This article discusses the position of "agrarian struggle' within agrarian labour relations in India. The dynamics of agrarian struggle; the landowners' dominance, the types of labour relations, the awareness of the labourers, the weapons brought into play and the tactics used are examined. It is argued that local labour relations and conflicts should be understood within the context of wider balance of power between the concerned groups, regionally as well as locally. Likewise, the categories used in understanding local agrarian conflicts must be informed by the underlying balance of power. The interrelationship between patron-client relations on the one hand, and class-caste struggle on the other is reassessed, and it is found that they are not mutually opposed. The categories "unfree' and "bonded' labour relations are also reassessed. The article is based on fieldwork data from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. -from Author

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agrarian politics Uttar Pradesh India conceptual approach bonded labour agricultural labour labour relations agricultural conflict