Rise of Popular Movements Class 12 Political Science

Nature of Popular Movements

The nature of popular movements can be simple as well as complex. Popular movements depict a very unusual form of collective action. From time to time many popular movements took place for protest. Here some novel tactics for protest are used.

Party based Movements

• Movements which are started with the cooperation of any political party are called party-based mass movements. 
• In other words the movements in which political parties are involved, called party based movements. 
• Party Based Movements keep close association with political parties and follow their objectives and ideologies. 
• For example: The Naxalbari movement.

Non-party Movements

• Those movements in which no political party is involved are called independent movements from political parties.  
• Non-Party Movements do not keep association with any political parties and independent from specific ideologies. 
• Such movements are carried out by voluntary organizations, common people or students. 
• For example: Dalit Panthers, Chipko Movement

Chipko Movement

• Chipko movement started in 1973 in Uttarakhand.
• The main leader of Chipko movement was Sunderlal Bahuguna.
• The common people sought permission from the forest department to cut the trees so that they could make tools for farming, but the forest department did not allow the cutting of the trees.

Chipko Movement, 1973

• A few days later, a sports equipment company was given permission by the government to cut trees at the same place.
• Because of this people started opposing the felling of trees.
• People used to stand by clinging to the trees so that the trees could not be cut therefore it was called the Chipko Movement.

Demands

• The people living there should have control over the natural resources like water, forest, land.
• The government should provide the necessary things to the small-scale industries at low cost.
• Development should be done without harming the environment of the area.
• Women raised their voice against alcoholism.

Result

• The government banned the cutting of trees in the himalayan region for the next 15 years.

Dalit Panthers

Origin

• In 1972, educated Dalit youth in Maharashtra formed an organization called Dalit panthers.
• They opposed the discrimination against Dalits.
• Their method of protest was different from other movements.
• By raising his voice in literature and on big platforms, they made people aware of the atrocities being committed on Dalits.
• Dalit youths also strongly opposed the atrocities.

Activities

• Their activities were mostly centred around fighting against increased atrocities on Dalits in various parts of the state. The larger ideological agenda of the panthers was to destroy the caste system and to build an organisation of all oppressed sections.
• In the post-emergency period, Dalit Panthers got involved in electoral compromises, it also underwent many splits, which led to its decline.

Demands

• Opposing discrimination on the basis of caste
• Opposing injustice being done in terms of resources
• Asking to follow the law of reservation properly
• Bad treatment of Dalit women should be stopped
• Spread of education among Dalits  

Result

• In 1989, a strict law was made against the atrocities on Dalits.
• BAMCEF (Backward and Minority Communities Employees’ Federation) was formed after Dalit panthers

Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU)

Growth

• Bharatiya Kisan Union was an organization of farmers of Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.
• Chief leader of BKU was Mahendra Singh Tikait.
• In January 1988, the farmers of BKU staged a sit-in in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
• The main reason for this protest was the high prices of electricity.

Characteristics

• The BKU demanded higher government floor prices for sugarcane and wheat, abolition of restrictions on the inter-state movement of farm produce, guaranteed supply of electricity at reasonable rates.
• Their activities to pressurise the government to accept their demands include-rallies, demonstrations, and jail bharo.
• Until the early nineties, the BKU distanced itself from all political parties.
• Unlike most of the Indian farmers who engage in agriculture for subsistence, members of the BKU grew cash crops for the market.
• Like BKU other organisation of farmers were Shetkari Sanghatana of Maharashtra and Rayata Sangha of Karnataka.

Anti-Arrack Movement

This movement started from Dubarganta village of Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, later women from more than 5000 villages participated in this movement.

Problem

• Most of the men in Andhra Pradesh had got addicted to consuming Arrack (alcohol).
• Because of this the economy of the rural areas was getting worse.
• The debt on the families was increasing.
• Men did not go to work.
• Domestic violence was increasing.
• Women were facing the most problems.
• Start of Movement
• Adult education program was run in the villages of Andhra Pradesh, in which the women of the village are taught.
• The women coming to the class complained about Arrack.
• This is where this movement started

Demands

• Initially, the women demanded to stop the sale of arrack in the villages.
• Later women also started discussing other issues. Like:-
• Domestic violence
• Sexual harassment
• Dowry system etc.
• The state government did not want to stop the sale of arrack as it was a high revenue source

Result

• The sale of arrack was banned in many villages.

Narmada Bachao Aandolan

Sardar Sarovar Project

• This movement was against displacement caused by huge development projects.
• Sardar Sarovar Project It was an ambitious developmental project, launched in the Narmada valley of Central India in early eighties.
• Numerous big and small dams was to be constructed on the Narmada and its tributaries which were concerned with three states-Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

Debates and Struggles

• Narmada Bachao Andolan was a movement to save Narmada. It was around 1988-89 that the issues crystallised under the banner of the NBA-a loose collective of all voluntary organisations.
• The movement demanded that there should be a cost-benefit analysis of major developmental projects including social costs.
• The social costs included forced resettlement of the project-affected people, a serious loss of their means of livelihood and culture and depletion of ecological resources.
• Many considerations led the NBA to shift from its initial demand for rehabilitation to its position of total opposition to the dam.
• Narmada Bachao Aandolan continued a sustained agitation for more than twenty years.
• It use every available democratic strategy to put forward its demands.

Lessons From Popular Movements

• Removed the shortcomings of party politics
• Bring out such problems which the government does not notice.
• Everyone gets a chance to have their say.
• Democracy gets stronger.
• Mass movement is not a problem but helpful in democracy.
• Increases awareness among people.

Movement For Right to Information

According to this law, any person can demand such information from any department which according to that department can be made public and it is the duty of the department to give that information to that person.

• The movement started in 1990, when a mass based organisation called the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) in Rajasthan took the initiative in demanding records of famine relief work and accounts of labourers.
• In 1994 and 1996, the MKSS organised Jan Sunwais or Public Hearings, where the administration was asked to explain its stand in public.
• In 1996 MKSS formed National Council for People’s Right to Information in Delhi to raise RTI to the status of a national campaign.
• In 2002, a weak Freedom of Information Act was legislated but never came into force. In 2004 RTI Bill was tabled and received presidential assent in June 2005.