THE Left unity got a big phillip in Bihar when CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and CPI leader Atul Anjan shared dais with CPI(ML) General Secretary Deepankar Bhattacharya in Patna in a ‘Jan Sunwai’ (People’s Court) organised by the CPI(ML) to launch a book exposing the myth of the so-called development of Bihar which is a stinging indictment of the BJP-JD(U) combine who shared power for almost a decade in Bihar. Now they have parted company and the BJP has started a vicious campaign and is trying to appropriate all the good work and blame the present dispensation for all the shortcomings and failures. Coming together of Left raises a big hope for the oppressed and poor who constitute 80% of the population of the state who are yearning for the real changes. Prakash Karat said the survey carried out by the CPI(ML) has helped in not only exposing the successive bourgeois-landlord ruling parties but also in bringing to the fore the real issues faced by the peasants and the working class of Bihar. The recent spurt of violence against women and mahadalits reminds us about the reign of feudal forces still prevalent in the vast hinterland of Bihar. With Modi at the helm, they feel emboldened and are bent upon restoring their dominance on the society. Prakash Karat lambasted the last government led by Nitish Kumar for succumbing to the pressure of feudal forces and throwing the D Bandopadhyaya committee recommendations regarding land reforms into the dustbin. He endorsed the 15 point charter listed in the released book for the future course of joint action to be launched by the Left forces in Bihar. CPI national leader Atul Kumar Anjan while appreciating the CPI(ML) for carrying out the survey and bringing out the real face of Bihar, reminded the audience about the grave challenges posed by the authoritarian forces who have captured power at the centre through false promises and deceit. He cautioned against the creeping authoritarianism and hoped that the Left and democratic forces will take the rampaging communal bull by its horns. CPI(ML) General Secretary Deepankar Bhattacharya while placing the report before the People’s Court narrated in detail about the survey and praised the cadres and leaders who carried out this onerous task and interacted with more than two lakh families spread over length and breadth of Bihar. Land reform, development of agriculture sector, acquisition of farm land, employment and social security, homelessness, food for all, education for all, health for all, healthy and clean environment, freedom from usury, electricity for all, public transport and pitched roads, equal opportunity and dignity for all, justice for all, participation in development process, on all such counts the government is in the dock. It has failed to provide basic necessities to the vast sections of the working masses. Yet it pats its back by showing its so-called GDP growth as 10 to 13 percent per year. The worst performance regarding implementation of MGNREGA, Indira Awaas Yojana, PDS and other such pro-poor schemes speaks loudly about the all-pervasive corruption at the behest of politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus who siphon off the money meant for the poor and oppressed sections of the society. He raised his voice against the misuse of TADA against Left-workers and also for restoring Amir Das Commission to investigate the working of Ranvir Sena, a feudal armed outfit which was responsible for a number of massacres of the oppressed sections of the society during the 1990s. Many of the present day BJP stalwarts were hand-in-glove with Ranvir Sena supremo Brahmeshwar Singh. One of the recently inducted minister in Modi cabinet, Giriraj Singh from Bihar had even praised Brahmeshwar as Gandhi of Bihar. Three-hour long People’s Assembly is a big move towards unifying the Left forces in Bihar for unleashing a united movement, taking up issues that agitate the minds of the common people. Besides CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML), representatives of RSP, SUCI(C) also participated in the Assembly. Though it is just the beginning on the long road that lies ahead, the Left forces are making efforts to work unitedly on issues confronting the people. The CPI(M) has consistently fought for the realisation of Left unity and has doggedly pursued this line which has now started bearing fruit. The ruling classes are one in pursuing the neo-liberal policies and hence must be fought by the united Left. It is only the Left which is capable of fighting the communal platform of BJP ideologically, politically and in the streets by mobilising the common people for preserving peace and the idea of India that reverberated through the entire period of anti-imperialist struggle. The BJP and the RSS were no where on the scene and were one with Muslim League on the issue of the two-nation theory. Bihar has contributed in a big way during the anti-imperialist movement right from 1857 to 1942 and after. It also provided the platform to Mahatma Gandhi to launch peasant movement from Champaran. In 30s, Bihar saw the militant peasant movement under the leadership of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati. It was in Bihar where movement against authoritarian regime of Congress rule was launched in 1974 led by Jai Prakash Narayan. The Left forces are the true inheritors of the militant legacies of peasant and democratic movement and hence capable of taking on present day challenges. Before attending the People’s Assembly, Prakash Karat addressed the press conference organised at CPI(M) state headquarters. Though it got wide coverage in Hindi and English newspapers and also telecast on different electronic channels, some distortions were deliberately made. Prakash Karat in his response to the coming together of erstwhile Janata Parivar, welcomed the move, as according to him it will strengthen the opposition. “We shall cooperate with them, on the floor of the House, on common issues” he said. He however clarified that the Left will not have any political alliance with these forces unless and until they clarify their stand on different political issues that confront the country today. He stressed the need to strengthen Left forces and unleash a nationwide movement against the neo-liberal policies pursued by Modi regime. He particularly made a reference to the recent move of Modi government to dilute the provisions of MGNREGA scheme, reforming labour laws in favour of employers, relaxing norms for land acquisition etc. He informed the press that CP[I(M) Polit Bureau member and chief minister of Tripura, Manik Sarkar will lead the national level dharna against moves by the BJP government to dilute MGNREGA. The dharna will be held at Jantar Mantar followed by state level dharnas at state capitals on November 26.