People's Democracy

D D Ramanandan

THE second Jharkhand state conference of the CPI(M) identified two clear cut objectives for ensuring Party growth and consolidation in the state. The first objective is to build mass organisations rapidly to aid the development of a powerful class and mass movement in the state in order to bring changes in the correlation of class forces in favour of the exploited sections. The second objective, a more immediate one, is to win assembly seats in the February assembly elections for the Party to make more effective political intervention in the state. These objectives were as emphasised by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury in his concluding speech to the conference.

The state conference was held in Ranchi on December 19-21, 2004. It began with the hoisting of Party flag by Polit Bureau member Biman Basu. The conference venue was named as A K Gopalan Nagar in memory of Comrade A K Gopalan in his birth centenary year. The conference hall was named as B T Ranadive manch to commemorate BTR’s birth centenary. At the beginning of the conference, the leaders and delegates paid floral tributes to Comrade BTR, whose birth centenary fell on the same day.

The conference extensively discussed on the necessity, character and tasks of the class and mass organisation and the Party’s role and relationship with these organisations.

The state committee report pointed out that during the last three years, the contradiction between the feudals and agricultural labourers and peasants, and also between the capitalists and the industrial workers have sharpened in Jharkhand. But, in the correlation of class forces, the feudal elements have consolidated their position in the state and the capitalists are on the offensive.

Whereas the unity of the agricultural labourers and peasantry as well as the industrial workers has been seriously affected due to communal and caste offensive and due to the weak democratic movement. The peasants and workers could not unify and consolidate during this period in the state. The report pointed the BJP rule in the state has witnessed increased attacks on the Adivasis – on their identity, on their land, on their legal and constitutional rights. In general BJP regime social atrocities have also increased during this period. In his concluding remarks, Sitaram Yechury called upon Party members in Jharkhand to build a strong mass movement. He stressed the need to also simultaneously build movements for effective intervention on social issues, particularly in favour of socially oppressed sections. Only by integration of these two currents of movements the balance of class forces can be changed in favour of the economically and socially oppressed sections, he said.

The state committee report pointed out that during this period the Party could intervene effectively on various political issues, both at the national and state level, and thereby, Party’s prestige has increased. At the time of formation of Jharkhand in November 2000, the Party was in political isolation having a weak Party and mass organisational base. By the time of the first state conference in January 2002, the Party could break this isolation and make its presence felt, particularly among the Left parties. Now, at the time of holding the second conference, the Party had created a place for itself as a vibrant opposition party in the state. However, this increased prestige of the Party in the state could not be translated into Party growth effectively due to Party’s organisational weaknesses and due to lack of cohesive mass organisations and effective mass movement. The conference resolved to undertake this task to bridge this gap as early as possible and, accordingly, identified tasks to strengthen the Party and the mass organisations. Polit Bureau member Biman Basu in his address asked the delegates to give utmost priority to this aspect as it was a key area for future activities of the Party.

The state committee report emphasised the following main thrust areas for future activities of the Party: land movement, panchayat elections, and concentrating on unorganised labour in industrial areas.

In the period from the last state conference, the membership of Party among STs increased from 17 per cent to 23.75 per cent; among SCs from 9.7 per cent to 17.19 per cent; among women from 2.9 per cent to 4.64 per cent and among Muslim minorities from 8.5 per cent to 9.62 per cent. However, on class basis, the Party still remains weak. Among the working class, the membership dropped from 12.5 per cent to 9.75 per cent. There is also a drop in membership of agricultural workers from 20.5 per cent to 17.13 per cent. However, there is increase in the membership of poor peasants which rose from 39.5 per cent to 43.95 per cent. From rural areas, Party membership is 73.46 per cent. It indicates the weaknesses in trade union movement in carrying out political activities and increasing Party’s base among the working class in urban areas. However, the report pointed out that in the rural areas, the Kisan Sabha still remained a weak force. The peasants and agricultural workers movement was being conducted directly by the Party, which needs to be corrected.

At the invitation of the state committee, Binay Konar, representing the West Bengal state committee of the Party, addressed the conference and enthused the delegates by his simple way of presentation on concrete application of Marxist-Leninism in Jharkhand in building class struggles. He used the examples from West Bengal’s experience in his speech. Bihar and Orissa state committees of the Party sent their greetings to the conference.

The conference adopted several resolutions, including the one to observe A programme on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Santhal Hul (revolt) which begins on June 39, 2005, and to honour the family members of legendary Adivasi leaders Sindhu and Kanhu, who led the revolt in which 10,000 Adivasis became martyrs.

By another resolution, the conference decided to commemorate the birth centenary of great Santhal poet and discoverer of ‘alehiki’ script, Pandit Raghunath Murmu.

A resolution was adopted demanding amendment of Indian Forest Act, which shows forest areas on the basis of 1927 survey report, and on the basis of which the Vajpayee government issued a circular in 1998 terming the forest dwellers, mostly Adivasis, as encroachers. The resolution demanded 2001 as the cut off year for survey of forest lands in Jharkhand and to declare villages in forest areas as revenue villages.

The conference was conducted by a presidium consisting of Rajendra Singh Munda, S K Bakshi, Jyotin Soren, Md Iqbal and Geeta Jha. The conference unanimously adopted the report and all resolutions. A total of 59 delegates participated in the debate on the report. The conference also unanimously elected a 29-member state committee keeping one seat vacant for co-option in the future. The state committee later unanimously elected J S Majumdar as its secretary. A three member control commission and six delegates for Party Congress were also unanimously elected.

On the occasion of the state conference, a mass meeting was held at Jaipal Singh stadium, which was presided over by the state secretariat member Rajendra Singh Munda. The main speakers at the meeting were Sitaram Yechury and Biman Basu. Both of them called upon the people of Jharkhand to defeat the BJP in the ensuing assembly elections and carry forward the fight against economic globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation policies. They also called upon them to wage struggles against the price-rise and for effective implementation of the CMP, particularly, employment guarantee scheme.

The entire Ranchi city was decorated with banners, flags, wall writing etc. The second Jharkhand state conference of the Party, Biman Basu pointed out, will become a milestone for rapid advancement of the Party in the state.