Adivasi Rights Yatra concludes with Conference at Sonbhadra

THE Adivasi Rights and Justice Yatra led by party State Secretary Comrade Sudhakar Yadav reached Chowkia, Duhur, Manaur, Tiyari and other villages in Jamalpur Block (Mirzapur District) on 26-27 August 2019. Everywhere the Yatra was welcomed by the poor, who shared their troubles and sorrows with the people.

On 28 August the Yatra reached Chakiya Block HQ after travelling through various villages in Chandauli. At Chakiya Block a dharna was organized and a memorandum submitted to the BDO with demands related to corruption in housing and toilet construction, and payment of MNREGA arrears. On 29-31 August the Yatra held dialogues with the people at villages in Patehara and Rajgarh Blocks in Mirzapur District. They were welcomed at Amdaha, Madhai Mar, Bharko, Dhurkar and Kalwari.

Meetings were held at Amoi and Jamui in Patehara. Comrade Jeera Bharti was part of this leg of the Yatra and addressed meetings at various villages. The Yatra then proceeded to the villages in Haliya and Lalganj Blocks. The Yatra travelled through various villages from 1 to 3 September. They were joined by State Committee member Suresh Kol in this area, where the Party works intensively. This is also the area where oppression by the Forest Department is at its peak. Even now, eviction of adivasis from their lands is going on. The Forest Department has slapped false cases on dozens of our comrades and our democratic voices are sought to be suppressed. But the people of the region stand firmly with us in this struggle. The Forest Rights Act has not been implemented in this entire region. The Yatra evoked a very enthusiastic response from the poor in this region.  Cadre meetings were held at various places in the course of the Yatra.

The Adivasi Rights and Justice Yatra culminated in an Adivasi Rights conference on 7 September 2019 at Robertsganj Kutchery Complex in Sonbhadra. Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya was the main speaker at the conference.

Addresing the conference, Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the BJP is trying to snatch away the adivasis’ ancestral rights over ‘jal-jangal-jameen’ (water, forests, and land). He said that this government is bent on hushing up the Sonbhadra massacre and protecting the perpetrators but our fight is for justice for the victims and will continue till the perpetrators are punished and the land of the adivasis and the poor is returned to them.

Comrade Dipankar said that the arrest of the journalist who exposed the salt-and-roti scam in Mirzapur, the defence of rapists by the BJP, the repression of the protest against the breaking of the Ravidas temple in Delhi, and the snatching away of adivasis’ lands epitomize the anti-people face of the BJP and the Modi-Yogi governments. Comrade Dipankar said that a new era in workers’ struggle has begun and we will stand with the people and hold aloft the red flag on the path shown by Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh and Birsa Munda.

Political Resolutions passed at the Conference:

1. We demand that all lands taken over by Societies and Trusts through manipulation of records be taken over by the government and distributed among the poor.
2. We strongly condemn the increasing incidents of violence against women, dalits, and minorities and the protection given by the government to rapists, killers and other criminals. We demand the immediate end of such protection and guarantee of safety and dignity to women, dalits and minorities.
3. This conference expresses grave concern over the increasing incidents of violence and repression and false cases against intellectuals, writers and cultural activists and demands that such incidents should immediately be put to an end.
4. This conference demands cancellation of the bail to the killers of the  Bulandshahr Police Inspecter and fresh action against the Muzaffarpur riot-accused.
5. We demand unconditional withdrawal of the case against the journalist who exposed the corruption rampant in the mid-day meal scheme.
6. We demand the guarantee of full citizens’ rights to all those left out of the NRC in Assam and revoking of communally based amendments to the Citizenship Bill.
7. We consider the abrogation of 370 and 35A, the division of J&K and the changing of Statehood to Union Territory as an attack on the Constitution and the federalism of the country, and demands restoration of status quo.
8. We demand an end to the repression against the people of Kashmir and demands reinstatement of communication, internet and phones in Kashmir.
9. We express outrage against the spiraling electricity rates in Uttar Pradesh and demands that they should be withdrawn immediately.
10. We stand in solidarity with the struggle for District status to Dudhi and demands District-hood for Dudhi keeping in mind its geographical circumstances.