Left parties to contest 14 seats in Delhi

Left parties have joined forces and decided to fight on 14 seats in the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls focussing on various "anti people" policies, resist communal campaigns and highlighting issues of the working poor.
 

"The CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) LIBERATION, SUCI(C), Forward Bloc, RSP and Socialist Party (India) have come to a seat-sharing arrangement and will be extending support to each other on 14 seats," a statement said.

The parties has decided to field its candidates in Timarpur, Ballimaran, Palam, Trilokpuri and Krishna Nagar (CPI), Karawal Nagar and Dwarka (CPI-M), Narela, Wazirpur and Kondli (CPI(M-L) Liberation), Mundka and Nangloi Jat (AIFB), Badli and Sadar Bazar (SUCI(C).

The party statement said that although Socialist Party (India) and RSP are not contesting any seat, they will support the above candidates fielded by other Left parties.

"We will be seeking to highlight issues of Delhi's working poor including implementation of minimum wage and all labour laws, ending contractualization, upholding the right of all street hawkers to ply their livelihood without harassment, end to demolition of jhuggis, legal ownership to slum dwellers...

"...The Left parties are also committed to actively resisting communal campaigns and promoting unity and peace among people," the statement said.

The party alleged that the Narendra Modi government is vehemently pushing forward the neo-liberal agenda as a kind of pay back to the corporates for their support in the elections and is "hell bent on changing labour laws in favour of employers".

"The RSS-BJP is indulging in a venomous communal campaign in order to divide the people and deflect the growing discontent against their government into disruptive channels.

"In Delhi, the BJP-RSS have made cynical attempts to engineer communal violence in Bawana, Trilokpuri, Sriram Colony, Nand Nagri, Madanpur Khadar and others. Their immediate aim is to polarize people on communal lines for electoral gains in the forthcoming Assembly elections...," it said

CPIM Delhi State Conference

Com. K M Tiwari

The 14th Delhi State Conference of the CPI (M) took place on 20-21st December 2014 in Comrade Mohan Lal Hall at Ambedkar Bhawan, Delhi. The Conference began with flag hoisting by Delhi State Secretariat Member Rampal and laying flowers on the Martyrs Column. A condolence resolution was adopted condoling the deaths of former Polit bureau members, R. Umanath, Samar Mukherjee, State Secretariat members, Mohan Lal and Vijendra Sharma, along with Hugo Chavez and Nelson Mandela. The Conference also condoled those who were martyred in struggles of the people. 

The Conference was inaugurated by Party General Secretary, Prakash Karat. He spoke of how the global financial crisis continues to make its impact felt even after eight years. The revival is incomplete and uneven. Even though US imperialism has weakened in the economic realm in the last 10-20 years, its hegemony at the military-political level remains intact. Contradictions within the imperialist camp, as well as that between the advanced capitalist countries are becoming sharp. It sees India as one of the main partners in its geo-strategic designs in Asia, which has further been facilitated by the tilt of our ruling classes towards the international finance capital. In our Country, the political situation has changed completely in the period since the last conference, with an overall rightward shift in the political trajectory. The struggle against the aggressive neoliberal policies and the communalism has to go hand in hand. Left is fighting back to overcome electoral setbacks and develop struggles against neo-liberal policies, communalism.
 

A presidium consisting of Brahmjeet Singh, Rampal and Sehba Farooqui presided over the Conference. State Secretary, P.M.S. Grewal presented the Report on behalf of the Delhi State Committee. He outlined how the communal game plans of RSS-BJP have intensified in the period since the Lok Sabha elections, with attempts of communal polarization in various parts of the state. Attacks on the livelihoods and rights of the working classes, various sections of urban poor, dalits, minorities and women continue unabated under the neoliberal regime. Emergence of AAP has been a major political development in the state. The experience of the 49 days of the AAP government and its policies has shown that it too is a votary of neoliberal policies. He called upon the delegates to discuss ways to intensify sustained struggles on local issues of the people, draw correct experiences from such struggles and take tasks which can help in the expansion of the party and the mass organizations.
 

