Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan
Encyclopedia
Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan was a political party
in India
. The party was founded by Singaravelu Chettiar
on May 1, 1923 in Madras. This was the first May Day
celebration in India
. This was also the first time the red flag
was used in India
.
Chettiar made arrangements to celebrate May Day in two places in 1923. One meeting was held at the beach opposite to the Madras High Court
; the other meeting was held at the Triplicane
beach. The Hindu
newspaper, published from Madras reported,
Chettiar announced that it would join the Indian National Congress
and would strive to function as the labour and farmer wing of that party. In the manifesto of the party Chettiar described Congress 'our chief political organ, appear to define "nation" by referring to propertied class'. Singaravelu was critical that the Indian National Congress was dominated by landlordist and capitalist
interests.
Labour Kishan Party of Hindustan was a part of a larger, but not inter-connected, move by various Indian communist groups to find a mass-based political platform. The party was joined by S.A. Dange and the communist group in Punjab
. Dange had initially expressed reservations on the LKPH and its programme drafted by Chettiar, but once the party had been formed he joined it.
In December 1923, Chettiar started a fortnightly journal called The Labour Kisan Gazette. Chettiar also started the Tamil Weekly Thozhilalar in which he wrote about the working class movements spreading in various parts of the world during early part of 1920s.
Singaravelu announced the dissolution of the party at the 1925 Kanpur conference of the Communist Party of India
.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The party was founded by Singaravelu Chettiar
Singaravelu Chettiar
-Ma.Singaravelar :He was one of the early leftist thinkers of India in 20th century. He was an advocate by profession and spent his earlier days for the propagation of Buddhism. Being contemporary of freedom fighters, VOC and Balagangadhar Thilak. He was actively participated in railway workers...
on May 1, 1923 in Madras. This was the first May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
celebration in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. This was also the first time the red flag
Red flag
In politics, a red flag is a symbol of Socialism, or Communism, or sometimes left-wing politics in general. It has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution. Socialists adopted the symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 and it became a symbol of communism as a result of its...
was used in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Chettiar made arrangements to celebrate May Day in two places in 1923. One meeting was held at the beach opposite to the Madras High Court
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
; the other meeting was held at the Triplicane
Triplicane
Triplicane also has the famous powerful Ellamman temple in SMV Koil street. A beautiful Sundaramurthy Vinayagar temple is right opposite to the Ellamman Temple....
beach. The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
newspaper, published from Madras reported,
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 emphasized that workers of the world must unite to achieve independence.
Chettiar announced that it would join the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and would strive to function as the labour and farmer wing of that party. In the manifesto of the party Chettiar described Congress 'our chief political organ, appear to define "nation" by referring to propertied class'. Singaravelu was critical that the Indian National Congress was dominated by landlordist and capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
interests.
Labour Kishan Party of Hindustan was a part of a larger, but not inter-connected, move by various Indian communist groups to find a mass-based political platform. The party was joined by S.A. Dange and the communist group in Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
. Dange had initially expressed reservations on the LKPH and its programme drafted by Chettiar, but once the party had been formed he joined it.
In December 1923, Chettiar started a fortnightly journal called The Labour Kisan Gazette. Chettiar also started the Tamil Weekly Thozhilalar in which he wrote about the working class movements spreading in various parts of the world during early part of 1920s.
Singaravelu announced the dissolution of the party at the 1925 Kanpur conference of the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
.