Poor Lay Claim To Homestead Land in Nawada
‘Dakhal’ into lands, dharnas and protests were held across the State of Bihar from 9 to 15 August 2017 under the call given by the Bihar State Committee of the CPI(ML) with the slogan, ‘We shall not tolerate betrayal of people’s mandate; we shall take the land rights due to us’. Capturing bhoodan land in Lalpur (Kauwakol Block, Naw District), the landless poor put up 200 huts on the land. They had got parchas to 60 acres of bhoodan land on 17 February 1957 and 13 February 1996. Despite this these dalits and poor could not get possession of the land till now. They had appealed several times to the administration to give them possession but their demands went unheeded. In the face of administrative indifference the CPI(ML) and AIARLA decided to put up huts on this land.
On 14 August 2017 hundreds of people gathered at the place and put up flags on the land after which they built 200 huts. They have also decided to do farming on this land. Women were at the forefront of the campaign to put up flags on the land and contributed hugely to the success of the movement. Addressing the meeting which followed the putting up of the flags, CPI(ML) District Secretary Com. Narendra Prasad Singh said that the State government is putting up a hypocritical charade of commemorating the Champaran Satyagraha; they mouth Gandhi’s name but rule and enjoy power along with Gandhi’s killers. The Central and State governments are busy pandering to the needs of corporate houses and are bent upon snatching forests, water, and lands from the adivasis and the poor and handing it over to capitalist companies. The government and administration are not giving the poor possession of bhoodan and ceiling lands in spite of repeated applications. This has made the people very angry, and today’s initiative of putting up flags on this bhoodan land is a result of this anger.
Cadre Convention in Garhwa
A District level CPI(ML) cadre convention was organized on 9 August 2017 at Garhwa. Addressing the convention, Party State Secretary Janardan Prasad said that the Modi government’s slogan is ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ (With everyone, for the Development of All), but they are seen to be walking hand in hand with only Ambani and Adani and their ilk. Like Hitler, the Modi government also seeks to divide the country through the politics of communal hatred and violence so that corporate loot and Company Raj can flourish unchecked. He further said that the note ban has shattered the economy of the country; lynching of minorities and dalits in the name of beef continues unchecked in Jharkhand and other States; the people are being fooled by GST in the name of ending tax theft and the burden of the loss has to be borne by traders and the common people.
The convention was also addressed by Kalicharan Mehta, Sushma Me Imtiyaz Ansari, Suresh Choudhury, Munawar Ansari and Kameshwar Vishwakarma. It was decided at the convention to emphasize the need for extensive initiatives to accelerate the membership drive of Jharkhand Grameen Mazdoor Sabh. It was also decided to work towards the success of the 10th Party Congress.
Union Leaders’ of Steel Authority of India Ltd. Meet in Bhilai
A meeting of leaders from unions in various SAIL units affiliated to the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) was organized on 20 August 2017 in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh to discuss the anti-worker and pro-corporate policies of the government resulting in disinvestment, privatization, contractualizat, outsourcing, and loot of labour in the steel sector and creating an atmosphere of insecurity among workers. The meeting lasted from 11 AM to 4.30 PM during which the problems in the steel sector were discussed in depth and detail. About 30 labour leaders from Bhilai, Bokaro and Rourkela took part in the meeting. AICCTU National Vice President Com DP Bakshi was the main speaker; all the other union leaders also spoke and shared their inputs at the meeting. The speakers held the destructive policies of the government responsible for the present dismal condition of SAIL and demanded that the workers should get their due rights, contract workers should be regularized, and equal pay for equal work should be implemented. The meeting condemned the SAIL management for the non-implementation of the wage accord in force from January 2017 and said that the NJCS has failed utterly in resolving workers’ problems and protecting their rights.
It was decided at the meeting to accelerate the activities of the National Steel Workers’ Federation formed earlier for extending activities in the entire steel sector on a national level and conducting them in a well-organized way. A 15-member ad hoc committee was formed with Rourkela Steel Labour Union President and High Court advocate NK Mohanty as President and Bokaro labour leader DS Diwakar as General Secretary. The committee decided that an awareness campaign would be held among workers from 25 October to 7 November; members from the Federation would participate in the joint trade union Mahadharna to be held in Delhi on 9, 10, and 11 November 2017. The Federation also decided to increase and accelerate activities among contract workers. The next meeting of the Federation will be held in December at Burnpur.
District Conference of CPI(ML) in Bangalore
The first district conference of the Bangalore unit of CPI(ML) was held on 20 August 2017. A 25-member district committee, 9 member standing committee were elected in the conference with Com. Puttegowda as the Secretary. The delegate members discussed and finalised a work report that summed up the experiences and a work plan. The conference was inaugurated by the state Secretary Com. Bharadwaj who also hoisted the flag and it was concluded by Com. Shankar, PB member of CPI(ML). It was resolved that the party will continue to fight for Pro-poor urban development strategy; Free Education, Free Health and Free Housing for all; Social Dignity of Dalits, poor and the downtrodden; and for Secular Democracy against Corporate Communal Fascism!
ASHA Workers’ Conference in Udham Singh Nagar
The ASHA Health Workers Union in Uttarakhand (Affiliated to AICCTU) held its Udham Singh Nagar district conference in Rudrapur. There was a massive participation of ASHA workers in the conference. A 25-member district committee was also elected and Com. Mamta Pannu was elected as the district President and Com. Kulvinder Kaur as district secretary. The AICCTU state President Com. Nishan Singh along with other AICCTU leaders addressed the ASHA workers.
