Translation of a Leaflet by the Krishak Committee (KC) published on 12 April 2008
Let the Endeavour of the Rural Poor to Take Up Destiny in Own Hands Continue in the Ensuing Panchayat Elections
Rural Poor brothers and sisters,
Another Panchayat election is knocking at the door. For nearly 30 years you have been living with this Panchayati system. What has been your experience? Before voting once again let's reckon the balance-sheet of the last 30 years.
Way back in 1978, during first Panchayat election, CPIM said every village will have its Writers Building [govt would be at the doorsteps of the rural poor], there would be poor peoples power; Congress said Ram-rajya would be established. Many of you believed them at that time. You took their words to be true. To save yourselves from the hands of the Congress ‘goons' of that time and the landlords and the police you embraced the Panchayat. How do you feel today? Does the Panchayat really mean rural power? The main problems of the rural masses are land, job, poverty, medical treatment, dwelling place, the existing disparity between rural rich and poor, the disparity between [caste-religion-wise disgrace in the form of] Bhadralok [Gentlemen] & Chhotolok [inferiors] — has any of them been solved? Just consider! You have seen that the Panchayat could do nothing when the government tried to take away lands in Singur and Nandigram. If Panchayat really meant empowerment of the poor then it would have done something about it. Isn't it? Actually the Panchayat has none of those powers. So you can see that the CPIM and the Congress had made a fool of you that time.
During the last 30 years CPIM had time and again lured the mass with varied kinds of baits. Once it said that the poor will become self-dependent with IRDP [integrated rural development program] loans. Did it happen? Could even a single person achieve it? It was heard that the village Panchayat will provide jobs for the unemployed — sometimes you heard of food-for-work program, sometimes you heard of Jawahar Rojgar Yojna, and now you heard of 100 days work. For how many days you got a job? How many days have you got a full meal? Instead of 100 days you were engaged for 14 days or 24 days. Once there was a mad rush for Swambhar Gosthi [self-help group] which promised independent earning from alternative jobs. The government, we were told, would provide loans and training. There were huge costly Ads and campaigns. Womenfolk ran one and all. Gosthhis sprang up. But government report reveals that more than 75% of these Gosthis failed to cross the primary stage. Time and again you have been lured by them. You even fought among yourselves. But again and again you have been duped. So today it may be said that ‘we cannot carry on depending on the Panchayat and the party leaders any more'. The only possiblity that way is living a handicapped life in poverty on relief-n-dole by abject surrender to ‘party babu-s'. It is clear to many that it is impossible in this manner to live with self respect and prestige.
Today Panchayat is not merely an appendage of the central and the state government. The Panchayat is working in the interest of all propertied class of the country. ‘Industrialization' is being done in favour of capitalists and Panchayat is making arrangement for lands for this industrialization. Is it only that? Now foreign imperialists' projects are undertaken through Panchayat. For this very reason even the foreign capitalists together with their Indian counterparts are praising it.
But a power-structure has grown up in the rural belt, that of the CPI (M). The power-structure includes the Rural Rich, Party, Panchayat, and the Police. Today this power nexus is ruling the mass from above. And you are responsible for the formation of this unlimited power of the party.
From the time of the first Panchayat the rural poor had mortgaged their everything, including their future, with the party. You thought that the CPIM party was yours own since you sacrificed so much for it. When it promised you to do good, it would do so. Thinking this, you poor people voluntarily gave up your struggle, organization and started depending solely on the party. Afterwards, when you looked back, you found yourself alone. Now you began the journey for living alone, how to move forward leaving others behind. Enmity among yourselves started. Though it is shameful, it is a fact that CPIM has emerged as the ruler of rural Bengal; people are running to the party leaders for settling even petty matters like problems between brothers or that between neighbours. A signature of the party leader is necessary for getting a ration card or getting hospital admission for a patient, and to get that signature you are kept waiting for ages, you are compelled to bow down to the leaders. Some are being forced to walk in party processions against their wishes. Physical assault, threat and even police arrest have become common phenomena if anybody dares to disobey. On the one hand the Party leaders are growing richer and on the other – you are allowed only the leftovers.
That the Party could carry on in such a manner is because of you — your passive permission, your inaction and lack of endeavour, your effort to live by yourself has rendered you powerless. And all power has accumulated in the hands of the Party.
But today, since the rural populace is more or less realizing this, if not everywhere, you are resisting this. When in some places you stood up united against theft in rations, you witnessed how those powerful leaders just turned tails and ran. When some hundred poor together demanded ration card or job card then the things were gotten done. You yourselves have proved that the real power lies only with you.
Your protest against the all pervasive power of the Party is demonstrated through ‘Remove CPIM'. But here the poor must once again realize clearly.
Your long lasting lack of enthusiasm, struggle and unity has given CPIM the power they are showing off. Because wherever you have stood in unison, the Party's power has been destroyed.
That's why if you clutch hands of TMC or BJP or any other parties to oust CPIM from power, then someday these parties will take advantage of the situation and bully you. One day you took the help of CPIM to beat the Congress Party back, and today you are being beaten down by the CPIM. You have been paying dearly for it for the last 30 years. For how long will this continue?
For this reason today your slogan should be — Oust Passivity!! Build up own struggle and organization! Keep the helm in your own hands. Then you will see that neither any party nor any Panchayat or government can coerce you. If they ever dare to do so you can easily put them down. By organizing your own power it will be possible for you to leave this rotten and handicapped life behind and march onwards for a new life which will give a humane living with all rights.
You have to oppose not only those who are trying to make you dependent on the parties by keeping you inert and passive, but also the Maoists who while ignoring mass movements talk about election boycott and perform few "annihilations" themselves dissociated from mass-movement and showing off as if thus they are doing good to the people this way — since this path is not only wrong but also harmful and keep people passive just like that of the CPIM.
Therefore, people had once given itself up to the CPIM. Today that same people are standing against the CPIM Party and trying to realize their own rights. This new endeavour has been taken up in different places. We, the Krishak Committee, are with you in these struggles of yours. We want to help you more regarding this. Wherever you yourselves have taken initiative of fighting the Panchayat election, we will try our best to help you. And where we are there since a long time with the peoples struggles, we will fight the election with Krishak Committee candidates.
With salutations,
Krishak Committee
29 Chaitra, 1414