All India Kisan Sabha

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) was established in April 1936 at the Lucknow session of the Indian National Congress, marking a pivotal moment in the unification of the Indian peasant movement. Founded to organize agrarian workers and tenant farmers against the oppressive landlordism of the Zamindari system and British revenue extractions, the organization provided a centralized platform for rural grievances. It bridged the gap between local peasant associations and the broader national movement for independence, shaping agrarian political discourse across colonial India.

Background and Historical Context

Agrarian Crisis in Colonial India

The Great Depression of 1929 severely impacted the Indian rural economy, leading to a catastrophic decline in agricultural prices. Peasantry across provinces suffered from unpayable land revenue demands, high rent extractions by landlords, and escalating rural indebtedness.

Precursor Organizations

Regional peasant associations laid the groundwork for a national organization throughout the 1920s and early 1930s.

• The Andhra Provincial Ryots Association was established in 1928 by N. G. Ranga.
• The Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha was founded in 1929 by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati to resist Zamindari atrocities and eviction threats.
• The Punjab Kisan Sabha was organized in 1937, drawing strength from the Kirti Kisan Party and anti-land-revenue agitations.

Formation and Leadership

The Lucknow Conference of 1936

The inaugural session of the All India Kisan Sabha was held on April 11, 1936, alongside the 49th session of the Indian National Congress in Lucknow.

• Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was elected as the first President of the AIKS.
• N. G. Ranga was appointed as the General Secretary.
• Other prominent founding members included Indulal Yagnik, Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, K. A. Damodara Menon, and Bankim Mukerji.

The Kisan Manifesto

In August 1936, the AIKS published the Kisan Manifesto, outlining the radical core demands of the Indian peasantry.

• Total abolition of the Zamindari, Taluqdari, and Ryotwari landlordism systems.
• Cancellation of rural debts and provision of cheap institutional credit.
• Reduction of land revenue and rent demands by at least 50 percent.
• Security of tenure for tenant farmers and complete abolition of arbitrary evictions (Bakhast lands).
• Abolition of Begar (forced unpaid labor) and illegal cesses (Abwabs).
• Grant of full ownership rights to peasant cultivators on land cleared or tilled by them.

Major Agitations Led by or Associated with AIKS

Bakhasht Land Movement in Bihar (1936–1939)

Led by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati and Rahul Sankrityayan, this movement targeted lands confiscated by Zamindars due to non-payment of rent during the Depression. Peasants directly harvested crops on disputed lands in districts like Gaya, Monghyr, and Patna.

Tebhaga Movement in Bengal (1946–1947)

Organized by the Bengal Provincial Kisan Sabha, sharecroppers (Bargadars) demanded two-thirds (Tebhaga) of the harvested produce for themselves instead of the traditional half share demanded by landlords (Jotedars).

Telangana Peasant Struggle (1946–1951)

In the Hyderabad State, the Andhra Mahasabha and Communist-led peasant units organized an armed struggle against the forced labor (Vetti) and landlord tyranny under the Nizam’s rule.

Surma Valley Agitation in Assam

Peasants rallied against the Nankar system, where tenants were treated as bonded serfs under religious or secular estates.

Evolution and Ideological Shifts

Alliance with the Congress Socialist Party

In its initial years, the AIKS worked closely with the Congress Socialist Party (CSP) and the Indian National Congress. Leaders sought to influence the Congress ministries formed under the Government of India Act of 1935 to pass progressive agrarian legislation.

Emergence of Communist Influence

By 1942, internal ideological differences led to a rift within the organization.

• The CPI gained dominant control over the AIKS after 1942, especially following its decision to support the British war effort during World War II as part of the “People’s War” policy.
• Non-communist leaders, including Swami Sahajanand Saraswati and N. G. Ranga, broke away from the main body, citing excessive political control by the Communist Party.
• Following Indian independence, the AIKS split into two distinct factions aligned with different left political parties: AIKS (Ajoy Bhavan) affiliated with the CPI, and AIKS (36, Canning Lane) affiliated with the CPI(M).

Key Office Bearers and Associated Leaders

Key Facts for Quick Revision

• The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) was formed on April 11, 1936, in Lucknow.
• Swami Sahajanand Saraswati served as the inaugural President and N. G. Ranga as the inaugural General Secretary.
• The organization was initially named the All India Kisan Congress before changing its name to All India Kisan Sabha.
• Indulal Yagnik edited the official organ of the organization, the Kisan Bulletin.
• The Kisan Manifesto was released in August 1936 in Bombay.
• Red flag with a sickle and hammer or plow became the recognized symbol of the organization’s peasant assemblies.
• The 1937 Faizpur session was the first Congress session held in a rural area, heavily influenced by AIKS mobilization.
• The Bakhasht land agitation in Bihar was directed against the eviction of tenants from lands confiscated during the Great Depression.
• The Bengal Provincial Kisan Sabha spearheaded the Tebhaga Movement in 1946 based on the Floud Commission recommendations.
• The Telangana Armed Struggle (1946–1951) targeted the Vetti system of forced labor enforced by Deshmukhs in Hyderabad State.