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1, , EMS Ministry and Land, 1.1 LandReforms Bill and Agrarian Relations Bill, Reforms, , The Government which came to power, in 1957 introduced the Land Reforms, Bill in the Legislative Assembly. The, Agrarian Relations Bill introduced in, 1958 was passed with minor amendments. The Legislature passed subsequent Land Reform Bills in 1960, 1963,, 1964, and 1969. But the historical Land, Reform Act, which put an end to the, feudal system and ensured the rights of, the tenants on land, came into force on, The Land Reforms Ordinance was a 1 January 1970. However, cash crop, law in the state of Kerala, India by plantations had been exempted from, K. R. Gowri Amma Revenue Minis- its purview., ter in the first EMS Government in, 1957. The land reforms in Kerala im1.2 Liberation Struggle (Viparted drastic changes to the political,, mochana Samaram), economic and social outlook. Different types of feudal relations existed in The Liberation Struggle (1958–59) or, Travancore-Cochin and Malabar at the Vimochana Samaram is an anti- Comtime of the formation of the state. The munist socio-political agitation, started, landless farmers and those who were in 1958, against the first elected stateevicted from their land wanted to get government in Kerala, India, which was, their grievances redressed., led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad of the, India inherited a semi-feudal agrarian, system, with ownership of land concentrated in the hands of a few individual landlords. Since independence,, there have been voluntary and state, initiated/mediated land reforms in several states. The most notable and successful example of land reforms are in, the states of West Bengal and Kerala., , Communist Party of India as the chief, minister. The opposition of the Catholic, Church in Kerala, the Nair Service Society and the Indian Union Muslim League,, along with the manoeuvres of the political front led by the Indian National, Congress, against the land reform and, the education policies of the government. It finally broke out to an open, struggle and state wide violence against, the government machinery and instituThe ordinance set an absolute ceiling tions. These events finally culminated, on the amount of land a family could in the dismissal of the state governown. The tenants and hut dwellers re- ment on 31 July 1959, by the Central, ceived a claim in the excess land, on Government of India, which was led by, which they had worked for centuries the Indian National Congress during, that period., under the feudal system., government introduced the controversial Land Reforms Ordinance, which, was later made into an Act. This, along, with an Education Bill, raised a massive uproar from the landlord classes., The popular slogan for the radical socialists was “Land for Tillers”, which, sent shockwaves through the landlord, classes in the country., , 1

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1.3, , Education Bill, , and Kerala Socialist Party rallied together demanding the dismissal of the, The immediate cause of the outbreak, EMS ministry. They formed a joint, of the Liberation Struggle was the insteering committee with R. Sankar as, troduction of the Education Bill by the, the President and P. T.Chacko,Pullolil, Minister of Education, Joseph Mundassery., Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai, Mathai ManThe bill had revolutionary content that, jooran, Fr. Joseph Vadakkan, B. Wellingcould have had an impact on the adton, N.Sreekantan Nair, C. H. Muhammed, ministration of educational institutions,, Koya, and Bafaqi Thangal among its, which were financially aided by the govmembers., ernment. Many of these institutions,, at that time, were under the control, of various Christian congregations and 1.5 Literacy and Health Care, a few under the Nair Service Society The introduction of health and edu(NSS). The Education Bill claimed to cation, especially health sector mainly, regulate appointments and working con- aimed to satisfy the needs of the coloditions of the teachers in the government- nial administration-to safeguard the British, aided schools. The remuneration of the personnel stationed in the state from, teachers was to be paid directly from the attack of epidemics like Cholera,, the government treasury. It also man- smallpox etc. while the educational, dated to takeover any government-aided sector targeted to fill the lower levels of, educational institution, if they fail to administration. The vaccination against, meet the conditions set by the newly small pox was first introduced in malpromulgated bill., abar in the year 1801 followed by Cochin, in 1802 and in Travancore in 1813. The, British resident at the princely states, of Travancore and Cochin was respongovernment sought to confer ownership, sible for the introduction of the vaccina, rights on tenant cultivators, to grant, tion., permanent ownership of land for the, agricultural labourers, who reside in their, premises at the mercy of landlords, and 1.6 birth rate, to attain an equal distribution of land In Kerala the birth rate is 40 below, by putting a ceiling on the individual that of the national average and almost, land holdings so as to distribute the 60 per cent below the rate for poor, surplus land among the landless. With countries in general. In fact, a 1992, the introduction of the bill, government survey found that the birth rate had, tried to address the social imbalance fallen to replacement level. Kerala’s, that prevailed in the state. In those birth rate is 14 per 1,000 females and, days, the agricultural labourers, called falling fast. Life expectancy at birth in, as kudikidappukar, were considered as Kerala is 75 years compared to 64 years, slaves. Besides the socio-religious or- in India and 77 years in the US. Female, ganizations, all the major opposition life expectancy in Kerala exceeds that, parties including Indian National Congress,, of the male, just as it does in the dePraja Socialist Party (PSP), Muslim veloped world. Kerala’s maternal morLeague, Revolutionary Socialist Party, tality rate is: Total: 1.3 deaths/1,000, , 1.4, , Agrarian relations bill, , 2