Nationalism and Marxism in India: Quest for people and power (1920-1940)

217 Pages·1990·56.414 MB·English

by  Bibekbrata Sarkar

.777"-.» -
NATIONALISM AND
MARXISM IN INDIA
Quesf for People and Power
(1920-1940)
BIBEKBRATASARKAR
7
73-7-.:f\Fv-’
5!’?-a ‘_,‘../
4010;‘.
.
KALINGAPUBLICATIONS
DELHI
1990
G0 glc
as
4%-45
.s..;~arI(.
Win
© BIBEKBRATA SARKAF-I 1990
ISBN 81-B5163-09-X
Rs. 200.00
Published by:
Smt. Hem Lata
Kalinga Publications,
10A POCk6l I, |
Mayur Vihar,
Delhi - 110091 (India)
Laseriypeset at Quick Phetocomposers, 2E, Rani Jhansi Marg
New Delhi - 110055 Ph: 521441, 520232.
Printed at Mehfla Offset Press, Delhi.
C-0 316 Wr_
Dedication
FOR MY MOTH ER PRATIVA
FOR MY LATE FATHER CHARU CHANDRA
G0 31¢
'\
[*"l‘"‘iE‘* ““1*’ G01 ‘S19 UN|VERgj|FTiprLr]EaIJ|iir_(ij\;1|iCHIGAN
_ Z - —-§GI'- ‘I'I-— —
i_ ___'____________,__-—l|
CONTENTS
Page
Acknowledgement i
Preface iii
CHAPTER
1. The Setting 1
2. Non-Cooperation and Beyond 27
3. The Radical Thrust 61
4. The Marxian Altemative B6
5. Facing the Crises 126
6. Concluding Remarls 183
Bibliography 194
Index 198
C-0 316
' _ iii" 11;] "|-=11‘ i"r:]""|"
60* 819 Ul\l|\J'EP.S|T“r’ or l"--'l|CH|GAl\l
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In the preparation of this book I am indebted to:
My wile, Manlu, tor aooepting long hours of silence on mypart; My sons,
Joyobroto and Nilanlan, for helping rne in preparing the final draft.
Professors Manoranjan Mohanty and S.K. Chaube tor the discussions
I had ililh them, Aiay Shankar, Satish Kumar Jha, and Tarun Kumar tor
assisting me ’_u_f(iT|'I books and other material; Nand Lal tor typing the
manuscfpt at short notice; Rajat Sood tor publishing the book in record
time.
G0 glc
i:i"~§_] "|-=11" i"~:]"'|‘
G01 '81? UNIVERSITY or l'--'l|CH|£3Al\l
PREFACE
' This book intendsto explore afewthernes,lnthecourse of thefreedom
struggle currents and cross—currents of politics involving the Congress as
an organization and its relations with marxian parties and groups—also
involved in this struggle-historically shaped certain patterns of political
functioning which deserve to be intensively studied in their own right, and
for reasons of contemporary relevance, These were formed in
response to pressures generated over a spectrum of commitments
andconstraints—ideology, organisation, forms of struggle, leadership,
challenges of class and sectional interests, and colonial repression or
interference. Consequently, they could very well be seen as equations
of accommodation and confrontation within a state of increasing
complexity. Growing communlal pressures were abetted by colonial
state. The weaknesses of nationalist and marxist politics in efficiently
confronting this chatlenge created a cleanage in the quest for the
ideological solidarity of people sought by marxists, and a political
community on_anatlonal scale desired bythe Congress. Rising rnilitancy
of the peasant workers and the working class posed challenges to the
Congress‘ search for hegemony. However, the characteristic make-up of
the Congress as a party, the manner of conflict resolution,the approach
to political mobilisation, and the build-up of nationalist hqemony, to
mention a few, are patterns of functioning which have continued to remain
meaningful in independent India. An analysis of these pattems is of
particular relevance for a proper understanding of the present-day
Indian polity.
Other themes are also of comparable significance. Caste and tribal
mobilization, the growing shift in the Congress Party towards electoral
politics and the increasing rigidity in its policy of accommodating
representative critical opinion were trends that remained active“ in free
lndiailt was also during this period that the social classes and groups were
politicized. The political struggle against colonial rule deserves to be seen
as a combined effort enriched by the contributions of several streams
of thought and action. Oi equal significance should bathe controversial
contention that in the larger competitive interaction between liberal
nationalism and marxism, the advocates of marxism could not come
to a leading position because they failed to bring about a creative
application of theory to the complex Indian context.
C-0 glc
I
3
I i'Ii"~:;_| "l-Li i"|:j1""|"
Eel GU» '81? l_ll--lli.fEPtE5lT'"r’ or l'--'llCIHl£3Al---l