Shri Dattopant Thengadi organised large-scale labor movements based on the idea that class cooperation should take the place of class conflict. A third of the world was enamored with communist ideology in the 1950s. ‘Lal kile pe lal nishan, maang raha hai Hindustan’ (India wants to see the red sign at Red Fort) was the hit slogan in India at the time. The Indian labour movement at the time was dominated by Leftist philosophy. At this point, Dattopant Thengadi founded the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) on July 23, 1955 and effectively gained traction in Indian worker and peasant movements. BMS now represents the nation in organizations such as the International Labour Organisation and is one of the top workers’ organisations in the world.
The circumstances surrounding the formation of BHARATIYA MAZDOOR SANGH (BMS) in India’s trade union field have molded the organisation’s key position in the movement. There are two significant elements to consider in this regard:
1. Unlike almost all other trade unions, the formation of BMS did not originate from a split in existing trade union formations. As a result, it faced the daunting task of establishing its organizational structure from the ground up. It began with zero: no labor union, no membership, no activist (karyakarta), no office, and no fund.
2. On the first day, it was envisioned as a trade union whose foundational anchors would be nationalism, and which would operate as a true trade union while remaining strictly separate from party politics. This was also distinct from other trade unions, which were openly or implicitly affiliated with one or more political parties. BMS has about 1 crore members across all states, including more than 5000 affiliate unions.
Philosophical Background of BMS
The BMS takes an ideologically separate approach from the other Central Trade Union Organisations in India. Bharatiya culture is the ideological foundation of the BMS. The term culture refers to a society’s unique pattern of impressions on the mind, which is the result of its passion, emotion, thought, speech, and action over time. Bharatiya culture views life as an integrated whole. It takes an integrative approach. It recognizes that there is diversity and multiplicity in life, yet it always seeks to find unity in diversity. Diversity in life is simply a reflection of interior unity. The unity of the seed manifests itself in a variety of forms, including the roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits of the tree. Unity in diversity and the manifestation of unity in many forms have remained important to Bharatiya culture, also known as “Integral Humanism.” If this fact is wholeheartedly acknowledged, there will be no reason for war among various forces. Conflict is not indicative of culture or nature. “Integral Humanism is the name given to the sum total of various features of Bharatiya culture–abiding, dynamic, synthesizing, and sublime,” Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay stated. This is the concept that drives the direction of BMS.
Marxists and socialists of all types use trade unions to exacerbate class strife, with the ultimate goal of establishing socialism. BMS is an advocate of nationalism and integralism. As a result, it rejects the class conflict theory. If the class battle was allowed to run its course, the nation would disintegrate. All nationals are only limbs of the same body. Their objectives cannot be mutually exclusive. BMS opposes class conflict based on hatred and enmity, but it has always fought against the wicked forces of inequality, injustice, and exploitation.
BMS is committed to achieving national prosperity and alleviating poverty through “maximum production and equitable distribution”. Capitalism overestimates the importance of production. Socialism overemphasizes the issue of distribution. But BMS places equal emphasis on both. Maximum productivity is the national duty of labor, while equitable distribution of the fruits of production is a legitimate right of workers. As a result, BMS has developed a new patriotism-inspired motto in the labor field: “We will work in the interest of the nation and demand full wages.”
BMS promises to end economic inequality and exploitation, but it is not ‘Leftist’. It rejects Marx’s class conflict paradigm; nonetheless, it is not ‘Rightist’. It is totally nationalist and has recognized the notion of genuine trade unionism, which is an organization for, by, and about workers within the framework of national interest. Almost all delegates agreed at the XII World Trade Union Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) of Communist Countries, convened in Moscow in 1990, that labor unions must remain independent of power and political parties. This is another international endorsement of BMS’s fundamental philosophy of non-political trade unionism.
Nationalist Slogans
In 1955, the popular slogan was: WORKERS OF THE WORLD? UNITE – In reality, this was a slogan for widespread disruption. BMS rejected it and replaced it with our own slogan: “WORKERS UNITE THE WORLD”.
Nationalise labor, laborise industry, and industrialize the nation. BMS also promotes the concept of laborisation, which is founded on the theory that workers are co-owners of the industry if their labor capital is fairly valued. According to the tagline “Nationalise the Labour, Labourise the Industry and Industrialise the Nation” . BMS also calls for the establishment of a national commission on industrial ownership issues, which should recommend a pattern of ownership for each industry based on its specific peculiarities as well as the overall needs of the national economy.
Industrial Family
BMS underlined that if there is any hostility, the national purpose cannot be fulfilled. The B.M.S. thus condemned the ideology of class warfare and emphasized that all constituents should act and work together. This can be accomplished by promoting the concept of “family” within the industry.
Viswakarma Sector
The first trade union center to acknowledge the unique significance of the “self-employment sector” was BMS. The highest position for men and women in society is self-employment. Being the owner of one’s own business ventures in commerce, industry, services, and agriculture is the definition of an economic existence free from alienation. This is the economic idea of self-employment. 20 Individuals that work for themselves include goldsmiths, blacksmiths, potters, tailors, engravers, barbers, and washermen. This self-employment industry is appropriately referred to as the Viswakarma sector by BMS. This self-employment sector, which was not classified as either the “private sector” or the “public sector,” but rather as the “people’s sector,” was not acknowledged by western economics. Later, the former communist Soviet Union passed the Household Industries Act. Recognizing the importance of the self-employment sector, Communist China and Hungary had also included provisions for it in their laws.
BMS has demonstrated over the years that national and individual growth are intertwined. Both should move in tandem to ensure that society and the nation prosper. The visionary Dattopant Thengadi ji made significant contributions to the welfare of workers while avoiding inciting hostility among different classes of society. On this Foundation Day, we salute this outstanding visionary. On their foundation day, we wish BMS to grow immensely and make the nation great again.
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