THE All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has had several massive, effective and victorious struggles in Maharashtra during the last few years. Many of them have been documented in these columns. Apart from state conferences, there have been regular two-day state organisational workshops of the AIKS. However, state level study camps were not so regular.

To overcome this weakness, the AIKS held a three-day Maharashtra state study camp in Pune city from October 16-18, 2023. A total of 142 main activists from 19 districts attended. The hall was named after the senior AIAWU leader Kumar Shiralkar who passed away last year.

The class began with the flag hoisting by AIKS national president Ashok Dhawale, and floral tributes to martyrs. AIKS state joint secretary and Pune district president Amol Waghmare welcomed the participants. Agrarian, political and ideological subjects were covered in this class. The subjects and teachers were as follows: Current agrarian situation in India and the decisions of the AIKS all India conference, CKC and SKM by AIKS national general secretary Vijoo Krishnan; the agrarian crisis and our alternative agricultural policy by AIKS national joint secretary and Maharashtra state general secretary Ajit Nawale; experience of building the kisan sabha by AIKS state vice president J P Gavit; introduction to Marxism by AIKS state vice president Uday Narkar; scientific outlook and the importance of reason by Prof Satyajit Rath, renowned intellectual; the danger of communalism and how to combat it by Dr Ram Puniyani, renowned intellectual and current political challenges, how to build a strong kisan sabha, how to be a true revolutionary by Ashok Dhawale.

Nearly every session comprised presentation, group discussion and question answers. This made the class more lively and meaningful. The various sessions of the class were chaired by AIKS state office bearers Kisan Gujar, Umesh Deshmukh, Sanjay Thakur, Uddhav Poul, Chandrakant Dhangda, Hanuman Gunjal, and CITU leader Ajit Abhyankar.

A day before the AIKS state class began, on October 15, an important meeting was held at the S M Joshi Socialist Foundation at Pune. Leaders of most of the constituents of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Trade Unions Joint Action Committee (TUJAC) discussed the implementation of the call of the national convention of workers and farmers held in Delhi on August 24, to hold mahapadavs in all state capitals from November 26-28. It was decided to mobilise jointly in strength for this nationwide agitation call. The SKM in Maharashtra was formed on September 5, 2023 in a large state convention held in Mumbai.
The AIKS Maharashtra state council meeting took place on October 17, on the second day of the study camp. The AIKS decided to mobilise 15,000 peasants in the SKM-CTU-led November statewide struggle in Mumbai; to complete this year's AIKS membership within a month by November end; and in order to achieve these two tasks, hold all AIKS district council meetings immediately.

Progressive literature worth over Rs 25,000 was sold in this study camp. The Pune district committees of the AIKS, CITU, SFI, DYFI, AIDWA and Jan Arogya Manch made excellent arrangements for this first-ever AIKS state study class held in Pune district. The SFI in Pune district has been growing steadily over the last few years through struggles on various issues, including those faced by peasants.