22 SOCIAL SCIENTIST context and the political atmosphere. The 'great depression* had not only resulted in sudden crash of prices but had also disrupted the entire structure of rural credit. This had made payment of rent extremely difficult for the tenants. Many of them had fallen into rent-arrears and many tenants had their lands sold by the zamindars. These factors had provided the material basis for the discontent of the peasantry. Their discontent was articulated by the Kisan Sabha. After the establishment of Kisan organisation, the Kisan Sabha first took up the rent issue. The high levels of rent in the context of low agricultural process had led to general discontent among the tenants.2 The Kisan Sabha, in its Gaya session in 1934, appealed to the government to use Section 112 of the Bengal Tenancy Act for fixing the rate of rent in accordance with the changed circumstances as the tenants found the existing rates quite unbearable.3 Swami Sahajanand advocated full remission of rents at least for one year to save the kisans from utter ruin.4 However, the general emphasis of the Kisan Sabha was on reduction of rents by 50 per cent and the cancellation of arrears. Widespread agitation followed in favour of the rent reduction call of the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha. The campaigns were strongest in Shahabad, Patnc*, Gaya, Darbhanga and Monghyr districts. The raiyats of Monghyr submitted a petition to the government asking for reduction of rent. A number of Kisan Sabha meetings were held in Tikari estate in Gaya. There was a demonstration with the slogan 'Reduce the rent by half.5 The Kisan Sabha propaganda thus led to rents being withheld at many places by the tenants. But on the other hand, the tenants who had fallen into arrears and were unable to pay rents had to face eviction. This formed the background of the famous Bakasht struggle launched during 1936-39. The Kisan Sabha had also taken up the issue of rural indebtedness almost simultaneously with the rent-reduction campaign. In one of his speeches in 1934 Sahajanand demanded a moratorium on debt for a period of one year.6 In 1935, the Kisan Sabha took a definite stand on this issue. The Bihar Provincial Kisan Council passed a resolution considering it necessary that the 'the government should appoint a committee to investigate thoroughly the appalling indebtedness of the rural population with a view to devise ways and means of liquidating agricultural indebtedness.'7 It also demanded that the highest rate of interest should be fixed by law at 6 per cent per annum. However, in succeeding years, the Kisan Sabha did not press the issue further except for its inclusion in its manifesto of 1936.8 The Kisan Sabha had till now concentrated on these agitational themes. It had not yet developed any coherent ideology or even a long-term programme. Its members were linked together due to common grievances and not because of any commitment to 'revolution' or structural change. It can be pointed out here that the character of the movement, at least till the middle of 1936, was purely reformist and its