THE 154-day Mahajana Padayatra, undertaken by the CPI(M) in Telangana, culminated with a massive struggle convention for social justice in Hyderabad on March 19. It covered a distance of about 4,200 kilometres and visited more than 1,500 villages in all districts of the state. It gave a spirited call for larger unity of the Left, democratic and secular forces to continue to fight for social justice and against the twin dangers of neo-liberalism and communalism.

The convention at Saroornagar outdoor stadium was attended by various sections of the people hailing from different parts of the state and went on for nearly seven hours till 10 pm on March 19.  Earlier, the concluding rally from Sundarayya Vignana Kendram at Baghlingampally was flagged off and participated by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, along with Tammineni Veerabhadram, the secretary  of the state committee of the Party who led the Mahajana Padayatra. The concluding rally covered a distance of more than 10 kilometres, passing through major thoroughfares of the city, and took nearly three hours to reach the venue of the struggle convention. All through the route, people in large numbers enthusiastically welcomed the leaders, showered petals of flowers and burst firecrackers. Slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Laal Salam’ rent the air and Red and Blue flags fluttered all through the route that wore a festive look.

Addressing the convention, Yechury reiterated the Party’s commitment to the fight for social justice and called for united struggles on social problems and economic issues. With the mingling of ‘Laal Salam’ and ‘Jai Bhim’, we should go ahead with the slogan of Inquilab Zindabad given by the revolutionary Bhagat Singh, he said. Yechury expressed confidence that the unity of Laal and Neel flags would emerge as an invincible force in the country. Recollecting the legacy of the heroic struggle of Telangana peasants in the late forties, which had brought the agenda of land reforms to the fore in the country, he said that the Mahajana Padayatra had set in motion a new political trend for social justice and comprehensive development. He asked Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been indulging in the hollow talk of a Golden Telangana and failing to fulfill the promises he had given to the people, as to how he would develop the state without changing his policies. Reminding that during the period of Mahajana Padayatra, Veerabhadram had written letters to the chief minister on different social, economic and local problems, Yechury gave a piece of advice to Chandrasekhar Rao to go through the same and endeavour to solve the problems of the people. He asked the Left parties and various social organisations to come together to put pressure on the government to move in the direction of rendering social justice and comprehensive development of the state.

Yechury expressed serious concern about the rising atrocities on dalits and minorities, communal incitement and intolerance to expression of divergent views under the BJP government, as has been evident from the numerous incidents that had taken place in the country, and explained the way in which it has been giving a go-by to various schemes intended for the dalits, minorities and other sections of the people. He took strong exception to making Yogi Adityanath, with a notorious record for inciting communal hatred and outbursts against the Muslims, dalits and other downtrodden people, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He said that it was a clear signal that the BJP and the RSS were hatching a conspiracy for transforming the secular country into Hindu Rashtra and forcing the dalits, minorities, backward classes and other downtrodden people to accept the dominance of upper castes.

In his address, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan dwelt at length on a number of issues, ranging from social justice to the adverse consequences of the anti-people and pro-corporate policies of the governments at the Centre and in Telangana, failure of demonetisation to achieve the proclaimed objectives, the dangers to social fabric, communal harmony, scientific temper, rationalism, democracy and federal structure emanating from the communal and undemocratic onslaughts of the RSS-BJP and the way forward for fighting the twin dangers of neo-liberalism and communalism. He reiterated that social justice can be achieved only through economic, social, cultural and political equality. A radical change in the government’s policies is required to achieve this, as envisaged in the alternative manifesto released by the CPI(M).

The state of Telangana came into existence riding on the movements that challenged the socio, political and economic exclusion of this region while it was a part of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Even the formation of a separate state of Telangana did not help in achieving the objectives of social justice. Only certain political leaders, who amassed wealth disproportionate to their sources of income, were the beneficiaries. The Telangana government is implementing the same policies of globalisation and liberalisation, which have widened the development gap between various sections of people as well as regions, across the country, he explained. Instead of pursuing alternative policies, they are branding those who ask for inclusive development policies and put forth alternative development agenda, like the CPI(M), as anti-Telangana, Vijayan said.

Coming down heavily on the saffron terror and explaining a number instances and anti-people and pro-corporate policy approaches of the BJP government, Vijayan said that by making Yogi Adityanath the chief minister of our largest state, the message the BJP sends to the nation is that they will continue to try to capture power by resorting to communal riots. Adityanath has always been the symbol of communal violence, riots, intolerance and hatred; it was he who had triggered off a venomous communal campaign to bring the Ayodhya issue back to the top of the BJP agenda.

Vijayan underlined that it is imperative to burst the myth that the BJP and the Sangh Parivar are undefeatable.  In Goa and Manipur, the BJP used undemocratic means and governors were made puppets in the hands of the central government to call the BJP to form the government in both the states, despite clearly being the losers. In Punjab, the BJP came fourth, winning only 3 seats. Against 42.3 per cent of votes it had won in 2014 in Uttar Pradesh, it has won only 39.7 per cent of the votes in the recent elections to the Assembly. Even in the entire country, in 2014 general elections, the BJP got only 31 per cent of the votes. It means that close to 70 per cent of the entire voters of the country do not agree with the politics of the BJP. Therefore, it is more than clear that in the fight against communalism, the people of India will win, provided they stay together, Vijayan explained. The Congress did not even stake claim to form government in both Goa and Manipur, despite coming first in these states. Even historically there are plenty of instances where the Congress has been soft on communalism. We have to be vigilant against such forces that pander to the right wing.

Tammineni Veerabhadram made it clear that the struggles of Laal and Neel flags would not stop till social justice and comprehensive development are achieved in Telangana. Efforts would be made to achieve wider unity of the Left and after discussing with caste associations, intellectuals, mass organisations and various parties, a plan of direct action on the problems of the people would be prepared, he announced. Under the KCR rule, the living conditions of the people continued to be as they were before the formation of separate Telangana state and the aspirations of the people failed to materialise, he said.  He warned KCR that if his rule continued like that, Telangana would be ruined. Without development of SCs, STs, BCs, MBCs and minorities who constituted 93 per cent of the population of the state, how comprehensive development is possible? he asked.

Chada Venkat Reddy, secretary of Telangana state council of the CPI, criticised the undemocratic approach of KCR in giving a call to the people to obstruct Mahajana Padayatra. Coordinator of Mahajana Padayatra B Venkat, who presided over the convention, announced that if the government does not respond to the demands that came to the fore on the basis of the padayatra and bring about appropriate enactments in the Assembly, struggles would be waged with a clear cut approach in the coming days. K Madhava Rao, former chief secretary in the government of the undivided Andhra Pradesh, said that the struggle convention proved that social justice was possible with the CPI(M). CPI(M) MLA Sunnam Rajayya said the Party has been in the forefront in fighting against injustice and promised to question the government in the Assembly on various issues of the people. Prof. Kancha Ilaiah said the slogan of ‘Jai Bhim Land’ should be taken to the people as an alternative to the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. Eminent educationist Chukka Ramaiah released a book comprising the letters written to the chief minister by Veerabhadram during the period of Mahajana Padayatra. The convention was also attended by many political leaders, social workers, artistes and cultural activists.