People's Democracy

HELD in January this year, the first state conference of the party in Jharkhand had decided to organise padayatras and gramsabhas (village meetings) throughout the state of Jharkhand. The series of these padayatras and village meetings began in early February and continued till April 14.

The conference had given two main slogans for this campaign --- that the Babulal Marandi government should resign and hold fresh assembly election; and that panchayat elections must be held at the earliest and the rights of the village panchayats must be restored. But as the padayatras progressed, new issues were added. These included the negative impact of the central budget on the toiling masses, fight against communalism and condemnation of the communal attacks on minorities in Gujarat. In the third stage, issues concerning the April 16 all-India strike and the call of the Jharkhand bandh given by the Left parties to support the said strike became the main campaign issues.

Every district committee of the CPI(M) prepared its own plan of padayatra according to its capacity. The party directed every state committee and district committee member to participate at least for seven days in a padayatra and to other members, for at least for one day. These padayatras were followed by village level meetings in whichever village the padayatris arrived. There was also a drive by the Kisan Sabha, DYFI, Mahila Samiti and other mass organisations to enrol new members. Party members working in trade unions also participated in these padayatras and village meetings in a big way. This was the first experience of the party members working in the various industries, to go to the villages and organise mass meetings there.

Hundreds of such padayatras were organised and village meetings held throughout the state in these period. This galvanised the whole party and provided it new experiences and enthusiasm. This padayatras and mass meetings must be viewed in the background of a weaker party structure and smaller membership than in bigger and more advanced states from the party’s viewpoint. Initial reports indicate that a majority of the party members throughout the state participated in this campaign.

Almost every district committee of the CPI(M) brought out its own leaflets for distribution among the people. Through these padayatras and village meetings, the party was able to reach to some newer sections of the toiling masses, villages and panchayats.

As a follow-up of this initiative, the state secretariat of the CPI(M) decided that the peasants, agricultural workers, rural women and youth must be mobilised in large numbers for solidarity actions with the working class strike on April 16. The CPI(M) urged them to organise rasta roko and rail roko actions in their respective areas. It was thus that a substantial number of rural masses were mobilised in solidarity with the working class. It was a unique feature of the Jharkhand bandh this time, on April 16, that the bandh spread even to the rural areas. Nothing of the kind was witnessed any time in the past.

ON April 18, hundreds of CPI(M) members and supporters in Sonahatu block of Ranchi district gheraoed the Sonahatu police station, demanding immediate arrest of the criminal contractors who had attacked a CPI(M) state committee member and state Kisan Sabha general secretary Suphal Mahto and district committee member Hridayanath Singh Munda at Goriatand Road in the said block. The attack came when the party was agitating for minimum wage for the labourers who were engaged by these contractors in construction of rural roads.

It is to be noted that the administrative machinery of the Jharkhand government has completely failed to enforce the minimum wage of Rs 62.78 declared by the state government itself. Moreover, minimum wages are not being paid even in the government-run construction works.

While the two CPI(M) leaders were seriously injured in this attack, the culprits were not yet arrested. Hence the gherao. The gherao was lifted when the police personnel assured action to arrest the culprits and sought two weeks time for it.