People's Democracy

JHARKHAND

Left Parties Hold Actions All Over State

Prakash Viplav

ON July 22, 2013, five Left parties, viz the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Forward Bloc, and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), jointly organised a demonstration before the divisional headquarters throughout the state of Jharkhand and submitted memoranda to the commissioners about their demands.

The main demands included the following:

1) 35 kg of foodgrains per month must be to all the families at the rate of one rupee per kg.

2) Strict implementation of the Chhota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act must be ensured, and the memorandums of understanding (MOUs) that interfere with the people’s right on land must be scrapped.

3) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) must be implemented under the authority of the Gram Sabhas and suitable steps be initiated against the corrupt elements involved.

4) Strict legal action must be taken against the corrupt officials, leaders and middle men who misappropriate with government funds meant for the welfare of the masses.

5) Forcible acquisition of land must be immediately stopped until the Land Acquisition (Amendment), Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act 2007 is passed.

6) The poor people in urban areas must be given pattas of four decimals of residential land or houses under the Rajiv Gandhi Awaas Yojna.

7) A judicial commission must be set up to ensure the disposal of cases related to the displaced people.

8) Pattas of land delimited by ceiling must be distributed among the poor people.

9) Full rights must be given to the panchayats.

10. The Forest Rights Act must be implemented and all pending applications immediately disposed.

As per the reports having reached the state centre, demonstrations were organised at Ranchi (the state capital), Hazaribagh (the headquarters of South Chhota Nagpur), Dumka (the headquarters of North Chhota Nagpur), Daltonganj (the headquarters of Santhal Pargana), Daltonganj (the headquarters of Palamu division) and in Kolhan division. Demonstration was also organised in East Singhbhum district headquarters at Jamshedpur.

In Ranchi, a joint procession of the Left parties marched from the Zilla School premises to the commissioner’s office where they organised a mass meeting. The meeting was addressed by CPI(M) state secretary Gopikant Baksi, state secretariat member Prakash Viplav, CPI assistant state secretary Khagendra Thakur, CPI(ML) state secretary Janardan Prasad, Jayant Pandey of the Forward Bloc and others. The speakers strongly criticised the formation of the new government by an opportunist alliance and urged upon the people to rally behind the Left parties for a set of alternative policies.