The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Orissa State committe on Sunday announced two-month-long ‘jail bharo andolan' demanding hike in minimum daily wages and homestead land for the landless families.
The fresh agitational programme was planned by the State unit of the CPI (M) as the Naveen Patnaik government did not respond to the demands. Several CPI (M) leaders, led by its secretary Janardan Pati, courted arrest last month and refused to come out of jail showing resentment over insouciant approach of the State government.]
“Now our activists will voluntarily let them arrest across the State as part of our peaceful way to protest against unresponsive State government. Activists in small numbers will keep on protesting and courting arrest during next two months,” Mr. Pati said at a press conference here on Sunday.
“What is baffling is that legislators after being elected forgot interest of daily labourers. They exerted immense pressure to raise their salaries and stipend which put together would come around Rs. 1 lakh per month. But a daily labourer toil for a day in industrial projects to earn just Rs. 90,” he said.
Neglect of poor
Alleging that the present government had neglected the poorest of poor in the State, the CPI (M) secretary said, “the State government has appointed special officers to make land available to multinational companies such as Posco and Vedanta whereas existence of landless families is at stake without a space to have a shelter.” The CPI (M) demanded minimum five decimal of homestead land and agricultural land for the landless families in the State.
Mr. Pati said rising prices of essential commodities had already pushed scores of families into realm of food insecurity. “Universal public distribution system would be able to solve the problem. At present, paltry old age pension is nothing, but a cruel joke to needy elderly persons. Amount of old-age pension should be immediately raised,” he demanded.
District and block-level workers of the party were asked to mobilise support for the ‘jail bharo' programme.
(Source : The Hindu)
