[2014 update] Strengthening the Sangathan : Building democracy within

In 2013 the sangathan decided to end the year with a clarion call to build workers’ leadership. The slogan that reverberated in the October executive committee meeting was:

At the Karyakarni meetings

जिसका मुद्दा उसकी लड़ाई! (Our Issue! Our Struggle!)  जिसकी लड़ाई उसकी अगुवाई!! (Leadership in the hands of those who struggle)

संगठन में मजदूर नेतृत्व मज़बूत करें! (Strengthen worker’s leadership in the organisation!)

This is our conscious effort to build ‘organic leadership’ with no claims of success, but, happy that every conscious effort leads to success.
This year has seen four executive committee and five working committee meetings. Each of these, among other things, talked of ways to strengthen the union. As decided in 2012, for the third time we had our working meeting on Ambedkar Jayanti (14th April). This year we took oath to fight the rise of fascist forces.karyakarni2

The sangathan has also gained from Aitwari Rishidev (Purnea district), Amar Mehta (Araria district) and Hardev Paswan (Saharsa district) joining as block sahyogis. They have been active karyakartas who are now going to spend part of their time supporting sangathan activities. Sangathan will try and ensure small honorarium for them so that they don’t eat into their own meagre resources.

The sangathan has also grown in Saharsa district, where the union has spread to 6 gram panchayats. In Baraith, where our work initially began with support from the Manoranjan Jha Memorial Trust, NREGA work worth about 25 lakhs have been opened and payments made to workers.

This year also saw a membership campaign which brought in over fifteen hundred new members.

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