People's Democracy

 PUNJAB

 Mass Contact Campaign Receives Enthusiastic Response

 Charan Singh Virdhi

SUMMING up their experiences while leading the CPI(M)’s mass contact jatha in Punjab, the party’s state secretary Balwant Singh and other state secretariat members said the slogans raised during the jatha march deeply touched the emotional and intellectual chords of the common people, particularly the peasantry and youth. This goes to show that the CPI(M) Central Committee’s call for a campaign in August, to carry forward the momentum granted by the May 21 general strike, was a timely one.

The mass contact jatha in Punjab crystallised the 3 major themes, 8 issues and demands laid down by the Central Committee and the 13 point demands charter of the Punjab state committee of the CPI(M), into three broad slogans.

1) The BJP led NDA government at the centre must quit as it has destroyed the country, has destroyed its people, and endangered the unity and integrity of the country. Its continuance in power for even a single moment is fraught with dangerous consequences.

2) The Akali Dal (Badal), that is a coalition partner of the Vajpayee government at the centre, cannot absolve itself of blame for the disastrous consequences of this government. Its anti-people, communal and corrupt face stands exposed.

3) The Congress government in Punjab, led by Captain Amrinder Singh, is pursuing the LPG policies dictated by the WTO. It must come to its senses or face of the agitation of various sections of the people.

It was an amazing experience that the people participating in the rallies heard the speeches with rapt attention for hours in inclement weather, even on issues of foreign policy. People are alarmed about the consequences of imperialist, particularly US imperialist, intervention in the internal affairs of India, that is causing agrarian crises, ruination of the peasantry, deindustrialisation, unemployment, and so on. The dangers posed by the RSS-BJP’s communal platform, including the heart-rending incidents of Gujarat, has really shaken the participants. The core jatha also felt that there is great possibility for building a Left, democratic and secular alternative to the Akali-BJP combine as well as the Congress and also for building up a militant agrarian movement in the state.

As reported in the August 31 issue of People’s Democracy, the core jatha led by Balwant Singh had started its tour on August 16, after paying tributes to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar and completed its march on August 30 at Dher (Ropar). District jathas, led by members of the respective district secretariats of the party, toured through their areas from August 16 to 31, as per the call of the CPI(M) Central Committee.

During its tour, the state level core jatha addressed 50 rallies attended by 500 to 3000 people. At entry point and at the venues of rallies in each district, the jatha was given warm reception with garlands. Jatha members were everywhere given tea and refreshment with high enthusiasm. Comfortable arrangements were made for their stay. The core jatha was also given purses on its way for expenses, with the sum amounting to rupees one lakh.

It was a heartening experience and succeeded in arousing the public opinion around the CPI(M) line.