People's Democracy

Ahilya Rangnekar A Veteran Marxist-Leninist

M K Pandhe

ON April 19, 2009, a sad news of passing away of Ahilya Rangnekar, a veteran Communist leader of Maharashtra, at the age of 87 reached all over India, putting all Party ranks in deep sense of sorrow. When the Communist Party of India(Marxist) was involved in a grim struggle to defeat Congress and BJP and to strive for a pro-people left, democratic and secular alternative, the news was shock to everyone. The ever smiling face of Ahilya would never be seen by anyone!

Ahilya Rangnekar was born on July 8, 1922 in Pune. In her early age, she was very much influenced by her elder brother B T Ranadive who was a front ranking leader in the Communist movement when Ahilya was only ten years old.

As a student, young Ahilya was an active participant in the students movement. She was active in the freedom movement as a college student and was popular among the students. As a fine speaker, she was rousing students against British imperialism and at the age of 22 she was arrested by the government when she was leading the students� agitation. Even in jail, Ahilya showed courage to hoist the national flag and evoked wrath of the jail officials. There is no wonder that Ahilya had to face rustication from the college for her anti-imperialist struggle. However, these repressive measures did not deter Ahilya from participating in the freedom movement.

She joined the Communist Party and actively worked among women in Bombay working class area. She led several struggles of women under the banner of Shramik Mahila Sangh. She was also associated with the movement of textile workers in Bombay.

Ahilya became prominent during the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in 1946 when the workers went on strike against British repression against RIN heroes. During the strike, Ahilya played a very important role in supplying food to the people on behalf of women�s organisation. In this struggle, she faced British bullets when Kamal Donde became martyr and Kusum Ranadive, Ahilya�s sister received bullet injury on her leg. Ahilya escaped miraculously but she stood by the protesters facing British bullets.

Ahilya married P B Rangnekar in 1945 who has active in students� movement and in the Communist Party in fifties. Both devoted their attention in actively building the Communist movement in Maharashtra.

When the AISF conference rally was banned by the government in 1948 and the students defied the ban invoking police firing, Ahilya was there fighting heroically. It is during this valiant struggle that I had an occasion to meet Ahilya in the demonstration in defiance of British ban.

When there was nationwide round up of Communist leaders in 1948 after banning the Communist Party after the Second Party Congress in Calcutta, Ahilya was arrested and had to under go imprisonment. She utilised her jail life to study Marxist literature which immensely helped her in ideological development.

After her release, she devoted herself to help the poor in slum areas and was elected as Municipal Corporator for two decades. In Corporation, she played an important role as she raised problems and issues faced by the slum population and became extremely popular among them. She led several demonstrations and agitations of slum areas and addressed their rallies. She was also active in the trade union struggles in Bombay city.

Ahilya played an important role in Goa freedom movement in 1954-55 period and in Samyukta Maharashtra movement. She mobilised large number of women in the struggle for Samyukta Maharashtra. Noting her remarkable contribution, a well-known Marathi writer and leader of the agitation called Ahilya as �Rana Ragini� (female warrior).

I used to meet both Ahilya and P B Rangnekar whenever I used to go to Bombay and discuss political developments in the country. In those days, ideological differences cropped up in the Party due to revisionist policies pursued by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Khrushchev. Differences also developed on the question of attitude towards Nehru government. My views were identical with that of Ahilya and Rangnekar and we used to criticise the policies of the dominant leadership of the Communist Party.

Ahilya was arrested during the India-China conflict in 1962 and she had to undergo imprisonment for advocating solution to border dispute through negotiations between India and China.

After split in the Communist movement, a convention was held in Tenali in Andhra Pradesh to decide future course of action. Ahilya attended the convention. I had also occasion to participate in the convention on behalf of the Party centre. Ahilya spoke in the convention on how the working class movement and Maharashtra was emasculated due to the class collaborationist policies pursued by the Dange leadership.

After the Seventh Party Congress there was another round of repression on the Communist Party of India (Marxist) when the entire leadership was implicated in false charges of working in India at the behest of the Communist Party of China. Ahilya was arrested along with the all India round up and sent to prison. Charges were proved to be false and the leadership had to be released. In the meanwhile, India was involved in war with Pakistan but the government refused to release the CPI(M) leaders despite public demand.

After her release, Ahilya played an important role in building the CPI(M) in Maharashtra. As a member of the secretariat of the state committee, Ahilya was active in strengthening the CPI(M) all over Maharashtra. She visited several states in the country to popularise the policies of CPI(M).

When left sectarian trends emerged in the CPI(M), Ahilya rallied behind the Party and fought against left sectarian trend and campaigned extensively against the infantile disorder developed within the Party till the trend was ousted from the Party.

