THE rally organised by the CPI(M)’s Uttarakhand state committee at state capital Dehradun on June 15 was not only larger than any other rally organised so far in the new state by any political formation whatsoever. A far more significant aspect was that, at the rally, the CPI(M) posed the question of development of the state before the government of the day. As we know, the people of this hilly state have been yearning for development and have fought many a battle for it. It was no less a person than late Comrade Chandra Singh Garhwali of the Peshawar case fame, who was allowed to enter his beloved hills only in 1946, who had raised this issue in his straight-forward way.

The CPI(M) state committee decided to take up this issue in April and since then the party’s units have been making all efforts to reach the people for the cause. A state level convention was held in May, followed by discussions among the cadres and ranks. May 30 marked the beginning of a campaign to take the party’s message to every part of the state. The Dehradun rally marked the culmination of this first phase of the campaign in which thousands of leaflets, posters, handbills, etc were used.

As the campaign was hampered by extreme heat earlier and rains later, the target of 10,000 for the rally could not be achieved. Yet the rally saw the biggest mobilisation so far. It surpassed the rallies organised even by the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal or the Congress. The fact was noted by friends and foes alike.

On June 15, an animated, enthusiastic but disciplined and dedicated crowd marched through the streets of Dehradun. Youth, students and women formed a sizeable chunk of the colourful rally that marched with red flags and banners. The participation of women in the rally reflected the old tradition of their determined struggles in the region, apart from the demographic profile of the state. But the bulk of the rally consisted of the peasants, landless and marginal farmers, plantation workers, sericulture workers and Anganwadi workers.

Over the years, CPI(M) cadres in the region have been facing hostile propaganda from various political formations, for its principled position on the issue of a separate state. Yet the party, even under adverse circumstances, never lost sight of its duty towards the toiling people of the area and their democratic movements. It always stood for the hill people’s democratic rights.

However, hostile quarters have made every attempt, with some success, to obliterate from the people’s memory the fact that several cadres of the CPI(M) died in police firing while fighting the assault on democratic rights by Mulayam Singh’s regime in the aftermath of the notorious Muzaffarnagar episode. Yet the party has stood for the people’s rights over basic resources like land, forests, water and power which form the basis for the state’s planned development.

Through its campaign, the CPI(M) has forcefully put before the state’s people the essence of the development process which is deliberately being sabotaged by the BJP governments at the centre, in UP and in Uttaranchal. The parliamentary bill that carved the new state out of Uttar Pradesh, did not provide for the interim government’s duration, and also severely limited the new state’s rights over basic resources like land, forests, water and power, etc. The success of the CPI(M) rally showed that the forces that tried to isolate the party in the state have once again failed. The battle for more autonomy to the state, devolution of powers, affirmative action from the central government in favour of the state’s people and acceptance of the principle of democratic decentralisation are some of the issues which have acquired significance and which the CPI(M) has been focussing upon.

About seven months have passed since the new state came into being in November 2000. Having fought for decades for their uplift, the people of the area naturally looked to the new government with great expectations. But their experience has been one of disappointment and betrayal. The seven months of the BJP rule have demonstrated that the party in power has no vision and no intention to address the people’s vital problems. It has also been oblivious to the tradition and history of the region, as was reflected in the name "Uttaranchal" given to the new state, in disregard to the name "Uttarakhand" which the people wanted. It has also played bluff upon the people on the question of the state capital.

The BJP regime has proved totally insensitive to the people’s aspirations and problems. The region that was known for peace and tranquility has now become a hotbed of lawlessness and crime. Atrocities on minorities and Dalits are on the rise. Nay more, the government itself seems to have fallen in the grip of the unholy triumvirate of the ruling politicians, mafia and bureaucrats. A top-heavy bureaucracy with more than a hundred police and administrative officers has been created for a state whose total population is less than a crore. Scrambles for housing, government vehicles and perks form the main news items in the state capital. A total collapse of the public distribution system, of the state transport system, the crisis and the threat of closure facing the undertakings like the IDPL, PPCL and HMT, massive rural and urban unemployment, and similar other problems hardly attract the government’s attention.

But the demands raised by late Comrade Chandra Singh Garhwali in 1946, i e before independence, and later in 1952 find a vibrant echo even today, more than half a century later. His name has become a beacon, a mascot in the new wave of struggle. As part of the rich heritage of popular struggles in the state, the rallyists took upon themselves the responsibility of fighting for all those issues which Comrade Chandra Singh Garhwali had raised and fought for during his illustrious life as an anti-imperialist fighter and a communist. On June 15, naturally, the streets of Dehradun reverberated with the chant ---

When a soldier in the colonial army, Comrade Chandra Singh raised the banner of revolt against the British imperialists. And when his own experience with the leadership of the national movement disillusioned him and brought him to the Communist Party fold, the scene of his speeches was the historic Gandhi Park of Dehradun, the place where the rallyists assembled on June 15.

