BELLARY: The police arrested 155 activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), including 48 women, when they tried to break through the barricades to enter the premises of Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Thursday. They were later released.
In response to the Statewide call given by the CPI(M) to lay siege to Deputy Commissioner’s offices in all districts in protest against the spiralling prices of essential commodities and the failure of the Union and State governments to check the price rise, over 300 activists of the CPI(M), the CITU and other affiliated organisations, participated in the dharna, shouting slogans.
The activists insisted that Deputy Commissioner should come to receive the memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister, and said they did not want to hand it over to the Additional Deputy Commissioner who had come to meet them.
When there was no sign of their demand being met, the protesters tried to break through the barricades and were arrested.
CPI (M) leaders criticised the Union and State governments for their “anti-people policies”.
Their demands included dropping the forward trading system, banning multinationals from storing foodgrains and entering the retail trade, action against hoarders, dropping proposals to acquire fertile land for non-agricultural purposes, strengthening the PDS, and enhancing crop loss compensation to Rs. 10,000 an acre.
Gulbarga: Members of the Left parties and several trade unions affiliated to left parties called off their three-day round-the-clock dharna in front of the Vikas Soudha here on Thursday. The decision was taken following an assurance by Deputy Commissioner R. Vishal that he would convene a meeting of officials of the departments concerned in the second week of February to meet the demands of the protesters.
The protesters wanted the Government to curb price rise of essential commodities, provide food security to the displaced families in all the flood-hit villages, issue BPL cards to all the low-income group of employees working in anganwadis, under Akshara Dasoha, in government hostels and gram panchayats.
Members of the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) and 11 trade unions affiliated to them including the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha, Janawadi Mahila Sanghatne, Construction Workers Sangha, Students’ Federation of India, and Democratic Youth Federation of India, led by the State Secretariat member of the CPM Nityanandaswamy, District Secretary of the CPI Shoukat Ali Alur, District Secretary of the CPM Bhimshetty Yempalli and others, came in a procession from the Jagat Circle to the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Relief for displaced
Members of the district unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) went in a procession from Ambedkar Circle to the Deputy Commissioner’s office where they staged a dharna in Raichur on Thursday.
They submitted a memorandum to the district administration stating their demands. It being a state-wide protest, the demands of the protesters in Raichur district were the same as that in Gulbarga.
However, the memorandum said that if their demands were not met in two days, then they would gherao the officials at the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Saturday.
Kariyappa Acholli, Secretary of the district unit of the CPI (M) party, led the agitation. He said that there were over one lakh flood-affected families in 130 villages in Raichur district. Except for temporary shelters and supply of some foodgrains initially, the Government had done nothing to ensure that the displaced got foodgrains. According to Mr. Acholli, the Government has failed to respond to the problems of the displaced families.
He said that the Government has asked the displaced families to procure foodgrains from the ration depots in their respective villages. But the displaced families have lost everything, including ration cards, in the floods. Besides, they have no source of income because they are all unemployed.
Mr. Acholli said that besides providing BPL cards to all the displaced families in the district, the Government should release 35 kg of rice at Rs. 2 a kg every month through the public distribution system (PDS). This arrangement should be continued until the Government completes the process of rehabilitation and the relocation of the flood-hit villages.
MYSORE: Demanding below the poverty line (BPL) ration cards for the eligible and the supply of foodgrains to all card holders, several hundred workers of the district unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) laid siege to the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Thursday.
The workers alleged that the Union and State governments used unscientific methods to identify beneficiaries and issue BPL cards, when a vast majority of the population was reeling under the pressure of escalating prices of essential commodities. They also raised slogans and displayed placards in support of their cause.
The protest was led by CPI(M) district secretary L. Jagannath and treasurer Balaji. They later submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, urging him to ensure that their demands were met immediately.
