Punjab elections to challenge Ruling Classes part 1

By Harsh Thakor

With election fervour at full pitch genuine democratic forces are leaving no stone unturned in planting the seeds to create a genuine democratic alternative and challenge the autocratic parliamentary system. They have reposed no faith in the ruling class opposition parties’ agenda being convinced that they have no concrete alternative to offer. Thus refraining from giving any tacit support to candidates of opposition parties, like some constituents of the Samyukta Morcha.Heartening to witness their optimism. The main thrust of the programmes would be in exposing the feudal and imperialist nature of the social order, with main accent on Communal fascism and basic farmers issues be it for scrapping debts, loan waivers, remunerative prices or land rights. The organisations would enable the masses to link their day to day class issues with the election programme. Without any contemplation they oppose propagating slogan neither of boycotting the elections nor in participating in the electoral process. and only initiate active political campaign. The peasant organisations at mass level are projecting democratic demands while the Lok Morcha Punjab has chalked out a programme of a concrete revolutionary alternative. Of utmost importance is propagating the anti-people nature of the social order as a whole. History looks like repeating itself like in the 2012 and 2017 elections where the central programme of farmers groups was attended by around 12-15000 persons, which I personally witnessed in Barnala and Bathinda.The tactic of active political campaign proved correct with those calling for boycott or participating making negligible impact. 

It effectively raised the democratic political consciousness of the peasants and agricultural labourers of Punjab and consolidated their integration, with meticulous preparation programmes at the very grassroots, projecting class issues. The recent successful farmer’s victory in deposing bills has sharpened the cutting sword of class struggle. Nowhere in India was a democratic revolutionary programme projected at such a broad scale, in an open gathering. “All our members are free to vote for any political party. The sole purpose of the awareness campaign is to make the farmers aware of the divisive policies of politicians and to motivate them to further strengthen our unity to launch agitation against the government for the fulfilment of our long pending demands,” said Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, BKU Ugrahan general secretary. The impact of the awareness campaign can already be seen on farmers as many of them have decided not to attend any political rally. “The repeal of central farm laws has proved that united farmers could get all their demands fulfilled. Majority of farmers along with their families are attending our meetings to listen to our leaders and pledging that they will stage protests and not attend any political gathering,” said Gurwinder Singh, a Sunam farmer. The campaign of the BKU Ugrahan has once again started sensitising farmers, who have started coming in large numbers to listen to their leaders against the policies of various governments. Special teams of the BKU Ugrahan have started organising meetings and circulating pamphlets containing detailed information about their pending demands and how politicians have caused losses to farmers, triggering a fresh wave of anger against politicians. The BKU Dakonda faction has been mobilising farmers in Mansa and Bathinda in its bid to garner maximum support for the ‘Jujhar rally’, a state-level protest scheduled in Barnala on January 21. 

Union leaders said the rally was aimed at targeting the state and central governments and all political parties that were resorting to ‘vote bank politics’ without giving due consideration to farmers’ demands or bringing reforms in the farm sector. Makhan Singh Bhaini Bagha, a senior leader of the union in Mansa, said, “Preparations are on for the Jujhar rally. We have been holding regular meetings and door-to-door activities to mobilise not just farmers, but also people from all walks of life.” Bharti Kisan Union BKU (EKTA UGRAHAN) decided to launch mass awareness campaign for the path of struggles in-place of the electoral games. One lakh copies of the pamphlet for educative campaign handed over to the districts presidents and secretaries. Ø Presidents and secretaries of the 16 districts along with state leaders participated in a meeting in Barnala . In the State Committee Meeting of the “ Bharti Kisan Union (EKTA UGRAHAN) presided by Joginder Singh Ugrahan, has decided to launch mass awareness campaign in order to make it a focus that mass struggles are the only alternative, like that of the country wide struggle against Black laws of Agriculture , that has been won recently. While Issuing a press statement Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, General Secretary said that the policy of the union towards elections is not that of boycott at all rather the crystal clear policy is to remain aloof. Further clarifying the meaning and concept of aloofness is that in any of the Government conducted elections right from State Assembly downwards at any level, any of its leaders holding the union office from the Block level to the to the State Level, shall neither contest the elections at any level, nor shall support / canvass for any other candidate in any manner at all. Each member of the union has a democratic right to decide whether to vote for any candidate or not to vote at all. This decision and the policy is light of the fact that all the parties contesting the elections divide the farmers and all toiling masses and as such cause a breach of their unity which is so essential for strong struggles in as much as the resolution of their burning basic issues is always through such unity and struggles. He said that immediately after the National meeting of the Sanyukat Kisan Morcha on 15th of January, the Union shall chalk out the concrete plan of this awareness campaign and shall initiate a chain of educative campaign in the districts of its influence. In order to equip the leading teams at each level with material and issues for the educative campaign the understanding and view point of the union has been printed in brief and one lakh copies of the same have been handed over to the teams of all the districts today for further distribution. In order to free the farmers and farm labour from debt trap and suicides, the major issues that need to be addressed are the end to the discriminatory land holding by way of effective land reforms, end to money lending, and in addition to the issues that ruin the life and liberty of all the toiling masses. 

