On August 15th Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) celebrated the Farmer Labor Mukti-Sangharsh Day at 40 places with three big gatherings in hundreds of villages and cities across Punjab. The stage was inaugurated by paying tribute to more than 500 martyrs of Kisan movement everywhere and to Chacha Ajit Singh, the leader of the Anti-British Kisan Movement, on the occasion of his 74th death anniversary Gone. Selected areas were chosen in toll plazas and solar plants, to challenge the neo-fascism of the Narendraa Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party, in their very backyard.
Around 60000 persons participated overall. The mobilisations at the gatherings spoke volumes on the qualitative grassroot political work undertaken by the BKU (Ugrahan) .The hearts of all the participants were emblazened with the spirit of revolution, to challenge the proto-fascism of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Nowhere else in India was the superficiality of the 1947 independence given such a knock out punch, particularly in context of the Hindutva proto-fascism pervading. The communal fascist trend was linked to the grave economic situation. I complement the manner the meetings were conducted in terms of taking level of political consciousness into accordance to crystallise the spirit of genuine liberation. Overwhelming to witness such intensity on the faces of the farmers. To me a virtual model for organising anti imperialist gatherings or projecting alternative to cut the tumours of injustice. The anti-imperialist spirit sparkled in the participants at the end, like water reaching its boiling point.
The speakers in meticulous depth touched upon how the Congress leaders of 1947 betrayed the genuine national liberation movement of comrades like Bhagat Singh, and morally only replaced the British colonialists. They summarised how the fabric of the colonial order remained intact, in terms of loot of the imperialist powers, exploitation of workers by industrialists, unemployment, landlordism, communal rule and divide policies, casteism, suppression of dissent etc. The history of the past was interwoven with the autocracy prevailing today.
A meticulous or painstaking political campaign was undertaken in preparation for the meetings, covering 40 villages. The Leaders and spokesman declared how the present BJP rulers took economic lot to an unprecedented scale, giving virtually monopoly to the corporates to exercise their power. The simply pathetic situation of the peasantry as well as other exploited sections was highlighted, in context of the farm bills .Illustrations were narrated of how privatisation created tremors in spheres of education, health, electricity, transport and employment. Vividly they described how farmers were enslaved by the enforcement of paying interest on bank loans. Oppression of women was also addressed.
At Adani Cello Dagru (Moga), Adani Solar Power Plant Sardargarh (Bathinda) and Toll Plaza Kalajhar (Sangrur), thousands of women and youth assembled., in the manner of a great army storming in. Contract workers of all sections, raw teachers / lecturers, permanent teachers, pensioners, unemployed, Anganwadi workers, Asha workers, Magnrega workers, rural field workers, electricity workers, water supply workers and other struggling People also joined in the support. Spokespersons addressing the gatherings also supported the public distribution system in addition to cancellation of black agriculture law, electricity bill 2020 laws to guarantee all essential commodities at cheaper rates to all needy people and empire multinational companies in the country. They alleged that the country’s rulers only replaced a British Empire company under the veil of independence celebrations, many indigenous foreign empire multinational companies have been condemned of looting both hands through new agricultural laws and labour code amendments, pension scheme amendments etc.. Rampant new economic reform policies have sharpened the economic robbery of labourers, farmers and other labourers so much that they are forced to commit suicides in millions under the threat of loans, woodwork loans, inflation and unemployment. Their lands are going to the bankers and landlords. Instead of eliminating the loans of these farmers and labourers, government treasury is being looted to fill the coffers of more treasures of indigenous foreign corporate households like Adani Ambani. All public facilities including education, health, electricity, water, transportation through privatization contract system are being snatched from the common farmers, labourers and poor people. Besides caste and communalism, bullying and drug trade has penetrated unprecedented depth, through Manuism.Dalit women are further humiliated today.. The democratic rights of those who raise the voice are being crushed to dust.
. Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Senior Vice President Jhanda Singh Jethuke, Secretary Hardeep Singh Tallewal, Vice President Janak Singh Bhutal, Jagtar Singh Kalajhar, Harinder Kaur Bindu, Paramjit Kaur Pitho, Gurpreet Kaur Bras, Saroj Dayalpura, Kuldeep Kaur Kusa, the President Secretary and other leaders of the concerned districts addressed the meetings.. They demanded nationalization of all businesses of indigenous foreign strike corporations for promoting practical freedom for farmers labourers; on bringing our country out of the clutches of world trade organization, international currency fund and world bank imperial institutions to privatize, trade, reform policies Filling vacancies in all economic social sectors immediately permanent; Implement land reforms in right sense and distribute extra land to farmers by law landed peasantry and landless labourers, Bank loans awarded to all labourers; private Companies should blindly impose cheap bank loans policy for cheap agriculture inputs; all needy unemployed men and women should be given permanent employment according to their intellectual and physical capabilities and before that payable unemployment allowance, farmers are running for labour liberation Emphasis was placed on demands to guarantee democratic rights for the great people’s conflict. Collectively the current countrywide farmer s’ ghol was extended to make it wider and tougher at all levels.
Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist who has travelled around India and written on blogs like ‘Democracy ad Class Struggle’, ‘Ottos War Room’ and ‘Frontier Weekly.’ Mainly written on politics of mass line in Communist Movement, Maoism, peasant struggles but also on blogs on Cricket and films.
Email- thakor.harsh5@gmail.com