A total of 175 delegates participated in the Conference. 49 delegates participated in a political and objective debate spread over two days and enriched the Report. Resolutions were adopted on the struggle against communalism, rights of the working class, against neoliberal assaults, on crimes against women and struggles for civic amenities. The Report was adopted by the Conference. 

The Conference elected a 30 member State Committee with K.M. Tiwari as its Secretary. A 9 member Secretariat consisting of K.M. Tiwari, P.M.S. Grewal, M.L. Malkotia, Anurag Saxena, Asha Sharma, Brijesh Kumar Singh, Nathu Prasad, P.I. Raveendranathan and Sehba Farooqui was also elected.

Jogendra Sharma, member Central Secretariat gave the closing address and stressed the need for sustained struggles. Organization can be built only through struggles and struggles can be built only through organization. It is necessary to prepare the entire ranks of the party and mass organizations for effective struggle against the disastrous impact of neo-liberal policies and communalism. He expressed confidence that through planned movements, the Party will be able to emerge as a credible political force in the Delhi-NCR region.

Kisan March to Parliament

Hundreds of peasants from the States neighbouring Delhi marched to Parliament on 18^th February demanding remunerative prices for their produce, settlement of arrears of Sugarcane Farmers, against dilution of APMC Act and other related matters. A delegation including Basudeb Acharia, Saidul Haque, Hannan Mollah, Amra Ram and others submitted a detailed Memorandum to the Agriculture Minister (copy attached) after the March.

 

The Parliament March was addressed by Hannan Mollah, General Secretary, AIKS, Amra Ram, President AIKS, K.Varadharajan, Vice-President, AIKS, S.Ramachandran Pillai, Vice President, AIKS, D.P.Singh, President U.P. Kisan Sabha, Harpal Singh, Secretary, Haryana Kisan Sabha, Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon, Secretary, Punjab Kisan Sabha, Dulichand, Secretary, Rajasthan Kisan Sabha and Jaswinder Singh, President, M.P. Kisan Sabha. Vijoo Krishnan, AIKS Joint Secretary made the introductory remarks and welcomed the gathering. P.Krishnaprasad, AIKS Finance Secretary made the concluding remarks.

 

Basudeb Acharia, Chairperson, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and leader of CPI(M), Lok Sabha, C.P.Narayanan, M.P, K.N.Balagopal. M.P, CPI(M), Rajya Sabha, addressed the Parliament March. Khagen Das, M.P, Ramchandra Dome and Saidul Haque, M.P, CPI(M) Lok Sabha also joined in solidarity.

Angry protest by SFI in Delhi

Delhi state committee of the Students Federation  of India  hold an angry protest at Banga Bhvan againt the cold blooded  murder of Comrade  Sudipto Gupta,.They were  joined by  DYFI ,JMS and other mass organisations.

While Sitaram Yechury addressed the meeting. Among those who were present were, Jogendera Sharma member of  CPI(M) secretaiat, Pushpendra Grewal state secretary of  Delhi party,  B  Balagopal CPI(M)  MP and M B Rajesh MP  DYFI President,  Nurul Hooda and Bijoo Krishana (AIKS),  Vijay Prasad, NK Sharma, Sudhanva Despande, Rajndra Prasad. etc. Sunand CEC member  of SFI.,  JMS leader Sonia Verma, as well the JNUSU representatives were also presentetc

Banga Bhavan was never protected by so  many police personnel.,  Hundreds of protesters assembled  in the Barakhama  Road side of Hailey Road and marched  towards Banga Bhavan carrying SFI flags and  placards  decrying the incidents and  raisng  slogans. They broke the  barricades, as well as the locked gates. Angry protesters sloganeered inside the building for more than  half and hours shouting slogans before  coming out  after which  a public meeting was organised.

