CPIML’s Memorandum to PM : Rename Patna Junction Station after Batukeshwar Dutt

When Prime Minister Modi came to Patna the CPIML legislative group raised the demand for Patna Junction to be named after Bhagat Singh's comrade Batukeshwar Dutt.

In addition to the above demand, the demand to name Bihata Railway Station after great farmer leader Swami Sahajanand Saraswati and the Motihari Railway Station main gate after Batakh Miyan who saved Mahatma Gandhi's life was also raised at the program organized to mark the centenary year of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha and the 75th year of Independence in Patna.

Another demand is to establish a Freedom Struggle Museum for documentation of the legacy of the freedom struggle in Bihar. Also included in the memorandum are scrapping of laws like sedition and UAPA, ending persecution of political-social activists, ending attacks on freedom of expression, ending hate-mongering against the Muslim community, special state status for Bihar, rollback of the Agnipath scheme, Central University status for Patna University, and arrangements for regular employment for youth.

Leader of the CPIML legislative group in Bihar Mahboob Alam said that it is extremely unfortunate that the state symbol on the memorial constructed for the occasion of the centenary year of Bihar Vidhan Sabha building, is being tampered with. The erasure of the word 'Bihar' written in the Urdu language is against Constitutional values. CPIML raised this issue also in front of the Prime Minister and requested the Speaker of the Bihar Assembly to rectify without delay this calculated tampering with the state symbol.

CPIML on the Prime Minister's Address in Bihar Vidhan Sabha

Reacting to the Prime Minister's address on 11 July 2022, CPIML Bihar State Secretary Kunal said that :

1. The Prime Minister said that 1500 laws have been scrapped by his government, but he should also tell us which kind of laws have been scrapped. Most of the laws that have been scrapped are pro-people laws. For example, labour laws have been scrapped and they have been changed to pro-corporate 4 codes which are a new document for slavery of workers.

On the other hand, colonial laws like the Sedition law are still in force. In the same series draconian laws like UAPA and AFSPA were enacted post-Independence. What is the need for such laws in a democratic country? In truth, the government is using these laws to suppress political opponents and crush voices of dissent. The laws which should have been scrapped are still in force, whereas the laws which should have been strengthened have been scrapped.

2. The Prime Minister delivered a long speech on democracy, democratic processes and the dignity of democratic institutions. He expressed the hope that the country would become a mature democracy in the days to come. But the whole country knows that the BJP government led by PM Modi has gravely neglected democratic institutions, processes and the feelings of common people in all decisions taken by it so far.

For example, the whole country was witness to the manner in which the 3 black farm laws were passed crossing all limits of democracy. Recently the decision of the Agnipath scheme which encourages contractualization of the Armed Forces was announced without any debate or discussion. There are many such examples. The truth is that democratic institutions are being consciously weakened and BJP-ized under the BJP rule.

3. The Prime Minister began by saying that Bihar was the first state to pass a law to abolish the zamindari system. It would have been good if the Prime Minister had also said something about the situation as it stands today. What is happening in Bihar today? The land reforms which had earlier been done have been reversed and once again drives are on in full force to evict the poor. The land reform process has not been implemented fully in the state till today. Nitish Kumar has put the Bandopadhyay Commission recommendations in cold storage. Even today there are more than 21 lakh acres of ceiling land which are under the capture of landlords. The government has backed away from its promise to give legal rights to sharecroppers. The Prime Minister should have spoken something about the present realities also.

4. The Prime Minister spoke about housing rights for all. The reality is that everyone has to be ready to face bulldozers today.

5. The Prime Minister made no mention of CPIML demands to name Patna Junction after Batukeshwar Dutt, Bihata Railway Station after Swami Sahajanand Saraswati and Motihari Railway Station Main Gate after Battakh Miyan on the occasion of the 75th year of Independence, to establish a Freedom Movement Museum in the state, to give special state status to Bihar and Central University status to Patna University.

He should have fulfilled the aspirations of the people of Bihar in the 75th year of India’s Independence in connection with the glorious history of the freedom struggle in Bihar.

CPIML Legislative Group Memorandum to Prime Minister

To
Hon'ble Prime Minister
Government of India.
Respected Sir,

Bihar has been the most fertile of grounds for the freedom struggle and the struggles for democracy against autocracy. Today we are in the 75th year of Independence. On this historic occasion the CPIML legislative group places before you the following demands:

1. Bihar has played a leading role in the freedom struggle from the 1857 struggle to the 1942 movement. We demand that a Freedom Movement Museum be established in the state with the objective of propagating the glorious history of the freedom movement and the protection of values engendered by it such as democracy, socialism, secularism and social justice.

2. The first freedom struggle of 1857, Tilaka Manjhi, the Santhal Revolt, the Rajwar Revolt, the Ulgulan Revolt led by Birsa Munda, the farmers' movement and the people's revolution of 1942 are among the important milestones of the freedom struggle in Bihar. Revolutionaries like Khudiram Bose, Praful Chaki and Jubba Sahni have still not got the recognition they deserve in history. We demand that documentation of the freedom struggle in Bihar should be done giving prominence to the above movements in the light of new facts that have emerged.

3. We demand that Patna Railway Station be named after Bhagat Singh's companion-in-arms Batukeshwar Dutt, Bihata Railway Station after legendary farm leader Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, and the main gate of Motihari Railway Station after Battakh Miyan (as it was earlier) who had saved Mahatma Gandhi's life.

4. The Sedition Law from British times should be scrapped. Draconian laws like UAPA enacted after Independence are wholly contrary to the legacy of the freedom struggle. The Central government should take initiatives to end such anti-people draconian laws.

5. All human rights activists and journalists including the political prisoners in Bhima Koregaon, Umar Khalid, social activist Teesta Setalvad, former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar and AltNews co-founder Mohd Zubair should be released without delay. Strict action should be taken against attacks on freedom of expression, calling it anti-national, and the tendency to spread hate and violence.

6. The Agnipath scheme which encourages contractualization of recruitment in the Army is detrimental to national security. It is against the aspiration of youth for dignified employment. Therefore this decision should be rolled back without delay and the earlier process if recruitment to the army should be reinstated.

7. Your government had promised 2 crore jobs per year. During the 2020 Assembly election, the Bihar government had also announced 19 lakh jobs. In the light of these promises by the Delhi-Patna governments, concrete steps should be taken immediately to guarantee jobs with dignity for the youth.

8. Special state status for Bihar has been a demand from the time the state was partitioned. This long-standing demand should be fulfilled without delay.

9. Similarly, the demand for Central University status for Patna University is a long-standing one. We demand grant of Central University status for Patna University.

10. The tampering of the state symbol on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha by erasing the word 'Bihar' written in Urdu is unconstitutional. This should be rectified without delay.

As the holder of the country's top post, we hope that you will seriously consider the above demands and take immediate initiatives to take the necessary steps in this matter.