Comrade Vinod Mishra Memorial Sankalp Sabha
CPIML organized a Sankalp Sabha in Patna on the 22nd Memorial Day of former CPIML General Secretary and noted Communist leader Comrade Vinod Mishra. The Sankalp Sabha was attended by CPIML General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, senior leader Swadesh Bhattacharya, former MLA Ramdev Verma who recently left CPM to join CPIML, Manju Prakash and state level leaders from various Districts. Hirawal presented a song in honour of the martyrs who gave their all for the Communist movement.
After paying floral tributes, the Sankalp Sabha meeting began, presided ober by PB member Dhirendra Jha, former MP Rameshwar Prasad, senior leader KD Yadav, Comrade Saroj Chaube and Comrade Anwar Husain. Bihar State Secretary Kunal read the 18 December resolution on behalf of the Central Committee.
The meeting was addressed by General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Paliganj MLA Sandeep Saurabh, Agiaon MLA Manoj Manzil, Tarari MLA Sudama Prasad, Darauli MLA Satyadev Ram, Sikta MLA Virendra Prasad Gupta, ASHA leader Shashi Yadav, former MLA Ramdev Verma, AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari, and AIKM leader Rajaram Singh.
Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya remembered Vinod Mishra’s inspiring words: “The big questions of history are resolved not within four walls but on the streets’, and said that the farmers’ movement by farmers camping on the borders of Delhi is no longer a Punjab-Haryana movement but is spreading across the country. The Modi government is resorting to various despicable ploys to defame the farmers’ movement. Fascism has come to India in the form of the Modi Raj. Exactly one year ago the entire country rose up in a movement against CAA-NRC-NPR to save democracy and citizenship. Who is the government to demand proof of citizenship from citizens? Today the farmers’ movement is becoming a second Shaheen Bagh movement against the 3 black anti-farm laws and the Electricity Bill 2020. The Modi government is neither a government of religion nor of science, but is solely a government of Reliance.
The people of Punjab are saying that they do not want to follow the path Bihar has been pushed into, where the Mandi system was ended in 2006 and the farmers deprived of MSP. Today the farmers of Bihar are rising in support of the Punjab farmers’ struggle. The farmers of Bihar have decided to march to the Raj Bhawan on 29 December for these demands and CPIML fully supports them.
Comrade Dipankar said that the Bihar election has strengthened the Left , and we will intensify the struggle against the present fascist rule. There is no honeymoon period for the Nitish government in Bihar. The government must immediately announce 19 lakh jobs.
Former MLA Ramdev Verma said that it is the responsibility of CPIML to ensure that the Opposition in Bihar is sharp and effective. Former MLA rajaram Singh said that the country will never allow farmers and farming to become slaves of corporate houses. The other leaders who spoke at the meeting addressed issues of employment, agriculture, scheme workers, sugar cane farmers’ movement, women and Self Help Groups, and the role of the CPIML Legislative Party in the Bihar Assembly.
The Sankalp Sabha passed the following resolutions:
1. This conference strongly condemns the despicable attempts by the Modi government o defame and divide the farmers’ movement against the 3 anti-farm laws to divert attention from its inability to resolve the issue. The intent of these 3 laws is to destroy farmers and farming and to benefit national and international corporate houses. Many agitating farmers have died due to extreme cold, but the government is least bothered and remains adamant and insensitive. This conference whole-heartedly welcomes the second blooming of the Shaheen Bagh movement by farmers and calls for its intensification and expansion.
2. This conference welcomes and calls for support to the Kisan Sangharsh Yatra, Kisan-Sharecroppers Panchayat and Rajbhawan march on 29 December called by All India Kisan Mahasabha and AIKSCC to demand repeal of the 3 black anti-farm laws and MSP of Rs 1868-1888 for paddy and Rs 400 per quintal for sugar cane in Bihar.
The farmers of Bihar are forced to sell their paddy at Rs 800-900 per quintal. Faced with pressure from farmers the government is talking about paddy purchase but the process has been made complicated in the name of registration. We demand that the Bihar government should guarantee paddy purchase at MSP and sugar cane purchase at Rs 400 per quintal from all farmers including sharecroppers.
3. This conference, organized on Comrade Vinod Mishra Memorial Day, calls for the development of a strong people’s movement against growing Corporate Raj and fascism in the country. The recent Bihar election has prepared the ground for an effective challenge against the dangers of fascism. We call for a decisive battle against fascism.
4. It is clear from the Bihar Assembly election results that the people were determined in their resolve for change, especially in the younger generation. Despite constant divisive tactics by the BJP-JDU, issues of education, employment, migrant workers, scheme workers, teachers’ regularization, irrigation, and health remained the focus of the election. This time the agenda was set by the people of Bihar, and this was our greatest gain. Through this conference we call for a decisive battle on these issues that emerged from the election.
5. The deteriorating law and order situation in the State is of grave concern. There has been a spate of violence against dalits, poor, women, and minorities across Bihar after the election. Incidents of rape, loot and murder have increased manifold. Corruption is at its peak. Eviction of dalits and the poor from their land continues unabated. The Lockdown has created a geographical expansion of hunger and malnutrition in the State. This conference calls for intensification of a decisive struggle against the BJP-JDU which is fast becoming synonymous with murder, loot, corruption, starvation, violence against women and eviction of the poor.
