People's Democracy

THOUSANDS marched through the streets of Ranchi on March 16, 2001 carrying the Red Flag and CPI(M) banners, coming from various districts of the newly created Jharkhand state. They were highlighting the agenda for Jharkhand formulated by the state organising committee of the CPI(M) in January. CPI(M) activists from almost all the districts of the state started from the railway station and converted into a mass-meeting at the Jagpal Singh Stadium, led by Sitaram Yechury, Politbureau member, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, central committee members S Majumdar, state secretary, Jharkhand, and other state leaders of the party.

A nine-point charter of demands was formulated by the organising committee which instantly received a positive response from the masses including the very same quarters who had been denouncing us for our stand on the necessity of setting up of Tribal Autonomous Council under the 6^th Schedule of the Constitution.

This demand charter emphasises two key points:

1. the setting up of one or more autonomous councils under the provisions of the 6^th Schedule of the Consitution in the 112 tribal dominated blocks of the state; and
2. to the question of land, including the restoration of the illegally- alienated tribal land and protection and strengthening of the Chhotanagpur and Santhal Parganas Tenancy Acts and the Schedule Area Regulation Act.

Other points of the charter include:

• rehabilitation of the displaced people,
• defence and strengthening of the public sector undertakings located in the state, on which almost 60 per cent population directly or indirectly depend,
• the right to education in the mother tongue,
• protection to and development of tribal languages and culture,
• protection to minorities and communal and social amity,
• the immediate holding of panchayat and municipal elections, and
• rupees one lakh crore grant from the central government for development.

Besides this nine point charter the rally also raised some demands of immediate and popular nature which included subsidy, remunerative prices and infrastructural facilities for peasants, minimum wages for agricultural workers, creation of jobs, declaration of Jharkhand as drought-effected, halt to the process of privatisation of education and enchancement of scholarships especially of the tribal students, strengthening of the public distribution system and curb on rising prices, ensuring equality for women and stopping atrocities on women.

From February 1, a protected campaign was launched by the Party to popularise the Charter of Demands through widespread padyatras, village-meetings, street-corner meetings and area-level mass-meetings. Thousands of leaflets were also distributed. This campaign period coincided with the growing disillusionment of the people with the BJP-led government of the state. Within three months of the creation of Jharkhand, the Babulal Marandi governemnt had opened fire on people at three places – Kurkania, Doranda (Ranchi) and Tapkara in which over a dozen people died. The targets of these police firings were mainly tribals and the minorities. The Opposition and the people of Jharkhand responded by observing three bandhs and several protest meetings and rallies.

The state was sought to be converted into a police state. On a bandh day the police mercilessly beat up our Party activists in which the Ranchi district secretary was seriously injured. The CPI(ML)’s protest demonstration before the Assembly was brutally attacked by the police in which its general-secretary was injured, taken into custody and later beaten up in custody.

The government’s intention of changing the tenancy laws also started surfacing during this period. Large-scale rigging in the Ramgarh bye- election to ensure Babulal Marandi’s victory, exposed the true anti-democratic character of the BJP-led government. The central and state budgets also revealed the anti-people nature of the government in the centre and the state. The state budget a surplus budget, has no provision for rehabilitation or creation of jobs. The state government has shut its eyes to the drought situation in the state.

It was against this background that the CPI(M)’s agenda for Jharkhand started getting support from even unexpected quarters, and among various sections of the Jharkhand movement there is an appreciation of our stand on the tribal autonomous council. The CPI, CPI(ML) and even the JMM and other Jharkhandi parties and groups now support the demands for tribal autonomous council. There is widespread discontent against the Marandi government and with the Tehelka exposure about defence deals. Opportunities for launching mass movements in the state now abound.

Local newspapers giving information about our proposed rally commented that this first rally of the CPIM) would show our strength. It has indeed turned out to be an impressive show of strength for the Party. The rallyists were addressed by Sitaram Yechury. At the outset Sitaram Yechury commented that this Adhikar rally for the people of Jharkhand had in view of the revelations by the Tehelka dot.com, become an Adhikar rally for the people of whole country. He sought to excuse himself from dwelling on the issues relating to state because enough had already been said by the preceeding speakers and because of the important developments that had taken place at the national level.

