November 5, 1953 Pardi Satyagraha: An Assessment

Suresh Ramabhai

H E seven-week old movement portions of the land in the taluka der grass-lands ''. That more fod­ T for satyagraha carried on in are owned bv a handful of big land­ der was grown in the taluka than Pardi bv the Praja owners who have not hesitated to food was brought to the notice of is an event of outstanding import­ eject tenants, bye-pass tenancy the Central Famine Enquiry Com­ ance which calls for a careful and legislation and divert land for mittee also by the PSP. unbiased analysis so that it can cultivation of grass which probably In March last, it was brought to be fully understood and its impli­ yields them high profit but results the attention of the Government, on cations properly appraised. The in depriving the working people ol the occasion of a conference that fact that on the one hand the move­ Umd and opportunities to work and " at least this monsoon the demand ment is sponsored on Gandhian to earn their livelihood."' of the peasants be attended to and lines (as its authors claim) and lias Figures given in the Harijan opportunities to work on land and the full support of Acharya Kripa- (dated October 3, 1953) reveal that to earn their livelihood be restored lani and Shri Jaiprakash Narayan during the last three years 1,817 to them ". while, on the other, it is opposed acres, or about 14 per cent of the The demands, as voiced by the by Shri and is un­ land held by tenants, changed hands PSP, were only two: reservedly condemned by Shri and passed from tenants to land­ (i) A committee be appointed to Maganbhai Desai (the Editor of owners. Of the total land under investigate into the past Harijan), has made the position cultivation, ie, 36,000 acres, a little ejectments, to set right vil­ all the more intricate and complex. more than one-third, ie, 13.000 lage records, to enforce The innocent satyagrahis of Pardi acres, is in the possession of tenants crop-sharing rights of the have little to do with or while 23,000 in that of land-owners. tenants under the Bombay the Gandhi-ites, yet, few are con­ In a letter to Shri , Tenancy Act and to set aside cerned with their suffering while Shri Morarji Desai gave the follow­ mala fide deeds of partition the whole world is keenly watching ing figures about grass lands; of ownership of lands. the outcome of this open com­ " The area under grass in Pardi (ii) At least 5,000 acres of land bat between Gandhi-ites a n d taluka itself has shown a steady should be taken over by the Gandhism or between Gandhism decline from 57,223 acres in 1938 Government and redistribut­ and Gandhi-ites. to 54,273 acres in in ,1951— and dur­ ed to the peasants for culti­ The facts are simply told.* Pardi ing the last five years over 400 acres vation of food-crops in this is the name of a taluka in the Surat of grass lands have been brought very season. district of Bombay State. The under the plough.'' In July last, the Kisan Panchayat railway station of Pardi is 114 miles A word about the people. Most at its conference informed the Gov­ from Bombay, on the Bombay- of the inhabitants of Pardi taluka ernment that, if these demands were route. There are 82 are aborigines and come under the not fulfilled, the " Kisans would villages in the Pardi taluka with an category of scheduled tribes. Agri­ be compelled to launch a peaceful area of 162 square miles and a culture is their hereditary occupa­ satyagraha ". In a statement issued population of 1,10,000, Of these tion. Literacy is very poor. A large in the third week of August, Shri 162 square miles or 1.03,680 acres. majority lead a hand-to-mouth Mehta and one of his co-workers only 98.000 acres are cultivable and existence under conditions of pro­ issued the following statement: are distributed as follows: verbial want and poverty. They are '' Unless the Government agree represented by a Socialist (now to appoint an enquiry committee PSP; MLA in the Bombay Assem­ and to make at least five thou­ bly. sand acres of land available for The socialist-led Kisan Pancha- cultivation, satyagraha will start yat has been long working among from 1st September. Nearly, 2,000 the people of Pardi. It has been kisans have signed the pledge and for several years drawing the atten­ they wall be participating in the tion of the Government to ejections movement in case the movement Describing the nature of the and evietments going on in the area. is forced upon them." taluka, Shri Asoka Mehta, the PSP More than a year ago a conference In a letter dated August 21, Shri leader-in-charge of the Pardi was called in the taluka to venti­ Asoka Mehta conveyed this deci­ Satyagraha, and one of his collea­ late the grievances of the people sion to Shri Morarji Desai, Chief gues say: and to draw the attention of the Minister of Bombay. In his reply " The taluka has no industries Government to these grievances. dated August 29/31, the latter- and is almost completely an agricul­ At least on three different occasions observed that he did not think " it tural area. More than sixty per the matter was brought to the per­ would be either necessary or desir­ cent of the people in the taluka sonal