The issues of vast unemployment, price rise, increasing costs of services, the drug menace etc as a result of the policies of privatization, commercialization, globalization, also need to be addressed. These can only be resolved through strenuous life and death struggles. This educative campaign is for the mental and physical preparation of the farmers for such sternous long drawn struggles for their emancipation. In this meeting the presidents and secretaries of the 16 districts of the union along with Jhanda Singh Jethuke , Shingara Singh Mann, Janak Singh Bhutal, Jagtar Singh Kala Jhar, Harinder Kaur Bindu, Paramjit Kaur Pitho and Kamaljit Kaur Barnala , participated and presented their views. The Lok Morcha Punjab,a democratic revolutionary platform formed in 1996, plans to hold regular meetings in town areas explain people of the need to build revolutionary alternative to replace the repressive so called democracy. It plans to mobilise farmers, agricultural workers, govt.employees and teacher’s .It calls for all oppressed classes to build their revolutionary organisations and places accent on agrarian revolution. It has the backing of revolutionary intellectual slike Narinder Kumar Jeet,Amolak Singh ,Yashpal etc and mass leaders like Lacchman Singh Sewewala .This platform will project the revolutionary alternative, unlike the farmers groups. The qualitative aspect is significant here as it can only relate to people of higher political consciousness. Lok Morcha Punjab adressed a meeting in Teachers Home Bathinda, on January 22nd which was curtailed in terms of size because of covid restrictions. Still it was one of the most qualitative in projecting the democratic revolutionary alternative model to the people. It stressed on active political campaign, opposing slogan of boycott and participating in elections. Speakers touched upon the very thick of the skin of the repressive social order and how to galvanise people to their full potential in waging a struggle against it. The organisation has planned a sustained one month campaign in many districts of Punjab and the agenda of the leaflet is being seriously studied by cadre of the revolutionary mass organisations. For 25 years since it conducted the Roshni Mela rally in February Lok Morcha has sparkled the flame of revolutionary message of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in successive election campaigns and been an architect in ingraining revolutionary political consciousness during elections. Most impactful campaigns were conducted in 1998; in 1999 and 2012 projecting genuine democratic alternative .Lok Morcha paved the path for the people in building or sharpening their class mass organisations and bridging the gap between landed peasantry and agricultural labour. Nowhere in India was genuine revolutionary democracy projected at such a scale openly. This year let us hope history repeats itself .It should play a major role in bridging the gap between the landed jat peasantry and dalit agricultural labour and link the workers struggles and other toiling sections like unemployed teachers and govt.employees, with that of the peasantry. It highlighted how the current social order was an instrument of the ruling and exploiter classes and could not solve the genuine grievances or day to day issues of the people. The anti democratic manner the parliamentary system functioned which won votes by making false promises ,was The people were reminded how land still remained in the possession of big or absentee landlords, with land reforms only superficial. It explained how the oppressed masses were still suffering under the yoke of imperialism with farmers incurring huge debts and the nation dancing to the tune of imperialist powers by patronising multinationals. The pro-rich economic policies were condemned tracing the origin from 1947 itself and how foreign capital till this day held its sway to trap genuine progress. It gave priority to people consolidating or building their own democratic organisations to accentuate struggle and creating common platforms for different sections to come together. 

