People's Democracy

CPI(M) Organises Meeting In Nandurbar

L R Rao

Sufferings turned into enthusiasm, pains into excitement as the flood-affected people in Nandurbar came into agitating mood after attending the meeting organised by CPI(M) on October 2. Sitaram Yechury addressed the gathering and assured them that the Party would pursue the issue of comprehensive rehabilitation with the central government. He spoke on the political changes since the defeat of the NDA government at the centre and the failure of the UPA government to redress the pressing and urgent issues of the toiling masses in our country. He explained how the CPI(M) and the Left are pressurising the UPA government to implement the pro-people agenda in the Common Minimum Programme and to minimise the harmful effects of the LPG policies which only benefit the big capitalists and the multinational companies. He expressed his compassionate sympathies with the people devastated by heavy rains and unprecedented floods and criticised the callous attitude of bureaucratic machinery in giving proper compensation to all the affected families. 

Sitaram warned about the anti-tribal attitude in the PMO itself that is trying to nullify the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee regarding the Scheduled Tribe (Recognition of Forest Rights) bill 2005 to deliver long awaited historical justice to ten crores of adivasis. He appealed the gathering to come forward to stage militant mass agitations to obtain justice regarding forest rights and comprehensive rehabilitation as soon as possible.

Ashok Dhawale, CPI(M) state secretary said that the NREGA was not implemented properly in the twelve districts chosen by the central government. He pointed out that the much-advertised slogan of the state government to apply REGA in all the districts of Maharashtra is a piece of deception and emphasised that the responsibility of seeing that REGA is implemented properly lies on the shoulders of the rural masses themselves. He said that NREGA had been enacted mainly due to the tremendous pressure by the Party and the Left and this Act is the outcome of a long standing demand of the downtrodden especially in the context of the so-called globalisation and abysmally declining rate of employment. Dhawale criticised the government for not acting to minimise the damages of the flood by neglecting to repair the faulty constructions of the dams which could not sustain the pressure of the heavy rains and assured the gathering that if the comprehensive rehabilitation of the flood affected people was not started immediately in November, Maharastra Agricultural Workers Union and Maharastra Kisan Sabha would lead a march to Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan during next winter session of the assembly. 

The public meeting was organised by the Nandurbar-Dhule district committee of CPI(M) to draw attention of the government authorities to the pending demands of the agricultural workers, peasants and other unorganised workers who were worst hit by the floods and simultaneously to focus on the implementation of the promises given in the CMP particularly regarding the Scheduled Tribes Bill 2005 and NREGA. Others who spoke in the public meeting included Ishwar Patil, Indira Chavan, Natthu Salave and Narsing Vasave. The meeting was presided by the district secretary Jaising Mali. 
The Party leaders and activists were involved in intensive relief work activity and mobilised people demanding the compensation in cash, grains and kerosene. The employment in agriculture fell due to the large-scale destruction of crops and all the agricultural operations came to stand still. As a result demand for getting EGS works increased and hundreds of rural workers including middle peasants thronged the grampanchayats and gave group applications for the employment at Rs.60 wages per day. But only after militant gheraos of the tahasil offices and the irresponsible agency offices of EGS they were provided with works for ten to fifteen days. 

Raising the demand of comprehensive rehabilitation, the affected families mobilised themselves under the banner of CPI(M) and marched to the sites, hoisted the Red Flags and held gramsabhas in which resolutions were passed for comprehensive rehabilitation in these particular places. This whole democratic process created tremendous courage and enthusiasm among the people at large and within a span of few days thousands of families enrolled their names and were supported by the local cadre of Agricultural Workers Union. 

After the public meeting of a delegation of the Party met the officials of the district collectorate where Sitaram handed over all these applications to the authorities. The officers promised to implement the comprehensive rehabilitation scheme before the next rainy season and would take care to see that the process of distribution of compensation to the flood-affected people is carried out without any discrimination. These concrete assurances made the people jubilant and they returned back to their villages with a pledge to forward their struggles with more energy and strength.