Jayaprakash Narayan: Biography, Political Ideology and Architect of Social Change

PWOnlyIAS October 14, 2023 03:30 3818 0

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Indian Prime Minister on 11 October paid tribute to Jayaprakash Narayan.

Jayaprakash Narayan: Biography, Political Ideology and Architect of Social Change

Context:

Recently, the Prime Minister on 11 October paid tribute to Jayaprakash Narayan.

Who is Jayaprakash Narayan: The Iconic Voice of India’s Democratic Struggle

Birth: Jayaprakash Narayan (11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), popularly referred to as JP or Lok Nayak (Hindi for “People’s leader”), was an Indian independence activist, theorist, socialist and political leader.
Contribution: Jayaprakash Narayan is also known as the “Hero of Quit India Movement” and Jayaprakash Narayan is remembered for leading the mid-1970s opposition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for whose overthrow he had called for a “total revolution“
Jayaprakash Narayan Influenced By: Marxist ideas in the USA and Gandhian ideology.
Champion of Democracy: Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan’s birthday is celebrated as “Save Democracy Day” for his invaluable contribution to anti emergency agitation during 1975-76.

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Freedom Struggle and Gandhi’s Influence on Jayaprakash Narayan:

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: Jayaprakash Narayan was deeply disturbed by the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919, and the violent repercussions of the Non-cooperation Movement of 1921.
- This led to his growing interest in the freedom struggle rather than formal education.
Foreign Education: In 1922, Jayaprakash Narayan moved to the United States to pursue his higher studies in political science and economics.
Influence of Foreign Education: In the US, Jayaprakash Narayan was introduced to Karl Marx’s works and was influenced by Marxist ideology. It was during this period that he transformed into a Marxist.
Inspired by the writings of Rajendra Prasad and Annie Besant in “Searchlight” and “New India,” he developed a keen interest in the struggle for Indian Independence.
Affiliation with Congress: After returning to India, Jayaprakash Narayan joined the Indian National Congress in 1929, being heavily influenced by Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and satyagraha.
Civil Disobedience Movement: In 1932 he was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for his participation in the civil disobedience movement against British rule in India.
Left Orientation under Congress: Upon release he took a leading part in the formation of the Congress Socialist Party, a left-wing group within the Congress Party.
Participation in Quit India Movement (1942): Quit India Movement: Jayaprakash Narayan played a significant role in the Quit India Movement of 1942.
- Active Participation: JP was one of the prominent leaders who led mass protests, strikes, and demonstrations against British colonial rule.
- After the arrest of major Congress leaders, including Gandhi and Nehru, JP was among the leaders who kept the movement alive.
Passive Participation: He went underground to evade arrest and led the movement from secrecy, coordinating activities and disseminating information.
Revolutionary Approach: After his release in 1946 he tried to persuade the Congress leaders to adopt a more militant policy against British rule.
- Formation of Freedom Brigade: For fighting the tyranny of British rule, he organised an “Azaad Dasta” (freedom brigade) in Nepal.
- He was tortured by British authorities for getting necessary information about the freedom movement.

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Post Independence: He realised the importance of non violence and accepted it as the ultimate weapon.
Social Reforms: JP was also particular about social reforms such as elimination of the dowry system, development of the conditions of the harijans and abolition of the caste system in India’s political system.
Concept of Antyodaya: JPs programme of Antyodaya meaning, the upliftment of the last man was an essential aspect of his socialist thought.
Social Movements: Jayaprakash Narayan left active politics in 1954 and dedicated himself to the Bhoodan Movement started by Vinoba Bhave, which aimed to persuade wealthy landowners to voluntarily give a portion of their land to landless people.
Distance From Active Politics: While Nehru was keen on JP joining the Union government, JP sought to distance himself from electoral politics, opting to focus on social causes instead.
- He was disillusioned with political parties and called for communitarian democracy.
4 Tier Democracy: In 1959, he argued for a “reconstruction of Indian polity” by means of a four-tier hierarchy of village, district, state, and union councils (Chaukhamba Raj).

