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>Arjun Madathiparambil Muraleedharan |
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{{Short description|Freedom fighter and one of the founding member of Communist Party of India}} | |||
{{Use British English|date=March 2013}} | {{Use British English|date=March 2013}} | ||
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===Singaravelar's contact with émigré communists=== | ===Singaravelar's contact with émigré communists=== | ||
Singaravelar attracted the attention of the émigré Communist Party of India, which was founded by [[M. N. Roy]], [[Shaukat Usmani]] and others in [[Tashkent]] on 17 October 1920. Describing the formation of earliest communist groups in India, [[S. A. Dange]] is quoted as below: <blockquote>The Tashkent Party (ie. CPI) and the Executive Committee of the [[Communist International]] tried to build contacts independently and through me with communist group in Calcutta led by [[Muzaffar Ahmed (politician)|Muzaffar Ahmed]] and the group in Madras led by M. Singaravelu.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.85</ref></blockquote> [[Abani Mukherji]], a close associate of M.N. Roy, smuggled himself to India from Moscow via [[Berlin]] in December 1922 and surreptitiously met local communist leaders. After meeting Dange at the [[Gaya, India|Gaya]] session of the Congress in December 1922, and meeting [[Bengal]] communist groups, Mukherji moved to Madras and met Singaravelar. Mukherji helped him with his efforts to form Hindustan Labour Kishan Party and also to draw up its manifesto.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.117</ref> Earlier Singaravelar had met Dange at the Gaya session of the Congress.<ref>Murugesan 1975, p.4</ref> | Singaravelar attracted the attention of the émigré Communist Party of India, which was founded by [[M. N. Roy]], [[Shaukat Usmani]] and others in [[Tashkent]] on 17 October 1920. Describing the formation of earliest communist groups in India, [[S. A. Dange]] is quoted as below: <blockquote>The Tashkent Party (ie. CPI) and the Executive Committee of the [[Communist International]] tried to build contacts independently and through me with communist group in Calcutta led by [[Muzaffar Ahmed (politician)|Muzaffar Ahmed]] and the group in Madras led by M. Singaravelu.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.85</ref></blockquote> [[Abani Mukherji]], a close associate of M.N. Roy, smuggled himself to India from Moscow via [[Berlin]] in December 1922 and surreptitiously met local communist leaders. After meeting Dange at the [[Gaya, India|Gaya]] session of the Congress in December 1922, and meeting [[Bengal]] communist groups, Mukherji moved to Madras and met Singaravelar. Mukherji helped him with his efforts to form Hindustan Labour Kishan Party and also to draw up its manifesto.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.117</ref> Earlier Singaravelar had met Dange at the Gaya session of the Congress.<ref name="Murugesan 1975, p.4">Murugesan 1975, p.4</ref> | ||
==Singaravelar and the Congress== | ==Singaravelar and the Congress== | ||
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===The first May Day in India=== | ===The first May Day in India=== | ||
On 1 May 1923, Singaravelar founded the [[Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan|Labour Kishan Party of Hindusthan]](a party of workers and peasants) in [[Madras]]. The foundation ceremony was purposefully kept on the May Day; and for the first time in India, under the auspices of the newly formed party,<ref | On 1 May 1923, Singaravelar founded the [[Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan|Labour Kishan Party of Hindusthan]](a party of workers and peasants) in [[Madras]]. The foundation ceremony was purposefully kept on the May Day; and for the first time in India, under the auspices of the newly formed party,<ref name="Murugesan 1975, p.4"/> the day was observed as [[International Workers' Day]]. On that occasion, again for the first time the [[red flag (politics)|red flag]] was used in India.<ref name="rao1">M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front – Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''. [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 110</ref> Singaravelar made arrangements to celebrate the May Day in two places in the One meeting was held at the beach opposite to the [[Madras High Court]]; the other was held at the [[Triplicane]] beach. [[The Hindu]] newspaper, published from Madras reported, <blockquote>The Labour Kisan party has introduced May Day celebrations in Chennai. Comrade Singaravelar presided over the meeting. A resolution was passed stating that the government should declare May Day as a holiday. The president of the party explained the non-violent principles of the party. There was a request for financial aid. It was emphasised that workers of the world must unite to achieve independence.<ref>Murugesan 1975, p.169</ref></blockquote> | ||
