THE Supreme Court had severely indicted the Bihar government and the state administration in the sexual exploitation of minor girls in Muzaffarpur shelter home case and recent death of more than 200 children due to acute encephalitis syndrome.

The situation in the state has further worsened due to devastating floods inundating the entire north Bihar. The people require immediate help but government has totally failed in its responsibility, though the NDRF and SDRF have earned respect of flood victims owing to their commendable work in flood relief. People in the flooded areas are helping each other to survive and now have started raising their voice for relief and rehabilitation.

INTERVENTION OF CPI(M)

Awadhesh Kumar, state secretary of the Party, Lalan Chaudhary and Rampari visited flood affected districts of Madhubani, Sitamarhi leading separate delegations.

SFI and BSSR(Bihar State Sales Representatives) union arranged camps to provide medicines and other essential treys to the flood victims. Party mobilised the flood victims and demonstrations were staged before Bisfi and Jainagar block headquarters for immediate relief.

Local party unit in Sitamarhi mobilised the flood victims and gheraoed the block office for hour’s together, large number of women also took part in this action.

Similar reports have come from East Champaran and Saharsa where Ramashray Singh and Vinod Kumar, secretariat members, led the movements in the two districts. Demonstrations were staged in three block headquarters of the two districts. On the one hand the north Bihar is reeling under the devastating flood, south Bihar in faced with deficient rain, causing delay in paddy plantation. Ground water level has fallen, causing sever water crisis, which was unheard of in earlier days in Bihar.

The large-scale destruction of water bodies, tanks, and other traditional ways of conserving water has caused immense harm to the poor and marginalised sections, who have been forced to either buy water or drink filthy or contaminated water in their daily lives. Lack of water has rendered the much talked about toilets useless. Land mafias aided and abetted by the ruling parties are playing havoc with urban and rural eco-systems by encroaching upon the public lands, ponds, water bodies etc.

The situation is so alarming that if the government does not take remedial measures, the situation will go out of hand. Already, the selling of filtered water has become a thriving business is every district of Bihar.

The Party has demanded that Rs 6,000 rupees announced by the government for the flood victims should also be paid to the drought victims of southern districts. The Party has severely criticised the state government for replacing the relief code with paying Rs 6,000 to the flood victims. Earlier people used to get one quintal grain along with money to buy essentials, temporary camps to stay, medicines, milk for the children etc. But the government has washed off its hands by paying 6,000 rupees which has yet to reach the victims.

DETERIORATING LAW& ORDER SITUATION

The law and order situation has deteriorated in the state which was admitted by the chief minister while making a statement in the assembly.

The custodial murder of dalit-JDU leader sparked outrage in Nalanda district. Local Party unit,  led by Janardan, district secretary intervened along with the common people of the area and forced the administration to take action and lodge FIR against the police officer and his colleagues. The Party demanded a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family member of the slain leader. This intervention has earned respect of the dalits towards the CPI(M) in the region.

In West Champaran, a dalit-youth Lahbar was beaten to death by police in Pipra village. A CPI(M) team led by Prabhuraj Naraya Rao visited the village and met the victim’s family members. When the villagers protested and blocked the Motihari, Bettiah road, police resorted to lathi charge in which the mother-in-law and father-in-law of the victim along with many villagers suffered serious injuries. The Party has demanded Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family members of the deceased, job for the widow and adequate compensation and free treatment for those who suffered serious injuries.

The most unfortunate incident of mob lynching took place in Saran district where three people, Raju Nut, Videsh Nut and Naushad were lynched in Pithouri village. This incident and intervention of the Party has been reported in these columns earlier.

At least six cases of mob lynching have been reported from different parts of the state involving petty theft cases and cases related to inter-caste love affairs. Gang rapes have become the weapon in the hands of lumpen gangs and they pounce upon the school going girls and working women with impunity. Party has intervened in many such cases in Samastipur, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Patna, Begusarai, Bettiah, Saharsha, Madhepura, Gaya and other districts and forced the administration to act against the rapists.

POLITICAL SITUATION

Though the government has failed miserably on all fronts but barring the CPI(M) and the Left forces, it does not face any challenge from RJD, Congress and RLSP combine. Nitish Kumar is poaching on disgruntled leaders of RJD.  Recently, Ali Ashra Fatmi, RJD leader from Darbhanga joined JD(U). The recent meeting between Nitish Kumar and Siddiqui has fueled further speculations in political circle. After the defeat in parliamentary election, Tejaswi Yadav is in political hibernation, which has resulted in complete disarray in RJD ranks

The Congress is also quiet over issues in Bihar. This situation has created some interesting developments within NDA, particularly between JD(U) and BJP.

It is now absolutely clear that BJP wants to grab Bihar and swallow the JD(U) by stocking communal tension to polarise the masses in its favour. The RSS and its affiliates are continuously raising small issues of conflict behind Hindus and Muslims.

The recent move of Nitish Kumar to criticise Modi govervment on article 370, triple talaq etc., is to woo the Muslims, and thus create a formidable combination of most back ward, dalits and Muslims to either bargain with BJP or chart a different path in the coming assembly election.

Meanwhile, the Party state committee met on September 5 and 6 and decided to consolidate and expand the organisations in the state. The Party will undertake programme of educating the entire rand and file ideologically. Party has decided to unleash local level mass and class struggles to reach out to the marginalised masses in the neo-liberal era. The Party has decided to demonstrate before the sub-divisional headquarters on September 19-20 on the local issues affecting the common people.

The CPI(M) has decided to field its candidates from Darbhanga MLC seats from teachers and graduate constituencies. Party has also decided to fight the by-election of Nathnagar assembly constituency and will seek the support of other Left parties.