Punjab meet on Bhagat Singh: 'Insufficient' presence of Dalit farm, industry workers

By Harsh Thakor*
On March 22 the youth of Punjab at a conference, staged by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU)-Ugrahan and the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union (PKMU) at the grain market in Sunam, tried to resurrect the spirit of Bhagat Singh and his comrades. It was staged in the hometown of martyr Udham Singh, whose name glimmers in the annals of India's anti-colonial history.
While speakers raised variously raised their voice against the manner in which the economic “loot” of the Indian people was perpetrated insisting privatisation was patronising illiteracy and unemployment was fleecing students, and voices against the damage caused by the Khalistani ideology, noticeably, there was insufficient mobilizations of the Dalit agricultural labourers at the meet. There was a also sparse participation by industrial workers.
Speakers marginally touched upon Hindutva fascism and caste oppression, as also how neo-colonialism is devising new methods to penetrate in India. Also, the Naujawan Bharat Sabha and the Punjab Students Union (Shaheed Randhawa) were not the main participants, and slogans were raised only from the banner of BKU (Ugrahan) and not PKMU.
The proceedings of the conference started after all the youth took the pledge, standing before the portraits of the martyrs, with youth leader Gurpreet Kaur Brass reading the oath: “We declare that the Basanti convoys of youth will stay persistent in the struggles of farmers and toiling people against the attack of corporates and its allies. We will uphold the anti-imperialist and anti-fundamentalist traditions of our martyrs, we will stay like a wall against every deception..."
Youth leader Jagtar Singh Kalajhad said in his address that the sacrifice, programme and path of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his comrades is a source of inspiration for the youth today. He added, even after the 74 years of transfer of power, the people of our country are suffering from the blind-exploitation of imperialism and its local allies like feudal lords and capitalists.
He said, the Modi government brought the farmer laws to enhance this exploitation which will push the youth in more deep crisis, who already facing adversities of unemployment and humiliation. These laws are aimed to snatch the lands of the farmers which will further increase the farmer suicides.

Farm labour leader Kala Singh Khunan Khurd said, the farm laws were meant to strengthen control of corporate houses on the food system of the country, which will become a tool to push the labourers in the jaws of hunger, who are already facing dearth of food and grains. He added, the laws will laso lead to to surrender of the Panchyati and Saamlat lands, on which farm labourers and Dalits have legal right, to the corporates.
Youth leader Ajaypal Singh Ghudda announced to besiege the dry-port of Adani, situated at Kila Raipur, from March 27 to 31. Sukhjit Singh Kothaguru and Ashwani Ghudda of the Naujwan Bharat Sabha and Husyiar Singh Salemgarh from PSU ( Shaheed Randhawa) said the government attack on the agriculture sector was meant to help the ruling politicians’ corporate masters.
BKU (Ugrahan) state general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, expressing his satisfaction of youth participation at the gathering, said, there is no contradiction between youth and farmer leaders in the ongoing farmer struggle, and the youth are an important faction of this struggle. He added, some forces are falsely trying to label the farmer struggle as a religious struggle confined only to one religion.
Following the conference, a contingent from Suman marched to Tikri Border in Delhi to join the protesting farmers under the leadership of the United Kisan Morcha and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) in order to participate in a meet to pay tribute to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.
Among others, woman farmer leader Paramjit Kaur Pitho insisted that, in order to advance the thinking of martyrs, women need to be more involved in the farmers’ movement, getting rid of the feudal mentality. She added, even before the current struggle, women farmers had proved they could be a brave squad of the farmers’ movement.
---
*Political commentator, freelance journalist now in Punjab

Comments

Anonymous said…

Bullshit blog. Only agenda is to divide India.

March 29, 2021

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar* Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

A groundbreaking non-violent approach: Maharishi’s invincible defense technology

By MajGen (R) Kulwant Singh, Col (R) SP Bakshi, Col (R) Jitendra Jung Karki, LtCol (R) Gunter Chassé & Dr David Leffler* In today’s turbulent world, achieving lasting peace and ensuring national security are more urgent than ever. Traditional defense methods focus on advanced weapons, military strategies, and tactics, but a groundbreaking approach offers a new non-violent and holistic solution: Maharishi’s Invincible Defense Technology (IDT).