===Labour Kishan Party of Hindusthan=== | ===Labour Kishan Party of Hindusthan=== | ||
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On 17 March 1924 cases were framed against the accused in what was called the [[Cawnpore]] (now spelt [[Kanpur]]) Bolshevik Conspiracy case. The specific charge was that they as communists were seeking "to deprive the King Emperor of his sovereignty of British India, by complete separation of India from imperialistic Britain by a violent revolution." Out of the six accused in custody only four—S. A. Dange, Shaukat Usmani, Muzaffar Ahmed and Nalini Gupta—were produced. Singaravelar, now 64, was confined to bed due to illness. He was later released on bail.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.54-55</ref> Gulam Hussain was pardoned after he confessed that he had received money in Kabul.<ref name="Ralhan, O.P.">Ralhan, O.P. (ed.) ''Encyclopedia of Political Parties'' New Delhi: Anmol Publications p.336</ref> | On 17 March 1924 cases were framed against the accused in what was called the [[Cawnpore]] (now spelt [[Kanpur]]) Bolshevik Conspiracy case. The specific charge was that they as communists were seeking "to deprive the King Emperor of his sovereignty of British India, by complete separation of India from imperialistic Britain by a violent revolution." Out of the six accused in custody only four—S. A. Dange, Shaukat Usmani, Muzaffar Ahmed and Nalini Gupta—were produced. Singaravelar, now 64, was confined to bed due to illness. He was later released on bail.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.54-55</ref> Gulam Hussain was pardoned after he confessed that he had received money in Kabul.<ref name="Ralhan, O.P.">Ralhan, O.P. (ed.) ''Encyclopedia of Political Parties'' New Delhi: Anmol Publications p.336</ref> | ||
The case attracted interest of the people towards Comintern plan to bring about violent revolution in India. Communist trials had taken place in India, in frontier towns like [[Peshawar]] where Russian trained [[ | The case attracted interest of the people towards Comintern plan to bring about violent revolution in India. Communist trials had taken place in India, in frontier towns like [[Peshawar]] where Russian trained [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|muhajir]] communists were put on trial. "But no case had attracted public gaze like the Kanpur case. Pages of newspapers daily splashed sensational communist plans and people for the first time learned such a large scale about communism and its doctrines and the aims of the Communist International in India.<ref name="Ralhan, O.P."/>" Names of accused like S.A. Dange, Muzaffar Ahmed, Shaukat Usmani and Singaravelu Chettiar came to be recognised across the country. | ||
===First communist conference=== | ===First communist conference=== | ||
{{main|Foundation Conference of Communist Party of India}} | {{main|Foundation Conference of Communist Party of India}} | ||
In 1924, shortly after the Kanpur Conspiracy Case, Satyabhakta, a Congress worker in the [[United Provinces of British India|United Provinces]] had decided to organise a 'legal' Communist Party, that is, a party that would not attract treasonable charges such as in the Kanpur case. Initially no significant notice was taken of Satyabhakta's venture, but when Nalini Gupta was released from the jail (July 1925) and later when Muzaffar Ahmed was released in September on grounds of poor health, their interest fell on Satyabhakta's party for organizational work—in the absence of any other structure.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.59.</ref> Satyabhakta then announced a communist conference in DeMarxistcember 1925, at Kanpur, to be concurrently held with Indian National Congress convention. His idea was to demarcate himself from the existing communist groups. N. N. Roy was skeptical when he wrote in the October 1925 issue of his magazine,''Masses of India'' that <blockquote>It is premature to say that what shape this 'Communist Party' will ultimately assume and how far it is going to be Communist in Programme and actions.