JHARKHAND

  The Prime Minister Speaks From The Communal Platform

ATAL Bihari Vajpayee is not only the leader of BJP; he is also the prime minister of the country. Yet, his first election address at Ranchi to the people of Jharkhand was from a communal platform. On February 1, 2004 he addressed the public meeting in association with RSS chief K S Sudarshan and other leaders of sangh parivar. From the same platform he appealed for re-electing BJP at the centre in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. From this it is clear that the claim of BJP to make development as the main issue in the coming Lok Sabha elections is hollow. In reality, BJP wants to contest the election on the agenda of Hindutva. The RSS chief K S Sudarshan and others of sangh parivar openly attacked the minorities, particularly the Christians, from this platform. By sharing the dais and remaining silent both the prime minister and the chief minister of Jharkhand lent their support to these attacks.

The prime minister of the country also insulted the adivasis of Jharkhand and of the country by calling them vanvasis. By this he denied the rights of the adivasis on land, forest and water. The BJP vice president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi’s attempt to bring basic changes in Santhal Paragana and Chhotanagpur Tenancy Acts is from this perspective.

It is now clear that after winning majority of tribal seats in the recently held assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, mainly through communal campaign using RSS outfits, BJP wants to repeat the performance in Jharkhand by targeting the tribals. The secretariat of the Jharkhand state committee of the CPI(M) adopted a resolution in its meeting on  February 3 on the prime minister’s visit to Jharkhand.

The prime minister in his speech tried to take credit for inclusion of Santhali language in the 8th schedule of the Constitution. But the reality is that the Vajpayee government brought a Bill in Lok Sabha for inclusion of only Bodo language. Only when CPI(M)’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Basudev Acharya, gave notice for amendment of the Bill by inclusion of Santhali language and warned of pressing for division of the House on this issue, the government brought the amended Bill for inclusion of Santhali and other languages in the 8th schedule, which was passed unanimously.

The prime minister in his speech did not utter a single word on the revival of closed and sick industries in Jharkhand, for which thousands of unemployed youth are eagerly seeking so as to find employment. Before this, the chief minister Arjun Munda, publicly stated that he had the assurance of the prime minister on revival of these industries including HEC. But his assurance to the people proved to be a false one.

PEOPLE’S RESPONSE

Just three days before this meeting, the people of the state gave a clear message to the BJP and sangh parivar forces by responding enthusiastically to the call of the opposition for a statewide bandh on January 29. The opposition parties were demanding judicial enquiry into the corruption charges against the chief minister Arjun Munda, particularly on Tata land lease from which it is alleged he benefited personally. The opposition was also demanding holding of panchayat elections as per the direction of Ranchi High Court. Earlier, on January 22, a delegation of the opposition parties met the state governor, Ved Pakash Marwah, and submitted a memorandum on these issues.

The response of the people to the call of bandh by united secular opposition in a short notice was unprecedented. The bandh was total, spontaneous and peaceful throughout the state. Despite this more than 4000 opposition leaders and activists were arrested. In the estimation of the CPI(M) about 6,000 persons were arrested in which nearly 1,200 were CPI(M) leaders, members and supporters. A significant aspect of this bandh was that people came onto the streets on their own, observing the processions and street corner meetings unlike previous bandhs when people preferred to remain generally indoors.

The message was very clear. The people had supported the bandh not only on the corruption issue, but also against the anti-people policies of the central and state governments. However, the success of the bandh should not be misconstrued as political support to opposition political parties. People are angry against the central and state governments. They are in search of an alternative to the communal policies and the ruinous economic policies of the central and state governments. Therefore the people’s support was on issue basis.

Another significant lesson to be drawn from the success of the bandh is that people responded the way they have because it was a united call of the secular opposition. It is up to the political parties now to draw lessons from these developments and prepare their tasks for removal of the communal BJP and NDA allies from power from the centre and the state.

When unemployed youths are knocking at every door for jobs, when for seven thousand railway gangman posts lakhs of youths applied, when in Jharkhand only for a paltry sum of Rs 1000 per month thousands of educated youths stand in queue, the prime minister’s claim on providing jobs to the unemployed looks ridiculous. 

In his speech prime minister Vajpayee boasted of surplus production of foodgrains in the country and on that basis declared foodgrains export policy of the government. Reality is that the Vajpayee government is forced to export foodgrains as per agreement under World Trade Organisation and on that basis permission has been given to the traders for the export of more than one crore tonnes of foodgrains annually. It is obnoxious that the prime minister chose Jharkhand to announce this policy where recently 18 persons died due to hunger at Gola, Lesliganj, Katkamsandi and Kundahit and from where thousands of adivasis and other poor families are migrating in thousands due to hunger and in absence of work. Widespread hunger prevails amongst the poor in Jharkhand and in other parts of the country, which the prime minister Vajpayee is trying to cover up. In 1993-94 there was 177 kg per capita consumption of food grains. It has now come down to 153 kg per capita consumption annually. This is at 1943 level when the country saw lakhs of people dying due to famine and the British rulers were exporting food grains from India.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) appealed to the people of Jharkhand to defeat the attempt of BJP and sangh parivar to divide the people on the basis of communalism and to intensify struggle in defence of the Constitution, its secular foundation and against anti-people policies of the BJP government.      

Workers and employees will be resorting to countrywide strike in defence of their right to strike and also against the economic policies of the central government. On that day it will be a testing time for the secular opposition parties to stand-by the people or to get isolated from them in their time of struggle. The Left parties will strive to ensure the success of the February 24, strike in Jharkhand. They will also synchronise the action with other opposition parties in support of the struggling people.