Patna/Nawada/Siwan, 16 October

Badlo Bihar Nyay Yatra - Transform Bihar Justice March - took off on 16 November from village Krishnanagar in Nawada district of Bihar. This village witnessed one of the recent atrocities on dalits when land mafia burnt down 32 houses belonging to Manjhi and Ravidas caste people.

Hundreds of Padyatris (foot marchers) led by CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and Politburo member Amar started their march today in Nawada after paying floral tributes at the statues of Dr. BR Ambdekar, Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan and senior leader of Indian People’s Front (IPF) Surendra Singh.

CPIML MLAs Mahanand Singh, Gopal Ravidas and Rambali Singh Yadav and MLC Shashi Yadav are also accompanying this contingent of Transform Bihar Justice Marchers along with hundreds of party activists and supporters. A good number of women, youth and rural workers are present in the yatra.

A mass meeting was addressed by Comrade Dipankar in Ambedkar Park in Nawada, before proceeding towards Hisua, the next stoppage. He rejected the ongoing model of governance by Nitish-BJP regime and said we will march hundreds of kilometres across Bihar covering all regions and raising major issues of the people of the state with the determination to transform Bihar into a new people’s Bihar where justice will not be elusive to the poorest and the weakest. The Constitution of India, as handed us over by Dr. Ambedkar promises equality to all, and no discrimination on any pretext, be it religion or caste or language. The Preamble of our constitution also ensures Social and Economic justice for every citizen. We strive for a Bihar which will guarantee our constitutional rights and end discrimination, he said.

Today our Constitution is under attack by the party in power, dalits are discriminated against and attacked by upper caste feudal forces, BJP leaders are openly issuing threats against Muslims, giving hate-filled venomous speeches to polarise and divide the society. This justice march intends to alienate such anti-people communal fascist forces in order to ensure a just and equitable society for all Biharis, said comrade Dipankar. He also informed that the Transform Bihar Justice Marches being held in all corners of Bihar will reach Patna on 26 October and finally culminate into a Justice Sammelan on 27 October at the Miller High School Maidan. He called on the people to join these Padyatras in large numbers.

The Transform Bihar Justice March Padyatra in Magadh region, is being led by Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya. Bihar State Secretary Kunal will lead the padyatra in Shahabad region. In Mithila region this Padyatra will start from Benipatti, the historic land of struggles of prominent communist leaders Bhogendra Jha and Rajkumar Purve. This lag is led by CPIML Politburo member Dhirendra Jha and leader of the party legislative group in Bihar Assembly Mahboob Alam. They will be accompanied by ex-MLA Manju Prakash, AISA Gen. Sec. Prasenjit Kumar, Baidyanath Yadav, Abhishek Kumar and others.

Party central committee member and MLA Virendra Prasad Gupta is leading padyatra in Tirhut zone, which started from Bhitarhawa and will culminate at Muzaffarpur.

In Saran zone, this padyatra is led by Darauli MLA Satyadev Ram, Amarnath Yadav and Naimuddin Ansari.

President of JNU Students’ Union Dhananjay is taking part in the Padyatra in the Magadh zone.

There has been a sharp increase in incidents of atrocities against dalits and poor owing to the lax Nitish Kumar administration which is in alliance with right wing forces. Current regime is protecting attackers involved in perpetrating crimes against dalits. Only recently there were incidents like the murder of a teacher Bharat Manjhi in Siwan who was killed for keeping moustaches and a mahadalit widow was beaten to death in Gaya. These atrocities force us to carry out the agenda of transformation of Bihar more vigorously. We will not let anyone turn Bihar into a state like Yogi’s Uttar Pradesh, said Kunal.

Bharat Manjhi hailed from an economically well off family. He loved to keep moustaches and live like a free soul. He had also built a good house to live in. But this is unacceptable for the upper caste feudal forces who attacked him multiple times leading to criminal cases lodged in Daraunda police station. He was threatened to withdraw those cases which the proud self-respecting teacher refused. And he was killed in broad daylight in the market. This is not an isolated incident of murder of a dalit for refusing to withdraw cases in Siwan. A CPIML leader was also killed in Goriyakothi for similar reasons.

Bihar is one of the poorest among states, but it is forced to pay highest rates for one unit of electricity. The Smart meters being brought to make electricity even costlier. CPIML is raising the demand for free electricity up to 200 units to all.

The state government had earlier announced many pro-poor schemes but most of that was not materialised on the ground. The questions of homesteads, houses, better education, and employment remain elusive as ever.

Nitish government’s announcement of providing a financial assistance of rupees two lakhs to most poor households also remains elusive. The demand of giving an honourable wage to Scheme workers including Jeevika, ASHA, Mid-day Meal and Aanganwadi was not fulfilled. This padyatra will raise these issues and mobilise public opinion. AISA leader Prasenjit Kumar criticised the central government policies which have turned Bihar into a zone that supplies cheap migrant labourers to be exploited in other states. He questioned state and central governments’ willingness in generating employment opportunities inside the state to prevent the migration. Measures could have been taken to open the closed down mills, to develop various agro industries, etc. Bihar can be turned into a hub for higher education for which it does not lack talent or infrastructure, he added.

The other issues like the problems arising out of the ongoing land surveys, land grab and bulldozer raj demolitions, lack of hospitals etc will also be raised during the Badlo Bihar Nyay Yatra.

On the eve of the Yatra CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and senior leaders from Bihar met the victim Dalit families of Krishnanagar village in Nawada, whose huts and belongings were torched at the behest of the land mafia on 18 September. They have been living on this land since 1966 without any security. Badlo Bihar Nyay Yatra demands the land rights for nearly 80 dalit families of this hamlet. The attack and arson on 18 September was just another attempt to forcibly evict these families. There had been earlier such attempts, including one last year. This time the attack was facilitated in the name of a pending land dispute and ongoing land surveys in the state. Dalits of Krishnanagar symbolise the plight of lakhs of landless people who are deprived of very basic amenities as well as justice and dignity because the government is standing against them in favour of upper caste brahmanical oppressors. Lakhs of families in Bihar are forced to live under economic insecurity and social oppression.

Badlo Bihar Nyay Yatra (Transform Bihar Justice March) is specifically raising following demands:

1. Nitish government must fulfil the promise of providing Rs 2 lakhs financial assistance to the most poor 9.4 million households

2. Five decimal homestead land and a pucca house to all.

3. Stop attacks on dalits, women and minorities.

4. Stop the ongoing land survey till land entitlements are ensured to all poor families living on lands for a long time, even for generations, which are Kayami and inherited lands.

5. Stop forcibly imposing Smart Meters, reduce electricity per unit rates, and provide minimum 200 units of electricity free to every household.

6. Provide immediate relief to lakhs of flood affected people, a crop compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre, compensation for other losses, and a permanent solution for the perennial flood menace in the state.

7. There are more than 10 lakh Scheme workers in Bihar who must be given honorarium at the rates of minimum wages as set by the central government. All ASHA, Anganwadi, Jeevika, rural nurses, MNREGA workers, and sanitation workers must be recognised as workers and given all benefits of labour laws.

8. Include Reservations in the 9th Schedule of the constitution in order to ensure the increased reservation quotas in Bihar, as passed by the Bihar Assembly.

9. Hold Caste Census in the country without any further delay.

10. Central government must fulfil its promise of giving Special Status to Bihar.