Dutta Samant
Encyclopedia
Dr. Dutta Samant was an India
n politician and trade union
leader, who is most famous for leading 200-300 thousand textile mill workers in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai
) on a year-long strike in 1982, which triggered the closure of most of the textile mills in the city.
background. He spent much of his early years in the locality of Ghatkopar
in Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra
. From the early 20th century, the city's economy was characterized by major textile mills, the base of India's thriving textile and garments industry. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over India were employed in working in the mills. Although a trained medical doctor, Samant was active in trade union activities amongst mill workers. Samant was deeply influenced by communism
, but he joined the Indian National Congress
and its affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress
. Gaining popularity amongst city workers, Samant name was popularly known as Doctorsaheb.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mumbai-Thane
industrial belt witnessed successive working class strikes and protests, with multiple trade unions competing for the allegiance of workers and political control. These primarily included George Fernandes
, the Centre for Indian Trade Unions . Samant rose to become one of the most prominent INTUC leaders, and grew increasingly militant in his political convictions and activism. Samant enjoyed success in organizing strikes and winning substantial wage hikes from companies. He ignored the company's statistics and business information, and consistently refused to settle on compromise concessions. In 1972 elections, he was elected to the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha
, or legislative assembly on a Congress ticket, and served as a legislator. Samant was arrested in 1975 during the Indian Emergency owing to his reputation as a militant unionist, despite belonging to the Congress party of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
. Samant's popularity increased with his release in 1977 and the failure of the Janata Party
coalition, with which many rival unions had been affiliated. This increased his popularity and widespread reputation for putting workers and their interests before politics.
workers to lead them in a precarious conflict between the Bombay Millowners Association and the unions, thus rejecting the INTUC-affiliated Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh
which had represented the mill workers for decades. Samant was requested by mill workers to lead. He suggested that they wait for outcome of initial strike action. But workers were too agitated and wanted a massive strike. At the beginning of which an estimated 200,000–300,000 mill workers walked out, forcing the entire industry of the city to be shut down for over a year. Samant demanded that along with wage hikes, the government should scrap the Bombay Industrial Act, 1947 and de-recognize the RMMS as the only official union of the city industry. While fighting for greater pay and better conditions for workers, Samant and his allies also sought to capitalize and establish their power on the trade union scene in Mumbai.
Although Samant had links with the Congress, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi considered him a serious political threat. Samant's control of the mill workers made Gandhi and other Congress leaders fear that his influence would spread to the port and dock workers and make him the most powerful union leader in India's commercial capital. Thus the government took a firm stance of rejecting Samant's demands, and refusing to budge despite the severe economic losses suffered by the city and the industry.
As the strike progressed through the months, Samant's militancy in the face of government obstinacy led to the failure of any attempts at negotiation and resolution. Disunity, mainly due to Shiv-sena trying to break strike and dissatisfaction over the strike soon became apparent, and many textile millowners began moving their plants outside the city. After a prolonged and destabilizing confrontation, the strike collapsed with Samant and his allies not having obtained any concessions. The closure of textile mills across the city left tens of thousands of mill workers unemployed, and in the succeeding years the most of the industry moved away from Mumbai, after decades of being plagued by rising costs and union militancy. Mill owners used this opportunity to grab the precious real estate. Although Samant remained popular with a large block of union activists, his clout and control over Mumbai trade unions disappeared.
, the lower house of the Indian Parliament in 1984; an election that was otherwise swept by the Congress under Rajiv Gandhi
. He would organize the Kamgar Aghadi union, and the Lal Nishan Party
, which brought him close to communism
and Indian communist political parties. He remained active in trade unions and communist politics throughout India in the 1990s. He became a fierce opponent of the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party
, and remained aloof from the Congress. At the time of his death he was a not a member of parliament.
On the morning of January 16, 1997 Samant was gunned down and murdered outside his home in Mumbai by four gunmen, believed to be contract killers, who fled on motorcycles. His death sparked protests across the city, and a large procession of union activists gathered at his cremation. On April 10, 2005 police arrested 3 men and charged them for Samant's murder. On October 30, 2007, his assassin, a thug working for underworld don Chotta Rajan, was himself gunned down by police in Kolhapur http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20071030/808735.html.
Samant's brother, Dada Samant, is a leader of the Maharashtra General Kamgar Union
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician and trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader, who is most famous for leading 200-300 thousand textile mill workers in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
) on a year-long strike in 1982, which triggered the closure of most of the textile mills in the city.
Trade union and political career
Samant grew up in Deobag on the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, hailing from a middle-class MarathiMarathi people
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
background. He spent much of his early years in the locality of Ghatkopar
Ghatkopar
Ghatkopar is a suburban neighbourhood of eastern Mumbai. It is also a railway station serviced by Central Railway line of the Mumbai suburban railway.-History:...
in Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. From the early 20th century, the city's economy was characterized by major textile mills, the base of India's thriving textile and garments industry. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over India were employed in working in the mills. Although a trained medical doctor, Samant was active in trade union activities amongst mill workers. Samant was deeply influenced by communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, but he joined the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and its affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress
Indian National Trade Union Congress
Indian National Trade Union Congress is the trade union wing of the Indian National Congress. It was founded May 3, 1947, and is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, INTUC had a membership of 3892011 in...
