TAMIL NADU - Left parties to meet in Chennai on October 7

N. Varadarajan, State Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist),

speaking at a demonstration, near Rajagopal Goundar Park,
in Dharmapuri on Tuesday
urging the government to issue pattas to Dalits living at Sengodipuram.

DHARMAPURI: Left parties in the State have convened a special conference in Chennai on October 7 to discuss spiralling rise in the prices of essential commodities in the country, N. Varadarajan, State Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist), said here on Tuesday.

Mr. Varadarajan said the CPI (M) condemned the Dharmapuri Municipality’s indifferent attitude towards the 55 Dalit families living in Sengodipuram.

He said the resolution adopted by the municipality was against the interest of the Dalits. If the Dalits in Sengodipuram were denied pattas, the party would organise a State-wide agitation, Mr. Varadarajan said.

He alleged that the government over the years had given pattas for those living on the 4.25-acre land and was denying pattas to the Dalits living on 56 cents in Sengodipuram for over six decades.

Brinda Karat issue

When the situation in Uthapuram was peaceful, why did the Thiruparankundram police stop the party’s national leader Brinda Karat and take her to the police station, he asked. The government should not have handled the issue in this manner, he said.

(The Hindu)

Workers’ protest leads to lathi-charge on CPI(M) leaders, agitators arrested

Women protesters surround an unconscious Manzur Patel,
district general secretary of the CITU,
after police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the agitators,
in Gulbarga on Tuesday.

GULBARGA: The police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse workers of the unorganised sector, owing allegiance to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), who were picketing the Vikasa Soudha complex demanding an increase in minimum wages and regularisation of services of daily-wage workers.

Several leaders, including Secretary of the State unit of Communist Party of India (Marxist) Maruti Manpade; District General Secretary of the CITU Manzur Patel; CPI(M) leaders Gangamma Biradar, Gouramma Patil; Kalpana, General Secretary of the Anganwadi Workers’ Union; District President of the CITU Shanta Ghanti; and Chincholi taluk panchayat member Sharanabasappa Mamshetty, were injured in the lathi-charge.

Mr. Patel became unconscious and once he regained consciousness the police took him away in a police van. According to CPI(M) party sources, Mr. Patel again slipped into unconsciousness at the University Police station where the protesters were lodged.

The police were seen dragging women protesters into the waiting police vans. Several vehicles, including a NEKRTC bus, two private buses and several two-wheelers were damaged in the stone-pelting. Speaking to presspersons from the police van, Mr. Manpade condemned the undemocratic act of the police and called for a Gulbarga city bandh on September 17 when Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa would be visiting the city to participate in the Liberation Day celebrations.

The trouble began when the protesters tried to prevent the entry of the vehicle of Superintendent of Police Padmanayan at the main gate of the Vikas Soudha at the fag end of the protest. Mr. Padmanayan got out of his vehicle and approached Mr. Manpade asking him to make away for him to enter the Deputy Commissioner’s office to hold discussions with the officials to break the deadlock and end the picketing amicably.

Argument

The CPI(M) workers refused to do so stating that no one would be allowed to enter the Vikasa Soudha unless the district administration held talks with the protesters regarding their 17-point demand. This led to a heated argument between Mr. Manpade and Mr. Padmanayan. One of the CPI(M) workers allegedly grabbed Mr. Padmanayan’s shirt. The police then resorted to mild lathi-charge to allow Mr. Padmanayan to enter the complex, and took Mr. Manpade into custody. This enraged the protesters and they began to pelt stones at the police, who resorted to lathi-charge and arrested the protesters. At least eight police personnel suffered injuries in the stone-throwing.

Condemned

The CITU, Karnataka State Committee, has condemned the lathi-charge and arrest of unorganised sector workers who were on a State-wide agitation. The CITU has urged the Government to meet the demands of the protesters besides taking action against the police officials responsible for the lathi-charge.

CITU leaders said that the police had lathi-charged peaceful agitators which had resulted in severe injuries to three in Gulbarga, six in Raichur and more than 10 in other places. “Women activists were also beaten up and policemen behaved rudely with them,” they alleged.

(The Hindu)

Udupi: CITU Takes up Cudgels on Behalf of Unorganized Labour

Udupi, Sep 15: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) led the protestors and laid siege to the office of the deputy commissioner of the district here on Tuesday September 15, demanding better treatment and facilities for the unorganized workers like the daily wagers, those working on contractor basis, against payment of honorarium etc.

A large number of workers belonging to these sectors took part in the protest. They were demanding for the meeting of at least some of their demands, which are basic essentials for a decent living. They demanded for the fixation of a minimum monthly wages of Rs 6,000 per month for all categories of the workers all over the state. Pointing out that expenditure of residence, like rent, has been taking away a big chunk of their earnings, they demanded that house sites be allotted to the unorganized labourers in the state. The other demands put forth by them included issuance of ration cards to all of them, provision of 14 essential goods at a reasonable rate through the fair price shops, abolition of the contract labour system and making the services of the contract labourers permanent and to draw up plans to strictly monitor the enforcement of labour laws.

They wanted that the services of all the workers hired through the process of direct recruitment by the government, like the Anganwadi staff, those engaged with the ‘Akshara Dasoha’ scheme, people working in gram panchayats on temporary basis, volunteers under 'Asha' scheme and other daily wagers working for the government, be absorbed into regular service with immediate effect.

The leaders pointed out that the owners of industrial units have received government packages, after they ran into rough weather due to the global economic downturn. Pointing out that the people and labourers working for these units have also suffered, they demanded that these people too be adequately compensated. Bringing the unorganized sector within the ambit of social security, making issuance of identity card to all of them mandatory etc., were the other demands the protestors put forth.

CITU general secretary Vishwanath Rai, president K Shankar, leaders Mahabal Voderhobli, Ramesh Mendon, Dogu Suvarna, Das Bhandary, Vittal Poojary, Sanjeev Nayak, Rajiv Poojary etc., were present. After the leaders addressed the protestors in front of the office of the deputy commissioner here, they were arrested by the policemen and released later.

(courtesy :www.daijiworld.com)