March 12: Left Parties Rally in Delhi

The Left parties – the CPI(M), CPI, AIFB and RSP – have decided to hold an All India Rally at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on March 12, 2010.

The rally is being held to highlight the urgent problems faced by the people and to spell out the Left parties' demands to solve the problems. They are:

• Halt the price rise of food items and essential commodities;
• Strengthen the Public Distribution System and take measures to help farmers to produce more foodgrains.
• Implement land reform measures and protect the land of the peasants and the tribal people.
• Provide jobs for all; take urgent measures to curb unemployment.
• End the violence against the Left in West Bengal by the TMC-Maoist combine; defend democratic rights.

The detailed measures proposed by the Left parties to solve these problems are enclosed.

The rally will give a call for action in order to realise these demands. The Left parties appeal to all sections of the people to make the rally a big success.

Demands for March 12 Left Rally

Stop Price Rise

• Scrap targeting and make PDS universal and effective; delink PDS entitlements from bogus Planning Commission poverty estimates; guarantee through legislation, adequate and cheap food grains, pulses, sugar and cooking oil.
• Ban futures trading and speculation in all food articles.
• Cut customs and excise duties on oil and reduce retail prices of petrol and diesel
• Initiate a nationwide crackdown on hoarders and black-marketers; Strengthen disclosure norms for private foodgrain stocks in godowns and warehouses

Expand employment and protect livelihoods!

• Enact urban employment guarantee legislation with equal wages and rights for women
• Remove existing general ban on recruitment and fill existing vacancies in SC/ST/ and quotas for disabled in Government services and Public Sector.
• Review and revise National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to increase workdays and wages. Enact Urban Employment Guarantee Act.
• Stop retrenchment of workers in the name of recession

Protect and expand land rights of the poor!

• Implement comprehensive redistributive land reforms; stop reversal of land reforms and relaxation of ceilings
• Assign government barren and waste lands to the poor; stop transfer of this land to corporate sector
• Provide homeless/landless/ small and marginal farmer household homestead land and a house in a time bound manner
• Amend the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and enact a Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill in order to minimize displacement, ensure adequate compensation; profit share, livelihood security

In solidarity with West Bengal

Fight Against the TMC-Maoist collaboration in West Bengal and the violence unleashed by them against Left cadre and sympathizers.

Defend democracy, end violence