. Gaining popularity amongst city workers, Samant name was popularly known as Doctorsaheb.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mumbai-Thane
Thane
Thane , is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane district. On 16 April 1853, G.I.P...
industrial belt witnessed successive working class strikes and protests, with multiple trade unions competing for the allegiance of workers and political control. These primarily included George Fernandes
George Fernandes
George Mathew Fernandes is an Indian trade unionist, politician, journalist, agriculturist, and member of Rajya Sabha from Bihar. He is a key member of the Janata Dal , and was the founder of the Samata Party...
, the Centre for Indian Trade Unions . Samant rose to become one of the most prominent INTUC leaders, and grew increasingly militant in his political convictions and activism. Samant enjoyed success in organizing strikes and winning substantial wage hikes from companies. He ignored the company's statistics and business information, and consistently refused to settle on compromise concessions. In 1972 elections, he was elected to the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha
Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha
The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha or the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated in the Nariman Point area of South Mumbai in the capital Mumbai...
, or legislative assembly on a Congress ticket, and served as a legislator. Samant was arrested in 1975 during the Indian Emergency owing to his reputation as a militant unionist, despite belonging to the Congress party of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
. Samant's popularity increased with his release in 1977 and the failure of the Janata Party
Janata Party
The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...
coalition, with which many rival unions had been affiliated. This increased his popularity and widespread reputation for putting workers and their interests before politics.
1982 strike
In late 1981, Samant was chosen by a large group of Mumbai millGirangaon
Girangaon was a name commonly used to refer to an area now part of central Mumbai, India, which at one time had almost 130 textile mills, with the majority being cotton mills. Girangaon covered an area of , not including the workers' housing...
workers to lead them in a precarious conflict between the Bombay Millowners Association and the unions, thus rejecting the INTUC-affiliated Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh
Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh
The Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh is a trade union for textile mills in Mumbai, India....
which had represented the mill workers for decades. Samant was requested by mill workers to lead. He suggested that they wait for outcome of initial strike action. But workers were too agitated and wanted a massive strike. At the beginning of which an estimated 200,000–300,000 mill workers walked out, forcing the entire industry of the city to be shut down for over a year. Samant demanded that along with wage hikes, the government should scrap the Bombay Industrial Act, 1947 and de-recognize the RMMS as the only official union of the city industry. While fighting for greater pay and better conditions for workers, Samant and his allies also sought to capitalize and establish their power on the trade union scene in Mumbai.
Although Samant had links with the Congress, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi considered him a serious political threat. Samant's control of the mill workers made Gandhi and other Congress leaders fear that his influence would spread to the port and dock workers and make him the most powerful union leader in India's commercial capital. Thus the government took a firm stance of rejecting Samant's demands, and refusing to budge despite the severe economic losses suffered by the city and the industry.
As the strike progressed through the months, Samant's militancy in the face of government obstinacy led to the failure of any attempts at negotiation and resolution. Disunity, mainly due to Shiv-sena trying to break strike and dissatisfaction over the strike soon became apparent, and many textile millowners began moving their plants outside the city. After a prolonged and destabilizing confrontation, the strike collapsed with Samant and his allies not having obtained any concessions. The closure of textile mills across the city left tens of thousands of mill workers unemployed, and in the succeeding years the most of the industry moved away from Mumbai, after decades of being plagued by rising costs and union militancy. Mill owners used this opportunity to grab the precious real estate. Although Samant remained popular with a large block of union activists, his clout and control over Mumbai trade unions disappeared.
Later life and murder
Samant was elected on an independent, anti-Congress ticket to the 8th Lok Sabha8th Lok Sabha
List of Members of the 8th Lok Sabha, elected December 1984. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.- Important members :* Speaker:...
, the lower house of the Indian Parliament in 1984; an election that was otherwise swept by the Congress under Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
. He would organize the Kamgar Aghadi union, and the Lal Nishan Party
Lal Nishan Party
Lal Nishan Party , communist political party in the Indian state of Maharashtra. LNP was formed as a splintergroup of Communist Party of India in 1942, when CPI didn't support the Quit India Movement....
, which brought him close to communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and Indian communist political parties. He remained active in trade unions and communist politics throughout India in the 1990s. He became a fierce opponent of the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
, and remained aloof from the Congress. At the time of his death he was a not a member of parliament.
On the morning of January 16, 1997 Samant was gunned down and murdered outside his home in Mumbai by four gunmen, believed to be contract killers, who fled on motorcycles. His death sparked protests across the city, and a large procession of union activists gathered at his cremation. On April 10, 2005 police arrested 3 men and charged them for Samant's murder. On October 30, 2007, his assassin, a thug working for underworld don Chotta Rajan, was himself gunned down by police in Kolhapur http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20071030/808735.html.
Samant's brother, Dada Samant, is a leader of the Maharashtra General Kamgar Union
Maharashtra General Kamgar Union
Maharashtra General Kamgar Union, a trade union federation in Maharashtra, India. MGKU was led by late Datta Samant. After the assassination of Samant, the presidency of MGKU was taken over by his brother Dada Samant....
.
See also
- Communist Party of IndiaCommunist Party of IndiaThe Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
- Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
- Timeline of Mumbai eventsTimeline of Mumbai eventsThe History of Mumbai, can be traced back to 600 BC, when evidences of the first known settlement, here have been discovered.-up to 18th century:* 600 BC — First known permanent .* 300 BC — Part of Ashokas Empire.* 900 to 1300 — part of Hindu Silhara dynasty....
- Indian National Trade Union CongressIndian National Trade Union CongressIndian National Trade Union Congress is the trade union wing of the Indian National Congress. It was founded May 3, 1947, and is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, INTUC had a membership of 3892011 in...