Massive dharna against proposed exorbitant power tariff hike

Patna, February 24:

Recently the Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Limited proposed the enhancement of about 85 percent in power tariff. The Mahangi Bijali Virodhi Sangharsha Manch (A platform of struggle against costly electricity) comprising of 14 left, democratic and progressive parties/organizations registered its protest against the proposed hike and organized a huge dharna at Bhagat Singh Chowk, Gandhi Maidan on Monday. It is noteworthy that in 2012 this platform fought against the proposal of 50 percent hike in power tariff and due to the pressure of the movement government could not hike as it desired.  

Members of presidium sitting on dias 

Addressing the huge dharna Arun Kumar Singh, Senior State Committee Member, SUCI (Communist) said, “The proposal of about 85 percent increase in power tariff by Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Limited is out and out unjustified and anti-people. This excessive hike would not only increase the burden on the common people but push them in suffocating situation already pressed hard by sky rocketing price hike and costly power. In course of following the anti people Electricity Act-2003 in the state the present JD(U) and previous JD(U)-BJP alliance government led by Mr. Nitish Kumar adopted the policy of enhancing power tariffs.” Dealing with the role of bourgeois governments claiming themselves public welfare governments he said that the governments had turned even the electricity as the means of earning profit in the present phase of globalization, privatization and liberalization. He demanded not only to rollback the proposed hike but also to reduce 20 per cent exiting tariff. 

A portion of the gathering

Among others who spoke on the occasion were Chakradhar Prasad Singh of CPI, Sarandhar Paswan of CPI (M), Raja Babu of MCPI (U), Arvind Sinha of CPI (ML), C. A. Priyadarshi of Jan Mukti Sangharsha Vahini, Ajay Kumar Sinha of Sarwahara Jama Morcha, Wakil Thakur of All India Forward Bloc, Nripendra Krishna Mahato of Janawadi  Forward Bloc, Bal Govind Singh of Akhil Hind Forward Bloc (Krantikari), Sanjay Sriwastav of Samajwadi Jana Parishad, Dhirendra Bharati of Bihar Transport Federation (Auto Union), Ram Nandan Prasad of Asangathit Kshetra Kamgar Union, Satish of CCI, Jay Prakash of Shram Mukti Sangathan and Rupesh of Lok Parishad. Economist Prof. Nawak Kishore Chaudhary,  Satya Narayan Madan and Vijay Bahadur Singh also addressed the dharna. All the speakers demanded to repeal the Electricity Act-2003 and provide electricity for all. At the outset Nand Kishore Singh, Convener of Mahangi Bijali Virodhi Sangharsha Manch outlined the importance of the movement and proposed the names of presidium. 

The dharna was presided over by 7 member presidium comprising of Shiv Shankar of SUCI (Communist), Gaznafar Nawab of CPI, Ganesh Shankar Singh of CPI (M), P. S. Pal of MCPI (U), Nagendra Prasad of CPI (ML), Ramdas Prasad of Janawadi Forward Bloc and Bal Govind Singh of Akhil Hind Forward Bloc  (Krantikari). In his presidential address Shiv Shankar, State Secretary, SUCI (Communist) called upon all the progressive and democratic minded people to come forward and build up a powerful resistance movement to compel the government to rollback the proposed tariff hike.

People's Issues were Raised by SUCI (C) in its Massive Rally

Patna:

Prices of essential commodities, including food items are going up every day. The traders, black marketeers and illegal hoarders are looting common people by enhancing the prices of commodities at their whims, while the state and central government are allowing them to do so.  The people of the state are suffering from the problem of drought and flood. Even they are not getting sufficient relief. Parroting development and good governance the state government is introducing the same anti people policies of the Congress led UPA government in Centre. The electricity has been privatized and its tariffs have been enhanced excessively. Build up by the hard earned money of common people the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation has been handed over to private owners under the name of Public Private Partnership. The fares of buses and autos have been increased excessively. The education and health is in such a condition that these can only be availed if one has sufficient money.

The children from the families of toiling and poor people are not getting education. The health services are out of the reach of the common people. The recruitments in government departments are closed, posts are being removed. It is being done on contract basis. Holding taxes in cities and towns are increased by two times. But there are no civic amenities. The incidents of rape, murder, sexual harassment and atrocities on women are on increase. Youths are migrating in other states in search of job, but they are not able to even lead a life with dignity. As a whole the common people are compelled to live in a suffocating condition.

