Revolution, Reform, or Protest? A Study of the Bihar Movement—I

The Bihar Movement (1974-75) under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan did not aim at merely bringing about a few changes here and there; it aimed at a 'Total Revolution' in the country. Any revolutionary movement, more so such a 'Total Revolution', presupposes an ideology which presents a profile, general or specific, of the future social order; programmes and strategies which concretise that ideology; personnel — leaders and cadre — who carry out the programme; and an organisation linking the revolutionaries at various levels through communication and action. The present study exmines the Bihar movement with reference to these prerequisites. The study is published in three parts. The first part which appears this week examines briefly the salient features of society and politics in Bihar and deals with the antecedents of the movement.