People's Democracy

7th All India Conference of AIAWU

Honours Mudigonda Martyr Families

 

“My husband fell to the bullets of police while fighting for the distribution of land to the landless poor. I would not hesitate to give my child also to the cause. We will continue our fight for land and for the cause of agricultural labour. I will never forget the love and affection bestowed on us by the movement since the death of my husband.”

 

These resolute words of the young widow, Yenagundla Usha, wife of Mudigonda martyr Yenagundla Veeranna, with the 5-year old child in her arms, stirred the delegates attending the 7th all India conference of AIAWU. They raised slogans of 'Red salute to the martyrs of Mudigonda', 'We shall carry forward the struggle'. Yenagundla Usha spoke after being honoured in the  conference along with five other family members of the seven Mudigonda martyrs who fell to the brutal police firing while conducting the land struggle in Mudigonda on July 28, 2007. The Congress government in AP wanted to crush the growing land struggle in the state by resorting to such brutality.

 

AIAWU joint secretary Suneet Chopra introducing the family members on the dais of  the conference told them “your family now is 50 lakh members who are AIAWU members across the country. The supreme sacrifice made by your loved ones to the cause of land to the poor makes us proud to honour you. They have given their lives so that others can live a life of dignity.” The importance of the demand of 'land to the poor' at a time of all round price rise and growing attempts to snatch away land was stressed.

 

The top leadership of AIAWU individually honoured the family members by placing shawls. Those who were honoured included Pasupuleti Shantamma mother of martyr P Kutumba Rao; Jangam Mangamma mother of J Balaswamy; Usukula Chilakamma wife of U Gopaiah; Kathula Jayamma daughter of K Pedalaxmi;  and Banka Nagamma wife of B Gopaiah. The AIAWU leaders of Mudigonda who led the struggle then, B Ramesh and Padma were also honoured on the occasion by AIKS general secretary K Varadharajan. It may be recalled that various state committees of the AIAWU and the democratic movement had collected Rs 95 lakhs as fund from the people for helping the martyr families.

 

CONDOLENCE

RESOLUTION

 

The 7th conference of AIAWU condoled the death of Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet and noted that “his constant concern to build a powerful agricultural workers union was one of the most important contributions to developing our present all India organisation.”

 

It also condoled the death of Comrade Jyoti Basu whom it described as “a unique leader of the working class, who led the Left Front government as chief minister for over a quarter of century even within the framework of bourgeois democracy. The architect of land reforms, the defender of trade union rights and the initiator of local government reforms that have become the model for the whole country.”

 

The conference also paid homage to leaders of the democratic movement; the all India office bearers, CWC and general council members; comrades in state movements and martyrs who passed away since the last conference. The delegates observed silence in memory of these comrades.

 

AIAWU joint secretary Suneet Chopra moved the condolence resolution.

 

(NSA)