‘No concern’
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Jagannath alleged that while the people in the State were adversely affected by unprecedented floods and drought, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government, instead of coming to their rescue, engaged in questionable tactics to remain in power. The Government had no concern for the poor, who were entirely dependent on public distribution system (PDS), he added. Instead, the poor were forced to buy foodgrains at a higher rate in the open market.
Charging the Centre with implementing liberalisation policies recklessly, Mr. Jagannath alleged that the Government was favouring black marketeers and hoarders, and the State Government had turned a blind eye to the woes of the people. The State Government was providing rice at Rs. 4 a kg, when neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments were providing rice at Rs. 2 a kg.
He demanded that the wages for workers in the unorganised sector be increased to Rs. 6,000 a month.
MANGALORE: A large number of Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers took out a procession here on Thursday to protest against rise in the prices of essential commodities and to demand ration cards to all below the poverty line (BPL) families.
Some of the party workers who broke through the security cordon at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office and barged into the premises were taken into custody.
The State committee of the party had given a call for the protest.
Earlier, addressing the protesters in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, B. Madhava, district unit president of the party, alleged that quantity of foodgrains being supplied to the poor through the Public Distribution System (PDS) was being reduced, endangering the food security.
He urged that the State Government fulfil its promise of providing 20 kg of rice at Rs. 2 a kg every month to poor families.
He threatened that the party would intensify the agitation if the demands were not fulfilled.
Even as Mr. Madhava was addressing the protesters, some of the party activists pushed aside a few policemen at the main gate of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, barged into the premises and started protesting in front of the Tahsildar’s Office. They were all taken into custody.
Later, the protesters, including party leaders Vasanth Achari and Sunil Kumar Bajal, courted arrest. All of them were released later.
Members of the Udupi district unit of the CPI (M) laid siege to the Deputy Commissioner’s Office here on Thursday, protesting against increase in the prices of essential commodities.
Secretary of the district unit of the party K. Shankar said that both the Union and State governments were following identical policies that were detrimental to the interests of the common man.
The Government should distribute ration cards to all poor families. All ration card-holders should be provided 35 kg of rice and pulses at Rs. 2 a kg every month. The PDS should be strengthened and stern action taken against those found hoarding foodgrains. The Government should also reduce the prices of petrol and diesel, Mr. Shankar said.
Wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act should be increased to Rs. 150 a day and employment should be provided for a minimum of 200 days, Mr. Shankar said.
CPI (M) leaders Vishwanath Rai, A.S. Acharya, Dasbhandary, Dogu Suvarna, Ramesh Mendon, S. Kaviraj, Vidyaraj, H. Vittal, Suresh Kalagar and Mahabala Voderhobli were present.
The protesters were arrested by the police and released later.
KOLAR : Hundreds of activists of the CPI(M), the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), the Janavadi Mahila Sanghatane (JMS) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) from different parts of the Kolar district came in a procession. Most of them were women, some even carrying children. They raised slogans against the State and Union governments for their failure in containing the prices of essential commodities.
The stir was organised in response to a call given by the CPI(M) State committee to hold a ‘DC office chalo’ in support of the demand to provide food security to the poor.
Along with the State-level demand, the outfits also raised issues pertaining to irregularities in ration depots and in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Initially, the absence of Deputy Commissioner N. Prabhakar reportedly infuriated the protesters and they insisted that he come to the spot to hear their grievances. When Mr. Prabhakar, said to be away in Srinivaspur on official work, failed to turn up, the activists tried to barge into the office. The heavy police contingent had a tough time stopping them. When they picked up CPI(M) State committee member Gandhinagar Narayanswami and CITU leader Yellappa and tried to arrest them, the irate mob surrounded the police van in an attempt to block the police from arresting their leaders. “Don’t arrest only leaders. All of us are ready to court arrest,” they shouted.
During the heated exchange between the police and protesters, some police personnel allegedly trampled several women, besides beating them with lathis. This only infuriated the agitators and they demanded action against the police responsible for the excess.
Later, all the protesters were arrested and lodged at the Police Training Centre premises.
(Courtesy : The Hindu, Mangalorean.com)
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