THE Left parties of Jharkhand have announced a state-wide joint agitation to address the pressing issues in Jharkhand and intensify the struggle against the communal-corporate nexus at the centre. The Left parties held a convention in the old assembly hall of Ranchi and announced joint future programmes which include district-level conventions in June, demonstrations on public issues in all blocks during July and August, three jathas in September, and culminating with a huge state-level rally by the end of this year.

The convention called for sharp and decisive joint struggles on pressing issues of the people.

Prakash Viplav, CPI(M) state secretary, placed the declaration of the convention which underlined that the Left parties would do everything possible to unite all secular and patriotic forces to protect the constitution and democracy, so that the anti-national RSS-BJP conspiracy could be defeated.

The convention was presided over by a presidium comprising leaders of seven Left parties -- CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), RSP, Forward Block, Marxist Co-ordination Committee and SUCI(C) which included Rajendra Yadav, Surjit Sinha, Anita Devi, Mofiz Sahil, Rajendra Gope, Ganesh Dewan and Sumit Rai. The convention was addressed by RSP all India general secretary, Manoj Bhattacharya, former CPI MP, Bhubaneswar Prasad Mehta, CPI(ML) MLA Vinod Singh, CPI state secretary Mahendra Pathak;  CPI(ML) state secretary Manoj Bhakta, Polit Bureau member Janardan Prasad;  Arun Mandal of Forward Bloc;  Sukhnath Lohra, Sameer Das, Sanjay Paswan of CPI(M);  CPI's P K Pandey, K D Singh, Sushant Mukherjee and Farzana Faruqui of Marxist Co-ordination Committee and other leaders of various Left parties.

The convention unanimously adopted resolutions demanding the supply of subsidised food grains under food security, stopping the conspiracy to abolish MNREGA, repealing pro-corporate amendments to the Forest Rights Act, constituting Displacement Commission and protecting Jharkhand's Pride HEC.

A special resolution was moved by Janardan Prasad in the convention demanding the immediate arrest of those accused of sexual harassment of women wrestlers; putting a stop to the ethnic conflicts in Manipur; stopping the loot of national wealth by Adani; punishing corrupt bureaucrats in Jharkhand; stopping the loot of land; formulating employment policy; fixing minimum wages considering rising inflation and giving proper compensation to the families of victims of mob lynching and sending the pending Mob Lynching Act of Jharkhand, which was returned by Raj Bhavan, to the Raj Bhavan, so that it can become a law. This resolution was also adopted unanimously. A joint movement was announced on the above points.

About 400 Left activists from all the 24 districts of the state participated in the convention.