Monday, September 16, 2019
Poona public meeting 1870 AD
The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (Marathi-Pune public meeting) was founded on 2 April 1870 by Mahadev Govind Ranade. The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was created to mediate between the government and the public. Bhavanrao Srinivasa Rao was the first president of this institution. Many eminent personalities like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, Maharishi Annaasaheb Patwardhan served as the president of this organization. Let us know the circumstances under which this Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was established and what results came out of it.
 |
Poona public meeting 1870 AD
|
Important Points of Poona Public Meeting
- To get membership, each member had to submit a recommendation of at least 50 adult persons.
- There were zamindars, traders, retired government employees, teachers, lawyers etc. in this institution.
- Each member had to pay one day's income to the institution.
- Its prominent members include Ganesh Vasudev Joshi, S.H. Sathe, SH. There were Chiplunkars etc.
- Efforts were made by the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha to raise questions from local members to the Legislative Council and municipal work, public welfare work etc.
- In the first two years of its establishment, this organization remained active and opposed the tax increase.
Work in Poona public meeting
Poona Sarvajanik Sabha took the initiative in running the Swadeshi movement. Worked to provide relief in times of famine and stressed to form a committee to investigate the situation of farmers. In 1874 AD, money was sent to help the Bengal famine. In 1875, an application was sent to London by signing about 22 thousand people, requesting that 16 seats be reserved for Indians in the British Parliament and it was recommended that 50 rupees direct tax payers be given the franchise. .
The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha played an important role in awakening the political consciousness within Bombay, organizing the people and instilling a sense of patriotism in them. Justice meetings were also set up to address local disputes at the local level. The publication of the letter was started by the House in which the depiction of the present pathetic condition of India and the plan to improve it was highlighted.
Weak side of Poona public meeting
The work of the Poona public meeting soon began to knock in the eyes of the government and it was called as seditious union by the government's Intelligence Department. This gathering was a progressive institution but it could not be established in Maharashtra between the farmers and the lower class. In fact, the new middle class, the zamindars and the traders were the main ones.
In the conference of 1878 AD, many questions were raised in front of the government by the public assembly, which included excise tax, reduction in military expenditure, trade relations between India and England, arms law, establishment of Indian Parliament etc. The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha continued to act as a bridge between the government and the public in its own way. There was a sense of synergy between various institutions in Maharashtra.