.I4C47 320.0954—dc22 2009 2009025084 ISBN: 978-81-321-0225-0 (PB) The SAGE Team: Reema Singhal, Vikas Jain, Sanjeev Kumar Sharma and Trinankur Banerjee To our parents who introduced us to the world of learning vi Modern Indian Political Thought Contents Preface xiii Introduction xv PART I: REVISITING THE TEXTS 1. Early Nationalist Responses: Ram Mohan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Dayananda Saraswati and Jotiba Phule 7 • Contours of the Early Nationalist Responses 8 • Socio-political Thought of Ram Mohan Roy 10 • Bankim as a Nationalist Thinker 12 • Socio-political Ideas of Dayananda Saraswati 14 • Jotiba Phule: Unique Socio-political Ideas 16 • Assessment of the Early Nationalist Responses 19 2. Moderates and Extremists: Dadabhai Naoroji, M.G. Ranade and B.G. Tilak 23 • Defi ning Moderates and Extremists 24 • The 1907 Surat Split 35 • Concluding Observations 37 3. Mahatma Gandhi 41 • The Basic Precepts 43 • Conceptualising Swaraj 51 • Concluding Observations 56 4. Rabindranath Tagore 61 • A Life in Creative Unity 61 • Main Strands of the Political Thought of Tagore 63 viii Modern Indian Political Thought • True Freedom 63 • Nationalism 67 • Critique of Gandhi 71 • Concluding Observations 74 5. B.R. Ambedkar 76 • A Life for the Cause of Untouchables 79 • Castes and Untouchability in Hindu Society 82 • Annihilation of Caste 85 • Gandhi–Ambedkar Debate 89 • Political Thoughts of Ambedkar 92 • Rights of the People 93 • Constitutional Democracy 95 • Social Justice 96 • Concluding Observations 98 6. Jayaprakash Narayan 103 • A Life of Ideological Turbulence 104 • Transition from Marxism to Sarvodaya 105 • Plan for Reconstruction of Indian Polity 109 • Sarvodaya 113 • Methods of Realising the Sarvodaya Order 115 • Total Revolution 117 • Concluding Observations 120 7. Jawaharlal Nehru 122 • Background 123 • The Pragmatic Thinker 124 • Structure of Governance: Nehruvian Inputs 128 • Planning for Development 131 • The Dilemma of a Democrat 133 • Internationalist Jawaharlal Nehru 137 • Concluding Observations 142 8. Muhammad Iqbal 146 • A Life in Complete Turnaround 147 • Political Ideas of Iqbal 149 • Views on Nationalism 149 Contents ix • Pan-Islamism 152 • Ideas on Pakistan 153 • Concluding Observations 156 9. M.N. Roy 158 • From Marxism to Radical Humanism 159 • Critique of Gandhian Thought and Action 160 • Radical Humanism 168 • Concluding Observations 174 10. Ram Manohar Lohia 177 • A Life in Indigenous Evolution 178 • Main Currents of Lohia’s Political and Social Thought 180 • Political Thought of Lohia 181 • Critique of Western Ideologies 181 • New Socialism 183 • Model of Political System for India 185 • Social Thoughts of Lohia 186 • Lohia as an Internationalist 188 • Concluding Observations 190 11. Subhas Chandra Bose 193 • His Early Background 193 • Bose’s Political Ideology 196 • Bose and His Idea of Future India 201 • Concluding Observations 203 12. V.D. Savarkar 205 • A Life for the Hindu Cause 207 • Savarkar’s Nationalist Interpretation of Indian History 210 • Social Thoughts of Savarkar 213 • Savarkar’s Views on Hindutva 214 • Concluding Observations 218 13. Pandita Ramabai 221 • A Life in Pilgrimage for the Cause of Women 221 • Aspects of Feminist Thoughts of Ramabai 222 x Modern Indian Political Thought • Institutional Pursuits for Women’s Emancipation 223 • Concluding Observations 224 PART II: CONTEXT AND CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES RE-EXAMINED 14. Nature and Processes of Indian Freedom Struggle 231 • The Revolt of 1857 232 • The Non-cooperation Movement (1919–22), Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–32) and Quit India Movement (1942) 235 • The Indian National Army and the Axis Powers, 1941–45 258 • Indian Naval Uprising 268 15. Landmarks in Constitutional Development during British Rule: A Historical Perspective 280 • Acts and Reforms: Morley–Minto and Montague–Chelmsford Reforms 281 • The Simon Commission 284 • The Government of India Act, 1935 290 • The Cripps Mission 294 • Concluding Observations 299 16. Socio-economic Dimensions of the Nationalist Movement 305 • The Communal Question and Partition 306 • Backward Castes Movements 310 • Dalit Movements 317 • Tribal Movements 324 • Women’s Movements 329 • Civil Rights Movements 335 • Trade Union Movements 341 • Peasant Movements 345 • Linguistic Movements 348 Contents