Workers and Peasants Party (India)
The Workers and Peasants Party (WPP) (also known as the Kirti Kisan Party) was a
Founding of the party
The party was founded in Bengal on 1 November 1925, as the Labour Swaraj Party of the Indian National Congress.[1] The founding leaders of the party were Kazi Nazrul Islam, Hemanta Kumar Sarkar, Qutubuddin Ahmad and Shamsuddin Hussain. The founding manifesto was signed by Kazi Nazrul Islam. During the first three month of existence, the party organisation was very provisional.[2]
At the All Bengal Praja Conference, held at
Build-up of the WPPs of Bengal and Bombay
As of 1926, the WPP of Bengal had only 40 members, and its growth in membership was very slow.
Soon after the 1926 conference of the WPP of Bengal, the underground
A WPP was formed in Bombay in January 1927. D.R. Thengdi was elected president and S.S. Mirajkar general secretary.[3] The WPPs gained influence within the Bombay and Bengal Pradesh Congress Committees. From the WPP of Bombay, K.N. Joglekar, R.S. Nimbkar and D.R. Tengdi were elected to the All India Congress Committee. From the WPP of Bengal, two party representatives were elected to the AICC. The WPP representatives together with Nehru were able to convince the AICC to make the Indian National Congress an associate member of the League against Imperialism.[5]
Madras Congress
At the 1927 annual Congress session in
Trade union struggles
Particularly the WPP of Bombay was successful in mobilising trade union work. It built unions amongst printing press, municipal and dock workers. It gained influence amongst the workers of the
Anti-Simon struggle
During the protests against the Simon Commission, the WPP played a major role in organising manifestations in Calcutta and Bombay. In Bombay it also mobilised 'hartal' (general strike) in protest against the Simon Commission.[5]
1928 Bengal party conference
The WPP of Bengal held its third conference in Bhatpara, in March 1928. After the conference the executive of the party published the conference documents in a book titled A Call for Action. In the book an argument is presented that national independence was not possible as long as capitalists dominated the freedom struggle.[10] British intelligence sources claimed that Philip Spratt had been the author of the book.[11]
Formation of WPPs in Punjab and UP
At a conference in
All India WPP conference
In late November 1928 the WPP of Bengal executive committee met with
1929 Bombay municipal election
The party contested the January 1929 Bombay municipal election, mustering around 12,500 votes.[18]
Comintern turns against the WPP
The political fortunes of the WPP was to be terminated by changes in policy of the Communist International. The July 1928 sixth congress of the Communist International declared that 'The Union of all communist groups and individuals scattered throughout the country into a single, illegal, independent and centralized party represent the first task for Indian communists.' This was a statement made in opposition to the building of the 'multi-class' WPP. The new line was promoted at the congress by the
Meerut Conspiracy case
On 20 March 1929, arrests against WPP, CPI and other labour leaders were made in several parts of India, in what became known as the Meerut Conspiracy Case. Most of the WPP leadership was now put behind bars. The trial proceedings were to last for four years, thus outliving the WPP. Tengdi, the WPP of Bombay president, died whilst the trial was still going on.[23][24]
S.S. Mirajkar stated in his defense that:
It has already been pointed out to the Court that the Workers' and Peasants' Party was a party inaugurated with a view to establish national independence through revolution.
Abdul Majid on his behalf stated that:
If there is any resemblance between the Communist Party and the Workers' and Peasants' Party is that the immediate programme of the former and the ultimate programme of the latter is one and the same ... As both are revolutionary bodies it is necessary that their national revolutionary programme should resemble each other.
The judgement in the case was ended with the following passage:[26]
As to the progress made in this conspiracy its main achievements have been the establishment of Workers and Peasant Parties in Bengal, Bombay and Punjab and the U.P., but perhaps of deeper gravity was the hold that the members of the Bombay Party acquired over the workers in the textile industry in Bombay as shown by the extent of the control which they exercised during the strike of 1928 and the success they were achieving in pushing forward a thoroughly revolutionary policy in the Girni Kamgar Union after the strike came to an end.
After the arrests of its main leaders, the WPP was dissolved.[21]
Policies
The founding manifesto of the Labour Swaraj Party stressed that the party was organised on the basis of
Publications
The organ of the Labour Swaraj Party, and later the WPP of Bengal, was Langal ('Plough'). The chief editor of Langal was Kazi Nazrul Islam and the editor was Manibhusan Mukhopadhaya. Langal stopped publication after 15 issues. On 12 August 1926 it was substituted by Ganavani.[3][4] In 1928, the party also had a weekly Hindi organ, Lal Nishan ('Red Flag').[29] A weekly newspaper in Kushtia, Jagaran ('Awakening'), was politically close to the party.[6]
In Punjab the publication
Youth wing
The youth wing of the party was the Young Comrades League. P.C. Joshi played an important role in organising the youth league.[13]
See also
- Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
- Naujawan Bharat Sabha
- Revolutionary movement for Indian independence
- List of communist parties in India
References
- ^ 50 years of peasant movement
- ^ Ralhan, O.P. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Political Parties - India - Pakistan - Bangladesh - National -Regional - Local. Vol. 14. Communist Party of India. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2002. p. 209
- ^ Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 93
- ^ a b c Ralhan, O.P. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Political Parties - India - Pakistan - Bangladesh - National -Regional - Local. Vol. 14. Communist Party of India. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2002. p. 210
- ^ Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 95
- ^ Calcutta: National Book Agency, 1998. p. 47
- Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 111
- ^ Ralhan, O.P. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Political Parties - India - Pakistan - Bangladesh - National -Regional - Local. Vol. 23. Revolutionary Movements (1930-1946). New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2002. p. 838
- Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 94
- Calcutta: National Book Agency, 1998. p. 42
- Calcutta: National Book Agency, 1998. p. 54
- ^ Calcutta: National Book Agency, 1998. p.53
- ^ a b P.C. Joshi : A Political Journey - Mainstream Weekly
- S.A. Dange, K.N. Joglekar; Punjab: Sohan Singh Josh, Bhag Singh Canadian, Ferozdin Monsoor and a fourth member (believed to have been either Ramprosad or Kedar Nath Sahgol); U.P.: Lachmi Narayan, Dr. Vishnu Nath Mukherjee, P.C. Joshi, Gauri Shankar
- ^ Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 93-94
- ^ The Meerut Conspiracy Trial
- Calcutta: National Book Agency, 1998. p. 61-62
- ^ Callaghan, John. Blowing Up India: The Comintern and India 1928-35, in Worley, Matthew. In Search of Revolution: International Communist Parties in the Third Period. London: I.B. Tauris, 2004. p. 330
- ^ Kumar - Stage of the Indian Revolution
- ^ CHNN, No 13, Autumn 2002: Features
- ^ Hyderabad: Orient Longman, 1998. p. 114
- Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 97-98, 111-112
- ^ Ralhan, O.P. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Political Parties - India - Pakistan - Bangladesh - National -Regional - Local. Vol. 23. Revolutionary Movements (1930-1946). New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2002. p. 689-691
- Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 96
- Calcutta: National Book Agency, 1998. p. 164
- ^ The Meerut Conspiracy Trial: Background, charges and sentences
- ^ Ralhan, O.P. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Political Parties - India - Pakistan - Bangladesh - National -Regional - Local. Vol. 14. Communist Party of India. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2002. p. 219
- Calcutta: National Book Agency, 1998. p. 29
- Calcutta: National Book Agency, 1998. p. 48
- ^ Ralhan, O.P. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Political Parties - India - Pakistan - Bangladesh - National -Regional - Local. Vol. 14. Communist Party of India. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2002. p. 217