People's Democracy

Comrade Surjeet’s Fifth Death Anniversary Observed

THE fifth death anniversary of internationally renowned, legendary communist leader, late Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet, was observed on September 22, in his native village Bundala Majhki in Jalandhar district of Punjab. Thousands of his followers and supporters as well as a galaxy of leaders attended the function to pay tribute to Comrade Surjeet. The presidium on the occasion consisted of Gurmit Singh Dhadha, Gurmesh Singh, Ram Singh Noorpuri and Bant Singh Namol, the state secretariat members of the CPI(M).

CPI(M) Central Committee member and former West Bengal minister Mohd Salim, Manpreet Singh Badal (United Front chairman and president of the People’s Party of Punjab),  CPI(M) state secretary Charan Singh Virdi, CPI leaders  Joginder Dyal and Bant Brar, Balwant Singh Ramuwalia (vice president, Akali Dal), and CITU leaders Raghunath Singh and Vijay Mishra paid tributes to Comrade Surjeet and remembered his contribution to the struggles of agriculture labourers, peasants, women and the working class.

While paying rich tributes to Comrade Surjeet, Mohd Salim said we remember the persons who gave a right direction to the people during their life; their rich experience of struggle for the betterment of the common people continues to give a right direction and light even after death. Comrade Surjeet fought against imperialism throughout his life. Even today, we have to fight consistently to uplift the working class, peasantry and women. The capitalist model of development is to be uprooted by sustained struggles of the working people of our country. He further said nothing would change by changing the leaders only; instead the policies are to be changed. Salim also said on the economic front there is no difference between the Congress and the BJP, and that the latter supported the anti-people measures like the PFRDA, FDI, ban on recruitment and other facets of neo-liberal policies. Salim told that the Kerala comrades had collected Rs 8.5 crore within two days to contribute to the construction of Surjeet Bhawan at New Delhi. He also criticised the West Bengal government for crushing the democratic rights of the people; the ruling TMC indulged in booth capturing in panchayat elections and killing of hundreds of CPI(M) leaders and workers.

Charan Singh Virdi explained the 10 point programme of alternative policies which the Left Front advanced in its recent Delhi convention; these are about the economy, secularism, social justice, federal structure, land reforms, housing for the homeless, better prices for agriculture products, government investment in infrastructure, recovery of taxes from corporate houses, a strong and universal public distribution system, food security, opposition to privatisation public sector, etc. Virdi also explained the rampant corruption by the ministers of the UPA government, saying the CPI(M) was going to launch an awareness campaign to explain these alternative policies before the people.

Manpreet Singh Badal said persons like Surjeet are born but never die and become immortal. They are remembered for ever for their contribution in building the society, their struggles for secularism, their work for the working class, peasantry, women and other downtrodden sections. Surjeet was one of such persons. Badal also criticised the debt-ridden Akali-BJP government of Punjab, adding that this government has totally failed on the economic front and the state exchequer is empty nowadays. He further said we have to take guidance from Surjeet’s life of struggle in order to eradicate social evils from the society.

Balwant Singh Ramuwalia shared the moments he had spent with Surjeet and announced a contribution of Rs one lakh for the under-construction Surjeet Bhawan.

Joginder Dyal and Bant Singh Brar of the CPI strongly criticised Parkash Singh Badal, the chief minister of Punjab, for extending a warm welcome to Narender Modi, the face of communal RSS and BJP, while he was on a tour to Pathankot. They said the BJP is fomenting communal riots in the country and would further intensify its communal campaign in view of the coming parliament elections in order to secure its vote bank. They also criticised the UPA government for its callousness about handling the communal riots of 1984. Had the government punished the guilty of the riots of 1984, they said, such riots would not have happened in other parts of country like Gujarat. They added that the country’s unity, integrity and secularism can be saved only by adopting the values which Surjeet upheld all his life.

On this occasion Bhagat Singh Jhugian was honoured by Dr Raghuvir Kaur, president of the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall Committee of Jalandhar. Raghunath Singh, Vijay Mishra, Gurmesh Singh and Ram Singh Noorpuri also paid tributes to Comrade Surjeet and shared their moments spent with him.

The rally was organised by the residents of Bundala village under the leadership of Gurchetan Singh Bassi.