Rewind: The Indian In British Parliament Who Supported Independence Of India In The 1920's
24 May 2016 1:13 PM GMT
Dorabji Saklatvala was the third Indian to become a member of the British Parliament way back in 1922 as part of the Communist party of Great Britain. A socialist by political thought, Dorabji was part of Independent Labour Party (ILP) before joining The Communist Party Of Great Britain (CPGB).
Member of the British Parliament
In 1922, Saklatvala was elected from the North Battersea constituency of Great Britain, which is on the south bank of River Thames, London.'He was very vocal against the ill effects of capitalism and colonialism, despite belonging to a family of industrialists, his voice was always for the working class. He toiled hard for the better working conditions and empowerment of the labourers of Britain and India.
Idea of Russian Revolution
Saklatvala was very sure that colonialism and capitalism is built on the exploitation of the working class. Saklatvala was one of the leaders of the People’s Russian Information Bureau. He was confident that the Russian revolution would inspire millions of workers from exploitation.
Role in the independence of India
Saklatvala was empathetic to the Indian freedom struggle, he would personally go and meet a lot of Bengali immigrants from India. He also was the head of Indian Seaman’s Association. The Communist Party Of Great Britain raised its voice for Independence of India. The fact that there was a British community and political party which vouched for Indian Independence inspired many communist leaders including Jyoti Basu who went on to become the Chief Minister of Bengal for many many years to come.
The Logical Indian looks back into history to re-live important personalities and events which shaped the destiny of India. Kindly pass your suggestions for past story and feedback to [email protected]