Congress Socialist Party (Csp) at a Glance and Short Profiles Works of Its Leaders
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CONGRESS SOCIALIST PARTY (CSP) AT A GLANCE AND SHORT PROFILES WORKS OF ITS LEADERS In 1926, Sampurnand and Acharya Narendra Deva draw up a socialist agrarian program, under the aegis of UP Congress Committee (UPCC) and send it to the perusal of AICC. Jawaharlal Nehru got the AICC, to accept this UPCC’s Socialist Programme, in 1929.At the 1931, Karachi session of the Indian National Congress, socialist pattern of development was set as the goal for India and resolution on fundamental rights and economic programme was passed by AICC. According to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, who drafted the Karachi resolution of AICC, the origin of this resolution was UPCC’s resolution of 1929. (Pt.J.L.Nehru’s Autobiography, P.266). During 1932 movement, many socialist-minded young men people like Jayaprakash Narayan, Minoo Masani, Achyut Patwardhan, Ashok Mehta, Charles Mescrenhas, Narayan Swami, M L Dantawala, N G Gorey and S M Joshi were lodged in Nasik Jail in 1932-33, in connection with Civil disobedience Movement. While in jail they all felt to form a Congress Socialist Party with in the Congress Party (INC) wedded to Marxism. At the same time a group of ‘left wing’ Congressmen disillusioned with the policy of Congress, met at Poona in July 1933 for the purpose of organizing a Socialist opposition group. They elected a committee to draft a constitution and programme which subsequently became known as the “Poona draft ”. The meeting was organized by Purshottam Tricumdas, Yusuf Meherally, Smt. Kamladevi Chattopadhyay and Acharya Narendra Deva. (Selected works of Acharya Narendra Deva, vol.1 page 29). After this meet in Poona, Bombay Presidency Socialist Party, was formed and invited all those who believe in socialist ideology to attend the foundation conference of Congress Socialist Party (CSP) at Patna on 17 TH May 1934.Earlier, in July 1931, Jayaprakash Narayan, Phulan Prasad Verma and Baba Ranodar Das (later known as Rahul Sankritayan) Abdul Bari, Ganga Sharan Sinha and Ambika Kanat Sinha had established the Bihar Socialist Party. There was also the Punjab Socialist Party whose leaders were Prof. Brij Narain, Jeevan Lal Kapur, later a Judge of Supreme Court, and Lala Feroz Chand. SELECTED WORKS OF ACHARYA NARENDRA DEVA, VOL-1 PAGE (xxviii-xxix). Congress Socialist Party was founded in Patna (Bihar) on 17 th May 1934, under the Chairmanship of Acharya Narendra Deva and draft proposals were circulated before the Foundation Conference at Patna. To draft the Party’s constitution, policy and programme a draft committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Acharya Narendra Deva and Jayaprakash Narayan as Secretary. Following were the members of the committee. Prof. Abdul Bari, Purshottam Tricumdas, Minoo Masani, Sampurnanand, C.C. Banerji, Faridul Haq Ansari, Rammanohar Lohia, Prof. Abdul Aleem, N.G. Ranga. The Draft proposals of Socialist programme circulated before the Foundation Conference at Patna, were sent to AICC for its approval. Congress Working Committee (CWC) at its meeting in Bombay on 17-18 June, 1934, approved this Socialist programme with some modifications. Socialists didn’t like it