The rallyists carried slogan-bearing placards, the banners of their respective units and red flags, all of which created a truly vibrant ambience. The placards demanding change in centre-state relations, autonomy for the state and other constitutional rights, women’s demands for establishment of family courts and a commission for women, workers’ rights, the demands of Anganwadi women, minimum wage for plantation workers, food for work, unemployment and industrialisation, power and irrigation facilities at subsidised rates to the farmers of the state, reopening of public sector units, added a new and concrete element to the rally.

Democratic decentralisation as the principle of governance in the new state --- a principle not only of administration but also of development, planning and monitoring of finances --- found strong support from the rallyists.

Starting from Gandhi Park, the procession passed through Paltan Bazar and Station Road, and finally converged at the municipal ground for a public meeting. It was indeed a delightful experience to witness the party’s banners from such remote districts as Pithoragarh and Chamoli, and from Hardwar, Garhwal, Tehri, Rudra Prayag, Almora, Nainital, Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarkashi and Dehradun.

The length of the procession could be gauged from the fact that when the lead banner reached the Station Road, the tail was still at the Clock Tower, as nearly 7,000 participants marched in lines of two, chanting slogans to express their determination to advance the struggle for development and to remove the biggest obstacle in its path --- the BJP rule. This showed how the struggle for development has become a central part of the struggle for political change and overthrow of the BJP rule in the state.

The successful rally demonstrated that, along with other parts of the country, the potential of bringing together all forces determined to overthrow the BJP rule and committed to creating a third alternative exists in this state too. The CPI(M) and the Left will definitely play their due role in this process and effort. The presence of CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Sitaram Yechury, confirmed this message of the party to the state’s people.

Addressing the rally, Yechury narrated the political developments in the country and the anti-national and anti-people role the BJP-led government is playing. The abject surrender to the demands of American imperialism in all matters relating to foreign affairs, security and defence came in for sharp criticism from him. The so-called champions of swadeshi and ‘patriotism’ have been thoroughly exposed as they have brought the country to such a pass where no citizen is safe from lawlessness, corruption, unemployment and ruin. Even a very peaceful area like Uttarakhand is going through a period of crime and lawlessness under the BJP rule. He commended the people of Uttarakhand for their high awareness and expressed the hope that the battle for development being waged by them against the BJP misrule will definitely lead to a new polarisation of forces, in which the CPI(M) along with other Left and secular forces will play a significant role. It is only through a multifaceted struggle that an alternative to the BJP and the Congress will emerge. In this sate, even the secular regional parties may play a part along with national formations.

This was Yechury’s second visit to the state in three months, and already more invitation from remote regions of the state have started to pour in.

Subhashini Ali, no stranger to the state, touched upon various problems that the working people and women are facing in north India, in UP and Uttarakhand in particular. She called upon the workers to build a strong democratic movement of women in the state. A state with a relatively higher level of literacy, with a tradition of massive participation of women in democratic movements, with a history of anti-feudal and forest-related movements can surely forge a strong movement. She urged upon the democratic forces, ex-servicemen, INA heroes and others to forge militant unity to undo the ravages of the BJP misrule in the state as well as at the centre.

The meeting was also addressed by Gangadhar Nautiyal, Surendra Sajwan, Bachi Ram Kanswal, Indu Nautiyal, Bhagwan Singh Rana, R P Joshi, Rejendra Jhaknola, Anant Akash, Vipin Uniyal, Bharat Negi, Lekh Raj, Shib Prasad Deoli, Qamaruddin, Birendra Bhandari, Rajendra Negi, Madan Misra and others.

Conducting the meeting, CPI(M) state secretary Vijai Rawat criticised the state BJP government for systematically withdrawing from its responsibility for the welfare of the people. The state will have to accept democratic decentralisation as the principle of governance, planning, administration, finance, etc. Schools, food security, health care, roads, employment and agriculture cannot be left at the mercy of the market.

Avtar Singh concluded the meeting after urging the rallyists to deepen the struggle and to organise district conventions and rallies before July 25, another historic day in Uttarakhand. It was on this day that Suman, an anti-feudal fighter, courted martyrdom in the Tehri state prison more than half a century ago.