WBBSE Solutions For Class 8 History Chapter 9 Constitution Of India Democratic Structure And Citizen’s Rights Topic B Right Of Life And Occupation And Mass Movements

Chapter 9 Constitution Of India: Democratic Structure And Citizen’s Rights Topic B Right Of Life And Occupation And Mass Movements

Question 1 Discuss the causes of the Tebhaga movement. Analyse the role of this movement in ensuring the peasants’ rights.
Answer:

Causes Of The Tebhaga And The Role Of This Movement In Ensuring The Peasants’ Rights :-

In 1946, the peasants of Bengal organized a movement for ensuring their rights to have two-thirds of the produce of the land leased by the tears, following the recommendation of the Floud Commission.

This movement is known as the Tebhaga movement which is, undoubtedly, one of the most important peasants’ movements in the country during the post-independence period.

1. Causes: The causes behind the Tebhaga movement are not a few. However, the three most important reasons that turned the smouldering into a flare-up are given below:

1. The Economic slump in the 1940s:

Because of the depression in the economy in the 1940s, many peasants lost their land property and became sharecroppers.

Their penury sowed the seeds of agitation in their hearts.

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2. Resentment among sharecroppers:

The sharecroppers used to provide the cost of farming by themselves but they were devoid of their due share in the produce. It aggravated the situation.

3. Recommendation of the Floud Commission:

The brewing agitation erupted when the Floud Commission published its report containing the recommendation of dividing crops into three shares.

the two-thirds of which would be enjoyed by the sharecroppers and the rest by the tears.

2. Initiation of the movement:

The Tebhaga movement was organized mainly by the Bengal Provincial Krishak Sabha, which launched the movement in September 1946 for the implementation of the recommendation of the Floud Commission.

The movement was most intensely felt in the districts of Dinajpur, Rangpur, Jalpaiguri, Khulna, Mymensingh, Jessore and the 24-Parganas.

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In fact, no less than 19 districts across Bengal felt the fire of the movement.

3. Demands made by the peasants:

On at least two counts the action was indeed an insurrection.

First, the peasants demanded that they should get two-thirds of the crop since the landlords had virtually no participation in the production process in terms of capital input, labour and infrastructure.

Second, the tenants demanded that the harvest should be stacked on the tenant’s thrashing floor and the landlord would not get any share from the by-products like the straw.

4. Nature of agitation:

In some places, the peasants declared their zone as the Tebhaga area and Tebhaga committees were formed for the governance of the area locally.

Many landlords were compelled to withdraw their litigation filed against the Tebhaga activists and came to terms with them.

The movement was most successful in the districts of Jessore, Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri.

In fact, the movement grew stronger wherever there was a concentration of burglars or sharecroppers.

5. Leaders:

No less than seven million peasants and agricultural labourers actively took part in the Tebhaga movement.

Among its prominent leaders were Kansari Halder, Gajen Malik, Manik Hazra, Bijoy Mondal, etc.

6. Significance of the movement:

The Tebhaga Movement is probably the greatest peasant movement in the history of India. Initially, it was a movement of sharecroppers.

Later the small peasants also joined the hand with them as the gambit of the demands increased.

Gradually with the intensification of the movement the charter of demands even touched the revolutionary idea of land to tiller concept.

Prior to the Tebhaga many agrarian movements movement, developed within.

The framework of the Indian national movement but barring a few exceptions, their dominant ethos was Gandhian, as they adopted the methods of ‘passive resistance’ and ‘non-violence’.

But the Tebhaga movement was a sharp departure from this pattern.

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It was the first consciously attempted revolt by a politicized peasantry in Indian history.

Question 2. Discuss the causes and the result of the Singur mass movement.
Answer:

Causes And The Result Of The Singur Mass Movement:-

Introduction:

Singur in Hooghly, West Bengal became a household name across India when in May 2006 the then-West Bengal Government announced that it would be the future location for a small car project.

The project promised to make cars, an increasingly important symbol of progress and modernity among the middle class, significantly more affordable.

Yet in Singur, the acquisition plan provoked an angry response, especially from the local peasants.

They formed a local committee, the Singur Krishi Jomi Raksha Committee, to oppose it.

In Kolkata also, activists sharply criticized the state government for dispossessing Singur’s small and marginal farmers.

To make way for a private industrial capital venture which would be heavily subsidised by public funds.

