Yet another Vishwa Hindu Parishad attempt to bring the Ayodhya cauldron to the boil has just ended in a fiasco.

For the VHP and other Sangh affiliates, the timing of the latest Ayodhya campaign could not be more perfect. They had just successfully effected a change of government in Uttar Pradesh. And Mulayam Singh is now singing a much softer tune on the whole issue of Ayodhya. Far from issuing a fresh notification for the trial of Advani and others for the demolition of Babri Masjid, he openly welcomed the Rae Bareli verdict ‘exonerating’ Advani and refrained from going in appeal against this patently skewed sentence. The Togadias and Singhals pulled out all the stops and the claim went out that on October 17 the country would get to see an unprecedented demonstration of the depth of the VHP’s devotion and determination.

Yet on the D-Day, everything just fizzled out. The VHP tried to blame it on the ‘atrocities’ committed by the UP police. But actually, the UP police were as ‘mulayam’ (soft) as they were in December 1992. With not a single shot fired and the people arrested being treated with such surprising hospitality, the charge of police atrocity could hardly cut any ice with the people. A ‘Bharat bandh’ called in protest against the so-called police intervention had to be promptly scaled down to a ‘Sankalp Sabha’ or just a protest meeting. And there was little protest or public presence to be seen in these meetings either.

Mulayam Singh Yadav has predictably thanked the Centre for the peaceful manner in which the VHP’s Ayodhya campaign has passed off. Ever since the VHP had begun its preparations Mulayam was busy pleading with the BJP top brass to keep the VHP flock in check. The BJP high command on the other hand advised restraint to the UP government and Vajpayee asked the country to trust the VHP. Incidentally, the VHP has on a number of occasions proclaimed its total lack of trust in Vajpayee!

The setting this time was thus little different from that of December 1992. At that time too, Kalyan Singh and the VHP leadership had apparently ‘assured’ the Union Government and the Supreme Court that nothing would be done or allowed to be done to the ‘disputed structure’ and Narsimha Rao had dutifully conveyed that assurance to the nation and gone off to meditate and sleep. Except for the changes in the composition of the governments in New Delhi and Lucknow, the game of words and exchange of assurances sounded ominously similar.

The crucial difference between December 1992 and October 2003 lay in the evident lack of public response. The lack of response and enthusiasm in the saffron brigade’s own ranks became quite evident when a Shiv Sena mobilisation just a few days before the VHP show turned out to be a damp squib. The Delhi rally of the VHP preceding the ‘final assault’ also ended on a very tame note. And despite weeks and months of nationwide campaigning and mobilisation attempts from every corner of the country, the people reaching Uttar Pradesh from outside the state hardly crossed a few thousands. And inside the state, the response was even more muted.

Angry with the periodic siege laid to their twin towns, the people of Faizabad and Ayodhya held meetings and called for frustrating the Sangh’s attempts to whip up a new round of frenzy over the temple issue. And in Lucknow, the state capital, more than five thousand men and women marched in scorching heat at the call of the CPI(ML) on October 16 pledging to defeat the fascist design underlying the BJP’s temple politics. Instead, the Jan Adhikar Rally, urged the people to rise on the basic issues affecting the livelihood of the masses and the future of the country. The rally called for saving secularism, democracy and national independence from the VHP’s trident and challenging the BJP’s fascist agenda with the real agenda of the people.

The contrast between the flop show at Ayodhya and the resonant resolve from Lucknow is pregnant with great possibilities for the future of the Indian people and their democracy. Let us make a determined attempt to transform these growing possibilities into India’s defining reality. Save Democracy - Save India Campaign:

Thousands of people from remote corners of Uttar Pradesh assembled at the Rifah-e-Aam Hall grounds in Lucknow on 16 October to thwart the Sangh Pariwar’s communal campaign on the Mandir issue. The rally was aimed at countering the Sangh Parivar’s march to Ayodhya with the broadest possible mobilisation of peasants and labourers – the only forces that can defeat communal fascism. Issues like exposure of the Sangh Parivar’s Mandir Abhiyan, education and employment, development of the state, confiscation of the black money amassed by corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, BPL cards for the poor as well as issues related to the lives of peasants and workers including the demand for central legislation for agricultural workers and minimum wages were raised at the rally.

The rallyists coming from Western UP (Moradabad and Bareilly) were stopped by the administration at Barielly, and at several other points too they were disturbed. However, around seven thousand participants managed to reach Lucknow to attend the rally. Those detained at Bareilly also, on being released, took out a procession in Bareilly city chanting slogans against Sangh Parivar’s hate campaign.