and Acharya Narendra Deva, Sampurnanand, Sriprakasa and Jayprakash Narayan issued a strongly worded statement from Benaras on 22 nd June, 1934. (SELECTED WORKS OF ACHARYA NARENDRA DEVA, VOL-1 PAGE (245-246). Page 1 of 173 FIRST CSP CONFERENCE, BOMBAY 21-22, OCTOBER, 1934. GENERAL SECRETARY: JAYPRAKASH NARAYAN. JOINT SECRETARIES: M R MASANI, MOHANLAL GAUTAM, N G GOREY, EMS NAMBOODRIPAD. MEMBERS: NARENDRA DEVA, SAMPOORNANAND, KAMLADEVI CHATTOPADHYAY, PURSHOTTAM TRICUMDAS, P Y DESHPANDE, RAM MANOHAR LOHIA, S M JOSHI, AMRENDRA PRASAD MITTRA, CHARLES MESCRENHAS, NABKRUSHNA CHAUDHRY, ACHYUT PATWARDHAN. MEMBERS AGAINST VACANCIES: YUSUF MEHERALLY, SAURABH BATLIWALA, ROHIT MEHTA, FARIDUL HAQ ANSARI, RAMVRAKSH BENIPURI. SECOND CSP CONFERENCE, MEERUT, 20-21, JANUARY, 1936. GENERAL SECRETARY: JAYPRAKASH NARAYAN.JOINT SECRETARIES: M R MASANI, EMS NAMBOODRIPAD, RAM MANOHAR LOHIA, DINKAR MEHTA.MEMBERS: NARENDRA DEVA, SAMPOORNANAND, MOHANLAL GAUTAM, B P SINHA, KAMLADEVI CHATTOPADHYAY, NABKRUSHNA CHAUDHRY, R K KHADILKAR, S M JOSHI, FARIDUL HAQ ANSARI, P Y DESHPANDE, SHIVNATH BANERJI. MEMBERS AGAINST VACCANCIES: YUSUF MEHERALLY, SATYAWATI DEVI, SURESH CHANDRA DEV, CHARLES MESCRENHAS, RAJNI MUKHERJI. THIRD CSP CONFERENCE, HELD AT FAIZPUR, 24-25, DECEMBER, 1937 . ALONG WITH ANNUAL AICC MEET.DETAILS OF OFFICE BEARERER’S AND MEMBER’S OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE ARE NOT AVAILABLE. FOURTH CSP NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAHORE 12-13, APRIL, 1938. GENERAL SECRETARY: JAYPRAKASH NARAYAN. JOINTSECRETARIES: M R MASANI, EMS NAMBOODRIPAD, DINKAR MEHTA, YUSUF MEHERALLY. MEMBERS: GUNADACHARAN MAJUMDAR, MUNSHI AHMAD DIN, KAMLADEVI CHATTOPADHYAY, NARENDRA DEVA, ACHYUT PATWARDHAN, RAM MANOHAR LOHIA, SATYAWATI DEVI, ASHOK MEHTA, KAMLA SHANKAR PANDYA, DAMODAR SWAROOP SETH, SAJJAD ZAHEER, SHIVNATH BANERJI. MEMBERS AGAINST VACCANCIES: N G GOREY, MUBARAK SAGHAR, Z A AHMED, SAURABH BATLIWALA, BPL BEDI. FIFTH CSP NATIONAL CONFERENCE, KANPUR 23, FEBURARY TO 1ST MARCH, 1947. DETAILS OF OFFICE BEARERER’S AND MEMBER’S OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE ARE NOT AVAILABLE. GENERALSECREATRY: JAYPRAKASHNARAYAN. MEMBERS: ACHYUT PATWARDHAN, PURSHOTTAM TRICUMDAS, N G GOREY, S M JOSHI, YUSUF MEHERALLY, ASHOK MEHTA, RAM MANOHAR LOHIA, NARENDRA DEVA, HARIHARNATH SHASTRI, KAMLA DEVI CHATTOPADHYAY, MUNSHI AHMAD DIN, GANGA SHARAN SINGH, BASAWAN SINGH, RAMNANDAN MISHRA, SHIVNATH BANERJI, SUKHENDU DUTT, FARIDUL HAQ ANSARI, MAGANLAL BAGDI, S R SUBHRAMANIAM, ARUNA ASIF ALI. SIXTH NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY, NASIK, 19-21 MARCH 1948. GENERAL SECREATRY: JAY PRAKASH NARAYAN. TREASURE: PURSHOTTAM TRICUMDAS. JOINT SECRETARIES: K B MENON, N G GOREY, SURESH DESAI, PREM BHASIN. MEMBERS: NARENDRA DEVA, RAM MANOHAR LOHIA, ASHOK MEHTA, ACHYUT PATWARDHAN, YUSUF MEHERALLY, KAMLA DEVI CHATTOPADHYAY, ARUNA ASAF ALI, GANGA SHARAN SINGH, RAMNANDAN MISHRA, MUNSHI AHMAD DIN, SHIVNATH BANERJI, Page 2 of 173 MAGANLAL BAGDI, HARESHWAR GOSWAMI, CHOTUBHAI PURANI, SURENDRA NATH DWEADI, NARENDRA NATH DAS, MADHU LIMAYE, MOINUDDIN HARRIS, B P SINHA. DEPARTMENTAL HEAD LABOUR DEPTT-ASHOK MEHTA: SECRETARY. (DESHI RAJYA) INTER STATE COMMITTEE- RAMMANOHAR LOHIA: CHAIRMAN. KISAN SAMITI-RAMNANDAN MISHRA, CHAIRMAN.PARLIAMENTARY SUB-COMMITTEE-DR RAM