People's Democracy

IT was about a decade ago that the Congress government, then ruling at the centre, had initiated the "new economic policy" of privatisation, liberalisation and globalisation. Now, though that party is no more in power at the centre, votaries of the so-called "swadeshi" have taken up the cause of selling the nation to the monsters of international capital. On its part, wherever in power, the Congress party too is vigorously continuing the same perilous policy. Both the BJP-led NDA government at the centre and the Congress governments in some states are also bent upon going to any extent to crush the movements and struggles that are coming up against the evil effects of that policy.

The recent atrocity perpetrated by the Congress government in Karnataka speaks volumes about how the imperialist powers and the indigenous powers-that-be are ganging up against the toiling masses.

Reports of police atrocities against leaders and cadres of different kisan and other mass organisations in Gulbarga district of Karnataka show the rulers’ desperation in the face of severe struggles being waged by people against the sufferings caused to them by the new economic policy.

Gulbarga district is in the news nowadays because of kisan struggles for remunerative prices for tur dal and other agricultural produce. These actions acquire significance in view of the suicides by some of the peasants as this class is not getting remunerative prices and its members are unable to repay the loans they have contracted.

As part of a statewide agitation called by various kisan organisations to protest against the union government’s import policy and to show their wrath against the anti-people policies of the S M Krishna government in the state, a Rasta Roko agitation was successfully held throughout Gulbarga district on February 5. Besides the peasants, workers, youth, students and women enthusiastically participated in the agitation.

At Maadbol crossing in Chitapur, led by DYFI Gulbarga district secretary Simantha Holkar and treasurer Babbar Khan, its activists organised a Rasta Roko in support of the peasantry. No official came to receive the memorandum from the agitators even after four hours.

If somebody came at this point, however, it was the police force that took recourse to brutal behaviour without any provocation. They started a lathicharge on the unarmed youth, kisans, women and others, dragged them into police vans and took them to the Shahabad police station. They not only arrested the innocent people who were only seeking justice after all; they even brutally beat up and registered false cases against the latter.

On hearing the news of the police atrocity, Karnataka Prantha Raita Sangha president Maruthi Manpade, district secretary Virupakshappa Tadakal, JMS state secretary K Neela, district convenor Gangamma Biradar and others straightaway rushed to the police station and condemned the police excesses. The police took the arrested workers to Central Jail, Gulbarga in the early hours, at 0300 hours.

Next day, on February 6, these leaders asked the police officials to admit the injured prisoners to hospital for treatment. Here too, the police behaved inhumanly. At dusk, they took out 11 agitators in handcuffs, in a procession. Enraged people strongly protested the move and asked the police to remove the handcuffs. However, the police again started an indiscriminate lathicharge. They beat Manpade and Virupakshappa who sustained severe head injuries.

The police brutality against the struggling people made a local court order the officials to shift Manpade to intensive care unit (ICU).

On February 8, Gulbarga district observed a successful bandh to condemn the police atrocities against the agitating kisans and women.

The police force has been behaving inhumanly in tune with the whims and fancies of their political bosses and feudal elements who are very strong in this part of the state. The CPI(M) and the mass organisations led by it have been waging an uncompromising battle against these elements for years.

Gulbarga is the home district of the state’s home minister, M Mallikarjun Kharge. The nexus between feudal elements, criminals, police and administration is very active here, with open support from the ruling class politicians. But the people, especially those of North Karnataka, are in no mood to take the atrocities perpetrated by this nexus lying down. They gave a fitting reply to the barbaric police action by organising a bandh on February 13 and other protest actions. These actions were organised at the call of four peasant organisations and supported by several other mass organisations.

The bandh was total in Gulbarga district, except at the district headquarters that was exempted from the bandh by its organisers. Raichur, Koppal, Bidar, Bijapur and Bellary districts also observed a near-total bandh; people of these districts overwhelmingly responded to the call. Only a few government offices worked. Banks, LIC offices, schools and colleges remained closed. Buses did not ply. In Bellary district, the bandh was wholeheartedly supported by the Janata Dal (S), Janata Dal (U) and BSP, besides the CPI(M) and CPI.

