People's Democracy

                        Large Students�-Youth Rally

                        Held in Central Kolkata

                        B Prasant

THE area around what is now called the metro channel was filled to capacity, as was its surrounds.  Students and youth under the banners of the DYFI and SFI poured in right from the morning of September 15, 2009 � that day marked as an yearly occasion when rallies are held all over Bengal on the twin demands of education for all and work for all.  An added issue confronting the students was the anti-people alliance of terror, media attacks, and political slandering.

The principal speaker at the rally was CPI(M) Bengal unit secretary Biman Basu. The speaker recalled that such terror tactics as being seen at present had been in force in the 1970s in Bengal. In the year 1971, the Calcutta University could hold no examination, and publish no results of previous examinations.  Its campus was scene of a series of vandalisms.

Biman Basu said in this connection that certain political outfits were encouraging students at the present point of time to �agitate� in favour of the slogan that all students, even those who have failed the college test examination and/or did not attend the requisite number of class lectures, must be sent up for the various university, college, and school examinations.  Programmes must be organised against these anti-education attempts, taking in the ambit of the movement teachers as well as the guardians and all concerned officials.

The speaker asserted that the forces of reaction in Bengal had a supply of money and intelligence from foreign sources.  The murders of CPI(M) cadres must be the �utilisation certificate� that the terrorists would submit to their foreign bosses to �account for� the funds etc they have been in constant receipt. He said that from the time of the last assembly elections in 2006  until September 14, 2009 a total of 318 Left workers �  poor people all �  have been martyred by the forces of reaction in Bengal An ambience of terror, fear, and threat has been created in Bengal by the reactionaries and sectarians. Biman Basu urged upon the students to struggle politically against all attempts to destabilise the democratic ambience of Bengal.

Other speakers at the rally included state industries minister Nirupam Sen, and the student-youth leadership including the all-India DYFI and SFI general secretaries.

Elsewhere in Siliguri, the elections to the municipal corporation saw the Left Front win 17 seats with a vote percentage of 46.13 per cent.  The anti-LF alliance of Trinamul Congress and Pradesh Congress won 30 seats with a vote percentage of 47.14 per cent.