CPIM Jharkhand State Conference

5th State Conference of the CPI(M) in Jharkhand began with ‘ Workers-Peasant Unity’ rally  on February 2, 2015 at Bokaro Steel City, which culminated in a huge mass meeting at Mazdoor Maidan. The meeting was addressed by Polit Bureau Member Brinda Karat and Central Committee Member and MP, Md Salim.

The conference has given a clarion call to launch a relentless mass struggle against loot of  ‘land- forest - natural resources’ by corporates and rebuff the politics of communal frenzy.

The conference inaugurated by Brinda Karat was attended by 248 delegates/observers. 53 comrades enriched the Political Organizational Report placed by State Secretary G.K.Baksi. Discussions were held in a constructive and self-critical atmosphere.

Central Committee member, Madan Ghosh spoke in the delegate session emphasizing the role of leadership and development of mass organizations.

15 resolutions were adopted by the conference.
 

Polit Bureau Member S Ramachandran Pillai  summed up the deliberations asserted the interconnection with the basic class issues while raising local issues and to link up with the alternative policies pronounced by the party.

The conference unanimously elected a 35 member State Committee. State Committee in its first meeting re-elected  G.K Baksi as the State Secretary.

The conference unanimously elected 8 delegates and 2 observers for the 21st Party Congress.

CPI(M) Kicks-off Election Campaign For Ranchi

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has kicked-off the campaign trail for its candidate for Ranchi Lok Sabha seat, Com. Rajinder Singh Munda, on March 11th, with four large worker meetings. These meetings were held in four of the seven assembly segments Hatia, Silli and Khijri.

On March 10th, a large workers meeting was held in Ranchi city, where Comrade Brinda Karat, member, Polit Bureau,  addressed the hundreds of CPI(M) workers attended the meeting. The meeting was attended by candidate Com. Rajinder Singh Munda and State Secretary Com G.K. Bakshi. Slogans like 'Congress Hatao, BJP Harao', 'Ranchi Mein CPI(M) Lao' resounded at the meetings when Com. Brinda Karat said Jharkhand is one of the richest States in minerals and its people are the  poorest.

“Since the State was formed in 2000,  the Congress and the BJP have taken turns to rule themselves or through equally corrupt proxies. In 12 years there have been nine chief ministers Presidents rule imposed thrice. Jharkhand has become 'lootkhand',” Com Brinda Karat said.

Com. Rajinder Singh Munda

Today a new chapter has been added with Mamta Bannerjee’s TMC bringing chit fund money to buy MLAs and manipulate defections.  “CPI(M) is fighting to clean up this corruption through alternative politics and alternative policies,” she added.

The meetings were attended by workers from different sectors, a large number of whom were construction workers. 

A big group of lawyers were also present. In Ranchi, parties like CPI, Marxist Coordination Committee and RSP have pledged their support.

Anti-Communal Convention in Ranchi, Jharkand

 

The four Left parties, the CPI(M), CPI, AIFB and RSP, organised a state-level anti-communalism convention in Ranchi on October 1. The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha also participated.

Inaugurating the convention, Central Committee member Mohd.Salim said that the 'raga' of 'NaMo,NaMo' on one side and the praising Rahul Gandhi as the ideal leader of the country on the other are both being sponsored by the corporate houses. He said that there is need to be wary of these dark forces and fight them unitedly. People do not want to fight against each other, but the exploiting classes create communal tensions in order to serve their own interests, he observed.

The resolution placed in the Convention by CPI State Secretary Bhuvaneshwra Prasad Mehta underlined the fact that the current communal incidents were not spontaneous, but were being created by the communal forces as part of a planned conspiracy in view of the Lok Sabha elections of 2014. The resolution was supported by CPI(M) State Secretary G.K.Bakshi, Secretariat member Prakash Viplav, Khagendra Thakur of CPI, State Secretary of FB Janardan Pandey, State Secretary of RSP Radhakant Jha, Marxist Co-ordination Committee member Mithilesh Singh and General Secretary of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Gautam Sagar Rana.

 

The Convention appealed to all the peace-loving, secular citizens of the state to unite against these communal forces and fight them ideologically and politically.

 

The Convention demanded that the state government should be extremely cautious on the issue of communalism and make adequate arrangements for the safety of the ordinary public, especially in the festival season.