The mass meeting started with paying tribute to the martyrs of Bhavanipur massacre and the Party comrades as well as innocent people martyred in violence perpetrated by the feudal forces and the state machinery. The rally was addressed by CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya and State Secretary Akhilendra Pratap Singh. The other speakers at the rally were — MK Sherwani, President of the All India Muslim Forum, Ismail Siddiqui, President of the Momin Conference, Dr. Krisnawtar Pandey, President of the PUHR, Daniram Panther, Dalit Panther leader, Dr. Brij Bihari, Editor of Dalit Asia Today, and Rajendra Vanvasi, Convenor of Adivasi-Vanvasi Sangh and leaders of various mass organisations affiliated with the Party. The meeting was presided over by veteran CPI (ML) leader and freedom fighter RN Upadhyaya. The mass meeting was conducted by State Standing Committee member Lal Sahib.

Addressing the rally Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya said: The days of fanning frenzy on the Mandir issue are gone. People are now demanding from NDA govt. at the centre to account for their five-year rule. Elections are round the corner and they have nothing to offer to the people. Thus, Mandir is a movement of worn-out fellows. They claim to mobilise lakhs but in fact find it hard to bring in people in thousands. Today’s Jan Adhikar Rally is a meaningful initiative because the common people demand that politics should centre around issues. There should be talk on issues of rights of toiling people, of peasants, women, adivasis, of fields and factories, schools and colleges. People ask us: Is Ayodhya not an issue to you? Yes, Ayodhya is definitely an issue for us. In 1992 those who demolished Babri Masjid gave false assurance to the people and killed the spirit of the constitution and the law, as well as democracy. To bring these killers of democracy to book is the issue of Ayodhya. Therefore we have launched a “Save Democracy, Save India” campaign throughout the country.

Exposing Mulayam’s opportunist politics he said: Now Mulayam Singh is saying that if BJP gives up Ram Mandir, Art. 370 and Common Civil Code, he can get closer to BJP. Everybody knows that it is on these very conditions that NDA had been forged, but BJP gave up none of these issues. Whom is Mulayam Singh duping? If he wishes to forge relationship with BJP, why does he not spell it clearly?

Comrade Dipankar warned: If Ayodhya gave the first signal, genocide in Gujarat gave the second one. These signals point to the elimination democracy and national unity. Whereas we want Parliament to pass the laws in favour of agrarian labourers, for ensuring reservation to women, to include Right to work in the Constitution, they demand laws on Mandir construction and banning cow-slaughter. The world they live in is different from ours. Our way is not only different from theirs, it is just opposite.

Speaking after him, Comrade Akhilendra Pratap Singh said: This rally asks Mulayam, why he is hesitating from filing a review petition in the High Court against Advani’s acquittal by the Rae Bareli court? Rajnath Singh and Mayawati had their compulsions, but what is there holding Mulayam from doing so? Mulayam’s democracy must not get confined to the release of Raja Bhaiya. If he is so fond of democracy, he must file a case against Rajnath Singh for Bhavanipur massacre. And if he wants to safeguard dignity of women, he must not side with killers like Amarmani Tripathi for power equations and punish the guilty, whosoever he may be.

The rally demanded that atrocious state repression on ML activists and rural poor in Sonebhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli in the name of containing Naxalism be stopped immediately. The rally also demanded that the State Cabinet must pass a proposal to award status of Scheduled Tribes to Kols, Korwas, Musahars etc. and send the same to the Central Govt for apporval.

A Convention against communalism was organised on Oct 20 in Arrah, the city which otherwise is known for it's glorious legacy of revolutionary peasant movements but witnessed an incident of communal frenzy and violence by Sangh and Shiv Sena hoodlums during last Dussehra celebrations. Convention condemned Laloo-Rabri regime's policy of appeasing the Sangh Parivar and BJP and appealed to the people to intensify the struggles on people's basic issues to defeat communal fascist intentions of BJP and Sangh Parivar.

Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya spoke at the Convention as the main speaker where he said "in a situation when Sangh and VHP are trying once again to fan communal passions by raising the Mandir issue when five states are going to polls in December, Bihar govt.'s policy of appeasing the communal BJP has definitely put glorious legacy, traditions, amity and distinct political identity of Arrah and the Bhojpur region in danger and this needs to be resisted and opposed at all costs". He also warned the communal forces and said that CPI(ML) will never let divisive forces succeed in Arrah for any repetition of what they had perpetrated in cities like Meerut, Surat, Bombay or Ahmedabad in the past.

