Report of the meeting between UP CM Sh. Akhilesh Yadav and Bihar CM Sh. Nitish Kumar and independent trade union and the Social movements

Report of the meeting between UP CM Sh. Akhilesh Yadav and Bihar CM Sh. Nitish Kumar and independent trade union and the Social movements

Report of the meeting between UP CM Sh. Akhilesh Yadav and Bihar CM Sh. Nitish Kumar and independent trade union and the Social movements

Meeting with UP CM Sh. Akhilesh Yadav on 14^th April 2014 at CM Residence, 5 Kalidas Marg, Lucknow, UP  

And

Meeting with Bihar CM Sh. Nitish Kumar in Adhoura Distt Kaimur, Bihar on 6^th April 2014

Success of the election strategy by Sangarsh 2014 with slogan “First Give and than take”

Sangarsh 2014 a joint platform of various social movements and independent Trade unions jointly organized a large gathering in New Delhi on 23 and 24^th March 2014 on the occasion of Martyr’s day to draw out the election strategy and fight directly with fascist, communal and capitalist forces. The strategy was to declare to the political parties and the candidates (except BJP) the slogan “First Give and Than Take” in the respective areas and engage into a dialogue with the political parties especially regional parties so that the process of this dialogue continues even after the election. A demand charter was prepared and printed in large numbers, distributed in the struggle areas. The strategy had a successful outcome where two important meetings were held with in last 15 days with Chief Minister of UP and Bihar. Report follows:

102 delegates of AIUFWP from different forest regions of UP, led by com Sanjay Garg working president, met CM UP Sh. Akhilesh Yadav and had a one and half hour dialogue on demand charter focusing key issues of FRA (Forest Rights Act), Withdrawal of false cases filed by forest dept and police in forest area, granting of Community Forest Rights, formation of NTFP (Non Timber Forest Produce) Co-operatives, review of 70000 rejected claims and taking action on negligent doctors of Hindalco Hospital responsible for death of Mithilesh Gond tribal child last year and withdrawal of false cases filed on activists while demanding justice in this matter etc. CM responded positively and committed that the problems in implementing the decisions already taken by his government in 2013 (orders attached in the attachment) will be resolved at the highest administrative level. Ch. Sect will have consultation on these issues with AIUFWP leadership after the election. All concerning departments are already been instructed to take up respective issue. Copy of the memorandum is also attached in the mail. Around 102 delegates from electoral constituencies Robertsganj, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Khiri, Dharaohra, Banda-Chitrakoot, Jhansi-Lalitpur, Saharanpur, Gonda, Baharaich, Pilibhit, Jaunpur, Macchlisahar made this representation at CM residence on 14^th April from 6.30 to 8 PM. The meeting took place in a very solemn atmosphere where CM had one to one talk with the community leadership from different forest regions.

The meeting started at 6.30 PM with a long introductory presentation by Sh. Sanjay Garg on the demand charter. After the introductory words, CM asked the community leaders to speak freely. Representatives from Chitrakoot Matadyal, from Khiri Sh. Ramchander Rana, Nabada Rana, from Sonbhdara Hulsi and from Chandauli Ramvilas Gond spoke. Nabada Rana spoke of the forest department and police atrocity and showed the photographs of attack on her by the forest department in 2012. Hulsi spoke of Japan International JICA Company that is being imposed on the forest people rather than focus on the implementation of the FRA. After this intervention CM addressed the forest people. He said that because of election it is not possible to make any proclamations but the pending orders will be certainly executed after the election. He enquired from women that whether any benefits have been reached to them on ‘vidhya Kanya yogna’ and other beneficiary schemes for poor and women. Women from the forest area said that none of these schemes reach them, due to corrupt officials and feudal nexus they are denied of these benefits.  He promised to organize meeting of Chief Secretary and other concerning departmental heads with forest people after the election to take stalk of all these issues. He took extra time to address the issue of tribal child Mithilesh Gond to look into the matter of the medical negligence on the part of the Hindalco doctors at Renukut in Sonbhadra. Forest People representative Matadyal thanked CM for the meeting by saying that it is after 65 yrs of independence that they had one to one talk with any CM, otherwise they could never dream to meet any CM.

Similarly a very successful meeting also took place in Adhoura, Distt Kaimur, Bihar with CM Mr. Nitish Kumar on the demand charter presented by the AIUFWP, Kaimur Mukti Morcha and Sangarah 2014. The election took place in Sasaram constituency on the 10^th April 2014. As per decision of joint platform of social movements and independent trade union Sangarsh 2014 that took place in 23 and 24^th March 2014, in New Delhi on the occasion of celebrating the Martyr’ Day on cornering the candidates on our demand charter, the pamphlets of these demand charter (attached in the mail) was prepared and distributed in large scale in the Adhoura and Rohtash area of the constituency. The charter appealed all the political parties except BJP to fulfill their demands with the slogan “First give and than take”. The charter was responded by JD (U) candidate Mr. K.P Ramayya, he attended the meeting of atleast 1000 forest people in Adhoura on 2^nd April, 2014. The Union demanded that he sign an affidavit that he will commit to these demands and secondly a meeting to be fixed with CM before the election. He accepted both the demands and assured that he will arrange a meeting with CM. He said that CM Sh. Nitish Kumar will visit Adhoura on 6^th April. The commitment was made and it was for the first time that any Chief Minister visited this forest area after independence. Around ten thousand tribal people were present in the meeting, the gathering first ever in this maoist affected area. The Union representative was invited on the stage and was introduced to CM by candidate Mr. Ramayya. In his speech Mr. Ramayya said that he had talk with  AIUFWP and had a discussion regarding various developmental activities the orders have been taken that will be executed after the election. Union Dy. Sect. Ms. Roma had a ten minute discussion with CM Nitish Kumar regarding the various issues of Kaimur area. He assured that he will come to Kaimur area for two days and look into the developmental issues and other issues relating to tribal and forest people. It is to be mentioned here that the election of 10^th April took place peacefully as not even a single incident of violence took place in the maoist affected area, whereas in other parts of Bihar many incident of violence took place. The process and struggle of widening the democratic space in Kaimur area was initiated by late Dr. Viniyan and after his death the vibrant community leaders of the Kaimur area took this process ahead. The continued strengthening of this democratic process by the AIUFWP in last decade has certainly resulted into positive atmosphere in this area.

To take the process further into a positive direction a collective decision was taken by Sangarsh 2014 to directly intervene in the electoral battle in General Election 2014. It is presumed that it is the political parties that contest election but people watch this process passively and vote passively. In the discussion held in Sangarsh 2014 it was discussed that it is not only political parties that contest election but people of this country too contest election, hence it is important to show the strength at this particular time as it is the time the political parties go to the people and listen to them. This strategy has given tremendous strength to the community people, who are now actively engaging themselves in the political dialogue with the candidates in the area and with the government at the state level. We assume that this process will not end after the election but will continue even after the election. It is important for the people to stay in the electoral battle to push their demands of dignified human living conditions, about their basic human rights, labor rights, protection of women, rights to natural resources, Constitutional rights as enshrined in our Constitution. We believe that in the poor, backward and especially the forest region the main fight is against the neo-liberal regime, capital that is blatantly taking over the natural resources with huge profit margins hence uprooting the local people from their livelihood resources and environment. They are posing a serious threat to the environment against which only the people especially women who are dependent on these natural resources are fighting. It is through organized people unity only that the corporate and imperialist policies could be attacked. This needs to be challenged also in this electoral battle. This intervention in the election will empower politically and will give them lot of energy to carry this fight in a long run.