People's Democracy

Bihar Bandh Evokes Popular Response

Sarvodaya Sharma

THE Bihar state committee of the CPI(M) has congratulated the people of the state in general and the citizens of state capital (Patna) in particular for the unprecedented success of the Bihar bandh call on January 3, given by the party and the Coordination Committee of Left parties. The committee consists of the state units of CPI(M), CPI, FB, RSP and SUCI.

The bandh evoked an unprecedented response all over Bihar. State CPI(M) secretary Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi and state secretariat members Arun Kumar Mishra and Awadhesh Kumar were among about 100 leaders of the Left parties who were arrested at Patna. CPI(M) Central Committee member and member of parliament, Subodh Roy, reported that the bandh was total and spontaneous in Bhagalpur. There were untoward incidents at a few places, including Patna and Motihari. The CPI(M) had appealed to the people of Bihar not to give any quarter to the BJP efforts to turn the protest violent and convert it into a communal conflagration.

The call for Bihar bandh aimed to protest against the cold-blooded murder of three young men in Shastrinagar police station of Patna a few days ago.   These young men were involved in a petty scuffle with the owner of a PCO in Ashianagar, and it was at his instance that the police had arrested the three young men and taken them to the police station. Later on, in a bid to justify their inhuman act, the police claimed to have killed them in an encounter.  What was still worse was the police claim that these youth were wanted criminals and were trying to escape from the custody.

Obviously, the police cooked up the story in the hope that they will be recommended for gallantry awards for having killed some of the most wanted criminals who have infiltrated in all walks of life and are hated by the people. But the story failed to convince the people of the state capital and it became clear within hours that they were no criminals as the police had claimed but the residents of a nearby locality. People started gathering at the police station and thousand of young men soon surrounded it. They wanted to see the bodies, which the police was initially reluctant to show. The news spread like wild fire throughout the city and instantly a Patna bandh call was given.

The Patna bandh, that took place on December 31, was not only a big success; the people too gave vent to their ire by burning about a dozen police and private vehicles. Policemen were forced to retreat at many places, including Ashianagar, Boring Road and Kankarbagh. Some police check posts were also burnt. People had not seen such angry protest for a long time. As usual, the BJP and the CPI(ML) jumped into the fray to derive political mileage out of a genuine protest by the people.

On the day, leaders and activists of the Left parties --- the CPI(M), CPI, FB, RSP, SUCI --- sat on a dharna near J P Statue at I T Circle to protest against the barbaric incident. In fact, they had earlier planned to organise a dharna against the trifurcation of Bihar State Electricity Board and liquidation of 14 boards and corporations by the state government. The move is a result of the memorandum of understanding the state government has signed with the central government that is hell bent on forcing all the state governments into privatisation mould. A joint statement, signed by the state level leaders of these above parties, had said the state’s RJD-Congress government was bent on its privatisation move, rendering 35,000 government employees jobless. Recently, the chief secretary and special secretary (health) of the Bihar government issued a circular, giving notices to more than 50 per cent out of around 40,000 medical and public health employees for dismissal from service by December 31, 2002. The employees of several boards and corporations, including the safai karmacharies of municipalities and corporations, have not been paid their salaries for years. This has led to several deaths and suicides, reported frequently in newspapers. The same is the threat before employees of the Bihar State Construction Corporation. The worsening plight of workers and employees has brought about an unprecedented explosive situation. The volcano may erupt any time.

The statement also pointed out that the condition of the rural poor was already going from bad to worse. Although there are 80 paddy purchasing centres on paper, not a single kilogram of paddy has been purchased at the procurement price. The onion-producing farmers have already suffered losses and three suicide cases have been reported. Tobacco, banana and sugarcane growers are in a deep crisis and have launched agitations at local level. The non-availability of electricity, seeds and fertilisers at affordable prices has further added to their woes.

But, oblivious to the popular anger, the myopic, corrupt and inefficient Laloo-Rabri government seems to be seriously believing that it would be able to tide over all the crises and the democratic protest by using the caste divide. Criminals have infiltrated into politics, administration and police, and are controlling all the organs of state power. However, this cannot go on forever. The people of Bihar are rising to raise their voice.

It is in this background that the CPI(M)’s state secretariat congratulated the citizens of Patna for their successful protest in the form of Patna bandh on December 31, and also called for a Bihar bandh on January 3. Later on, an emergency meeting of Left parties was held at state CPI office under the presidentship of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi. The meet endorsed the CPI(M) call for a Bihar bandh on January 3 and a protest week from January 2 to 7.

However, given the political situation in the state as well as the country, this spontaneous and genuine protest movement of people could not go without controversy. NDA convenor George Fernanades landed in Patna on January 2, asking for dismissal of the Rabri government and trying to compare this protest movement with the JP movement of 1974. The BJP and the leader of opposition in Bihar assembly took the same line. A large section of media chose to omit any reference to the CPI(M) and some other Left parties from the list of those who had called for a Bihar bandh. The fact is that the CPI(M)’s press statement calling for Bihar bandh was released before 12 noon on January 1. Moreover, the party had also received a confirmation by the news agency UNI that it had actually issued the statement. The ETV took a live coverage of the emergency meeting of the Left parties at Ajay Bhavan at 12.30 a m on January 1 when the state leaders of these parties were holding a meeting.

It appears that the NDA and a section of media are hell bent to see that the CPI(M) is omitted from the people’s issues and movements because of its consistent anti-imperialist and anti-communal stand. It was much to their discomfiture that the Left parties’ presidential candidate, Dr Lakshmi Sehgal, got votes of 17 MLAs from Bihar though the total strength of all the Left members present during voting was only 8. Who are the 9 MLAs who sided with the consistent and principled stand of the CPI(M) and Left parties? The NDA and its supporters in the media sections would do well to think about it.

The media must also find out why Samta Party, a constituent of the NDA, approached the CPI(M) for votes when they fielded their own candidate against the BJP nominee, supported by the RJD and Congress, in the recent election of deputy speaker of Bihar assembly. Even after the CPI(M) gave a rebuff to the Samta Party, saying it cannot support their nominee unless they come out of the NDA and condemn the Modifiction of Gujarat, they followed the CPI(M) in the protest walkout during the deputy speaker’s election. In fact, not only the Samta Party but also the JD(U), Lok Janshakti party, CPI(ML) and CPI joined the CPI(M)-led protest walkout. This vindicates the CPI(M) stand on the need of a broader unity against communal forces, particularly after the Gujarat carnage and, at the same time, against the anti-working class, anti-peasant and anti-people policies and measures of the RJD-Congress government of Bihar. In Bihar the CPI(M) is not asking for any undue favour from the media, but the latter would do well to report the facts about the party truthfully.