xi 17. Culmination of the British Rule and the Making of India’s Constitution 357 • The 3 June Plan and India Independence Act, 1947 358 • The Constituent Assembly and the Making of the Constitution 360 • Salient Features of the Constitution 367 • Concluding Observations 391 Conclusion 395 Model Questions 403 Glossary 412 Index 419 About the Authors 431 xii Modern Indian Political Thought Preface ndian political thought constitutes one of the most signifi cant components of undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum I in political science and modern Indian history in almost all the universities in India. However, the majority of writings on the subject by Indian authors appear to suffer from a fundamental fl aw in the sense that these writings are shorn of a context-driven con- ceptualisation of the major strands of the thoughts of the thinkers. The present work, therefore, seeks to articulate the main currents of modern Indian political thought in an unconventional way of locating the texts and themes of the thinkers within the socio- economic and politico-cultural contexts in which such ideas were conceptualised and articulated. Moreover, the book also tries to analytically grasp the infl uences of various British constitutional devices that appeared as the responses of the colonial government to redress the genuine socio-economic grievances of various sections of the Indian society. Thus, the book happens to be unique in the sense that it breaks new grounds in not only articulating the main currents of modern Indian political thought, in an analytically more sound approach of context-driven discussion, but also provokes new researches in the fi eld by chartering a new course in grasping and articulating the political thought in India. In writing the book, a number of people have, directly and in- directly, contributed, to whom we remain indebted. It is indeed a matter of pride for us to steer the SAGE Text Book project further with this tract. We are thankful to SAGE management for bestowing this honour on us. In fact, it was the personal care and interest of Dr Sugata Ghosh, Vice President, Commissioning, SAGE, and the constant prodding of his team of able and effi cient editors who got the work fi nally done, despite a number of hiccups right from the very beginning. We feel dutybound to express our gratitude to them. xiv Modern Indian Political Thought We are thankful to the anonymous referees of the manuscripts whose suggestions were quite insightful and helped in revising the contents of the volume. We are also indebted to our students whose critical queries in the classroom proved to be valuable inputs in arranging the texts and contexts of the various thinkers. If they fi nd the book useful and intellectually provocative, we will have achieved what we are looking for. Finally, we fondly acknowledge the unfl inching support and contribution of our families without which it would not have been possible for us to concentrate on our academic pursuits of which the latest product comes in the form of the present book. Introduction1 here are broadly two specifi c ways in which social and political thought in India can be conceptualised. On the Tone hand, there is a relatively easier way of articulating the thought in a chronological format. This is a format in which the ideas are explained in a sequence underplaying the importance of the context in defi ning the ideas in a particular mould. Those supporting this type of conceptualisation tend to focus more on the ideas per se and less on what lay behind them. Although it is a useful exercise, its academic utility seems to be limited for two reasons: (a) by following a purely descriptive mode, this exercise does not allow us to go beyond what is visible on the surface, and (b) the narrative mode is theoretically restraining because it fails to explain the moments when new ideas emerge as hegemonic, re- placing those ideas which lost their explanatory capabilities. In contrast to this, there exists, on the other hand, another mode whereby ideas are articulated as part of complex socio-economic and political processes that remain at the root of their construction and evolution. Social and political thought, as per this conceptualisation, is organically linked with the interplay of factors involving society, economy and politics.