Zamindari System

The Zamindari system is the system recognised the zamindars as landowners who then

let out their lands to tenant farmers in return of a share of the produce. The zamindar,

in turn, had to pay a fixed sum to the British Government. This led to a lot of

exploitation of the peasants.

Issues related to peasants were an important part of the freedom movement from the

first decade of the twentieth century. One of the issues that the national movement

focussed on after 1915 was the condition of the peasantry and their upliftment. As a

result, the abolition of intermediaries and by extension the zamindari system increased

in importance. Here are a few important events related to reforming the land revenue

system during the early twentieth century:

The first movement spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi in India was related to peasants,

which was the Champaran Satyagraha (1917) against forced indigo cultivation.

Kheda Satyagaraha (1918) against high taxation following a plague epidemic and crop

failure.

Issues regarding peasants were raised during the Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928. Sardar

Vallabbhai Patel took up the issue of a 30% rise in taxes just after a major flood and

resulting crop failure.

Apart from Gandhian movements, we also find various peasant organizations, who

were independently fighting for the rights of peasants of the middle and lower level.

One such movement was the ‘Awadh Kisan Sabha’ led by Madari Pasi in the erstwhile

United Provinces(present-day Uttar Pradesh).

Also, the issues related to agriculture and peasants were included in the list of

Fundamental Rights and Economic Programme by the Indian National Congress in its

Karachi session of 1931.

A reiteration of the demands made at the Karachi session of INC(1935) was made

during the Faizpur Agrarian Programme in 1936,

A resolution for the abolition of the Zamindari system was passed by the Kisan

Conference held in Allahabad in 1935 presided by Sardar Patel, Bihar Kisan Sabha by

Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, and Andhra Riyad Association by NG Ranga.

These were some of the important steps taken towards the abolition of zamindari

during the early phase of the freedom movement.

All India Kisan Sabha

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) welcomed the four farm legislations passed by the

Punjab Assembly and urged all other States to follow the model.

Zamindari System

Political Science (PLB151)