HOME RULE MOVEMENT.

With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, national movement received a
new impetus in Malabar.Home Rule Leagues were established in different regions in
Malabar.The DCC held annual meetings in 1916 and 1917.Malabar was visited by leaders
like Annie Beasant.Representatives from Kerala found a berth in the deputation of the
Home Rule League which visited Montague to submit their proposals for constitutions
reforms.Thus by 1919,there was considerable political activity in Malabar.However
organised work of a political natural was still in the offing.Political activity of a serious nature exited only among a few and it did not penetrated into or from the common man. Political views and campaigns were localised in Kerala until 1920’s.

CONGRESS IN MALABAR.

It was British Malabar that played a leading role in the freedom movement of the
country.The Indian National Congress had its adherents in Malabar since its formation in
1885.A few Keralites like G.P. Pillai,Chettur Sankaran Nair and Kayyur Nampiyar were
active participants of the congress movement Chettur Shankaran Nair was the President of
the Amaravathi session of the Congress in 1897, the only Malayali to achieve that rare
honour.However these Malayalis worked in their individual capacity and they never
represented Kerala as they lived and worked outside Kerala.The Congress convened a
conference in 1904 at Calicut and a D.C.C. was formed in 1908 in Malabar.Therefore till
1914, there was no remarkable activity of a political nature in Malabar.

TRAVANCORE STATE CONGRESS

The struggle for responsible government in Thiruvitamkur assumed a new turn with
the formation of the Travancore state Congress.It was felt that the Joint Political Congress
had fulfilled its objectives and a more broad based organization embracing all classes of
people should be formed to carry forward the struggle for responsible government.The
Haripura Session (1938) of the Congress endorsed the view that though congress should
abstain from active intervention in the political movements in the princely states,
independent organisations may be encouraged to carry on internal struggles. In accordance
with this resolve, a meeting held in Thiruvanantapuram in February, 1938 resolved to form
the Travancore State Congress with Pattam Thanu Pillai as its president.The new
organisation aimed at launching a movement for the achievement of responsible
government in Thiruvitamkur.

NIVARTHANA MOVEMENT.

This movement was one of the stormiest agitations in the history of modern
Thiruvithamkur.It is called the Nivarthana or Abstention agitation because the agitators
have decided to abstain from participating in the elections to the legislature.The genesis of
the Abstention movement can be traced back to the policy of discrimination followed by
the Government of Travancore in providing representation to various castes and
communities in the legislature and public services.Since the formation of the legislature in
1888, it was represented by the Savarnas while the bulk of the population comprising the
lower castes had no adequate representation in that body.As the main qualification for
voting was payment of property tax, the Avarnas got practically no representation in the
legislature.The legislative reforms of 1932 made permanent the property qualification.The
Ezhavas, the Muslims and theChristians apprehended that the new reforms, would secure
for them far less number of seats in the legislature than they were entitled to on a strict
population basis.They feared that the Nairs would get more seats than what they really
deserved.Therefore these communities demanded that they should be given representation
in the legislature in proportion to their numerical strength.
The passing of the legislative Reforms Act,1932 was the signal for the beginning of
a state wide agitation.The agitationists demanded reservation of seats to different
communities in proportion to their numerical strength.As the Government’s attitude was
not favourable the Abstentionists formed an organisation of their own to achieve their
demands.They called it Joint Political Congress or Samyuktha Rashtriya Samithi. In a
meeting held on Jan 25, 1933, the Samithi took the momentous decision to abstain from
voting in the elections to the legislature.Thus was born the Abstention agitation.As those
communities – Ezhavas,Christians and Muslims-formed about more than 2/3rds of the
population,the agitation had the characteristic of a mass struggle.The Abstentionists
carried on a vigorous agitation all over the state against the new constitutional reforms.It
was in connection with the Abstention movement that C. Kesavan delivered his famous
speech at Kozhencherry (11 May,1935) for which he was arrested and punished.
Although the government adopted a policy of repression, it conceded the demands
of the agitationists.It appointed a public service commissioner to ensure fair representation
to the backward communities in public services. It reduced the property qualification by
widening the franchise.The Government also agreed to allot a specific number of seats in the legislature for the three communities.The final outcome of this agitation was to break up the monopoly of political power enjoyed by the upper caste Hindus.It also marked the end of constitutional agitation and the beginning of direct action in politics. It also paved the way for the formation of Travancore State Congress and the Cochin State Praja Mandal. The agitation thus fulfilled its objectives.

EZHAVA MEMORIAL.

Ezhava Memorial is a memorandum submitted to the Maharaja of Travancore on
3rd Sept 1896.The Travancore Ezhava Sabha took the initiative in preparing and presenting
the memorial.It was signed by 13176 members of the Ezhava community.It pleaded for
among other things, the extension of civil rights and government jobs to members of the
lower castes and the Ezhavas in particular. It also pleaded for the opening of public
schools to the Ezhavas.It demanded that the Ezhavas be made beneficiaries of these rights
and privileges enjoyed by the converts to Christianity.The response of the government was
disappointing. Hence a second memorial was presented to the viceroy Curzon in 1900.It
enumerated the grievances of the Ezhavas and requested the viceroy’s initiative in getting
them redressed.The viceroy refused to intervene.Hence both the memorials failed to
achieve their immediate objectives.

These memorials followed the ancient Hindu customs of direct petition to the king,
yet they challenged the Maharaja’s way of governance.The agitations based on the
memorials marked the rise of the new educated middle class as a force to be reckoned
with.They symbolised the beginning of the modern political movements to be waged by
the lower classes for securing social equality and justice in Thiruvithamkur.

MALAYALI MEMORIAL.

The Malayali Memorial was a petition submitted too the Maharaja of Travancore on The New Years Day in 1891.It was signed by 10028 persons belonging to all classes and creeds. It drew the attention of the Maharaja to the exclusion of the educated natives from the higher grades of public service. It pleaded for the natives a fair quota of government appointments.It was drafted on the basis of a popular cry Travancore for Travancoreans’.It was really a fair plea for privileges and positions.Its formulators were G.P. Pillai and K.P. Sankara Menon.The Government have taken no immediate action.Its attitude was unhelpful and reactionary.Outsiders continued to be appointed.Nevertheless the agitation served its purpose namely to arouse political consciousness of the people.It symbolised the emergence of the new educated middle class as a force to be reckoned with. 

Cochin Praja Mandal.

The Cochin Praja Mandal is the embodiment of the struggle for responsible
government in the princely state of Kochi. Formed on January 26, 1941 under the
leadership of V.R. Krishnan Ezhuttacchan,it has as its objective the establishment of
responsible government in Kochi.Its proposal to hold the maiden session at Irinjalakuda in
Jan. 1942 was withheld by the Dewan. In spite of this about 3000 delegates attended the
session, but its President and a few others were arrested.
When Quit India movement was launched by Gandhiji, the Praja Mandal organised
several meetings and demonstrations.The leaders of the movement like Panampilly and
Ikkanda Warrier were arrested.The youth wing of the Praja Mandal set fire to the military
camps in Ernakulam.They published a secret bulletin named Samara Kahalam.As the Praja
Mandal associated itself with the Quit India movement, its image was boosted.In Kochi,
the legislative assembly was constituted in May 1948.In the elections held,the Praja
Mandal won a thumping victory and assumed office with Ikkanda Warrior as Prime
Minister on 20th September,1948.When the Cochin Praja Mandal merged with the
Congress in November,1948, the new ministry became the first Congress ministry in the
state of Kochi.Thus the struggle for responsible government in Kochi reached its
successful culmination.