Focus on state repression, labour rights, water disputes, environment at Bihar kisan meet

By Harsh Thakor*

The All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMKS) held its national conference in Sasaram, Bihar, recently drawing participation from around 500 delegates representing several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra. The three-day gathering included rallies, cultural performances, debates and the passing of resolutions, and concluded with the election of a 15-member national committee.

On the first day, about 7,000 people took part in a rally from the Railway Stadium to Amar Shaheed Maidan, carrying red flags and raising slogans on issues such as agrarian distress, corporate influence in agriculture and state repression. The rally was followed by a public meeting addressed by leaders including Arvind Sinha, Subodh Mitra, S. Jhansi and P.K. Shahi, who spoke on migration, debt, land rights, and corporate control over resources.

The second day began with flag hoisting and floral tributes at the Martyrs’ Memorial. A keynote address by Aloke Mukherjee focused on what he described as the persistence of semi-feudal and semi-colonial structures under globalisation. Speakers from different states highlighted challenges faced by farmers and agricultural workers, such as indebtedness, forced migration, forest rights, and the impact of natural disasters. A series of resolutions were passed on issues including state repression, labour rights, water disputes, environment and development. The conference also called for the release of jailed activists, opposed labour codes and large-scale infrastructure projects, and expressed solidarity with global struggles.

On the last day, the draft constitution of AIKMKS was introduced, and an all-India report reviewing a decade of organisational work was presented. The new national committee was elected, with S. Jhansi and Hardev Singh Sandhu as presidents, Srikanth Mohanty as general secretary, Ashok Batha as secretary, and M. Srihari as treasurer, along with other members from different states.

The conference sought to strengthen coordination among peasants and agricultural workers across India and to advance collective demands on issues of land, labour and natural resources.

---

*Freelance journalist

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