Jharkhand: Unprovoked Firing on Protesters

Hundreds of people participated in a demonstration in front of the Hazaribagh Commissioner’s office on July 26 demanding a probe by a sitting judge of the High Court to enquire into the firing on peaceful protesters in Chatti-Bariyatu in Hazaribagh on July 23, which had led to the death of a protester and injuries to a few others.

The unarmed villagers were protesting against forcible construction of a shed on their land without their consent. Negotiations were going on between the peasants and the management of the NTPC which was interested in acquiring the land. As the NTPC management had not agreed to provide adequate compensation for the multi-crop land to the peasants and guarantee rehabilitation and resettlement including employment, no settlement was arrived at.

The multi-crop land is the economic base of the whole area producing paddy, wheat, pulses and different cash crops including vegetables which are sent to different markets of the industrial district of Hazaribagh.

Two Coal-Blocks were allocated to the NTPC on January 25, 2006. But as no work started within the stipulated period, the allocation was cancelled on June 14, 2011.

Further, environment and forest clearance for the Chatti-Bariyatu and Keredari Coal block which had been allocated to NTPC in January 2013, were issued only recently. The area covered by the said two Coal-Blocks of Keredari and Chatti-Bariyatu areas are about 1400 Acres including multi-crop land of six villages.

The land, in question, where the construction was taking place leading to protests is part of the de-allocated coal block.

A joint team of the CPI(M) & CPI visited Chatti-Bariyatu in Hazaribagh on July 25. The team consisting of CPI (M) State Secretary Gopikant Bakshi, Member of State Secretariat Prakash Viplav, Secretary Hazaribagh district committee Ganesh Kumar Verma, Shahikant, Sanjay Prasad, Rambilash Singh {all of CPI (M)} and Mahendra Pathak from the CPI met the wife and members of the deceased Keshar Mahto  and the families of those injured. They also met the injured villagers admitted to the Sadar Hospital.

Speaking to the delegation, villagers revealed how the management of the central public sector undertaking, NTPC, connived with contractors and the police. The police action against peaceful protesters was unwarranted. The firing took place in broad daylight without any provocation from the side of the villagers. There was no warning whatsoever. The police chased the villagers nearly half a kilometer away from the construction site and opened fire indiscriminately.

The intent of the police becomes clear when one looks at the injuries. The deceased Keshar Mahto had gun short injuries on his head and belly. Ramesh Mahto was shot at on the right jaw while Makhan Mahato suffered a bullet injury on the knee. Two critically injured villagers, Nanu Mahto and  Rahul Mahto have been admitted to the Government hospital in Ranchi, the state capital.

The CPI(M) has demanded an enquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court, proper punishment for those responsible for the firing, Rs. 20 Lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased and adequate compensation and proper treatment for those who have suffered injuries. It has also demanded a restriction on acquirement of the land of villagers until proper policies for acquisition   of land is finalized by the Central government. Protests were organized in different parts of the state on July 24.

Eastern Jatha continues its journey in Jharkand

Eastern Jatha has travelled through Ramgarh, Hazaribag and Koderma In Jharkhand today.

In Ramgarh, a town in colliery belt, coal workers and daily wage workers attended a public meeting in the morning. They reported about spiraling price rise. In Central Coal Fields mines, the number of workers is decreasing while the load of work is increasing. “1 worker, 4 Work”, said a worker. Their houses have become dangerous to live. Coal dumps have been constructed in workers colony, and poisonous smoke is creating havoc with people, specially children.

In Hazaribagh, large number of women were present, mainly from nearby villages. They listening with apt attention to Subhashini Ali’s speech as she was telling the chronicle of women’s distress in the country. These villagers alleged that BPL cards are not available to them.

 

In Jhumri Tilaya, Koderma, there was a huge meeting. Mainly daily wage earners and peasants attended the meeting. Thousands of young and aged have become migrant workers in other parts of the country as no job, not even in very low wages are available here. Some reported that daily wage has come down to as low as less than Rs.50. But the poor urban workers have united under Red flag. Some of them have started working with CPI(M) under very difficult conditions and even in underground.

