Maharashtra Newsletter
SFI State Conference Concludes with Enthusiasm
Somnath Nirmal / Rohidas Jadhav
THE 19th Maharashtra State Conference of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) was successfully held with great enthusiasm at Nandgaon Khandeshwar in Amravati district in the Vidarbha region from June 2 to 4 under the main slogan “Unite for Education and Employment! Save Democracy in the Education Sector!” The conference saw participation of 184 delegates from 17 districts. 56 of the delegates were girl students.
On the first day, SFI all India secretary Mayukh Biswas in his inaugural speech called upon students to intensify the struggle against the commercialisation of education. The welcome address was delivered by Prof Dr Prashant Vighe, senate member of Bharatiya Mahavidyalaya, who emphasized the need for unity between students and teachers in the fight against the National Education Policy. The delegate session began with state secretary Rohidas Jadhav presenting the report since the last conference two years ago.
On the same evening, a large rally was held, attended by a large number of students and parents. The rally, which started from the conference venue, received a warm welcome at various points in the city. Citizens had placed portraits of great leaders at different locations, and rally participants paid floral tributes to them. The atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm as students raised slogans of struggle and determination.
The rally culminated in an impressive public meeting.
On the second day, delegates discussed the report. 46 delegates from various districts participated in the 270-minute discussion, critically analysing educational issues, student life, organisational challenges, and socio-political conditions. The conference adopted 24 resolutions addressing the issues of privatisation, commercialisaation, unemployment, social justice, challenges of the National Education Policy, the struggle to save Marathi medium schools, and shrinking opportunities in higher and professional education.
Yashwant Zade of CITU, Mahadev Garpawar of AIKS, Vinod Govindwar of AIAWU, Durga Kakde of AIDWA, and Mohan Jadhav of DYFI extended their greetings of solidarity.
Rohidas Jadhav responded to the discussion. The report and resolutions were approved, and a new 45-member state committee was unanimously elected. Rohidas Jadhav was elected as state president, and Somnath Nirmal as state secretary, along with 13 other office-bearers.
Cultural programmes were organised over two nights, showcasing talents in music, drama, dance, and poetry. The success of the conference owed much to the hard work of the SFI Amravati district committee, the Reception Committee, and all fraternal organisations.
AIKS Holds Statewide Land Rights Convention
Umesh Deshmukh
THE Statewide Land Rights Convention organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) Maharashtra unit last month at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) gave a clarion call to hold large mass actions on June 2 in the state on burning land-related issues like the vesting of lakhs of acres of forest, temple trust, inaam, pasture and other lands in the names of the tillers, and an end to the indiscriminate, arbitrary, and unjust land acquisition by the BJP-led central and state governments for unnecessary highways and other elitist projects.
The Land Rights Convention was held in the hall named after former AIKS National President Krantisinh Nana Patil, who was also the legendary leader of the historic Satara Parallel Government against British rule from 1943-46. Sambhajinagar is the capital of the Marathwada region and is situated almost in the geographical centre of Maharashtra. The hall was jam-packed with over 500 delegates from 18 districts, including several women.
The flag-hoisting was followed by floral tributes to martyrs, and condolence to the innocent Indians killed by terrorists in Pahalgam, and during the later shelling by Pakistan at the border.
The Convention was inaugurated by AIKS national general secretary Vijoo Krishnan, who placed in detail the AIKS national perspective on the land question. Lauding the legacy of the glorious anti-feudal struggles led by the AIKS in the 1940s, he attacked the land grab conspiracy of the government-corporate nexus which must be resisted at all costs.
The main resolution of the convention was placed by AIKS state general secretary Ajit Nawale and it was seconded by AIKS state president Umesh Deshmukh. It dealt with the main land-related issues and demands in Maharashtra. Copies were given to all the delegates.
Maharashtra has had a long and glorious history of land struggles, beginning with the famed AIKS-led Warli Adivasi Revolt in Thane-Palghar district of 1945-47, the iconic AIKS Kisan Long March from Nashik to Mumbai of 2018, and many other struggles before and after that.
14 delegates from the state spoke on various land issues, recounting their rich experience of struggles. The young two-term MLA of the CPI(M) from Dahanu (ST) in Palghar district, Vinod Nikole, promised to raise his voice in the Assembly in support of all land struggles.
The concluding speech was by AIKS national president Ashok Dhawale, who gave a brief analysis of the crucial struggle on the land question. He called for intensifying the struggle of poor peasants and agricultural workers manifold for their land rights against the rural rich, and also against the domestic and foreign corporate lobby, which represented the new landlordism in India today. He also attacked the disastrous anti-farmer and anti-people trade deals that were being discussed and inked by the Modi regime with the UK, EU, and USA.
A new 72-page Marathi booklet with the documents and speeches at the AIKS Statewide Women Farmers Convention held at Nashik recently was released by the women delegates.
The state council congratulated the AIKS unit in Sambhajinagar for made excellent arrangements for this convention.
As per the call of the Land Rights Convention, on June 2 around 15,000 peasants in 16 districts of Maharashtra came out on the streets, organised demonstrations on various land-related issues at several district and tehsil headquarters, submitted memoranda to the concerned authorities, and at several places held fruitful discussions with the administration. In some places, local issues were resolved. Over 10,150 people held large protests in 7 tehsils of Thane-Palghar districts, followed by 1,350 from Nandurbar district, and 550 from Nanded district.
