People's Democracy

Mangalore Conference Inspires Confidence

In Beedi Workers

 B Madhava

THE 4th conference of the All India Beedi Worker’s Federation (AIBWF) held at Mangalore from November 2 to 4 opened up new vistas for the growth of the organisation and created an abounding confidence among the beedi workers in the path of struggle. This crucial conference of the AIBWF, which is affiliated to the CITU, was held in the backdrop of diverse problems being faced by the beedi industry in various parts of the country. The offensive of the central government, which manifested in the form of new legislation, is fraught with the danger of rendering lakhs of beedi workers jobless.

The conference began on the morning of November 2 at Comrade P Ramchandra Rao Nagar (Taj Mahal Multipurpose Hall) with the hoisting of CITU flag by Tanulal Mandalwar, senior vice-president of the federation. The president of the federation, C Kannan, could not attend the conference due to ill health. Floral tributes were paid at the martyrs column before the beginning of the deliberations. The impressively decorated dais was christened Comrade U Janardhan Nayak Manch. The huge hall was packed to its full capacity and many who came to attend the inaugural session had to stand outside. The media also turned out in full strength to cover the event.

The inaugural session began with the rendering of revolutionary songs by cultural activists of CITU and DYFI. Delivering the welcome address, the chairman of the reception committee, K Jayaprakash Hegde, independent MLA and former minister, aptly delved on the anti-imperialist traditions of Mangalore and the history of militant struggles waged by the working class.

M K Pandhe, CITU president, delivering his inaugural address called upon the working class to fight for ensuring the implementation  of the pro-people measures contained in the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA government. He said this was necessary considering the class character of the government. He pointed out the BJP-led NDA government was thrown out by the people in the general elections because it had pursued anti-working class and anti-people policies along with rabid communalism. P K Ganguly, general secretary of AIBWF also addressed the inaugural session, which was presided over by Tanulal Mandalwar.

DELEGATE SESSION

The delegates session started in the afternoon of November 2 chaired by a presidium consisting of Tanulal Mandalwar, Abul Hasnat Khan, V. Kannan, K P Sahadevan and Fathima Beg. P K Ganguly presented the general secretary report and accounts. A lively discussion followed the placement of the report and it continued till the evening of the next day. Delegates from all the states participated in the discussion.

The discussions were mainly based on the experience of the workers about their ruthless exploitation at the hands of beedi manufacturers. Moreover due to general decline in the industry, the numbers of days of work were getting reduced with abysmal low wage and total lack of social security and welfare measures.

The delegates also pointed to the increasing offensives launched by the giant multinational cigarette companies to capture the Indian beedi market in the present phase of globalisation. The manufacture of mini-cigarettes, reduction of excise duty on them, increase in the excise duty in manufactured beedi, etc. were pointed out.

The recent Act passed by the parliament for curbing smoking also came under discussion. In a resolution the conference demanded suitable amendment to some clauses of the Act and further demanded alternative pastures for the tobacco growers and jobs for the workers. The conference condemned the threat given by some employers to retrench workers if the Act is not repealed. It also condemned the actions of some employers who were resorting to lock outs using this as an excuse. The conference called upon all workers to launch united actions to protect their jobs.

Another resolution called upon all unions and workers to successfully implement the action programmes chalked out by the Joint Action Committee in pursuance of the 10-point demands, which will culminate in an all India convention at Delhi.

SEMINAR

On the occasion of the conference, the reception committee organised a seminar on “Challenges of Communalism and Imperialism in India Today” on November 3 evening at the Town Hall, Mangalore.

Prakash Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member delivered the keynote address in the seminar, which was attended in large numbers by workers, middle class employees including women and intellectuals. Chittabrata Majumdar, CITU general secretary, M K Pandhe, CITU president and Dr. P L Dharma, chairman, Political Science department, Mangalore University also spoke in this seminar. G N Nagaraj, CPI(M) Karnataka state secretary presided over the meeting.

After the general secretary’s reply to the discussions, the conference adopted the general secretary’s report and accounts on November 4.The conference also adopted resolutions on the following issues:

1. On the problems of beedi industry and workers

2. On women’s participation in the beedi workers movement and

3. Against Communalism.

The conference elected a new working committee of 51 members with the following office-bearers:

P K Ganguly (president), B Madhava (working president), Md. Nizamuddin (general secretary) and Paras Basu (treasurer). The office-bearers also include four vice presidents: Arati Das Gupta,  Tanulal Mandalwar,  K P Sahadevan and V Kannan and five secretaries:  Chittaranjan Sarkar,  M Rajangam,  A K Narayanan, K Shankar and Fathima Beg.

PUBLIC RALLY

On the evening of November 4, the whole of Mangalore city appeared as if it was painted in red. The whole city was covered with red banners, buntings, flags and posters. Nearly 25,000 workers, mostly women, marched in a most colourful procession on the streets of Mangalore. Hundreds of women, dressed in white sarees and red blouses, spearheaded the procession. Folk artistes donning attractive costumes added splendor to this occasion. The procession culminated in a massive public meeting in Nehru Maidan, named for the occasion as “Comrade S Suryanarayana Rao Nagar”. The meeting was addressed by P K Ganguly, M K Pandhe, G V Srirama Reddy, CPI(M) MLA, Mohammed Nizamuddin and Varalaxmi.

The conference successfully overcome the many hurdles posed by vested interests masquerading as protectors of beedi workers. “Nagarika Seva Trust”, a voluntary organisation, organised a public meeting at Belthangady on the day of our public meeting and hired all the vehicles available in the town to collect the beedi workers for the meeting. Belthangady is an area where the CITU has a powerful trade union movement of beedi workers. Facing the challenge squarely, the CITU beedi workers of Belthangady came to Mangalore in  thousands, managing to get vehicles from other places.

All sections of the people of Mangalore including middle class, intellectuals and government officials showed great sympathy to the cause of the beedi workers and encouraged the reception committee. Hundreds of women beedi workers and a large number of CITU cadres worked round the clock to make the conference a grand success. Cultural activists of CITU and DYFI gave excellent performances and thrilled the delegates who carried back with them the pleasant and inspiring memories of the Mangalore conference.