Clarion call of Birju Nayak, people's candidate in South Delhi

'Hum hain iske Maalik, hum hain Hindostan – Mazdoor, kisan, aurat aur jawan!'

The slogan rings out loud and clear, resonating in the hearts of the workers, women and youth, as the campaign of Birju Nayak, people's candidate from South Delhi, proceeds from colony to colony and house to house throughout this widespread constituency.

Supported by the Communist Ghadar Party of India, together with Lok Raj Sangathan, Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, Purogami Mahila Sangathan and other people's organisations, Birju Nayak, standing on election symbol torch, is coming forth as the representative of a new political vision, where the working people will rule and reorganise the economy and society in the interests of the toiling majority. 

He truly represents the people's mandate. Hundreds of residents organised in the Lok Raj Samitis of Tughlakabad, Govindpuri, Kalkaji and Indira Kalyan Vihar nominated him to be their candidate in a public meeting held earlier this month. Birju Nayak is campaigning for a new political process in which people will select and field candidates from among their midst, hold the elected representative accountable to the electorate and secure the right to recall him if he fails in his duty towards the people. He has personally signed an affidavit promising, if elected, to work in accordance with the wishes of the people, to render accounts to them and to submit to their decision to recall him if he does not perform in their interests.

In a public manifestation of his commitment, right after filing his nomination, Birju Nayak and his supporters made a solemn pledge at the memorial to Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his comrades on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, that they would turn the glorious aspirations of our martyrs into a reality.

Striking a direct rapport with the citizens, the activists campaigning for Birju Nayak are going house to house, seeking support for him and his vision. In stark contrast to the candidates of the big political parties backed by money power and muscle power, the activists campaigning for Birju Nayak, mainly working class youth, are appealing to the people of the constituency to contribute generously towards this bold initiative of their own selected candidate. And knowing Birju Nayak's record as a staunch fighter for their interests, the people are responding enthusiastically, with many a worker's family dipping into its already lean resources to support his campaign.

At a public meeting organised by the Lok Raj Samiti of Sanjay Colony in Okhla Phase 2, on the evening of April 26, hundreds of residents gathered to express their support and solidarity for Birju Nayak. Sharing the podium with Birju were comrade Sucharita of the Communist Ghadar Party of India and Shri S. Raghavan, President, Lok Raj Sangathan.

Comrade Sucharita explained how the alternative political process that Birju is campaigning for, is an important step in organising the workers and all the oppressed in the struggle to establish the rule of the workers and peasants. The political parties of the present ruling class, the big monopoly bourgeoisie, have nothing to offer to the people except false promises and bigger disasters to follow, she pointed out and called upon all present to vigorously support Birju Nayak and widely popularise his vision of establishing worker-peasant rule, which alone can open the path to a bright future for all the exploited and oppressed. 

Shri S. Raghavan expressed the support of Lok Raj Sangathan for Birju Nayak and announced, amidst thunderous applause, that LRS is supporting the campaign of two other such people's candidates, Suryakant Shinge, a textile worker in South Mumbai and Wilson, a plantation worker in Kanyakumari. Both these candidates are campaigning on the same platform as Birju Nayak, for a renewal of the political process to make the working people the rulers, he said. Exposing the two-timing of the political parties that serve the interests of the big bourgeoisie, he explained that only when the people themselves have control over the political process, they can reorient the economy to serve the needs of the working people rather than the greed of the capitalists. In this context, he emphasised the importance of building Lok Raj Samitis in every workplace and residential area, as organs of people's power at the base. Birju Nayak and his campaign are a living embodiment of this struggle, he declared and appealed to all to support him.

An active worker of the Lok Raj Samiti of Sanjay Colony, Ashok Gupta came up to the podium and highlighting the struggle that Birju has led in defence of the residents of the colony, he sought their support and vote for Birju Nayak. When a young worker Tinku, a former student of Birju, came up and spoke of the qualities of Birju as a fearless fighter for the downtrodden, as a loving and caring comrade, guide and friend, there were few in the audience who could control their emotions.

Renu, an activist of Purogami Mahila Sangathan and a leader of the Lok Raj Samiti of Sanjay Colony, described the many difficult struggles of the residents for electricity, water supply and toilet facilities, especially for women, in which Birju Nayak had played a leading role. Undaunted by the apathy of the authorities, Birju never lost faith in the people, never gave up the struggle. With a fighter like him at our head, we can be confident of victory, she declared, as she appealed to the audience to support and vote for him.

Santosh Kumar, president of Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, called on the youth and all present to support Birju Nayak and actively work for making his campaign a success. "Today the capitalists who are ruling over us have nothing but a dark future to offer the youth, while the alternative that Birju is fighting for represents a bright future for us, as we shall be our own masters and decide the course of our economy and society. So let us all come forward and join this caravan", he said, to enthusiastic applause.

Birju Nayak thanked all those present for their support and elaborated on how, at every step of the struggle for securing the rights of the people, for livelihood, for secure housing or for basic civic amenities, we realise that we are powerless to change our conditions as long as political power remains in the hands of the big bourgeoisie. Only through the path of struggle can we resist these attacks of the bourgeoisie and advance our cause, he said and explained that he is contesting in these elections with the message of "political power in the hands of the working people".

Heralding the bright new dawn breaking out over the dark horizon, the youth brought the meeting to a close with a joyous rendering of the song 'Dekho rang badal raha hai aasman ka'.

At the busy Prem Nagar Chowk in Okhla Industrial Area, as thousands of workers pass by on their way home from work in the evening, they are regularly greeted by banners of torch and spirited slogans raised by youthful campaigners for Birju Nayak. On April 28, they stopped by to participate in a public meeting where representatives of the supporting organisations and activists of the Lok Raj Samitis explained how Birju's campaign represents a hope for the future and called on all to support and vote for him.

Inspired by the message of Birju Nayak, many workers' organisations have come forward to support him. On April 28, Birju was invited to address a meeting of several hundred workers of the National Thermal Power Corporation employees union at their Badarpur plant. The workers enthusiastically offered their support for his campaign and also contributed money for it. 

In Prahladpur, Badarpur and other far flung areas of the constituency – Palam extension, Raj Nagar and other colonies – Birju's campaign caravan, a brightly decorated van bearing the slogans "Bhasha, Jaat, Dharam anek, par zulm-anyay ke khilaf hamara sangharsh ek" (though we may be of different languages, origins or faiths, our struggle against oppression and injustice is one) and "Hum hain iske maalik, hum hain hindostan, mazdoor kisan aurat aur jawan" (workers, peasants, women and youth, we are the masters of hindostan) is a real crowd puller. As the van stops in one residential colony after another, groups of youth alight to speak to the people at various busy corners. Curious residents gather around to hear the campaigners. Many are eager to meet the candidate. They are tired of the loud campaigning by the Congress Party, BJP and other such political parties, of the false promises that they make again and again to win votes, only to disappear until the next elections. The idea of people being able to exercise control over their elected representatives is catching the imagination of many working people.