Translate the People’s Anger into a Powerful Voice for Change

POLL bells have started ringing in Bihar and Jharkhand. The ruling parties and parties of bourgeois opposition have already got into the electioneering mode. The working people and their party must also make every effort to ensure a powerful communist intervention in the ensuing electoral battle. With two impressive rallies in Patna (Jansankalp rally, 30 November) and Ranchi (Vikalp rally, 2 December), the CPI(ML) has already launched a determined mass campaign in this direction. In the coming weeks the campaign must reach out to all sections of the oppressed and aggrieved people and turn their anger into a powerful blow to the powers that be.

The parliamentary elections held last summer had revealed a strong anti-BJP mood in both Bihar and Jharkhand. The mood clearly continues. A discredited and demoralized BJP will no doubt try every trick to shore up its sagging poll prospects. Already, it is trying to explore every emotive issue to fan communal passions, and in Jharkhand where it is in power it is also using the administration to the hilt. But its ouster from power in Jharkhand looks pretty certain and in Bihar too, it is now at its weakest.

The Lok Sabha elections had also witnessed a grand anti-BJP alliance comprising the Congress, RJD, LJP, JMM and the CPI and CPI(M), which subsequently crystallized into the formation of the Left-backed UPA government at the Centre. But with the spotlight being shifted to the coveted chair of State Chief Minister, there are visible cracks and diminishing cohesion in the UPA camp. In Bihar, Ram Vilas Paswan has started projecting himself as a Chief Minister-in-waiting. So far he has been able to enlist the open support of only a pack of notorious criminals and a few disgruntled politicians; but as his November 27 show of strength indicated, he has also succeeded in evoking some sympathy and curiosity beyond his own social and political constituency. It will be interesting to watch the evolving equation within the Congress-RJD-LJP triangle over the next few weeks.

In Jharkhand, the Congress of course sees itself as the dominant partner vis-à-vis the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, but the whole world knows that the JMM chief fancies himself as the rightful claimant to the Chief Minister’s chair. If the Congress agrees to play ball with the RJD in Bihar, the latter may reciprocate by backing the Congress in this contention in Jharkhand. But the situation demanding and numbers permitting, the JMM may well enter into a post-poll pact with the BJP to realize its aspirations of power. The JD(U) has virtually disintegrated in Jharkhand, and in Bihar too it is now a poor shadow of its former self. There is also a growing debate within the party over its continuing ties with the BJP.

A state of division, debates and confusion within the UPA and the NDA should augur well for the Left to emerge and assert as a powerful third force. But in the name of giving another decisive blow to the BJP, the CPI and CPI(M) favour an alliance with the UPA in the coming elections. These parties have clearly lost their strength and will to function as an independent opposition and are happy to survive in the shadow of the Congress and the RJD. We, on the other hand, have played the role of a consistent and credible opposition in both Bihar and Jharkhand. At a time when the BJP is losing steam and the UPA has started exposing itself with its anti-poor policies, it is time for us to step up our role and assert as a powerful Left pole.

The enthusiastic popular response witnessed in our recent rallies reflected an unmistakable fighting urge of the people. Both Bihar and Jharkhand are reeling under a severe economic crisis, and the misery of the people is compounded by rampant criminalization and police repression. Prices are soaring sky high, and the poor are being starved to death. The token food-for-work scheme launched by the UPA government is a cruel insult to the plight of the toiling and starving millions. While the people’s demand for immediate relief is being met with lathis and bullets in Laloo’s Bihar, in Jharkhand Arjun Munda had the audacity to print his photographs on ration cards distributed among the BPL families. While ESMA is being slapped on the agitating municipal workers in Bihar, the UPA government wants to deprive the coal workers of Jharkhand of their rightful claim to a wage agreement. The working people are understandably angry and we must channelise this anger into a powerful mandate for change and for a stronger representation of the revolutionary Left in the State Assemblies of Bihar and Jharkhand.

