A workshop organized for the CPIML Legislative Party concluded at the Party State office in Patna on 19 December 2020. All the MLAs, concerned District Secretaries and Block Secretaries attended the workshop. Also present were senior leader Swadesh Bhattacharya, Legislative Party in-charge Rajaram Singh, State Secretary Kunal, Dhirendra Jha, Bagodar MLA Vinod Singh and other leaders.
Addressing the workshop, General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that not only the people of Bihar but people in other parts of the country also have great hopes and expectations from the CPIML MLAs. Therefore our MLAs should work as the true representatives of the people. The responsibility of people’s struggles and representation of the interests of marginalized sections rests on us. We must establish our presence among the people and become the face of an alternative politics. There are many challenges that face revolutionary communists within this present system, but we are fully confident that we will live up to the people’s expectations.
The resolution emerged clearly from the workshop that CPIML MLAs, as Party leaders and activists, must set an example with simple living and communist ideals.
It was decided that before the start of the Assembly session, the MLAs would organize ‘Jansunwai’ programs (people’s tribunals) on people’s issues; at the end of the Assembly session they would go back to the people and apprise them of progress on these issues.
CPIML MLAs will give priority to housing, education, health, culture, communication, sports, issues like library facilities and other issues concerning marginalized sections.
Weekly meetings will be organized to address complaints of the common people and to establish constant rapport with them.
CPIML MLAs will remain out of their constituencies only for Assembly sessions and other meetings, and will concentrate all their time on the issues facing the people in their constituencies.
The second day of the CPIML Legislative Party workshop discussed effective intervention by the MLAs inside the Assembly and strategies to expose the truth about ongoing governmental schemes.
Former MLA Ramdev Verma shared his experiences of legislative work. He said that it should be the priority of the CPIML to raise the voice of the working class inside the Assembly. He also gave insights into modus operandi inside the Assembly and discussed procedures like adjournment motion, calling attention notice and starred questions and how to effectively hold the government to account during these procedures. He also discussed effective utilization of various Assembly committees.
He pointed out that for a long time there have been no non-government Bills proposed by the Opposition and said that as there are 16 CPIML and Left MLAs in the present Assembly, non-government Bills should be tabled and government Bills should also be carefully scrutinized.
Noted physician Dr Shakeel spoke inn detail about the health system in Bihar and apprised the CPIML MLAs of the latest statistics. He said that the government spends a mere Rs 14 per person on health care. This is a very small amount. The people of Bihar have hopes that CPIML and Left MLAs will raise their voice for increasing this amount to a minimum of Rs 50 and put pressure on the government to do this. He said that contrary to government claims the public health system in Bihar is deteriorating. 6% of the people are going below BPL due to taking loans for health care. Only 70 out of 1100 community health centers in Bihar are functional. There is a severe shortage of doctors, anesthetists, gynecologists, dressers and testing facilities in hospitals. A plan with relevant statistics should be made to hold the government accountable for the health care system.
In the final session of the workshop, Asst Prof at AN Sinha Institute Vidyarthi Vikas presented the truth of different government schemes with the relevant statistics. He said that the CPIML Legislative Party should put pressure on the government for third party evaluation of government schemes because although there is provision of 1% of the Budget for each scheme, in reality the government uses scrutiny by its own agencies to cover up irregularities and wrongdoing. He presented statistics and government circulars to expose the shallowness of schemes like Nal-Jal Yojana, presence of children in schools, condition of schools, eviction of the poor from land, and other issues.
The workshop was conducted by Legislative Party in-charge Rajaram Singh and was also attended by State Secretary Kunal, Dhirendra Jha, Meena Tiwari, Santosh Sahar, MLAs Satyadev Ram, Manoj Manzil, Arun Singh, Sudama Prasad, Virendra Prasad Gupta, Sandeep Saurabh, Mahanand Singh, Gopal Ravidas, Ajit Kushwaha, Rambali Singh Yadav and others.
