Friday, November 09, 2007

People's Movements salute a true socialist Jugal Kishore Raibir


National Alliance of People's Movement

We share with a heavy heart the sad demise of our beloved leader and comrade Jugal Kishore Raibir. A highly revered social activist, a very close friend and comrade of people's movement, Jugal Kishre Raibir, passed away on November 6 th' while battling the rare type of leukaemia.

People's movements all over India and more so in North Bengal, have suffered a great loss. In his various roles as a Dalit Activist, a Social leader and the president of Samajwadi Jan Parishad, he will be sorely missed by everyone involved with people's movements.

He was a very active and close comrade of NAPM and was a guiding force.

Though being the founder president of a political party- Samajwadi Jan Parishad, Jugal Da, as popularly known among activists had never compromised on people's movements for electoral gains. Being an ardent Lohiawadi, he believed in people's power and people politics. His involvement in various movements spanned a wide spectrum right from the JP movement to language movement of Dr. Lohia to farmer and Dalit movements.

As a very active Dalit leader in North Bengal , he founded a strong UTJAT Organisation with values of non- violence when the Naxalbari Movement in the same area was on its peak. UTJAT advocated rights of Dalits and Backward class people in an aggressive manner. To advocate the cause of marginalised people, especially Dalits and backward classes, he worked effectively to bring various radical left parties and people of other ideologies together on a common platform.


Jugal Da believed in the tools suggested by Lohia and advocated that struggle, construction, electoral political and ideological communication should go hand in hand for bringing about social change. He gave up all his resources including land for the reconstruction and alternative development and established a Janata Kendra Centre in Adivasi areas of N. Bengal. The Kendra played a frontal role towards experimenting on various alternatives including agriculture.

Above all, he was a human being of great virtues and despite being busy and involved; he gave utmost importance to human and personal relationships.

He was a passionate human being with no-nonsense nature and a mature leader who always believed in solidarity and collective actions. He was a simple man practicing Samata, Sadagi and Swavalamban with a lot of sensitivity and sensibility. No one will be able to fill this great loss but we are sure his life will inspire us and always guide us in the path of struggle.

NAPM team salutes our great Comrade and leader

Aruna Roy , Gabriele D., Medha Patkar, Mukta Srivastava, P Chennaiah, Sandeep Pandey, Sanjay M.G. , Sr. Celia , Ulka Mahajan

1 comment:

Sandip K. Dasverma said...

I did not know Jugal Kishore Raibir but I can identify with him. We wanted to have a perfect world but more or less failed and thus 600 million of Bharat(vs. 600 million of India) are in such dire strait, many say. But did we fail? I don't know. Many say the struggle for a better world never ends, because with the end of colonial era the enemy is WITHIN. To keep them at Bay such people are necessary and now we are one less.
Long live Jugal Kishore.