SFI's emphatic march of Victory in Rajastan

SFI General Secretary Ritabrata Banerjee and President Dr V Sivadasan has issued the following statement

Central Executive committee of the Students’ Federation of India congratulates its Rajasthan state unit for registering emphatic victory in the students’ union elections which were held in the state yesterday. Elections were held in nearly 150 colleges and 9 Universities of the state, out of which SFI contested in 85 colleges and 2 universities, spread across 12 districts of the state. SFI candidates have emerged victorious in 67 colleges and the 2 very important University centres of Jodhpur and Bikaner- a big leap forward from last year’s tally of 44 colleges and 1 university.

SFI improved its performance in the Jai Narayan Vyas University of Jodhpur, sweeping the entire panel this time. Mahendra Jakhad has been elected as President, Lakshmi as Vice President, and Pramila Meena as General Secretary and Madhusudan Gurjar as Joint secretary. 8449 votes were polled. SFI candidates defeated NSUI on all 4 posts, victory margins being 167,150,371 and 1275 respectively. Jodhpur is a politically important district and is also the constituency of chief minister Ashok Gehlot. The mandate of the University elections has left the ruling Congress party in jittery and orchestrated scenes of violence have been seen on the streets of Jodhpur, injuring 6 students by the time this statement was being prepared. SFI candidate Ajeet Singh Poonia won the President post in the Maharaja Ganga Singh University of Bikaner, defeating the ABVP candidate by the margin of 26 votes. This is for the first time SFI won in Bikaner University. In the Rajasthan University,Jaipur SFI supported candidate Rajesh Mandia finished third on the post of President with 1098 votes. SFI also won 3 Department representatives (DRs) in Rajasthan University.

In S.K. college of Sikar- biggest college of the state, with 13000 enrolled students- entire panel of SFI has emerged victorious. Navdeep Singh has been elected as President, Iliyas Ali as Vice-President, Mahendra Kadiya as General Secretary and Sharda Kumari Kalwaniya as Joint Secretary.

Apart from this, SFI has won 99% of seats in the colleges of Hanumangarh and Ganganagar districts. The old bases in Taranagar, Sardarshahar, Didwana, Jhunjhunu and Churu have been retained with students coming out in large numbers in support of the SFI panels. It has to be mentioned that SFI had lost in Taranagar and Jhunjhunu last year.

Certain points clearly emerge from these results. The dominance of the 2 main students’ organizations of the ruling class- NSUI and ABVP- has reduced drastically throughout the state. Out of the total 9 Universities in the State, ABVP has won 2, NSUI 1, SFI 2 and the remaining 4 have been won by the independents and local level organizations. This clearly reflects the urge for a credible non-NSUI and non-ABVP alternative, and given the fact that the assembly elections in the state are only few months away, this is going to leave its mark in the assembly elections also.

Further, the growing prestige and strength of SFI has to be seen in the light of the fact that it was the relentless struggle of SFI that lead to the revival of the students’ union elections in the state. After the ban on polls during the reign of Chief Minister Vasundhara Rajess Scindia, SFI was able to build the movement of restoration of campus democracy throughout the state. This forced Ashok Gehlot to keep it as one of his pre-poll promises, and after assuming office, he was forced to implement his promise with thousands of students gheraoing the assembly, while the left MLAs were arguing for it inside the assembly. In the last 4 years, performance of SFI has grown by leaps and bounds. Elected unions of SFI have been role model for any leftist student union, with continuous agitation demanding better infrastructure in the colleges, increase in seats and so on. The movement for increase in seats in the colleges- ‘Paas kiya hai toh pravesh do’- has proved to be the most important initiative by the organization, forcing administration to increase seats at many places. Along with the issues of the students, SFI has also been at the forefront of the struggles of the other sections as well- most glorious being the movement for electricity and water by the farmers. It is this continuous and relentless work that has given organization the prestige which it today enjoys in the state.

These elections also saw brazen attempts of caste mobilizations by the ruling class and this is going to be the biggest challenge for the organization in the coming days. We will have to carry forward the mandate of this victory by speeding up the process of building more and more bigger unity of the students. This is the only way ahead in the fight against such forces that seek to maintain and fan the caste tensions.

CEC is confident that the organization will gear itself for these new challenges and continue its forward march in the state. The 10th September ‘Dilli Chalo’ shall mark another stepping stone in this fight.

Rajasthan: Alternate Policy Platform : Rajasthan Loktantric Morcha Convention

 

A convention of the recently formed Rajasthan Loktantric Morcha consisting of the CPI(M), CPI, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (Secular) and Janata Da (United) was held on July 21,2013 in Jaipur.

The Alternative Policy Resolution adopted at the convention demands land-reforms, granting of special status to the state, new mining policy to protect the interests of the tribals, sub-plan for the SC-ST, protection of minorities, prevention of atrocities on women, extending social security to peasants, agricultural labourers and artisans, improving the provision of irrigation, drinking water and electricity, protecting the pastoral communities and rights of workers, expansion of MNREGA and putting a stop to increasing privatisation of education and health.

 

The convention also called for strengthening the Rajsthan Loktantric Morcha, for the ouster of the Congress from power and to keep the BJP away from power.

