Upholding the democratic principle that people have the right to remain informed about the work of their elected representatives, first-term CPI(ML) Liberation MLA from Dumraon, Comrade Ajit Kumar Singh, presented his five-year report card before an assembly of activists and citizens in Dumraon. The event was held on September 16. This is the first time a Dumraon MLA has presented such a report card before the electors.
On the way to the meeting, Comrade Ajit Kumar Singh and party leaders garlanded the statues of Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sant Ravidas, and the martyrs of the 1942 Quit India movement in Dumraon — Kapilmuni Kahar, Gopalji Kamkar, Ramdas Sonar and Ramdas Lohar — who were killed by colonial forces on 16 August 1942. Seventeen more freedom fighters were martyred in Dumraon subdivision on 19 August 1942. Dumraon has a Shaheed Park in their memory. Comrade Ajit has also secured approval for a project to establish an Arts University in the name of Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, a native of Dumraon.
CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya released the report card during his one-day visit. He said, “Badlo Sarkar, Badlo Bihar [Change the government, change Bihar] and the people’s slogan today is Vote chor, gaddi chhod [Vote thieves, quit power]. The people of Bihar are demanding change and are ready to throw out corrupt and anti-people double engine BJP-JDU regime” He underlined that in a true democracy, elected representatives must report back to the people, and the people have the right to demand accountability.
Dumraon is the land of Ustad Bismillah Khan, and the new Arts College in his memory will be a major step in protecting the state’s composite culture. He added that while development through MLA funds is important, it is even more crucial to challenge the anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-employment policies of the Modi-led BJP government that are handing over the country’s resources to corporate giants like Adani and Ambani.
Paying homage to the martyrs of 1942, Comrade Dipankar said that while colonial rulers fired on youth demanding freedom, today unemployed youth and sacked contract workers are being brutally lathi-charged for demanding jobs. He recalled the legacy of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb Ambedkar, who advanced the ideals of freedom, democracy and equality, and affirmed CPI(ML)’s commitment to carry their vision forward at all costs.
He detailed the INDIA alliance’s ongoing struggle in the Supreme Court against disenfranchisement through SIR, noting three victories: removal of the mandatory document clause, ensuring publication of deletion lists, and recognition of Aadhaar as a valid document. He warned against attempts to delete the names of poor Dalit and minority voters in Ara by BJP legislators, and stressed the need for vigilance to stop such moves.
He recalled the 1989 suffrage struggle in Ara, when poor peasants in Bihata village sacrificed their lives but ensured their candidate Rameshwar Prasad’s victory to Parliament, saying that Shahabad has always led the struggles for freedom, democracy and equality.
