Arrange the following statements in the correct sequence in regard to Bombay Textile strike.
(A) According to Bombay Industrial Relation Act, a union had to be approved and the only way it would be approved was if it gave up the idea of strikes
(B) Slowly after two years, people started going back to work because they were desperate
(C) Nearly one lakh workers lost their jobs and went back to their villages or took up casual labour, others moved to smaller towns like Bhiwandi, Malegaon, etc to work in powerloom sector
(D) The Congress led Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh was the only approved union and it broke the strike by bringing in other workers
(E) Bombay Textile Strike under Dr. Datta Samant wanted better wages for workers and right to form their own union
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (E), (A), (D), (B), (C)
(E) Bombay Textile Strike under Dr. Datta Samant wanted better wages for workers and right to form their own union — first. The strike of 1982, led by Dr. Datta Samant, began with these two demands: better wages and the right to form their own union.
(A) According to Bombay Industrial Relation Act, a union had to be approved and the only way it would be approved was if it gave up the idea of strikes — second. This law explains why the workers’ own union could not win recognition: a union that went on strike could not be ‘approved’.
(D) The Congress led Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh was the only approved union and it broke the strike by bringing in other workers — third. With the only approved union on the other side, other workers were brought in and the strike was broken.
(B) Slowly after two years, people started going back to work because they were desperate — fourth. The strike lasted nearly two years, and desperation drove the workers back.
(C) Nearly one lakh workers lost their jobs and went back to their villages or took up casual labour, others moved to smaller towns like Bhiwandi, Malegaon, etc to work in powerloom sector — last, the outcome: nearly one lakh workers lost their jobs.
Note: The lines on the Bombay Industrial Relations Act (BIRA) and the Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh (RMMS), in the account of the Bombay Textile strike of 1982 in the chapter ‘Change and Development in Industrial Society’, were there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023. They have been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26), though the account of the strike is still there.
NCERT (2025-26): “5.7 Strikes and unions … Let us look at one famous strike, the Bombay Textile strike of 1982, which was led by the trade union leader, Dr. Datta Samant, and affected nearly a quarter of a million workers and their families. The strike lasted nearly two years. The workers wanted better wages and also wanted the right to form their own union. Slowly after two years, people started going back to work because they were desperate. Nearly one lakh workers lost their jobs and went back to their villages, or took up casual labour, others moved to smaller towns, like Bhiwandi, Malegaon and Icchalkaranji, to work in the powerloom sector.…” NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “5.7 Strikes and Unions … According to the Bombay Industrial Relations Act (BIRA), a union had to be ‘approved’ and the only way it could be ‘approved’ was if it gave up the idea of strikes. The Congress-led Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh (RMMS) was the only approved union and it helped to break the strike by bringing in other workers.…” |