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 Socialist Party 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 Morarji Desai 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 Gandhism 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 Asoka Mehta, 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 Ahmedabad 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.