The Socialist Party of India, also known as Socialist Party (Lohia Group), the Lohia Socialists or by its Hindi language abbreviation SOPA,कन्हैय लाल चंचरीक. समाजवादी चिंतन और लोकनायक मुलायमिसिंह यादव. यूनिवर्सिटी पब्लिकेशन, 2005. p. 180 was a political party in India from 1955 to 1964. The party emerged out of a split in the Praja Socialist Party in 1955. The party was led by Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, who had served as general secretary of the Praja Socialist Party. The Socialist Party had representation in the parliament of India as well in several state legislative assemblies. The strength of the party was concentrated in the Hindi belt, in particular after having suffered splits in Andhra Pradesh and Madras State 1958–1959. The Socialist Party would raise caste-related demands, breaking with socialist orthodoxy which had focused mainly on economic class issues. In 1964 a reunification with the remnants of the Praja Socialist Party took place, resulting in the formation of the Samyukta Socialist Party.

Split in the Praja Socialist Party

Lohia was the general secretary of the Praja Socialist Party, but tension between him and other PSP leaders gradually grew. In March 1954 the PSP had formed a minority government in the Travancore-Cochin State led by Pattom A. Thanu Pillai, with support from the Indian National Congress. The formation of the Travancore-Cochin cabinet was preceded by differences of opinion on the approach the PSP should have taken in the state, with leaders like Lohia having preferred a leftist government whilst Jayaprakash Narayan and Asoka Mehta had initiated talks with the Congress Party.Indian Affairs Record. Vol. I, No. 2. March 1955. p. 8 On 11 August 1954, there was an incident where police opened fire on demonstrators who were demanding a merger of Tamil-speaking areas with Madras State.Ajay Singh Almust. Lohia, the Rebel Gandhian. Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 97Sundar Lal Poplai. National Politics and 1957 Elections in India. Metropolitan Book Company, 1957. pp. 20, 23, 43 In his role as PSP general secretary Lohia, at the time imprisoned at Allahabad jail, managed to send a message via telegraph ordering the local PSP unit to resign from the Travancore-Cochin government. In Lohia's words using armed violence against unarmed protestors was unacceptable for a socialist government. The PSP cabinet in Travancore-Cochin refused to follow Lohia's instruction.Chitrita Chaudhuri. Rammanohar Lohia and the Indian Socialist Thought. Minerva Associates (Publications) Pvt. Limited, 1993. p. 58 Other PSP leader disapproved of the action taken by Lohia on the PSP cabinet in Travancore-Cochin, and saw Lohia's instruction to the socialists in Travancore-Cochin as an act of indiscipline. Lohia resigned from his post as PSP general secretary in November 1954, in protest over the Travancore-Cochin government issue.Current Affairs. A. Mukherjee & Company, 1960. p. 299

Another issue that had caused rifts in the party was the opposition of the PSP to the irrigation struggle in Uttar Pradesh. Lohia had been imprisoned for leading a farmers movement against the hike in rates of canal irrigation water, but the movement had not gotten support from the PSP nationwide organization. Attacks against Lohia's stances from other PSP leaders aggravated tensions, as did attacks by Lohia supporters (especially in Uttar Pradesh) against the PSP leadership.

The 1955 Avadi session of the Indian National Congress adopted a wording on socialistic pattern of social development. The adoption of socialism as principle by the Congress Party caused a heated debate within PSP.Hugh Tinker. India and Pakistan: A Political Analysis. Pall Mall P., 1967. p. 117 Lohia wished for a more militant approach towards the Indian National Congress government and accused fellow PSP leader Asoka Mehta of 'blur[ring] features of democratic socialism'. Lohia's grouping included Madhu Limaye, Keshav Gore, Bagaitkar and Naik Vinayak Kulkarni.

A conflict erupted in the Bombay City PSP unit, as Madhu Limaye criticized Ashoka Mehta's thesis of the 'Compulsion of backward economy'.Qurban Ali. Seventy-Five years of Socialist Movement in India - An Appraisal Limaye closed PSP leaders such as Mehta of planning to join the Congress Party. The PSP Bombay City unit responded by suspended Limaye from the party for a one-year period. On 28 March 1955 Lohia stated that decision to suspend Limaye was "a grave act with possibilities of very grave consequences".Indian Affairs Record. Vol. I, No. 3. April 1955. p. 24 The PSP National Executive Committee met in New Delhi from 9–11 April 1955. The meeting resolved to issue a warning to Lohia and others regarding their recent actions. The PSP National Executive Committee meeting endorsed the Bombay Committee's resolution whereby Limaye was suspended from party membership for one year but resolved that Limaye would be welcome back into the PSP fold if he expressed regret over his actions.Indian Affairs Record. Vol. I, No. 4. May 1955. p. 13 At a meeting in Hyderabad on 30 May 1955 Lohia argued that the "illusion" that the Congress and the Socialists could work together was causing serious paralysis in the PSP.Indian Affairs Record. Vol. I, No. 5. June 1955. p. 27