CPI(ML)'s 'Vikalp Rally' in Ranchi

CPI(ML)'s Jharkhand State Committee held the 'Vikalp Rally' (Rally for an alternative) on Dec 2 in Ranchi and called upon the people of Jharkhand to oust the BJP government in the coming Assembly elections and, simultaneously, teach centre's UPA govt. a befitting lesson for its betrayal of the mandate 2004. The huge rally, participated by thousands of people who reached Ranchi from all over the state, pledged to carry forward the people's agenda by intensifying struggle against criminal negligence of agriculture resulting in drought, debt-trap, forced migration of rural poor, epidemics, starvation and malnutrition causing immense misery to the people and untimely deaths; and against attempts to deindustrialise Jharkhand, evictions and unemployment as well as against corruption, crime and state repression.

It was emphatically reiterated in the rally that the primary need of the people of the state is to oust the BJP from power and expose the Congress-JMM-RJD's betrayal of the mandate.

CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya strongly condemned the BJP's Arjun Munda government for ordering police firing on poor and starving people of this famine hit state. At a time when people are dying of hunger, BJP is worried about the arrest of Shankaracharya and Arjun Munda is busy printing his own photograph on the ration cards, he said. CPI(ML) is the only party fighting for the people's agenda of agrarian as well as overall development while ruling parties are bent upon killing the aspirations of Jharkhandi people. BJP only tried to make another Gujarat in Jharkhand but the people of the state foiled these designs, he added. He also criticized centre's UPA govt. for retreating from its promises of giving employment to the youth and a constitutional right to work. Even employment guarantee scheme is now being diluted and being implemented in selected districts, it now proposes to give employment to only one member of a family. He criticized the left parties supporting the UPA for compromising with the rights of workers and peasants and said that it is the strength of the masses that provids real alternative for the anti-people policies and regimes. And this is the power that we can see in this rally where thousands of workers, peasants, dalits and adivasis are assembled under the red flag.

Leader of the CPI(ML) Legislative group in Bihar , comrade Ramnaresh Ram, said people of Jharkhand and Bihar strived for a new state to fulfil their age old aspirations for development and prosperity but the leadership of the new state went into the hands of plunderers. Today agrarian labourers and peasants of Jharkhand as well as Bihar are starving. He called upon the people to oust the governments of these two states and said that if govts. don't act responsibly then people have right to capture the tons of foodgrains piled up in godowns and distribute it among themselves. He also strongly condemned PWG and MCC, who under the garb of revolution are killing innocents, including women, children and communist revolutionaries, and said that these two are acting, in fact, as outfits working in favour of these repressive governments.

Polit Bureau member and UP State Secretary Akhilendra Pratap Singh also addressed the rally where he appreciated the intense desire for change among rallyists and said BJP has been exposed and rejected by the people in the last Lok Sabha elections but it is also true that the suicides by farmers are still continuing. Now it is the path of the struggles of workers and peasants under the red flag that will wipe out such forces and will lead towards a new future. Mahendra Singh, CPI(ML) MLA in Jharkhand, criticized JMM's hobnobbing with the Congress which goes against the interests of the newly constituted state. He criticized BJP for its failure to hold Panchayat elections in the state and using power to suppress the movements of oppressed sections like adivasis, backwards, women and minorities. The state government is shamelessly supporting an SP, Dipak Verma, who himself ordered a contract killing (gave supari) like ordinary criminals. The crime rule in Jharkhand is not very different from what is going on in bihar, he added.

CPI(ML)'s militant struggles against incidents of police firings in Markachcho, Tapkara, and Doranda and struggles on various developmental issues all over the state have brought the people's movement to the forefront of state politics proving that the path of liberation from hunger and repression can be opened only through struggles and sacrifices. And this struggle now needs to be more intense and wider to make it a decisive one.

