CPI(M) protests arrest of activists in Khammam

CPI (M) cadres laid a siege to the office of the Divisional Forest Officer in Khammam, Andhra Pradesh on Monday to press for the release of three party activists who were allegedly booked under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act and detained in Charlapalli central jail for the past six months.

The protesters led by the CPI (M) district secretary Pothineni Sudarshan Rao staged a dharna in front of the DFO's office resenting the alleged registration of cases against three party activists including the party's district committee member and Girijana Sangham leader Bukya Veerabhadram under the PD Act.

Addressing the dharna, Com Sudarshan Rao alleged that Bukya Veerabhadram and two other party activists were held under the PD Act for raising their voice for the cause of oppressed sections. "Those engaged in mass movements in support of the tribals were being targeted while the smugglers were allowed to go scot-free under the present regime," he charged. The protesters called off the stir following the intervention of forest officials concerned who reportedly assured to look into their demands and initiate appropriate steps at the earliest.

CPI (M) State committee member B Sarala, district committee member Nunna Nageshwara Rao, Vyavasaya Karmika Sangham leaders K Narsaiah, Srinivasa Rao besides the representatives of CITU and other frontal organisations of the party were among those who participated in the dharna.

Amaravathy satyagraha, a symbol of fight against oppression

On the side of people:A.K. Goplan, the then Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on a fast demanding rehabilitation of farmers evicted from Ayyappancoil in Amaravathy in 1961. The fast started on June 6 and continued till he was called for a meeting by the then Chief Minister,Pattom A. Thanupillai, on June 9.

Giji K. Raman

AMARAVATHY (IDUKKI DISTRICT): This sleepy village near Kumily looks like any other place in the High Ranges with coffee, pepper, cardamom, and tea cultivations. However, for the older generation, Amaravathy brings to mind a satyagraha led by the Communist veteran A.K. Gopalan, or AKG as he is popularly known, who, on June 6, 1961, started a satyagraha to save some 1,600 people dumped there after being thrown out of their land acquired for the Idukki hydroelectric project at Ayyappancoil.

Inaugurating the golden jubilee observance of the historic fast on Monday, A. Vijayaraghavan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) central committee member, said the plight of farmers who were evicted for development projects had not changed much. They were at the receiving end proper rehabilitation schemes needed to be evolved before the acquisition. The Amaravathy satyagraha remained as a golden symbol for protecting the rights of farmers. Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan will inaugurate the valedictory function of the jubilee observance at Marykulam on June 17.

National attention

When AKG, the then Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, went on the fast, the conscience of the nation was shaken. Soon, the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, directed Pattom A. Thanupillai, the then Chief Minister, to convene a meeting with the leader immediately. Amaravathy was then almost a forest area, and the authorities inhumanly transported the evicted families from Ayyappancoil to the temporary rehabilitation centres. Diseases and poverty stalked the hapless people.

AKG was in the north-eastern States when he came to know about their plight. He rushed to Kerala, and seeing the condition of the people, started the fast immediately. The fast continued till the government convened a meeting on June 9, promising to take immediate steps for rehabilitation.

Fr. Vadakkan, religious head and social worker, joined the agitation. Prominent leaders from various walks of life supported AKG and soon it became a popular movement. Oommen Mathew of Amaravathy, who has vivid memories of the historic eviction from Ayyappancoil, said the people were indebted to AKG for whatever benefits they now enjoyed. “It was a forced eviction by the armed forces,” he said. The soldiers destroyed everything the farmers had cultivated and forcibly transported them to Amaravathy. The farmers were unorganised and weak to raise any objections. If AKG had made a delayed arrival, many would have died in the severe weather and from poverty and diseases.

Sarada Nair has painful memories. She was then 26 years old and her husband and she had to vacate his house on the first night of their marriage. She said Ayyappancoil had looked like a war zone and complete mayhem prevailed with the armed forces patrolling the village and forcibly loading people, including old people and tiny tots, on trucks. Now, Amaravathy is a village that provides hopes and aspirations to the younger generation.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Legendary communist Leader of Tripura Com. Baidyanath Majumdar passes away

Red Salute to Com Baidyanath Majumdar

Legendary CPIM leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura, Comrade Baidyanath Majumder died at the Agartala Medical College Hospital on the early hours of Tuesday.He was 88 and a bachelor. Com. Majumder was suffering from old age ailments.

Born in Kailashahar town in Tripura’s North District in 1923, he joined the undivided Communist Party in 1943. Later he joined the CPI(M) after its formation in 1964. He became a minister in the cabinet of the former Chief Minister Nripen Chakraborty in 1977 and continued till 1988. In 1993 he became the deputy chief minister in the cabinet of Dasharath Deb barma and continued till 1998.

Guided by legendary Communist leader and former Tripura chief minister Nripen Chakraborty, a maverick, he spent more than five years in different periods in different jails in India, including the Tihar jail in Delhi and the Hazaribagh jail in Jharkhand.

Majumder was the fourth son of Bijoy Chandra Majumder and Sunitibala Devi. He was fluent in several languages, including Hindi and tribal language Kokborok.

He was the Secretary of Tripura unit of CPI(M) in 1998 and continued till 2008. Comrade Majumder became Central Committee member of the party in 2002 and continued upto 2008. His body would be cremated with state honour tomorrow at Kailashahar.

Chief Minister, Manik Sarkar and all his cabinet colleagues paid floral tribute to Com. Majumder at the civil secretariat.With the death of this legendary Communist, we have lost a real guardian," Manik Sarkar said. Popularly known as Baidyanathda and also Sitalda, he was elected to the state assembly five times between 1977 and 1998. CPI(M) state secretary, Bijan Dhar said all party programmes in the State were suspended for three days and the party flags would remain half mast during these days.

Condolence Resolution by CPIM Polit Bureau

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses its deep grief at the passing away of Comrade Baidyanath Majumdar, veteran leader of the Party and the Communist movement of Tripura.

Baidyanath Majumdar served the Party and the working class with utmost dedication and sincerity for more than 65 years. He worked to build the trade union movement and the Party facing repression at various periods. He played a notable role in the building of the CPI(M) and became the Secretary of the State Committee of the Party. As an organiser of the working class, he was earlier the Secretary of the CITU. He served as a member of the Central Committee of the Party till ill health forced him to retire.

Baidyanath Majumdar also served the people as an elected legislator, Minister and as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura. Baidyanath Majumdar’s life was that of an exemplary Communist. He was always firm in his Marxist convictions.

The Party has lost a valuable leader and the people of Tripura a consistent champion of their interests. The Polit Bureau pays its respectful homage to his memory and conveys its heartfelt sympathy to all his family members.

Left parties activists arrested for opposing Posco project in Orissa

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Hundreds of activists of five political parties courted arrest on 6th June in the state capital Bhuvaneswar while trying to enter into Orissa Secretariat as part of their civil disobedience agitation against alleged forcible land acquisition for Posco project near Paradip. The leaders of CPI, CPI(M), Forward Bloc, RJD and Samajwadi Party along with their supporters held a rally on Mahatma Gandhi Road before marching towards the state Secretariat. The agitators were prevented from entering the restricted zone by security personnel.

Demanding relocation of the proposed Posco project from fertile land in three gram panchayats of Dhinkia, Gobindpur and Gadakujang, CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak justified their attempt to break laws. "When the state government breaks laws to acquire land for Posco, we do not see any wrong in civil disobedience agitation by the five political parties," Nayak said demanding immediate halt on use of force to acquire land for the South Korean steel major.

(Courtesy : Business Standard)