BHOPAL DECLARATION: A new dalit agenda

THE BHOPAL DECLARATION, issued by an all-India meet of dalit intellectuals and activists held in January, has brought a new dalit agenda to the forefront. Though the meet was sponsored by the Congress government of Madhya Pradesh led by Digvijay Singh, the Declaration has won wider acknowledgement. It even eclipsed customary 'concerns' like war and terrorism in President KR Narayanan's Republic Day address, where he chose to focus instead on social issues and made a specific reference to the Bhopal Declaration while calling for affirmative action to enlarge the space for dalits in India's private sector.

The Bhopal agenda, shaped by the representatives of dalit activism themselves, is based on the recognition that globalisation is making reservation for dalits in government jobs and public sector increasingly meaningless because very few new jobs are being created amidst the current wave of downsizing. What it asks for is empowerment of dalits in the market through greater access to capital and entrepreneurial promotion. Also demanded are corresponding quality education and skills' development. The attractiveness of the agenda lies in its articulation of dalit interests in an age of globalisation. It reflects the refusal of dalits to accept their confinement to the developmental ghetto of welfarism. It has turned its spotlight on to new sources of perpetuation and accentuation of inequality among castes. Irrespective of whether its thrust reflects the priority concerns of the mass of dalits or not, the Bhopal agenda has come as a snub to the Vulgar Marxists and other apologists of globalisation, who in their zeal to highlight the upper caste dominance in the Nehruvian bureaucracy and public sector, went to the other extreme of lauding globalisation as pro-dalit. It has also underlined the bankruptcy of the BSP, which refuses to address the multifarious issues concerning dalits asking them, instead, to wait until they capture power. Once in power, of course, they are then at the mercy of upper caste saffron forces. Hence, there is utter failure to meaningfully address any of these issues!

The Bhopal Declaration doesn't go into the structural reasons of oppression and deprivation of dalits and doesn't outline any agenda for direct struggle for dignity and equality but largely confines itself to calling for affirmative action from above on the new agenda, by the state, along the lines of affirmative action in the US in favour of coloured people and women. Nevertheless, the Declaration could not omit inclusion of substantial issues of dalits like land reforms and redistribution of land and other assets.

The Congress sponsorship of this meet speaks for its desperation to woo back dalits who deserted it, especially in the Hindi belt. It is not by chance that the meet was organised in the backdrop of polls in UP. In UP the dalits have not been amused by the Congress overtures to Mulayam - against whom the dalit hostility remains unmitigated - for a possible post-poll tie-up. The Congress manoeuvres to meddle in the increasingly fragmented and competitive dalit politics of the state by backing Udit Raj (of conversion fame) have not paid many dividends to it. Interestingly, the reason why the party chose MP and not UP for sponsoring the event can be traced to the declining popularity ratings of Digvijay Singh in a state where one-third of the electorate are SCs and STs. Probably the party hopes it has found its own Mandal in the Bhopal Declaration. Perhaps, implementing the agenda first in Congress-ruled states would appear as a show of greater sincerity. Ironically, this is the same party that sided with the chauvinistic BJP in opposing the inclusion of dalit question in the agenda at Durban which is now chamionoing new agendas for dalits!

Thanks to the social realities in the country, there can be no suppressing of the dalit agenda or sidelining of its substantial issues, be it in Durban or Bhopal. If anything, the Bhopal Declaration is yet another proof that the real priorities of the mass of dalits would continue to unfold themselves inexorably as they look beyond their fake messiahs, sponsors and other bourgeois uplifters.

Black Flags for Vajpayee in Patna

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was greeted with black flags in Patna on February 3. AISA activists who were sitting on indefinite hunger strike at ITO roundabout in Patna against the Bhagalpur Police firing on innocent students, missed no opportunity in directing their anger against the visiting Prime minister. They shouted slogans 'Ameriki Dalal wapas Jao' (American agent go back), 'Ayodhya ke naam par kesaria aatankwad failana, band karo' (Stop spreading Saffron terrorism in the name of Ayodhya) ; 'Bihar ke Vikas ke saath Vishwasghaat karne wale, wapas jao' (Saboteurs of Bihar's development, go back). After the departure of Vajpayee's motor- caravan the police promptly arrested five AISA leaders. But the protests of the students and youth present forced the police to release them.