In such a horrifying situation all the parliamentary parties in the state including Congress, BJP, JD(U) and RJD are badly involved in the game of electoral alliances and different kinds of equations to grab political power leaving behind the issues of common people. But the SUCI (Communist), the only genuine revolutionary party of the toiling people of India is trying its best to build up mass movements on the burning issues of people’s life. In the continuation of building up mass movements in the state the SUCI (Communist) organized a huge demonstration here in Patna on 30^th September 2013 before Chief Minister against sky rocketing price hike; unemployment; rising crimes on women; privatization of education, health, power and transport and for providing sufficient relief to the drought and flood victims and for its permanent solution. The well decorated and large procession of farmers, agricultural labourers, students, youths and women coming from different districts was taken out from Gandhi Maidan. The participants were shouting thunderous slogans against anti people policies of the government and demanded its rollback. On the one hand the anguish of the participants against the anti people policies and the government was clearly experienced and the people standing on the road side were watching the huge procession with deep hope and admiration on the other. Some were seen commenting like- the procession is really on people’s issue. The procession conversed in a big rally at R block after police blocked the procession to march ahead.

Addressing the mammoth gathering at R Block Arun Kumar Singh, senior member, SUCI (Communist) Bihar State Committee said that the people’s problems were not solved through election and through changing the government. He stressed the need to straighten mass movements involving the people of all sections. Presiding over the mass meeting Shiv Shankar, Secretary, SUCI (Communist) Bihar State Committee said that capitalism was unable to solve all the burning problems of day to day life in our society. “Capitalism cannot advance society further”, he asserted and appealed the common people to build up militant mass movements conducive to the anti capitalist socialist revolution. Among others who addressed the meeting were Sadhana Mishra, Arjun Kumar, Lalbabu Mahato, Pramod Kumar, Krishnadeo Sah, Lalit Kumar Ghosh and Uma Shankar Verma, all members, SUCI (Communist) Bihar State Committee. Later a five member delegation submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister.       

AIDSO Protest march in Patna

Patna, July 25:  

All India Democratic Students’ Organisation Patna District Committee took out a protest march from Patna College to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk on Thursday on its All India Protest Day. The Organisation raised the issues of the deaths of 23 children consuming midday meal at Saran, fee hike, privatisation and commercialization of education, security of girl students, private university bill, semester system and reintroduction of pass-fail system. Students were shouting thunderous slogans against anti education policies of central and state governments. A protest meeting was held at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk, which was addressed among others Anil Kumar, secretary, AIDSO, Bihar State Committee, Saroj Kumar Suman, Secretary, AIDSO, Patna District Committee, Nikolai Sharma, Rajeev Kumar Sharma, Pushpa and Sumanlata Maurya. Later a memorandum of seven point charter of demands addressed to the union Human Resource Development Minister was sent through the governor by fax.

Protest of Worst Midday Meal tragedy in Bihar

Patna, July 17:

27 children died and many others got seriously ill after eating their midday meal at Dharmsati Primary School under Mashrak bloc in Saran District. SUCI (Communist) Bihar State Committee termed the incident country’s worst midday meal tragedy. Shiv Shankar, Sercretary, SUCI (Communist) Bihar State Committee, said in a press statement that the deaths due to consuming poisonous midday meal was the outcome of utter negligence of the state government. He demanded high level impartial judicial inquiry of the incident so that the culprits could be brought out in public and stern punishment could be meted out against them. “The deaths could have been avoided if the local Primary Health Centre and even the Sadar Hospital were equipped and have sufficient doctors and staffs,” he added. He demanded Rupees 10 lacks compensation to parents of each victims and proper treatment of ill children at government expense.

SUCI (Communist) Bihar State Committee called All Bihar protest day on 17^th July the next day of the tragedy. Under the auspices of Patna District Committee of the party a protest meeting was held amid thunderous slogans against the State Government and effigy of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was burnt at Patna Junction roundabout. Sadhana Mishra, Member, Bihar State Committee cum Secretary, SUCI (Communist), Patna District Committee, M K Pathak, Suryakar Jitendra and Rajkumar Chaudhary, all Members, Bihar State Committee, SUCI (Communist) addressed the meeting.