1. Causes:

The causes of the Singur Mass Movement may, therefore, be enumerated as follows:

1. Economic and social injustice:

The main crops of the fertile loamy soil of Singur were paddy, jute, potato, oil seeds and vegetables. Besides, the place was quiet.

advanced in horticulture. Almost 70 per cent of its agricultural lands produced three or four types of crops.

But when the state government decide to acquire land for building up industry, people like peasants, land owners, burglars and land owners.

dependent on agricultural land for subsistence, declared the struggle against such land acquisition.

The illegality of the acquisition has been substantially conceded by the Kolkata High Court.

2. Forcible Acquisition and Violence:

Ignoring the people’s voice, the then state voice, the then state government issued 13 notices under section 9(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1984 to the affected farmers.

It seemed that the state government would go to any extent to evict the people and hand over the land to them.

the car manufacturing company as over 400 people including several women and children were arrested or brutally assaulted by the police.

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To restore peace the imposition of Section 144 in the area has been declared illegal by the Kolkata High Court.

3. Questions of compensation and rehabilitation:

The people staying in the proposed land were forced to evacuate by the then-state government.

compensation given was considered inadequate and new housing facilities offered were delayed.

Moreover, the number of direct jobs to be created by the development of industry was no more than about one thousand and many of those jobs were expected to go to the outsiders.

As a result, the local populace felt threatened for their livelihood. Besides, the environment of the locality is feared to be degraded.

Hence, the Singur mass movement leapt mainly out of two issues procedural inadequacies in the acquisition attempt.

Wherein the questions of hurried acquisition and limited compensation were involved; and development model-centric debates about whether the state should act as a facilitator for private projects.

The latter has gained momentum especially because the Singur farmers were erased from local policy decisions that supported fertile land acquisition for a car factory.

2. Consequences:

The subaltern farmers of Singur against forcible acquisition of their agricultural land by the then state government for promoting the corporate interests of an Indian MNC triggered national and international interest.

In the face of severe criticism and frequent protests, the Singur project was eventually abandoned.

It has attained cult status among mass movements ever since because the movement was a rare instance of a state government capitulating in the face of peasantry-led protests.

While neoliberalism has proven to be a challenge for the intellectuals who to date have not been able to address the issues with clarity.

the farmers of Singur were fully mobilized because they live in their flesh the effects of these politics.

However, in the development displacement narrative of India, Singur was neither the first nor the last one.

Chapter 9 Constitution Of India: Democratic Structure And Citizen’s Rights Topic B Right Of Life And Occupation And Mass Movements Short Analytical Type Questions

1. Write a short note on the Telengana movement.
Answer:

Telangana Movement:-

The Telangana movement (1948-51) was an armed revolt of peasants under the leadership of the Communist Party of India against oppressive landlordism patronized by the autocratic rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

The sufferings of the peasants intensified with the onset of the Second World War, as they were subjected to increasing numbers of exploitative taxes and levies and forced to perform ‘betties’ (free labour).

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Men, women and children from different villagers were organized by the Communists into armed guerilla squads to fight exploitative landlords and armed battalions of the Nizam called ‘razakars’.

So far the demands of the poor agricultural classes were concerned the Telangana movement was a failure.

Like all other peasant resistance movements in India, though, the Telangana peasant resistance has become the source of legends and inspiration for the radical left in India.

Question 2. Write the causes of the Telangana movement.
Answer:

Causes Of The Telangana Movement:-

The following were the main causes of the Telangana peasant movement.

1. Feudal structure of administration:

In both the systems of administrations, i.e., jagir and khalsa the peasants of Hyderabad were exploited by the intermediaries appointed by Nizam.

High taxes, fraud with records and exploitation resulted in creating discontent among the poor peasants.

2. The exploitation of big peasants:

The exploitation of small peasants and agricultural labourers was legitimised by the big farmers. It was considered to be the privilege of the ‘Dora’ to exploit the masses of peasants.

3. The state of slavery:

Systems like ‘bagels’ and ‘betties’ were prevalent in the state of Nizam. Poor peasants, particularly the tribals, were the victims of such systems.

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4. Role of Reddis and Kammars:

The Reddis and Kammars were notable castes who traditionally worked as traders and moneylenders.

They wanted to pull down the dominance of Brahmins as agriculturists in the state.

5. Land alienation:

Between 1910 and 1940, the frequency of land dispossession increased. Eventually, the land was possessed by the non-cultivating urban people mostly Brahmins.

