People's Democracy

 HARYANA 

 CPI(M) Stages Demo Against Policies

ON September 10, the Haryana state unit of the CPI(M) organised a big demonstration to press the demand for reversal of the anti-people policies being pursued by the state and central governments --- policies that are leading to an all out crisis and adding to tremendous miseries of various sections of the people.

On the day, a large number of people, drawn from all over the state, assembled in Sector 17 of Chandigarh and marched towards the Haryana Vidhan Sabha. The police stopped the protestors, who were holding red flags and banners highlighting their demands, at the Matka Chowk where the procession turned into a public meeting. here the demonstrators were addressed by various leaders including Nilotpal Basu, member of parliament, who expressed shock over the fact that a state like Haryana, considered to be food surplus, is passing through an unprecedented crisis in its all important agriculture sector. He blamed the policies being imposed in the name of liberalisation by the Vajpayee government at the centre and endorsed by the Choutala government of Haryana. He urged the farmers and labourers to grasp the dangerous implications of the WTO prescriptions that are responsible for the massive loss of employment and are destroying our food security.

CPI(M) state secretary Inderjit Singh reminded the audience of the gravity of the situation arising out of the said anti-national and anti-people policies. He regretted that the Israeli prime minister had been invited and welcomed by the NDA government --- in total disregard to the Indian sentiment. He described it as ridiculous that the Vajpayee regime is claiming to fight terrorism in alliance with Israel that is infamous as a terrorist state. He strongly denounced the continuing repression on the Haryana students who are agitating for a genuine cause, just for the sake of the Choutala government’s false prestige.

The state government invited the CPI(M) leaders to submit their memorandum which contained the demands and grievances of the peasantry, agriculture labourers, industrial workers, Dalits and women, youth and students and employees. The main emphasis of the memorandum was on the issues related to increasing debt, crumbling food security, denial of social justice, shortage of power and water, disregard for democratic rights, and the decline in the law and order situation in the state. Construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal and equitable distribution of irrigation water within the state, an end to discrimination against southern Haryana, stop to commercialisation of education, and withdrawal of enhanced fees were the other vital demands the CPI(M) has raised.

The CPI(M) memorandum also demanded that the grameen chowkidars (village watchmen) be made Class IV employees. Restoration of the deducted allowance of Anganwari workers and helpers, payment of sugar cane dues, and linking up Jhajjar and Fatehabad with railway network were also demanded.

Those who addressed the gathering also included S N Solanki, Prithvi Singh Gorakhpuria, Satbir Singh, Ram Kumar, Kamlesh, Sunil Dutt, Jagmati, Krishen Swarup, Harpal Singh and Raghunath.