Left parties rally in Patna for food security to all

Thousands of workers of CPI, CPM, Forward Bloc and RSP on Friday took out a joint protest march in the Bihar state capital, Patna in support of their nine-point charter of demands, including food security to all. They also blocked the busy Dak Bungalow roundabout for nearly 90 minutes in the afternoon, causing snarls in the downtown areas.

The march, which originated from the Gandhi Maidan under the leadership of CPI state secretary Rajendra Prasad Singh, CPM state secretary Vijay Kant Thakur and Forward Bloc state secretary Vakil Thakur, culminated into a dharna at the Dak Bungalow roundabout.

Addressing the demonstrators, CPI national secretary and MP Gurudas Dasgupta, called upon the Left workers to roll up their sleeves for a more aggressive agitation on the issue of food security to all. Holding the Centre's "neoliberal economic policy" responsible for increasing cases of starvation and malnutrition, he said people had no option but to agitate for food security.

Their other demands include adoption of a universal public distribution system (PDS) by abolishing the below poverty line (BPL) and above poverty line (APL) categories, supply of 35kg of wheat or rice per month at Rs 2 per kg to all families, withdrawal of the UPA government's Food Security Bill, end of discrimination among needy people on the basis of BPL and APL categorization, cancellation of bogus estimation of the so-called poverty line by the Planning Commission, publication of correct list of BPL families in Bihar, strengthening of PDS shops in Bihar and implementation of the recommendations of National Commission on Farmers, headed by M S Swaminathan.

Dasgupta said the four Left parties would continue to agitate on the streets unless the Centre and state governments made necessary arrangements to ensure supply of 35kg of wheat or rice per month at the rate of Rs 2 per kg to all families irrespective of their BPL and APL status.

Addressing the protestors CPIM State Secretary Com. Vijay Kanth Takur urged the state government to declare Bihar, drought hit state following the lesser amount of rain received in the year. 

(Courtesy : TOI)