Protest dharnas were held in all thirteen blocks of the Patna Rural district on 12 January 2010 against the forcible eviction by the BJP-JD(U) protected feudal forces. The evicted people demanded immediate rehabilitation, and a district-level protest will now be held on 27 January in Patna. The protests were organised for rehabilitation of 307 displaced families from 7 villages in Patna Rural district, who have been displaced for years thanks to feudal terror and oppression. These people have been forced to live a life of deprivation, deprived of dignity. Till now 57 of them have died of poverty, starvation and lack of medical care.

There are more than a thousand such displaced families who are living in appalling conditions. Few of them tried to reoccupy their land, thinking that they might be protected by the law under Nitish's rule. Their dreams were however shattered - many poor families have been framed under various false cases, those who have looted their property are roaming free. The police have never attempted to enforce the law and rehabilitate the displaced.

While the Nitish government has been trying to pose itself as the savior of the maha-dalits and backward castes, the composition of these displaced families exposes the reality of Nitish’s claims. Out of these 307 families, 235 families are from Mushar caste, 19 from Ravidas, 2 from Pasi, 3 from Paswan, 13 from Tanti, 31 from Kahar, 3 from Sao and one family from the Kushwaha caste. Feudal forces from the Kurmi caste, associated with JD(U), have displaced 94 families in three villages. Bhumihar feudal elements backed by the BJP have displaced 203 families in three villages, and Congress-backed Rajputs have displaced 10 families in one village.

Let us try to understand the sorry plight of these displaced families:

Village Lahsuna, in Masaurhi, is known not only for the oppressive feudal forces of the Kurmi caste, but also for the resistance put up by the poor against feudal oppression. Many poor families were evicted in December 2004 for a second time. They all are from Manjhi and Mushar castes. Their hamlet consisted of 70 houses out of which 60 were built under the Indira Aawas Yojana, and remaining ten were thatched. The roofs and walls of all pukka houses were demolished by the feudal goons. Wooden windows and doors with taken away. Even chickens, goats and cattle were looted. Those who resisted were brutally beaten up, and women were abused. The names of all the evicted poor in this village are still enrolled in the BPL list and subsidised food-grains coming in their names are now being collected by the Mukhiya.

The displaced families of Lahsuna village are now taking shelter in other villages of Patna district, including Bansdih (Masaurhi), Ghorhua (Masaurhi), Nuhichak (Punpun), Chanduara (Punpun), Behrawan Chakia (Punpun), Niyamatpur (Bihta), Chhitrauli (Bihta) and Bhojpur district’s Koelwar. They have to face insults and taunts like ‘Bhagal- Bhagerua’ (run-away renegades) on a routine basis. These displaced people have to live a nomadic life. Families have split and its members have been forced to live separately. Nearly 20 people have died during displacement.

Like Lahsuna, Bhumihar feudal forces associated with the BJP have displaced 110 families of Mushar caste in Mauri village in September. Their houses were broken, and the bricks collected from their houses were used by the upper castes for building their own houses. Even the iron rods from demolished roofs were used. Hand-pumps, doors and windows were taken away. After Nitish came to power, the displaced people of Mauri went back to their village in the hope of reoccupying their lands under new regime. They however had to return in the face of heavy firing by the feudal forces. Not just this, police arrested Shrigovind Manjhi and Indal Manjhi on 11 December from Karpi, Arwal district in false cases. Those displaced from Mauri have now taken shelter in nearly 40 villages of Patna, Jahanabad, Arwal and Gaya. 24 people have died during displacement.

Bela and Terari, Naubatpur: In August in 2000, Bhumihar feudal forces close to the BJP attacked these two villages in order to maintain their dominance. Now 67 families with nearly 250 dependent members have taken shelter in more than two dozen villages and are struggling to eke out an existence. Nearly a dozen poor people have died due to hardships of displacement. Many of them come from Kahar caste, which is a most-backward-caste community.

Kandap, Sampatchak: The poor here were displaced in 1998 on the day of the Lok Sabha elections as a punishment for exercising their voting rights. This poor hamlet had to face the ire of the feudal forces. The leader of these poor people Comrade Chandbardai of CPI(ML) was murdered along with three other people. 10 Mushar families remain displaced even today. The perpetrators are Rajput feudal lords associated with the Congress. Now the poor have resolved to take back their own lands and return to their village. A dharna was organised at Sampatchak block headquarters on 12 January to raise this demand.

