People's Democracy

Punjab Prepares To Host 30th AIKS Conference 

Charan Singh Virdi

BRISK preparations are on in Punjab for holding the 30th national conference of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). The conference is scheduled to be held at Jalandhar from March 6 to 9, 2003.

On December 8, a big state-level general body meeting held at Chandigarh formed a broadbased reception committee for the conference, with Punjab Kisan Sabha president Rachhpaul Singh, as its chairman. The general body meeting was also addressed by CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet, who is also a vice president of the AIKS, and by AIKS president S R Pillai.

Apart from Rachhpaul Singh as chairman, the reception committee includes Balwant Singh, Chand Singh Chopra, Lehimbar Singh Taggar and other leaders of the democratic movement in the state.

Various other committees about aspects like food, accommodation, public rally, transport, volunteers, publicity and media coordination, cultural programmes, etc, were also constituted. These are headed by leaders like Charan Singh Virdi, Vijay Mishra, Gurchetan Singh, Raghunath Singh, Gurbakhash Singh and Chand Singh Chopra.

While forming various committees, the general body also planned a campaign to recruit more than one thousand red volunteers, to collect funds amounting to Rs 60 lakh through mass collection, and to mobilise more than one lakh peasants and agricultural labourers for participation in the mass rally on March 9.

In his spirited speech, Surjeet dwelt in detail on the deepening agrarian crisis in India, because of the disastrous, pro-imperialist economic policies the Vajpayee government at the centre is pursuing, as part of its capitulation before the neo-colonial WTO-presided regime. Surjeet observed that the menace of communal forces and the threat to our national unity and economic sovereignty could also be thwarted only if India is lifted from the quagmire of this deepening agrarian crisis. Stressing upon the necessity of hammering out a solution to this agrarian crisis, Surjeet underlined the immense importance of 30th AIKS conference that is expected to address itself to this task.

Recalling the glorious militant tradition of Punjab and the Punjab peasantry, Surjeet asked the participants of the general body meeting to take the message of AIKS and the importance of its 30th all-India conference to each village and make the rural masses aware of the coming event.

Stressing the importance of the 30th AIKS conference, S R Pillai narrated the glorious history of the organisation since its foundation in 1936. Pillai told about various militant peasant struggles like Telangana and others, fought by Indian peasantry before and after independence. He also noted with pride the great contribution made by the AIKS to the struggle against communalism and against imperialism --- struggles in which the peasantry of India made great scarifies without any reservation. Pillai also recalled the anti-betterment levy struggle fought by Punjab peasantry under the leadership of Punjab Kisan Sabha, in which the peasants unflinchingly faced black repression that was unleashed by the Congress regime but forced the chief minister Pratap Singh Kairon to concede their demands. Appreciating the valiant role of the Punjab peasantry, Pillai observed that it was a matter of great pride and credit that Punjab Kisan Sabha had hosted as many as four all-India conferences of the AIKS out of the 29 held so far. The coming 30th conference of the AIKS will be the fifth to be hosted by Punjab Kisan Sabha.

Pillai also said the AIKS leadership was very much confident that the Punjab comrades will host this conference in a very creditable manner.

Punjab Kisan Sabha general secretary Lehimbar Singh Taggar made various proposals which were accepted by the general body. On behalf of the CPI(M), its Punjab state secretary Balwant Singh assured that the CPI(M) units and members in the state would spare no efforts to ensure the grand success of the 30th AIKS conference. (INN)