The Tebhaga movement is probably the greatest peasant movement in the history of India. It was initiated in Bengal by the Kisan Sabha (peasants front of Communist Party of India) in 1946-1947. The Tebhaga movement was a movement of the share croppers of Bengal demanding two-thirds instead of half as their produce. Basically from this principle demand the name ‘Tebhaga’ movement comes.
At that time share-cropping peasants (essentially, tenants) had to give half of their harvest to the owners of the land. The demand of the Tebhaga (sharing by thirds) movement was to reduce the share given to landlords to one third.As a response to the agitations, the then Muslim League ministry in the province launched the Bargadari Act, which provided that the share of the harvest given to the landlords would be limited to one third of the total. But the law was not fully implemented.