Poor being victimised in UP elections

The CPI(ML) has taken strong exception to the increasing police atrocities on dalits, adivasis and other people of the weaker sections in the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh, particularly in the districts of Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonebhadra. Reports say that the police & administration are acting at the behest of the ruling BJP candidates in these areas and disrupting the election campaign of CPI(ML) candidates. CPI(ML) has called upon the Election Commission to send a special team to Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonebadra districts to monitor the behaviour and practice of the police and administration and their anti-dalit and anti-adivasi bias. In many constituencies these police officials are stopping our Party cadres and supporters from holding election meetings

West Bengal... Peasant leaders arrested and tortured in Nadia district Comrade Thandu Sekh one of the district committee members of the West Bengal Agricultural Labourers Association along with 6 other comrades were arrested and tortured by the Chapra police in Nadia district. On 2nd February comrade Thandu led a rally of 200 agricultural labourers to recapture 200 bighas of land from which 12 tribals had been evicted by local upper-caste landowners. The tribals even have their bonafide pattas. It was while they were carrying their crops home after harvesting that goons hired by landowners attacked them with aid of the local police who fired two rounds of bullets in the air and arrested 7 of our comrades. They were tortured all the way to police station and also in the police station. False charges of rioting, attempt to murder, possession of illegal arms have been lodged against them. Against these inhuman police atrocities, the District Party Committee led a strong demonstration to the local police station and sent a deputation to the SDO & SP of Nadia district The police is communalising the issue by twisting the whole episode to say that Muslims are attacking Hindu land owners. The Party State Committee strongly condemned the police harassment of agricultural labourers and demanded their immediate unconditional release and withdrawal of all fake cases against them. Against black agreement in jute mills On January 29, A Workers' Convention was held in Moulali Yuba Kendra in Kolkata by 4 central trade unions- AICCTU affiliated BCMF, UTUC (LS), IFTU, NFITU. At least 500 workers participated in the convention. Com. Atanu Chakraborty of BCMF, Paltu Sen of IFTU, Dilip Bhattacharya of LS & Naren Sen of NFITU addressed the Convention. Speaker after speaker condemned the recently signed black tripartite agreement in the jute sector where the official central TUs viz. CITU, INTUC, AITUC succumbed to the pressures of the jute mills owners. The Convention resolved to take out a protest rally on 12 Feb. and submit a memorandum to the CM demanding immediate scrapping of the anti-worker agreement and a fresh agreement, abolition of bonus ceiling and no linkage of wages to productivity. A mass signature campaign was also launched. In North Shyamnagar jute mill in Bhadreswar where the workers are on strike against this agreement a huge mass meeting of 1500 workers was held on Feb.1. Com. Atanu Chakraborty, Basudev Bose, Prabir Haldar, Saraswat Chowdhury,Rajeswar Mahato spoke at the mass meeting. AISA in University Elections AISA, along with DSO and RSF, jointly contested the student union elections in the Arts Faculty in Jadavpur University in Kolkata. The main plank of the election campaign was the withdrawal of the recent fee hike in college and university; stopping the intimidation of Muslims youths in the name of curbing 'terrorism' and exposure of the malfunctioning ofstudent union by SFI. Four AISA comrades were elected as class representative from Comparative Literature and Film section, 3 DSO and 2 RSF students were also elected. For the post of vice chairman and AGS, AISA got 273 and 254 votes respectively. Intimidation of Muslims Youth The West Bengal Chief Minister Mr. Buddhadev Bhattacharya and the CPI (M)State Secretary Mr. Anil Biswas are using provocative language against the Muslim minorities. After the incident near the American Information Center in Kolkata, the Chief Minister accused Muslims of carrying on anti-national activities in madrasas and the CPI (M) State Secretary asked his party men to form 'vigilance squads' to keep watch over the activities of Muslim terrorists in the state. Ever since, the police have stepped up their harassment of Muslims and even arrested 3 teachers from recognised madrasas in Swarupnagar area of Basirhat in North 24 Parganas. Following vociferous protests from all progressive quarters the police admitted