CPI(M) Prepares For Bandh In Uttaranchal

 Vijay Rawat

A DELEGATION of the Uttaranchal state committee of the CPI(M) met the state’s governor recently, handed over to him a charter of its demands and urged him to direct the state government to discuss and settle the burning issues that are causing immense problems to the people of the state.

The delegation especially drew the governor’s attention to the ordinance issued by him to control the sale and purchase of land in the state. Ostensibly, the ordinance pretends to protect the citizens of the state from the machinations of land mafia. In effect, however, by redefining an agriculturist, it gives to farm owners, absentee landlords, temples, priests, societies, mahants, bureaucrats, high-ranking military officials, etc, total freedom to sale and purchase land in the state. The ordinance, in fact, goes against all earlier provisions to end the land monopoly in favour of the landless. The delegation demanded that a special session of the assembly must be convened to discuss the sensitive land question.

The delegation also discussed with the governor other problems like the question of minimum wage, draconian nature of the forest act, property as the sole criterion for determination of domicile, women’s issues, and the public distribution system.

RALLY AT VIDHAN SABHA

On September 22, a rally in front of the Vidhan Sabha (state assembly) concluded the CPI(M)’s three months long campaign in the state. The rally was joined by participants from all the 13 districts in the state. A total of 3,000 rallyists, of them 400 women, assembled in the Gandhi Park and then marched through the main streets of the state capital, Dehradun. They were stopped by a police barricade at the entrance to the Vidhan Sabha, where a public meeting was then held. The CPI(M) state committee secretary Vijay Rawat explained to the audience the various aspects of the campaign and the need for further intensification of the struggle. Others speakers like Sajwan, Nautiyal, Negi, Jyoti and others, warned the Congress party’s state government to mend its ways and demarcate its activities from those of the BJP led government at the centre. The charter of demands and the open letter addressed to the chief minister were read before and adopted by the assembled rallyists.

Subhashini Ali, who was the main speaker at the rally, congratulated the different contingents from districts for having come to the state capital in spite of rough weather. She remarked that this rally was better and bigger, both quantitatively and qualitatively, than the one she had attended two years ago. She said it was unfortunate that the new state was saddled with the burden of such a heavy weight as N D Tiwari. His past record has been that he demolishes almost every platform on which he treads. The sad state of Uttar Pradesh and the state of his party in that state bear the stamp of his stints as the chief minister. In these circumstances, the people of Uttaranchal will have to unitedly fight their battles to get anything done, with the red flag as the pivot of struggle. Where are the regional outfits today and what are they doing, she queried. She reminded the audience of the glorious anti-imperialist, anti-feudal and secular traditions of the Uttaranchal people. While fighting for the demands of the people, these glorious traditions of the past will have to be preserved. This task cannot be left to compromisers like N D Tiwari. The speaker was appreciative of the presence of a large number of women in the rally.

SEMINAR AT GARHWAL VARSITY

The Students Federation of India (SFI) organised on September 11 a seminar on education at Srinagar, the headquarters of Garhwal University, in which many former student leaders and SFI activists took part. Former SFI president and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury was the principle guest and speaker at the seminar. He arrived at Srinagar by road, from Haridwar. While on his way to Srinagar, CPI(M) leaders in Tehri welcomed him at a town known as Kiritnagar. Here he paid floral tributes at the statues of Nagendra Saklani and Bholu Bhandari, communist martyrs of the anti-feudal Praja Mandal struggle of the 1940s.

The audience at the seminar comprised intellectuals, teachers, professionals and former student activists, besides 400 students of Garhwal University. Yechury explained the background of the policies that determine the state of education in the country and in various states. He especially mentioned the trimurti of World Bank, IMF and WTO which, coupled with the trishul agenda of the BJP led government, determine the fate of education and employment in the country. He said the central government’s total surrender to the dictates of American imperialism is the source of problems in the field of education and employment. A struggle against the pro-imperialist policies and an understanding of and struggle against the communal drive of the central government was the need of the hour, he said.

The seminar and Yechury’s visit helped the student community in general to get a focus for their struggle and spurred the SFI to launch a mass movement for the modernisation of the university. An immediate result of the visit has been the heightening of SFI activities in all colleges of the university and in the central campus college. In the current session of student union election, for the first time in the history of the university, the SFI is contesting for a major position in nine colleges. SFI candidates have already won the president and general secretary posts in one campus, namely Pauri.

AUGUST CAMPAIGN AND CONVENTIONS

The CPI(M) state committee had decided to hold 65 small and big meetings all over the state as part of the party’s August campaign and to hold three major conventions at Rudrapur, Karanprayag and Dehradun. These three conventions were held on August 24, 28 and 31 respectively. An extensive campaign was launched in July and it covered centres like Pithoragarh, Pindar valley, Kedar valley, Joshi Math, Pauri, Srinagar, Bajpur, Sitarganj, Nanak Matta, Haldvani, Nainital, Kicha, Almora, Dania, Risikesh, Roorkee, Haridwar, Lal Dhang, Kotdwar, Dinesh Pur, Sahaspur and Gaindi Khatta, etc. A total 40,000 leaflets were distributed during this campaign; 5,000 posters were utilised for publicity and 13 press conferences were held. Shamik Lahiri, member of parliament, addressed the convention at Rudrapur.

These conventions lent a local flavour to the demands and requirements of the people. At the Rudrapur convention, the price of sugarcane and payment of cane arrears as well as draconian forest laws were the main issues, apart from the question of domicile. At Karanprayag, the forest laws, law and order situation, the Iraq war, etc, were the dominant issues. The Dehradun convention focused on the questions of minimum wage, closure and privatisation of industry, and the sugarcane price. The three conventions brought together at least 1,200 persons from toiling sections in different walks of life. The issues these conventions raised have become the focus of struggle and will remain so in the coming period. The September 22 rally in front of the Vishan Sabha also highlighted these issues.

PREPARATIONS FOR BANDH   

The state government does not seem to be inclined to seriously consider the issued raised by the CPI(M). Hence the party has decided to launch a second campaign in the state, more intense and extensive, from November 1 to 7. This campaign will culminate in a major action like Uttranchal bandh. The state unit of the CPI(M) has appealed to CPI and other democratic parties in the state to join this bandh. Such a united action will help in resolving some of the issues facing the people and will also help in consolidating the non-Congress secular forces in the state.