The Uttar Pradesh CPI(ML) organized a Mahadharna on 15 June at the Laxman Mela Maidan on the banks of the Gomati in Lucknow against the increasing atrocities against dalits in Saharanpur and other parts of the State, violence against women, deteriorating law and order situation, communal polarization and attacks on democratic rights under the Yogi Adityanath regime.
The chief speaker at the Mahadharna, CPI(ML) General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the ascension of Yogi Adityanath to the post of Chief Minister is a great misfortune for the State. A person with dozens of criminal cases registered against him should be behind bars, instead of ensuring that, the BJP has instead elevated him to the CM’s chair. The people of the country and the State want to know what action will be taken on Yogi in these cases. It is bizarre that Yogi himself as CM will now decide whether the files in these cases will move forward or not. The Yogi government is as communal as it is feudal. The Modi government imposed the note ban on the country and the Yogi government started its rule with the meat ban. The livelihoods of lakhs of people in the meat trade have been snatched away. RSS goons are openly indulging in goondaism. Feudal attacks were made on dalits in Saharanpur. Protesting students in Lucknow have been thrown into jail with criminal cases slapped on them.
Com. Dipankar added that the people of Uttar Pradesh will not sit silent and have already started coming out on the streets in protest. The dalits of Saharanpur went to Delhi and held a dharna at Jantar Mantar. AISA and the students of Lucknow University are keeping the flag of democracy flying high. Farmers are protesting across the country. Innocent farmers were gunned down in Mandsaur. It is on these issues that we are holding this Mahadharna today. We must stand united with the people’s struggles.
The dharna was also addressed by Sudhakar Yadav, Krishna Adhikari, Ishwari Prasad Kushwaha, Shriram Choudhury, Tahira Hasan, Rakesh Singh, Sunil Maurya, Shashikant Kushwaha, Ramesh Singh Sengar, Jeera Bharti, Arjunlal and others. The proceedings were conducted by Com Ramji Rai and Rajesh Sahani. The Mahadharna concluded with a memorandum being submitted to the President through the DM who came to the venue.
The memorandum contained the following demands:
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i. Release Chandrashekhar and all other dalits arrested in the Shabbirpur (Saharanpur),
ii. Arrest the feudal culprits, judicial enquiry into the issue and action against guilty administrative and police personnel;
iii. Unconditional release of students arrested in Lucknow for showing black flags to the CM, revoke all criminal cases against them and revoke their suspension from Lucknow University;
iv. Resignation of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in MP guilty of killing 7 protesting farmers in Mandsaur; waive farmers’ bank loans and moneylender loans and implement Swaminathan Commission report;
v. Implement recent Allahabad HC decision to issue new licenses to meat traders and open new slaughter-houses;
vi. Stop harassment of meat traders under the guise of ‘legal-illegal’ trade;
vii. Stop control over people’s food choices and imposition of Hindutva ideology;
viii. Revoke the recent central Notification imposing cattle trade restrictions and conditions;
ix. End the eviction of long-settled poor and adivasis from forest lands, agricultural and residential lands and give them unhindered access and use of forest resources;
x. Arrest the guilty in incidents like rape and murder (Jevar-Gautam Budh Nagar), and gang-rape of minor girl (Manduadih, Banaras);
xi. Stop attacks on democratic rights like dharna protests and take back cases slapped on political activists.
Large numbers of people including women from Banaras, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Bhadohi, Mau, Devariya, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Lucknow, Allahabad, Kanpur, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheeri, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Jalaun, Banda, Gonda, Faizabad, Ambedkarnagar, Pratapgarh, Unnao, Hardoi and other districts, participated in the Mahadharna.
