Madhu Limaye Birth Centenary
Madhu Limaye birth centenary celebrations concluding event was held at Constitution Club in Delhi on 30 April 2023. This was presided over by Satya Pal Malik, ex-governor of Jammu and Kashmir and addressed by literateur Ashok Vajpayee, CPIML Gen Sec Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPIM Gen Sec Sitaram Yechuri, CPI leader Aziz Pasha, JDU leader KC Tyagi, Congress leader Sandip Dixit, Abhay Chautala of INLD and many others.
Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya emphasised on the earnest need to build an united struggle against fascist forces. He said that there were five distinct political streams that existed during the freedom struggle, of them one representing today's Hindutva proponents had betrayed the freedom movement while socialists, communists, Congress and Ambedkarites fought against British colonialism for a free India. Today again a broader unity is required on an anti-fascist platform.
He recalled comrade Vinod Mishra’s initiatives for a National People's Front, an united front against when BJP was gaining strength during the nineties. CPIML went into an alliance with the then Samta party and its leaders George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar. That time a long term unity could not be materialised for various reasons, but now we can see comrade VM's position for an united front stands vindicated as any strong and vibrant opposition unity can only be built on an anti-Hindutva plank.
He also cautioned that even powerful people’s struggles have failed to yield long term results in the presence of right wing forces, experience tells us that maximum electoral gains from such struggles were exploited by the hindutva forces. Delhi was witness to anti-corruption and anti-rape movements in 2012, again we see women wrestlers are fighting for justice sitting at Jantar Mantar. Progressive forces must march forward on the strength of such movements to effect real change in the society. The anti-CAA movement, which is a common citizenship movement, was also one such movement which united various forces in our society. Today we also have the strength and inspiration from the recently concluded historic Farmers’ Movement.
Those who are sitting in the seat of power today are protecting rapists and murderers, this situation is demanding to launch a big movement to effect a broader mass awakening. He said that if Madhu Limaye were amongst us today he would have been busy forging such an alliance and opposition unity.
He recalled what Ambedkar said when the constitution was adopted, that this is only the top dressing of democracy on an undemocratic Indian soil. Madhu Limaye’s ideas can help us in realising the dream of a strong and effective opposition unity so that we all can march ahead over the path shown to us by Shahid-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and Dr. BR Ambedkar.
