Thinking Inequality Through Socialism in Modern India (1920–1980): Narayan, Lohia and Chattopadhyay

Abstract

ABSTRACT Socialism in India, as an important intellectual tradition, has been a central interlocutor in the more significant debates on normative concerns, especially on inequality. Its presence was crucial during the nationalist struggle for independence and in post-colonial formative years, in the debates on inequalities and nature of development (1930–1970s). This article engages with a specific strand of Socialism (Oppositional Socialism), in the writings and works of Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Kamla Devi Chattopadhyaya and their position on inequality in India and the world. In ways tracing solutions from within, through tropes of indigenity, via concepts and frameworks, and providing alternative visions for resolution of inequality in India and globally. Narayan’s invocation of Sarvodaya, Lohia’s intersectional reading through the lens of caste, class and gender along with Chattopadhaya’s decentralised and gendered framework aids in understanding the rationale for choosing Democratic Socialism as a significant interlocutor in the resolution of inequality for post-colonial societies.