Thousands of CPI(M) workers will participate in the dharnas  in support of the demands of peasants and workers  on October 12, 2015.

THE CPI(M) Punjab State Committee has called for maximum participation of people in the dharnas to be held at all district headquarters in Punjab on October 12, 2015, in support of burning problems of peasants and agricultural workers.

This was one of the key decisions taken at a meeting of the state committee held at Chandigarh on October 7, 2015. S Ramachandran Pillai, Polit Bureau member and Nilotpal Basu, Central Secretariat member attended the meeting which was presided over by Ranbir Singh Virk.

Pillai and Basu, while reporting on the current national situation in the country said that it is necessary to strengthen the CPI(M) and the Left Front  to protect the democratic  secular  fabric of the country  which is under serious threat from the Modi led BJP government and the Sangh Parivar. They said that during the last one year, the Modi government has on the one hand given tax rebates and subsidies freely to the corporate sector and MNCs; on the other hand the budget provisions for social welfare schemes are being reduced. As a consequence prices of essential commodities, particularly pulses and onions, are constantly increasing. There is a spurt in the attacks on minorities and the right wing forces are creating communal polarisation to realize their obnoxious goal of Hindu Rashtra.

While giving details of the decisions taken in the meeting Charan Singh Virdi, state secretary of CPI(M) said that thousands of CPI(M) workers will participate in the district level dharnas being organised by the Four Left Parties – CPI, CPI(M), CPM Punjab and CPI(M-L) Liberation all over Punjab in support of the burning demands of  the peasants and agricultural workers  particularly cotton, basmati and sugar cane growers. He said that the Left parties have demanded compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre to the peasants whose cotton crop has been destroyed by white fly and Rs 20,000 per family to agricultural workers. He further said that arrangements should be made for the purchase of masmati and minimum support price should be Rs 3500 per quintal. 

Commenting on the sale of sub-standard and spurious pesticides in Punjab, Virdi demanded that after proper investigation, the culprits should be punished. He said that the state committee was of the view that in this environment of crony capitalism this scam could not have taken place without the involvement of the agriculture minister and top bureaucrats of the government along with the traders involved in supply and sale of the pesticides.

The meeting also demanded filling up of vacant posts in government departments, minimum wage rate of Rs 15,000 per month for workers, regularisation of contract workers and minimum old age/widow pension of Rs 3000 thousand per month, etc.