Vimochana Samaram
Also called: Liberation struggle (Kerala 1959) · Topic: Era of One-Party Dominance: First Elections and the Congress System · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Era of One-Party Dominance"
Meaning
Vimochana Samaram means "liberation struggle". It was a 1959 campaign against Kerala's elected Communist government, led by E.M.S. Namboodiripad. The Congress joined hands with religious and community groups to run it. The CPI called it a campaign of vested interests, meaning powerful groups protecting their own gains. It matters because it led the Centre to dismiss an elected state government under Article 356 (President's rule, when the Centre takes over a state's government).
Example
Groups such as the Nair Service Society (led by Mannath Padmanabhan), the Catholic Church and the Muslim League opposed the government's Kerala Education Bill and land reforms. After the agitation, President's rule began from midnight of 31 July 1959, even though the government still had its majority.
Don't confuse with
- Kerala Communist government of 1957: the elected ministry that this campaign targeted, not the campaign itself.