Eastern Jatha Enters Jharkhand

 

Eastern Jatha entered Jharkhand on Sunday. It was received by tribals with traditional dances. Just after crossing Subranarekha river, addressing a roadside meeting in Muri, Prakash Karat told that the peoples’ struggle in various states would be strengthened by the jatha.

One particular feature of the meeting was that villagers who are fighting a desperate battle against forcible land grabbing of Hindalco attended the meeting in large numbers. Over 12,000 acres of land was earmarked for the project without any proper rehabilitation. The villagers under the leadership of AIKS and CPI(M) resisted police atrocities and the government machinery and won partial victory. Those who came in the meeting told INN that it was but for the red flag that they could save their land and continue tilling.
 
On the way to Ranchi, crimson red Palash flowers have ignited the spring and the hilly terrain of the plateau is bursting red. Red flags in spots have added to the beauty. In Jona, known for waterfalls, local people gathered to report their distress to CPI(M) leaders. Adivasis of Dumargarhi in Angaraha block reported that though they have tilled and resided in the forests for 40 years, they have not been given the legal forest rights. These poor peasants submitted a memorandum to Prakash Karat detailing their problems. Karat assured them that CPI(M) would continue to fight for their rights.  A large motorcycle rally brought the Jatha to Ranchi.

Warm Welcome in Ranchi

The Argora Maidan of Ranchi wore a festive look for the rally addressed by the CPI(M) leaders participating the Sandesh Sangharsh Jatha. Red flags were flying all around the Maidan and a large and impressive procession of thousands of men and women, many of them tribals, wound its way through the Ranchi streets and congregated in the Maidan. Young tribal boys and girls danced to their traditional drum beats and the mood among the people was enthusiastic. When the Jatha vehicle entered the Maidan, it was given a warm welcome by slogan-shouting from the crowd.

The rally was addressed by Comrades Gyan Mazumdar, Joginder Sharma, Subhashini Ali, Biman Basu and Prakash Karat. The issues being highlighted by the Jatha were explained to the people. Demands close to their hearts like the demand for forest rights for tribals, for distribution of land to the landless, ending of forced eviction of poor people, mainly tribals, from areas rich in minerals which are being handed out to rich exploiters by the Government and for the provision of 35 kilos of foodgrains at 2/- a kilo to all elicited repeated applause. The audience responded enthusiastically when the speakers referred to the recent victory of the CPI(M) in the Assembly elections of Tripura which was the result of the pro-people policies successfully implemented by the Left Front Govt., especially to Com. Prakash’s mention of the fact that the Tripura Left Front Govt. had distributed more than 1 lac pattas of forest land to adivasi settlers.

P. Sundarayya’s Birth Centenary Celebration Observed at Ranchi

The Gossener Theological Hall, Ranchi was packed with the participants who came from different parts of Jharkhand comprising of different cross section of people such as intellectuals, youths, students, women, peasants, etc. to observe P Sundarayya’s Birth Centenary celebration on 27th August 2012.

Com. Prakash Karat, General Secretary of CPIM inaugurated the P.Sundarayya Birth Centenary celebration programme by offering a garland to the portrait of P.Sundarayya and by delivering a special speech  on Com.P.Sundarayya. P.Sundarayyan Birth Centenary celebration will be observed over the year. P.Sundarayya Birth Centenary celebration was organized by the organizingcommittee. The President of committee was Former MLA Rajendra Singh Munda and the conveners were Prof. Shishir Kumar and Dr. Prabhat K. Singh of Ranchi University.

Before the inauguration, in the morning  Prakash Karat was welcomed by the conveners and members of organizing committee at the Ranchi Airport. He was escorted and rallied by hundreds of motor cycles with red flags amidst dawn breaking and slogans shouting. Com. Prakash Karat first reached to the  Jharkhand state Party office of CPI (M) and then to the venue for the programme.

 

The programme was conducted by Dr.Prabhat Singh while Prof. Shishir Kumar of Ranchi University welcomed the participants and Rajendra Singh Munda presided over the function.Com. Prakash Karat also inaugurated a blog on P.Sundarayya – www. Sundarayya. blogspot.in in this occasion prepared by Com. Shashikant Singh and Shouvik Mukhopadhyay on behalf of the organizing committee.

