(In U.P. this is the turn of holding Party’s district conferences. The conference In Chandauli district of Eastern UP was held on 6-7 June, whereas that in Pilibhit district of Terai was held on 7-8 June. These two districts are most important areas of our work in U.P. The work reports presented at the district conferences include reports and analyses of the struggles, our achievements and shortcomings, the situation of mass organisations and the party, and the plans for future advance. Here we reproduce excerpts from the experiences of struggles cited in the Work Reports presented at these conferences.)
Three labourers of Goyal Colony of Marauri Block were arrested by police and brutally beaten by police in Richola outpost. In protest the outpost was gheraoed. During this gherao forest guards and officials launched an attack on the people. However, the labourers were set free following this movement. Later a dharna was staged at the district headquarters.
In Pilibhit, the DFO has restricted entry of common local people into forests. Colonies built on barren and unproductive land at the periphery of the forest are being uprooted and agriculture is being destroyed. Poor people who had been residing for decades are being evicted, not only from reserve forest land, but even from the Gram Sabha lands, which are proposed under clause 4 and 6 of Forest Act. Through forest committees a new nexus of forest officials and local tyrants is emerging which is responsible for the spurt in smuggling of forest produce and abduction industry.
The Forest Officer of Haripur Range is actively involved in open smuggling of forest produce. But to terrorise innocent people he arrested two agrarian labourers of Rahul Nagar Mazdoor Basti without any offence. He brought bulldozers to demolish Barua Kudhara colony of Barahi Range. We took an initiative to check smuggling by the Forest Officer and got him arrested red handed by the police. We held a relay fast at the district headquarters demanding a check on forest smuggling and a stop to demolition of dalit labour colonies. We also opposed the holding of "Pilibhit Mahotsav" organised by the nexus of forest smuggler mafia and corrupt officials and held demonstration on the inaugural day. The administration was compelled to withdraw bulldozers from Barua Kuthara and transfer the Forest Officer, along with ordering an investigation.
But the forest department was not prepared to retreat, so they launched a surprise attack on Rajpur Semra colony to crush the rising mass resistance of the poor. The attack was determinedly resisted. Then the forest department launched a second attack in which women and children were mercilessly beaten and a large number of people were arrested. However, we resolutely opposed this move. Then the forest official-mafia contractor nexus kidnapped two fishermen. Against this a Bandh was organised in the whole area and massive demonstration was organised at the district headquarters.
After Mayawati came to power, she carried on this agenda and targeted Rahul Nagar, the centre of democratic struggle in the area under Party leadership. A propaganda campaign was unleashed to malign the resistance movement by linking us to Maoists and spreading rumours about parallel government. We repudiated this malicious propaganda by a section of local press and won support of the democratic forces. However, on 29 November when the main Party leadership was away attending Party’s 7th Congress held in Patna, an eviction drive was launched. It was determinedly resisted by agrarian labourers. Our Party MP met the Home Ministry and Minister of Environment and Forest and demanded a check on such highhandedness.
A writ petition was filed in the High Court and with the intervention of SC/ST Commission, an investigation team led by ADM conducted an enquiry. As a result of the enquiry it has come to light that agrarian labourers in Rahul Nagar do not possess any reserve forest land. Even then the Forest Dept has continued harassing the people in the interest of smugglers.
In Rahul Nagar, when the Gram Pradhan refused to pay wages under Gramin Rojgar Yojna, a relay fast was undertaken against this injustice. This was followed by a gherao of the BDO and ultimately a demonstration was organised before the DM. The Gram Pradhan was compelled to pay Rs.50,000 as wages to labourers. This apart, successful dharnas were conducted on the demands of distributing red cards among agrarian labourers, implementation of Indira Awas Yojna, etc. Dharnas and demonstrations were also organised for implementation of food for work scheme during drought. Against usurpation of agrarian labourers’ land by upper caste feudal lords at Suhas of Barkheda block, a movement was launched at Pilibhit district headquarters on the one hand and on the other, a lathi march was organised to break the terror of upper caste gentry. Consequently the administration had to rescue the land from feudal lords.
