The 12th Bihar State Conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation concluded successfully in Darbhanga after three days of wide-ranging political discussion, organisational review and deliberations on the future course of struggle. The conference was held from 16 to 18 May at the Laheriasarai auditorium, dedicated to the memories of Comrades Rajaram, Ramdev Verma and Laxmi Paswan, in Darbhanga, which was renamed Renu-Nagarjun Nagar for the conference.
The conference began with a short march to the venue, followed by an inaugural session addressed by leaders of all Mahagathbandhan parties. The delegate session began later with the presentation of the report by the outgoing State Committee. More than seven hundred delegates and observers from across Bihar participated in the conference and deliberated on the report.
During the conference, two books were also released. One was a collection of writings of late Comrade Surendra Prasad of Samastipur, and the other was a collection of stories by Bijendra Anil, one of the finest cultural exponents of the CPI(ML) movement in Bhojpur during the 1970s and 1980s. Lunch and tea breaks also became occasions for interaction with activists of unions and social organisations fighting for justice against the BJP’s bulldozer raj.
Addressing the conference, CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the country and Bihar are passing through a difficult period. The BJP and its allies are continuously attacking democratic rights, the Constitution and the lives and livelihoods of the poor. He said the conference has resolved to strengthen the voice of the people against bulldozer raj, repressive policies and anti-democratic politics.
Comrade Dipankar called upon party activists to reach every village and mohalla and intensify struggles on the issues of the poor, workers, peasants, youth, women and students. He urged cadres to strengthen the organisation with new energy and unity to confront the BJP’s bulldozer rule and communal politics.
Conference observer Comrade V. Shankar said that Bihar has always given direction to national politics. He said that whatever the electoral results, the people of Bihar remain a fighting people committed to defending democracy. Progressive forces across the country, he said, are looking towards Bihar with hope. He also underlined the need for broader unity of democratic and secular forces.
The conference passed the party’s work report by voice vote. Thereafter, a new 107-member State Committee was elected. The newly elected State Committee unanimously re-elected Comrade Kunal as the Bihar State Secretary.
The new State Committee has given special emphasis to women, youth and comrades active in movements. This time, 27 new faces have been included in the State Committee, while 13 comrades have been made invitee members. The party leadership described this as an important step towards organisational expansion and bringing a new generation into leadership.
The conference also passed a 10-point task plan for the coming phase of struggles and campaigns. It called for making the rural workers’ strike on 20 May a broad success. It was also decided that from the same day, the party would launch a mass contact campaign among 10 lakh poor families across Bihar.
Among the major resolutions passed at the conference were the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, caste-based census, expansion of the equality movement and building a broad people’s movement against bulldozer attacks. The conference also strongly condemned the recent statement of the Bihar Education Minister, calling it an attack on education and democratic values.
The conference concluded with revolutionary slogans and a firm resolve to defend democracy, the Constitution and people’s rights, and to take forward the struggles of Bihar’s poor, workers, peasants, women, students and youth against bulldozer raj, communal politics and anti-people policies.
