Colonialism and the Indian economy: the centrality of the land question Amiya Kumar Bagchi [Talk given

at the Sundaraiah birth centenary celebration, Hyderabad 4 May 20 !" The great #on o$ %ndia, &ho#e birth centenary &e are celebrating today led one o$ the ma'or (ea#ant u(ri#ing# o$ the &orld in the t&entieth century and (layed a (ivotal role in ending the rule o$ (erha(# the mo#t im(ortant o$ the (u((et ruler# &hom the Briti#h u#ed to kee( under their control tho#e (art# o$ %ndia &hich they did not directly rule) At the heart o$ coloniali#m &a# the control o$ the land, and at the heart o$ the (ea#ant #truggle &a# re#toring the control o$ the land to the tiller# o$ that land, and $reeing them $rom the bondage o$ the u#ur(er#) *e can divide the hi#tory o$ the im(act o$ direct coloniali#m in %ndia into $our (ha#e# +The Briti#h had been e,tracting a mono(oly rent by ca(turing %ndia-# trade &ith .uro(eand (artially al#o &ith other A#ia, even be$ore they had con/uered any ma'or (art o$ %ndia01 2ir#t (ha#e, 3435 6 ! land revenue de$ray# the co#t o$ e,(ort# $rom the colony and the con/ue#t o$ the re#t o$ %ndia7 #econd (ha#e 6 45 643 the beginning o$ the im(eriali#m o$ $ree trade, &ith land revenue #till (laying a (art in balancing the Briti#h trade &ith 8hina7 the third (ha#e, 6465 9 6 mature im(eriali#m o$ $ree trade, land revenue (aying $or an .ngli#h barrack in the .a#tern #ea#, de$ending and e,tending the em(ire South o$ the Mediterranean +role o$ the %ndian army in the Briti#h e,(edition# to 8hina $rom the Nemesis through the #ack o$ Bei'ing and then in *orld *ar % 7 the $inal (ha#e 9 95 9431 decline and end o$ $ormal colonial rule) it mu#t be noted that thi# im(eriali#m o$ $ree trade could be u#ed only again#t colonie# or #emi5 colonie# #uch a# tho#e o$ (olitically inde(endent :atin America1 in .uro(e, the 2rench ;evolution had #hattered the old em(ire#1 the <SA, =ermany, %taly, 2rance and the Briti#h dominion#, all ado(ted (rotection and government (atronage7 tho#e &hich &ere able to liberate the (ea#ant# indu#triali>ed #ucce##$ully) 2inal (ha#e 9 95 943 + in the $inal (ha#e, the colonial #tate a((ear# a# a cham(ion o$ the (ea#ant# in ?ermanent Settlement area#, and landlord# re#i#t the #lighte#t change in the act# o$ 649 and 664, and thereby con#olidate the movement $or the (artition o$ Bengal on communal line#0) ?ea#ant re#i#tance to colonial rule $rom the 330# to the 9!0#1 the legacy o$ coloniali#m in land relation# i# largely (re#erved by the ruler# o$ inde(endent %ndia, and (rovide# the revolutionary rationale $or the Telengana u(ri#ing in today-# Andhra ?rade#h) 8a(itali#m u#e# #everal mode# o$ e,(loitation +Bagchi 962, cha(ter 20, e#(ecially in colonial and (eri(heral countrie#1 the manorial mode o$ e,(loitation , &ith (ea#ant# a# ba#ically #er$# attached to the manor, the deme#ne mode o$ e,(loitation under &hich (ea#ant# have their o&n (lot# o$ land but have to (rovide beggar to the lord, a combination o$ $ree (ea#antry and the other t&o mode# o$ e,(loitation7 bonded labour e,(loitation7 #lave labour e,(loitation, $amily labour5ba#ed #el$5e,(loitation and ca(itali#t mode o$ e,(loitation &ith $ree &age labour and a

ca(itali#t cla##) The#e mode# o$ direct e,(loitation are combined &ith (olicie# o$ e,clu#ion1 &herever, the u#er# o$ any (iece o$ land &ere unable to #ho& documentary evidence o$ (o##e##ion, and #uch undocumented (o##e##or# included (a#torali#t# and u#er# o$ $ore#t#, a(art $rom va#t number# o$ cultivator#, the Briti#h u#ur(ed the (a#ture#, $ore#t# and even cultivated land a# #tate land) % have cited el#e&here +@%ntroduction- to Bagchi1 Colonialism and Indian Economy +20 000 the contribution o$ land revenue +:;0 to the tribute e,tracted $rom %ndia) Here % &ill cite only a $e& $igure#1 in 632, :; made u( ;# 20)42 crore out o$ a total central government ta, revenue o$ ;#!4)3! crore7 by 9 4, it# #hare had declined1 out o$ total ta, revenue o$ ;#3!)69 crore, :; made u( ;# !2)09 crore ) Ho&ever, non5ta, revenue accounted $or ;# 23)30 crore and a large (art o$ that &a# contributed by $ore#t# and o(ium) .ven in the inter&ar year# &hen income ta,, cu#tom# dutie# and e,ci#e ta,e# had come to $orm the lion-# #hare o$ ta, revenue#, land revenue remained the bigge#t #ingle item +;e#erve Bank o$ %ndia1 Banking and Monetary Statistics of India + 9440, Section 00) The $i#cal e,action# occurred again#t the background o$ a #ociety, &ho#e re#ource $lo&# and incentive #tructure# &ere #y#tematically bia#ed again#t #u#tained increa#e# in gro&th in (er ca(ita out(ut, (roductivity and in#trument# o$ human $reedom #uch a# acce## to education, health care and control over mean# o$ (roduction not only $or the under(rivileged #ection# o$ #ociety but al#o $or merchant#, the very thin #tratum o$ rich (ea#ant# and indu#triali#t#) % have called thi# #y#tem and (roce##, a regime o$ t&o5century long, %M25Style #tructural ad'u#tment) %$ thi# &a# true o$ region# under direct Briti#h rule, it &a# all the more the ca#e &ith the region under Ai>am-# rule &here ?uchala(alli Sundaraiah conducted hi# e(ic, multi5cla## #truggle)