Kheda Satyagraha - A Peasant Movement 1918 - General Knowledge of Modern India

Kheda Satyagraha - A Peasant Movement 1918 - General Knowledge of Modern India

Today we are going to read about Kheda Satyagraha. Kheda is the name of a place which is in Gujarat. After the peasant movement of Champaran, there was a peasant movement in Kheda (Gujarat) also in 1918 AD. Gandhiji worked tirelessly to improve the poor condition of the farmers in Kheda also. In Kheda also the peasantry was suffering due to increased rent and other exploitations. Sometimes the peasants used to express their displeasure by not paying rent to the landlords. In 1918, the crop was destroyed due to drought. In such a situation the difficulties of the farmers increased.

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According to the land tax rules, if in any year the crop is 25% less than the normal level, then in that situation the farmers were to get full exemption in land tax. The officials of the Bombay Government were not ready to accept that the yield had decreased in spite of the drought. So they were not ready to give exemption to the farmers. There was constant pressure on the peasants to pay the rent.

Kheda Satyagraha

After Champaran, Gandhiji paid attention to the farmers of Kheda. He mobilized the peasants and instigated them to conduct satyagraha against the government actions. The farmers also gave full support to Gandhiji. The farmers stopped paying rent to the British government. The farmers who were eligible to pay the rent also stopped paying the rent. The government threatened to act harshly and confiscate, but even that did not scare the farmers. A large number of farmers participated in this movement. Many farmers were put in jail.

By June, 1918, this peasant movement of Kheda had taken a widespread form. Seeing this anger and fearless attitude of the farmer, the government had to bow before him and finally the government promised to give exemption in rent to the farmers. It is a matter of address that during this movement Sardar Vallabhbhai came in contact with Gandhiji and later Patel became a staunch follower of Gandhiji.

Importance of Champaran and Kheda Movement

If we talk about the importance of the peasant movements of Champaran and Kheda, then both these movements were carried out in a very calm manner as compared to the earlier movements. The farmers forced the government to improve their condition by doing satyagraha. Peasants won both the movements. These movements instilled enthusiasm among the farmers as well as all over India and instilled a sense of self-confidence. After 1919, the peasants made more organized movements. A powerful farmer organization called Kisan Sabha was also established.