Sitram Yechuy MP  who was also All India President  of SFI  said that as  Com.  Sudpito was killed in the police custody, which means the police is responsible  for it, that means the government is responsible. He demanded  immediate constiution of a  judicial enquiry   to look into the matter. He said this  incident was  not a one off  case of police brutality , rather it shows the deterioration of law and order, and the continous assault on democracy and democratic institutions in last two years, since the Mamata bannerkjee  led government came to power in the state.  There  have been more  than 600 instances of attacks on elected students  unions and students activites.
He said   the incidents of the  killing of  a  SFI  leader reminds us of the 1972 semi fascists terror  in West Bengal  which was followed  taking away of democratic rights of the people  in the form of emergency all over the country.
In this present situation prevailing in the countrry, it is important for us to realise, that as gradually  it is a  going on the way of repeat of 1972 semi fascist terror is West Bengal, what will follow in the entire country , one should ponder.
He said protest will continue , come what may.

Huge Rally at Ramlila Grounds Calls for Mass Struggle for Alternative Policies

 

 CPI(M) calls for wide spread movement to establish the six fundamental demands raised for the people. In a massive rally on 19th March at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi it announced a programme of Dharna or sit in demonstration with civil disobedience in the districts, blocks offices across the country from 15th to 31st May keeping the demands in forefront of land, food security, employment, Right to education and health, equal rights for women. The movements are to be launched from people’s gathering. If necessary one will court arrest also, announced CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat. This is but the initiation of a bigger struggle for implementation of alternative policies aimed at the betterment of the people. The thousands and thousands of people gathered in the heart of the capital resolved to launch a non-stop united struggle with other Left Parties across the country. The rally marked the convergence of four Jathas from across the four corners of the Country that traversed about 10,000km distance. The top leadership of the CPI(M) led these Jathas from various parts of the country. It started on 24th February from Kanyakumari with the Southern Jatha. In between 14th to 16th March the four Jathas reached New Delhi. After this was this gathering. The motive behind this Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha was to explain in front of the people about the necessity of struggle to establish the alternative policies. To carry the message of struggle to the masses. As CPI(M) Polit Bureau member said in this rally that people want struggle. People want to be a part of the struggle. At the call of the CPI(M) people had gathered in the heart of the capital as a part of the struggle and had left with the news of struggle.
In the gathering, the President of the meeting Prakash Karat in his commencing speech at the very onset made it clear about the very purpose of the meeting by saying when others are thinking about the forth coming election, this meeting is not for vote but for struggle. At the beginning of his speech he said in this gathering the bidi workers of solapur, the land labourers of Bihar-Uttar Pradesh are there and the toiling masses are there. This is the real India.
Prakash Karat said gradually the state of the toiling masses is worsening. The land of the farmers are being taken away, there is no food security, lakhs and lakhs of youth remain unemployed, there is no scope for education and health for all, atrocities on women is increasing. The central policies are for the multimillionaires; it is being framed for the benefit of the richest. All the assets of the country from land-factories-mines are being handed over to the multimillionaires. Due to the policies of the Government, prices of commodities are rising. In this year’s Central Budget there has been curtailment on subsidies on things, which are of use to the common people. Subsidies on petroleum product have been curtailed. After decontrol, the price of petrol has risen 21 times. The price of diesel is now going to rise every month. The farmers of this country are in trouble but Government subsidy is being curtailed. From 1999 onwards 2lakhs 90thousand farmers have committed suicide. The Government is unperturbed. Now by allowing 100 percent foreign investment in retail business, the livelihood of four crores of retail businessmen is going to be endangered.
He said unless the UPA Government can be removed from its seat, the condition of the people will not change. What is the alternative? The BJP is walking in their path of same liberalization policies, pampering the national and international capital. On the other hand they are competing with Congress in corruption. In recent times The BJP Chief Minister of Karnataka has been jailed for illegal mining corruption. BJP’s Narendra Modi’s Gujrat model is being talked about but what actually is this model that the multimillionaires know very well. They are being given land for no cost, electricity with no surcharge, tax benefit. So that they can ensure more profit. Gujrat is lagging behind in education-health. Gujrat is in the forefront in child malnutrition. The minorities have been awarded a second-class citizen status. This model will cause the downfall of the country.
Karat said that the only option against these policies of liberalization is to fight for the cause of the alternative policy. Through the mass struggle of poor, labours, farmers, youth, women, tribals a strong alternative policy has to be framed. The non-congress, non-BJP parties have to think whether the condition of the poor people can improve without an alternative policy. They should come forward but whether they come or not CPI(M) along with other Left Parties will continue with the fight for an alternative policy.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau members, Sitaram Yechury, Biman Bose, Brinda Karat, Manik Sarkar also addressed the gathering.
The huge gathering of poor people under the banner of the red flag in the heart of the capital will take back the message of struggle to all the parts of the country. In the coming days the struggle of the poor for the alternative policies will spread to the nook and corner of the country. That is the message of the huge rally at Ramlila Grounds, New Delhi.