When CITU was founded in 1970 at Calcutta, Ahilya took keen interest in building the CITU in the state of Maharashtra and soon became an office bearer of Maharashtra CITU. The third conference of CITU was held in Mumbai in 1975 and Ahilya played an important role in making preparations on behalf of the reception committee. She was elected to the general council of the CITU.

IN 1975, Indira Gandhi proclaimed emergency and suppressed trade union and democratic rights in the country. Ahilya opposed emergency regulations and was arrested for some time. A countrywide struggle developed against emergency to oppose the dictatorial policies pursued by the Indira Gandhi government.

Seeing the prominent role played by Ahilya in every popular struggle in Maharashtra, during the 1977 parliamentary elections she was nominated by the CPI(M) to contest elections from Bombay North Central constituency. She was elected with good majority routing the Congress candidate. As a member of parliament, Ahilya raised several issues of the people in Maharashtra and other states. She visited several states to address Party and trade union meetings. Representing cases of workers before the ministers was almost a routine affair when she used to be in Delhi. Her forthright speeches in parliament on people�s issues were very much appreciated even by the opponents of the Communist movement.

In 1978, in the Jalandhar Congress of the CPI(M), Ahilya was elected to the Central Committee of the Party. She regularly contributed in the discussions during the meetings of the Central Committee. Her outspoken views on several subjects were respected by others. She participated in public meetings in nationwide political campaign planned by the Party from time to time. When her health deteriorated, she herself proposed that she should be relieved as a member of the Central Committee. Afterwards she contributed to the activities of the Maharashtra state committee of the Party as a member of the secretariat.

Ahilya Rangnekar became vice-president of CITU in 1979 and she participated in discussions on CITU�s development as a national organisation. Ahilya, along with Vimal Ranadive and Susheela Gopalan played a crucial role in organising the first all India convention of working women at Chennai in 1979 which resulted in the formation of All India Co-ordination Committee of Working Women. This Co-ordination Committee played a significant role in strengthening the activities of the working women and increasing the leading role of working women at all levels in the organisation.

In 1981, Ahilya also became one of the founders of the All India Democratic Women�s Association (AIDWA) at the Chennai conference. She was elected as vice-president of the organization, a post she held for several years. Later on as per decision of AIDWA, she was honoured as a patron of AIDWA. She continued to work actively both in CITU and AIDWA and participated in every struggle conducted by these two organisations.

When the policies of globalisation were imposed on India dictated by the World Bank and the IMF, Ahilya joined all the campaigns and struggles launched by the united trade union movement of India under the leadership of Sponsoring Committee.

Despite weakening of her eyesight and difficulties of hearing, she tried her best to remain active in the movement. She had to face several physical difficulties but she was always ignoring them. Her enthusiasm in participating in activities even after crossing the age of eighties was an inspiring example for younger generation.

No one can give any example about his or her approaching Ahilya for help and her denying it. We have referred several cancer patients to Mumbai with a request to Ahilya to help them in Cancer hospital. Every one returned with high praise about the remarkable help given by Ahilya. She used to visit the patients regularly and looked after their individual problems. Who will give such help now, many comrades outside Maharashtra may ask this question?

Ahilya was always accessible to any one who wanted to meet her. With ever smiling face, she was receiving persons and carefully listened to their problems and did whatever help she could extend to them. Her simple style of living always endeared her among the ordinary comrades. She preferred austerity in life and modesty in her day to day behavior. It was a model example of Communist behavior with other persons.

People of all political parties had great respect for her despite ideological and political differences. Every one noted the tremendous sacrifice made by Ahilya during her political life of over six decades. I was extremely surprised to note that former Bombay police commissioner, Rebero was waiting at Dadar crematorium for over two hours to pay his last respect to Ahilya. He was mentioning to me Ahilya�s contributions with great emotion and warmth in his feelings.

The passing away of her husband Rangnekar in 2008 was a great shock to her. Both of them had nothing in their mind except the Party and the mass movement. With great difficulty, Ahilya overcame her grief. Even in her last days, she was regularly enquiring about CPI(M)�s election prospects all over India and she offered herself for the election campaign despite her failing health.

Ahilya�s conviction about Marxism-Leninism was unquestionable and she was always eager to know about the developments in the world Communist movement. She was frequently expressing her unhappiness that she would not be able to see a Peoples Democratic Revolution during her life time.

I met her last time during the funeral of Prabhakar Sanzgiri. I did not realise at that time that I would have to attend her funeral, so soon.

Long live Revolutionary Heritage of Ahilya Rangnekar! The sacrifice made by her in her lifetime will not go in vain!