WEST BENGAL TENS of thousands of people marched through Kolkata streets on December 6, denouncing designs of communal forces. The massive rally, at the call of 17 Left parties, firmly asserted the secular democratic culture of West Bengal. The rally, on the 22nd anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, gained particular importance in the backdrop of heightened activities of the BJP and the RSS in West Bengal. These forces are out to use the opportunity of anarchy and attack on democracy prevailing in the state for the last three and half years. BJP president Amit Shah addressed a much trumpeted meeting in Kolkata recently, and tried to deepen the communal polarisation. Another rally by VHP is due in the last week of this month. As a repercussion, minority fundamentalist forces are also trying to mobilise. In this backdrop, 17 Left parties have called upon the secular, democratic people of the state to come to streets to defend the long cherished legacy of communal unity in the state. The response was huge. The rally started from Mahajati Sadan, a place associated with the memory of Subhash Chandra Bose and marched to reach Rabindra Sadan, the auditorium named after Rabindranath Tagore. Biman Bose, chairman of the Left Front and other senior Left leaders led the rally. It was a stream of humanity, in the entire six kilometre stretch, adorned with red flags. Hundreds of people, waiting at crossings, joined the rally on the way. Slogans were raised against communal forces. The most common refrains were: ‘Beware Modi-Amit Shah, Bengal does not tolerate divisive forces’ and ‘Modi-Bhagwat Halla Bol’. Students and youth formed the largest part of the procession. Workers, large number of minority people including women, intellectuals participated in the rally. Another noteworthy feature of the rally was the participation of those migrant workers from Bengal who suffered in riots in other parts of the country. Those included Abdul Rashid who lost his leg and Sushanta Das who lost one of his eyes in Ayodhya itself in 1992. They were jewellery worker and tailor respectively. Many others fled from Gujarat in 2002 and never returned. In the concluding meeting, Left leaders vowed to continue the ideological-political battle against communal forces and build up class and mass struggle to effectively counter these forces. They castigated the TMC for their indulgence to various forms of fundamentalist elements and allowing space to the BJP in the state. The joint programme of 17 Left parties including CPI(M), CPI, Forward Block, RSP, CPI (ML-Liberation), SUCI (C) is unique in more than three decades in the state. Earlier this year, 16 parties jointly organised anti-imperialism rally on September 1. These parties have decided to carry forward their united actions on peoples’ issues. (From Our Special Correspondent in Kolkata) TRIPURA ON the 22nd anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, programmes were held across Tripura to protest against the attempts by the communal forces to weaken the secular fabric of India. Rallies, mass meetings at the call of the CPI(M) were organised at all the sub division head quarters with thousands of people reaffirming their pledge to resist any assault on the communal harmony by the fundamentalist forces. In Agartala, a rally walked past the city from Rabindra Bhavan to Shakuntala road. Here a mass meeting was addressed by CPI(M) Sadar sub divisional committee secretary Samar Adhya and MLA Ratan Das. The speakers said, during the last six months of Modi government, every other day communal riots are taking place across the country. A church has been burnt down in New Delhi. The language used by a central minister at an election rally in Delhi is proof enough that the Sangh Parivar is desperately trying to sharpen the communal polarisation across the country in order to further the narrow electoral interests of the BJP. In this context, they reminded the barbaric demolition of Babri Masjid and urged the people to reject the communal tactics of the Sangh Parivar to protect the secular and pluralistic character of modern India. Rahul Sinha DELHI THE Delhi state committee of CPI(M) organised dharnas in several parts of the state to protest against the communal tension and violence perpetrated by the RSS-BJP. Dharnas took place at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, Filmistan Chowk, Aazadpur Chowk in North Delhi, S Block Mongolpuri, Maharajpur Ambedkar Chowk, Old Bus Stand and Loni Colony in Ghaziabad and Magistrate's Office in Noida on December 6. State secretariat members Anurag Saxena, K M Tiwari, Asha Sharma and Rampal addressed the gathering. Other members of the state committee namely Nathu Prasad, Bhramjit Singh, J P Shukla, Brajesh Kumar Singh, Sehba Farooqui, Puranchand, Ravindranathan also addressed the dharnas. Other speakers included Neelgagan from the DYFI, Somdutt