The Ekta Rally – Unity Rally – on 9 September organised on the occasion of the merger of two prominent left parties in Jharkhand, CPIML Liberation and Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC), was concluded with a resolve to defeat BJP in the forthcoming elections in Jharkhand. Thus begane a new chapter of the Left movement in the state. The rally, held in Golf Grounds in Dhanbad, was attended by tens of thousands of people from across the state, making the city coloured red with flags and banners. The rally ground was decorated with flags, banners and huge portraits of martyrs and historic leaders like Tilka Manjhi, Siddhu-Kanhu, Phulo-Jhano, Birsa Munda and many others. Portraits of AK Roy, Vinod Mishra, Gurudas Chatterjee and Mahendra Singh reminded of the five decades old fighting legacy of these two parties. Participants pledged to oust BJP to protect the Jal-Jangal-Zameen and indigenous people and toiling masses in the state. Amidst shouting of slogans of ‘Oust BJP, Stop Plunder’ thousands of women and men pledged to save their livelihoods and rights from the Modi government's ongoing handover of state resources to corporates like Adani.
The Unity Rally was attended by most of the central leaders of both parties. Comrade Anand Mahto, President of MCC, delivered the inaugural speech. Janardan Prasad and Arup Chatterjee conducted the proceedings. CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed the rally as the main speaker.
Comrade Dipankar along with leaders of two parties before proceeding to the Dhanbad Golf Ground for Ekta Rally, visited Comrade AK Roy Smriti Bhawan at Nunudih. Comrade Roy had spent the last thirteen years of his life in this Mazdoor Colony. Some of his books and other personal belongings, including his wheelchair are preserved in this Bhawan. Across the road behind the Bhawan there are statues of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, unveiled by Comrade Roy on 23 March 2017, two years before his death. On a pedestal in the yard of the Bhawan, there is also a bust of martyr Khudiram Bose. His comrades, including those who looked after him in the last days, taking turns to stay up at night by his side, still fondly remember him. The MCC's decision to merge with CPI(ML) is seen as an important step forward towards fulfilment of Comrade Roy's vision of broad communist unity, said comrade Dipankar.
Rally began after paying tributes to martyrs at the Shahid Sthal and one minute silence in their memory. The Martyrs’ Memorial also displayed names of 248 martyrs and departed leaders who dedicated their lives for the cause of Jharkhand. The rally remembered the legacy of all martyrs ranging from Tilka Manjhi, Siddhu-Kanhu, Phulo-Jhano, Birsa and Bhagat Singh to Shaktinath Mahato, Laldhan Mahto, Gangadhar Yadav, Gurudas Chatterjee, Manindra Nath Mandal, Mahendra Singh and many others. The rally also remembered comrades Vinod Mishra, Ramnaresh Ram, AK Roy, Ibnul Hasan Basru, Jayant Ganguly, Dilip Mandal, Babudhan Kisku, Khudiram Munda, Nepal Ravani, Tabbu, Urmila Devi, Paro Devi and thousands of other revolutionaries, supporters and common people who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for a equitable, egalitarian and democratic society.
Comrades Swadesh Bhattacharya, PBM CPIML, Mithilesh Singh, MCC, Haldhar Mahto, Bablu Mahto, Kunal, members of Parliament Raja Ram Singh and Sudama Prasad, Jharkhand MLA Vinod Singh, Bihar MLAs Satyadev Ram, Sandip Saurav, Virendra Gupta, Arun Singh and Gopal Ravidas, AIPWA general secretary Mina Tiwary, Scheme workers' leader Shashi Yadav, and many central committee members of both parties were present on the Rally dais. Rally was presided over by comrade Anand Mahto, President MCC.
The rally was also addressed by comrades Nitai Mahto, Kartik Hadi, Brinda Paswan, Dilip Tiwari, Anandmayi Pal, Agam Ram, Usman Ansari, Sandip Jaiswal, Rajkumar Yadav, Badal Bauri, Hariprasad Pappu, RD Manjhi and Gita Mandal besides leaders on the dais.
The rally passed a resolution terming this merger a historic occasion which will strengthen the fight against corporate fascism and is also a step towards fulfilling the dream of comrades AK Roy and Vinod Mishra for a communist unification. This merger will strengthen the democratic forces, resist ongoing attacks on Jharkhandiyat and also give a boost to the movement against privatisation.
The rally called upon to intensify movement against attacks on women. The government is accountable for the safety of women at the workplace, home, on roads, in markets, in trains and buses and everywhere.
The rally pledged to fulfil the dream of martyred and departed comrades. Rally also pledged to follow the examples of comrades AK Roy, Ramnaresh Ram and Gurudas Chatterjee who established ideal standards for elected people’s representatives in their personal lives as well as in politics.
The rally resolved to intensify the struggle against coal sector privatisation, to struggle for regularisation and wage increase of ASHA, Aanganwadi, Sahiya workers in the state, and to fight for the App based workers’ higher wages and their service and social security benefits.
Speakers in the rally said that for most of the years BJP has ruled the state since its inception. This party has a history of continuous betrayal of the aspirations of Jharkhandis. The centre’s Modi government is plundering the state's natural resources and human capital by handing over Jal-Jangal-Zameen and minerals to corporates. It has given contracts of electricity production and coal mining to Adani. Adani has continuously been blessed with concessions and freebees in various forms. Modi has even given permission to use Ganga water in Adani project and his just one thermal power plant unit is provided SEZ status. Many villages in Hazaribagh are being displaced for Adani’s coal block. BJP’s so called double engin government is perpetrating double loot by curtailing CNT-SPT Act, by diluting provisions of 5th Schedule, and by attacking Forest Rights Act. There are 591 villages facing imminent displacements. The government is not resolving issues like domicile policy, employment policy for local people, rehabilitation for displaced people, and land title to their ancestral lands. The government is also not willing to conduct a caste census. The Modi government is attacking federalism by not giving proper royalties to Jharkhand’s mineral resources, by increased corporate intervention, by bringing in anti-Adivasi policies and increasing discrimination. Rally called upon all democratic forces to unite against a divisive central government to fight for the Jharkhandi aspirations.
Welcoming the merger of two parties, Pragatishil Buddhijivi Manch, Dhanbad termed it a historical moment for this coal-belt region which certainly will give an edge to the struggles of workers, peasants, women, students and youth in the state. Many advocates from Dhanbad city attended the rally and joined CPIML. They were welcomed on the dais and handed over the red flags. Many victims of Sahara Chitfund Scheme also came to the rally with their banners. The party expressed solidarity with them and promised to carry forward their struggle for the refund of their hard-earned money.
The rally resolved to unite anti-fascist democratic forces in the state to intensify an united struggle against fascism.