The rally was also addressed by CCM Ibnul Hasan Basru, Khet Mazdoor Sabha General Secretary Rameshwar Prasad, AICCTU General Secretary Swapan Mukherjee, along with members of the Jharkhand State Committee. Subhendu Sen presided over the meeting while Polit Bureau members Swadesh Bhattacharya and DP Buxi were also present on the occasion.

The rally was participated by rural poor, mainly agricultural labourers and peasants, youth, and a large number of workers from unorganised sector, representing almost every district of the state. The rally also marked the conclusion of the two month statewide campaign against starvation and state repression. This campaign witnessed large scale mobilizations and protest programmes at all the major centres of the state.

The rally concluded after passing the 11-point political resolutions, that included following points:

1. Demand to declare whole state famine affected, implementation of food for work scheme and waiver of all loans;

2. Withdrawal of price hike of petroleum products and more effective PDS with a wider reach;

3. Condemnation of police atrocities on mass movements and political activists and immediate removal of SP of Giridih Dipak Verma, ex-SI of Chainpur in Palamou Pramod Singh and SI of Kasmar (Bokaro) PK Mishra;

4. Strong condemnation of attempts to spread communal venom by RSS in the name of Shakaracharya's arrest;

5. Demand to halt closure of industries, re-opening of closed industries and constitution of a Board for unorganised sector workers, and, opposing cut in the interest rate of provident fund by the central govt. The policy of outsourcing in coal industry and anti-worker attitude of CIL management was also opposed. It was also demanded to provide employment to the unemployed youth in the nearby collieries and to take measures to stop deaths of poor people involved in illegal mining in closed mines, simultaneously, ending the mafia-rule in the coal mining industry.

6. Rally condemned the repressive tactics adopted by the state govt. on agitating daily wage, honorary and contract employees, and teachers and nonteaching staff of minority and project schools and colleges and supported the ongoing movement of employees of minor irrigation, land-measurement and bandobast deptts.

7. It was demanded to stop misuse of power and administration to serve political ends and demanded from the Election Commission for quick intervention in such matters.

8. Rally demanded constitution of a state Women's Commission and declaration of a policy in this regard and pledged to work for women's empowerment against the increasing incidents of violence against women in the state.

9. State govt.'s political conspiracy to divide major forces of Jharkhand movement on caste basis in order to weaken the movement was strongly opposed and the rally called upon the people to unite and fight against such govt.

10. The government's attempts to amend legislations specifically meant for Chhotanagpur and Santhal Pargana regions were vehemently opposed.

11. Rally called upon all left and democratic forces to refrain from UPA and NDA and come forward to forge a third alternative in favour of the people.

12th Anniversary of Babri Demolition:
Secular Marches Held Throughout the Country

UP Govt. must issue fresh notification to institute criminal case against Advani; Governments suppressing democratic rights of the people can not defend secular fabric; 150 arrested in Faizabad

On the occasion of 12th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition CPI(ML) organised Secular Marches and other protest programmes at various centres of the country on Dec 6 to oppose communal fascist forces and demanded from the Mulayam Singh government in UP to issue fresh notification so that a criminal case be restarted against the main accused Advani and his accomplices.

CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed the Secular March held at Patna and said that intrinsic relationship between democracy and secularism is irrefutable and the government that suppressed the democratic rights of the people can never prove itself to be a true defender of secular values, he was pointing towards Laloo-Rabri govt. in Bihar . This govt., he added, sent student-youth leaders, waving black flags on Advani, to jail under charges of sedition in Darbhanga and popular mukhiya Shah Chand along with thirteen other activists is serving life sentence under draconian TADA, while people's voices against crime and famine are being suppressed with bullets and batons.

He questioned lifting of case against Uma Bharti by the UPA govt. and regular promotions being given to those police and administrative officials who were responsible for Bhagalpur riots, none of them has yet been punished by the Bihar govt. Babri demolition in 1992 itself proved impossibility of any unity between secular and communal forces but still, ironically, many parties claiming to be secular are compromising with communal forces only to capture power.

