From Bihar to Gujarat, the struggle for the liberation of Dalits and poor continues!
The Bihar state unit of CPI (ML) gave a call for a ‘samaajik parivartan yatra’ (journey for social change) from 5 to 15 September in the entire state to strengthen the movement for people’s dignity and rights. The yatra culminated in the form of People’s Convention organized during the 10th state conference of the party in Sasaram.
Several leaders of CPI(ML) and RYA from Bihar had participated in the Dalit Asmita yatra from Ahmedabad to Una from 5 August to 15 August. The voices for liberation of Dalits and poor are in unison from Bihar to Gujarat. On 5 September, the yatra started in all districts of Bihar.
In Patna, CPI (ML) PB member Com. Amar flagged off a rally on 5 September. the yatra started from Bhagat Singh Chowk which was led by the state secretary of AIARLA, Com. Gopal Ravidas, Peasant leader Kripanarayan Singh and others. Addressing a meeting at Bhagat Singh Chowk prior to the yatra, youth leader Com. Abhyuday said that today in continuation to the increasing assaults on minorities, brutal assaults are also being increasingly unleashed on the Dalits. There is a concerted and a frenzied attempt to impose the Manusmriti and establish a Hindu Rashtra. In the name of ‘Make in India’, an open invitation has been extended to imperialistic foreign companies to loot. A large section of the people today is rising against this attack. In Jehanabad, Com. Ramjatan Sharma, Com. Ramadhar Singh and other leaders led the yatra and also addressed various public meetings during the course of the yatra.
In Shahabad, the yatra received tremendous support from the people. During the yatra numerous nukkad sabhas and rural sabhas were organized in the villages where the party is leading various struggles and also other villages and a dialogue established with the people. During these meetings, the party leaders said that this yatra is being taken out to organize people for the struggle for the dignity and rights of people and against the communal frenzy. In Bhojpur, during the yatra the leaders gave the call to strengthen the struggle for social change for an equitable society of the dreams of Bhagat Singh, Dr. Ambedkar and Com. Ram Naresh Ram. During the yatra several young CPI(ML) leaders and actvists like Raju Yadav, Manoj Manzil, Ajit Kushwaha, and others held numerous sabhas which were enthusiastically joined by students-youth, workers and farmers and women and a dialogue established between all. On 15 September this yatra reached the historic Lasadi Shaheed Mela where peasants and workers had fought a heroic struggle against the British rule and hundreds of people were martyred. Addressing the sabha in Lasadi, the party leaders said that different state and central governments formed after independence have betrayed the dreams of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the independence struggle as even after nearly 70 years of independence, social discrimination and inequality continue.
During the yatras, the activists brought to the attention of people increasing assaults on Dalits and minorities and the recent incidents in Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Nawada and others. An uprising against this slavery had begun in 1967 in Naxalbari. Later the Bhojpur movement organized the most oppressed and deprived sections of the society into a formidable political force. This is the reason why Dalits and poor had to face brutal oppression at the hands of feudal criminals, however the Bhojpur movement refused to bow down. Today, on similar lines, struggle of Rohith Vemula is in front of us and the Dalit movement in Gujarat is demanding land for Dalits. Today we can see the same movement building in Gujarat which is being fought in Bihar since several decades and finding an echo in both states.
