T
he year since the Seventh Party Congress of CPI(ML), since November 2002, has been an eventful year, both internationally and nationally.
In the name of war on terror, the US has unleashed a terrorist war on Iraq and occupied that country. There have been massive anti-war protests all over the world demanding immediate US withdrawal from Iraq. The demonstrations were especially strong in Washington, London, Melbourne and Berlin, where the rising anti-globalisation movement turned its focus to opposing the war.
In India, CPI(ML) held several anti-war rallies. Notable among them was the massive anti-war rally on 28 March in Delhi (left). On the same day there was also a rally of southern states at Chennai (top).
In India, in the wake of the Seventh Congress, first came the stunning bad news of BJP’s victory in Gujarat. This strengthened the resolve of the secular forces throughout the country to intensify their resistance to Modi brand of murderous communalism.
Soon after the Congress, in January, Bihar plunged into turbulence. Three students were gunned down in cold blood in a fake police encounter. CPI(ML) called for a ‘Bihar Bandh’ on January 3 against the RJD government. (middle)
On January 22, the students and youth of Bihar rallied with AISA and RYA to hold a massive March. On 23 February, a huge state-level mass convention was organised in Bihar under the theme, “Build A New Bihar”.
On January 31, CPI(ML) held a successful Jharkhand bandh against state repression. (bottom)
In February, a Jharkhand Navnirman mass convention was held, which resolved to intensify mass struggles in the state.
The Asian Social Forum was held in Hyderabad in January. AICCTU, AISA, AIPWA and IIMS participated in it. They played an important part in the rally held on the concluding day. (top)
The year 2003 saw several states evicting tribals from their traditional homelands under a directive from the Supreme Court. The CPI(ML) called upon its organisations to resist the move.
On Women's Day, 8 March, AIPWA participated in a massive joint procession in Delhi and held rallies in several centres against war and imperialism. (right: AIPWA demo, 8 March, Patna)
On 21 May, 2003 there was a country-wide general strike called by central trade unions including AICCTU, against Government of India’s disastrous anti-people, anti-workers and anti-national policies. In several states including Bihar it was observed as a bandh. There was a spirited response to this general strike.
In April, the Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha (BPKS – the peasant organisation) held a Kisan Panchayat against imperialist plunder of Indian agriculture. In Andhra, the busy National Highway-5 was blocked on the issue of drought. Several people were badly injured in the batoncharge by the police. (bottom left)
Students and youth from all over the country converged in Lucknow on 10 May and observed anti-imperialist day (the anniversary of India’s first war of independence, 1857) by marching to the Residency at Lucknow.
In September, the Party launched the “Save democracy, Save India” campaign.
September also witnesses the dramatic collapse of the Cancun Ministerial meet of the WTO. The CPI(ML) has organised several protests against the Cancun meet and the one in Delhi on 13 September coinciding with the Cancun meet was a massive one. (above)
AISA tells poisonous Pepsi to quit India on August 9 (Quit India Day, (bottom right). Four AISA students in Bihar who showed black flags to Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani in Darbhanga were charged with sedition. There were protests all over Bihar against this. (top right)
A North-East tribal convention was held at Diphu on 14 September which came up with a Diphu Declaration on “Tribal Question and Indian Revolution”.
On October 16 there was a huge state-level Jan Adhikar Rally in Lucknow against communal fascist designs of BJP. (second from top)
AISA asserted itself in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) with AISA candidate Mona Das winning the General Secretary post in the JNUSU.
The All-India Agricultural Labour Association was launched at Ara in Bhojpur district of Bihar on 14 November, 2003. This marked the beginning of a new course of advance and assertion of the rural poor. The organisation had a membership of around 1,500,000 at the time of launching. (right: AIALA GS Rameshwar Prasad at the Conference)
Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya concluded the Save Democracy, Save India campaign by undertaking a tour of South India. Conventions were held in Chennai, Pondicherry and Vijayawada and a huge rally was held in Bhubaneswar.
The year after the Party Congress also witnessed the sad demise of Comrade Arjit Mitra, a Party leader in West Bengal, Comrade Brajesh, Bihar State Committee member and Comrade Ashok Manohar, General Secretary of Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) who had a close working relationship with CPI(ML).