Govt of India asked to work for release of 217 Indian fishermen detained in Pakistan since 2021

By A Representative Members of the fishing communities from Gujarat and Diu, Union Territory, held a press conference in Ahmedabad, urging the Union Government to take proactive measures to secure the release of Indian fishermen currently detained in Pakistan. Presently, 217 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat and Diu, are held in Pakistan’s Malir Jail. Of these, 53 have been incarcerated since 2021 and 130 since 2022.

This book examines dialectics of complex caste and class relationship

By Harsh Thakor* In Caste and Revolution by N. Ravi, the author addresses questions raised by Dalit and Bahujan intellectuals inspired by revolutionary parties. These questions center on caste issues and seek to formulate a profound diagnosis to chart a path toward the annihilation of caste. The book explains how caste-based feudalism and comprador bureaucratic capitalism intertwine to perpetuate the caste system. It asserts that only the path of a New Democratic Revolution can eradicate caste. The book delves into the need for an equal position for oppressed castes in all layers of society to abolish caste discrimination and oppression. It offers an analytical diagnosis, a penetrating navigation, and a detailed account of the dialectics of caste and class across diverse spheres. Annihilation of Caste and the New Democratic Revolution A revolutionary party develops a perspective document on the caste question, integrating its understanding of caste and the program for caste annih...

34 Dalit families in IIT Kanpur without toilets in Open Defecation Free India

By Sandeep Pandey When Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur was set up in 1959, two villages were uprooted. The farmers were given meagre compensation for the standing crop. No compensation was given for the land to build this institute of national importance. Each family was promised a job but what was not told to them was that one would require specialised skills to get a job at IIT. Some members of these families were, of course, absorbed for menial work. Some washerfolk families were also invited from outside to live on campus to take care of the laundry needs of students, staff and faculty members. One of these men was cajoled by IIT authorities then to forego a regular employment at IIT and instead take up clothes washing work.

प्राकृतिक संसाधनों के दोहन करने की प्रतिस्पर्धा: बढ़ रही पर्यावरणीय और सामाजिक चुनौतियां

- राज कुमार सिन्हा प्राकृतिक संसाधनों और कॉमन्स, जैसे सामुदायिक भूमि, वन, चारागाह और जल निकाय स्थानीय समुदायों के लिए महत्वपूर्ण हैं जो इन संसाधनों पर निर्भर हैं और उनके सतत् उपयोग एवं संरक्षण के लिए पीढ़ियों से प्रयासरत हैं। कॉमन्स न केवल हमारी पारिस्थितिकी को संतुलित रखते हैं, बल्कि ग्रामीण आजीविका, जैव विविधता, और जलवायु अनुकूलन के लिए भी महत्वपूर्ण हैं। दुर्भाग्यवश, हर साल इन संसाधनों में 4% की कमी आ रही है, जिससे पर्यावरणीय और सामाजिक चुनौतियां बढ़ रही हैं। इन कॉमन्स के संरक्षण और पुनरुद्धार के लिए दीर्घकालीन योजना पर कार्य करने की आवश्यकता है। जिससे एक बेहतर, समान और टिकाऊ भविष्य का निर्माण हो सके।

Local businessman subjected to physical assault, verbal abuse: Demand for accountability, justice

By Kirity Roy* On October 9, 2024, a disturbing incident of harassment and abuse took place in the Swarupnagar Block of North 24 Parganas district, involving a local businessman, Hasanur Gazi, who was subjected to physical assault, verbal abuse, and religious discrimination by a Border Security Force (BSF) constable. The incident, which occurred at the Hakimpur Checkpost, has raised serious concerns about the safety and dignity of citizens living in border areas, especially those belonging to religious minorities.

બેટ દ્વારકામાં માત્ર મુસ્લિમ ઘરો અને ધાર્મિક સ્થળો પર બુલડોઝર કાર્યવાહી: તાત્કાલિક રોકવાની માંગ

- પ્રતિનિધિ દ્વારા બેટ દ્વારકામાં મુસ્લિમ સમુદાયના ઘરો અને ધાર્મિક સ્થળો પર તંત્ર દ્વારા થયેલી બુલડોઝર કાર્યવાહી સામે સામાજિક આગેવાનો અને નાગરિકોમાં ભારે વિરોધ જોવા મળી રહ્યો છે. સ્થાનિકોમાંથી કેટલાક દ્વારા ગુજરાતના મુખ્યમંત્રીને લેખિતમાં રજૂઆત કરવામાં આવી છે, જેમાં આ કાર્યવાહી તાત્કાલિક રોકવાની માંગ ઉઠાવવામાં આવી છે.

Search This Blog