AIKS Dips its Red Banner in Memory of Com.Atul Kumar Anjaan
Comrade Atul Kumar Anjaan General Secretary of AIKS (Ajoy Bhavan) and one of the National Secretaries of Communist Party of India passed away after fighting cancer for the last few years. He made an immense contribution to the Left Movement and the Peasants’ Movement in India. He was also a member of the National Commission of Farmers known popularly as the Swaminathan Commission and for its recommendation of MSP @ C2+50% which has now become a rallying point for farmers.
Com.Atul Kumar Anjaan came from a family of freedom fighters; his father was closely associated with the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and faced prolonged arrest during the British rule. Atul Anjaan went on to become an activist of the All India Students’ Federation in his student days. He was elected President of National College Students’ Union when he was just 20 years old and was elected as the President of the Lucknow University Students’ Union in 1977, which he won four times in a row. He later became the State President of All India Students’ Federation and also its National President. He was for the last many decades a vocal face of the peasant movement and the Left. He was also an active participant in the International solidarity actions, in the Trade Union International in Agriculture and tried to bring together the peasant organisations in South Asia. He spent four years and nine months in prison.
As a leader of the Kisan Sabha he travelled widely to the grassroots and also studied agrarian issues. He was a multi-linguist and could easily mix with the peasants and toiling masses across India. It was his wide experience and knowledge of farmers’ problems that brought him into the National Commission of Farmers known popularly as the Swaminathan Commission. The Commission’s recommendation on Minimum Support Prices has caught the imagination of the peasantry and has become a major demand uniting farmers’ organisations. The All India Kisan Sabha remembers his significant role during the last decade in building resistance to the BJP Government. His role in the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan’s successful struggle against the Land Acquisition Ordinance, 2015, the struggles under the banner of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee as well as the Samyukta Kisan Morcha are notable. In a poignant message from hospital he had given a clarion call for all to unite against the Narendra Modi led BJP Government just on the eve of the 16th March, 2024 Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat at Delhi called by the SKM. A leader with sharp political acumen he understood the importance of issue-based unity and unity of the Left and democratic forces. He was a fearless critic of the communal forces.
All India Kisan Sabha mourns his passing and express our heartfelt condolences to his family, fellow comrades and his wide following. We celebrate the remarkable legacy of a leader who dedicated his life to the cause of the people and pledge to carry forward the struggle.
Sd/- Sd/-
Ashok Dhawale Vijoo Krishnan
President General Secretary