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Jayaprakash Narayan: The Architect of Opposition to Emergency

Call for Total Revolution: He advocated a program of social and political transformation which he termed Sampoorna kranti, “total revolution”.
- Total Revolution is a confluence of his ideas on seven revolutions i.e. social, economic, political, cultural, ideological and intellectual, educational and spiritual.
- The concept of total revolution became popular in 1974 in the wake of mass movements in Gujarat and Bihar.
- Right to work was an integral part of his concept of Total Revolution.
Consequences: Jayaprakash Narayan played a pivotal role in formation of the Janata Party government in the 1977 general election which emerged as the first non-congress government in India.
Bihar Movement: The Bihar agitation, also known as the Bihar Movement, was a major chapter in the Total Revolution.
- It started as a student protest against rising prices, corruption, and unemployment in 1974.
- JP’s role in leading the agitation reaffirmed his status as a champion of democracy and people’s power.

Jaiprakash Narayan

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Jayaprakash Narayan: Advocate of Participatory Democracy, Socialism, and Sarvodaya Ideals

Participatory Democracy: He believed in participatory democracy, where people at the grassroots level were involved in decision-making processes.
Decentralization of Power: Jayaprakash Narayan strongly advocated for the Panchayati Raj system to ensure decentralization of power and to promote participatory democracy.
Socialism: Jayaprakash Narayan was a staunch socialist and believed in equal distribution of wealth and power.
- His socialism was largely influenced by the theories of Karl Marx and Russian revolutionaries’ writings.
- Socialism in Politics: In 1948 Jayaprakash Narayan, together with most of the Congress Socialists, left the Congress Party and in 1952 formed the Socialist Party, which was merged with J B Kripalani’s Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party to form the Praja Socialist Party.
- JP’s version of socialism emphasized democratic and peaceful means.
Interpretation of Socialism: Jaya Prakash Narayan suggest three interpretation of socialism:
- Fake Socialism or Communism: Established through methods of violence
- Democratic Socialism: Established by law through state power
- Spiritual Socialism: Established by changing the attitude and nature of people through voluntary efforts.
- In this way JayaPrakash Narayan was searching for practical socialism.
Sarvodaya Movement: The concept of “Sarvodaya” was a core part of JP’s political ideology. Sarvodaya, meaning ‘universal upliftment’ or ‘progress of all,’
- It was first coined by Gandhi.
- It aimed for a society where everyone was prosperous and happy.
- Principles of Sarvodaya: It was based on the principles of non-violence, decentralization of economic and political power, and a just social order.
- Rural Upliftment: Jaya Prakash Narayan has suggested making the Sarvodaya movement a success through political and economic decentralization.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Jayaprakash Narayan popularly referred to as JP or Lok Nayak was an Indian independence activist, theorist, socialist and political leader. He is remembered for leading the mid-1970s opposition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for whose overthrow he had called for a “total revolution“

JP was one of the prominent leaders who led mass protests, strikes, and demonstrations against British colonial rule

It was enunciated by JP as a confluence of his ideas on seven revolutions i.e. social, economic, political, cultural, ideological and intellectual, educational and spiritual.

Jayaprakash Narayan

JP played a critical role in empowering grassroot democracy in India and was at the forefront of the anti emergency movement to oust the authoritarian government . Hence he is known as Lok Nayak.

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Jayaprakash Narayan: Biography, Political Ideology and Architect of Social Change

Context:

Who is Jayaprakash Narayan: The Iconic Voice of India’s Democratic Struggle

Freedom Struggle and Gandhi’s Influence on Jayaprakash Narayan:

Jayaprakash Narayan: The Visionary of Social Change and Democratic Principles

Jayaprakash Narayan: The Architect of Opposition to Emergency

Jayaprakash Narayan: Advocate of Participatory Democracy, Socialism, and Sarvodaya Ideals

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Jayaprakash Narayan?

How did Jayaprakash Narayan impact the Quit India Movement?

What is the total revolution?

Which leader is known as lok nayak?

Why is Jayaprakash Narayan known as lok nayak?

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