Dattopant Thengadi built some of India's largest mass organisations of workers and farmers on the principle that labour movements should be rooted in Indian values rather than in class war. A trade unionist, parliamentarian and prolific writer, he was also an independent voice who criticised governments of every party on economic policy.
Life
- 1920Born on 10 November at Arvi, Wardha district.
- 1942Becomes a full-time worker; works in Kerala and Bengal.
- 1950sGains trade-union experience, including in INTUC.
- 1955Founds the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) at Bhopal on 23 July.
- 1964–76Member of the Rajya Sabha.
- 1979Founds the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh for farmers.
- 1983Helps found the Samajik Samrasata Manch for social harmony.
- 1991Founds the Swadeshi Jagran Manch in response to economic liberalisation.
- 2003Declines the Padma Bhushan.
- 2004Dies in Pune on 14 October.
Ideas
Thengadi rejected both the class-struggle model of communist unions and unrestrained capitalism. He argued for a "Third Way" based on Indian traditions: the industry as a family in which workers, management and consumers share responsibility; the slogan of "nationalise labour, labourise industry, industrialise the nation"; and Vishwakarma Jayanti as a workers' day. In the 1990s he became a sharp critic of globalisation and of the WTO regime, defending swadeshi and small industry.
Independence of mind
Thengadi did not spare governments friendly to his own movement: he publicly opposed disinvestment and other economic policies of the NDA government in the early 2000s. His refusal of the Padma Bhushan was in keeping with his personal austerity.
Legacy
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh grew into one of India's largest central trade unions by membership, and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and Swadeshi Jagran Manch remain influential voices in debates on agriculture and economic policy.
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Frequently asked questions
Who founded the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh?
Dattopant Thengadi founded it at Bhopal on 23 July 1955.
What is the Swadeshi Jagran Manch?
An organisation founded in 1991, with Thengadi's leadership, to promote economic self-reliance and question aspects of globalisation.
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Read nextProf. Rajendra Singh "Rajju Bhaiya"Sources & copyright status
- Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, organisational history — facts
- News reports on his refusal of the Padma Bhushan (2003) and his death (2004) — facts
- Historical facts: not subject to copyright.
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