CPI(ML) Liberation, Jharkhand state committee, on November 3, 2024 released its election manifesto for the assembly elections in the state. As part of the INDIA Alliance, CPI(ML) has fielded candidates in three constituencies in the 81-seat assembly. The conference was addressed by Polit Bureau members Manoj Bhakt (State Secretary), Anand Mahato, Haldhar Mahato, District Secretary Binda Paswan and other leaders.
The manifesto noted that it is crucial to defeat BJP to protect the people and public resources of the state that the Modi-BJP regime wants to destroy and exploit for the benefit of its corporate cronies. The manifesto declares:
1. The Modi government has consistently targeted Jharkhand, disrespecting the 2019 state mandate. The BJP has weaponized institutions like the ED and CBI to undermine the rights of people of Jharkhand and has fueled communal tensions. Promises regarding employment and reservation policy have been stalled. The BJP government since 2014 has attacked the very foundation of Jharkhandi identity by dismantling the Scheduled Area Regulation (SAR) courts, weakening the Tribes Advisory Council (TAC), and attempting to amend the CNT-SPT laws. These moves, along with amendments to land acquisition laws and the land bank policy, have eroded the rights of Gram Sabhas and marginalised CNT-SPT protections. We also witnessed how the BJP led regime that came in 2014 (defeated in next election) took away farmers Gair Majarua Khas lands.
The Modi government has interfered with the functioning of the elected Hemant government through the Governor’s office, stalling significant policy changes and creating political crises. Delays in food, housing, and MNREGA payments have disproportionately affected the poor, while Rs. 136,000 crores owed to the state remains unpaid, crippling its economy. Despite the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that states can tax minerals and land used for mining, the Modi government is already trying to subvert Jharkhand’s right to this revenue.
CPI(ML) Liberation, both independently and as a partner of the INDIA alliance, stands firm in defending the constitutional, federal, and economic rights of Jharkhand and will continue this fight from the assembly and in the streets.
2. Don’t Let Jharkhand Become a Corporate Playground! The BJP’s agenda is to hand over Jharkhand to corporate giants like Adani. Following the corporate takeover in Godda, Hazaribagh’s Barkagaon forests and villages are now under threat from coal mining projects. CPI(ML) MP Sudama Prasad recently visited the affected areas to express solidarity with the local farmers. The Forest Rights Act has been diluted, and thousands of families living in forest areas now face displacement. Drone surveys are being used to map community land and convert it into land banks, stripping tribal and indigenous communities of their rights to water, forest, and land. These corporate-centric policies have worsened displacement and unemployment crises.
CPI(ML) will fight against such assaults on tribal rights and push for the strict implementation of constitutional provisions that safeguard local communities. We will also inspire the INDIA alliance to take a stand against the privatisation of common resources. We will campaign for free electricity for farmers and draft a fair tenancy law for the Santhal Pargana region.
3. Local Rights and Employment: The employment crisis in Jharkhand has reached alarming levels. The BJP has consistently tampered with policies related to local employment. The domicile policy remains entangled at the Governor's office, blocking the state from establishing a clear employment policy. A comprehensive local employment policy that prioritises the youth of Jharkhand is essential to end historic injustices.
CPI(ML) will lead youth and workers’ movements against pro-corporate policies, focusing on reversing the privatisation of mining, industry, and services. We will push for improved budget allocations for education, ensuring quality schooling at the block level and accessible transportation for students, and will advocate for the employment of district-level athletes in government jobs.
4. Increase Funding for Education, Health, and Sports! Regularize Scheme Workers! Education, health, and welfare programs in Jharkhand rely on the hard work of scheme workers, including Rasoiyas (Mid-day meal workers) earning Rs. 2,000 a month and para-teachers making around Rs. 10,000. These also include ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, MNREGA labourers, and other panchayat-level staff. The state’s promise of providing Rs. 1,000, soon to be increased to Rs. 2,500, for young women under the Maiya Samman scheme is welcomed. However, the minimum wage for scheme workers and MNREGA workers should not be less than Rs. 15,000 per month, and they should receive job security and insurance benefits.
CPI(ML) has consistently supported scheme workers’ struggles and will continue to advocate for fair wages and regularisation. We will also fight for universal housing and universal access to ration and push for fully staffed block hospitals with essential free medicines.
5. Protect the Environment and Ecology! Deforestation, destruction of rivers, land of defunct industries or land converted into residential zones and ever-growing mountains of debris are disrupting Jharkhand’s ecosystem. Water levels have plummeted across many areas. Corporate-driven projects like the Netarhat field firing range and land grabs by Adani in Barkagaon threaten both the environment and demographic balance of the state. Entire communities face displacement without land ownership rights, and their communal life and culture are endangered. CPI(ML) Liberation will press for comprehensive reviews of such projects and fight for strict enforcement of the Fifth Schedule to protect Jharkhand’s ecology and indigenous heritage.
The vision of martyrs and leaders like Comrades A.K. Roy, Gurudas Chatterjee, Mahendra Singh, Ibnul Hasan Basru, Shaktinath Mahato, Manindranath Mandal, Parameshwar Munda, Babudhan Kisku, Dilip Mandal and others must be realised. Let’s build the Jharkhand of our martyrs’ dreams.
