36 SOCIAL SCIENTIST was 3.2 million as against 1.7 million in 1961. The number of owner-cultivators fell from 5 million in 1961 to 4 million in 1971. Average annual income of an agricultural labourer was Rs 55 in Birbhum district, and Rs 137 in Jalpaigrui district. The income per member of an agricultural labourer's family fell short by 70 to 90 per cent below the poverty line. Ninety per cent of them were in deep debt—upto Rs 1600 per household. Loans often were repaid by free labour.26 8 Per capita daily earnings of an agricultural labourer in Bankura district of West Bengal was 26 paise in 1970-71, that is, about 95 rupees a year, or less than 8 rupees per month.ae 9 Percentages of households which cultivate areas of less than one acre in 1970-71 were 76.2 in Orissa, 73.7 in Uttar Pradesh, 70.7 in Tamil Nadu, 53.1 in Madhya Pradesh, above 30 in Maharashtra, Rajasthan» Gujarat and Karnataka, and 6.4 in Punjab.27 10 J^J^van Ram, the Union Minister for Agriculture has said, ^A feeling is growing in the minds of the rural workers that the work for their betterment can only be done by the political parties other than the Congress. And it will be suicidal for the Congress if this impression is reflected throughout the country. As a matter of fact, whether it is Andhra Pradesh or Assam, whether it is Bengal or Bihar, whether it is the terai of Uttar Pradesh, whatever work for the rural or agricultural workers has been done, it has been done by the parties other than the Congress Party. So it is necessary in the interest of the Congress Party as a whole that we continue to retain their allegiance".28 11 The Congress president has said, "The Congress does not wish to encourage class conflict55.29 (Concluded) [The author is indebted to Bratafi Pande for assistance in tabulation] 14 Prabhat Patnaik, "Current Inflation in India", Social Scientist 30-31, p 32. 1 s See tables V and VI in N Krishnaji, "State Intervention and Foodgrain Prices", Social Scientist 30-31, pp 85-86. 16 In these regions, the modes of exploitation are somewhat—not wholly—different. Historically, the percentage of poor peasants has been relatively lower in Punjab and Haryana and since late sixties monetization took place at a higher rate* This partly explains greater market arrivals in these states. Of course, the percentage of poor peasants and landless labourers in these two states has been rising sharply during the last 7 or 8 years. See conclusion of this article. 17 Resolution of the Central Committee of the communist Party of India (Marxist), September. 1974. 18 Promode Dasgupta, Congress Srishta Khadya Sankat Samadhaner Path Ki (in Bengali) (What is the Solution of the Congress-made Food Crisis? ' 9 The Hindu, April 8, 1974, quoted from Report of the Karnataka Bureau of Economics and Statistics. a® Financial Express, May 3], 1974. a» The Tribune, October 16,1974. fla The Hindu, October 6, 1974, quoted from Census 1971. 38 The Economic Times, October 30, 1974.