Modern Indian

Political Thought
Text and Context

Bidyut Chakrabarty
Rajendra Kumar Pandey

www.sagepublications.com
Los Angeles • London • New Delhi • Singapore • Washington DC
Contents

Preface xiii
Introduction xv

PARTI: REVISITING THE TEXTS

1. Early Nationalist Responses:

Ram Mohan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay,
Dayananda Saraswati and Jotiba Phule 7
Contours of the Early Nationalist Responses 8
Socio-political Thought of Ram Mohan Roy 10
Bankim as a Nationalist Thinker 12
Socio-political Ideas of Dayananda Saraswati 14
Jotiba Phule: Unique Socio-political Ideas 16
Assessment of the Early Nationalist Responses 19
2. Moderates and Extremists: Dadabhai Naoroji,
M.G. Ranade and B.G. Tilak 23
• Defining Moderates and Extremists 24
• The 1907 Surat Split 35
• Concluding Observations 37
3. Mahatma Gandhi 41
• The Basic Precepts 43
• Conceptualising Swaraj 51
• Concluding Observations 56
4. Rabindranath Tagore 61
• A Life in Creative Unity 61
• Main Strands of the Political Thought of Tagore 63
 Modern Indian Political Thought

<»True Freedom 63
• Nationalism 67
• Critique of Gandhi 71
• Concluding Observations 74

5. B.R. Ambedkar 76
• A Life for the Cause of Untouchables 79
• Castes and Untouchability in Hindu Society 82
> Annihilation of Caste 85
• Gandhi-Ambedkar Debate 89
• Political Thoughts of Ambedkar 92
> Rights of the People 93
• Constitutional Democracy 95
> Social Justice 96
• Concluding Observations 98

6. Jayaprakash Narayan 103

• A Life of Ideological Turbulence 104
• Transition from Marxism to Sarvodaya 105
» Plan for Reconstruction of Indian Polity 109
• Sarvodaya 113
• Methods of Realising the Sarvodaya Order 115
• Total Revolution 117
• Concluding Observations 120

7. Jawaharlal Nehru 122

<• Background 123
• The Pragmatic Thinker 124
» Structure of Governance: Nehruvian Inputs 128
» Planning for Development 131
» The Dilemma of a Democrat 133
» Internationalist Jawaharlal Nehru 137
• Concluding Observations 142

8. Muhammad Iqbal 146

• A Life in Complete Turnaround 147
• Political Ideas of Iqbal 149
» Views on Nationalism 149
 Contents

• Pan-Islamism 152
• Ideas on Pakistan 153
• Concluding Observations 156
9. M.N. Roy 158
• From Marxism to Radical Humanism 159
• Critique of Gandhian Thought and Action 160
• Radical Humanism 168
• Concluding Observations 174

10. Ram Manohar Lohia 177

• A Life in Indigenous Evolution 178
• Main Currents of Lohia's Political and Social Thought 180
• Political Thought of Lohia 181
• Critique of Western Ideologies 181
• New Socialism 183
• Model of Political System for India 185
• Social Thoughts of Lohia 186
• Lohia as an Internationalist 188
• Concluding Observations 190
11. Subhas Chandra Bose 193
• His Early Background 193
• Bose's Political Ideology 196
• Bose and His Idea of Future India 201
• Concluding Observations 203

12. V.D. Savarkar 205

• A Life for the Hindu Cause 207
• Savarkar's Nationalist Interpretation
of Indian History 210
• Social Thoughts of Savarkar 213
• Savarkar's Views on Hindutva 214
• Concluding Observations 218

13. Pandita Ramabai 221

• A Life in Pilgrimage for the Cause of Women 221
• Aspects of Feminist Thoughts of Ramabai 222
 Modern Indian Political Thought

• Institutional Pursuits for Women's Emancipation 223

• Concluding Observations 224

PART II: CONTEXT AND CONTEXTUAL

INFLUENCES RE-EXAMINED

14. Nature and Processes of Indian

Freedom Struggle 231
• The Revolt of 1857 232
• The Non-cooperation Movement (1919-22), Civil
Disobedience Movement (1930-32) and Quit India
Movement (1942) 235
• The Indian National Army and the Axis Powers,
1941-45 258
• Indian Naval Uprising 268

15. Landmarks in Constitutional Development

during British Rule: A Historical Perspective 280
• Acts and Reforms: Morley-Minto and
Montague-Chelmsford Reforms 281
• The Simon Commission 284
• The Government of India Act, 1935 290
• The Cripps Mission 294
• Concluding Observations 299

16. Socio-economic Dimensions

of the Nationalist Movement 305
• The Communal Question and Partition 306
• Backward Castes Movements 310
• Dalit Movements 317
• Tribal Movements 324
• Women's Movements 329
• Civil Rights Movements 335
• Trade Union Movements 341
• Peasant Movements 345
• Linguistic Movements 348
 Contents

17. Culmination of the British Rule

and the Making of India's Constitution 357
• The 3 June Plan and India Independence Act, 1947 358
• The Constituent Assembly and the Making
of the Constitution 360
• Salient Features of the Constitution 367
• Concluding Observations 391

Conclusion 395
Model Questions 403
Glossary 412
Index 419
About the Authors 431