THE two-day AIKS Maharashtra state workshop began on October 1, 2021 at the Comrade Narendra Malusare Sankul, CITU Kamgar Bhawan at Nashik. Because of the Covid pandemic, a physical AIKS state workshop was being held for the first time in the last two years. It was attended by 177 leading activists from 22 districts. It was marked by great enthusiasm arising out of the success of the Bharat Bandh in the state three days ago on September 27. 

October 1 was the anniversary of the Chinese Revolution and also the death anniversary of former AIKS state president Gangadhar Appa Burande, who was the former Lok Sabha MP from Beed district. October 2 was the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and also of the founder general secretary of the AIKS in Maharashtra, and one of the leaders of the historic Warli Adivasi Revolt, Shamrao Parulekar, who was also the former Lok Sabha MP from Thane district.

The workshop began by the AIKS flag hoisting at the hands of former state president and ex-MLA J P Gavit. The inaugural session was presided over by state president Kisan Gujar, who moved the condolence resolution that paid homage to over 600 martyrs of the farmers' struggle and to the leading activists of the AIKS and the Left movement who died due to the Covid pandemic and other reasons. 

AIKS state joint secretary Sunil Malusare introduced the purpose of the workshop, which was to concretely plan the agitational, ideological and organisational work of the AIKS in Maharashtra for the coming one year.

Renowned journalist P Sainath inaugurated the workshop with an effective speech that outlined the various serious aspects of the agrarian crisis as a result of the disastrous pro-corporate and anti-people policies of the Modi regime, and also threw light on the current historic farmers' struggle. He was felicitated by the AIKS Maharashtra state council for winning the prestigious Fukuoka Grand Prize two months ago. 

CITU state president D L Karad greeted the AIKS state workshop, and stressed the importance of worker-peasant unity. 

In the afternoon session, AIKS state general secretary Ajit Nawale placed in detail a point wise note on the future tasks of the AIKS in nine different sections – agitational work based on burning local issues; cropwise struggles; united struggles; constructive work; ideological work; peasant culture; organisational work based on an immediate time-bound membership drive and the building of strong village level units; increase of work among women and youth peasants and work as regards both mainstream and social media.

All the delegates then sat in district-wise groups for a detailed discussion, where they concretely planned their work on the above nine points. Each district filled up a special questionnaire related to the above points. The next day on October 2, one leader from each district placed their district's planning before the workshop. This was an illuminating session.

On October 2, the workshop was addressed by AIKS CKC member and renowned economist R Ramakumar. He blew up the Modi regime on its claim to double farmers’ incomes by 2022 and quoted from the recent survey which showed that incomes from cultivation have in fact fallen.

The concluding speeches were made by J P Gavit and AIKS president Ashok Dhawale. Both of them dwelt upon the agrarian crisis, the historic ongoing farmers’ struggle, and the need to intensify struggles on burning local peasant issues and to strengthen the organisation at all levels, so as to make an impact in the local body elections due in the state in February 2022.

The workshop concluded by taking the following decisions: hold immediate AIKS district council meetings attended by state office bearers on the dates decided; take active and enthusiastic part in all the calls given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) to strengthen the nationwide farmers’ struggle; take up immediate local issues of peasants like the compensation and crop insurance for the excessive rains that have lashed the state in September, remunerative price for milk, sugarcane, soyabean and other crops, and on issues concerning land, like implementation of the Forest Rights Act, temple lands, pasture lands etc; begin a concerted membership drive all over the state, to be completed by December-end, followed by AIKS village conferences.  

Two new books were released in this AIKS workshop – one was the last book written by an eminent leader of the CPI(M), Vithal More, which was a biography of Comrade Vithalrao Naik, veteran leader of the anti-Nizam Marathwada Liberation Struggle, former AIKS state vice president and AIAWU state president and four time CPI(M) MLA. The second was a book on Vithal More himself, who died last year of Covid, written by several of his comrades and colleagues in the Party and in the teachers’ movement.

Progressive literature worth Rs 10,219 was sold in this workshop, which concluded with great enthusiasm and resounding slogans.