THE city of Guwahati witnessed a massive convention against Land Acquisition Ordinance, on June 19. The spacious auditorium of the District Library was packed up to its capacity and many of the participants had to take their seats on the floor. More than a thousand delegates attended the convention which was inaugurated by Hannan Mollah, general secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha. The convention was organised under the banner of Bhumi Adhikar Sangram Samannay Samiti, a joint platform of state units of AIKS, CITU, SFI, DYFI, AIDWA, Janajati Adhikar Mancha and Joint Council of Trade Unions, Assam and Mahanagar Unnayan Samiti, Guwahati. In his inaugural address, Hannan Mollah explained in detail the crisis through which the agriculture and the peasantry are at present passing through. He blamed the neo-liberal economic policies pursued since early 1990s by the successive Congress and BJP led governments and more aggressively by the present Modi regime for this deepening crisis in agriculture. He said that more than three lakh peasants committed suicide in the last one and a half decade. This itself epitomises the crisis faced by the agriculture and the peasantry. He lambasted the Modi government for its insensitivity towards the conditions of the peasantry. While the government refused to increase the MSP of agricultural produce as was promised by the BJP in its election manifesto and failed to seriously address the challenges the agriculture and the peasantry have been facing, it has been trying hard to push down their throat the Land Acquisition Bill, 2015 which is in the interests of the big corporate houses, both indigenous and foreign. Explaining the draconian and anti-peasant provisions of the Bill, Hannan Mollah said that the peasantry of this country would be denied their rightful property. He called for united struggles to resist this anti-peasant piece of legislation and for an alternative policy framework that can ameliorate the conditions of the peasantry and take the nation forward. He called upon the peasants not to commit suicide but to rise in rebellion against the anti-peasant and anti-people policies of the government. He also declared that the peasant organisations would lend full support to the all India general strike on September 2 called jointly by all the central trade unions and federations. He pointed out that the unity of the working class and peasantry would be the bulwark against all anti-people and anti-democratic policies of the present government as well as against the communal and divisive forces this government has been fostering.

Tiken Das, secretary of Assam state Kisan Sabha and one of the convenors of the Bhumi Adhikar Sangram Samannaya Samiti placed the main resolution before the convention. The resolution, inter alia, demanded immediate withdrawal of the Land Acquisition Bill, 2015 and chalked out a programme of statewide campaign and agitation including mass-signature drives, demonstrations, rallies etc in the month of July and August. The resolution also criticised the anti-peasant policies pursued by the Congress government in the state, in denying pattas to the peasantry for the land occupied by them for years together.

Several speakers including Hemen Das, veteran leader of the peasant movement in Assam, Deben Bhattacharjee general secretary of CITU, Assam, Bapu Boro(JAM), Satanjib Das joint convenor of JCTU, Assam, Ritu Rj Das, SFI state secretary, Nayan Bhuyan, DYFI state secretary, Biren Sarma, secretary of Mahanagar Unayan Samiti, Guwahati and Niyati Barman (AIDWA) addressed the convention which adopted the resolution unanimously.

The convention adopted two resolutions demanding continuation of status of special category state to Assam, and release of the leaders of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti. By another resolution the convention lent its all-out support to the nationwide general strike on September 2 called jointly by all the trade unions and pledged to make the strike a total success in the state.

A presidium consisting of Fozlur Rahman (AIKS), Asit Dutta (CITU), P Boro (JAM), N Nath (SFI), L Adhikari (DYFI), MR Das (JCTU-Assam), S Biswas (AIDWA), Biren Sarma (MUS-Guwahati) conducted the proceedings of the convention.

      The convention culminated in a massive rally that passed through the main thoroughfares of Guwahati and converged before the deputy commissioner’s office.