 

The resolution presented by Samajwadi Party leader Pt. Ram Kishan Sharma was jointly prepared by the CPI(M), CPI, SP and the JD(S). The JD(U) gave its consent to the resolution by participating in the convention. Prior to this convention, state level activists of the four parties had already held a meeting in which the decision to build an anti-Congress, anti-BJP front of the Left, democratic and secular forces was taken.

 

This convention was the next step towards building a non-Congress, non-BJP front based on alternative policies. It was also decided to expand the front by including other parties and prominent intellectuals who agree with the Alternate Policy Resolution.

 

800 activists from various districts  of the state participated in the convention, by CPI(M) Central Committee member and MLA Amra Ram, CPI's state secretary Tara Singh Siddu, SP president Pt. Ram Kishan Sharma and JD(U) President Arjun Detha.

 

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, CPI leader A.B.Bardhan, JD(S) General Secretary Danish Ali, minister in UP government and SP leader Ram Sakal Gujar, JD(U) General Secretary Javed Raza, CPI(M) Central Committee Member, Hannan Mollah and CPI Central Secretariat member Atul Kumar Anjan addressed the convention.

 

Speaking at the convention CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat slammed the Congress government in the state led by Ashok Gehlot for not doing anything to prevent the incidents of communal violence in the state during the last five years. She said, “There have been 55, big and small, incidents of communal violence during the  Congress rule. We know that the RSS and the BJP had a hand in these incidents…it is their politics…they want to divide people to promote their politics…but what was the Chief Minister doing? What was Congress doing?”

 

Brinda also castigated BJP state president Vasundhara Raje for staying out of the state for the last four and half years and resurfacing recently only to seek votes.  “Being in the opposition, Ms.Vasundhara Raje did not raise a single issue in the assembly…now she has woken up at the time of elections and claims to bring Suraaj.” But during her Suraaj, there were not one, not two but a 100 instances of lathicharge and firing at farmers and workers of Rajsthan,” she said.

 

CPI(M) State Secretary and Central Committee Member, Vasudev deliverd the concluding speech.

 

CPIM Parivartan Rally in Rajastan concludes with a huge rally

Parivartan Yatra, organised by the Rajasthan state unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) concluded on February 15 at Jaipur (Jaipur’s Udyog Maidan) with a huge rally of more than 1 lakh participants . The month long jatha made its journey through almost all of the districts and gave the message of an emerging thrid front in the leadership of CPIM in the coming Assembly elections. CPIM Central Committee member and MLA Com. Amra Ram was the leader of the jatha. The finale of the jatha was inaugurated by party General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat. 

Com Prakash Karat while inaugurating the rally demanded that the Rs 3,600 crore contract to purchase VVIP choppers be cancelled and the CBI probe into the graft allegations over the deal be put under the Supreme Court’s monitoring. Karat equally blamed the Congress and the BJP for corruption at high-levels, referring to the Centre’s 2010 contract about procuring 12 helicopters for Indian VVIPs from AgustaWestland that hit the headlines early this week over alleged kickbacks in the deal. 

“The CBI is controlled by the PMO through the minister of personnel. So, the CBI investigation over corruption in the helicopter purchase case should be done under SC monitoring, as happened in the 2G spectrum case,” Karat said, addressing thousands of party men here. Urging people to strengthen the third political front comprising the Left parties in upcoming assembly elections in the state and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the CPM leader targeted the Congress-led UPA government and the previous BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for their economic policies and the resultant inflation and decreasing subsidies for farmers. 

Karat stressed for a strong Lokpal Act, right to food security and the forest rights Act and demanded that these be passed in the forthcoming budget session. “On February 26, we will hand over a memorandum signed by 5 crore people of the country to the PM demanding 35 kg of grains at Rs 2 per kg,” Karat said. Karat also attacked the Congress government in the state and questioned its secular credentials. “There were more than 100 cases of communal violence in Rajasthan in the past four years. Minorities are attacked here,” he reasoned. Speaking to reporters,

Karat later said unlike the 2008 assembly elections the party would be fielding its candidates on more than 35 constituencies in Rajasthan this year. 

 The CPIM leader informed  about the party’s plan to take out a nationwide jatha (Sangarsh Sandhesh Jatha) of its rank and file that would commence on February 24 from the country’s south, north, east and west and culminate in a public rally in Delhi on March 19. “Before this, there will be an a a m-h a r t a l (common strike) on February 21 and February 22 to protest against price rise and privatization,” Karat said. 

CPIM legislator and the leader of the jatha Com Amra Ram too hit out against the Ashok Gehlot government and the previous Vasundhara Raje government for alleged antifarmer policies.

SFI Victory in Rajastan University Elections

The elections to the students unions of 150 Colleges and 9 Universities were held on 19th August. SFI had contested in 84 colleges and 2 Universities (Rajasthan University, Jaipur and Jainarayan Vyas University, Jodhpur.)SFI registered its victory in the Union of 44 colleges and 1 university. These 44 colleges are in 11 districts of Rajasthan.
 

