People's Democracy

ORISSA

AIAWU Holds Seventh State Conference

Prafulla Parhi

ORISSA Khet Mazdoor Union held its seventh state conference at Kukuda Khandi of Ganjam district on June 2-3, 2010. The conference was inaugurated by Hannan Mollah, joint secretary, AIAWU. In his speech, Hannan described the political and economic conditions of the present world and said American imperialism was trying to exercise its hegemony over the Third world countries including India. The UPA-2 government is interested to strengthen its friendship with America at the cost of the interests of the country. This is very dangerous and we have to fight against it, he said. He stressed the importance of building the movement on the problems faced by agricultural workers of Orissa, particularly in the KBK (Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi) region. Harish Chandra Singh, state president hoisted the AIAWU flag and later floral tributes were paid at the martyrs’ column. After this, the delegate session started.

Harish Chandra Singh, Prafulla Patil, Nayrana Nayak, Mahendra Jena comprised the presidium of the conference. The minutes committee comprised Sanat Behera, Sudhansu Nanda and Mratunjay Behra. The condolence resolution was moved by Prafulla Patil, member of the presidium. In the inaugural session, president of the reception committee, Pratap Chandra Dalei delivered the welcome address and hoped that the agricultural workers’ movement would move ahead in Orissa.

The draft report of the state conference was placed by the state secretary, Nityananda Parida. Beginning the discussions on the report,  central working committee member of AIAWU, Sisir Hai stressed on the experiences of the wage movement organised in Mayurbhanj district, on expanding the grass root movement in various places of the state and organising wage and land movement in various places of the state.

On June 2 in the evening, a public meeting was organised at Kukuda Khandi Bazar, in which thousands of agricultural workers participated. The meeting was presided over by Harish Chandra Singh. Hannan Mollah, Jagannath Mishra, Kisan Sabha leader, Nityananda Parida, state secretary, Bidyadhar Jena, secretary of the   reception committee spoke on the occasion. The speakers said the UPA – 2 government in not a government of the aam admi, it is a government of khas admi. In its first budget, it has given concessions to the big corporate and industrial houses and on the other hand it has imposed huge tax burdens on general people.

On June 3, the session started with the discussions on the draft report. 79 per cent of the delegates took part in the discussions. Kalu Panda, state vice president of CITU, Sudam Das, state president of SFI, Judhistir Behera, state president of DYFI, P Hari Khushra Reddy, state secretary of AIKS and Ranjubala Sahu, state AIDWA leader extended fraternal greetings to the conference.

The resolutions on price rise, against atrocities on dalit and tribals, on problems of women agricultural workers, against bonded labour were passed unanimously by the conference.

The conference elected a 25 member state committee. Three members would be co-opted in future. Harish Chandra Singh is the president, Prafulla Parti Sisir Hai and Bidyndhur Jena, vice presidents, Nityananda Parida is the state secretary, Harihar Behra, Mritunjeya Behera, Mahendra Behra and Sudhansu Nanda are joint secretaries elected.

The conference also elected 15 delegates to the next all India conference of AIAWU to be held at Tiruchinapally, Tamilnadu on July 17-19, 2010.

The conference gave a call to enrol massive membership in the next year and reach the 50,000 mark. Last year, the membership was 24,032 and the next conference target is one lakh. The conference has decided to organise district committees in 15 districts. As of now, only six districts have elected committees out of the 30 districts in the state.

In the concluding session, Hannan Mollah urged the delegates to utilise the experiences and inputs they have received from the  conference  and apply them in their  practical work. He asked them to re-double their efforts to build wage and land movement and to strengthen the organisation in Orissa.