their 'mistake' and had to release them. But witch hunting by the WB government with the full backing of BJP's central and state leadership.of so-called 'Muslim terrorists' is going on in the state without any let up. Muslims especially in the border areas are being hunted & harassed & are living in constant fear. Punjab... Punjab Election A massive election rally of around two thousand people was held in the working class dominated area of Ludhiana on 3 February in support of Party's candidate from Ludhiana Rural assembly constituency, Com. Sunder Lal. The main speaker at the rally was Party General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya. The meeting was also addressed by CPM (Pasla) leader Com. Harkanwal Singh who was formerly a CC member of CPM, Com. Rajaram Singh, MLA, Com. Swapan Mukherji, General Secretary of AICCTU, Comrades Jaswant Singh Samagh and Anil Mishra of Punjab State Leading Team, Rajendra Sharma and Upendra Paswan of Ludhiana District Committee. The meeting was presided over by Com. B.B. Pandey. It was the first ever meeting held in Punjab jointly addressed by CPI(ML) and CPM(Pasla Group) leaders and a positive step in the direction of close co-ordination between our two organisations in Punjab. Com. Harkanwal pledged full support to the CPI(ML) candidate and urged all the left forces to vote for our candidate. Earlier a joint list of 13 candidates for Punjab legislative assembly has been announced in which 11 candidates are from CPM(Pasla) and two from our Party. A joint press conference was also held in the evening of 3 February in Ludhiana addressed by Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya and Com. Mangat Ram Pasla. Com. Chandrashekhar and Com. Harkanwal of CPM(Pasla) and Com. Swapan Mukherji and BB Pandey of CPI(ML) were also present. On 4 February, Com. Dipankar and Com. Mangat Ram Pasla jointly addressed an important election rally at Dhellon of Kila Raipur assembly constituency in Ludhiana district, from where a senior CPM(Pasla) leader Com. Tarsem Jodha, once a CPI(M) legislator, is contesting. After this meeting both leaders reached Mansa and addressed a massive rally there, held at Gurudwara Chowk, in support of Com. Rajvinder Singh Rana, the CPI(ML) candidate from Mansa assembly constituency. Com. Rajaram Singh was also among the speakers. On 5 the February, Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed several election meetings in the Mansa assembly constituency. Bihar... Massive 72 hour protest in Patna Against Shahabuddin's Reign of Terror A massive three day dharna( mass-sitting ) was held in Patna from January 29 to January 31 against Shahabuddin's reign of terror and the total collusion of the Siwan district administration with this notorious criminal. Throughout the protest programme involving hundreds of cadres, activists and peasant masses from Siwan as well as from Patna district, the demands that Shahabuddin should immediately be arrested; that the SP of Siwan should be suspended; that security be guaranteed to the prisoners inside the Siwan jail where Shahabudin's criminals are in command; that CPI(ML) leader and mukhya of Gambishpur panchayat in Siwan Nayamuddin Ansari (who was arrested by the police under false charges) be released immediately and that Siwan be freed from the crime and terror of the Shahabuddin gang were forcefully reiterated. Addressing the mass protest on 31 January General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said, "Siwan is the true mirror of the so-called struggle against crime and terror by the centre and state rulers. BJP leaders talk loud against terrorism, but when it comes to the real fight they prefer to join hands with terrorists like Shahabuddin. Recently, when Shahabuddin openly challenged the authority of the state and attacked the administration, Laloo-Modi-Ram Vilas all united to save their 'friend in need' Shahabuddin!" . Com. Dipankar said that all the political parties from BJP to the RJD had virtually surrendered before this histroy-sheeter and the differences between the BJP and RJD were getting totally blurred in the quicksands of crime and terror . CPI(ML) Gen. Secretary said, " the whole country is with the people of Siwan in their struggle for human rights and democracy and there is no doubt that the people of Siwan will be ultimately victorious through their own unity , determination and struggle. History-sheeeters will be thrown into the dustbin of history by the history-makers of new Bihar". Senior Party leaders Coms. Ram Naresh Ram, K.D. Yadav, Rameshwar Prasad, Amarnath Yadav, Indrajeet, Rajaram Singh, Satyadev Ram, Amarjeet Khushwaha and others also addressed the mass dharna. Thousands of leaflets and handbills were distributed among the people at Patna throughout the 72 