CPI (M) Delhi State Committee condemns the barbarous rape of a young woman

CPIM Delhi State Committee Press Release  

The CPI (M), Delhi State Committee condemns in the strongest possible terms the barbarous rape of a young woman in a moving bus in Delhi on Sunday night. This heinous incident once again highlights the sad fact that Delhi has indeed become the rape capital of India. This alarming situation is the result of gross negligence of the Central and State Governments and law enforcement agencies towards safety of women and girls. Low rates of conviction and delays in filing complaints and investigations are common in most cases of rape in Delhi. Law enforcement agencies responsible dealing with such crimes are not made accountable for their entirely callous, often complicit behaviour. Political protection and social sanction to those responsible for different crimes against women have made matters worse. The CPI (M) demands: • Setting up fast track courts in rape and all other cases of violence against women. • Time bound plan by govts to deal with pending cases of crimes against women. • Preventive measures by Central & State govts to stem increase in crimes vs women. • Punishment of police officials guilty of delaying filing FIRs in cases of sexual crimes. • Punishment for those providing political and social protection to the accused. • Speedy passage of the Bill for the Prevention of Sexual Assault in the Workplace. However, laws alone will not be enough to curb sexual crimes against women. Simultaneously there is an urgent need to combat the retrograde and anti-women values that dominate society. The CPI (M) calls upon the people to raise their voice against the horrendous sexual crimes being perpetrated against women and children in Delhi. This is essential for forcing the callous Central and State Govts to take effective measures ensuring the safety of women and children as well as for sensitizing society towards the need to resolutely combat the deluge of dreadful sexual crimes with which Delhi is beset. (P.M.S. Grewal) Secretary

CPIM protest dharna against Coal block allocation scandal

Hundreds of  CPI(M) activists from Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida gathered  on Jantar Mantar to protest against coal blocks allocation scandals. A dharna was organised which was later on converted in a public meeting.

The meeting was addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Com. Brinda Karat, CC member and Delhi State Committee Secretary Com. PMS Grewal and from Secretariat  K M Tiwari, Com. Asha Sharma and Com. Anurag Saxena.  The public meeting was later on joined upon by 4 members of Parliament.  The meeting was chaired and conducted by Delhi State Committee Secretariat member Com. Vijender Sharma.

Speaking on the occasion Com. Brinda Karat said that out of 142 allocations, 70 to 76 were made to private companies without following proper procedures. Most of the private companies captured the land and assets to increase their value in the share market. However none of them have mined the allocated areas.  Both Congress and BJP have helped private parties like Jindal and Reddy Brothers. She also pointed out that coal is a national natural resource which should not be opened for private parties to destroy it. Com. PMS Grewal in his address said that in most of the scandals Congress has blamed the allies or the other ministers keeping Manmohan Singh clean. Now it is very much clear that Manmohan Singh himself is involved in this. Com. Ramchander Dom stressed the need to fight corruption both inside and outside the parliament. In the end, an effigy of the Prime Minister was burnt.