attention of the Revenue able to appoint an enquiry com­ belong to the scheduled tribes and Minister. In January 1953. "a de­ mission " and that the Government as such have been living in condi­ tailed representation of the subject was "taking all practicable steps tions of meat poverty. Substantial was made to the authorities request­ to offer to members of backward ing the Government to take over classes all additional land which was * My sources of information are; the management of lands that were being brought under cultivation". Harijan (Ahmedabud), Janata (Bom­ once under food cultivation and The Chief Minister said that satya­ bay and Vigil (New Delhi). were now either waste-lands or un­ graha was not likely to achieve the 1232 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY November 5, 1952 object in view and further added further intensified. More and more 'of the movement, and Shri Morarji that "This cannot be called satya­ people, both men and women, have Desai, the Chief Minister of the graha ". joined it and peacefully played State, one gets the official view in Satyagraha was launched. More their part. All through, these illi­ externa. The Chief Minister hap than a thousand people participat­ terate Pardi peasants have remain­ called the movement as " Dura- ed on the first day. They included, ed peaceful, non-violent and cheer­ graha". Without going into the besides Shri Asoka Mehta, eleven ful. Not a stone has been thrown details why he regards the move­ leaders and 99 volunteers. Carry­ at the police or a civil servant, or ment unnecessary and undesirable, ing tools and implements with them, at land-owners or their men. flu two points stand out from his letters they came to a grass land with the latest reports are that labourers which seem to be very important. intention of cultivating it. They working on grass lands and other To quote Shri Morarji Desai: were prevented from carrying out fields belonging to the land-owners (a) " I shall indeed be very their intentions and sent to jail. would non-co-operate with the happy to see the landless persons in The movement has been on from latter. What form such non-co- Pardi go over to the adjoining the 1st of September. Volunteers, operation will take is not yet taluka of Dharampui and settle on it\ landless aborigines of Pardi known. the land available there." taluka, are being tried by law Acharya Kripalani has whole­ (b) '' . . In any scheme of crop- courts and sentenced to various heartedly supported the P a r d i planning, it is inevitable that Pardi terms of imprisonment or fine, The Satyagraha. He says; would be ear-marked as a grass- hearings of the case of Shri Asoka " So far as I have observed the producing area and such deficiency Mehta have begun and by the time movement, 1 find that not only all in food as may exist, would be these hues appear in print, judg­ the demands are just and mode­ made up. as it has been made up, ment may also be delivered. rate but that every effort was made by imports , , It has been possible A press report says that two hun­ to settle the- dispute without satya­ for Government to meet the rela­ dred and twenty-six Adivasi women graha, I also believe that sufficient tively small food deficit of Pardi have been sentenced to pay a fine notice was given, both to the zarnin- during the last five years by means of Rs 25 each. It may be noted dars and the Government, before of imports from other States and that there is no punishment in lieu the satyagraha was started. It is abroad, but the very large fodder of non-payment of fine. On the also carried on non-violently . , . requirements 'A Bombay city and contrary, the press report adds The Bardoli satyagraha was not the scarcity affected tract could not that '' war rants will be issued to more non-violent than the one at have been met similarly. Scarcity recover the fine imposed on them Pardi.". . . may not be recurrent, but the ade­ by forfeiting their property "! From the correspondence be­ quate arrangements have to be de­ The movement at Pardi has been tween Shri Asoka Mehta, the leader vised for the supply of hay to the November 5, 1953 large number of stall-fed milch cat­ Unfortunately, the door for " con­ wanting, but if is the leadership that tle in Greater Bombay . . ." stitutional " methods of agitation has failed. It has been pointed out Shri Maganbhai P. Desai, the for mitigation of grievances is com­ above that Pardi women have been Editor of Harijan, has called the pletely barred. Any one who is in sentenced to fines to be realised from movement a " misguiding agita­ touch with the proceedings of our their ' property '. One wonders tion ". He is astonished " why the legislatures will know how any whether our magistrates are living in PSP workers who had been work­ motion which is likely to create the the of today. Attachment of ing in the Bhoodan movement slightest disturbance is declared property of women as poor as those switched over to their new way ". ' out of order ' by the Speakers, It of Pardi betrays a colossal ignorance He maintains that the movement is well-nigh impossible for the of the true conditions of those whom " is not in