Bihar
Implementing the call of the Party Central Committee, Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha (BPKS) and Bihar Pradesh Khet Mazdoor Sabha (BPKMS) jointly conducted the Lutera Bhagao, Krishi Bachao campaign from 26 Dec. to 9 Jan., 2001. A cadre training camp was held on 26 Dec. in which 100 activists working on the peasant front participated. State Party Secy. Com. Ramjatan Sharma dealt with the present agrarian crisis, CC member Com. Pawan Sharma, on Party’s agrarian policy and Com. Rajaram Singh, convenor of BPKS, on initiatives to be taken. The Liberation article on peasants’ problems was also distributed.
The action programme of burning the effigy of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and beating the effigy of Agricultural Minister Nitish Kumar was implemented in thousands of villages all over Bihar. The BPKS and BPKMS had launched this agitation on the demand of opening foodgrain purchasing centres by FCI, NAFED and BISCOUMAN, the state food corportation, at block level and implementing “food for work” programme in right earnest. During this programme, police arrested Party leaders and cadres from the State headquarters. In Bihta village of Bhojpur district, Ranvir Sena had opposed the burning of the effigies, but the programme was successfully implemented despite their resistance.
Padyatras were undertaken from 3 to 9 January in all the blocks of the state. In the course of this campaign, anti-peasant policies of the government were exposed and our agrarian policies explained to the people. More than 900 teams undertook padyatras in 300 blocks of 30 districts of the state, in which, apart from leaders and cadres, more than 20,000 peasants also took part. During the padyatras, small sittings, street corner meetings etc. were held at squares, schools and bazaars in each village. The padyatras culminated in dharnas at block headquarters throughout the state on 9 January.
The padyatra was inaugurated by Com. Ram Jatan Sharma, Secretary of Bihar State Party Committee and Com. Nand Kishore Prasad, Polit Bureau member, at Champaran on 3 January. Those who took part in the padyatras in various districts include PB member Com. Ram Naresh Ram, CC members Com. Pawan Sharma, KD Yadav, Saroj Chaube and Arun Kumar, Party and BPKS leaders including Com. Rameshwar Prasad, General Secretary of Bihar Pradesh Khet Mazdoor Sabha, Comrades Amarnath Yadav, Satyadev Ram, Nandji Ram, Akhilesh, Rajendra Patel, Shashi Yadav, Ravishankar Ram, Meena Tiwari, Dhirendra Jha, Shivpujan Yadav, Satya Narain, Nand Kumar Nanda, Dinanath Mehta, Shambhunath Mehta, Ram Narain Mehta and Rajaram Singh, Convenor of Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha.
All the left parties including CPI(ML), CPI, CPI(M), Forward Bloc, SUCI, MCPI, RSP came together to carry on a sustained militant campaign against the anti-peasant attitude of the central and state governments. Under the joint programme, dharnas were held at all district headquarters in the state and street corner meetings were held on 15 and 16 January. The left parties also jointly observed a Bihar bandh on 17 January.
As propaganda material for this campaign, Party State Committee published a 2-page folder on the agrarian crisis and distributed 10,000 copies.
Delhi
Observing Party’s national call Lutera Bhagao Desh Bachao on the eve of the New Year, effigies of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee were burnt at several places in Delhi. Torch-light processions were taken out and mass meetings were held along with burning of the effigy. All over Delhi around 1500 Party cadres and sympathisers participated in these programmes.
In Vishwas Nagar, Com. Swapan Mukherjee, Party CCM and GS of AICCTU, Com. Rajendra Pratholi, Delhi State Committee Secy., Com. Shashi Bhushan of RYA and Com. Ram Abhilash led the march and addressed the agitators. In Mandawali, Party cadres and sympathisers led by Com. Sunita, Party State Committee member, Com. Ravindra Sharma and Samundra Paswan led the march from Mother Dairy crossing. In Noida, Party CCM and GS of AIPWA Com. Kumudini Pati, Central Secretariat member Com. Ranjit Abhigyan, SCM and Delhi AICCTU Secy. Com. Ranjan Ganguli led the rally and addressed a mass meeting at Sector 10 where the effigy was burnt. Similarly, SCM Com. BKS Gautam led the agitators of Patparganj area at Kalyanpuri, SCM Com. Jeeta Kaur at Azadpur, SCM Com. Rajiv Dimri, Santosh Rai and Shankaran at Kalkaji Depot., Com. Rajpal Singh at Nazafgarh, Com. Surendra Panchal and Satbeer Shramik at Narela and Com. Satya Prakash Bauddha at Sultanpuri.
Uttar Pradesh
In Kanpur, Party comrades, responding to the call for national agitation, burnt the effigy of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Six comrades were arrested under prohibitory orders, but later they were released. In Ghazipur district, the effigy of Prime Minister was burnt at Zamania and also in some villages of Karanda sub-division.
In Pilibhit town, protesters led by Com. Swadesh Bhattacharya, Party’s Polit Bureau member, Com. Krishna Adhikari, CC member, Com. Diwakar, State Committee member, Com. Kishan Lal and Com. Alauddin Shashtri burnt the effigy of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to observe the national call.