It was inherent in the mandate 2004 given by the people of India against NDA that the main perpetrator of Gujarat genocide Narendra Modi must be punished, but the UPA govt. retreated on this count too. Comrade Dipankar thanked people of India for foiling Sangh's call for the Bharat bandh on Shankaracharya's arrest and called upon them to defeat antidemocratic opportunist forces and march towards a modern democratic India and a new Bihar as well.

The march was attended by Polit Bureau members of the Party Swadesh Bhattacharya, Nand Kishor Prasad and State Secretary Ramjatan Sharma, CCMs KD Yadav, Ramji Rai and Saroj Chaubey, State Secretary of MCPI Vijay Kr. Chaudhary, Ekta Pahal leader Nandkishor Singh, Prof. Bharti S. Kumar, Rajaram Singh, MLA and leaders and activists of many other parties and organisations besides a number of intellectuals, cultural personalities and eminent citizens.

While in UP, statewide agitations were held to emphasize the demand for fresh notification against the accused LK Advani and others. Memoranda were sent from all district headquarters to the Chief Minister for the same. Secular marches were held at Lucknow , Chandauli, Robertsganj, Lakhimpur-Kheri, and Pilibhit and protests were held at Allahabad , Varanasi , Kanpur , Gorakhpur and many other places. It was also demanded to take action against yogi Adityanath and organisations associated with the Sangh for fanning communal frenzy in Gorakhpur and Sant Kabir Nagar districts. In Faizabad, nearly 150 AISA and RYA activists were arrested by the police while they were holding a march against communalism and for education and employment.

Similar protests and marches were also held in other states. In Garhwa (Jharkhand) a silent procession was organised to condemn the communal forces. In Tripura, street corner meetings were held in Udaipur and Dharmnagar.

In Delhi , students, teachers and representatives of various organisations came together under the banner of Forum for Democratic Initiatives, for demanding the speedy trial and punishment of those charged for masterminding the demolition of the Babri Masjid and punishment for the perpetrators of the Gujarat genocide. Raising slogans condemning the communal carnage played out by the Sangh forces from 1992 to 2002, the members of FDI, All India Students Association (AISA), Aman Ekta Manch, Saheli, INSAF, AIPRF, Jan Sanskriti Manch and JNUSU marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar.

Central Office Bearers' Meet of AICCTU

THE meeting of the central office bearers of AICCTU was held on 4-5 December in Kolkata. The meeting began after observing two-minute silence to pay tributes to Comrade Shakar Das, National Councillor of AICCTU, who passed away recently after a sudden heart failure.

The major decision of the meeting was to hold the 6th National Conference of AICCTU from 14 to 16 May, 2005 at Guwahati. A Workers' Rally will also be held at the beginning of the Conference.

AIPWA wins battle for compensation

THE Kanpur Unit of AIPWA, under the leadership of UP state AIPWA and AICCTU leader Gita Singh and ward member Kamala Pandey were successful in getting relief for Manju Devi, wife of a driver who was working with Kanodia Transport Company and who was being denied compensation. The Manager of the Transport company had connived with the police and had tried to manipulate the post-mortem report, when Manju approached the AIPWA leaders.The leaders, along with women workers gheraoed the Post Mortem Dept. of the Hailat Hospital and stopped the body of the driver Laxmi from being handed over without proper post mortem. A sum of Rs. 1 lakh was disbursed following the agitation.

Obituary

Comrade Vipin Bihari Shrivastav, senior member of the Party and a veteran of the communist movement, passed away in the night of November 28 at his residence in Lucknow. He was 65. He associated himself with the Party in 70s and was a founding member of Lucknow district unit. He was instrumental in publication of Party's UP state organ in the days of the underground work. He remained dedicated to the cause of the people and their struggles throughout his life. We will always remember his contributions to the Party and for the cause of the revolution.

Red Salute to Comrade Vipin Bihari Shrivastav !