hours agitation. State-level Cadre Convention Gears Up CPI(ML) held a state level cadre convention in Patna on Feb.1 to gear up the preparation for March 14 'Save Democracy, Build New Bihar' Rally. Around 800 cadres of various levels from 36 districts participated in the convention. Addressing the convention, Party General Secretary Com. Dipankar called upon the party cadres to redouble their efforts to make this rally a powerful assertion of the CPI(ML). He said that attempts were being made to belittle democratic values and to demolish democratic institutions in Bihar and elsewhere in the country. Democracy is facing imperialist and communal fascist's attacks. Vajpayee's government is endangering the nation's dignity, security, sovereignty and independence by adopting a pro-American stand and sending saffron terrorists once again into the streets to whip up communal frenzy in the name of Ayodhya, he said. Describing Vajpayee's Bihar tour and his meeting in Patna as a 'political drama' and ' a cruel joke on the people of Bihar', Com. Dipankar said, "the development of Bihar is not on the agenda of BJP and Samata leaders.. In the wake of the division of Bihar state, the peope had demanded a complete package for the state which the NDA leaders had promised but had failed to deliver." The convention was addressed among others by Coms. Ram Naresh Ram, Ramjatan Sharma, Nandkishore Prasad, Pawan Sharma, K.D.Yadav, Saroj Chaubey, Yogeshwar Gope and Rameshwar Prasad. AISA March to Raj Bhavan in Patna Hundreds of students under the banner of AISA marched to Raj Bhavan in Patna on January 30, expressing their anger against the BJP-led NDA government's policies of communalisation and commercialisation of education, the RJD-led Bihar government's role in dismantling the educational system in the state, growing educational anarchy and police-criminal infiltration on the campuses. Students demanded immediate elections to the student unions and removal of police pickets from the educational institutions. The March started from Gandhi Maidan and reached Bailey Road where it was stopped by a heavy contingent of police. A delegation of students led by Abhuday, Mukesh, Raju Yadav and others went to Raj Bhavan and handed over a memorandum to the governor of Bihar. The students also held a protest meeting. Addressing the meeting AISA National President Kavita Krishan called upon the students to reject the saffronisation agenda of the Sangh Pariwar and fight against the anti-education and anti-student attitude of the state government. AISA President said that a powerful movement on the issue of campus democracy was the need of the hour. The Former GS of AISA, Comrade Dhirendra Jha and RYA National President Comrade Mithilesh Yadav also addressed the meeting. The protest meeting passed a resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of the decision to cancel registration of around 1.5 lakh matriculation examinees in the state. The meeting also called upon students to intensify state-wide agitation on this issue. Party condemns Bhagalpur Police Firing and Supports Students' Call for Bihar Bandh CPI(ML) has strongly condemned the police brutal firing on students protesting against fee hike in Bhagalpur in Bihar. Two students were killed and two were severely injured as a result of police firing. In protest against police firing and killing, AISA and RYA along with other left student and youth wings -SFI, DYFI, AISF, AIYF, DSU - have decided to intensify their struggle against growing police goondaism and on several other issues that adversely affect students. These organisations have called for a 'Bihar Bandh' on February 6. CPI(ML) has supported this call. On receiving the report of police firing, RYA National President Com. Mithilesh Yadav and AISA State Convener Com. Suraj Kumar Singh rushed to Bhagalpur and led the students 'Bhagalpur Bandh' on February 1. The students' organisations held the DM and SP of Bhagalpur as well as the VC of the University responsible for the brutal firing demanding their suspension and immediate arrest. Meanwhile a team of AISA leaders comprising Suraj Singh, Mukesh Vidyarthy, Abhuday, Awadesh and Akalak Ahmed started a hunger strike from January 31 in Patna. CPI (ML) Politbureau member Com. Ram Naresh Ram met the students on Feb 3 and urged them to call off the hunger strike and come out on the streets to spread a powerful movement against the autocratic criminal government. Thereafter, the protest hunger strike was called off in view of February 6 'Bihar Bandh'call. CPI(ML) has also strongly condemned the killing of CPI(M) leader Com. Ramdev Mahto in Samastipur , Bihar. He was the general secretary of the agrarian labour organisation of CPI(M). To coincide with the World Economic Forum being held in