Vallabhbhai Patel: The Leader of the farmers, The Leader of India

The Iron-Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was born into a peasant family of Gujarat. A barrister by profession, Vallabhbhai Patel, was initially non-indulgent in the fight for independence and used to mock his club mates who would go to listen to Gandhiji. He used to sarcastically say that a game of bridge would develop greater wisdom instead. But in 1917, when he saw that Gandhi Ji was not only inhibiting the people of India not to beg in front of the government, but also asking them to fight the battle to get their rights as citizens of this country; it was then that he understood that Gandhi Ji was speaking the truth and had no conceit. He was simply talking about making the people of the country powerful. Vallabhbhai became Gandhi Ji’s comrade then on. As soon as the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee was formed in 1920, Vallabhbhai Patel became its first President. He also became the President of the Indian National Congress in the Karachi session of 1931 and, in his speech, advocated for making India a secular country.

Vallabh hailed various movements and satyagrahas as a companion and follower of Mahatma Gandhi. He was instrumental in character-building of the people through many movements and satyagrahas like the National Flag Movement of Nagpur, Hadiya Satyagraha of Borsad, Kheda Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, Quit India Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha. Vallabhbhai played a crucial role in the integration of independent India and strengthened the Indian administrative system as a companion of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Bardoli Satyagraha is one of the most prominent works of his life, which was a major peasant movement in 1928 in Bardoli tehsil of Gujarat during the Indian independence movement. It was the same Satyagraha during which Vallabhbhai Patel was conferred with the title of ‘Sardar’. Today, when India’s Annadata(farmer) is fighting for his rights, it becomes indispensable to understand the Bardoli Satyagraha and the words uttered by Sardar Patel during this time. The then provincial government had imposed a tax increase of up to 22 percent on Annadatas(farmers) of Bardoli. Agitated, the farmers implored Vallabhbhai Patel thus: “Guide us through the way. We are ready to do what you say, we are ready to be blown apart but will not succumb to the unjust decision of the government.”

Vallabhbhai accepted to undertake Satyagraha with those farmers, but also warned the farmers to be ready to face all kinds of brutal government oppression as it would intimidate them with all its might. He also asked them to leave the battle in the first place, in case they considered themselves insignificant in front of the mighty government. Also, he encouraged them to fight for their rights if the farmers were sure that the government would not talk about any kind of justice, or by not fighting against the government and by paying more revenue they would only destroy the lives of their children, or would hurt their dignity.

In one of his speeches, Vallabhbhai had said, “The whole world depends on the farmers. The sustenance of the world rests on farmers and laborers. Still, if someone suffers the most, then it is only these two; because they always bear the brunt of all kinds of oppression.”

Upon hearing these words, the people of Bardoli woke up from their slumber. 80,000 men, women and children got triggered against the unjust decision of the government. Everyone plunged into Satyagraha under the leadership of Vallabhbhai with passive resistance, as propounded by Gandhiji. Even the government recoiled with suppression. Land worth thousands of rupees was seized in lieu of the payment of a trivial amount of tax. Falsely charged, a few peasant leaders and Congress workers were sentenced to imprisonment. Even the lapdog newspapers of the government got vindictive. Therefore, satyagrahis started to publish leaflets about the reality of this movement. Everything was being printed in these leaflets - who kept fighting intensely, how the government persecuted them, how the people remained undeterred even after the seizure of their land and animals etc. These leaflets were started to be read in every household of Bardoli and prepared the public at large, for Satyagraha. The people of Bardoli endured all this cruelty with a brave heart as if gold was being refined in the fire.

At this time, Vallabhbhai Patel had said, “I have not landed in this battle with the aim of saving some of your money. With the fight of the farmers of Bardoli, I want to convey a message to the farmers of Gujarat, that the rule of this government rests only on your weaknesses.” In this way, Vallabhbhai taught the people of Bardoli to fight against the oppression. When the people could not be cowed down even after numerous attempts of the government, the British administrators asked a few people holding government titles to find a solution. At that time Vallabhbhai Patel said, “The solution can only be found when there is a change in the mindset and the intentions of the government.” The fight went on for a long time, but when people unite in front of the mightiest and the cruelest of governments, then that power cannot not last for long. Therefore, in the end, the Government’s own inquiry committee, while rejecting the revenue increase of 22 percent, reduced it to 6.03 percent. The people of Bardoli stood with dignity, fearlessness, valor and dedication and eventually won. The women of Bardoli conferred the title of ‘Sardar’ upon Vallabhbhai Patel, and thus he became the ‘Sardar’ (leader) of the entire nation and not just Gujarat.

Even today, if you observe the ongoing peasant movement invoking the slogan ‘ChaloDilli’, you may find many similarities with the Bardoli Satyagraha. There is a persistent fear among the farmers that with the implementation of the three black laws, their lives will be doomed and that is why, they are up with Satyagraha to be heard. But when the government representatives and the ‘Godi media’ referred to these Satyagrahi peasants as ‘Khalistani terrorists’ and sometimes even the lapdogs of some political party, then this battle turned into the battle to sustain one’s honor. Under these circumstances, our ‘Annadatas’ (farmers) are left with no other option but to undertake Satyagraha until the black laws are withdrawn. May God grant strength to this Satyagraha and the farmers of the country, once again, emerge as powerful by treading the path of truth and non-violence. Jai Kisan - Jai Hind - Jai Jagat

Reference:-

• Hind Na Sardar by Ravjibhai Manibhai Patel, Navjivan Prakashan Mandir, Ahmedabad, ISBN 978-81-7229-083-2

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Na Bhashano (1918 to 1947) Edited by Narhari Parikh & Uttamchand Shah Navjivan Prakashan Mandir, Ahmedabad, ISBN 978-81-7229-455-7