April 11, 2026, was the 200th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jotirao Phule and April 14, 2026, was the 135th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Hence, April 11 to 17, was observed as Social Justice Week across the state by the CPI(M) in Maharashtra by organising various socio-cultural programmes to take the struggles and thoughts of these radical social reformers against caste and gender oppression to the people from a Marxist perspective.

It may be recalled that this Social Justice Week came on the heels of the large statewide CPI(M) statewide convention and rally at Mahad, District Raigad, on March 19-20, to mark the beginning of the Centenary Years of the historic Chavdar Tank Water Satyagraha and the public burning of the Manusmriti, both under the leadership of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, and with Comrade R B More being the main organiser.     

The week began on April 11, with an online Facebook lecture delivered by former CPI(M) Central Committee member Badal Saroj on “The Stand of the CPI(M) on the Annihilation of Caste” for all the branch secretaries in the state. It was well appreciated. On April 15, Party branches in the state held their meetings on this topic.

The birth anniversaries of Phule and Ambedkar were celebrated in all Party offices on April 11 and April 14 respectively. Various programmes were held in 82 places in 22 districts with a total participation of more than 7,000 people. These programmes included salutations to these progressive individuals, revolutionary songs, lectures, seminars, and so on. 

Performances of “Buddham Sharanam Gachchami”, an effective play in Hindi on the life and work of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, staged and directed by the Cultural Group of Andhra Pradesh, were organised with CPI(M) initiative in Ahilyanagar, Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nanded districts. This play received a good response everywhere.

On April 14, in Solapur, a lecture was delivered by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Dr Ashok Dhawale, on “The Legacy of Phule-Ambedkar and Contemporary Challenges in the Social, Economic and Political Spheres”. The programme was presided over by senior Party leader and former MLA Narasayya Adam. State Secretariat member M H Shaikh made the introduction, while District Secretary Yusuf Shaikh Major welcomed over 500 workers who attended the lecture, with a significant presence of women. On this occasion, the district cultural group 'Praja Natya Mandal' presented revolutionary songs. Before this, an attractive bike rally was taken out of over 300 youth to garland the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar.   

A novel Shiv-Phule-Shahu-Ambedkar lecture series was organized at Akole in Ahilyanagar district from April 11 to 14, with the initiative of the Party and its State Secretary Dr Ajit Nawale. Various lectures included one by renowned journalist P Sainath on “The Agricultural Crisis and Challenges faced by Farmers”; another by well-known poet Dr Swapnil Choudhary on “Let’s Understand the Riots”; and one by Shamsunder Maharaj Sonnar on “Varkari Sampraday, its Idea of Equality, and Maharashtra Today”. On the last day, the Hindi play on Ambedkar cited above was staged. Citizens responded widely to the lecture series and also to the book stall of progressive literature. This lecture series helped to promote the message of social and economic equality.

In Mumbai, a film on Dr Babsaheb Ambedkar directed by Dr Jabbar Patel was screened in Chembur's Adarsh Vidyalaya, run under Party leadership. Over 450 students watched it. At the gate of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, in the presence of 200 contract workers, a programme of scientific experiments followed by music and dinner was conducted under the guidance of Dr Vivek Monteiro. A meeting of contract workers was held at Marol. A rally of 250 people was held at Nalasopara. The AIDWA in Mumbai organized a study class of 60 main activists on various social issues. In Navi Mumbai, two lectures were organized on the US-Israeli War on Iran and its Impact on India, and on Phule-Ambedkar's concept of social justice.

In Nashik, Dr S K Rege and Dr D L Karad delivered a lecture on “Impact of the US-Israel War on Iran on India” on April 13. A programme was held to salute Phule and Ambedkar in all the 12 junior colleges and schools run by the Party in the Adivasi areas of Nashik district.

In Thane-Palghar district, Phule-Ambedkar’s images were saluted in 10 district and tehsil Party offices, and also in nine rural colleges, junior colleges, schools and hostels run by the Party.

In Nagpur, on April 14, the Party held a rally, and two days later, a seminar against slavery was jointly organized with 300 people present. In Pune, over 300 people participated in four different programmes. In Nandurbar, a public meeting of 400 people was held.

April 11 also marked the completion of 90 years of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). As per the AIKS call, flag hoisting programmes were held in several villages in the state, in which the glorious history of the AIKS was recalled, current challenges before the peasantry and the country were highlighted, and the life and work of Phule and Ambedkar was hailed.