In this inaugural speech Com. Prakash Karat said that Com. P.Sundarayya led a very simple life. He was a revolutionary man who led the social reform movements since his student life. He struggled against the social evils such as untouchability. During the struggle of independence he visited every nook and corner of the village of Andhra Pradesh  and learnt the types of class and social exploitations prevailing in the society.

 

P.Sundarayya was the man who first of all organized the agricultural labourers and formed an organization for them. He fought against the brutality of Hyderabad Nizam on the peasants. He organized an armed peasant force. He led the historical Telengana movement and liberated six thousand villages in Telengana area from the Nizam. After independence Communist Party ofIndia won the Parliament seat with huge votes in that area. When CPI (M) was formed in 1964, he became the first General Secretary of the Party.

In his speech, Com.Prakash Karat said that the toiling masses of the country are suffering badly due to the neo- liberal policies and everyday big scams were coming to the surface. The Central Government is making pro-rich policies in the interests of the capitalist- imperialist forces instead of the interests of the people. In such a situation, life and values of P.Sundarayya and his struggle has become more pertinent and relevant. The policies which have been accepted after neo- liberal policies in the last two decades are only for the rich people. Dozens of richest people of the world are from India and at the other side the largest number of poor people are also in India. Fifty percent children are malnourished – this too is highest in the world. Corruption, loot and price hike are rampant in India due to its neo-liberal policies.

 

In UPA-2 government, the prices of essential commodities are rising day by day. UPA-2 government appears more keen to appease international finance capital and provide it with greater opportunities for profit maximization in India instead of pursuing policies that will economically empower the Indian people. This government will be forced to reverse its current thinking on these neo- liberal financial sector reforms and adopt a policy projecting that will ensure sustainable growth while improving the livelihood status of the people. A yearlong observance of the birth centenary of P.Sundarayya should be utilized for a campaign to build and strengthen the party.

Left Parties Demand Food Security; Protest against Price Rise in Jharkand

THE four Left parties - CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP organised a joint demonstration in front of Raj Bhawan in Ranchi on July 31, in solidarity with the Five-day central dharna organised by them in New Delhi from July 30 to August 3 against price rise and demanding right to food through a universal public distribution System.

Similar demonstrations were held in other district headquarters as part of the national campaign. In Ranchi, Left Parties’ supporters assembled at Jaipal Singh Stadium and marched towards Raj Bhawan. Police stopped the demonstrators near Raj Bhawan. They sat in dharna and held a meeting. The dharna was  led by CPI(M) state secretary G K Bakshi and CPI(M) leaders, Ramchandra Thakur, Prakash Viplav, Sudhir Das, D D Ramanandan, Prafull Linda, Sufal Mahto; DYFI leaders Sanjay Paswan, Sukhnath Lohra, Subhash Munda, Suresh Munda; CPI leader K D Singh, P K Ganguli, RSP leader Radha Kant Jha and Forward Bloc leader Jayant Pandey.

Leaders of the Left Parties said that the BPL/APL categorisation divides the poor. The government is depriving the people the right to food by using fraudulent methods to define who is poor and who is not poor and how many are poor in each state. It informed the Supreme Court that anyone earning more than 26 rupees a day in rural India and 32 a day in urban India (at 2010-11 prices) cannot be considered poor and therefore cannot get foodgrains at subsidised rates. As a result, large sections of our people are suffering due the high prices in the market. The bogus poverty estimates have resulted in  61 per cent of Scheduled Castes, 55 per cent of Scheduled Tribes, 52 per cent of agricultural workers not having BPL or Antodaya cards, they said.

CPI(M)’s Demands for Nagri Peasants in JHARKHAND

 ON June 29, the Jharkhand state secretariat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) urges immediate intervention of the Arjun Munda government of the state for rehabilitation and resettlement of about 500 poor peasant tenants of Nagri in Ranchi district.

It also demanded that the state government must submit a petition before the Ranchi High Court for grant of stay on operationalisation of its earlier order to begin construction work on the acquired land at Nagri for a law university.

It may be noted that in 1958 the then state government of Bihar had acquired 227.71 acres of mostly tribal land at Nagri in Kanke block of Ranchi district, affecting a total of 153 tenants. A majority of 128 tenants at that time actively opposed this acquisition and refused to take compensation.

