This word means: Lohiaite

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Lohia completed his higher education in Europe. He returned to India in 1932 and joined the independence movement as part of the Indian National Congress, but later critiqued the party and its leaders for doing little to dismantle caste and class hierarchies.

Many decades after his passing and even in a drastically different political landscape, parties have continued to echo his espousal of social justice and describe themselves as ‘Lohiaites’.

WHAT WAS LOHIA’S IDEOLOGY?

Lohia formed the Congress Socialist Party (CSP) within the Congress in 1933. It became an independent party in 1947, known as the Socialist Party. Later iterations continued to emphasise democratic socialism as their core philosophy.

He also shared some of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals, including opposition to capitalism, and promoting the village economy. However, their views greatly diverged on the question of caste. While acknowledging the inequalities of the caste system, Gandhi sought to reform it from within, while Lohia staunchly believed that the entire system had to be dismantled.

He propounded “Seven Revolutions” – against gender inequality; against political, economic and spiritual inequalities based on the colour of the skin; against inequalities between backward and advanced groups or castes and in favour of special opportunities for the backward castes; etc.

In his opposition to foreign rule and Western imperialism, Lohia was arrested more than 25 times, including during the freedom movement and the Goa Liberation Movement.

WHAT EXPLAINS LOHIA’S CONTINUED POLITICAL APPEAL?

From the late 1960s, the Congress party’s hitherto unchallenged dominance of electoral politics began weakening. Leadership struggles post Jawaharlal Nehru’s death, increasing factionalism and other factors contributed to the rise of non-Congress leaders and parties.

Veteran socialist leader JP Narayan shared many commonalities with Lohia, including his call for a Total Revolution. He re-emerged as a key figure in the 1970s and criticised the Indira Gandhi government. In the wake of the Emergency rule she imposed in 1975, the first non-Congress government came to power.

Many young leaders who participated in anti-Congress movements were inspired by the likes of JP and Lohia. They came from non-elite backgrounds and emerged as key political figures in multiple states — like Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and others.

In 1990, the government’s Mandal Commission report that recommended Other Backward Classes (OBCs) reservations in public education and employment was implemented. It further made politicians more keenly aware of the need to appeal to a range of caste groups that now had more local parties to advocate for their interests.

However, it is noteworthy that Lohia’s era differed from modern-day politics in many ways. Parties are now increasingly aligned in their views on broadening the scope of welfarist measures, even as they support the Indian economy’s gradual liberalisation and de-regulation in many sectors. While they differ in their ideas for Indian society at large, few parties wholly advocate for a social revolution as Lohia did.