Sharma and Anil Kumar Chauhan from the AILU and Rajeev Kunwar from the DTF. Rumour mongering has become a means of sowing seeds of suspicion amongst people of different communities in order to provoke violence. This communal agenda poses a serious threat to harmony and national integrity. All the speakers also condemned in strongest terms the RSS-BJP combine's politics of division on communal lines. The Sangh Parivar has over the course of the last year tried to spread communal poison in several parts of Delhi as well as in other parts of the country. Recent statements by the prime minister which reveal an attempt to communalise science and education in the name of Indianness are also of serious concern. Calling Ganesh an example of plastic surgery and Karna as one of test tube babies are once again means of communalising scientific viewpoints. Independent decisions made by the young people are being termed as love jihad to spread poison and hatred. In this context, observing December 6 as the day when the Babri Masjid was brought down and to strengthen the fight against communalism is a historical responsibility. Speakers also stressed the importance of maintaining communal peace so that minority groups and communities do not feel insecure. The dharna ended with vociferous slogans against communalism. SFI COMMEMORATES BABRI MASJID DEMOLITION ANNIVERSARY Subin Dennis WHEN we are forced, deceived and tempted into collective amnesia, memory becomes an act of resistance. Commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, therefore, becomes an occasion to renew our pledge to fight and defeat the communal-fascistic forces which seek to tear apart the secular fabric of our society. The Students’ Federation of India in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi marked the occasion by organising a number of programmes to reaffirm the spirit of secularism. On December 5, 2014, the eve of the Babri Masjid demolition, Dastak - the cultural group associated with SFI - organised a street play, Yeh dil maange more guruji (“This heart demands more, guruji”). Laced with sharp humour, the play brought to light the toxic agenda of the Hindutva communalists to create a Hindu Rashtra where the religious minorities would be second class citizens, and the insidious efforts which are underway – exemplified by engineered acts of communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, Bawana, Trilokpuri and elsewhere in the recent past – in order to further this agenda. The play was followed by a screening of Anand Patwardhan’s Ram Ke Naam (In the name of God), the landmark 1992 film that focusses on the Ramjanmabhoomi movement, which left a trail of blood and hatred with L K Advani’s notorious Rath Yatra, and which led up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid by the Hindutva terrorists. On December 6, SFI along with several other mass organisations joined the dharna called by the CPI(M) at Jantar Mantar against communalism. SFI also hosted SAHMAT’s acclaimed exhibition ‘Hum Sab Ayodhya’ in JNU campus. Created in 1993 by over 40 artists, historians, social scientists and economists, the exhibition explores the complex multi-layered history, culture, mythology and economy of Ayodhya, and demolishes the propaganda of the majoritarian communalists that tries to define Ayodhya through a monolithic identity. The final event for the day was a public meeting where Teesta Setalvad spoke on “Looking back at the Ramjanmabhoomi movement and the Babri Masjid demolition in the current context”. Delineating the need to strengthen our struggle in defence of secularism, she stressed the need to understand the modus operandi of the Sangh Parivar, and the scale of their operation, especially in the spheres of education and the media. The communalisation of education is something that the Sangh has continuously focussed on with the conscious knowledge that it will have a deep impact on society, and now it has sought to take control of the media as well. At a time when there is the complete conjunction of neo-liberal politics and far right socio-religious politics, the media has completely blacked out all news about the protests of the workers against the anti-people policies of the ruling classes. The forces which are responsible for the demolition of the Babri Masjid are now in power, and the need of the hour is for the secular, progressive forces to develop the political understanding and organisational strength to mount an effective challenge to the communal-fascistic forces. As the programmes commemorating one of the darkest days for post-independence India were winding to a close, the message that was ringing out loud and clear was - do not forget, do not forgive; and more importantly, organise to resist the forces which are trying to forge a society in which communalism, patriarchy and casteism will rule the roost unchallenged.