On All Bihar protest day, party workers and supporters took out a protest demonstration at Muzaffarpur which traversing the main thoroughfares of the city reached Kalyani Chowk, where a protest meeting was held. Among others the meeting was addressed by Arjun Kumar, Member, Bihar State Committee cum Secretary, SUCI (Communist), Muzaffarpur District Committee and Lalbabu Mahato, Member, Bihar State Committee, SUCI (Communist).

In Munger protest demonstration and meeting was held at Jamalpur. Amid thunderous slogans against State Government protest meeting was held at Jubilee Well. Among others it was addressed by Pramod Kumar, Member, Bihar State Committee cum Secretary, SUCI (Communist), Munger District Committee and Jyoti Kumar, Secretary, SUCI (Communist), Jamalpur Local Committee.

Protest demonstrations were also held at Darbhanga, Jehanabad and Kurtha in Arwal district. 

Discussion on “Present Economic-Social-Political Crisis and the Role of Progressive Forces” organised

Patna, July 7:

Under the auspices of SUCI (Communist) Patna District Committee a discussion was organized at Indian Medical Association Hall here on Sunday. The topic of discussion was: Present Economic-Social-Political Crisis and the Role of Progressive Forces. Amitabh Chatterjee, Member, Editorial Board, Ganadabi (a Bengali Weekly) and Member, SUCI (Communist), West Bengal State Committee said as main speaker that the whole world was crying for change. The whole economic system was reeling under acute recession. The capitalist economic-social system had reached in its decadent phase resulting unprecedented crisis of human values, ethics and morality. 

 

Amitabh Chatterjee speaking

“Only a handful of people are getting rich while most are becoming ruined. The vast masses of the country have been deceiving in the name of development since independence. Lacks of farmers have been forced to commit suicide. Innumerable factories are closed resulting retrenchment of lacks of workers and employees. Common people are suffering from the  unbearable pain of price hike,” he said dealing the economic condition of the country. Dealing the present political crisis, Mr. Chatterjee said, “All the parliamentary parties like Congress, BJP, JD (U), RJD are sub serving the interest of capitalist class. Once the students and youths considered the political leaders as their role model, they dreamt to be like them, but now no one is interested to follow their characters. Almost all the leaders of national and state parties are corrupt from top to bottom. They are engaged in different scams and unscrupulous activities.”

Prof. Devendra Prasad speaking

Speaking on Bihar, he said, “In the name of good governance and social justice the Nitish Government is following the same anti people policies of privatization, commercialization and PPP as the Congress led UPA Government is following at Centre and the erstwhile RJD Government followed in the state. The atrocities on women and crime are on increase. The Government is not only making its frantic efforts to privatize the field of education, health, public transport and Municipal Corporations but suppressing the mass movements of different section of people erupting everywhere in the state. ”

Showing deep concern over the increasing incidents of rape, murder, abduction and suicide he said that the capitalist social system based on earning maximum profit was breeding all these. The indifferent attitudes of students and youths towards society, degradation in social and human values, lack of sense of social responsibility and not last but least the growing disrespect to elders are all derived from the present exploitative system.

 

A section of gathering

 Discussing on the role of progressive forces in such a condition he said that we should all make our best efforts to build up mass movements on different democratic legitimate demands of people. In course of building up mass movements on the burning issues of people’s lives broader unity may be forged comprising different left, democratic and progressive forces. He suggested forming public committees at every level of the movement, which would lead the movement to its final victory. At last he urged the people assembled to be a part of the ongoing struggle for replacing this capitalist society, the root of all evils manifesting here and there by a class less socialist society.

Prof. Devendra Prasad, retd. Professor of Patna University presided over the discussion. Prof. Nawal Kishore Chaudhary, Renowned Economist; Bal Govind Singh, R N Jha and Sadhana Mishra, Secretary, SUCI (Communist) Patna District Committee took part in discussion. Arun Kumar Singh, Senior Member, SUCI (Communist) Bihar State Committee was also present on dais. Many intellectuals were present in the programme.