Farmer Movement: Farmers’ movement remains a topic of discussion across the country. Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are agitating with full enthusiasm and passion on the issue of bringing all crops under the ambit of MSP and guaranteeing MSP. Since February 13, more than 150 organizations from across the country have been standing at the Shambhu border.
A face-to-face fight broke out between farmers and police at Singhwala Khanori border. There was heavy lathi charge from both sides. Tear gas shells were fired on the farmers, Section 144 was imposed to stop the farmers from entering Delhi and internet services were also halted in the areas adjoining Haryana.
Meanwhile, the question also arises that who was the father of the farmers’ movement, under whose leadership the farmers’ struggle and rights got voice and who clashed with politicians and businessmen for the rights of the workers. Let us know.
Father of farmers movement
The father of the farmers’ movement in India is called “Dandi Swami Sahajanand Saraswati”, who was also a freedom fighter. An author has written about him in his book that he met Mahatma Gandhi at Mazhar ul Haq’s house in Patna, after which, influenced by Gandhi’s thoughts, he jumped into the national liberation movement. Swami Sahajanand himself, in his autobiography ‘Mera Jeevan Sangharsh’ published in 1941, has described meeting Gandhi as a very beautiful experience and how he was influenced by Gandhi and his work.
Swami Sahajanand went to jail for the first time in 1922 for participating in the freedom movement. In jail he met many leaders including Pandit Nehru. He came out after staying in jail for a year. After this he remained active in Ghazipur till 1925. He played a big role in opening a sugar mill in Bihta, Bihar in 1932.
Farmers were being oppressed
In Bihar, industrialist RK Dalmia, who followed Gandhi’s ideas, started a sugar mill, in the management of which Rajendra Prasad was also involved and Madan Mohan Malviya inaugurated the sugar mill. At the time of establishment of the mill, there was talk about the rights of the workers but gradually the brutality towards the mill workers increased and sugarcane started being purchased from the farmers at half the price and the workers working in the mill started being given less wages.
Even Dalmia’s wealth could not buy Sahajanand’s selfishness.
To silence Swami Sahajanand, industrialist RK Dalmia himself proposed friendship with him, and started donating every month to Swamiji’s ashram. Swami Sahajanand understood Dalmia’s trick and clearly told him that you can keep me safe by sending money every month. They are trying to stop it, so stop it otherwise this will continue to cause injustice to farmers and laborers.
As the conditions of farmers and laborers in the mill worsened, Swami Sahajanand started a movement in favor of farmers and against RK Dalmiya. To keep Swami Sahajanand silent, Dalmiya also offered to give Rs 10,000 in lump sum and Rs 200 every month in the name of helping his Bihta Ashram. But, his wealth could not buy Swami Sahajanand.
From the crowd to Gandhi for the farmers
To remain active in the movement, he had to go to jail several times. While in jail, he found that Mahatma Gandhi was adopting a soft attitude towards the landlords, due to which he became angry with him.
He even clashed with his idol Gandhiji in order to provide relief to the farmers devastated by the earthquake of 1934. The situation became such that Swami Sahajanand even left the Congress and took a pledge to live and die for the farmers by separating from them. Till his last breath he kept fighting for the rights and interests of the farmers. On January 26, 1950, the father of the farmers’ movement and freedom fighter Swami Sahajanand died.
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