The Civil Disobedience Movement in Bihar (1930-1934)

This book is a full-length study of the civil disobedience movement covering the whole of Bihar and is based on the Doctoral thesis submitted to the University of Delhi. Surveying the political scene in Bihar before the launch of the civil disobedience movement, Papiya examines the strength and weaknesses of the Bihar Congress and its mobilization efforts. Top national and provincial leaders had undertaken extensive tours of different parts of the province to mobilize the people for the movement. She, however, finds the mobilization drive of the Congress lackadaisical to which she attributes the limited nature of popular participation in many areas. Papiya justifiably disputes the claim made by the Congress that its campaigns received universal support from all sections of the people. She is unsparing in exposing the ambivalence of the Congress leaders on agrarian and labour issues, although the Congress sought and got active support from peasants and workers. It indifference to economic and agrarian problems drove the Kisan Sabha into the socialist camp. To the Congress, socialist pressure to change its programmes smacked of revolution. A glance at the massive documentation shows that Papiya scoured almost all accessible repositories of available materials which she used intelligently to build her narrative and buttress her arguments. Retaining its present-day relevance, the work provides a refreshing and new insight into a significant phase of Bihar’s history and its contribution to the contours of the freedom struggle launched against the British Raj. It will be extremely useful for teachers, researchers and students, as well as analysts, who study Popular Movements and their socio-political ramifications.