New York on 31 January, a people's world conference was held at the same time in Brazil. Representing a broad range of social movements from all corners of the world, tens of thousands of activists opened the Second World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil with an impressive march of 40,000, shouting "No to imperialist aggression and neoliberalism!'' The face of revolutionary Che Guevara was everywhere. Workers groups waved bright red flags emblazoned with yellow stars. One organiser said "the turnout is proof that more people want alternatives to market-friendly policies being discussed in New York, participants virulently oppose capitalism, globalisation and free trade." People's participation was more than doubl of last year's attendance. Most of them opposing global capitalism outright, or at least wanting it reined in. They accused Washington of seeking to spread war across the globe in the name of fighting terrorism and in order to control the petroleum of the world. International... Two Worlds and Two Visions The meeting in New York was characterised by exclusion where only the rich and famous needed to apply. By contrast, the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre was marked by plurality and openness and its agenda included discussions on hunger, the denial of the cultural rights of millions of people and the daily violation of human guarantees. They discussed how humans can live with dignity, equality and justice. The six-day conference featured 700 workshops, 100 seminars and 28 plenary assemblies. More than 13,000 delegates from 150 countries gathered for the World Social Forum. In total contrast, the New York WEF dealt with the conceptions of how to achieve a better world for the rich by dividing society into those inside the hotel from those on the street. The protesters in the street were concerned about the marginalisation of the poorest countries, about ways of alleviating their intolerable debt burden and how to give them greater access to rich country markets and were reinforced in their convictions that capitalism cares for only profits not people. Events of last week proved that those protesters in New York's streets shared a common concern with their comrades gathered in Porto Alegre. Police helicopters circled over New York backing the 4000 strong police forces guarding WEF delegates of the 1,000 largest TNCs with executives like Bill Gates and Bush officials like Colin Powell. Even though police diverted thousands of protestors who sought to access the demonstration area by establishing checkpoints, barricades and closing surrounding streets; police told people the permit and protest were cancelled, they misdirected others, and diverted a large number of buses away but in spite of all this they failed to prevent the demonstration. After two rainy days of minor protests, February 2 saw thousands of demonstrators come out in force that no weather could dampen, to chant slogans calling for the US to end funding to Israel, not to broaden anti-terror action to Somalia, to "Let Iraq Live", for "human rights, not corporate greed", and demanding that "capitalism, shut it down". This was the First large-scale protest, organised by a group called Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R). Several thousand joined the demonstration in front of the 5-star hotel at 50th and Park Avenue where the rich and powerful met. On that day, tens of thousands of activists demonstrated throughout midtown Manhattan to protest the World Economic Forum in protests that showed that the anti-corporate globalisation movement was alive and well. The demonstrations marked the continuation of anti-capitalist protests which have accompanied key economic summits in recent years, with activists exploding the myth that globalisation is essential to furthering the interests of developing nations. The two encounters belong to two different worlds; not only in points of view, but in life-styles, ideals, interests and aspirations. The fact is that the two meetings that began last Thursday themselves reflect the dramatic polarisation of humanity, the unjust division that capitalism has created between North and South, producing a system based on the exploitation and exclusion of the majority in exchange for the well-being of a tiny powerful few. These encounters will continue until people's demands are realised. For the empowerment & development of women; to protest against war-mongering, globalisation, communal fascism & atrocities on women. AIPWA's 'Mass rally' Gandhi Maidan, Patna on 12 February 2002   [HOME] [ML Update] [Liberation] [Party Programme] [Policy Resolution] [Party Constitution] [Central Committee] [30 Years of Naxalbari]    Please offer your comments at : mlupdate@cpiml.org