He condemned RJD govt. of Bihar for not agreeing to the CPI(ML)'s demand of holding DM and SSP responsible in cases of communal or castiest violence and said that Laloo is reaping political gains by maintaining social tension. While movement of poor peasants and agricultural labourers is routinely facing repression by police and administration and bitter memories of massacres like Bathe and Bathani are still afresh in the minds of the people, Laloo's police implicates students, under charges of sedition, who opposed Advani and his fascist politics in Darbhanga. He also reiterated CPI(ML)'s resolve to bring the guilty of 1992 Babri Masjid demolition to the book.

The well attended convention was also addressed by Rameshwar Prasad and a number of eminent citizens and prominent intellectuals of the region. Veteran party leader and cultural personality Comrade Ramakant Dwivedi 'Ramta' was also present on the occasion.

The Convention demanded to arrest those responsible for the violence of Oct 5 in Arrah and an strong action against the District Magistrate as well as proper compensation to the families of those killed and whose shops were burnt during violence.

The Convention appealed to make CPI(ML)'s "Save Democracy - Save India" campaign and the forthcoming All India Agri. Labourers' National Conference to be held in Arrah a great success.

The All India Agricultural Labourers' Association (Khet Mazdoor Sabha) will hold it's first national conference in Arrah (Bhojpur) of Bihar on November 14-15. The preparations to the conference are going at full throttle and, besides various programmes being taken up throughout the country, an extensive propaganda campaign along with various other programmes is being undertaken in and around Bhojpur. A programme to erect memorials of martyrs has also been taken up from 26 Oct to 5 Nov and a total of 32 martyrs memorials, including those of comrades Jagdish, Sheela Chatterji and Rameshwar (in Ekbari village), Butan Mushhar (Baruna village), Jiut and Sahato (Kunai village) and Agni (Sandesh village), will be erected during this campaign.

A massive Mazdoor-Kisan Ekta Rally (Worker-Peasant Solidarity Rally) will be held before the Conference on Nov 14 at Ramana ground in Arrah while the Conference will be held in stadium ground in the city.

Large gates have been erected in almost all the villages where struggles of agrarian labourers are going on and intensive wall-writings and installation of hoardings is being done by the local committees of Khet Mazdoor Sabha to welcome the delegates. Pamphlets, handbills, flags and other propaganda materials are being distributed in the villages and mass-contact and fund-collection campaigns are being conducted as part of preparations for the Conference. Cycle rallies, torchlight processions and prabhat pheries are also being organised at different places in the region.

In the meanwhile, the central coordination committee of AIALA concluded its meeting on Oct. 18 in Patna and reviewed the preparations going on for the Conference. The coordination committee has appealed to double the efforts and sharpen the propaganda to make the Conference historic. The coordination committee has also appealed to elect maximum number of women delegates to the Conference. Around one thousand delegates, observers and guests are expected to attend the Conference from all over the country. A document is being finalised to be presented in the Conference after detailed discussions with leading activists at all state, district and block levels. Representatives of fraternal and friendly organisations have been invited to the Conference of which CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya will be the chief guest.

CPI(ML) organised a dharna against Digvijay Singh govt. of Madhya Pradesh for it's failure to contain corruption, rising unemployment, police-criminal nexus and atrocities on dalits, minorities and women. Various other issues such as privatisation of education, deteriorating public health system, roads and transport, power supply and water crisis were also raised through this dharna held on October 17. Speakers at the dharna, which was led by Party's Central Committee member Prabhat Kumar Choudhary, appealed to intensify struggle against deceitful regime as well as communal fascist forces and criticised Digvijay Singh's surendering attitude towards hindutva fascist forces in the name of containing the latter while, at the same time, general plight of deprived sections of society has further worsened. Dalits in MP are still living under the tyranny of feudal forces while a hype is being created of distribution of land-pattas to the dalits though many are unable to get possession over the land they possess.

A number of peasants, workers, youth and women from Bhind, Gwalior, Datia and Shivpuri attended the dharna. The dharna demanded to give possession over the land which has been distributed to the dalits, reopening of closed industrial units, including Jaycee Mills, in the state, an stop to capitation fees and privatisation of education, unemployment allowance of Rs. 1000 per month, waiver of electricity bills to the poor and BPL cards to all those living under extreme conditions of poverty.

