Second Day of Left Parties Dharna on Food Security

The second day of the Left parties dharna on 31st July demanding immediate legislation on food security again witnessed the participation of thousands of people from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana. The people expressed their anger against the government and their strong resolve and determination by sitting in dharna, braving the incessant rain throughout the day.The Central leaders of the Left parties who spoke in the dharna highlighted the apathy of the government towards the poor. They criticised the UPA government that was unwilling to spend even a meagre 1 percent of the GDP for ensuring food security to the people and stated that this shows its real concern for aam aadmi. The government, instead of supplying foodgrains to the hungry and malnourished people of our country, is keen on exporting foodgrains where it is used to feed cattle.They also criticised the government for its failure to provide ration cards to all the needy and its intent on dismantling the entire Public Distribution System (PDS). More than 50 percent of our agricultural labourers, 61 percent of the dalits and 55 percent of the adivasis do not have either the BPL or the Antyodaya cards. This itself means that the majority of the poor in our society are denied access even to that nominal PDS that exists in our country. Instead of strengthening the PDS, the government is bent upon wiping out even the existing structure. This exposes the true character of the Congress party and the UPA government. They called upon the people to join hands and further intensify the struggle for 35 kgs of foodgrains at not more than Rs 2 per family.Brinda Karat, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), Amarjeet Kaur, National Secretary of the CPI, Premachandran, former minister of Kerala and leader of the RSP, Narahari Mahato, Member of Parliament, AIFB addressed the protesters along with the state leaders of the four Left parties. The central leadership of the four Left parties – CPI (M), CPI, AIFB and RSP – were joined by many prominent personalities working in the field of food security. Eminent economist Jean Dreeze, Civil rights activist Binayak Sen and other Right to Food activists extended their support to the protest and addressed the people.

Left cadres protest against price rice across the country

Cadres of Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged demonstrations at different places in Tamilnadu on Monday urging the Central government to bring about changes in the Food Security Bill and take steps to implement the demands put forth by the Left parties with respect to public distribution system. The demonstrations were held at places including Tiruverumbur, Manachanallur, Thuraiyur, Lalgudi, Uppiliapuram, Musiri, Thottiyam and Manikandam. The demonstrators urged the Centre not to stop the benefits given under the public distribution system to several States including Tamil Nadu under the garb of food security.

They also demanded the Centre not to reduce the quota of essential commodities such as rice and kerosene given through ration shops and ensure distribution of LPG cylinders without any delay. Payment of reasonable procurement price for agricultural products as prescribed by the M.S. Swaminathan Committee; distribution of 35 kilograms of rice under public distribution system; issue of ration cards to all families and firm action against smuggling of rice were part of the demand.

Hundreds of workers and supporters of Left parties CPI(M), CPI and Forward Bloc were arrested by the police during a rally in front of the Orissa State Assembly on Monday while they were demanding food security for all the citizens of the country.

More than a thousand of supporters and members of the State committees of these parties staged the rally after taking out a procession from the Master Canteen Square to the Lower PMG Square to demand right to food through a universal public distribution system (PDS).

The Left parties would also stage another rally on Tuesday demanding food security, said CPI Bhubaneswar zone secretary Sura Jena.

In their five-point charter of demands, the Left parties urged the Government for adopting a universal PDS by scrapping the present classification under the BPL and APL systems. Blaming the ‘highly dubious’ poverty estimates of the Planning Commission, leaders of the parties said the Government should discard such wrong estimates. They also demanded that the Government implement the Swaminathan Committees’ recommendations to protest farmers and to take steps on war footing to control the price rise.

CPI(M) politburo member and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suryakant Mishra, Odisha CPI(M) secretary Janardan Pati, CPI State secretary Dibakar Nayak, Forward Bloc State secretary Santosh Mitra, Jagatsinghpur CPI MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Chhatrapur CPI MLA Adikand Sethi and veteran CPI(M) leader Sivaji Patnaik led the rally.

Safety of Indian Railways

The tragic death of 30 passengers in a sleeper coach in the Tamilnadu Express due to an electric short circuit once again highlights the absence of adequate safety measures in the Indian Railways. It is shocking that there are no mechanisms in place to deal with such an occurrence leading to the spread of the fire which engulfed the whole compartment while the passengers were asleep. The upkeep of the trains and safety checks and monitoring seem to be the least priority for the present incumbent of the Railway Ministry.

Earlier also the CPI(M) had demanded that the Prime Minister look into the affairs of the Indian Railways and the way it is being mismanaged. This now brooks no delay.

The CPI(M) conveys its condolences to the families of those killed and injured and demands that full compensation be paid.

Left parties begin sit-in protest for universal PDS

The Left parties began its five-day sit-in protest in national capital against price rise and to demand the right to food through a universal public distribution system (PDS).

Addressing the participants, who had come from Haryana and Delhi, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said the government’s thrust should be on giving people access to cheap foodgrain.

“At a time when 8.2 crore tonnes of foodgrain is stored, it is grave injustice to deny people access to food,” he said, adding that the food security system should be based on universal PDS instead of targeted population. “The entire concept of above and below poverty line population needs to be scrapped,” he said. Prakash Karat charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Planning Commission with catering only to the elite and corporate houses.

Communist Party of India general secretary Sudhakar Reddy also demanded a proper food security system keeping in mind the high levels of malnutrition in the country. He claimed that the protests in support of a universal PDS were drawing a huge response.

T.J. Chandrachoodan of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Debabrata Biswas of the All India Forward Bloc also expressed similar sentiments.

The Left parties have been demanding halt to export of foodgrain at subsidised rates. “This foodgrain is being used for making feed for livestock,” Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat told.  “The government is subsidising feed for livestock instead of giving subsidised food to its people,” she pointed out. 

Taking a dig at NDA and UPA for failing to tackle poverty while they were in power, CPI National Secretary D Raja said, "The nation-wide agitation is aimed at achieving food security. People living Above Poverty Line and Below Poverty Line should have access to food and the bogus poverty estimates of the Planning Commission should be scrapped."

Supply of 35 kg of foodgrain at a maximum rate of Rs. 2 a kg per family each month and distribution of over 8 crore foodgrain stocks by increasing allocations immediately are being demanded by the Left parties.

They also want the government to scrap the Planning Commission’s “highly dubious” poverty estimates and ensure that these are not used as basis for welfare allocations.

Rallies will be held in State capitals during the sit-in. The Left parties have said that the utter failure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to control prices is shown even in the latest official data. With the grave situation arising out of the imminent drought in many States, the government must be forced to reverse “these disastrous anti-people policies.” Among others present at the dharna were Communist Party of India leader A.B. Bardhan and food expert Utsa Patnaik.

  

Villagers across different states, political leaders and members from the four left parties - CPI (M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc - are in Delhi to attend five-day nation-wide agitation here at Jantar Mantar.