On the 9th and 10th of July 2002, the UP AIKMS General Council meeting was held successfully at Manpur village in Thakurdwara tehsil of Moradabad district in UP. Com. Sant Ram presided over the meeting. Com. V. Venkataramaiah, General Secretary of AIKMS and Com. Pradeep Singh Thakur Secretary of AIKMS attended the meeting as invitees.

The meeting began with a 2 minute silence in memory of Com. Ramvivek Singh of Bihar and other martyrs. Representatives of AIKMS units from Allahabad, Moradabad, Bijnor, Ghaziabad and Unnao took part in the proceedings. The meeting heard a brief organizational report presented by Com. Hira Lal, (Gen. Secy. UP AIKMS). Com. Ashish Mital, Secretary of AIKMS began the discussion by highlighting that the state convention due last year and the formation of committees at various levels could not be completed. He reiterated that AIKMS can be built as a revolutionary peasant organization only by rising to the challenges of class struggles.

Com. Subhash Chandra of Bijnor, Com. Raghuvansh Tyagi of Hapur (Ghaziabad), Com. Suresh of Allahabad and Com. Kallan Shah of Moradabad gave specific reports about the problems and issues facing the landless and poor peasants in their areas. All the speakers said that though the BSP led Govt. has announced Ambedkar villages but harijans have not been given land pattas anywhere, though Mayawati had said “Govt. land is our land.” They all stated that all MLAs have scores of acres of land. This session closed with the decision to enrol a membership of 3,500.

In the second session Com. V. Venkataramaiah put forth the issues before AIKMS. He focused on land question as the main issue, and also emphasized the need to build wage struggles after adequate preparation. He emphasized the importance of scientific education and values and the need to fight superstitions and feudal values. WTO’s effects on agriculture were also discussed and the role of imperialism along with. Recalling the glorious traditions of anti-colonial struggles in UP, he called upon AIKMS leaders to intensify the revolutionary peasant movement.

In the third session Com. Thakur discussed the programme of AIKMS. He emphasized the need to categorize friends and enemies in the villages if we want to build struggles. In the initial phases work must be concentrated among the landless and poor peasants. He exposed the land reforms and showed how land has been distributed only where struggles have occurred. He emphasized need to develop women activists and to make cultural teams. We should identify burning issues in the villages and concentrate on building struggles on them.