V. Subbiah
Encyclopedia
V. Subbiah was an India
n communist politician from Pondicherry (Puducherry). Subbiah was the secretary of the Communist Party of French India
. He is regarded as the founder of the trade union movement in the union territory. Subbiah was one of the 97 'Tamrapatra awardees', awarded the decoration for their role in the Indian freedom struggle.
and joined the Indian National Congress
. He founded the Harijan Sevak Sangh in 1933. Moreover, he launched a publication called Sutantiram ('Independence'). Soon he was recruited into the communist movement after having befriended Amir Hyder Khan and S.V. Ghate. He took part in agitations in different areas of the Madras Presidency. He was jailed both by French and British colonial authorities, and moved underground when not in jail.
. In January 1947 he was elected to the French Senate
as a representative of French India. He sat in the Republican and Resistance Union for the French Union (the parliamentary faction of the French Communist Party
).
During this period, there was a heated rivalry between Subbiah and Edouard Goubert
(the leading pro-France politician in the colony), and Goubert's henchmen would engage in lynchings of communist activists. In 1948 the French authorities served an arrest warrant against V. Subbiah. In January 1950 the office of the Communist Party, located in the private residence of V. Subbiah, was burnt down. The police chief was present at the scene, but police did not intervene.
compromising the Communist Party and other pro-independence groups. V. Subbiah met with Nehru on August 13, 1954 to discuss the prospects of the resistance struggle. On November 1, 1954 France left French India. V. Subbiah returned from exile, meeting a hero's welcome from jubilant masses.
. In the coalition cabinet that governed the union territory 1969-1973 he served as Minister of Agriculture. Subbiah's wife, Saraswathi Subbiah
, also served as a legislator of the Communist Party of India in the 1960s.
praised Subbiah's role in the struggle against French rule in Pondicherry.
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 communist politician from Pondicherry (Puducherry). Subbiah was the secretary of the Communist Party of French India
Communist Party of French India
The Communist Party of French India was a political party in French India. V. Subbiah was the secretary of the party.-World War and the National Democratic Front:...
. He is regarded as the founder of the trade union movement in the union territory. Subbiah was one of the 97 'Tamrapatra awardees', awarded the decoration for their role in the Indian freedom struggle.
Early activism
Born and raised in Pondicherry, Subbiah studied at the Calve College High School, but he was expelled from the school after organizing an agitation. The expulsion was however revoked as students and parents had protests against the decision. During the early phase of his political career, Subbiah was influenced by Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
and 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...
. He founded the Harijan Sevak Sangh in 1933. Moreover, he launched a publication called Sutantiram ('Independence'). Soon he was recruited into the communist movement after having befriended Amir Hyder Khan and S.V. Ghate. He took part in agitations in different areas of the Madras Presidency. He was jailed both by French and British colonial authorities, and moved underground when not in jail.
Labour organiser
In 1935 he organized a union of thousands of textile workers in Pondicherry. In July 1936, twelve textile workers were killed as French police opened fire on demonstrators in a bid to qualm the agitations of the union. The killings sparked uproar. Nehru asked Subbiah to travel to Paris to negotiate directly with the French government. Subbiah did so, and in Paris he was able to reach an agreement guaranteeing a law for an 8-hour day for the workers in French India.Senator
In 1946 he was elected to the Representative Assembly of French India as a candidate of the National Democratic FrontNational Democratic Front (French India)
The National Democratic Front was a political coalition in French India. The movement dominated the political scene in the colony for a brief period until the emergence of a split between the socialists and communists in the coalition....
. In January 1947 he was elected to the French Senate
French Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president.The Senate enjoys less prominence than the lower house, the directly elected National Assembly; debates in the Senate tend to be less tense and generally enjoy less media coverage.-History:France's first...
as a representative of French India. He sat in the Republican and Resistance Union for the French Union (the parliamentary faction of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
).
During this period, there was a heated rivalry between Subbiah and Edouard Goubert
Edouard Goubert
Clemencedu Edouard Goubert was former mayor and first chief minister of Pondichéry between July 1, 1963 - September 11, 1964...
(the leading pro-France politician in the colony), and Goubert's henchmen would engage in lynchings of communist activists. In 1948 the French authorities served an arrest warrant against V. Subbiah. In January 1950 the office of the Communist Party, located in the private residence of V. Subbiah, was burnt down. The police chief was present at the scene, but police did not intervene.
Leader of independence struggle
In mid-1951 the arrest warrant against V. Subbiah was withdrawn. V. Subbiah emerged as a major leader of the independence movement. In a public statement he called for the formation of a united frontUnited front
The united front is a form of struggle that may be pursued by revolutionaries. The basic theory of the united front tactic was first developed by the Comintern, an international communist organisation created by revolutionaries in the wake of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.According to the theses of...
compromising the Communist Party and other pro-independence groups. V. Subbiah met with Nehru on August 13, 1954 to discuss the prospects of the resistance struggle. On November 1, 1954 France left French India. V. Subbiah returned from exile, meeting a hero's welcome from jubilant masses.
Post-Independence politics
Following the integration of Pondicherry with the Indian Union, V. Subbiah became leader of the Opposition in 1954 and 1963. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Pondicherry 1964-1969 for the Communist Party of IndiaCommunist Party of India
The 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...
. In the coalition cabinet that governed the union territory 1969-1973 he served as Minister of Agriculture. Subbiah's wife, Saraswathi Subbiah
Saraswathi Subbiah
Saraswathi Subbiah was an Indian communist politician. Saraswathi Subbiah took part in the struggle for independece. She studied medicine, but had to interrupt her studies. She represented the Cassucadai assembly constituency between August 19, 1959 and June 30, 1963. She was also a member of the...
, also served as a legislator of the Communist Party of India in the 1960s.
Honours
Following his death in 1993, the government of Pondicherry erected a bronze statue in his honour in Nellithope. A government highschool in the union territory has been named after him. The Pondicherry (Puducherry) government also granted 10 million Indian rupees for the reconstruction of his house (that was donated by Subbiah to the people of Pondicherry in his will). The government has stated that the house will be used as an institute for social Sciences and research. On February 7, 2011, Subbiah's birth centenary, the Indian government released a commemorative stamp of him. At the ceremony, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. NarayanasamyV. Narayanasamy
V. Narayanasamy a politician from Indian National Congress party is presently a Member of the Parliament of India in the Lok Sabha representing Pondicherry constituency. He earlier was an MP representing Pondicherry in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.-Early life:V....
praised Subbiah's role in the struggle against French rule in Pondicherry.