Marwaris and Muslims increased and on the other hand, the tribal peasants got reduced to the status of marginal farmers and landless labourers.

As a result of all these, the peasants of Telangana were only waiting for some opportunity to engineer some insurrection.

Question 3. Give two positive results of the Telengana movement.
Answer:

Two Positive Results Of The Telengana Movement:-

The Telangana movement yielded at least two positive results.

First, in this movement, the struggle of the peasantry became a mass movement that successfully toppled the biggest autocratic and feudalistic rule of India, i.e. the rule of Nizam.

Second, the ‘betties’ system came to be abolished due to this movement. Again in 1949, jagirdarism was abolished too.

Question 4. What was the Chipko movement?
Answer:

Chipko Movement:-

Chipko movement, a non-violent, social and ecological movement by rural people, particularly women, in India in the 1970s, aimed at protecting trees and forests slated for government-backed logging.

The movement originated in the Himalayan region in 1973.

The Hindu word ‘Chipko’ means to ‘hug’ or ‘to cling’ and reflects the demonstrators’ primary tactic of embracing trees to impede the loggers.

Question 5. What was the Appiko movement?
Answer:

Appiko Movement:-

The Appiko movement, one of the forest-based environmental movements of India, took place in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka in the Western Ghats in 1950.

The movement had a threefold objective

1.  to protect existing forest cover,
2.  to regenerate trees in denuded land and
3.  the utilization of forest wealth with proper consideration of the conservation of natural resources.

The activists with the help of a local popular organization called the Parisara Samrakshana Kendra embraced the trees which were to be felled by contractors of the forest department.
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Question 6. What was the Silent Valley movement?
Answer:

Silent Valley Movement:-

In 1976, a dam was to be constructed at Silent Valley, Kerala, from where the river Kunthipuzha originates.

The people’s movement to prevent the Silent Valley project was the first significant milestone in Indian environmental history.

that brought national and international attention to the forests and intervention from Prime Minister.

On September 7, 1985, the area was notified as a National Park and since then a long-term conservation effort has been undertaken to preserve the Silent Valley ecosystem.

Question 7 What was the Save Narmada movement?
Answer:

Save Narmada Movement:-

The Save Narmada Movement was the most powerful mass movement started in 1985, against the construction of a huge dam on the Narmada River.

The proposed Sardar SarovarDam and Narmada Sagar were apprehended to displace more than two and a half lac people and so, the fight was over the resettlement or the rehabilitation of those people.

The movement has succeeded in generating a debate across the subcontinent which has encapsulated the conflict between two opposing styles of development.

One is massively destructive of people and the environment in the quest for large-scale industrialisation.

the other consists of replicable small-scale decentralised, democratic and ecologically sustainable options.

The activists of the movement harmoniously integrated with both local communities and nature.

Chapter 9 Constitution Of India: Democratic Structure And Citizen’s Rights Topic B Right Of Life And Occupation And Mass Movements State Whether The Following Statements Are True Or False

Question 1. The Tebhaga movement spread in many parts of the Hyderabad region.
Answer: False

Question 2. Agricultural labour is the peasants who work on another’s land as a daily wage
earner.
Answer: True

Question 3. Chipko movement is a tribal movement.
Answer: False

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Question 4. The Silent Valley movement took place in Tamil Nadu.
Answer: False

Question 5. Singur is a group development block in the Hooghly district.
Answer: True

Question 6. In Telangana, political and civic rights used to be curbed in a number of ways.
Answer: True

Question 7. 16th September 2016 was observed as ‘Singur Day’.
Answer: False

Chapter 9 Constitution Of India: Democratic Structure And Citizen’s Rights Topic B Right Of Life And Occupation And Mass Movements Fill In The Blanks By Selecting The Appropriate Expressions From The Brackets

Question 1. The ________ (Floud/Simon/Rayleigh) Commission recommended the division of crops into three shares.

Answer: Flood

Question 2. Chipko means ________ (fight/ attack/hug).

Answer: hug

Question 3. Singur was quite advanced in ________ (aquaculture/horticulture/animal husbandry).

Answer: horticulture

Question 4. The car manufacturing company decided to leave Singur on ________ (3rd October/2nd June/5th May) 2008.

Answer: 3rd October

Question 5. For building the car manufacturing factory in Singur ________ (5/6/7) mouzas were identified.

