People's Democracy

MARTYRS’ DAY 

MASSIVE RALLY IN THANE

Yechury paying homage to Comrade Godavari Parulekar

Mariam Dhawale

OCTOBER 10, 1945. The martyrdom day of comrade Jethya Gangad and four other martyrs of the historic Warli Adivasi Revolt in Thane district. They were the first martyrs in the valiant class struggle conducted under the leadership of comrades Shamrao and Godavari Parulekar. The landlord lobby of Dahanu - Umbargaon in alliance with the police of the British government had hatched a conspiracy and resorted to brutal firing on thousands of adivasi peasants at Talwada. Five comrades were killed on that day. Since then, fifty-nine comrades have so far sacrificed their lives to keep the Red Flag flying high while struggling against the government-landlord-police-forest officials in Thane district. Since 1945, for the past 60 years, October 10 is observed as martyrs’ day in Thane district to salute these martyrs. This was the 61st martyrdom day of Comrade Jethya Gangad and his militant comrades.

By an apt coincidence, ten years ago in 1996, on October 10 itself, the huge funeral procession of the legendary leader of the adivasi revolt Godavari Parulekar passed through the roads of Talasari tehsil. 2006-2007 is also the birth centenary year of Godavari Parulekar. This centenary year started with a massive public meeting organised by the CPI(M) on August 21, 2006 at Dahanu as a part of the August campaign and it was addressed by CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat.

A massive public meeting was organised to observe both the 61st martyrs’ day as well as the 10th death anniversary of Godavari Parulekar on October 10, 2006 at Dapchari near Talasari. The main speakers at this public meeting were CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury and K. Varadha Rajan. Thousands of people came from all tehsils of Thane district. The participation of thousands of women in their colorful sarees was a prominent feature. The meeting was presided over by CPI(M) state committee member and Thane district secretary Rajaram Ozare, MLA. 

At the start of the public meeting Sitaram Yechury and K. Varadha Rajan garlanded the photos of Shamrao Parulekar and Godavari Parulekar and paid their respects. In his speech Sitaram Yechury commended the historic work of the two leaders and called upon the people to determinedly take forward this shining legacy through broader and more militant struggles. 

Turning to the present situation, Sitaram Yechury said, “ Two and a half years ago the people of our country decisively defeated the BJP-led regime at the centre for implementing anti-people polices, inciting communal conspiracies and indulging in massive corruption. But today the Congress-led central government is carrying forward the same polices of liberalisation. On the one hand the profits and wealth of a handful of people is sharply rising while on the other the poverty and misery of the majority of the working people is increasing. In the last few years, more than 1.5 lakh debt-ridden peasants have committed suicide. In spite of the Rs. 4000 crore ‘packages’ declared by the central government, the suicides continue. Peasants are being pushed into the clutches of the exploiting moneylenders as banks refuse to give them loans. The prices of agricultural produce of the Indian peasant are collapsing due to cheap imports of foreign agricultural produce. The agricultural labourer has no work. Poverty and inflation are increasing. The public distribution system is being dismantled. Big traders are hoarding grain for profiteering. The central and state governments are incapable of changing the situation.

“Now big indigenous and foreign companies want to grab land with the blessings of the government. The Special Economic Zones are its clear example. The rich are eyeing land in Thane district which is nearest to Mumbai. This has to be staunchly opposed. If the conspiracy succeeds, the destitution, poverty, unemployment and migration of the poor peasants and agricultural labourers will increase tremendously.

“The government had to pass the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act because of the pressure of the Left parties. But it is not being implemented properly. Strict check must be kept on this. Now the Left parties are making all efforts to see to it that the Tribal Forest Rights Bill with the changes suggested by the parliamentary committee gets passed immediately. Countrywide struggles have been organised for this demand.”

Concluding his speech, Yechury said that the strength and influence of the Left parties has increased due to the tremendous victories in West Bengal and Kerala. Today the central government is dependent on the support of 61 Left MPs. But we will have to increase the pressure on this government by organising nationwide as well as local struggles on the burning problems of the people. It is only through such struggles that our Party and mass organisations will increase their strength in the country and we will be able to proceed towards a new alternative. Increasing such people’s struggles for creating a new India will be a true tribute to Godavari Parulekar”.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and AIKS general secretary K. Varadha Rajan said that when Godavari Parulekar was the president of the All India Kisan Sabha, she had many a times expressed her desire to take the All India membership of the Kisan Sabha to 1 crore. At that time it was 70 lakhs. The sacrifices made by our activists and the blood spilt by our martyrs has not gone in vain. Today the membership of the All India Kisan Sabha is more than two crores!

“The toiling masses have suffered due to the implementation of the liberalisation policies in the last 15 years. Lakhs of people have died because of malnutrition and indebtedness. The prime minister visited Vidarbha and said that he was shocked at the situation of the indebted peasants. But the government is not at all willing to change the policies that are at the root of all these suicides. That is why, prior to the prime minister’s Vidarbha visit three peasants used to commit suicide daily, and after his visit the number of suicides per day has increased to five!

“Today’s newspapers carry the news that there are 86,000 crorepatis in India and their numbers are increasing. But on the other hand due to intense poverty and starvation, lakhs are dying. The pressure of imperialist countries like the USA on the central government is increasing. Now the government has thrown open the doors to foreign multinational companies to enter the agricultural sector. Due to this the situation in the rural areas is going to further worsen.”

Finally, K. Varadha Rajan said that, the peasant, agricultural labourer and the working class have only one path before them, and that is the path of struggle shown by Shamrao and Godavari Parulekar. The AIKS has organised four nationwide jathas in the month of November against the unprecedented rural crisis in the country. “Do not commit suicide, fight against the government policies and join the struggle” is the message of these jathas. “Save the peasantry, Save agriculture, Save the country” is the slogan of these jathas. These jathas will start from the four corners of the country namely Kanyakumari, Mumbai, Jammu and Agartala and march towards Delhi. Hundreds of sub-jathas will merge with these main jathas. A huge rally of the peasants of the country will storm the parliament under the leadership of the AIKS on November 20, 2006. “The government must change its anti-peasant policies! Implement pro-people alternative policies!” The Delhi Rally will give this ringing call. On this martyrs’ day and Godavari Parulekar’s death anniversary day let us resolve to increase our struggles and strength manifold”. 

While addressing the public meeting, CPI(M) state secretary Dr. Ashok Dhawale outlined the political situation in Maharashtra and called to increase struggles on burning issues and strengthen the organisation in Thane district. He called for special efforts to attract the non-adivasi communities towards our movement while also rapidly increasing our influence amongst our traditional base within the adivasi community. He also called for strengthening the Party’s influence in the statewide local body elections that are due in a couple of months. 

The president of the public meeting, Rajaram Ozare, MLA exhorted the masses to intensify Party and mass organisation struggles on the issues of land, water, employment, ration and development in Thane district. Barkya Mangat, CPI(M) Talasari tehsil secretary gave the introductory speech. The public meeting was also addressed by CPI(M) Jawhar tehsil secretary Ratan Budhar and CPI(M) state committee member Mariam Dhawale. The public meeting ended amidst resounding slogans.