The 30th state conference of the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers’ Union – the state unit of the All India Agricultural Workers’ Union (AIAWU) -- began on May 11 in Amalapuram, Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district, with a massive rally followed by a public meeting. Thousands of agricultural workers from across the state participated in the rally, marching through busy streets of Amalapuram Town carrying red flags and raising slogans. The rally began at Edarapalli Bridge and proceeded through the main streets to Ghadiyara Stambham (Clock Tower) Centre. Red flags and banners lined the entire route, turning the town into a sea of red.

Leading the procession were AIAWU general secretary B Venkat, president A Vijayaraghavan, assistant secretary Vikram Singh, former MLC Venkateswarlu, state president K Lokanatham, state secretary V Venkateswarlu, and other leaders. A special attraction of the rally was the “Red Saree Volunteers,” who marched carrying 30 red flags, symbolising the 30th conference.

The rally concluded with a massive public meeting at Clock Tower Centre, where thousands of workers gathered.

LAND DISTRIBUTION AND EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE MUST BE IMPLEMENTED

Addressing the public meeting, speakers emphasised that genuine national development is possible only through land distribution. They stated that agricultural production would increase and prices of essential commodities could be controlled only when land is distributed to the poor. Venkat said that governments elected by the votes of the poor are readily handing over lakhs of acres to corporate interests, but hesitate to distribute land to the landless poor. He said that even today 70 to 100 per cent of poor families, particularly Dalits, remain landless, and even lands previously assigned to them are being encroached upon.

Referring to election promises, he said the government led by N Chandrababu Naidu had promised to provide two acres of land to every landless poor family, but no concrete action has been taken so far. He warned that if land is not distributed to the poor, the movement itself would take up the responsibility of distributing it. He also criticised the governments for failing to generate employment for the educated youth and for privatising public sector enterprises. He demanded implementation of reservations in the private sector and restoration of the original provisions of the employment guarantee law. He alleged that both the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and the state government are displacing the poor from their lands.

A NEW INDIA CAN BE BUILT ONLY THROUGH STRUGGLE

Inaugurating the conference, Vikram Singh said that a new India can be built only through united struggles of working people. He said the country is currently under the influence of communal and corporate forces, and the legally won Employment Guarantee Act has been systematically weakened. He alleged that repeated meetings between state ministers and central ministers are not intended for the welfare of the poor, but to facilitate the plunder of land, forests, minerals, and natural resources by corporates.

He said farmer and agricultural worker suicides have increased due to anti-people policies pursued by both central and state governments. Citing official figures, he said 10,456 farmers died by suicide last year, including nearly 5,000 agricultural workers, and that an average of 17 agricultural workers are ending their lives every day. He criticised the central government for burdening common people while extending concessions to large corporate houses. He also accused the government of weakening labour laws, undermining Parliament, misusing investigative agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate against opposition leaders, and creating divisions among people in the name of religion. He called for broad-based united struggles on economic and social issues to defeat anti-people policies.

TRIBUTE TO MARTYRS

Senior union leader Ketha Suryarao hoisted the union flag, formally inaugurating the conference. Leaders paid floral tributes to portraits of departed movement leaders, including Sitaram Yechury and Sunita Chopra.

Leaders of various mass organisations who greeted the conference stressed that only united struggles can solve the problems faced by workers, peasants, and the rural poor.

Welcoming the delegates, reception committee chairman and former MLC I Venkateswararao expressed concern over the conversion of fertile agricultural lands for oil and gas extraction in the Krishna-Godavari Basin, and demanded that the state receive a fair share of its natural resources.

V Srinivasa Rao, vice president of the Andhra Pradesh Tenants' Farmers' Association, called upon all agricultural workers to unite and fight for social justice. He addressed the gathering at the concluding session of the state conference. He urged members to launch struggles over the next three years to further strengthen the union and ensure the implementation of the resolutions adopted at the conference. He alleged that both the central and state governments are working solely for the benefit of corporate forces, handing over the nation’s wealth to industrial tycoons such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani.

He called upon the people to resist the conspiracies and repressive policies of the ruling classes and corporate forces, and to launch movements in support of the poor and the marginalised. He alleged that the Narendra Modi-led central government and the government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh are indiscriminately handing over thousands of acres of land to corporate entities. He stressed the need to fight for the restoration and effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. He pointed out that while the prime minister has recently been preaching austerity, hundreds of crores of rupees are being spent on official tours. Expressing concern over attempts to incite religious fanaticism in the state, he urged everyone to unitedly resist such forces and work in accordance with the decisions taken at the three-day conference.

The conference unanimously elected D Ramadevi as president, K Lokanadham as general secretary and K Anjaneyulu as treasurer.

Speaking on the occasion, newly elected president D Ramadevi and general secretary K Lokanatham called upon members to draw inspiration from the conference and transform every village into a center of struggle. They urged members to mobilise all employment guarantee workers and intensify struggles for the revival of the Employment Guarantee Act.

They also called for a dharna at panchayat offices on the 20^TH of this month. It was pointed out that the number of workdays available under the employment guarantee scheme has been declining due to the implementation of the facial-recognition attendance system. A call was also given to fight for house sites for the poor, burial grounds for Dalits, and the resolution of various other social issues.

Reception committee chairman I Venkateswara Rao and state union leader Karem Venkateswara Rao said that, with the cooperation of all concerned, the grand conference was successfully organised in Amalapuram, a region known as a cradle of social movements.

LET US MOVE FORWARD UNITEDLY FOR LAND, LIVELIHOOD, AND DIGNITY

Leaders of various organisations declared their commitment to move forward unitedly in the struggle for social justice, land rights, livelihood security, and human dignity. They conveyed messages of solidarity at the 30th state conference.

KVPS state general secretary Andra Malyadri emphasised the urgent need for united struggles to address the issues faced by agricultural workers, Dalits, Bahujans, and farmers. He observed that the lives of agricultural workers — who create the nation’s wealth — remain extremely difficult. He noted that the number of workdays under the Employment Guarantee Scheme has declined, wages have stagnated, and agricultural worker families are sinking deeper into debt amid rising prices. He pointed out that caste-based discrimination and social ostracism against Dalit agricultural workers continue to persist in rural areas.

CITU state general secretary A V Nageswara Rao said that the working class is facing serious attacks through the implementation of the new labour codes. He affirmed that the Centre of Indian Trade Unions would extend full support to all struggles undertaken by the agricultural workers’ union.

AP Rythu Sangham state general secretary Prabhakar Reddy stated that farmers, tenant farmers, and agricultural workers are losing their livelihoods due to the anti-people policies of the governments. He called upon agricultural workers, farmers, and tenant farmers to build united struggles in the days ahead.

R Venkatramulu, state general secretary of the Telangana Agricultural Workers’ Union, said that this conference would serve as a catalyst for intensifying future struggles. He alleged that governments are deceiving agricultural workers under the guise of implementing welfare schemes.