MANOHAR LOHIA, CHAIRMAN, MADHU LIMAYE:SECRETARY.PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE-ACHARYA NARENDRA DEV- CHAIRMAN,SECRETARY-ASHOK MEHTA. HYDERABAD ACTION COMMITTEE-ARUNA ASAF ALI: CHAIRPERSON. MAHADEV SINGH: SECRETARY. SECURITY COMMITTEE, SM JOSHI: CONVENER.STUDENT COUNCIL-B P SINHA: SECRETARY. COOPERATIVE DEPTT.KAMLA DEVI: SECRETARY.VOLUNTEERS DEPTT-S M JOSHI: SECRETARY.NON RESIDENT SECURITY-KAMLA DEVI, IN CHARGE. Page 3 of 173 CSP LEADERS PROFILE CONGRESS SOCIALIST PATYS FOUNDER MEMBERS & MEMBERS OF ITS NATIONAL EXECUTIVE (1934-48). Here are the Profiles of Founder members and the members of the National Executive of the Congress Socialist Party. 1. ACHARYA NARENDRA DEVA , Father of the Indian Socialist Movement, was a scholar, an Educationist and an ardent Nationalist. Son of Shri Baldeo Prasad and Jawahar Devi, Narendra Deva born on October 31, 1889, at Sitapur in U.P. He was married to Shrimati Prema Devi, and had two sons and three daughters. He was Educated at Muir Central College Allahabad and Queens College Benaras. Did M.A, L.L.B. was one of the leading theorists of the Congress Socialist Party in India. His democratic socialism renounced violent means as a matter of principle, and embraced the Satyagraha as a revolutionary tactic. Acharya Narendra Deva was first drawn to Nationalism around 1915, under the influence of B G Tilak and Aurobindo Ghosh.He started political life as a follower of Tilak. During Non- cooperation movement, 1920-21, he quit from law practice. He joined Kashi Vidyapeeth as a teacher and later he became its Principal, 1926-36. He was deeply interested in ancient Indian history and culture. In order to study Buddhist literature, he learnt French, German and Pali.During his incarceration in Ahmednagar Fort Prison (1942-45) he translated ‘Abhidharmakosha’ from French into Hindi. In 1928, he was Secretary Independence of India League. Acharyaji was Founder of Congress socialist Party and presided over the foundation Conference of Congress Socialist Party, at Patna on 17th May 1934, and thereafter he devoted his life to the cause of Socialism. In 1936, he became Member of the Congress Working Committee and Member of the United Province Legislative Assembly, in 1937-46. As a teacher he became interested in Marxism and Buddhism. He was also active in the Hindi language movement. He was imprisoned several times during the freedom struggle. Acharyaji consistently stood for moral and ethical values in politics. He was a member of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly in 1948, and resigned from Assembly membership when he left Congress. After Independence he served as vice-chancellor of Lucknow University and Benaras Hindu University and as Member of Rajya Sabha respectively. Acharya Narendra Deva advocated the abolition of poverty and exploitation not just through his belief in the Marxist materialist dialectic, but especially on moral and humanistic grounds. Furthermore, he insisted that "without political democracy social democracy was a sham". Acharya Narendra Deva was active in the peasant movement and served as president of the All-India Kisan Congress. He was also an atheist, rejecting the glorification of God which, he argued, by implication-denigrated humankind. He remained associated