accordance with Bhoo­ opposition or for an honest mem­ the magistrates profess to judge. dan " and also 'does not fulfil the ber of the ruling party to get a The heroic example of the noble essential conditions of a true satya- wrong undone or a difficult situa­ sacrifice of Pardi men and women grahk action ". He goes to the tion eased. The ministers may not will not die. A people such as these length of remarking, that " it would always find tire opportunity to do cannot be denied their rights for all not be proper therefore to call the what they want to do, but they do time. Drunk with power, the Con­ Pardi agitation satyagraha ". He is find the opportunity to undo what gress may ignore them. In their afraid that " such an agitation would they do not want to be done. On pursuit of power, the PSP may play take the form of a class war" the strength of its numerical majo­ with them. But sooner or later, they (which Acharya Kripalani contra­ rity in the legislatures, the Congress will come unto their own. dicts). Holding that the move­ party is becoming more and more To come to the two demands of ment is " a deviation from the unresponsive to public calls and the PSP. The one for enquiry is, Bhoodan way," he asks all concern­ popular grievances. To draw at­ manifestly, unexceptionable. Even ed to " continue the Bhoodan work tention to this growing insensibility if. as the Government holds, " the with faith and confidence ". Finally, of the Congress is not to justify nature and extent of the problem of he has requested Acharya Kripalani violent demonstrations or to con­ the conditions of living of the "land­ to call of! the Khed satyagraha and done breaches of peace, but to bring less labourers from these areas are open negotiations with the Govern­ to light the growing helplessness of known ", a fresh enquiry would not ment and "help restore the right the people to make their voices make matters any worse. It could and ail-acceptable basis of the Bhoo­ beard. Violent outbursts register, report within a couple of days: u We dan way of approach ". not non-violent suffering just as a found nothing worth mentioning. The above, in brief, gives an idea foreign expert driving in a limousine All is OK ", it would neither entail of the movement as it began and can enter the Rashtapati Bhawan. much expenditure to the Govern­ took shape and of the opinions of but not a native in his bullock-cart. ment nor a loss of prestige. On the the contending parties. 1 propose The PSP has nothing to loose in other- hand, a timely enquiry would to examine it now from three points this movement. II it succeeds, well, have silenced the critics, if there is of view: (i) of the Government and nothing succeeds like success. If it really nothing much wrong in Pardi. indirectly of the Congress Party, fails, its leaders would be honoured It is, therefore, difficult to appreciate (ii) of the PSP, and (iii) of the (like Congressmen of old) as suffer­ the inability of the Government to people. ers and heroes. The moral claim of concede this harmless demand. Looking at the Pardi movement the PSP to righteousness is just as The second demand for 3000 acres from the Government point of view, good or just as bad as that of the of land, however, is quite a different one must not forget a remark once Congress. Both pay lip-service to matter. I, for one, regard it quite made by the UP Chief Minister soul force or inner strength. Loud untenable and unjust. Assuming for that satyagraha had no place in a adherents to Bapu are in both camps. a moment that this demand is grant­ democracy. Perhaps the same view Neither despise power or disdain to ed, I venture to ask: which 5000 is held by all Congress Govern­ reign supreme. As the ruling party. acres (or say. 5 acres) out of the ments in India. Every satyagraha, Congress commands the forces of 54.000 acres under grass are to be therefore, in Government eyes, is money, law and army. As one distributed, by whom and to whom? bound to be " duragraha ". Per­ among the ruled, the PSP commands Let us leave out of consideration the haps even if Vinoba were to launch some public support, and craves, as two cases where the land-owner a movement the Government would, all political parties do, for the forces donates the land willingly or the at the outset, dub it " duragraha ", of money, law and army. Judged Government occupies it forcibly. though the force of events may by the criterion of moral or non­ Normally, why should A's land be compel them to change their view violent force, both would be found passed on to B? Even if A's posses­ later, it seems that our Govern­ equally wanting. Hence it is natural sion is unlawful. B cannot have the ment, wedded to " non-violence " for the PSP to exploit every situa­ land unless it is known that it is as they are, do not respond to non­ tion and try to capture the Congress none else's save B's. The PSP has violent gestures. Cursed be the gadi. Every movement that it not taken the trouble to search and thought that they would respond launches must have a party, politi­ trace the names of the real owners to violent ones. History alone will cal and material colour. No other