The 6th state conference of CPI(ML) in Tripura was held on 21-22 February 04 in Sapt-Shaheed Nagar (Kailashahar), a place with a rich heritage of left movement. The aim of the conference was to intensify revolutionary movement and expand the Party base in the countryside, particularly among agrarian labourers and tribal people.
At the outset Comrade Harijan Teli, a veteran comrade and father of martyr Gobind Teli, hoisted the red flag. Party’s Polit Bureau member and observer to the state conference Comrade Kartik Pal, State Secretary Comrade Mrinmoy Chakravarty and other leaders placed wreathes at the martyr’s column. After observing silence in the memory of martyrs, a well-decorated procession was taken out in the city. Garlands were also placed on the statue of great martyr Bhagat Singh falling in the midway of the procession. A mass meeting was held at Netaji Corner in the heart of the city. It was presided over by Comrade Manik Pal. Apart from Comrade Kartik Pal, state leaders including comrades Chiranjib Bhattacharya, Parth Karmakar and Surajit Sinha addressed the meeting. The whole of Kailashahar was decorated with red flags, banners, posters, hoardings, etc.
The state conference was held in Gobind Teli Bhawan, where the podium was named after two martyrs Birchandra and Harendra. Altogether 78 delegates participated in the lively conference in which the draft report presented by the outgoing committee was thoroughly debated and put forward their amendments and opinions. A 15-member State Committee, with almost half of the members, was elected at the conference and Comrade Mrinmoy Chakravarty was re-elected its secretary. The conference resolved to organise people against the left government’s anti-people policies and develop mass resistance against the political terror unleashed by it. The conference also resolved to lay particular emphasis on work among tribals and strengthen grassroots Party organisation.
As part of the Anti-Naxal drive being conducted in Sonebhadra, Mirzapur and Chandauli districts of Uttar Pradesh, CPI (ML) is being consciously and systematically targeted for attack by the administration. On the night of 29 February, Comrade Ashok Kol and others had gone to Arawn Village, which comes under the purview of the Karma Police Station of Sonebhadra district. In this village an unfortunate incident had occurred – some feudal goons had forcibly entered the house of a woman with the intent of raping her. However, the men were apprehended by supporters of the CPI (ML). As an act of revenge, the feudals belonging to the Kurmi caste attacked Ashok Kol and his comrades. Ashok Kol and the 5 comrades were held by them, taken to a house and brutally beaten throughout the night. Comrade Ashok Kol, who is the CPI(ML) candidate from Robertsganj for the coming Lok Sabha elections, suffered multiple fractures in his ribs and arms and severe injury in the head due to constant attack on his head with iron rods. In an unconscious state Comrade Ashok and another comrade Dhanesh were admitted to Robertsganj district Hospital after the Police recovered all the comrades in a serious condition from the house of the Zamindars. The two comrades remained unconscious in the hospital for more than 24 hours. The police has not yet lodged an FIR or complaint regarding the incident. On 1 march, activists of the Party met the District Collector of Sonebhadra, but no action was taken against the culprits. Then CPI(ML) intensified the agitation in whole region comprising Sonbhadra-Mirzapur-Chandauli districts in protest against feudal-police atrocities. Protest-demonstration, dharna and road-blockades were organized at different centers. Party State Secretary Comrade Akhilendra Pratap Singh sat on a 50-hour long fast at Robertsganj in protest against this feudal-police barbarity. The Party will further intensify the agitation and make it an issue in the parliamentary elections.
In another incident, CPI(ML) activists in Dildarnagar of Ghazipur district were attacked by feudal lords when they were conducting a mass contact campaign among poor adivasi people on March 4. Nearly a dozen comrades have been injured in the incident including Santosh Maurya and Amar Dev Banvasi.
The attackers are the henchmen of the local MLA and the Minister Om Prakash Singh who intends to forcibly occupy a piece of land inhabited by adivasis. Moreover, feudal goons were also enraged for the struggle launched by the Party against the illegal brokerage by goons in a local cattle fare. One Brahmdev Kushwaha, who owns the cattle fare tried to attack Comrade Santosh Maurya in the morning of 4 March, but the goons were forced to flee as local people including a large number of women put up a stiff resistance. Later people reported the incident to the police, but they did not take any action. Police remained silent spectator even when the armed goons came back in the afternoon and launched an organised attack on the bustee, destroyed a number of hutments and belongings in poor households and nearly a dozen people including women were seriously injured in the attack. The police station is only 500 meters away from the place of the incident. Police helped the attackers by holding up all injured persons in the police station till evening and not filing an FIR under SC/ST Act despite repeated requests.
In Magardaha village of Sonebhadra district, where agricultural labourers are still getting Rs.10 as wage, CPI(ML) has been conducting movement for wage increase. Recently the Party launched a movement for land against the illegal occupation over 300 bighas of land in this village. In this course the Party held an indefinite dharna before Robertsgang Collecorate since 9 February. On 20 February, thousands of agricultural labourers led by CPI(ML) held a massive demonstration before the district collectorate. In the same district, the forest officials and local mafia have been forcibly evicting the tribals and forest dwellers from their traditional land. The same has been the case in Chandauli district too, where 80 forest dwellers’ families have been evicted from Gram Samaj land recently. As a result one tribal couple died leaving the children orphaned.
The first regional Conference of Purvanchal Kisan Sabha concluded in Feb 27 in Azamgarh with the call to intensify struggle against the anti-peasant policies of the govt. which is working on the dictate of the WTO and demanded to impose quantitative restrictions on American goods. The conference also condemned Vajpayee govt. for its failure to protect the rights of Indian farmers in WTO and surrendering to the US imperialist interests.
The Conference, inaugurated by UP State Secretary of CPI(ML) Akhilendra Pratap Singh, elected Ishwari Prasad as President and Jai Prakash Narain as Secretary.
A study camp of selected cadres was organised in Eastern UP on Feb 28 attended by nearly 85 cadres. Two papers were presented in the camp, one describing the history of communist movement of Purvanchal region and the other on specific problems of Party building in the region. Concluding speech was delivered by Com AP Singh.
The speakers also emphasised to raise specific issues like land reforms, social security, dignity, minimum wage, agricultural development, remunerative prices for the farmers, employment generation, etc. to expand the organisation and to increase resistance against the prominent feudal-criminal forces prevailing in the region.