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Difficulty: MediumState History and Historical Movements

During the early 1920s in the United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh), a notable peasant uprising known as the 'Eka Movement' (Unity Movement) erupted across districts such as Hardoi, Sitapur, and Bahraich. Which of the following statements accurately describes the leadership and primary demands of this regional movement?

  1. It was spearheaded by Madari Pasi and other low-caste peasant leaders, with participants taking religious oaths to pay only recorded rents and refuse forced labor.Answer
  2. B
    It was led by high-caste zamindars protesting against land tenure restructuring under the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919.
  3. C
    It was an armed guerrilla rebellion in tribal forest tracts organized by Alluri Sitarama Raju to secure traditional podu cultivation rights.
  4. D
    It originated in the 1870s as a secret militant society established by Vasudev Balwant Phadke to overthrow British rule through armed agrarian raids.

Answer

The Eka Movement was spearheaded by Madari Pasi and other low-caste peasant leaders, with participants taking religious oaths to pay only recorded rents and refuse forced labor.
The Eka (Unity) Movement started in late 1921 in the United Provinces across Hardoi, Sitapur, and Bahraich. Its leadership was drawn from grassroots peasant leaders like Madari Pasi. Members bound themselves through symbolic religious rituals, swearing to pay only statutory recorded rents, demand receipts, refuse illegal cesses (abwabs), and decline unpaid forced labor.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the geographical context and timeframe of the Eka Movement
The Eka Movement emerged towards the end of 1921 in the northern districts of Awadh / United Provinces (Hardoi, Bahraich, Sitapur, and Kheri).
Establishing spatial and temporal context helps isolate UP state historical movements from uprisings in other regions.
2
Analyze leadership structure and socioeconomic participation
Unlike earlier Congress-led Kisan Sabha movements, leadership passed to grassroots low-caste leaders like Madari Pasi and small tenant farmers.
Understanding key historical figures prevents misattributions to high-caste zamindars or prominent national politicians.
3
Examine the methods and core pledges of the movement
Peasants performed a ritual oath touching Ganges water, pledging to pay only official recorded rents, refuse forced labor (begar), stop paying unrecorded cesses (abwabs), and remain united.
Identifying specific movement pledges confirms the correct choice detailing agrarian demands.

Key Concept

Eka Movement (1921–1922) in United Provinces Agrarian History
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Topics

State History and Historical Movements

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