Protest against reckless academic reforms in Delhi Univeristy

A joint protest march and Dharna was organized by various teachers’ and students’ organizations on 24th August in the North Campus of Delhi University against the reckless manner in which the host of academic ‘reforms’ including the proposed 4 years undergraduate course and the meta university concept are being pushed through in the university. The earlier experience is for all to see- inflated scores on one hand, while mass failures on the other; acute crisis of infrastructural facilities in various colleges, recurring administrative lapses have become order of the day for the students.

More than 600 teachers and students marched from the Vivekananda statue to the VC office, going through various colleges of the campus. The authoritarian attitude of the administration was clear once again, when for the first time in the last 40 years, the gates of the VC office were blocked by police barricades. It was only after the relentless pressure of the students and the teachers that the proctor was forced to give orders for removing the barricades.

The dharna at the VC office was addressed by: Prashant (AIDSO), Sunny (AISA), Durgesh (AISF), Sachin (CTF) and Sunand (SFI).

SFI resolves to intensify the fight against the ongoing process of neo-liberal reforms which are being pushed through at the diktats of the UPA government, ruining the future of the student community and declares that today’s protest rally only marks the beginning of a series of protest actions and broader movement in the University.

CPIM protest Electricity tarrif hike in Delhi

Comrade Vijender Sharma adressing the protestors

The Delhi State CPI (M)  on 28 June, 2012 held a demonstration at ITO to protest against the massive increase in power tariffs announced by the DERC two days ago. Hundreds of men and women participated.

The protestors were addressed by Anurag Saxena (CITU), Sehba Farooqui (JMS), Puran Chand (DYFI), Arjun Sengupta (SFI) and P.M.S. Grewal (CPI-M). Party State Secretariat member, Vijender Sharma presided over the protest meeting.

The speakers strongly condemned the Delhi State Government for heaping such a huge burden upon the people of Delhi. Power tariffs have increased by an unheard of 64% in just 10 months. Coming in the backdrop of high inflation, especially in food items, this hike in power tariffs is nothing but a brazen attack on the livelihood of the people. The alacrity, with which the Chief Minister has defended hikes in power tariffs, makes it amply clear that she has no concern for the people of Delhi. Instead she is behaving more like an agent of private power companies.

The speakers demanded immediate withdrawal of the recent power tariff hike. This must be followed by an independent and transparent audit of the accounts of the power companies, who as is known have been fudging their books to conceal the massive profits that they are actually making.

The demonstration ended with the resolve to take the campaign against the power hike to wider sections of the people for building pressure to force the government to withdraw these atrocious hikes in power tariffs.

Left parties to contest Delhi Municipal Corporation Elections

CPI(M) will contest nine seats in the Delhi municipal polls slated to be held on April 15th. The party has fielded five candidates in North Delhi Corporation and two each from South Delhi and East Delhi corporations. Of the nine candidates, five are women. The seats from which the party is contesting are Banker, Alipur (SC-Women), Mangolpuri, Prana Pratap Bagh (Women), Inderpuri (SC), Sagarpur, Meetheypur, Dilshad Colony and Sonia Vihar (Women).

Communist Party of India has fielded 17 candidates across the three new corporations. The CPI has fielded nine candidates for the east Delhi corporation, three for the south and five for the north. Com AK Mathur, candidate from Ayanagar (ward number 175) in south Delhi andVinod Chopra from Khichripur (ward number 214) in east Delhi

CPIM Delhi State Conference calls to strengthen struggles at local levels

Albeena Shakeel

The 13^th Delhi State Conference of the CPI(M) took place on 8-9^th December 2011 in Harkishan Singh Surjeet Hall at Azadpur Gaon, Delhi. The Conference began with flag hoisting by Delhi State Secretariat Member Mohan Lal and laying flowers on the Martyrs Column. A condolence resolution was adopted condoling the deaths of Polit Bureau members Harkishan Singh Sujeet, Jyoti Basu and M.K.Pandhe, along with Kalindi Deshpande and Alam Sher Siddiqui. The Conference also condoled the deaths of party comrades who were killed in political attacks or struggles as well as the people who had lost their lives in people’s struggles, terrorist and communal violence, accidents and natural calamities.

