People's Democracy

BIHAR

 

Khetihar Mazdoor Union Holds 7th State Conference

 

THE Bihar Prantiya Khetihar Mazdoor Union, an affiliate of the All India Agricultural Workers Union, held its seventh state conference at J K High School, Begusarai on June 29-30, 2010. The venue was named Jyoti Basu Nagar.

The conference was preceded by a public meeting on June 29 afternoon in the school compound. Inspite of heavy shower in the beginning, a large number of agricultural workers participated in the rally and meeting. The union’s state president Sarangdhar Paswan presided over. AIAWU joint secretary Hannan Mollah was the chief speaker besides the union’s state general secretary Dinesh Kumar, Rajendra Singh and CPI(M) state secretary Vijay Kant Thakur. Hannan Mollah explained the problems faced by agricultural workers in the country in general and in Bihar in particular --- like joblessness, lack of minimum wage and less wage for women, among other things. Massive migration to other states, sufferings caused by an unprecedented price rise, non-availability of the benefits due for the BPL families etc. He also explained the situation of social oppression of the agricultural workers as a majority of them are not only economically distressed but also socially handicapped as they are from dalit, ST and minority sections of the society. He also said they would not get any relief without a massive struggle and appealed to make the Bharat Bandh, proposed to take place on July 5, a grand success.

Vijay Kant Thakur explained the betrayal of the Nitish Kumar government which has failed to implement the land reforms and to register the sharecroppers as recommended by the Bandopadhyaya commission. He appealed for continuing the ongoing struggle for land reforms in the state.

The flag of the union was hoisted on June 29 afternoon by Hannan Mollah and after floral tributes paid at the martyrs column, the delegates session started in the evening. The conference was presided over by Sarangdhar Paswan. Reception committee secretary Ram Bhajan Singh welcomed the delegates. The condolence resolution was moved by the president.

Inaugurating the conference, Hannan Mollah explained what were the tasks specified by the sixth all-India conference of the AIAWU and how many of them were implemented. He highlighted several of the weaknesses in Bihar, hampering the process to forge the agricultural workers’ movement ahead on wages, employment and NREGA. He appealed for strengthening the organisation for the purpose.

Dinesh Kumar placed the general secretary’s report. Giving a brief summary of the international situation and the situation in the country, he explained the activities of the union during the last three years. He said the membership enrolment was not good in the last two years, through it has gone up to 1,07,898 this year.

SFI state secretary Dhirendra Kumar and AIKS president Lalan Choudhary greeted the conference.

In total, 169 delegates took part in the conference and on their behalf 20 comrades took part in the discussion held on June 30, 2010. They placed their experiences while implementing the decisions of the union. The report and statement of account were then unanimously adopted after the general secretary replied to the discussion.

The conference elected a 47-member new state committee with Sarangdhar Paswan as president and Bholaprasad Diwakar as the new general secretary. A 13-member secretariat was then elected by the new state committee. A total of 25 delegates for the seventh all-India conference of the AIAWU were also elected.

Finally, A Vijay Raghvan, all-India general secretary of the AIAWU, made the concluding speech in the conference. He stressed that without the growth of the union in the Hindi region, especially in Bihar, UP and MP etc, the agricultural labour’s movement would not be able to bring about a qualitative change in the agrarian scenario of the country. He expressed surprise, about why, despite the serious crises facing the poor agricultural workers in Bihar, is their movement not growing as expected. He appealed to maximise the enrolment and enrol at least three lack members in the coming three years. He hoped that the Begusarai conference of the union in Bihar would be a milestone in the movement of agricultural workers in the state.