Sankalp Sabha at Bagodar on Mahendra Singh’s 21st Martyrdom Anniversary

A massive Sankalp Sabha was organised at Bagodar on January 16 to mark the 21st martyrdom anniversary of Comrade Mahendra Singh. The people’s convention reverberated with the slogan “I am Mahendra Singh,” reaffirming a collective resolve to carry forward his revolutionary legacy and to sharpen and strengthen the relentless struggle against injustice, exploitation and corporate-fascist attacks.

Addressing the gathering, CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya recalled the circumstances of Comrade Mahendra Singh’s assassination. “The killers had asked, ‘Who is Mahendra Singh?’ Comrade Mahendra Singh identified himself and wondered what had brought them to him, only to be met with the assassin’s bullets,” he said. It was January 16, 2005. Assembly elections were underway and Comrade Mahendra Singh, the legendary CPI(ML) Liberation MLA from Bagodar, had just filed his nomination to seek a renewed mandate from his beloved people.

Twenty-one years later, after a narrow BJP victory in Bagodar in the November 2024 Assembly elections, the BJP MLA has arrogantly repeated the same question asked by the assassins: “Who is Mahendra Singh?” Dipankar Bhattacharya said that on the 21st martyrdom anniversary, the people of Bagodar have sent out a thunderous reply, asserting who their beloved leader was and continues to be in the hearts and struggles of the people.

Former CPI(ML) MLA from Bagodar and son of Comrade Mahendra Singh, Comrade Vinod Singh, said that the country is witnessing an all-out fascist attack on the rights and dignity of the people, while livelihoods are being handed over to corporate forces. In such times, he said, the revolutionary legacy of Comrade Mahendra Singh serves as a guiding light to strengthen resistance against these attacks and to ensure the defeat of corporate-fascist forces.

Resolutions Adopted at the Sankalp Sabha

1. The Sabha strongly condemns the Modi government’s assault on rural India through the effective dismantling of the MGNREGA Act, which seeks to snatch away livelihoods of the rural poor and undermine rural development. The repeal of labour laws and the imposition of the four labour codes have rendered the working people defenceless against corporate attacks and pushed them towards corporate servitude. The Sabha demands that the Modi government immediately roll back these measures and appeals to the people to force the government to retreat through mass struggles. The Sabha also demands that the Jharkhand Assembly pass a resolution on this issue.
2. The Sabha strongly condemns the killing of tribal leader Edal Padha Sona Munda of Khunti, who was at the forefront of struggles to protect jal, jungle and zameen, and extends full support to the bandh called by Adivasi organisations against the murder. The Sabha demands that the Hemant government provide employment to the dependents of the deceased, develop the school run by him, ensure the immediate arrest of the killers and secure exemplary punishment.
3. The Sabha condemns the mob lynching of Pappu Ansari in Godda and demands speedy punishment for the guilty. It further demands strict action against communal forces that spread tension, and calls for firm action against gangs involved in violence and extortion in the name of cow protection.
4. The Sabha expresses deep concern over the expanding interference of the Adani group in the state and declares solidarity with the acquisition-resistance movement in Barkagaon–Gondalpura. The Sabha demands that all agreements entered into with Adani be cancelled. In Godda, people displaced by Adani are still struggling for employment and proper compensation. The state government must intervene immediately to resolve their issues.
5. The recent statement of the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, that “2003 is the basis for determining citizenship” is highly misleading and aimed at influencing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to suit the political interests of the BJP. Using SIR as a tool to disenfranchise Adivasis, Dalits, minorities and migrant workers is a constitutional crime.
6. Rapid privatisation of public resources and public sector undertakings has pushed the environment to the brink of destruction and created acute shortages of air and water in both urban and rural areas. This process has virtually eliminated planning and employment opportunities. The Sabha demands an immediate halt to privatisation. Contract and outsourced workers in all collieries and other undertakings must be immediately provided wages fixed by the HTC along with all statutory benefits.
7. In the name of land business, the menace of land mafias and related crimes has increased sharply across urban and rural Jharkhand, with land officials acting in collusion. The land bank must be scrapped and all land recorded in it released and returned to gram sabhas. Consent of gram sabhas must be made mandatory for any future land acquisition.
8. The Sabha demands enhancement of OBC and Dalit reservation as earlier passed by the Jharkhand Assembly. An appropriate domicile policy must be implemented in the state and strictly enforced in Group C and Group D recruitments. The policy of domicile must also be strictly followed in outsourcing and other private appointments.
9. To promote agricultural development in Jharkhand, farmers must be provided special subsidies on diesel and electricity. Irrigation systems must be strengthened and old canal schemes updated and made functional.
10. The Sabha demands that the state government prevent the infiltration of communal elements into educational campuses and institutions. Irregularities in scholarship distribution must be stopped, and students’ participation and positive role in campuses must be ensured by conducting students’ union elections on a regular basis.

Safe Return of Five Migrant Workers

The Sankalp Sabha also celebrated the safe return of five migrant workers from Dondlo and Mundro villages who had been kidnapped in Niger on April 25, 2025 and remained in captivity for over eight months. Phaljit Mahato, Uttam Mahato, Chandrika Mahato, Raju Mahato and Sanjay Mahato were working as skilled transmission line workers for Kalpataru Projects International Limited, one of India’s largest engineering and construction companies with global operations, when they were abducted by a rebel group.

Neither the company, a major donor to the BJP, nor the Modi government or the Jharkhand BJP leadership showed any seriousness in securing the release of the kidnapped workers. In sharp contrast, the Giridih district unit of CPI(ML) Liberation launched a sustained mass campaign for their release. Following a march in Bagodar on May 20, thousands of women demonstrated outside the residence of the Koderma MP under the banner of AIPWA on June 22. CPI(ML) MLAs Arup Chatterjee and Chandradev Mahato, and MPs Rajaram Singh and Sudama Prasad, raised the issue repeatedly in the Assembly and Parliament and pursued the matter with the concerned ministries in Ranchi and Delhi.

For eight months, the kidnapped workers remained on the move under the custody of the rebel group, maintaining morale despite extreme uncertainty and isolation. The sustained pressure generated by the people’s campaign eventually forced the company to negotiate their release. The workers returned home a few days ago after eight months of bondage.

The Sabha saluted the resilience, unity and fighting spirit of the migrant workers and their families, and the active concern shown by the people of Bagodar for the safety and wellbeing of migrant workers.