People's Democracy

'Land Reforms Key to

Real Development'

Yechury Campaigns in Bihar

 

WITH the largest number of landless people in the country, the real development of Bihar can take place only with implementation of land reforms in the state, and to ensure this the people must chose Left parties candidates in the elections to the state assembly.

 

This was the appeal to the voters made by the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP Sitaram Yechury on his first day of election campaign in Bihar on October 19, 2010. He addressed three election meetings in Dalsingh Sarai, Hasanpur and Patsa in Samastipur district. The CPI(M) candidates, Ramdev Verma from Vibhutipur, Ajay Singh from Ujiarpur and Raghuvansh Mukhiya from Hasanpur constituencies also participated in the respective meetings.

 

Yechury, in his speeches, asserted that it is only the Left parties that have shown commitment in fighting for implementation of land reforms in the state. He cited how the Left Front government of West Bengal distributed around 13 lakh acres of land to the landless poor, benefiting nearly 35 lakh families belonging to SCs, STs, minorities and other downtrodden sections. Such measures would result in real development, not the kind of those undertaken by Nitish Kumar which are benefiting only the rich and the corrupt. He compared these with the 'Shining India' policies of central governments which have resulted in the doubling of dollar billionaires in the country. He said the main question people must raise is as to who this so-called development is benefiting.

 

Yechury attacked Nitish Kumar for the company he is keeping i.e. the BJP and Shiv Sena which are part of NDA. He called upon the people to question their chief minister as to why his NDA partner, Shiv Sena, is carrying out vicious physical attacks against Biharis in Maharashtra. The Biharis are forced to migrate, leaving their homes and families to far off places in search of work because they do not find employment avenues in the state. And attacks on such people who are contributing so much to the development of those areas cannot be tolerated. But the CM in hunger of power is continuing in the company of NDA, he charged.

 

Yechury criticised the government for allowing large scale corruption in the PDS, MNREGA and other welfare schemes. He also attacked it for not providing relief to the Kosi flood affected people and asked as to what happened to the Rs 1,000 crore relief money that had come from the centre.  He demanded scrapping of the division of the poor among BPL and APL and wanted universalisation of PDS. In this context, he reminded people about the cruel attitude of the Congress led UPA II government which allowed rotting of foodgrains in godowns but refused to implement Supreme Court order for its distribution among the poor.

 

Yechury pooh poohed the Congress election campaign in Bihar about ensuring development, asking what they did in the 40 years of power they had. He also criticised RJD of Laloo Yadav for not doing much for the benefit of the people of the state and focussing only on casteist politics.

 

CPI(M) MLC and veteran teachers movement leader, Vasudev Singh, also addressed the gatherings.  Yechury will campaign for the coming three days also in Bihar in the districts of Motihari, Chhapra and Begusarai. He will address an election meeting jointly with CPI general secretary A B Bardhan in Begusarai on October 22.

 

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat is scheduled to campaign in the state for two days on October 21 and 22 in Sitamarhi and Darbhanga districts. She had campaigned earlier on October 13 and 14 in Purnea and Kishenganj districts for the CPI(M) candidates. Party central secretariat member Hannan Mollah has also been campaigning in Begusarai, Supaul, Khagaria and Bhagalpur since October 18.

 

(N S Arjun from Dalsingh Sarai)