Land, Labour and Power: Agrarian Crisis and the State in Bihar (1937-52)

This is a study of agrarian problems of Bihar, a land which confronted many of the problems before and after independence that affects even today. The book is essentially a critical study of the agrarian problems of Bihar vis-?-vis policies of the state government during the period 1937-52. The work is a venture to explore a virgin field as no attempt has been made so far to put together all available data on the subject and to present an integrated and composite picture of ruthless plunder carried on by landlords, issues of tenancy, various stages of agrarian movements under the banner of the Bihar Kisan Sabha from its very inception. A detailed and the critical discussion on Land Reforms Act passed first time in India, leading to abolition of Zamindari system and the policy of the Indian National Congress towards land problems have been presented. The author believes that the destructive agrarian policy of the British rule embodied in rack renting, absentee of landlordism and huge sub-infeudation as the worst legacy of the permanent settlement, dash down Bihar to the pit of vagaries and pitiable state of the art. The study stimulates further thinking on the subject and offers a wider area of study to the researchers in the field.