Delhi unit of Party organised a state level cadre convention on Oct 14 in view of forthcoming assembly elections in the state. Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed the Convention and said "as both Congress and BJP are trying to divert the basic issues during these elections, it becomes the primary responsibility of all left and democratic forces to bring these issues and impact of anti-people policies of liberalisation and globalisation which is adversely affecting the lives of the common people in the capital to the forefront." The Convention was attended by nearly 60 activists and leaders from various parts of Delhi.

Cadre workshops were also organised in Narela, Patparganj, Mandawali and Rohtas Nagar assembly constituencies from where Party is to contest elections, and a detailed programme was chalked out and election campaign committees were elected. These workshops were addressed by Swapan Mukherjee, Prabhat Choudhary and Rajendra Pratholi as the main speakers.

CPI(ML) has also highlighted various issues specifically related to livelihood of industrial workers, jhuggi dwellers, and urban poor and women to be raised in the forthcoming elections in Delhi.

AICCTU's Bihar unit held its two day state conference on Oct 18 in Hajipur where it resolved to defeat anti-worker policies of liberalisation and globalisation along with the politics of communal fascism and imperialist intervention and condemned Bihar's RJD govt. for fanning social tensions for vested political interests. The conference was inaugurated by AICCTU National President and veteran trade union leader Comrade Yogeshwar Gope. A massive demonstration was also held in the city before the conference which was started after flag hoisting ceremony and paying homage to the martyrs. The open session of the conference was also addressed by AITUC's General Secretary of Bihar Chakradhar Singh and Secretary Narayan Purve, Editor of Shramik Solidarity Pradip Jha and General Secretary of Bihar State Non-gazetted Employee's Association (Gope group) Rambali Prasad.

The Conference passed resolutions condemning communal fascist forces, prevailing domination of feudal elements in the state's polity and oppression of dalits and poor and resolved to expand the organisation. It also appealed to make the forthcoming agricultural labourers' National Conference in Arrah a grand success. Conference elected a 31 member State Council, 21 member State Executive and 11 office bearers.

In the recent past there has been an alarming increase in the number of cases of violence on women. This is specially true in the national capital of Delhi. The violence is not incidental and random. It reflects a certain mindset and is conducted with impunity as well as a conscious element of brutality and defiance. In September it was an incident relating to a nurse who was raped by an employee of the Shanti Mukund Hospital. There has been no action on the part of the Health Ministry so far. Another shocking incident took place in the beginning of October. This time it was a student of Jesus and Mary College who had gone to a park with her friend. She was accosted by none other than four armymen of the president’s cavalry guard. A student of class III of the Sarvodaya Vidyalaya was raped by a young teacher in the school premises during school hours!

But on the 17th of this month, people of Delhi were jolted out of their wits when they read the news of a Swiss national working as an employee in the Swiss Embassy raped in the parking lot of the Siri Fort Auditorium. Soon after, a documentary film maker was attacked in a similar manner.

Going back into Delhi’s past one can see that some of the most heinous crimes against women have gone without any exemplary punishment. Moreover, it is quite evident that the mindset of those who control the affairs of the state remains patriarchal, feudal and totally insensitive.

The other important reason for these brazen acts is that Politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists and the powerful and their kith and kin are immune to any law. Despite the fact that people like Pramod Mahajan or Amarmani Tripathi are directly involved in murder cases, they continue to head important Ministries. A Chief Minister like Mulayam Singh Proudly declares to the press – Amarmani has helped me and the state in a time of crisis, I will protect him. The President of India, instead of expressing regret in the DU student rape case, quickly has a communiqué sent to the press that the armymen were not part of his security, rather only “low level functionaries deputed on ceremonial duties”. The BJP’s propaganda offensive relegates women to the position of slaves in their homes or outside. Can women remain safe without fighting against this and challenging the retrogressive and patriarchal forces that are trying to intimidate women to the point of pushing them back into the four walls of their homes? While the Home Minister LK Advani remains unaccountable for the safety of women in the Capital, he is busy realising his dream of a RAM RAJYA with Ram Mandirs ad infinitum. We are seeing a small glimpse – a trailer of Advani’s Ram Rajya?

A delegation of AIPWA, led by it's General Secretary Kumudini Pati, has met the Joint Police Commissioner in New Delhi on Oct 21 and demanded arrest of the criminals in a time-bound frame.