BIJOLIA_MOVEMENT_PPT.pptx

Bijolia Peasant movement in Rajasthan

1. CONTENT INTRODUCTION ORIGIN FIRST PHASE SECOND PHASE THIRD PHASE C0NCLUSION

2. INTRODUCTION The  Bijolia movement was a peasant movement in the Bijolia   jagir  of the former  Mewar state (in present-day  Rajasthan in  India) against excessive land revenue exactions. Originating in the former  jagir  (feudal estate) of Bijolia (near the town of  Bijolia in   Bhilwara district), the movement gradually spread to neighbouring  jagirs . Leadership to the movement was provided, at different times, by Sitaram Das, Vijay Singh Pathik , and  Manikyalal Verma . [1]  The movement continued till 1941 after a bitter struggle lasting about half a century, gained national attention and resisted state oppression

3. ORIGIN Land revenue and other taxes were the main issues behind the movement .   Bijolia was a  jagir  in Mewar State, ruled by the Parmar   jagirdar ,  one of the leading 16 nobles ( solah umrao ) in Mewar State .  Peasant discontent started after the accession of Rao Sawai Kishan Singh ji to the  jagir  in 1894. " Rao Sawai " was the title given to the Jagirdars of the Pawar / Parmar dynasty who ruled on Bijolia ; Rao Sawai Kishan Singh ji shuffled the administrative personnel of the  jagir  and the new officials were encouraged to realize more revenue from peasants .  Certain taxis ( lagat ) which were formerly imposed under extraordinary circumstances for short periods were now made to last longer .

4. FIRST PHASE In 1897, a delegation of peasants consisting of Nanji Patel of Berisal and Thakari Patel of Gopal Niwas went to Udaipur and attempted, in vain, to get an audience with the Maharana . [ But the Maharana did institute an inquiry which concluded that certain taxes had been arbitrarily imposed by the  jagirdar .  The Maharana issued a warning to the jagirdar , which only resulted in him retaliating against the two delegates who had gone to Udaipur .  The peasants continued appeals to the  jagirdar  who ultimate granted some concessions to the peasants in 1904 .

5. The concessions granted in 1904 did not last. In 1906, Prithvi Singh ascended to the  jagir  and withdrew the concessions granted in 1904 and instructed officials to collected increased taxes .  Failing to get a hearing from the  jagirdar , some peasants chose not to cultivate their lands and migrated to neighboring Gwalior and Bundi . Some more concessions were promised to the peasants on 1914, but never implemented .

6. SECOND PHASE In 1916, war fund contributions were further imposed on the peasants which lead to renewed dissatisfaction .  It was in 1916 that Bhoop Singh alias  Vijai Singh Pathik  arrived in Bijolia and organized the peasants under the  Bijolia Kisan Panchayat  to oppose payments to the war fund and other taxes .  Petitions were sent to the Maharana , and stories of the agitation started receiving publicity in various newspapers .  Partially because of the negative publicity in the press, the Maharana appointed a commission of inquiry, which found the peasants' grievances to be genuine and recommended the abolition of some taxes and  begar  (unpaid or forced labor ). But the Maharana failed to act on the report and the oppression as well as the movement led by Pathik continued .

7. After the failure of the inquiry to yield results, Pathik advised peasants to cultivate unirrigated lands which were subject to lower taxes. In February 1920, the Maharana appointed another commission of inquiry which also reached the same conclusions as the earlier commission .  Other  jagirdars  feared that the Maharana's intervention would result in a chain reaction, and influenced the Maharana to not act on the commission's report . Leaders of the Bijolia movement attempted to obtain the support of the Indian National Congress (INC ).  In December 1919, Pathik succeeded in putting a resolution before the INC in support of the Bijolia peasants, but the resolution failed, largely because the INC leadership disfavored agitation in the princely states . Nonetheless , these efforts attracted the attention of national leaders towards the Bijolia movement and the movement obtained the support of some of the leaders .

8. Meanwhile, the peasant movement of Bijolia continued to get increased publicity and began to spread to other  jagirs  such as Begun, Parsoli , and Bhinder . In December 1921, the Mewar State Resident reported: The unrest is now spreading to Bhinder , an estate under the  darbar  management, where the cultivators are refusing the pay revenue. The situation in Bijolia and in the neighbouring  thikanas  of Parsoli , Begun and Basi has distinctly deteriorated. There is a general refusal to pay revenue. There is threat of violence if any attempt is made to collect revenue or to enforce official orders...An atmosphere of discontent is being created and the movement is spreading . This compelled the Agent to the Governor General to visit the various  jagirs  of Mewar and direct the  jagirdar  and Mewar State to conclude an agreement with the peasants. Finally , the Bijolia Agreement was signed on February 11, 1922. The agreement brought about the following changes: reduction in amount of  talwar bandhi , no taxes when there was no cultivation, reduction in  chatoond  tax and land revenue, etc.

9. THIRD PHASE By 1928, there was a general complain among the peasants of Bijolia that the agreement of 1922 had been violated by the  jagirdar .  The peasants also complained that taxes on unirrigated lands were very high and  jagir  authorities were interfering in the affairs of the  Bijolia Kisan Panchayat .

10. CONCLUSION The bijolia peasant movement could not maintain its ultimate goal but it did succeed is infusing anti-fended consiousuess among the peasants of rajasthan . It also proved a serve attack on feudalism. It also inspired & encourged such type of monuments in the other parts of Rajasthan. This prepared the ground for mass struggle & social development.

11. THANK YOU SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY: DEPT. OF HISTORY GEETIKA MATHUR KANORIA P.G. COLLEGE, M.A. FINAL HISTORY JAIPUR (SEMESTER IV)