The important thing to note in this exposure is the fact that for the first time party presidents have been found to be directly involved in facilitating deals. After the exit of George Fernandes from the government, the Samta Party itself had named three people involved in this gory episode – the PM’s son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya, Brajesh Mishra, and N K Singh of the PM’s office. Therefore, Yechury demanded that the Vajpayee must quit the government at once. No double standards could be applied. While officers of the armed forces have been suspended, the political leadership is trying to take cover under the call for enquiry. There is nothing to be proved regarding the incidents of bribe-taking. Enquiry should be made into the depths of corruption that had permeated government establishments in public life. For a fair probe, this government must go, said Yechury.

The people found involved in the defence deals scandal are traitors. Their deeds amount to selling there motherland for money. It was an insult to the martyrs of Kargil. They should be arrested, and tried in courts and sent to jail. Citing the instance of the CPI(M) returning the cheque from Tatas for Rs 16 lakh, Sitaram Yechury said that the CPI(M) has always been against funding of political parties by the business houses.

He also attacked the BJP for its economic policies which had resulted in a debt of Rs 16 lakh crore for which a sum of Rs one lakh twenty thousand crore annual interest has to be paid. There has been no increase in jobs in the state sector and a negligible 0.1 per cent rise in private sector. Welfare spending has been cut. The Floodgates have been opened for Indian and foreign monopolies while cheating on the slogan of Swadeshi. The BJP’s claim of eliminating Bhay, Bhookh and Brashtachar has resulted in just the opposite. Minorities are under attack everywhere. Communalism has become their weapon to terrorise the minorities. The RSS and BJP are misusing religion for political purposes. Religion, infact is a very personal thing - a means to establish communion between one's own soul and the almighty – Atma and Parmatama. The RSS/BJP in fact is the Hindu Taliban in India, and after having demolished the Babri Masjid, they have no right to talk about the destruction of the Buddha statues in Afghanistan. The country’s unity can be preserved only by ensuring preservation of diversity of our culture, said Sitaram.

There is grave danger to the food security of our country due to the agriculture policy of the NDA government. Peasants are committing suicide. Small-scale industries are on the verge of ruin due to the government’s policies. The workers will be hired and fired at the will of the employers. No new jobs are forthcoming. Comparing the policies of the BJP-led government to those of Dussashan of Mahabharta who excelled in generating fends between brothers and dishonouring women, Yechury called for replacing the central government immediately, which will also pave the way for the downfall of the Marandi government in the state. As for the alternative, he pointed to the formulation of the People’s Front under the chairmanship of Jyoti Basu. An alternative government would be sought to be set up without depending either on Congress or the BJP in this parliament itself or else we should go for an election, the cost of which would be far less than the loot being carried out by this government.

Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi addressing the gathering said that the NDA government has lost the mandate of the people and trying to stick to power on the trumped-up numbers in the parliament. Describing the Marandi government as anti-people, he accused it of murdering advasis and minorities. He also cautioned against the danger to the identity of the tribals and exhorted the people to rise against this government.

J S Majumdar addressing the rally explained in detail the CPI(M)’s agenda for Jharkhand. The key to balanced development and a harmonious growth economy and society lay in ensuring return of alienated land to tribals, protection and strengthening of the public sector in the state, rehabilitation on a large-scale and maintenance of communal and social harmony. Setting up of the autonomous tribal council was absolutely necessary for tackling the problem of tribal development said Majumdar.

Trade union leader and state organising committee member S K Bakshi, ridiculed the state government for bringing in a surplus budget when lakhs go without jobs in this mines and industrially rich state, when roads, schools, hospitals are in shambles and where lakhs are still waiting to be rehabilitated.

Peasant leader Rajendra Singh Munda, who presided over the meeting, accused the government of snatching the land from the peasants to give it to the big capitalists and the mafias. He also warned the government against effecting any change in the Chhotanagpur and Santhal Parganas Tenancy Acts.