The meeting of the CPI(M) Maharashtra state committee held on June 27-28, 2015, chalked out the programme of the Party’s August campaign highlighting agrarian distress and directed against the anti-people, pro-corporate, corrupt and communal policies of the Modi-led BJP regime and the BJP-SS regime in the state. It also planned for the success of the September 2 all India Strike. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and central secretariat member Nilotpal Basu attended the meeting. The five main decisions taken were as follows: 1. A statewide (except Vidarbha region) Party rally in the state capital Mumbai on August 1, to be addressed by Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury, MP. 2. A Vidarbha-level Party rally in the state’s second capital Nagpur on August 12, to be addressed by Party PBM and AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah, ex-MP. The Vidarbha region has topped the country in peasant suicides during the last few years. 3. Rallies, demonstrations and dharnas at the district and tehsil centres by the Party on local issues from August 2-14, so as to take the campaign to the lower levels. 4. Publication by the Party state committee of a booklet exposing the anti-people, pro-corporate, communal and corrupt policies of the Modi-led BJP regime, of posters for both the above main rallies and distribution of thousands of leaflets by each district committee. 5. Concerted joint campaign from August 16 to September 1 by the trade unions and all other mass organisations for the success of the September 2 all India strike. Working class strike and massive joint workers rallies in the cities and rasta roko actions by peasants and agricultural workers in the countryside on September 2. RALLIES AND LOCAL ACTIONS A 10,000-strong CPI(M) rally was held on August 1 in Mumbai, and it marched over 7 km for two hours from Byculla to Azad Maidan. Earlier in the morning, a detailed memorandum of demands was submitted by a 16-member delegation led by Sitaram Yechury to Ch Vidyasagar Rao, governor of Maharashtra, and a one hour long discussion was held. The impressive public meeting was addressed by Sitaram Yechury and by central secretariat member Dr Ashok Dhawale, Central Committee members Narasayya Adam (state secretary), Mahendra Singh and Sudha Sundararaman, state secretariat members J P Gavit MLA, Mariam Dhawale, M H Shaikh and Nathu Salve, and state committee members Arjun Adey, Shubha Shamim, Dr Ajit Nawale and Shailendra Kamble. The staunch anti-communal social activist Teesta Setalvad also participated and addressed the rally. Sitaram Yechury addressed a media meet. Both the rally and the media meet got good coverage. A 4,000-strong CPI(M) rally was held on August 12 in Nagpur, and it marched over 3 km for an hour from Bal Bhavan to Samvidhan Chowk. All the Vidarbha districts where the Party has worked, made good efforts to mobilise the people. A memorandum was submitted to the chief minister’s office. The large public meeting was addressed by Hannan Mollah, Dr Ashok Dhawale, state secretariat members Manohar Muley, Udayan Sharma and Mariam Dhawale, state committee members Yashwant Zade, Dada Raipure, Shankar Danav, Ramesh Dahiwade and Nagpur district secretary Amrut Meshram. Despite heavy rains, good local actions – rallies, dharnas, conventions, public meetings – took place from August 2-14 in several districts which mobilised a total of 50,000 people. The largest mobilisation of 20,000 people took place in Thane-Palghar district where rallies were held in seven tehsils of Talasari (5000), Dahanu (6000), Bhiwandi (5000), Wada (2000), Jawhar (1000), Vikramgad (600) and Shahapur (500). Except in Bhiwandi where the rally was of powerloom workers, all other actions were of adivasi peasants. Similarly in Nashik district over 10,000 people took part in rallies in Peth (3000), Dindori (2000), Chandwad (2000), Nashik (1500), Igatpuri (1000) and Surgana (500) tehsils. Except in Nashik and Igatpuri where the rallies were of workers, the other actions were of adivasi peasants. In Chandrapur a 3000-strong anganwadi workers rally was held on Independence Day. In Nanded district good public meetings were held in Kinwat, Mahur, Mukhed, Bhokar and Nanded tehsils which mobilised over 3000 people. In Mumbai, local rallies mobilised around 3000 people in Marol, Malad and Bhandup. In Parbhani district a day-long district-wide action of 1000 peasants and agricultural workers was held at the district centre. In Solapur a 2000-strong rally of powerloom workers took place. In Amravati district, three rallies were held in Amravati, Tivasa and Nandgaon Khandeshwar which together mobilised around 800 people. Jalgaon district saw a rally of 700. In Beed district a 600-strong rally was held in Ambajogai. In Jalna district over 500 participated in actions at Partur and Ghansavangi. In Pune two conventions were held in the rural tehsils of Junnar and Ambegaon that mobilised over 500. In Raigad district a convention of over 400 peasants on a burning local land issue was held at Uran. A similar convention on the temple land issue was held in Sangli with 200 peasants. Dharnas and public meetings were held in Yavatmal, Wardha, Ahmednagar, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Buldana, Nagpur, Nandurbar and Satara districts with good participation. The CPI(M) state committee published 40,000 copies of a 32-page booklet castigating all aspects of One Year of the Modi Regime written by Dr Ashok Dhawale. Priced at five rupees, the booklet is being enthusiastically sold throughout the state. The Party state committee also published 15,000 attractive printed posters for the Mumbai and Nagpur rallies and the September 2 hartal. Every Party district committee printed thousands of leaflets and handbills ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 each. The CITU state committee published 18,000 copies of Tapan Sen’s booklet on the reactionary changes in labour laws and 25,000 copies of Hemalata’s booklet on the attacks on unorganised and scheme workers. Priced at five rupees each, both these booklets are also being well sold state-wide. The CITU state committee has also printed posters of the September 2 strike. PREPARATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2 STRIKE The CITU extended state committee meeting was held in Mumbai and it was attended by CITU general secretary Tapan Sen. A joint state-level trade union convention was also held in Mumbai with Tapan Sen attending. In all trade union centres, joint meetings have been held for the success of the strike. All other mass fronts are also gearing up for making the rural rasta roko actions a success. All Party district committee meetings have been held to plan the success of the strike. Lakhs of leaflets have been brought out across Maharashtra to propagate the strike. At the initiative of the CPI(M), all Left and secular political parties in Maharashtra were brought together and they held a joint meeting and press conference in Mumbai on August 25 to announce their joint participation to make the September 2 strike a success. They are the CPI(M), CPI, PWP, BRP (Ambedkar), JD(S), JD(U), Lal Nishan Party, Lal Nishan Party (Leninist), Satyashodhak Communist Party, CPI(ML)-Liberation, SUCI(C) and others.