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From Subjects to Citizens? Rationing, refugees and the publicity of corruption over Independence in UP

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2010

WILLIAM GOULD
WILLIAM GOULD*
Affiliation:
School of History, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK Email: w.r.gould@leeds.ac.uk
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Abstract

Building on recent work on the ‘everyday state’ and citizenship in 1947–1948, this paper examines changing practices and representations of ‘corruption’ in Uttar Pradesh, India over independence. The management and publicity of ‘corruption’, particularly in the food supply and rationing bureaucracy from the mid-1940s to the 1960s captures changing discussions about public expectations of government and narrates everyday urban experiences of the local state. Representations of administrative corruption within UP government ‘anti-corruption’ planning, around the late 1930s to early 1940s, reflected changing ideas about the public and citizenship in UP in general—from a colonial stress on administrative authoritarianism, where corruption was presented as a regrettable but unavoidable facet of local power, to a sense of public accountability. By the 1940s, with war-time commodity controls accompanying rapid political change, opportunities for nefarious gain widened, and administrative rules and functions quickly became much more complex. ‘Corruption’, as a symbolic political weapon, was publicized in a way which now connected national, state and local level discussions of independence, citizenship and state authority. Specifically, the very nature of different types of corruption in the crucial sphere of controls and rationing brought about more developed forms of political protection and backing for the corrupt administrator and encouraged new clientelist networks across the political spectrum.

Type
Research Article
Information
Modern Asian Studies , Volume 45 , Issue 1: From Subjects to Citizens: Society and the Everyday State in India and Pakistan, 1947–1970 , January 2011 , pp. 33 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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References

1 One of the groundbreaking and most thought provoking studies that sparked off a new academic interest in the phenomenon of corruption in South Asia has been Akhil Gupta's, ‘Blurred Boundaries: The Discourse of Corruption, the Culture of Politics, and the Imagined State’, American Ethnologist, Vol. 22, no. 2 (May 1995), pp. 375–402; also significant in pushing this kind of study forward is Parry, Jonathan, ‘“The Crisis of Corruption” and “The Idea of India”: A Worm's Eye View’ in Pardo, I. (ed.), The Morals of Legitimacy (New York and Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2000), pp. 27–55Google Scholar.

2 The ways in which corruption is bound up in the production of class, religious and gender inequalities has been looked at for contemporary India by Craig Jeffrey, Barbara Harriss-White and Stuart Corbridge. In this work, it appears that corruption can become a deliberate choice, made to further particular sectional interests. Jeffrey, Craig, ‘“A Fist is Stronger than Five Fingers”: Caste and Dominance in Rural North India’ Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 25, no. 2 (2001), pp. 1–30Google Scholar; Harriss-White, Barbara, India Working: Essays on Society and Economy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), pp. 72–103, 239–247Google Scholar; Corbridge, S. and Kumar, S., ‘Community, Corruption, Landscape: Tales from the Tee Trade’, Political Geography vol. 21 no. 6 (2002), pp. 765–788CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

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4 For more discussion of this level of ‘corruption’, see Singh, Gurharpal, ‘Corruption in Contemporary Indian Politics’, in Heywood, Paul (ed.), Political Corruption (Oxford: Blackwell, 1997), pp. 210–222Google Scholar.

5 The most complete range of discussions of this idea can be found in Fuller, C. J. and Bénéï, V. (eds), The Everyday State and Society in Modern India (London: C. Hurst and Co., 2001)Google Scholar, and Véron, René, Corbridge, Stuart, Williams, Glyn, Srivastava, Manoj, ‘The Everyday State and Political Society in Eastern India: Structuring Access to the Employment Assurance Scheme’, The Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 39, no. 5, (June 2003), pp. 1–28CrossRefGoogle Scholar. More recently, interest has grown in the ambiguities too, surrounding the idea of citizenship in relation to the late 1940s and early 1950s. Here, I refer particularly to the work of Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali Zamindar (footnote 7), Joya Chatterji (footnote 55), Paul Brass and Partha Chatterjee—the latter in relation to contemporary India and discussions surrounding the politics of the dispossessed; Paul Brass, The Politics of Northern India: 1937 to 2007 (forthcoming, 2011); Chatterjee, Partha, The Politics of the Governed: Reflections on Popular Politics in Most of the World (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004)Google Scholar.

6 Kochanek, Stanley, Business and Politics in India (New York: University of California Press, 1974), pp. 214–239Google Scholar; Kochanek, Stanley, The Congress Party of India: the Dynamics of One-Party Democracy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1968)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

7 For a richly researched and original account of this situation in the immediate aftermath of India's independence, see Zamindar, Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali, The Long Partition and the Making of Modern South Asia: Refugees, Boundaries, Histories (Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2007)Google Scholar.

8 ‘Government of the United Provinces, General Administration Department, 11 May, 1938, Notification, Report of the Anti-Corruption Committee’, Uttar Pradesh State Archives (hereafter UPSA), General Administration Department (hereafter GAD), Box 594, File 70/1938, Pt. III of file.

