Vishal Sangh was a cane farmers' union established in

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

on 1 September 1946, by mainly

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

farmers, who refused to re-join the Kisan Sangh after its reunification following its split into two factions in 1943. It was led by Mehar Singh, one of the founding members of the Kisan Sangh and its former vice-president. The Vishal Sangh played an active role in negotiations for cane contracts in 1950 and 1960 but always aligned itself with A. D. Patel and the Maha Sangh. It was regarded by many as a tool of A.D. Patel in his political ambitions. The Sikhs supporting the Vishal Sangh remained loyal members of

Federation Party The Federation Party was Fiji's first formal political party. The Citizens Federation, which had won three of the four seats reserved for Indo-Fijians at the 1963 elections, decided to formalize its role as a political party, which was officiall ...

for many years. Because of its small support base, the Vishal Sangh had an insignificant impact on the Fiji sugar industry after 1960.

References

* A.P. Sharma, ''Farmers Struggle in Fiji: a History of Fiji Kisan Sangh'', Kisan Sangh, Lautoka, 1962 Sugar cane grower associations in Fiji Fiji Indian organisations 1946 establishments in Fiji Trade unions established in 1946 Sikhism in Fiji

See also

References