The Uttar Pradesh unit of PSP, which was linked to Lohia, had invited Limaye to inaugurate the Uttar Pradesh state PSP convention. In response the PSP National Executive Committee held an emergency session in New Delhi 4–6 June 1955. The meeting noted that the party leadership had instructed the Uttar Pradesh party unit not to allow Limaye to speak at their provincial conference in Ghazipur, and in response to the defiance of the party unit in going ahead with the invitation to Limaye the PSP National Executive Committee declared the Uttar Pradesh PSP Executive suspended and formed a parallel ad hoc Uttar Pradesh PSP committee.Indian Affairs Record. Vol. I, No. 6. July 1955. pp. 14, 24-26, 30 The PSP National Executive Committee called on party members not to attend the Ghazipur conference.

On 4 June 1955, Lohia stated at a meeting in Mehboobnagar that he planned to create a new party before the end of the year, unless the PSP national leadership rectified its political line, and that he would carry out a tour across the country to mobilize support for the project. Speaking in Allahabad on 6 June 1955 Lohia stated that the PSP National Executive Committee decision to suspend the Uttar Pradesh PSP Executive was a "monstrous act of power exhibition". Limaye, when speaking at the dissident Ghazipur conference, stated the key question was whether the socialist party should be a mere instrument of the government or an independent force.

Lohia embarked on his nationwide speaking tour. On 16 June 1955 he spoke in Patna, where he said that the PSP become ineffective as an opposition force in both the national parliament as well as the state legislatures. At a press conference in Calcutta on 24 June 1955, Lohia repeated his threat of forming a new party before 31 December 1955. He argued that there was "very little scope for opposition parties to co-operate with the Government in the execution of their Five-Year Plans". On 24 June 1955, the dissident Uttar Pradesh Executive Committee concluded issued a resolution expressing full confidence in Lohia's role as the party leader and formed a nine-member Parliamentary Board for the selection of candidates for upcoming elections. On 15 July 1955, at a meeting in Bombay, Lohia repeated his demands that PSP be reformed along democratic lines.

The PSP National Executive Committee called for a meeting to be held in Jaipur, where intra-party differences could be resolved in a "cool and dispassionate manner". The meeting took place between 16 and 22 July 1955. Lohia refused to attend the Jaipur meeting. On 21 July 1955, the PSP National Executive Committee issued a resolution condemning Lohia for "undermining the prestige and organization of the party and endangering its unity and solidarity" and decided to suspend Lohia's party membership (pending an explanation from him) for "gross acts" of indiscipline and disruption. Lohia remained defiant in the face of the disciplinary measures against him. On the same day as his suspension Lohia addressed a meeting in Madurai, where he again threatened to set up his own party if the PSP national leadership would not move away from their "present impotency in fighting Governmental injustices".Indian Affairs Record. Vol. I, No. 7. August 1955. pp. 15, 24-26, 28-29 Lohia called on the Revolutionary Socialist Party and dissident communists to join the efforts to build a new socialist movement. The following day he spoke at a press conference in Bangalore where he affirmed that his suspension from PSP might push his grouping to "somewhat hasten their steps in forming a new party". In parallel, as the PSP National Executive Committee concluded their Jaipur meeting they called on party members to avoid raising controversies on issues like elections.

Lohia and the PSP National Executive Committee would narrate the circumstances of his departure from the party differently - Lohia claimed he had been expelled from the PSP whilst the PSP leadership would claim that he left the party on his own accord. After the suspension of Lohia from PSP his followers began setting up local party units of their own.

The feud between Lohia and the PSP National Executive Committee evoked reactions from different regional party units. On 25 July 1955 the PSP unit endorsed the decision to suspend Lohia and the Uttar Pradesh Executive from the party. The PSP Delhi State Executive issues a resolution on 27 July 1955, fiercely criticizing the suspension of Lohia. On 29 July 1955, Lohia held a press conference in New Delhi, stating that his new party would be born "not later than December 31 and probably in November". On 10 August 1955 Lohia supporters in Ludhiana announced the formation of a Socialist Party unit.

On 11 August 1955, Lohia stated in Banares that the new party would be formed within three months. On 20 August 1955 Lohia stated in Lucknow that he wished for the new party to be formed before the end of October 1955. He stated that socialist base committees and individuals would meet in five regional conferences before the end of September, leading up to an All India Party Conference. He hinted the name of the new party would probably be 'the Socialist Party of India'.Indian Affairs Record. Vol. I, No. 8. September 1955. pp. 16, 24, 26–27

On 24 August 1955, whilst addressing the Allahabad Press Club, Lohia announced that the 'Socialist Party of India' would be constituted shortly. The following day Lohia alleged that the PSP national leadership had "fished out" an invitation from Nehru to form a Congress-PSP coalition government in 1953. The Southern Regional Convention took place on 29 August 1955, at which a resolution was adopted which called on PSP units to affiliate themselves with the new Socialist Party.