9 ‘Report of the Anti-Corruption Committee’, UPSA, GAD, Box 594, File 70/1938, Pt. III of file.

10 ‘UP Foodgrains Provisioning Order’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 40, File 167/1946.

11 ‘Foodgrains CO, 1943’; ‘Flour, Rice and Dal Mills CO 1943’; ‘Foodgrains (Movement) CO, 1943’; ‘Foodgrains Supplementary (Movement) CO, 1943’; ‘Poultry (Movement) CO, 1943’; ‘Sheep, Goats and Pigs (Movement) CO, 1943’; ‘Ghee (Movement) CO, 1944’; ‘Fish (Movement) CO, 1944’; ‘Fruit CO, 1944’; ‘Vegetable (Movement) CO, 1944’; ‘Cattle, Sheep and Goats (Slaughter) CO, 1943’; ‘Regulation of Local Purchase CO, 1944’; ‘Gur CO, 1943’; ‘Food grains Distribution Order, 1943’; ‘Starch Manufacturing CO, 1943’; ‘Restriction of Food grains Purchase Order, 1944’.

12 For a general discussion of changes in the popular perceptions of state power in India as a whole, see Kaviraj, Sudipta, ‘On State, Society and Discourse in India’ in Manor, James (ed.), Rethinking Third World Politics (London: Longman, 1991), pp. 72–99Google Scholar.

13 ‘Commissioner's Conference at Government House to discuss the supply situation’ UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 37, File 974/43.

14 ‘Note AGS, 3 August, 1944’, ‘Supply of Food grains to Ordnance depots’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 36, File 178/48.

15 ‘One more rationing employee suspended’, The National Herald (Lucknow), 7 January, 1948.

16 ‘Inspection note of Commissioner, Gorakhpur Division, 29 January, 1944’. UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 37, File 974/43, ‘Commissioner's Conference at Government House to discuss the supply situation’.

17 ‘Alleged extortion from cartmen’, The National Herald (Lucknow), 13 January, 1948, p. 4.

18 See also ‘Food grains Decontrol’, The National Herald (Lucknow), 9 January, 1948, p.4. This leading article discussed the question of an acceptable minimum wage at which a working family should be allowed to continue to receive ration cards after de-rationing.

19 See for example, ‘Who Gains from Cloth Decontrol?’ Magazine section, National Herald, 11 April, 1948, p. 2.

20 Jawaharlal Nehru to Pant, 13/4/51, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (hereafter NMML) Pant Papers, reel 1.

21 Jawaharlal Nehru to Pant, 8/2/1952, NMML, ‘Secret Note’, Pant Papers, reel 1.

22 Interview with R. K. Trivedi (Lucknow), 18 March, 2008.

23 ‘Hony Secretary of Beopar Mandal, Chowk Bazar, Dehra Dun, 3 October, 1946 to Commissioner for Rationing and Civil Supplies, UP, Lucknow’. ‘Food grains Control Order’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 34, File 135/43.

24 ‘Office Memorandum, J. D. Banks (For Commissioner) to Hony Secretary, Beopar Mandal, Dehra Dun’, Ibid.

25 For example, ‘In the Court of Civil Judge, Aligarh. Pauper Suit no. 11 of 1956. Radha Kishan s/o Jai Narain, partner of Firm Radha-Kishan Sannamal, a present residing in Lachmi Narayan Temple Daughali, Goberdhan District Mathura—Plaintiff Versus 1. The State of Uttar Pradesh, summons to be served on Secretary to Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies, Uttar Pradesh, Luknow. 2. Shri Bhaskar Rao Sharma, at present District Supply Officer, Kanpur’ in Personal file of B.R. Sharma, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 6, file 155/44.

26 C. B. Gupta to Jawaharlal Nehru, forwarded to Pant, 11 November, 1951, Pant Papers, reel 1, NMML.

27 G. N. Tiwari, Ex AFGI, Allahabad, June 1954. Personal file of B. R. Sharma, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 6, file 155/44.

28 ‘Members of DSO staff—complaint’ 14 May, 1955, ‘Personal File of Sri Syed Ahmed’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 21, File 791/45.

29 R. p. Nautiyal, MLA Garhwal to C. B. Gupta, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, 3 May, 1954, ‘Personal file of K. S. Sirohi’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 12, File 864/45.

30 ‘Representation regarding R. S. Jouhri character roll, personal file’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 14, File 839(P)/45.

31 Member of the Legislative Assembly (India).

32 See ‘Personal File of Sri K. B. Misra, ARO’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 21, File 790/45.

33 ‘MLAs asked not to frustrate Anti-Corruption Activity in Banaras’, The National Herald (Lucknow), 7 January, 1948, p. 8.

34 ‘Complaint against Sri Karan Singh Sirohi, DSO/TRO Budaun’, 1/10/51, ‘Personal file of K. S. Sirohi’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 12, File 864/45.

