British exploited and oppressed the farmers: Radha Mohan Singh

Champaran, Bihar: The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh has said that Champaran Satyagrah under the leadership of Gandhiji is the only instance in the history of human civilisation when the farmers successfully resisted the oppression and injustice of the British rule in a peaceful manner.

Addressing a huge gathering at National Farmer Fair in Champaran in Bihar, he said that the innocent, disarmed farmers raised their voice against the atrocities, exploitations, oppression and extortion of the British and forced them to abolish the system through Satyagraha.

Radha Mohan Singh added that the Neeley Britishers had confiscated more than one lakh crore fertile lands and set up their kothis there. Farmers were being exploited and oppressed in different ways by Neeley Britishers under Khurki and Teenkathiya systems. Under Khurki system, the British planters used to pay some money to the farmers (Raiyyat) by mortgaging their lands and houses and compelling them to sow indigo.

The Minister of Agriculture  said that the British administration and Jamindar had established “Teen Kahitya” system under which teen katha land out of one bigha was reserved for indigo (Neel) farming. The farmers had to bear the cost of indigo farming and the British planters used to keep the yields without compensating the farmers.

Radha Mohan Singh said that though in 1907, Sheikh Gulab and Sital Rai had raised their voice against the indigo farming, Gandhiji made farmers exploitation a part of freedom movement and inspired the farmers to revolt against British. Gandhiji’s Satyagraha moment helped in abolishing indigo farming and after that farmers started growing sugarcane and paddy in their fields