The first commemoration day of Comrade Laxmanbhai Patanvadia, one of the founding members of the CPIML in Gujarat whom we lost last year, was observed on 4 May 2022 at Ahmedabad.
The memorial convention in Ahmedabad was attended by hundreds of people. Leaders including CPIML PB member Prabhat Kumar and Bihar MLA Manoj Manzil remembered Comrade Laxmanbhai's inspiring and revolutionary leadership and pledged to carry forward his work to fulfill his revolutionary vision.
Comrade Laxmanbhai Patanvadia was born in the 1950s to a poor working class family in Ahmedabad, a city known as the Manchester of the East. His father Ghemaji Patanvadia was associated with a Left union, therefore Laxmanbhai was attracted to Communism from the start. In his youth he became a committed Communist activist and leader. He later studied law in order to contribute more effectively to the workers' movement.
In the 80s when mills were closing down one by one, he was one of the chief organizers of the Left movement in industrial areas like Amraiwadi and Parshbati. He joined the IPF in the 90s and CPIML. In the mid 90s he contested the Lok Sabha election from Ahmedabad as the IPF candidate and secured 3rd place with more than 8000 votes. During the 2002 Gujarat genocide he was at the forefront of working for communal harmony. He faced violent attacks from BJP goons during the 2007 Gujarat Lok Sabha election and succeeded in making the goons back down. As a result, false cases were slapped against him and he was arrested. He suffered a heart attack on the train while returning from the AICCTU Congress but continued to remain active despite failing health. He was a committed Marxist and believed ideology and unity to be the greatest strength of workers.
The Convention pledge to carry forward his work and to fight communal fascism with all our strength.