35 Extract from Food and Civil Supply (C) Deptt. File no. 1140/1951 reg. Embezzlement in Town Rationing Office (Issues) Allahabad, Shyam Bahadur Singh Visen DSO/TRO (personal file of), UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 24, file 619/49. ‘Report of inspection on the quantity accounts of the office of the Dy Town Rationing Officer (Issue), Allahabad for the period from April 1, 1950 to December 31, 1951’ ‘Embezzlement in TRO Office, Allahabad’, UPSA, Rent Control C, Box 2, file 1140/1951.

36 Kanhaiya Lal Sharma, Rajkiya Press Mazdoor Sangh to G. B. Pant, 30 January, 1961, in ‘Sri Saraswati Prasad, personal file’, UPSA, FCS, Box 13, File 960/45.

37 Makhan Lal Sharma to Sri K. M. Munshi, Governor, Uttar Pradesh, 24 July, 1952, Personal file of B. R. Sharma, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 6, file 155/44.

38 Petition of R. S. Jouhri to G. B. Pant, 1948 in ‘Representation regarding R. S. Jouhri character roll, personal file’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 14, File 839(P)/45.

39 Residents of Agra to Minister for Food and Civil Supply, 27 August, 1950, in ‘Sri H. G. Jhangiani ASO Agra (Personal File)’ UPSA, Food and Civil Supply Box 24, File 629/49.

40 Murli Manohar to Ali Zahir Saheb, 6 November, 1957, ‘Sri S. S. Tandon, personal file of’ UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 5, file 141/44.

41 Reference note of Hari Shanker Civil Judge, Etawah, 21 December, 1936 and Vice President DCC, Raj Bahadur Sinh, Zila Congress Pres, Faizabad, D. Sharma and three others, to Minister for Civil Supplies, Uttar Pradesh, 30 November, 1960. Ibid.

42 Margin note on letter—Satya Prakash Gupta to the Commissioner, Agra Division, 17 October, 1959. ‘Sri Saraswati Prasad, personal file’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 13, File 960/45.

43 D.O. no. 38/ST-59 (DSO), 30/3/59, ‘Personal file of K. S. Sirohi’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 12, File 864/45.

44 K. N. Srivastava, DM Azamgarh to G. p. Pandey, Additional Secretary to Government, 22 May, 1957, ibid.

45 Ibid.

46 ‘Inquiry into Cement Misappropriation’ The National Herald (Lucknow), 6 January, 1948, p. 6.

47 A Rationing Employee to Sri C. B. Gupta, 5/1/54, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, UP, Lucknow Personal file of B. R. Sharma, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 6, file 155/44.

48 ‘Members of DSO staff—complaint’ 14 May, 1955, ‘Personal File of Sri Syed Ahmed’, UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 21, File 791/45.

49 Amar Chand, District Congress worker to the Chief Minister, UP, Lucknow, ‘Complaint against Sri SMH Khan Nawab, District Supply Officer Hamirpur’, 14 July, 1952, ‘Appointment of Sri Syed Mohd Hasan Khan Nawab, DSO/TRO’ UPSA, Food and Civil Supply, Box 14, File 964/45.

50 Confidential letter, dated 9 July, 1953, from DM, Allahabad, ‘Embezzlement in TRO Office, Allahabad’, UPSA, Rent Control C, Box 2, file 1140/1951.

51 ‘Report of cases’ 25 January, 1950, in ‘Compulsory retirement of the official after completing the service of 25 years or attaining the age of 50 on the grounds of efficiency’, UPSA, Revenue B, Box 121, File 1082B/1948.

52 The National Herald (Lucknow), 6 January, 1948, p. 1.

53 ‘Refugee demonstration in Lucknow’, The National Herald (Lucknow), 21 January, 1948, p. 3; ‘Bid to buy property at cheap rates: capitalists among refugees behind communal troubles’, Ibid., p. 3.

54 The representative of the Sindhi Hindu Refugee Panchayat, Jaipur, Durgapur Camp, Gopaldas H. Ladhani, Congress Social Worker to p. D. Tandon 29 January, 1950, National Archives of India, Tandon Papers, File 301.

55 For a comparative study of how this played out in Bengal, see Chatterji, Joya, The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India, 1947–1967 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), pp. 129–131CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

56 V. D. Dantyagi to Bhagwan Sahay, 27 August, 1949, ‘Administration of Evacuee Property in UP—Method and Tracing out’ UPSA, Relief and Rehabilitation, Box 41, file 552/49.

57 This was also an idea expressed by Vibhuti Narain Rai in a range of meetings I had with him over the spring of 2008.

58 Chandavarkar, Rajnarayan, ‘Customs of Governance: Colonialism and Democracy in Twentieth Century India’, Modern Asian Studies, 41, 3, (2007), pp. 441–470CrossRefGoogle Scholar.