ISSN: 2349-2147 Modern Research Studies Editor-in-Chief Gyanabati Khuraijam An International Title: What they had promised and what they did: A Journal of Critical Analysis of the Works of Congress Humanities and Social Ministry in Colonial Odisha from Peasants’ Sciences Perspectives (1937-39) An Indexed & Refereed e-Journal www.modernresearch.in Author/s: AMIT KUMAR NAYAK Volume 2, Issue 2 pp. 264–285. June 2015 Disclaimer: The views expressed in the articles/contributions published in the journal are solely the author’s. They do not represent the views of the Editors. Email:
[email protected] [email protected] Managing Editor: Yumnam Oken Singh ISSN: 2349-2147 Modern Research Studies: An International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences What they had promised and what they did: A Critical Analysis of the Works of Congress Ministry in Colonial Odisha from Peasants’ Perspectives (1937-39) AMIT KUMAR NAYAK Research Scholar Department of History Utkal University, Odisha, India Abstract: Peasants’ struggles, barring its outward manifestations, was also fought within colonial state apparatuses like, in the provincial assemblies whose leaders were drawn from the dominant political parties with sympathy or obligations towards peasantry. Prior as well as posterior to the formation of ministries along the principles of Government of India Act, 1935, the leaders of the Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee and the Utkal Pradeshik Shamyavadi Karmi Sangathan had promised the poor peasantry to redress different peasant issues provided they would form government. Due to the circumstances of ‘bounded reciprocity’ between the peasantry and the congress party, the congress party was able to win the election and consequently formed the ministry in 1937.