Question
Give an account of the correlation between Congress and leftists during the Labour movement in India.
Answer
During the labour movement in India, there was a close correlation between Congress and leftists. The formation of AITUC was an outcome of the collective efforts of Congress and leftists. Congress leaders like Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Motilal Nehru, and Vithalbhai Patel played an important role in its formation. The left leader Sripad Amrita Dange acknowledged their contributions. However, Gandhiji was not very enthusiastic about the formation of AITUC. The first Secretary of AITUC was Lala Lajpat Rai, who was also a Congress leader. Khilafat Non-Cooperation Movement, which became very important during that time, was also supported by leftists and Congress. Although workers responded very well to the Non-violent Non-cooperation movement, they often resorted to violence to protest against the Government’s repressive policies. The workers also protested against Gandhiji’s imprisonment, which resulted in the death of 28 protesting workers and severe injuries to 123 workers in Gujarat. Such brutality on the working class affected the labour unions in Calcutta and Bombay. Multiple strikes took place in Bombay, Kanpur, and Jamalpur railway workshops in support of movements like the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation. At that time, there were only 40 permanent unions, which became 55 in 1921 and 75 in 1922.