The Conference was inaugurated by Party General Secretary, Prakash Karat. He spoke of how many had predicted that capitalism would triumph undisputed after the demise of the Soviet Union. However, since mid-2007 capitalism is in its greatest crisis ever since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Advanced capitalist countries have been unable to recover from the crisis and are transferring the economic burden of the crisis on to the working people. It is clear that the promise of peace held out by Barack Obama is vacuous and the US along with its NATO allies is continuing with its military aggression. Several points of challenge to the neo-liberal order have emerged across the world: the Occupy Wall Street movement in the US, the anti-austerity movements in Europe and the advance of left-wing forces in countries across Latin America. The economy of China too is growing fast and is predicted to surpass the US economy by 2020. The US and its allies are struggling to maintain their hegemony over the world. In our country too, two decades of neo-liberalism have had an adverse impact on various classes, including the peasantry, workers, lower middle classes, small manufacturers and traders, etc. While the party is trying to overcome the electoral setbacks suffered by the Left over the past couple of years, the future of the Party and the Left movement lies in strengthening struggles against the adverse impact of neo-liberalism on the people. In Delhi, intensifying local struggles among various sections of the people would be the way forward.

A presidium consisting of Brahmjeet Singh, Rampal and Sehba Farooqui presided over the Conference. Vijender Sharma presented the Report on behalf of the Delhi State Committee. He outlined how the Congress government in the state had intensified its neo-liberal onslaught over the past few years. Apart from being steeped in corruption over the CWG, the Delhi government had failed to take any significant step against price rise, had reduced expenditure on the people and had backtracked on many of its promises made before the assembly elections in 2008. Based on the experience of work, he urged upon the delegates to intensify struggles against imperialism, anti-people economic policies, communalism and casteism. He called upon the delegates to discuss ways to intensify sustained struggles on local issues of the people, against the adversities faced by the working classes, especially unorganized sector workers, on expanding work in new areas by targeting slums, building sustained struggles for ensuring the rights of dalits, minorities and women, and making more concerted efforts in priority areas.

A total of 165 delegates participated in the Conference. 56 delegates participated in a political and objective debate spread over two days and enriched the Report. Resolutions were adopted on the rights of the working people, against price rise, against corruption, on the rights of women, on the rights of dalits and Muslims and against communal and terrorist violence. The Report was adopted by the Conference. The Conference elected a 25 member State Committee with P.M.S. Grewal as its Secretary.

Jogender Sharma gave the closing address and urged upon the delegates to intensify struggles on local issues. He drew on the positive experiences and achievements of the Delhi Party and urged upon comrades to conduct focused and sustained struggles on issues concerning the people. He especially urged upon delegates to expand the work of the Party in targeted slum clusters, among unorganized sector workers, on citizens issues like educations and health, and on social justice issues.

The Conference was followed by a massive Public Meeting in Azadpur Village. Vijender Sharma presided over the meeting. Asha Sharma, secretary of the host North Delhi Local Committee and Rampal, Secretariat member, addressed the massive gathering and urged upon the people to join the struggles of the CPI(M) on people’s issues. Polit Bureau member, Brinda Karat spoke on the anti-people policies of the UPA government and its failure to curb price rise due to its faulty policies. She criticized the proposed Right to Food Bill and said that it would further curtail the Public Distribution System. She said the UPA government was completely steeped in corruption and had failed to reassure the people about its intensions to curb corruption. She spoke on how growing numbers of people in Delhi were finding work in the unorganized sector and demanded comprehensive social security for them. She also said that the government’s move to bring FDI in retail needs to be withdrawn completely because it would lead to massive job loss and would adversely affect small retailers as well as the farmers, small traders and manufacturers of the country. She called upon the people to strengthen the Left alternative in the present context in order to advance the rights of the people.