At Bangalore, the state’s capital, hundreds of activists belonging to kisan, women’s and working class organisations held a dharna in front of the chief minister’s official residence. Processions, dharnas and demonstrations were held simultaneously in other parts of the state, demanding immediate release of the arrested leaders and cadres. Suspension of Rajappa, Gulbarga’s ASP, was also one of the main demands. The organisations also demanded withdrawal of the cases registered in Gulbarga and other places. They asked the government to initiate a dialogue with the peasant organisations in order to mitigate the crisis faced by the kisans. In all, a stern warning was served to the ruling elite and feudal elements in the state.

Peasants and agricultural workers in Karnataka are on the move today. Having experienced the agony of the suicide committed by more than 90 of their brethren in sheer desperation, they seem to have finally decided to stand up and resist, declaring that enough is enough. This was evident on February 5, 6 and 7 throughout the state. They spontaneously and massively responded to the call of four peasant and agricultural workers’ organisations in the state, and more than 50,000 participated in the statewide agitation. Several thousands of them courted arrest. The response was reminiscent of the tumultuous days of the peasant agitation two decades ago, popularly known as the Navalgunda-Nargunda peasant struggle, which in its wake brought to power the first non-Congress government in the state.

In the background of agitations by tur dal growers in the northern parts and by coconut and arecanut growers in the western parts of Karnataka for the state government’s intervention to stop the collapse of prices of these crops, the milk producers’ struggles and the agitation against the steep hike in electricity tariff announced by the state government, the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (AIKS), Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Karnataka Prantha Krushi Kooli Kaarara Sangha (AIAWU) and the state unit of AIKS (Ajay Bhavan) had called for a Rasta Roko on February 5-6 and Jail Bharo on February 7. They thus endorsed the call given by seven Left-led peasant and agricultural workers’ organisations who had organised an all-India convention and Delhi March in recent past.

The sad plight of the growers of tur dal, arecanut and coconut as also of the milk producers is a direct outcome of the import policy dictated by the WTO and more than willingly followed by the BJP-led central government. The agitating organisations are demanding that the state government intervene and provide support to the growers of tur dal, arecanut, coconut, paddy and maize. They also demand withdrawal of the steep hike in electricity rates announced by the state government as per the IMF-World Bank dictates. Another demand is for a halt to the public distribution system’s dismantling in the state, which too has worsened the plight of the kisans and other poorer sections.

Leaders and cadres of the four organisations fanned out to every nook and corner of the state, explaining the causes of the rural poor’s sad plight. They organised jeep-jathas, door to door campaigns, etc, in several talukas for three to seven days. Lakhs of pamphlets were distributed. The response was enthusing. That the kisans have grasped the situation, was demonstrated in ample measure on February 5-7.

The Rasta Roko took place in more than 15 centres in Bangalore district, 36 centres in Kolar, 26 centres in Gulbarga and similarly in Raichur, Koppal, Bijapur, Bidar and other districts. Thus, on the first day itself, thousands of kisans participated in the agitation in more than 150 centres in 15 districts. This continued on February 6.

On February 7, CITU, SFI, DYFI and JMS activists, who had earlier enthusiastically supported the campaign, joined the peasants in picketing government offices. In Kolar district, more than 2000 were arrested. In Bagepalli, former CPI(M) MLA led the agitators. In Bangalore, led by their state president Suryanarayana Rao, CITU cadres were arrested when they took out a procession. More than 5000 courted arrest in coastal areas like Mangalore, Kundapura, Udupi, Bhatkala, Karwar, etc. Thousands were arrested in Gulbarga, Koppal, Ramadurga, Bijapur and Gangavathi in the north and Hassan and Tumkur in the south. KPRS general secretary G C Bayya Reddy led the picketing in Chinthamani, KPRS president K S Puttanaiah in Pandavapura and AIAWU state president G N Nagaraj in Gangavathy.