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Solve the Problems through Dialogue, NOT through Terror
Jharkhand Andolan Samanway Manch
Press Release
October 7 2009
On October 1, 2009, Sri Panchanan Tudu, President of the Jharkhand Janamukti
Morcha was killed. The next day followed the killing of Sri Amalendu Patra,
an activist of the same party. According to the press release of Maoist
leader Bikash published in the Times of India on October 3, 2009, they (Tudu
and Patra) were killed by the Maoists because the slain leader and activist
joined the Samanway Munch. Earlier the Maoists had killed some leaders and
sympathizers of the Jharkhand Party (Aditya). Other than these, a doctor and
a nurse, polling personnel, school-teachers, agricultural labourers and poor
peasants, some of whom were CPI(M) supporters, were murdered. Most of them
belonged to poor Dalit and Adivasi communities. Since November 2008, when
the movement against police atrocities started, the political forces
participating in Jharkhand movement have been demanding autonomy for
development through empowerment. The form of autonomy demanded would be such
that the financial and administrative power would be vested in the hands of
autonomous councils to be elected by the people on the basis of universal
suffrage and all political parties would enjoy the freedom of carrying out
political activities.
The State Government did not take the course of dialogue with the people and
the elected panchayts; instead, it resorted to state terror to suppress the
mass movement.
On the other hand the Maoists started killing the cadres and sympathizers of
other political parties active in the area and tried to impose their
one-party rule. Previously, the CPI(M) had tried to curb all opposition
parties in the area. The Jharkhand movement had opposed it. Similarly, we
are opposed to the one-party rule of the Maoists or any other party.
The Jharkhand Andolan Samanway Manch believes that organs of political power
have to be elected by the people on the basis of universal suffrage. This is
a fundamental democratic right. The JASM will stick to this fundamental
position while launching movement for autonomy. The Maoists in Lalgarh want
to have all power vested in the hands of armed squads led by them. They are
unwilling to accept elected bodies as organs of political power. So, they
want to stop all activities by other political parties. They are attacking
the JASM because it opposes the Maoists' practice of eliminating all
oppositions and differences of opinion.
We are opposing the arrest of Chhatradhar Mahato under the UAPA and
demanding that the UAPA be scrapped. We are strongly condemning the State
Government for threatening the intellectuals who had met Chhatradhar and
supported the movement. if somebody is to be arrested for talks or contacts
with the Maoists then the CPI(M) leaders of West Medinipore have to be
arrested first, for they had supplied firearms to the Maoist leader Kishenji
way back in 2000 for suppressing the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
We would like to convey to the State Government, the CPI(M) and the
CPI(Maoist) that there is no military solution to the problems of Jangal
Mahal.
We demand:
1. The State Government stops state repression, the UAPA be scrapped
and Chhatradhar Mahato be released.
2. The Maoists stop killing and repression on the people who
politically differ with them.
3. The State Government initiates a dialogue involving all political
and social organizations and elected panchayts.
4. A formula for self-rule and autonomy be developed through dialogue.
5. The Panchayts elected in 2008 be allowed to function.
We appeal to ALL to cooperate to create an environment of dialogue.
Signatories: Santosh Rana, Manoranjan Mahato, Aditya Kisku, Pradip Banejee,
Leba Chand Tudu.
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