Left MPs belong to CPI(M) ,RSP, CPI,
Forward Bloc. of both houses today held a dharna in the parliament
house gate number one in the morning demanding universal public
distributuon system, providing of 35 kg of rice at 2 rupees, and right
to food secuirty etc. During the dharna Samjadi Party leader Mulyam
Singh joined them.
The Mps raised slogan like 'No priority no general we demand universal public distribution system", 'provides 35 KG of food grains at a maximum rate of two rupees a kilo per family per month,' 'implement the recommendations of Swaminthan committee with regard to minimum support rice', 'withdraw future trading in foodgrains," "Scrap the planning commissions. highly dubious povery estimates". etc
This dhara was described by the leaders of the left members of parliament as ongoing stuggle which the left parties is carrying out outside the parliament. After a month long block level, district level campaign on these issues in the month of July, as the call of the left leaders a five day dhara was held at jantar mantar in national capital from 30th july to 3rd August. On 4th August a delegation of left parties comprising of Prakah Karat, Sudhar Reedy, Debarta biswas and Aboni Roy (RSP) met prime minister Manmohan Singh at his race course residence and handed over a memorandum listing their demands.
On the last day of the dhara at jantar mantaor on 3rd
august the left leaders announced that the struggle will continue and
left mps will raised the issue in the parliament, and Septmber 12 will
be observed all over in the country in local, block district level as
Annasurksha Divas.
Today's, dhara was attended by Basudev Acharia, K
Karunakaran , Tapan Sen ,Shymal Chakrboarty, Sushmita bauri Jharna Das
Baidya etc Gurudas Das gupta of CPI, Barun Mukherjee of forward bloc
,Manohar Tirkey (RSP etc.
Later on raising the issue in zero hour CPI(M) MP Basudev Acharia said in Lok Sabha that Left Parties organized five-day dharna from 30th July, 2012 to 3rd August, 2012 demanding Food Security Bill which was introduced in this House last year. We do not want it in that form. A fresh Food Security Bill should be brought before this House because this Bill, in the present form, will not provide food security to the entire population of our country. By introducing targeted Public Distribution System, the poor people of our country have been divided into BPL and APL. Now the proposal is to change the nomenclature from BPL and APL to priority and general. This proposed Bill also wants to divide the poor people of our country. Acharia said that One-fourth of our population remain hungry and they go to bed empty stomach. We have one of the highest mal-nutritioned population in the world. The hon. Prime Minister once said that it is a national shame. We have the highest number of women who are suffering from mal-nutrition. He said that they demanded universalisation of Public Distribution System in place of Targeted Public Distribution System. The entire population should be brought under the Public istribution System. Each family should be provided with 35 kilograms of foodgrains at Rs. 2/- per kilogram of food grains. There are some States where 30 to 35 kilograms of food grains are provided at just Rs. 1/- per kilogram of food grains. In the State of Tamil Nadu it is provided free of cost. In the proposed Food Security Bill, there is a provision of distribution of 25 kilograms of foodgrains at Rs. 3/- per kilogram has been proposed. We demand universal Public Distribution System should be introduced. Farmers also should get remunerative prices for their grains as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. Now, the MSP being provided to farmers does not meet their production costs. The prices of fertilizers have been increased by 100 per cent. The prices of seeds and other agricultural inputs have been increased. When there is an increase of 40 per cent, the corresponding increase in MSP is just 13 per cent during the Kharif season. So, we demand that the right to food security of our people should be protected and the proposed Food Security Bill should be adequately amended. Universal Public Distribution System should be introduced and each family should be provided with 35 kilograms of foodgrains at Rs. 2/-. We demand that the poor people of our country should be provided with food security.,he added He was supported: R. Thamaraiselvan (DMK) Maheswar Hazari (Janta Dal-United), Sk. Saidul Haque ,CPI(M), Shivkumar Udasi (BJP),T.K.S.Elangovan ,((DMK), Nama Nageswar Rao ,(TDP),Hukumdev Narain Yadav (BJP),P. Lingam ,(CPI),. Susmita Bauri ,(CPI-M), Nripendranath Roy ,(Forward BLOc)Bhudeo Choudhary ,(Janatadal-united),. Rama Devi ,(BJP Baidyanath Prasad Mahato (Janata Dal-United. Ashwamedh Devi (Janata dal),
In rajya sabha the matter was brought ot the notice of the house by Prasanta Chatterjee.
