Identify the characteristics of the New Farmer's movement that began in the 1970s in Punjab and Tamil Nadu.
(A) Movements were regionally organised.
(B) Movements were organised by communist leaders.
(C) Movements involved farmers rather than peasants.
(D) Basic ideology of the movement was strongly anti-state and anti-urban.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (C) and (D) only
(A) Movements were regionally organised. Correct. The new farmers’ movements that began in the 1970s in Punjab and Tamil Nadu were regionally organised, each in its own state.
(B) Movements were organised by communist leaders. Incorrect. These movements were non-party; they did not work under any political party. Communist support marks the older peasant struggles, such as the Tebhaga and Telangana movements, which had the backing of the Kisan Sabha and the Communist Party of India.
(C) Movements involved farmers rather than peasants. Correct. They involved farmers rather than peasants. Farmers are market-involved, both as producers of commodities and as purchasers, while peasants mainly grow for their own needs. Hence their demands were about prices and related issues.
(D) Basic ideology of the movement was strongly anti-state and anti-urban. Correct. The basic ideology was strongly anti-state and anti-urban; their methods included blocking roads and railways and refusing politicians and bureaucrats entry to villages.
NCERT (2025-26): “Peasant Movements … New farmer’s movements began in the 1970s in Punjab and Tamil Nadu. These movements were regionally oganised, were non-party, and involved farmers rather than peasants (farmers are said to be market-involved as both commodity producers and purchasers). The basic ideology of the movement was strongly anti-state and anti-urban. The focus of demand were ‘price and related issues’ (for example, price procurement, remunerative prices, prices for agricultural inputs, taxation, non-repayment of loans).…” |