HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE PEASANT 77 which helped in creating a sense of solidarity among the coolies of Indian origin*' (Mittal et al op.fit.) p 37). In Ondh too, he used the same religious plays to organize the peasants socially. 85 MH Siddiqui, op. cit., p 115. 86 SK Mittal and Kapil Kumar, op. cit., p 38. 87 M H Siddiqui, op. cit., p 157. 8® Ibid., 158. The majority of landlords faced with peasant disturbances had fled to Lucknow, much to the chagrin of Harcourt Butler. In fact, he pointedly congratulated Sardar Birpal Singh, a talukdar, who had 'helped the authorities with his revolver (ibid, 178 footnote 141). Also, the peasant uprising intensified the contradictions of the crisis ridden agrarian structure: between the landlords and Butler, on the one hand, and the government of India and Butler on the other, a fact noted by Siddiqui, but not analysed (ibid., p 189-190). 39 Ibid, p 168. 49 Ibid. p 179 Karm Bhumi A bitter account of the firing and betrayal by the bourgeois nationalist leadership is to be found in Prem Chand's novel, (Italic! ours.) 43 Ibid. 181-82: He was arrested at the opening of the Kashi Vidyapith where he had gone in the company of Gandhi, Maulana Azad, the Alt brothers etc. Later, Ram Ghandra himself suspected the Nehrus had a hand in it and wrote that "Pandit Motilal ji, an advocate of the talukdars, mast have told Mahatmaji that the Non-cooperation movement or the movement for attaining Swaraj could not proceed unless the Kisan movement is disrupted, because Baba Ram Chandra is a person in whose presence no other leader could influence the peasants. After his arrest only shall I (Motilal) be able to bring the peasants into the non-cooperation movement. This was not an assumption on my part but a firm belief." (SK Mittal and Kapil Kumar, op. cit., pp 50-51, italics ours. Also, that Motilal had his eyes on the area is obvious as he notes "If one or two visits like this to other parts of Pratapgarh district can be arranged, there will be some chance for a pure nationalist getting into the council." (ibid.. p 4:1)' Also, the wording of the Congress leaflet issued on Ram Chandra's arrest is curious. "We must not be unhappy over this (his arrest) and must not even try to get him released...Do not attempt to see him in jail. This only violates peace, delays Swaraj, and therefore his release." fSiddiqui, op.cit.. p 184 footnote 168}, Yet Siddiqui chooses to ignore this evidence and says that "this ... is not true." (Ibid). 46 The self-sacrifice of the peasantry for the national cause is best summed up in the words of Swami Sahajanand, "The history itself of the Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha since its very inception in 1929 and later on of the All India Kisan Sabha is the positive proof, if proof is needed, of how the Sabha has, from time to time, applied