Answer: 5

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Chapter 9 Constitution Of India: Democratic Structure And Citizen’s Rights Topic B Right Of Life And Occupation And Mass Movements Answer In A Complete Sentence

Question 1. “Stock rice in your own farms”–was the rallying cry of which movement?
Answer: The above-mentioned rallying cry was of the Tebhaga movement.

Question 2. Who is known as ‘patta dar’?
Answer: A patta dar is a peasant who has. received the ‘patta’ or deed over land only temporarily.

Question 3. Who is known as ‘baradari’?
Answer: A baradari is a peasant who tills another’s land in exchange for shares of crops produced in the land.

Question 4. State the reason for the Appiko movement.
Answer: The Appiko movement was organised to address the issue of the conservation of the dense woodlands in the western ghat ranges in Karnataka in South India.

Question 5. Who was at the forefront of the Singur movement?
Answer: Mamata Bandyopadhyay was at the forefront of the Singur movement.

Question 6. “Singur will be a world model for agricultural lands.”–who said this?
Answer: Mamata Bandyopadhyay said this.

Question 7. Which day was observed as ‘Singur Day’?
Answer: 14th September 2016 was observed as the ‘Singur Day’.

Chapter 9 Constitution Of India: Democratic Structure And Citizen’s Rights Topic B Right Of Life And Occupation And Mass Movements Select The Most Appropriate Explanation For The Following Statement

Question 1. The issue of the right to land, water bodies and forestry triggered a conflict between the colonial state and its people.

1. The colonial government wanted to take steps for the preservation of wildlife.
2. People felt that the colonial government would destroy the flora and fauna of those areas.
3. The colonial government framed some laws that compelled the people to give up their rights over natural resources.

Answer: 3. The colonial government framed some laws that compelled the people to give up their rights over natural resources.

Question 2. In the decade of 1940s, a large section of the rural population turned into burglars.

1. Recommendation of the Floud Commission was implemented.
2. Telangana peasant movement flared up.
3. There was an economic downturn and famine in the 1940s.

Answer: 3. There was an economic downturn and famine in the 1940s.

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Question 3. When Srimati Mamata Bandyopadhyay became the chief minister of West Bengal, she took the decision of returning the lands to the peasants of Singur.

1. Srimati Mamata Bandyopadhyay herself organized the Singur movement and led it from the front.
2.  Thousands of land owners, pattadars, burglars, landless peasants and sharecroppers requested Mamata Bandyopadhyay to do that.
3.  Indian MNC, Tata, dropped their Singur car project.

Answer: 1. Srimati Mamata Bandyopadhyay herself organized the Singur movement and led it from the front.

Question 4. A legion of men and women became involved in the Save Narmada movement at the beginning of the decade of 1970s.

1. People demanded the prohibition of felling trees for commercial purposes.
2. Because of the project of building a dam, about 21 people were on the verge of losing life and livelihood and the tribal populations were deprived of their rights in forests.
3. The forestry of the region came under serious threat.

Answer: 2. Because of the project of building a dam, about 21 people were on the verge of losing life and livelihood and the tribal populations were deprived of their rights in forests.

Question 5. The biggest autocratic and feudalistic rule of India, the rule of Nizam, was toppled.

1.  It was due to the Chipko movement.
2. The Telangana movement. turned out to be a peasant cum mass movement.
3. The Tebhaga movement went very close to becoming an armed rebellion.

Answer: 2. The Telengana movement. turned out to be a peasant cum mass movement.

Chapter 9 Constitution Of India: Democratic Structure And Citizen’s Rights Topic B Right Of Life And Occupation And Mass Movements Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.’Betti’s system was abolished due to

1. Tebhaga movement
2. Telangana movement
3. Chipko movement
4. Silent Valley movement

Answer: 2. Telangana movement

Question 2. Chipko movement was organised in

1. North India
2. South India
3. West India
4. East India

Answer: 1. North India

Question 3. The district headquarter of Hooghly is

1. Arambagh
2. Chunchurah
3. Chandennagar
4. Serampore

Answer: 2. Chunchurah

Question 4. Rajkumar Bhul was the agricultural labour of

1. Champadanga
2. Jangipara
3. Maheswarpur
4. Gopalnagar

Answer: 4. Gopalnagar

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Question 5. Who among the following was the protestor of the Singur movement?

1. Sumit Sarkar
2. Irfan Habib
3. Upinder Singh
4. Gyanendra Pandey

Answer: 1. Sumit Sarkar