<ref | In 1924, shortly after the Kanpur Conspiracy Case, Satyabhakta, a Congress worker in the [[United Provinces of British India|United Provinces]] had decided to organise a 'legal' Communist Party, that is, a party that would not attract treasonable charges such as in the Kanpur case. Initially no significant notice was taken of Satyabhakta's venture, but when Nalini Gupta was released from the jail (July 1925) and later when Muzaffar Ahmed was released in September on grounds of poor health, their interest fell on Satyabhakta's party for organizational work—in the absence of any other structure.<ref name="Ralhan 1997, p.59">Ralhan 1997, p.59.</ref> Satyabhakta then announced a communist conference in DeMarxistcember 1925, at Kanpur, to be concurrently held with Indian National Congress convention. His idea was to demarcate himself from the existing communist groups. N. N. Roy was skeptical when he wrote in the October 1925 issue of his magazine,''Masses of India'' that <blockquote>It is premature to say that what shape this 'Communist Party' will ultimately assume and how far it is going to be Communist in Programme and actions.<ref name="Ralhan 1997, p.59"/></blockquote> | ||
The conference was held on 25–26 December 1925. Singaravelu Chettiar was elected to preside over the session. The meeting adopted a resolution for the formation of the [[Communist Party of India]]. According to the Constitution, the object of the Party was, to quote, <blockquote>establishment of workers' and peasants' republic based on socialisation of means of production and distribution, by the liberation of India from British imperialist domination.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.1</ref></blockquote> The British Government's extreme hostility towards communists, made them to decide not to openly function as a communist party; instead, they chose a more open and non-federated platform, under the name the Workers and Peasants Parties. | The conference was held on 25–26 December 1925. Singaravelu Chettiar was elected to preside over the session. The meeting adopted a resolution for the formation of the [[Communist Party of India]]. According to the Constitution, the object of the Party was, to quote, <blockquote>establishment of workers' and peasants' republic based on socialisation of means of production and distribution, by the liberation of India from British imperialist domination.<ref>Ralhan 1997, p.1</ref></blockquote> The British Government's extreme hostility towards communists, made them to decide not to openly function as a communist party; instead, they chose a more open and non-federated platform, under the name the Workers and Peasants Parties. | ||
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<blockquote>By this time the rationalist movement, through its association with the world socialist movement, was becoming more scientific. It was not merely rationalism in the Ingersolian sense. It was becoming more and more scientific... promotion of socialism, and so on. And this is seen in the immediate tie-up of M. Singaravelu Chettiar and Periyar | <blockquote>By this time the rationalist movement, through its association with the world socialist movement, was becoming more scientific. It was not merely rationalism in the Ingersolian sense. It was becoming more and more scientific... promotion of socialism, and so on. And this is seen in the immediate tie-up of M. Singaravelu Chettiar and Periyar | ||
.<ref> | .<ref>{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20070320035223/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1922/stories/20021108002409200.htm De-ideologisation of politics is the tragedy of Tamil Nadu]}} Interview with Karthigesu Sivathamby by R. Vijaya Sankar ''Frontline'', Chennai October 26 – November 08, 2002</ref></blockquote> | ||
==Notes== | |||
{{reflist|2}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* [http://www.singaravelar.com/foreword.htm Reviews of book 'Godfather of Indian Labour'] | * [http://www.singaravelar.com/foreword.htm Reviews of book 'Godfather of Indian Labour'] | ||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
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[[Category:Indian communists]] | [[Category:Indian communists]] | ||
[[Category:Trade unionists from Tamil Nadu]] | [[Category:Trade unionists from Tamil Nadu]] | ||
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Tamil Nadu]] | |||
[[Category:Tamil Nadu politicians]] | [[Category:Tamil Nadu politicians]] | ||
[[Category:Tamil-language writers]] | [[Category:Tamil-language writers]] | ||