Comrade Raveender Singh Ranawat

For the first time SFI registered its victory in any university of Rajasthan. In Jainarayan Vyas University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan’s second largest University SFI Presidential candidate Comrade Raveender Singh Ranawat won by a majority of 557 votes. In the Joint Secretary post SFI candidate Comrade Bhawna Solanki defeated her nearest ABVP candidate by a thumping majority of 2180 votes.
 

In Sikar Sri Kalyan College, the biggest one in the state (12000 students) SFI candidates won all the central posts with a huge majority. SFI Presidential candidate Comrade Subhash Jakhar won by a margin of 951 votes. Comrade Sunita won the Vice President post by a margin of 797 votes. The General Secretary and Joint Secretary posts were won by Comrade Rakesh Verma and Comrade Anwar Khan respectively. The margins of victory were 823 and 904 votes.
 

In the districts of Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar and Sikar SFI won in more than 70 % of the colleges.
 

It is to be noted that SFI had been in the forefront of struggles for restoration of Students union elections during the BJP rule in the state. Basundhara Raje government had banned the student’s union elections after coming to power. The struggle had to be continued in the Congress period also. Though Ashoke Gehlot, the Congress Chief Ministerial candidate had promised to restore student union elections in reality it did not happen. The Congress government was in a denial mode and not ready to restore the union elections after coming to power in the last assembly elections. SFI spearheaded a militant struggle against the Congress government for restoration of democratic rights of the student community throughout the state. Ultimately the union elections were restored two years ago. It is significant that SFI had won in the Jodhpur University where Ashoke Gehlot was once a student leader. He also represents the Jodhpur assembly constituency.
 

The Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India congratulates the common students of Rajasthan and also the SFI Unit there for its impressive performance in the students union elections held recently.  The victory in Rajasthan is an inspiration for the entire rank and file of SFI and will strengthen the country wide struggle of the student community for democratic rights.

CPIM Rajasthan State Conference

Communist Party of India Marxist Rajasthan State Conference ahead of the 20th Party Congress to be held at Kozhikode in April 2012 was held at Ringus in Sikar from 27th Decemeber to 30th December. The Congress began with a huge rally in Ramlila maidan in Ringus which gave a clear picture of the increasing strength of the party in the State. The important think to note is the huge participation of women and children in the rally despite of the  severe climate conditions. One interesting fact is that the participation in the rally was more than the total turnout during L K Adwani's recently held meeting as part of his rath yathra. The Rally was inaugurated by Com. Prakash Karat. He called upon the people to forge a Third front against the Congress and BJP in the state. CPIM Central Secreteriate member Com. Hannan Mullah, State Secretary Com. Vasudev Sharma, CC member and MLA com. Amra Ram spoke on the ocassion.

Later the delegate session was also inaugurated by Com. Prakash Karat. State Secretary Com. Vasudev Sharma placed the Organisational - Political report for discussion. 216 Delegates were present in the session. On the final day of the conference 31 member State committe with two new faces were elected. The Committe elected Com. Amara Ram, Hariram Chouhan, Ravindra Sukla, Hetram Beniwal, Falchand, Dhulichand, Prembharathi, Sumitra, Rameshwar Varma as the State Secreteriate and re elected Com. Vasudev Varma as the State Secretary.  

The State conference also decided to carryforward the struggle for water from Indira Canal and decided to hold a mass rally in February at Ganganagar raising this issue. 

Sudents union elections in Rajasthan

The Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India extends its revolutionary greetings to the students of Rajasthan for giving SFI its biggest ever mandate in the history of students union elections in the state. The CEC of SFI also takes the opportunity to congratulate the Rajasthan state committee of the organisation.

SFI had contested in 156 college and university elections of the state held on 25^th August, 2010. Candidates of SFI won in 224 central posts in these colleges. SFI recorded its win in the President post of 56 colleges. The most notable victory of SFI was registered in the Government Sri Kalyan College in Sikar which happens to be the biggest college in Rajasthan with student strength of over nine thousand students. SFI candidates won in all the four central posts of President, General Secretary, Vice President and Assistant Secretary in this college with a majority of more than thousand votes in all the posts. In the second largest college of the state namely Bikaner Government Dungar college SFI candidates won in the three central posts with a huge majority. SFI candidates won the President post in 56 colleges.

The students’ union elections in Rajasthan have been held after a long gap of six years. It was the SFI which fought consistently against this attack on the democratic rights of the students unleashed by the then BJP government and it’s Chief Minister Basundhara Raje Sindhia. The BJP had banned the union elections in the state.

SFI continued this struggle against the present Congress government also which was unwilling to hold the students union elections despite its earlier promises to do so. Militant programmes from the unit level was conducted and students under the leadership of SFI had gheraoed the state assembly in the demand of student union elections .the fact that the students  union  elections  were held is in itself a very big victory  of the democratic student movement of the state.

Sfi s massive victory in the election is a vindication of the politics of study and struggle which the SFI stands for.

Our comrades in Rajasthan have fought day in and day out to provide an alternative to the bankrupt policies of ABVP and NSUI.

We are confident that the advances which the SFI has made in these elections will continue to grow and SFI will emerge as the biggest organisation in the state.