In order to actively intervene in the sugarcane movement that spread across the state from east to west, we launched a struggle in January this year by holding relay fast. The farmer lobby tried to push peasants into passivity and instead wanted to intervene in the movement by stopping the distribution of coupons (against which sugarcane is sold to the sugar mills). We foiled their plan and urged the sugarcane farmers to stop the supply of sugarcane to the mill. As the peasants heeded our call and stopped the supply of sugarcane, the farmer lobby had to support this movement. The mill remained closed for 5 days, but thereafter the farmer lobby stabbed middle peasants in the back, entering into a deal with millowners and breaking off the movement. However, Mayawati govt. had to pay the Minimum Support Price of Rs. 95-100 per quintal for sugarcane. Around 17,000 peasants took part in this movement and the markets of Khajuria and Sampoornanagar remained completely closed for the whole day.
We also conducted relay fasts in Puranpur-Pilibhit and Beesalpur on the above-mentioned demands and exposed the nexus of sugarcane coupon mafia and mill officials, demanding preference for the sugarcane supplied by small and middle farmers. We also demanded that sugar mills should run till the last so as to guarantee the sale of sugarcane supplied by small and middle farmers.
Seizure of Bairath land was relatively peaceful because social balance had tilted in our favour. A section of people came to our fold from CPI(M), BSP and SP – including forest dwellers (Vanavasis) and artisans working in stone quarries. Efforts were on to win over dalit agrarian labourers from the sphere of BSP influence. However, attacks on our Party cadres had also intensified and after Mayawati assumed chief ministership, all our opponents got assembled under the banner of BSP to launch a decisive attack on our masses in Bairath and to evict them. Because of administrative bias, even a case against the culprits could not be registered. Demand for acquisition of Bairath Farm by the Govt. and its distribution among Vanavasi, dalits and landless and poor peasants, as well as conferring them with Bhumidhari rights has been made with the government and gradually shifting the balance of social forces in our favour the Party hopes to recapture Bairath farm. Party feels that while leading such economic struggles, special efforts should be taken to raise the level of political consciousness so as to presserve and strengthen the militant unity of the masses.
In another incident near the village Rasia, situated at the banks of river Karmnasha, Party seized 400 bighas of land and now around 150 agrarian labour families are cultivating it. Of them, 54 Vanavasi agrarian labour families were properly settled on their plots. In the initial phase this movement had a good impact over the neighbouring villages. The movement started a debate among dalits concerning two diametrically opposed approaches of CPI(ML) and BSP to the question of land. Forest department officials conducted several raids to evict the people but local people offered stiff resistance and made them retreat.
In the Dighwat village of Sakaldiha Block three Rajbhar kulak households in connivance with the village pradhan (mukhiya) usurped 35 acres of this Gram Sabha land, by getting it allotted in their names, though in the process of allotment the village poor had also contributed money. The poor agrarian labourers, most of them belonging to the same Rajbhar caste, launched a struggle against this injustice under our Party banner. This movement has sharpened class division within the Rajhbhar caste, which dominates the village.
In Bhadahu village of dhamapur Block vanvasis seized 6 acres of Gram Sabha land under Party leadership. As our influence spread, a woman Party activist from Vanavasi origin got elected to village pradhan post. The feudal forces conniving with administration got this land registered as pond land. A dharna was staged before the SDM against this conspiracy. Feudal forces also tried to sow discord among Vanavasis and Bind people by inciting some Binds to build houses on Vanavasi’s patta land. Party is trying to efficiently resolve the contradiction among the people.
In Sikandarpur (Ratraon) village of Niyamatabad Block, 4 acres of land was declared as ceiling surplus land. An upper caste feudal lord of Bauri village was in occupation of this land. Last year the Party had resisted the attempts by the feudal lord to recapture this land. However, on the basis of a stay order from Allahabad High Court and with the help of administration, the land was allotted to Bind people associated with CPI(M) and BSP.
In Bauri village there has been a well-known land movement. A land plot became
bone of contention between CPI(ML) on the one hand and the family members of
Samajwadi Party district president. The land at the periphery of the village
is actually settled in the name of vanavasis. But SP leader’s family captured
the land by forcibly constructing house on it. Not only that, they occupied
Gram Sabha land near the residential quarters and run a nursery school on it.
The rural poor seized this land by constructing huts over this land. The feudal
forces as well as the family members of SP district chief connived with administration
to uproot the hutments.