Rise of Popular Movements in India

In the thirty years since independence, people started becoming aware. It manifested in various ways. In the 1970s, various social groups such as women, students, Dalits, and peasants felt that democratic politics did not meet their needs and demands. That’s why they gathered under the banners of various social organizations and expressed their demands. These claims pointed to the rise of popular or new social movements in Indian politics.

Chipko Movement:

The movement began in two or three villages of Uttarakhand when the forest department refused permission to the villagers to fell few trees used in making agricultural tools.

However, the same land was given to sports makers for commercial use. This offended the villagers and they protested the government’s move. They protested using a new tactic- hugging the tree to prevent it from falling over. The battle soon spread to many parts of the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

Larger questions about the ecological and economic use of the region were raised. The movement addressed the economic problems for landless forest workers and called for a minimum wage guarantee.

The active participation of women in the Chipko movement was a very new aspect of the movement. The movement won when the government banned logging in the Himalayas for 15 years until the green space was fully restored. This movement later became a symbol of many other popular movements.

Party-based movements:

Popular movements can take the form of social or political movements, and there is often an overlap between the two. Most pre-independence movements question certain underlying conflicts. Some of these movements continued after independence. There was a strong trade union movement among industrial workers in major cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and Kanpur. All major political parties have formed their unions.

Farmers in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh organized a large-scale uprising led by the Communist Party. The Naxalite movement has taken shape. Peasants and agricultural laborers in parts of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, and adjoining areas continued their agitations under the leadership of the Marxist-Leninist workers, who were known as the Naxalites.

The peasant and labour movement focused primarily on the issue of economic injustice and inequality. These movements did not officially participate in the elections. Nonetheless, many of the participants in these movements, both individually and as organizations, were actively involved with the party, leaving them connected. These connections ensured a better representation of the demands of various social groups in party politics.

Non-Party Movements:

• Many parts of society got disillusioned with the functioning of political parties in the 1970s and 1980s. The immediate reasons were the failure of the Janata experiment and the following political turmoil. But in the long run, the disillusionment was also about the economic policies of the state.
• A sense of injustice and oppression was felt by the various groups. Therefore, they chose to step outside party politics and engage in mass mobilization for registering their protests.
• Students and young political activists from all walks of life were in the forefront of organising marginalised groups like as Dalits and Adivasis.
• The middle-class young activists launched service organizations and constructive programs among the rural poor.
• Because of the voluntary nature of their social work, many of these organizations were referred to as voluntary organizations or voluntary sector organizations. These voluntary organizations chose to remain outside party politics. Hence, these organizations were called ‘Non-party Political Formations’. Such voluntary sector organizations continue to do their work in rural and urban areas.
• The ideal of local initiatives is weakened as a result of the availability of external funds on a large scale to these organizations.

As a social activist and visionary, Dr. Ambedkar worked tirelessly to end caste-based social structures and provide a dignified future for Dalits. It is not surprising that he continues to be cited as an exemplary figure and an inspiration in many of the Dalit liberation literature. Dalit Panthers movement was also influenced by the vision of Dr Ambedkar.

Dalit Panthers:

• Dalit Panthers, a militant organization of the Dalit youth, was formed in Maharashtra in 1972 by the first-generation Dalit graduates, especially those living in city slums, who began to assert themselves on various platforms.
• Their prominent demands included the effective implementation of reservations and other such policies of social justice.
• Dalit Panthers resorted to mass action for the assertion of Dalits’ rights.

Activities:

• Their activities were centred around fighting increasing injustice against Dalits in various parts of the State.
• An extensive law was passed by the government in 1989 that provided for strict punishment for such acts.
• Through the movement, Dalit-educated youth could express their creativity as a form of protest.
• Dalit writers protested against the brutalities of the caste system in their numerous autobiographies and other literary works published during this period.
•  In the post-emergency period, Dalit Panthers got involved in electoral compromises; it also underwent many splits, which led to its decline. Organizations like the Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) took over this space.

Agrarian struggles of the eighties are one such example of well-off farmers protesting state policies. Bhartiya Kisan Union played a vital role in these protests.

Conclusion

To summarise, popular movements help us better grasp the essence of democratic politics. Popular movements ensured that varied groups and their concerns were effectively represented. Popular movements proposed new kinds of active involvement, broadening the concept of participation in India’s democracy.