15th Martyrdom Day of Comrade Mahendra Singh
ON 16 January 2019, Bagodar in Jharkhand was flooded with an outpouring of people. The occasion was the 15th martyrdom day of beloved people’s leader Comrade Mahendra Singh. On that day, the CPI(ML) had organized a Jan Sankalp Sabha at the Bagodar Bus Stand (Comrade Mahendra Singh Complex) with the resounding slogan of ‘Make BJP Bite the Dust - Oust Modi-Save the Country’.
The program started with floral tributes to the life-size statue of Comrade Mahendra Singh at Kisan Bhavan in his ancestral village Khambhara, where all the villagers and guests from outside had gathered. Tributes were paid by CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, martyred MLA Comrade Mahendra Singh’s wife Shanti Devi, his son and former Bagodar MLA Vinod Singh, and many others. The leaders then proceeded to Community Hall near the Party office to garland the statue of comrade Mahendra Singh put up there. All the people then proceeded to Bagodar Bus Stand where the Sankalp Sabha was organized.
Thousands of people raising slogans and holding aloft red flags had walked all the way to Bagodar for the occasion from all blocks of Giridih District including Bagodar, Birni, Rajdhanwar, Gawan, Tisri, Jamua, Devri, Gandeya, Bengabad. Women, youth, the poor and the middle class had come in large numbers. There was an amazing enthusiasm all around, and everyone was eager to express their feelings that Comrade Mahendra Singh was their true leader, the modern day Birsa and the Bhagat Singh of independent India.
The Sankalp Sabha began with tributes to Comrade DP Bakshi, Fahmida Riaz, Mrinal Sen, all the martyrs of Giridih District, and all the people who became victims of the BJP regime. Addressing the meeting, Dipankar Bhattacharya said that 14 years ago the BJP thought it was snuffing out the voice of the poor, but today we can see Mahendra Singh’s face in the face of every young person here. Comrade Dipankar elaborated on the anti-farmer, anti-youth, anti-poor, pro-corporate policies of the Modi government and said that in order to divert attention from their all-round failure they are fomenting the Mandir-Masjid issue and trying to brand students and youth as anti-national. He said that this is a fascist government bent on destroying the country’s Constitution. The 10% reservation for upper castes will not provide jobs to the upper caste poor but will be a step towards ending the reservation provided by the Constitution. He said the people would not forget the brutal repression of para teachers and scheme workers in Jharkhand and would give a befitting reply by throwing out the Modi and Raghubar governments. He pointed out that as the Party which came a close second in the Koderma Lok Sabha seat even during the BJP wave in 2014 the CPI(ML) was the obvious and right choice to challenge the BJP in the 2019 LS election. He asserted that the anti-BJP alliance was not only among Opposition parties, but also among workers, farmers, women, unemployed youth, scheme workers and the poor.
The meeting, presided over by CPI(ML) PB member and Giridih District Secretary Manoj Bhakt and conducted by District Committee member Mustaqeem Ansari, was also addressed by CPI(ML) MLA Rajkumar Yadav, former MLA and CC member Vinod Singh, MSS MLA Arup Chatterjee, and others. They said that the CPI(ML) would continue to fight for people’s issues everywhere from the streets to Parliament and would take this fight to greater heights. Eight resolutions were passed at the meeting.
Sankalp Sabhas were also held at Meral, Garhwa, Sagma and Dhurki Blocks (Garhwa District), Manika (Latehar), Gola, Argadda Chapri, Barkakana Budh Bazaar Tand, and Ara Sarubeda (Ramgarh)Nirsa Area (Dhanbad), Devghar, Bundu (Ranchi District), Gumla (Gumla District), and Barkattha and Churchu Blocks (Hazaribagh).
Sankalp Sabha in Ranchi
The 15th martyrdom day of Comrade Mahendra Singh was observed in Ranchi with a Sankalp Sabha starting with the garlanding of the martyr’s portrait, floral tributes, and a minute’s silence in honour of Comrade Mahendra Singh’s memory. Addressing the Sankalp Sabha, Anil Anshuman said that Comrade Mahendra Singh was killed under a well-planned conspiracy, and ending the case against the perpetrators instead of arresting them clearly shows the collusion of the powers that be.
Human rights activist Fr Stan Swamy said that we remember Mahendra Singh all the more today amidst the attacks by central and state governments on democracy and the Constitution. Comrade Mahendra Singh’s close comrade-in-arms journalist Faisal Anurag shared his memories and said that the biggest need of the hour today is the ‘united front for life’s essential issues’ called for by Mahendra Singh. Dayamani Barla called for sending a strong representation of people’s voices to the Assembly and Parliament in the coming elections. Writer Kumar Vinod, facing a false sedition case against him, said that we must carry forward Mahendra Singh’s legacy to save our democracy and Constitution.
CPI leader KD Singh said that the best tribute to Comrade Mahendra Singh would be to throw out those forces responsible for his killing which are in power today. Youth leader Jerome Gerald recalled how Mahendra Singh spoke up and fought for adivasis’ right to the Sate’s resources (jal-jangal-jameen). The meeting was presided over by AIPF leader Basheer Ahmed and also addressed by activist Jugal Pal, CPIM leader Praful Linda, social activist Rakesh Roshan Kiro, JASAM State convener Xavier Kujur, AIPWA leader Singi Khalkho, food rights activist Akash and JMS leader Sudama Khalkho.
The following demands were made through the meeting: end state repression of people’s campaign leaders in Jharkhand; withdraw false sedition cases against social activists; stop eviction of adivasis in Godda by Adani’s company; shut down Mangal Dam Project in Palamu unless more water is given to Jharkhand; take effective measures to end starvation deaths in Jharkhand.