Gopalpur and Lodipur, Maner. Two dozen poor families were made destitute by the Bhumi Sena of Kurmi feudals in these two villages long back in 1984 when Bihar was ruled by the Congress govt. Even after Laloo Yadav's long rule of 'social justice' in Bihar and Nitish’s government's promises of 'justice' and 'development', these families remain displaced. Now these people, seeing CPI(ML)’s increased initiatives in the area and the movement for rehabilitation of the displaced in Patna district, want to go back to their own lands and villages. There are 13 most backward Tanti families among those displaced.

These facts are based on investigations and now the Party is trying to establish contacts with other displaced families after surveying several villages. But the feudal forces’ morale is high under the Nitish govt.’s protection, and they are trying to intimidate the displaced poor by creating various hurdles. When a team of CPI(ML) led by MLA Nand Kumar Nanda and Gopal Ravidas visited the area, many displaced people now living in Bansdih have reported intimidation by feudal forces of Lahsuna. In spite of all this the displaced poor are now determined to get their lands back.

The CPI(ML) has demanded following from the Nitish Govt. :

1. The displaced families of Lahsuna, Mauri, Bela, Terari, Ladipur – Gopalpur, Kandap villages should be rehabilitated immediately. Three months of food grains and kerosene should be provided to them immediately and a minimum of Rs. 10,000 should be given to reconstruct their houses. All families should be given grants under the Indira Aawas Yojana.

2. Hand pumps should be installed in all hamlets.

3. All poor should be included in the BPL list, and be given ration cards.

4. School/ Anganwadi centre should be opened in all villages.

5. Rs. Five lakh should be given to the families of those who have died due to displacement

6. The lands of the poor should be reclaimed from illegal occupation by feudal goons.

7. The false cases slapped on the displaced poor, including those of Mauri village, should be withdrawn and Shrigovind Manjhi and Indal Manjhi of Mauri village should be released from jail.

8. All feudal elements and criminals involved in evictions and displacements should be arrested immediately.

LNP(L) observes 1st death anniversary of Comrade Madhukar Katre

The 1st death anniversary of Com. Madhukar Katre, the president of Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) and founder leader of cooperative sugar factory workers was very purposefully observed at Ahmednagar on 16th January, 2010.

On that occasion, the gate of the Shramik Bhavan was named after comrades Madhukar Katre by Comrades Arindam Sen and Rajaram Singh. The meeting held on the occasion in the Shramik Bhavan Compound was attended by over 700 people, who included Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) activists, sugar workers and workers from various industries and services, as also friends and relatives of com. Katre, including Mrs. Saudamini Katre, wife of Late com. Katre and his sons. On the dais were Com. B. R. Bawke, President of Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) and senior party leaders like Com. D. S. Deshpande, Com. B. J. Kerkar, Com. Medha Thatte, Com. Mukta Manohar and others. Com. Subhash Kakuste conducted the meeting on behalf of the President.

After the felicitation of the guests, com. B. R. Bawke in his introductory remarks briefly touched on com. Katre’s illustrious life right from his student days in the cause of working people, and his attempt to solve their problems till his last breath. Com. Bhimrao Bhansod, member of Central Committee of the party traced the life long career of Com. Katre, who apart from being a prominent trade union leader was a great political leader of the masses and also a nice human being, he stressed. Com. Arindam Sen in his brief speech greeted the people on behalf of the Central Committee of CPI (ML) and said that both our parties have emerged in course of internal struggle within the communist movement and that we must unite more closely. Com. Rajaram Singh, convenor of AIKSS the CPI (ML) CC member, said on this occasion; “we must resolve to destroy the exploitative system, which has been playing havoc in the life of the people”. Com. D. S. Deshpande said that the Indian Communists will have to unite and for that they will have to learn to undo the curse of sectarianism, which divided the movement and the masses.

On this occasion two books about Com. Katre, containing articles from various activists and friends and relatives were released and Com. Baba Paygude, a senior leader of the unorganized workers, was felicitated.

Next day, Com. Rajaram Singh addressed a gathering of Lal Nishan Party (L) activists on the present crisis in Indian agriculture. Citing concrete figures, he said that this crisis in agriculture and other policies of the Government of India have led to large scale starvation deaths and if the current policies are continued, a far more terrible scene of mass scale starvation death may occur. So, we must radically oppose the present system. After a lively exchange of views, the following decisions were taken by the meeting:

(a) to attend the forthcoming preparatory meeting of AIKSS for All India Peasant Conferance; and (b) the Maharashtra Rajya Kashtkari Shetkari Sangh would make all-out efforts to build a peasant movement in Maharashtra to oppose the basic policies of Globlization of agriculture.

(Report sent by Com. B. J. Kerkar of LNP (L), slightly abridged)