Left Parties organize dhrana in Delhi against price rice and corruption

The four Left Parties organized a dharna against corruption and price rise at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on July 21. The dharna was organized as the culmination of the week long campaign by the left parties from 15-21 July against corruption and price rise. Hundreds of activists participated in the dharna. Leaders from Delhi and the national leadership of the left parties were present in the dharna and addressed the gathering.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechcury pointed out that the corruption we are seeing today is not some simple corruption due to deterioration of moral values. Corruption today is linked with the neo-liberal economic policies being pursued by the ruling classes today. Without fighting corruption it is not possible to build a new India for which we have the potential, he said. The money lost in 2G spectrum scam alone is sufficient to provide food to all people at Rs 3 per kg for two years, or finance the expenditure on the Right to Education for five years. He emphasized on the need for electoral reforms to strengthen the fight against corruption and demanded that corporate funding of political parties be banned. He appealed to the people to strengthen the fight against corruption and price rise.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said the UPA government was completely sunk in corruption and it has lost all credibility. The Left Parties want a comprehensive and effective Lokpal bill and not a toothless legislation. He appealed to the participants to be ready for bigger struggles in the future.

Abani Roy from the RSP called on the people to mobilize against corruption and price rise in greater numbers. He said that those who cannot provide relief to the common people have no right to remain in government.

Debbrata Biswas from the AIFB attacked the government for fueling price rise. He also said sustained struggles need to be built and anger of the people must be channelized into militant struggles.

CPI (M) Delhi State Secretary P M S Grewal, Dinesh Varshney from the CPI, Asit Ganguly from RSP, and Dharmendra Kumar from AIFB also addressed the gathering.

Delhi dharna protests prise rise and corruption

A massive dharna was organised on 15th July at Jantar mantar, New Delhi by over thirty (30) left political parties and mass organisations of student, youth, women and workers -- CPI(M), CPI, RSP, AIFB, CPI(ML), SUCI-C, CPI(ML-ND), Peoples Front, Yuva Bharat, PDFI, WPI, AIDWA, NFIW, AIMSS, SFI, AISF, AIDSO, AISA, DYFI, AIYF, RYA, SYAC, AIDYO, CITU, AITUC, AIFTU, AICCTU, IFTU, AIUTUC, Journalists (Seema Mustafa, Khalilul Rahman), Teachers (Kamal Chenoy, Anuradha Chenoy, S.N. Malakar) and Teesra Swadheenta Andolan -- and other concerned citizens including journalists and teachers. Through this dharna attention was focused on the concerns of the people and the central government’s inability, and unwillingness, to deal with the issues of rising prices and corruption. Proceedings of the dharna were conducted by Amarjit Kaur (CPI) and Vijender Sharma (CPI-M). Fourteen speakers addressed the dharna which included Atul Kumar Anjaan (CPI), Gopal Rai (Teesra Swadhinta Andolan), Albeena Shakil (CPI-M), Asit Ganguly (RSP), Dharmendra Kumar (AIFB), Kavita Krishnan (CPI-ML), Pratap Sawal (SUCI-C), Naresh Gupta (People’s Front), Arjun Prasad Singh (PDFI), P.C. Henza (WPI), Aparna (CPI-ML-ND), Rakesh Rafiq (Yuva Bharat), P.K. Shahi (AIFTU) and Khalilul Rahman (Journalist). The speakers criticised the pro-rich, anti-people and anti-poor policies of the UPA government which has proved to be incapable of handling crisis and challenges. Spiraling prices and increasing corruption involving politicians, industrialists and their lobbyists has put the UPA and its allies on the defensive to the point where the government is adopting authoritarian tactics to deny civil society and the people of India the right to democratic space. The Left parties have been highlighting these issues for several years now, suggesting concrete measures to bring down the prices, tackle corruption and bring relief to the common man. Unfortunately, the government has apathetic and indifferent to these vital issues. Instead it is resorting to increasingly authoritarian measures with the democratic rights of the people being seriously impinged upon by the state. The Left parties and organizations have decided to launch a united, mass political action starting with today’s dharna. We call upon the government to take immediate measures to curtail corruption and tackle price rise. The Lokpal Bill can be just one of the many steps required for a meaningful and effective response to corruption that is eating into the vitals of India.