On 23 March, CPI(ML), along with student organisations AISA and RYA, observed the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev as Anti-Imperialist Day across the country, calling for resistance to the Modi government’s capitulation to imperialist and colonial forces and its anti-people policies.
A peasant worker assembly was organised in a village in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, where CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed the gathering. He said that however much the BJP may try to erase the memory of Bhagat Singh and project Savarkar as the greatest hero of India’s freedom movement, Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh continues to inspire millions across India’s villages.
In Patna, floral tributes were paid to the three 1931 martyrs who laid down their lives in the struggle against colonial rule. Trade unions, farmers’ organisations and various student groups participated. Addressing the gathering, CPI(ML) senior leader K D Yadav said that 95 years have passed since the martyrdom of the revolutionary leaders who energised the freedom movement against British colonial rule. He said that the slogans “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Down with Imperialism” remain deeply relevant today.
In Arrah, a massive rally was taken out to pay tributes to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on the sidelines of the party’s Bhojpur district programme. Tribute rallies were also held in Phulwari, Gopalganj, Jaynagar and other parts of the state.
Recalling the legacy of 23 March, workers in different parts of Delhi also observed the day. Speakers said that working people across the country are facing the brunt of rising prices. They said that in the name of labour codes and schemes, workers are being deprived of the right to dignified employment. They added that shortages of LPG cylinders and rising prices are forcing workers to buy expensive fuel and survive on one meal a day.
In Jharkhand, tribute marches and programmes were organised in Ranchi, Giridih, Nirsa, Chirkunda and other places, with a resolve to uphold the anti imperialist legacy of Bhagat Singh and other martyrs and to defeat Hindutva fascist forces.
In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a bike rally was taken out by RYA to pay homage to the martyrs. Addressing the rally, RYA General Secretary Neeraj said that those in power today are working under the influence of corporate interests and imperialist forces. He said that growing proximity with the US Israel axis is pushing India towards economic crisis, rising prices and international isolation.
“Bhagat Singh’s slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ and ‘Samrajyavad ka Naash ho’ speak to our current situation with even greater relevance and urgency, and the youth of the country vow to carry forward the legacy of Bhagat Singh and the martyrs,” he added.
Martyrdom day programmes were also held in Khora in Uttar Pradesh, Mansa in Punjab, Ratiya in Haryana, Pune in Maharashtra and several other places across the country.