of the land that has been wrongly show whether or not the statement political party can find anything taken over by the land-owners. (about the formation of Andhra) unfair in it nor resent it. Merely giving it to XYZ is mean­ made by the Prime Minister in Par­ But what of the people? The ingless. Of course, poor B has lost liament on December 19, 1952, conduct of the Pardi men and the land that was once his. But could have been made on De­ women is simply exemplary. They now, in this crowd, none knows cember 10, and how far the martyr­ have shown what stuff there is in our which is B's land. B is promised his dom of Shri P Sriramulu and the people and the height to which they land no more. Here I must add subsequent disturbances were res­ can rise if properly led. It is not that I am also opposed to redistri­ ponsible for this statement. the people who have been found bution on the so-called ' co-opera- 1234 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY November 5, 1953 tive lines. In the dictionary of a Nobody however can advise the LESSONS OF PARDI village peasant, ' co-operation' PSP to follow the Bhoodan way, at To sum up, the lessons to be means a snare. Should the PSP any rate a congressman cannot. The drawn from the Pardi satyagraha party imagine that landless labour­ PSP's right to organise and conduct are: ers' wounds can be healed by forc­ any movement is unquestioned. So (i) That gulf between the rulers ing co-operative farming on them, also that of the Congress as the and the ruled remains wide; I would humbly ask it to leave the ruling party to crush it. And of (ii) That poor continue to be wound as it is, for any PSP (or others to admire or ridicule! Nor exploited for the sake of a handful Congress for the matter of that) need one bring Bhoodan here, for rich; measure to thrust co-operation the PSP is no more committed to it (iii) That our economy, fashion­ would be like throwing salt on it. than the Congress party. If PSP's ed on the pattern laid by the British, Thus the demand for 5,000 acres is deviation from the Bhoodan way is seeks to root out our villages and untenable because it does not seek indefensible, so also should be the villagers; to restore to the evicted labourer his two remarks of the Bombay Chief (iv) That political parties care original piece of land and it is unjust Minister reproduced above: giving more for their prestige than common because it does not enable him to land to Pardi people in adjacent good: regain his due right as an individual. area and the necessity of growing (v) That the name of Gandhiji In fact, the very nature of this grass for feeding greater Bombay. continues to be a commodity of demand vitiates the whole move­ Acharya Kripalani says God's own wanton exploitation by public work­ ment. No doubt there is a shortage truth when he remarks that " it is ers; of food in Pardi. No doubt grass easier for a few zamindars to have (vi) That self-interest and self- is grown where food could be grown. grass lands in a neighbouring taluka complacency continue to be the No doubt this has led to more un­ than that some three thousand fami­ guiding factors in our public life; employment. No doubt rightful and lies should move themselves, their and poor owners have been evicted by hearths and homes from one taluka (vii) That our masses, pure at the richer ones. All this and much to another"'. The Congress con­ heart, are capable of the highest more cannot be denied. But if this tention that Pardi must grow grass sacrifice and their present plight vicious circle is to he broken, the for Greater Bombay and import food beggars description. first step is to find out which parti­ implies that India must bid good­ Can we not build up this poor cular piece (or pieces) of peasants' bye to food self-sufficiency and to country of ours into the India of land were confiscated. A series of self-reliance in general. our dream? investigations of the whole area ought to have been silently carried out by the PSP to find out the exact position. With the results in hand, the PSP could challenge the. might of any Government and ask it to restore to the right owner the land that really belonged to him. Without such a preliminary investi­ gation and without being armed with the results, the PSP tan create a sensation, but it cannot get a wrong redressed. It is here that I would agree with the Hanjari editor's remark that " Satyagraha is made of sterner stuff", adding that the stuff is not something very rare. The stuff is there in the Pardi peo­ ple, only it could not be cast into a prober mould.

PARDI AND BHOODAN This takes me to an examination of the Pardi satyagraha vis-a-vis Bhoodan. Whether the movement is in keeping with the Bhoodan spirit or not is for the apostle of Bhoodan to say. I can only submit that even as one cannot both eat the cake and have it, one cannot both follow and condemn the Bhoodan technique simultaneously. For Bhoo­ dan itself is satyagraha. If Bhoodan is not satyagraha it is not worth a moment's notice. And if Bhoodan fails, satyagraha must fail. But Bhoodan cannot, as satyagraha can­ not. Only we may err in its appli­ cation and development. 1235