People's Democracy

Report Of August Campaign In Bihar

Vijay Kant Thakur

ONE and a half month long August campaign came to an end on September 25, 2006 when the last district level meeting was organised at Chapra in Saran district. Despite the heavy rain lashing the entire Bihar for the last five days, the meeting hall was full to its capacity and the audience heard the speakers with rapt attention. State secretary Vijay Kant Thakur, secretariat member Sarvodaya Sharma and the main speaker of the meeting Lagandeo Singh, a son of the soil and an MLA in West Bengal representing Howrah were the main speakers.

August campaign evoked good response in Bihar. The state committee planned to make the August campaign a great success and accordingly the state secretariat members-in-charge of different districts were given the task of directly participating and monitoring the entire campaign in their respective districts. The direct participation of secretariat and state leaders made the district and lower level committees to plan the campaign programme in an organised way.

The party organised eight big meetings addressed by Party general secretary, two Polit Bureau members and three central committee members and one senior leader of the Party. In rest of the districts, state and district committee leaders addressed the meetings. The party branches were directed to hold two meetings each.

The big meetings started from August 26. Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury addressed a large gathering at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district. Despite heavy down pour, thousands of people heard Yechury who explained the purpose of August campaign and exhorted them to join the struggle unleashed by the party on the three majors issues “Land, Hunger and Employment.”

Before that he addressed a meeting of intellectuals at Bhagalpur in which a large number of college teachers, students and employees participated. He also met the media persons and explained the purpose of August campaign. 

While reacting to the pointed question of fighting the ensuing parliamentary election from Bhagalpur constituency, he categorically said that CPI(M) will fight the election and appealed the secular forces in UPA to support the Party’s candidate to defeat the BJP.

On the same day CPI(M) leader in Lok Sabha, Basudev Acharya addressed a large gathering at Gaya. Acharya lambasted the UPA government for pursuing the ruinous economic policies and warned that if it does not desist from its path it will meet the same fate like the previous NDA government. He also warned against the sinister design of the BJP for whipping up communal passions to stage a come back. He reminded the audience to remain vigilant and fight against the divisive agenda of BJP. Veteran CPI(M) leader Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi also spoke on the occasion.

On August 28, Party general secretary, Prakash Karat addressed a big meeting at Darbhanga. On way to Darbhanga he addressed a press conference at Patna. He elaborated the issues being raised in the August campaign. Galloping price-rise, strategic relations with America were roundly criticised by Karat.

He informed that the CPI(M) has submitted 19 alternative notes before the government but the UPA government has ignored them and is pursuing the same old policies of the previous NDA regime. He said that the Party will mobilise the people around the issues raised during the August campaign and force the government to act on them. He however welcomed the enactment of employment guarantee scheme and the right to information act.

Party secretariat member, Hannan Mollah, addressed a massive gathering at Begusarai on August 27. Another massive gathering was addressed by Sitaram Yechury at Samastipur on September 15.

Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat attended a meeting at Saharsa and addressed a large gathering of poor peasants and agricultural workers in which large number of rural women participated.

Md Amin and Sunil Khan, MPs addressed two large meetings at Khagaria and East Champaran.

District committees made advance planning to mobilise the people for the meetings. About one thousand local and branch level meetings were organised and campaign was carried out to the grass-root levels.

Small and moderate gatherings were addressed by secretariat, state and district committee leaders in various districts. Hundreds of branch level meetings have also been organised in the rest of the districts. 31 districts carried out the campaign programme. The media gave wide coverage to the August campaign. State secretary and secretariat members who visited the districts also addressed the media persons.

The August campaign has created a lot of enthusiasm among the Party rank and file. The Party has been able to activise the district, local and branch committees. The entire exercise has provided a rich and varied experience to the Party which has to be analysed and proper planning should be made to consolidate the gains. During the campaign we have reached to the common people who were beyond our organisational fold. They should be recruited in mass organisations. The Party has noted that still quite a large number of party members and mass organisation leaders did not participate in the campaign programme, as party expected from them. The next state committee will discuss the gains made and the weaknesses to be removed. The Party will try to activise all the branches and every party member and equip the branch secretaries to take stock of the local situation, plan local level struggles on day to day issues and expand the party in their areas.

Meanwhile the state Kisan Sabha gave a call for state-wide dharna and demonstration before the district headquarters on September 20, highlighting the sufferings of the peasants due to spurious seeds and fertilisers and drought. Peasants responded in good numbers in every district and in Kosi area, a bandh was observed with thousands of peasants coming out onto the streets and disrupted the rail and road traffic. Large number of rural women participated in this militant action under the banner of AIDWA along with Kisan Sabha and detained a state power minister for hours. Hundreds of peasants and women workers were arrested along with Balram Singh Yadav, MLC and Vinod Kumar Jha peasant leader.