Convention against Bullet Train in Palghar
On June 3, a large Convention against the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train, a pet elitist project of the BJP’s Modi Government that will lead to disastrous land acquisition in both Maharashtra and Gujarat, was held at Palghar by the Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan (BAA). The joint organisers were the AIKS, Kashtakari Sanghatana, Shoshit Jan Andolan, NAPM, Gujarat Khedut Samaj and others. All political parties that were prepared to publicly oppose the Bullet Train project were invited.
The well-attended convention was addressed by Dr Ashok Dhawale and Arun Mehta (Central Committee members, CPI-M), Nawab Malik (former state minister, NCP), Neelam Gorhe (MLC, Shiv Sena), Kedar Kale (Congress), Avinash Jadhav (MNS), Ramakant Patil (Shoshit Jan Andolan), Brian Lobo (Kashtakari Sanghatana), Ulka Mahajan (Sarvahara Jan Andolan) and Krishnakant Chauhan (Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Gujarat).
All the speakers vowed that their parties and organisations would oppose the Bullet Train project and the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway project tooth and nail and would ask their MPs and MLAs to oppose them in both Parliament and Assembly. A resolution was passed unanimously by a show of hands that not a single inch of land would be given by peasants for these pro-corporate and anti-farmer projects of the Modi regime.
The convention was also attended by NCP MLC Anand Thakur, SS MLC Ravindra Phatak, SS MLA Amit Ghoda, just-concluded Palghar Parliamentary by-election candidates Srinivas Vanga (SS) and Kiran Gahala (CPI-M), AIKS state president Kisan Gujar, AIKS state vice presidents Barkya Mangat and Ratan Budhar, DYFI state president Sunil Dhanwa, CITU state secretary Vinod Nikole, AIDWA state joint secretary Prachi Hatiwlekar, CPI(M) leaders from Gujarat Hasmukh Warli, Mansukhbhai and others.
It may be recalled that a month ago on May 3, the CPI(M) and AIKS had held a huge 35,000-strong Nirdhaar Rally at Dahanu in Palghar district that vowed to oppose the Bullet Train and Expressway projects. It was addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Nilotpal Basu, ex-MP, six members of the CPI(M) Central Committee – Dr Ashok Dhawale (AIKS President), Narasayya Adam, ex-MLA (CPI-M State Secretary), Mahendra Singh (CITU State Vice President), Sudha Sundararaman (AIDWA Vice President), J P Gavit, MLA (former AIKS State President), Mariam Dhawale (AIDWA General Secretary), Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) General Secretary Jayant Patil, MLC, and others.
