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WELCOME ADDRESS By Chaturanan Mishra, Chairman, Reception Committee Com. members of the Presidium, Com. Fraternal delegates from other countries. Com. delegates. It is a matter of great pride and pleasure for me to welcome you, the delegates of AITUC, the fraternal delegates and the leaders of different working class movements,1, here in the first steel city of India, where the struggles of workers had started just after the first world war. The All India Trade Union Congress has behind it the glori- OUS tradition of not only being the first all-India Organisation of the working class and leading the working class struggles in the most difficult situations, but also of being the first to lead the working class in the freedom struggle of the Indian people. Naturally, this occastion of welcoming the comrades and leaders of such an organisation, with scars of great class struggle shin­ ing over their faces, gives a great pride to us the workers of Bihar. Dear comrades, We are very happy to welcome the fraternal delegates from the great land of Soviets and from other member countries of the socialist community, who have shown the way to the working people of the capitalist and the developing countries, stricken with price rise, unemployment, inflation, recession etc., to get rid of these socio-economic evils and march towards a better future free from all crisis. India has learnt from her own ex­ perience of friendships with socialist countries that socialist aid A-1 1 is not only necessary for sustained economic growth but it is also a guarantee for safe-guarding the freedom and territorial integr­ ity of our country. We are proud of welcoming the fraternal dele­ gates from the undaunted and valiant Socialist Republic of Viet­ nam who in a longdrawn and most arduous struggle have defeat­ ed the U.S. imperialists and aroused among the working class and working peoples of the third world countries the confidence and determination to smash the intrigues and machinations of the imperialists and neo-colonialists, racists and fascists. Present here amongst us are Com. S. A. Dange, the father of Indian working class movement, and other veteran leaders and comrades. To welcome them is always a proud and inspiring ex­ perience.' And it was this glorious tradition of untiring and heroic anti­ imperialist struggles of the AU India Trade Union Congress which attracted the front-line leaders of the freedom movement like Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to take up the presidentship of and lead this working class organisa­ tion. If some young maniacs of to-day are trying to supplant a pro-imperialist past on the glorious anti-imperialist history of this august organisation, they are only betraying their ignorance of their own ancestors. We are meeting in Bihar after 48 years, and that too, in Tata- nagar. That this pride of place is bestowed upon the workers of Tatanagar is but natural. In 1920 the workers here had to face a rain of bullets and their wounds still in bandage, the workers from here took part in the foundation conference of the AITUC. On every turning point of the freedom movement, i.e. in 1920- 22, in 1928-30 and in 1942, the workers of Tatanagar resorted to strike actions. Apart from natonal leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Pt. Nehru, C. F. Andrews, Communist leader Sin- garvelu Chettiyar and British Communist Leader Philip Spratt came out to intervene on the question of the workers of Tata­ nagar. Dear Comrades, This is the city of the martyrdom of comrade Hazara Singh. After independence the glorious TISCO strike struggle of 1958 and the forty thousand Engineering workers’ strike strug^e of 1969 are well known. The leaders of these strike struggles are engaged in organising this session. It is true that the company and the ruling party have done every thing in their power to see to it that these leaders and the AITUC union do not get recognition. But it is also true that in their turn the workers and the people of Jamshedpur never allowed the ruling party to get representation from here. Both are still ada­ mant on their respective positions. And our most popular leader, bodily lean and thin but as impregnable as a rock, com. Kedar Das is ably leading the workers. You must be enchanted with the beautiful natural and geogra­ phical situation of this steel city. We are reminded of the wisdom erf those who selected this site and laid the foundation. Steel being so important for independence, the foundation of this steel mill was a challenge to the British imperialism. Facing keen competition from the British imperialist traders and with the co-operation of the national movement and of the workers, this industry and the city has steadily flourished from strength to strength. But too much water has flown down the river Suvarnarekha, on the bank of which this city is situated. During the long span of time and the house of Tatas, which was nourished and which flourished in the anti-imperialist atmosphere, is now vying for wooing imperialist and multinational companies. The Industrial map of Bihar has changed considerably during the last five years against of course, the will of the present Tatas, Coal and Copper industries being already nationalised, and with the Govt, take over of almost one third of the sick sugar mills. Tata- nagar and Dalmianagar are the only two main industrial centres in the State still left in the private sector. Rest of the industrial centres such as Hatia, Bokaro, Barauni, Dhanbad, Ramgarh-Pat- ratu etc., are in public sector. Thus the public sector has achiev­ ed a dominant position in the State. But for a will of the poli­ tical leadership even the biggest factory of Tatanagar, the TISCO would have come under the Govt, control because the Govt, share in the factory has already crossed the 42% mark and only the public sector can provide a large amount of money necessary for its modernisation. As you all are aware, Bihar is one of the most backward states of India. Three fourths of its population are languishing under the poverty line. Fertile land fragmented into underproductive small land holdings with all sorts of feudal exploitation provide for the backdrop of the rural landscape while on the other hand, the strong monopoly concentration is strangulating the small and medium local industries. Wealth created here is transferred and invested elsewhere. Feudal and monopoly elements have com­ bined together in keeping the local and tribal population in the state of perpetual backwadness. One of the richest in mineral wealth and natural resources, the Biharis are among the poorest in the country. Unemployment is rising at the rate of six hundred thousand per annum and the people’s anger is not lagging behind in this race. Spiralling prices, scarcity etc., apart from the na­ tional problem have nowhere been more acute than in Bihar. No tangible efforts were discernible on the part of the ruling party for ameliorating the situation. In thfe background, the fascist forces selected this state as a starting point for their general offensive in 1974. But even in these days of mounting discontent, the working class of Bihar came out on the streets to oppose the J. P. led fascist movement and inspired the others to resist the fascist onslaught. That on­ slaught was beaten back by the workers and other working peo­ ple’s movement in the state. So far as the ruling party is con­ cerned, it was feeling helpless with one of its section seeking some sort of compromise with JP. Administration was paralys­ ed and a section of it was giving salute to JP. It was the staunch­ ness of the working class which at last brought the ruling class with it. I hope many of you might have seen this unity during the great international Anti-fascist conference last year. Thus, dear friends, we may be economically backward and due to lack of money there may be lack of proper amenities neces­ sary for ycur comfortable stay in this glorious city of the work­ ing class, you can rest assured that there is no dearth of fighting determination whenever an occasion for united fight against the enemy arises. During the emergency the workers of Bihar like those of the whole country as a whole rose to the situation, increased produc­ tion, helped in establishing peace which has greatly contributed in arresting the economic drift in the country. In the public sec- tcr there was a considerable rise in production but in the pri­ vate sector, specially those producing consumer goods, the rise in production was not up to mark the main responsibility for which rests with their owners. Some of the concerns arbitrarily closed down by their private owners have recently been opened in this state too. The state Apex Body have been formed with equal representation of the INTUC and the AITUC. There has been a rise in the wages in those industries which come under the Minimum Wages Act. The Govt, has decided to take over two or three closed sugar mills. Old age pension scheme has been enforced for destitute citizens. May Day has been declar- cd public holiday. Effort is on for implementing the Minimum Wages Act for the agricultural labourers. A campaign for abolishing bondage labour is getting momen­ tum. A law has been enacted for debt relief, nearly one hundred and fifty thousand acres of surplus land has been acquired under the land ceiling act, more than half of which has already been .

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