People's Democracy

GATHERING in a hall that was full to capacity, workers and sympathisers of the Haryana state units of CPI(M) and CPI firmly expressed their resolve to effectively meet the challenge posed by communal and fascist forces by actively working for the mobilisation of all democratic and patriotic sections and thus safeguard the country’s unity and constitutional freedom at all cost and earnestly work for the creation of a healthy civil society in India.

More than 300 participants, working on various fronts and drawn from ten districts, were all attention in going through the draft resolution or listening to the speeches made at the joint convention held at Hissar on national unity, secularism and social justice on August 18.

CPI(M) state secretary Inderjeet Singh opened the proceedings by explaining the main features of the draft resolution and the background in which such convention was thought necessary to seriously deliberate upon the gravity of the situation and the problems as well as weaknesses of the organised movement, especially in relation to the activists’ ideological equipment that continues to be inadequate. In this situation the strategies of imperialism and communal fascism are often not seen in their totality, in all their various dimensions. As a consequence, the entire struggle remains defensive in form and lopsided in approach. The linkages and contradictions must therefore be understood and scientifically analysed in the light of the present-day reality.

Inderjeet Singh drew the participants’ attention to a complex situation confronting us. On the one hand, the people are inflicting crushing defeats on the BJP and its NDA allies in different elections, thanks to their disastrous policies. On the other hand, we witness a definite expansion in the communal influence at the same time. It is thus that the BJP and Sangh Parivar have brazenly decided to fall back upon the hated communal agenda, riding which they had succeeded in capturing power. In this context, Singh asked the delegates to identify the vulnerable spaces in socio-cultural structures and not leave these spaces to be conveniently exploited by the communal forces and opportunist elements to further their negative agenda. He strongly pleaded for chalking out a perspective strategy towards closely integrating the economic struggles with the social movements of the deprived and hitherto ignored sections of society for social justice.

The resolution read out by Satbir Singh was seconded by CPI state secretary Raghbir Chaudhary. The latter came down heavily on the ruling class parties who are trying to exploit the inter-state disputes. These parties do not resolve these disputes for years and make them emotive issues, thus dividing the people and weakening national unity.

Two main speakers invited to address the convention were Amarjeet Kaur, a member of the CPI National Executive, and Subodh Roy, MP, a member of CPI(M) Central Committee.

While welcoming the serious initiative taken by the Left parties in Haryana, Amarjeet Kaur sharply attacked the RSS-BJP’s ill intention to weaken and finally do away with the basic tenets of constitution. She said this document reflected the aspirations of our arduous freedom struggle, in which the RSS as a matter of fact never participated. She reminded that obviously the RSS and its outfits had never eschewed their contempt for the secular, democratic and federal structure of our republic, as represented by this constitution. The founders of RSS openly lauded Hitler’s Nazism as their sacred ideal.

Hence it was no chance if Vajpayee, today the prime minister, deposed against some freedom fighters in a British court, on the basis of which they were awarded life imprisonment. She ridiculed the recently made plea in his defence that he was not mature enough in that age. In this context, Kaur recalled the names of Kartar Singh Sarabha, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Ashfaqullah Khan and many others who sacrificed their precious lives during their tender ages for the sake of freedom. Thus, she emphasised, it is not the age factor, but rather the ideology, which ultimately determines the action and conduct of an individual or organisation.

In her brief intervention, JMS state president Jagmati cautioned the delegates that any bit of hesitation on their part in combating the communal forces would not only prove harmful but also weaken the economic struggle. She especially drew attention to the need of a sustained fight against the revivalist and patriarchal ideologies that enslave the downtrodden and weaker sections and thereby provide a conducive atmosphere to imperialist machinations. She asked the activists to take special cognisance of the positive upsurge among women, Dalits, youth and the poor. These sections have started asserting for equal rights in all spheres of life after waiting in vain for decades of freedom. They are no more prepared to remain under humiliating subjugation, as second-rate citizens.

While underlying the necessity for launching social reform movements, Kisan Sabha leader Krishan Swarup sharply criticised the caste- and gotra-based panchayats that have stepped up their illegal activities of punishing the people for exercising their constitutional rights. He condemned chief minister Chautala for his participation in these unlawful panchayats and thus providing them legitimacy.

Subodh Roy could make to the convention only at its fag end, due to a prolonged traffic jam near Rohtak. In his brief address, he explained the gravity of the Gujarat situation, based on the experience of his visit there. He endorsed the inclusion in the resolution of Gujarat situation with emphasis. He stressed that national unity could be strengthened only by ensuring social justice. The Left-ruled states have the best record in this matter.

Others who participated in the discussion included Dr Harnam Singh, Swaran Singh Virk, Dariyav Singh Kashyap, Jagdish Sharma (all from CPI) and Ram Kumar Behabalpuria and S N Solanki from the CPI(M). The latter two were members of the presidium, along with Satpal Singh.

The convention adopted two resolutions, one hailing the EC decision deferring the Gujarat assembly polls and the second strongly condemning the heinous killing of CPI(M) workers in a terrorist attack on the party office at Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri subdivision of West Bengal. The participants observed two-minute silence in memory of the martyrs.