Describe the causes, events and results of peasants movement of Awadh during the Non-Cooperation Movement.
During the Non-Cooperation Movement, the peasants of Awadh under the leadership of Baba Ramchandra – a sanyasi, participated. Causes : (a) The talukdars and landlords demanded high rents and other cesses from the peasants who had to do begar and work at landlord’s farms without payment. (b) As tenants, there was no security of tenure and no right over the leased land. Object and demands : The demands included reduction of revenue, abolition of begar, and social boycott of oppressive landlords. Activities during the movement: (a) In many places, nai-dhobi bandhs were organised by panchayats to deprive landlords of the services of even barbers and washermen. (b) By October 1920 Oudh Kisan Sabha was formed. It was headed by Jawaharlal Nehru who had gone there, talked to the villagers to understand their grievances. (c) Within a month over 300 branches had been setup in the villages around this region. (d) After the start of non-cooperation movement Congress tried to integrate the Awadh peasants struggle into a wider struggle.(e) The peasant movement, however, developed in forms that the Congress leadership was unhappy with because in 1921 the houses of talukdars and merchants were attacked, bazars were looted, and grain hoards were taken over. The local leaders told peasants that Gandhiji had declared that no taxes were to be paid and land was to be redistributed among the poor. The name of Gandhiji was used to sanction all actions and aspirations. Results : As the peasants struggle had turned violent, the Congress was unhappy.
