Discuss in brief about agrarian movements in Pre-independent India.

Agrarian movements in pre-independent India were pivotal struggles waged by farmers and peasants against oppressive land tenure systems, exploitative colonial policies, and socioeconomic inequalities. These movements, characterized by protests, strikes, and resistance, played a significant role in shaping India's agrarian landscape and laying the groundwork for agrarian reforms post-independence. Here's a brief overview of some key agrarian movements:

1. Deccan Riots (1875-1879):
The Deccan Riots, also known as the Deccan Riots of 1875-1879 or the Deccan Riots of 1878, were a series of agrarian uprisings in the Deccan region of British India, particularly in the present-day states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Peasants, burdened by heavy taxation, oppressive land revenue systems, and indebtedness to moneylenders, rose up in protest against the British colonial administration and local landlords. The movements demanded relief from economic exploitation and sought to assert the rights of farmers to fair land revenue policies and tenancy rights.

2. Champaran Satyagraha (1917):
The Champaran Satyagraha was a significant agrarian movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in Champaran district of Bihar in 1917. It was one of the first successful instances of nonviolent civil disobedience against British colonial authorities in India. The movement was initiated to protest against the exploitation of indigo farmers by British indigo planters who forced peasants to cultivate indigo against their will and under oppressive terms. Gandhi's intervention led to the abolition of the oppressive tinkathia system and secured better conditions for indigo farmers.

3. Bardoli Satyagraha (1928):
The Bardoli Satyagraha was a nonviolent resistance movement led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the Bardoli taluka of Gujarat in 1928. The movement was organized to protest against the unjust imposition of high land revenue by the British colonial administration following a severe famine in the region. Despite facing repression and arrests, the peasants of Bardoli stood united and refused to pay the increased taxes. Eventually, the British government was compelled to withdraw the tax hike, and the movement became a symbol of peasant resistance against colonial oppression.

4. Tebhaga Movement (1946-1947):
The Tebhaga Movement was a peasant uprising in Bengal during the period of 1946-1947, just before India's independence. It was led by the Kisan Sabha, a peasant organization affiliated with the Communist Party of India. The movement demanded the reduction of land rent from one-half to one-third of the produce and the abolition of the prevailing sharecropping system known as the "tobacco system" (tebhaga). Despite facing violent repression from the colonial authorities and local landlords, the movement succeeded in achieving some concessions for sharecroppers and paved the way for agrarian reforms in post-independence India.

5. Telangana Armed Struggle (1946-1951):
The Telangana Armed Struggle was a peasant uprising in the Telangana region of Hyderabad State (now part of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states) against the feudal Nizam regime and the exploitation of landlords. The movement, led by the Communist Party of India, aimed to establish a classless society through land redistribution and social justice. Peasant guerrilla armies known as "Naxalites" fought against the Nizam's forces and landlords. While the movement was eventually suppressed by the Indian government after Hyderabad's integration into the Indian Union in 1948, it contributed to the enactment of land reforms and social justice measures in the newly formed states.

These agrarian movements in pre-independent India were instrumental in raising awareness about the plight of farmers, mobilizing rural communities, and challenging colonial exploitation and feudal oppression. They laid the groundwork for agrarian reforms and land redistribution policies implemented by the independent Indian government to address the grievances of farmers and promote social justice in rural India.