R Sudha Bhaskar
UNLIKE politically motivated yatras by parties like the BJP or Congress that fail to address the root problems of the people, the CPI(M)'s Jana Chaitanya Yatras delved deep into the issues faced by the masses and unequivocally showed that unless the BJP government at the centre is removed, people's woes will continue.
In response to the call from the Party Central Committee, the Telangana state committee has decided to educate the masses about the dangers posed by the BJP, reinvigorate the cadre in Telangana, and realign anti-BJP forces in the state. The yatras were undertaken with these objectives in mind.
The first yatra, led by P Sudarshan, state secretariat member, passed through the former combined districts of Warangal, Khammam, and Nalgonda, and concluded in Ibrahimpatnam of Rangareddy district. State party secretary T Veerabhadram accompanied this yatra. On March 17, it was flagged off in Warangal by Sitaram Yechury, Party general secretary. On March 23, the second yatra, led by S Veeraiah, state secretariat member, started from Adilabad which was flagged off by BV Raghavulu, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member.
The third yatra, led by John Wesley, state secretariat member, started on March 24 in Nizamabad and was flagged off by A Vijaya Raghavan, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member. These yatras covered 33 districts in the state. On March 29, all three yatras culminated in a massive public meeting in Hyderabad, where Prakash Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, participated and spoke extensively about how the BJP is destroying India and its constitution.
The BJP's communal and corporate agenda was explained to the people of the state, linking it with their day-to-day problems. These messages were well-received by the general public. Concrete examples, such as Modi's promise of 2 crore jobs for unemployed youth in India, one and a half times minimum support price for farmers, and housing for all by 2022 (Telangana alone has 30 lakh homeless people), were used to educate the masses effectively.
In the Singareni Belt and other industrial areas of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Medak districts, the sellout of CPSUs for meagre amounts was exposed, and the failure to provide minimum wages to workers was highlighted. Across the state, the subversion of the Constitution by Sangh Parivar forces was explained, and their relentless pursuit of implementing the regressive "Chaturvarna Vyavastha" of Manu Dharma was exposed. How the BJP is using central agencies like the ED, CBI, IT, and other agencies against opposition parties while protecting their own cronies, was also pointed out. The Party leadership did not hold back in criticising the BRS party even when their MLAs were present on the stage while addressing various issues faced by different sections of the society. These messages were met with resounding applause from the masses.
In numerous areas, there was massive participation of people in the yatras including scheme workers, industrial workers, and migrant labourers. Across the entire state of Telangana, the BJP's policies were hotly debated, including the weakening of the Cotton Corporation of India, resulting in cotton stockpiling in many households in cotton-growing districts, and the failure to establish a Turmeric Board in Nizamabad where turmeric is cultivated in 1.5 lakh acres, despite it being a promise made by the BJP MP during elections.
In many places, leaders from other political parties such as CPI, TDP, BRS, and Congress expressed solidarity with the yatras. Bike rallies were held as part of the yatras. Red flags were seen flying in many villages along the yatra route.
The yatras infused confidence among our Party cadre and created a significant momentum in the state, providing a boost to our movement. The dangerous communal agenda of the BJP was effectively exposed to the public through the distribution of 5,00,000 pamphlets in Telugu, 14,000 in Urdu, and 110,000 posters, and 25,000 booklets.
