Q. The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for
(a) the reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third
(b) the grant of ownership of land to peasants as they were the actual cultivators of the land
(c) the uprooting of Zamindari system and the end of serfdom
(d) writing off all peasant debts
Ans: (a) the reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third
Explanation: The correct answer is (a) the reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third.
The Tebhaga Peasant Movement, which took place in Bengal in the late 1940s, aimed for the reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third. The movement was primarily concerned with the issue of agrarian reform and the rights of the sharecropping peasants.
Under the prevailing system, sharecroppers, who were the actual cultivators of the land, had to give half of their crop as rent to the landlords or zamindars. The Tebhaga movement demanded a reduction in this share from one-half to one-third, allowing the peasants to retain a larger portion of the harvest.
The movement gained support from various political parties and organizations, particularly the Communist Party of India. It mobilized the peasants and conducted protests, strikes, and agitations to press for their demands. The Tebhaga movement was a significant peasant struggle that aimed to address the exploitative land-tenure system and improve the conditions of the sharecroppers in Bengal.
Therefore, option (a) correctly describes the demand of the Tebhaga Peasant Movement.
