11th CPIML Bihar State Conference
The 11th CPIML Bihar State conference began on 25 March 2022 in Gaya. The first session was an open session attended by Left leaders and intellectuals. Addressing the conference, CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that after winning the Uttar Pradesh election the BJP is now determined to implement the UP model in Bihar also. This is a big challenge for Nitish Kumar. We have seen how the BJP has entirely swallowed up Mukesh Sahani's party. Now they do not need Nitish Kumar even as a mask. But the BJP should know that the people of Bihar will not allow this conspiracy to succeed. Bulldozer Raj will not be allowed to reign in Bihar. We must create a new revolutionary upsurge across the country to defeat the forces of hate, violence and fanaticism.
The open session was addressed by Left leaders and intellectuals including senior leaders Swadesh Bhattacharya, Prabhat Kumar Chaudhury, UP party in-charge Ramji Rai, UP State Secretary Sudhakar Yadav, central observer Janardan Prasad, CPI-M State Secretary Lalan Chaudhury, CPI District Secretary Sitaram Sharma, SUCI State Secretary Arun Singh, Forward Bloc leader Amerika Mahto, PUCL State Secretary Sarfaraz and renowned advocate Faiyaz Hali.
The CPIML General Secretary further said that Bhagat Singh's dreams for which he sacrificed his life are under attack today. The values of socialism, equality and guarantee of justice enshrined in the Constitution are being attacked today. The strength of the Left lies in protecting democracy and the Constitution, but we are going to have to struggle hard to do that and rebuild the nation. We must strengthen the Left and sharpen the Mahagathbandhan edge to make it sharp enough to fight against mob lynching, oppression of dalits and other such crimes.
Left leaders Lalan Chaudhury, Sitaram Sharma and others said that this CPIML state conference would prove to be an important milestone in the fight against feudal-criminal-communal forces.
A large number of rural poor, common people, intellectuals, activists and leaders participated in the open session, including State Secretary Kunal, Dhirendra Jha, Meena Tiwari, Shashi Yadav, Nandkishore Prasad, Faiyaz Hali, BP Nakin, Prof Pintu Kumar and Niranjan Kumar.
A memorial meeting was organized to pay tribute to renowned farmers' movement leader and freedom fighter Pt Yadunandan Sharma at the Niyamatpur Ashram. Tributes were paid by Comrades Dipankar Bhattacharya, Kunal, Dhirendra Jha, Rajaram Singh, Meena Tiwari, Shashi Yadav, Ramadhar Singh and others.
Tributes were paid with garlands and flowers at the statues of martyrs of 1942, Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh situated at the Kotwali in Gaya city.
All martyrs were remembered and honoured at the conference venue. Santosh Jha of Hirawal sang 'Shaheed Geet' to honour all revolutionary martyrs as well as martyrs of the farmers' movement.
The conference hall was named after former State Secretary Ramjatan Sharma and Brij Bihari Pandey, while the dais was named after Pawan Sharma and Arvind Kumar Singh.
A 15-member Presidium comprising Meena Tiwari, Saroj Chaube, Shashi Yadav, Jawaharlal Singh, Vaidyanath Yadav, Aftab Alam, Ramadhar Singh, Qayamuddin Ansari, Hansnath Ram, Krishna Mohan, Shrinivas Sharma, SK Sharma and others conducted the delegate session.
The report presented by the State Secretary detailed the work done over the past 5 years and reviewed the political situation in the state as well as the national and international political scenario. It included details of Nitish Kumar's surrender to BJP, betrayal of land reform, long-standing backwardness of Bihar's agriculture, industrial problems, failure in water management, helplessness of migrant workers, migration, dire condition of health services, education and employment, eviction of urban poor, massacre of the poor under cover of prohibition, increasing oppression and violence against women and escalating morale of feudal-communal forces.
The report examines steps needed to be taken in the direction of strengthening the Left and sharpening the Mahagathbandhan edge and stresses on organizing dalits, poor, minorities, women, students and youth for this. It calls for a new upsurge of people's struggles to put the BJP in the dock and take effective political initiatives on the issues of education, employment, health, electricity and housing for the poor.
The report also reviewed organizational work done among ASHA workers, Rasoiyas, Jeevikas and scheme workers. It discusses how social media and films are being used as weapons for communal polarization by fascist forces. In this situation the party feels strongly the need for the multi-faceted presence of cultural fronts in rural areas.
More than 100 delegates from various districts and people's organizations participated in the discussion and enriched the report with their suggestions. The delegates freely expressed their views on the possibilities of party expansion and the problems that arise in this regard. Women and minority community delegates were especially articulate in the discussion.
750 delegates participated in the conference. Women delegates were about 100 in number. A book stall was set up at the conference venue with books on Marxist democratic and Ambedkar-related literature. The book stall drew a lot of interest and enthusiasm.
Cultural teams from Bhojpur and Patna presented revolutionary songs at the conference through which the pain and struggles of common people were expressed.
Addressing delegates on the occasion of the conclusion of the 11th party state conference, CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the next two years are going to be quite difficult but this is a time filled with unlimited possibilities for the expansion of our party. This conference is an important milestone in the direction of realizing those possibilities. We have to move forward energetically, accept the challenges thrown by fascism, and open up all-round initiatives.
He explained in detail the slogan about strengthening the Left and sharpening the Mahagathbandhan edge to counter the increasing BJP conspiracies in Bihar. He said that the BJP wants to run a 'bulldozer government' in Bihar, but Bihar is also the energy centre of the Left and the eyes of the entire country are on Bihar. We must take serious challenges for the next 2 years. We must organize a series of movements on people's issues.
Senior leader Swadesh Bhattacharya said that this conference would show the way for a new upsurge of the Left, for which we need to expand and maintain continuity among masses across sections. He welcomed the articulate participation of women in the conference, as ours is a party committed to women's rights.
Summarizing the delegates' discussion on the work-report, Comrade Kunal said that all positive suggestions would be incorporated in the report. The report was then passed by the conference by voice vote, after which the process of election of a new committee began under the leadership of central observer Comrade Janardan Prasad. The 11th CPIML Bihar State conference concluded successfully on 28 March 2022. A 97-member state committee was elected and then the state committee elected their Secretary. Comrade Kunal was once again elected State Secretary at the conference. This will be his 3rd term as State Secretary. Senior party leaders Nandkishore Prasad, KD Yadav, Rameshwar Prasad, Shyamlal Prasad, Shivsagar Sharma and Shambhu Sharan Singh will be standing invited members of the committee.
At the conclusion of the election central observer Janardan Prasad and Ramji Rai addressed the conference and congratulated the Gaya District Committee, all party members and all the people of Gaya on the successful conduct of the conference. State Secretary Kunal said that the whole party will work with a new energy to fulfil the concrete goals set by the state conference. Even now the party's work in some areas is quite sparse, and we have to fulfil the responsibility of establishing a strong organization in these Districts. The conference concluded with the singing of Internationale.