Issues were touched upon like inflation, unemployment, farmer’s suicides. Prices to procure aata, inadequate housing staggering electricity bills, land seizures police repression on protests, genuine democrats incarcerated etc.The importance of an issue or demand of a particular section being linked to the broad masses on the whole was adressed be it on electricity, price of aata, wages or debt etc. Lok Morcha Punjab vouched for a social order created which removed the bondage of foreign capital by confiscating it, abolishing casteist discrimination, money lending system or usury and slavery of women, implementing land reforms through proper agrarian revolution, workers owning the means of production, creating village scale aggro-industries which would create employment, a secular and scientific education system, employment and literacy for all and a free health sytem. and a genuine pro-people culture promoted to replace the current one. In a general sense it projected a social system similar to what China did at stage of New Democratic Revolution.

The Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union and the Naujwan Bharat Sabha formally supported the Lok Morcha and a team of democratic intellectuals.The BKU(Ekta-Ugrahan) was unable to be part of this platform as it's agenda as its agenda differed from it ,in terms of agrarian revolutionary programme. Lok Morcha Punjab secretary Jagmel Singh narrated how a radical change had to be undertaken of the autocratic socio-political system and not by voting for any political party. He stressed that in essence all the parties represented the exploiter classes. All the aspects of a genuinely democratic system and how the workers should control the means of production and set up their own state was adressed by Jagmel Singh.The manner the rulers used the weapon of communalism to play games and divide the people to divert them from their burning issues was highlighted. He explained how the current policies patronised landlordism and imperialism at the very loot. Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union secretary Lacchman Singh Sewewala spoke about how for 70 years no fundamental transformation took place and there was deterioration in the social order. He narrated how every ruling class party was a master in hoodwinking the masses to win votes and how the people were unfortunately swayed by one party or another.Sewevala called on the people to wage an intense struggle against imperialism and feudalism. Intellectuals like Lok Morcha advisor and advocate Narinder Kumar Jeet,Punjab Loksabyachark Manch leader Amolka Singh,Punjab Students union(Shaheed Randahawa) leader Hushiyar Salemgarah ,BKU(Ugrahan) leader Jhanda Singh Jethuke also adressed the meeting. All firmly condemned the repressive social order and the need for people to build a genuine alternative. They delved into important history of the past and capacity of people to challenge the autocratic rule. All gave emphasis on the threat of Hindutva fascism of the Bharatiya Janata Party but none supported the Aam Admi party. In no other part of India is there such a platform like Lok Morcha, which projects the cutting edge of revolutionary democracy or Marxism-Leninism at ground level.

A state like Uttar Pradesh particularly is lacking such an organization, where Hindutva fascism is blazing at a crescendo. Historically Lok Morcha Punjab played an important role in sharpening the cutting edge of class struggle and the burning issues of the opressed masses. In contrast Maoist trend persisted with call of Boycott which is sectarian while other sections tailed behind ruling classes by putting up candidates. I regret there was no participation from forces like Inquilabi Kendra BKU (Dakaunda) or Kirti Kisan Union in Punjab or other mass organisations supporting trend of C.P.I. (M.L.) New Democracy. A major challenge of the election campaign is to bridge the gap between the landed jat farmers and the dalit agricultural labour to sow the seeds of an agrarian movement. Mobilisation of industrial workers also has significance, being the most politically conscious class. As well as progressive intellectuals .Another important issue is linking it with the movement against the fascist Bharatiya Janata Party, nationwide. Challenging the reformist and revisionist programme of left parties is also an important task. Economism must be confronted tooth and nail. Economic demands must be linked with political ones. The poster of the Communist revolutionary organisation also has a lot of importance, in guiding the democratic forces, as the state committee poster of the Communist Party Re-Organisation Centre of India (Marxist-Leninist), in earlier years. Contradictions between ruling class parties must be tactically exploited. Illusions of the parliamentary system must be dispelled t the very base.