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People's Association(PA) is an activist political organisation headquartered in Darbhanga, Bihar in India.It's General Body Meeting of 24th January,2010 fixed the year 2014 as the time when it would get itself registered with the Election Commission of India formally as a political party.Right now it agitates,does political activity,contest elections without a permanent symbol provided by the Election Commission of India.

History

The history of People's association(PA) can be traced back to the efforts of a group named Forum for Democratic Rights(FDR).It was a group active in Aligarh Muslim University from 1995 to 1999.It brought a new brand of politics to the university.The founder of People's Association was a member of it and it remained a reference point to him.He says People's Association is FDR more mature and on a larger scale.People's Association(PA)itself was founded in the beginning of 2009.Waris Sidiqui,its founder,mentions its unique ideological viewpoint as the reason for its founding."Most of the political parties dont have a clear-cut ideology and others that have, like BJP,Communist Parties etc do not fit in the worldview of ype of people who are associated with People's Association(PA).",he said.But given the nature of politics ,as it has turned out to be, it would be really interesting to see if People's Association will really be able to sustain its ideological vision and not succumb to petty power-politics.

Ideology

The main agenda of the People's Association(PA) is to fight against

1)Communalism
2)Casteism
3)Gender discrimination
4)Class oppression

Talking of opposing communalism is not unique to People's Association(PA).Every other political party excepting BJP and Shiv Sena is opposed to it.The organisation says that the difference is of emphasis and the way of looking at it.Communalism is not a problem between communities but between coomunalists that are present in all communities.So it is wrong to say that communalism is a clash between two communities.The organisation also makes it clear that the question of communalism and casteism is interrelated.Only emphasising one and leaving the other is a problem.Today we can see people who believe in secularism but are casteist.We can also see people who are opposed to casteism but are on the side of communalism.This is contradictory.Both should be taken care of.Casteism and communalism degrades humanity and hinders equitable development.People's Association is especially sensitive to the cause of Scheduled Castes/Dalit,Scheduled Tribe,Other Backward Classes and minorities.

Organisational Structure

Its organisational structure consists of a President,a Vice-President,three General secretaries,ten members of the Executive council,Provincial Committees,District Committees,Muhalla Committees and various Wings/Departments.Presently,Waris Sidiqui,the founder,is its President.Office bearers are to be elected yearly.

Significance

In a short span of time the organisation has carved out a niche for itself. But do others care?It is still a non-entity in the eyes of major political players and it has a long journey to make.But since it represents a new consciousness which is directly related to the self-consciousness of Dalits,OBCs and minorities(esp.backward Muslim castes)who are showing increased assertiveness and demanding a greater share it would be interesting to keep an eye on its journey.Whether it fails or succeeds in its goals,it will be very relevant for a political scientist.

External links

• Website of People's Association