The state government did not use this acquired land during the last 54 years and about 500 peasant descendants of the tenants continued to keep the land in their possession and cultivate it. They depended on it for their livelihood.

Now after 54 years, however, the state government suddenly woke up to establish their right on the land for construction of an IIM, an IIT and a law university on this land. The Ranchi High Court passed order for forcible removal of these peasants treating them as encroachers and for early construction of the law university on this tribal land. The Supreme Court refused to admit the SLP filed on behalf of the land losers.

The state unit of the CPI(M) has been of the opinion that this British made antiquated Land Acquisition Act 1894 has been anti-peasant and ensures no legal right for the tenants. The party has therefore demanded its amendment. Two bills before the parliament --- the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill 2007 and the associated Rehabilitation & Resettlement Bill 2007 --- were allowed to be lapsed and replaced by a new one --- The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2011 --- which is now pending before the parliament.

Land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement have been accepted as a composite principle. It is in this context that the CPI(M)’s demand for rehabilitation and resettlement of Nagri peasant tenants and maintenance of status quo ante regarding the acquired land are justified. It is the state government’s responsibility to act on that basis, taking all parties on board, and move the Ranchi High Court for protecting the peasant tenants’ rights.

CPIM Will raise the issue of Matmkurya (Dhanbad) Police Firing in the Parliament : Brinda Karat

CPI (M) Polit Bureu Member Com. Brinda Karat accused both the Centre and Jharkhand government of being responsible for the police firing in Dhanbad on agitators during eviction drives in which four persons were killed on April 27. Com. Brinda Karat met the family members of the police firing victims and said her party would raise the issue in Parliament as innocent and poor people were being killed. She was in Dhanbad to attend a joint convention of Left Front on 'Eviction and Displacement and Rehabilitation'.

Com. Brinda Karat consoling the family of Bikas singh
who died in the police firing in Matmkurya

She criticized the UPA government for police action on Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Maidan on May 4, saying the late night action on women and old persons, who had gone there to protest against black money and corruption. Com. Brinda said the issue was too big and serious to have been trivialised by Ramdev and the central government. She said while Ramdev had raised some issues "that were not relevant" and the central government messed it up by sending four ministers to the airport for talks with the yoga guru. She also rejected the notion that the Left Front had become demoralized after losing power in West Bengal and Kerala and insisted that though the Left Front government had been ousted in West Bengal, the 'Left Front fortress' was still in place. Over the issue of Lokpall Bill, Karat said her party supports bringing the Prime Minister under the ambit of the bill. "We agreed with Anna Hazare on this point but there are lots of issues in the bill that need discussion," she said. "Such action exposed bankruptcy on the part of the UPA government", she alleged.

Jharkand Bandh called by Left Parties evokes good response

The  Jharkhand state observed bandh on Monday called by six Left parties, CPIM, CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc, Marxist Coordination Committee and CPIML in protest against the ongoing anti-encroachment drive launched by the district administration in various parts of the state.

The bandh was almost total in rural areas where normal life came to a halt. The workings in the government offices and commercial establishments were badly affected. Except the movement of trains, short and long distance busses were off the roads. Production of coal and bauxite was totally stopped and its transportation by roads was stalled. In the town areas in the state, the bandh evoked mixed response. All the major opposition parties immediately extended their support to protest the anti-encroachment drive and demand resignation of Chief Minister Arjun Munda. A large number of party workers hit the roads on Monday morning. In Ranchi Police detained three CPI(M) leaders — Janardan Paswan, Bhubaneswar Mahta and Gyanshankar Majumdar and were kept in the camp jail set up at the Jaipal Singh stadium.

Left parties condemned the indiscriminate police firing in Dhanbad on 26th Arptil on thousands of innocents for their alleged crime of living in squatter settlements on government land. Their jhuggis were demolished and they themselves either were killed by police bullets, or injured and finally evicted from the only shelter they had. According to confirmed reports from the spot, twelve persons have already died and several others have been critically injured. The Arjun Munda government that has launched this brutal eviction drive, enforced through police firing not only in Dhanbad but also in several other places in Jharkhand, should be held responsible for the brutal act. it is in this context the left parties had given a call for Jharkand bandh.