Report

On March 3, Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, a sprawling ground at the centre of the city, spread across 60 acres, bore witness to a historic moment. Braving the cold and unexpected rain, tens of thousands of youth, women, and toiling masses from across the state painted the entire ground in the sea of red and green flags. The slogans of ‘Bihar will fight, dictatorship fall’ and ‘Mahagathbandhan Zindabad’ reverberated across the city centre.

Land Rights 

On 28 February, CPIML held a demonstration in front of the Bissam Cuttack tehsil in Rayagada district with a thirteen point charter of demands. The protest called for immediate action in long-pending demand of tribal, dalits and landless communities for land pattas [land deed]. The protesters asked the BJD government to redistribute the ceiling surplus lands to the landless, and provide land rights as per the provisions of the Forest Rights Act to the forest dwelling communities.

A Delegation of Street Vendors Joint Struggle Committee led by CPIML MLA Mahboob Alam met the Commissioner of Patna Municipal Corporation on February 23, condemning the relentless assault on the lives and livelihood of street vendors in the city. The delegation submitted an 11 point charter of demands, including the immediate stop on all demolition activities against vendors.

The Youth Conference, organized by RYA in Koderma held at Barkattta ground in Jharkhand's Giridih, deplored that the BJP regime's 10-year rule has betrayed the youth as the country witnesses skyrocketing unemployment and unaffordable education. 

Before the begining of the conference, homage was paid to a young martyred farmer, Shubhkaran Singh, who was killed in the police action against the farmers' protest at Haryana's Khanauri border. 

A protest was organised in front of Bihar Vidhan Sabha in the capital Patna on the occasion of the foundation day of AIPWA on February 12. Despite adverse circumstances and restrictions due to the somersault of CM Nitish and the vote of confidence process in the assembly, numerous comrades began gathering at the venue on the eve of the protest itself. 

Young India’s clarion call for 2024 elections!

On February 28, under the banner of Young India, students and youth from all over the country gathered at Delhi’s Surjeet Bhavan to declare the Young India charter. Despite the authoritarian diktats of the Delhi Police, Young India rallied in Delhi and rose against the politics of hate. 

Haldwani town has not yet recovered from the trauma of Banbhoolpura violence of 8 February that began in the wake of the demolition of a mosque and a madarsa. In the aftermath, Banbhoolpura residents reportedly faced violence by the police for many days in the name of search operations and raids. The targeting of Muslim shopkeepers and vendors by hindutva groups has taken place with impunity in other localities of Haldwani.

Intense campaigns by the rank and files of CPIML are ongoing across Bihar in preparation for the 'Save Constitution-Save Democracy-Jan Vishwas Rally' called by Mahagathbandhan on March 3 at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. 

Jan Samvad Yatras and street meetings are going on in every village and common people are being invited to join the rally with the resolve to vote out anti-people BJP in the 2024 elections.

Since the BJP attained power in Bihar feudal forces have unleashed reign of terror over dalits once again. On 10 February a dominant feudal Dhan Kumar Singh burnt down a stack of straw of Ramesh Ram because he refused to sell it at prices much less than market rates in Savan Vigrah village of Daraunda block in Siwan district. Dhankumar Singh got more enraged when Ramesh Ram tried to stop him and went into Ramesh Ram’s house and badly beaten up him and his family members including women.

In the morning of 16 February 2024 a mahadalit poor woman went to deliver milk in the Brahmin Tola which was her daily routine. When her husband returned home from work in the afternoon, he found out that she hadn’t come back. He, along with other relatives, went in search of her at Karelal Thakur house in Brahmin Tola, where the deceased had gone to deliver milk, but the house owner scolded and shooed them away. The 39 years old victim was from Mahadalit Gangotri caste, an extremely backward community. Her husband runs an e-rickshaw.