Do justice to Dalits: CPI(M)

CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu has demanded that the government spend Rs. 15,000 crore in the next three years to develop dalit habitations in the State and undo the injustice done to the dalits on the development front.

Participating in a public meeting in Khammam on Tuesday marking the culmination of the 76-day ‘Dalita Chaitanya' cycle rally of Kulavivaksha Vyatireka Porata Sangham (KVPS) and the Vyavasaya Karmika Sangham (AIAWU), Mr. Raghavulu alleged that the meagre budgetary allocations and diversion of funds sanctioned for the dalits compounded the woes of the latter making their lives miserable. Referring to the assurances given by the government following the fast staged by him and other party leaders last month, Mr. Raghavulu demanded that the government constitute a nodal agency to ensure effective utilisation of the funds sanctioned under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe sub plans. The government chose to hike the wages of MLAs and MLCs, leaving the hapless tenant farmers, mostly comprising dalits, to their fate, he charged and warned that the party would launch an intensive struggle if the government failed to act on its assurances. Appreciating party Central Committee member T. Veerabhadram for successfully leading the cycle rally covering the dalit habitations in the district, he said a broad-based movement would be built to sustain the tempo and lead the struggle to its logical end. MLC Chukka Ramaiah, Justice Punnaiah, and Mr. Veerabhadram spoke.

(Courtesy: The Hindu)

Atrocities against women on the rise: Sudha Sundhararaman

Atrocities against women is on the rise in Tamil Nadu owing to poor implementation of Domestic Violence Act.

Moreover, Dalits, poor and the downtrodden have been struggling for survival owing to wrong economic policies of the Congress and the DMK governments, said Sudha Sundararaman, CPI(M) party Central Committee Member.

She was campaigning for CPI(M) candidate K. Balabarathi here on Tuesday.

“Change in government will change the present scenario and provide adequate protection to women. Wrong economic policies have led to the increase in the prices of essential commodities. Both the Central and State governments did not take efforts to check price rise. Many government schemes did not reach the poor, Dalits and tribal people in the State. With no benefits from governments, they have been struggling to run their day-to-day life. But ministers have amassed crores of rupees in Swiss banks,” she said.

Neither the DMK nor the Congress took steps for implementing 33 per cent reservation for women. But Ms. Jayalalithaa helped us. Recommendation of Sachar Committee and Ranganath Misra Committee were not implemented, Ms. Sudha charged.

Even today, Dalits have been fighting for their right for burial ground and drinking water. Untouchability was still haunting them.

She campaigned for Ms. Balabarathi at Muthazhagupatti, Sakthi theatre, Zinna Nagar, Municipal Colony within the town limit.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Time to teach DMK, allies a lesson: Prakash Karat

The United Progressive Alliance government not only failed to control the rise in prices of essential commodities but also institutionalised corruption throughout the country, said Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat.

Addressing an election meeting at Kuzuthurai on Tuesday, he said the main issue in the coming Assembly election was the misrule of the Congress at the Centre and the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham in the State. Owing to massive corruption, people were put to untold hardship. Since the last Lok Sabha election in 2009, the country was witnessing a rise in prices of all food items. The price of petrol increased seven times since June 2010.

Though the DMK was a coalition partner in the UPA government not even a single MP from the DMK ever opposed the price revision in Parliament.

Now the Central government had decided to de-regulate the price of diesel after the election. It would indirectly pave the way for an increase in prices of essential commodities and other items. People were fed up with the anti-people policies of both the Centre and the State government. Hence, he appealed to the electorates to teach a lesson to the DMK and its allies.

He said all government policies would further enrich the rich and big companies. The government should stop forward trading in futures. There was no shortage of foodgrains in the country.

The CBI knew who were involved in the 2G scam and where the entire money had gone.

They were not ready to divulge the names of very important persons belonging to Tamil Nadu. The Congress was also aware of the names of persons involved in the scam. Both the parties knew the art of making money and the 2G spectrum scam was the worst form of systematic corruption of one family in the last five years. To revive democratic rule both at the Centre and in the State, Mr. Karat appealed to the electorates to cast their votes in favour of the AIADMK and its allies.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)