FOUR Left parties -- CPI(M), CPI, CPM Punjab and CPI(ML) Liberation -- held a week-long jatha programme in Punjab from December 1 to 7 against growing intolerance in the country and to spread the message of peace and communal harmony. The programme was also in support of the 15-point charter of demands of Left parties, containing the burning issues facing the people of the state. The programme got a very encouraging and good response from people all over Punjab. Workers of the four Left parties covered more than 550 villages and towns during the week-long programme. State secretaries of the Left parties -- Charan Singh Virdi of CPI(M), Hardev Arshi of CPI, Mangat Ram Pasla of CPM Punjab, and Gurmit Singh Bakhtupura of CPI(ML) Liberation, and other leaders addressed several meetings at various places. The leaders condemned rising intolerance in the country and attacks on people, organisations and communities that have views and way of life different from the RSS and its affiliates. The speakers appealed to the people to maintain peace and communal harmony and defeat the designs of the fundamentalist forces who want to disturb the hard-earned peace in Punjab. They condemned repeated incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in the state and failure of the Parkash Singh Badal-led Akali-BJP government to punish the culprits. It shows that the government is directly or indirectly involved in such acts to divert the attention of the people from its failures and the burning issues facing the people like unemployment, price rise, farmer suicides, rampant corruption, and increase in atrocities against women and dalits, they said. The state secretaries of the four Left parties thanked the people for their massive response to the jatha programme and declared that 500 political conferences will be organised in the state to highlight the burning issues facing the people and to compel the Akali-BJP government to accept the 15-point charter of demands of the Left parties. In Jalandhar, the jatha began after paying tributes at the memorial of Sarwan Singh Cheema. The jatha, led by Rashpal Kailey, Jagir Muai, Master Parshottam Bilga, Pandit Shri Ram, Mela Singh, Rurka Kalan and Sardar Mohammed, covered areas like Cheema Kalan, Cheema Khurd, Nurmahal, Kandola Kalan, Umarpur Kalan, Umarpuri, Talwan, Puadra and Bilga on the first day. On day two, the jatha began from Jandiala Manjhki with an impressive rally and covered Bharadbajian, Bundala, Kanha Dhesian, Rurka Kalan, Randhawa, Surja and Ghurka. In Patiala district, the week-long jatha started from the office of Khet Mazdoor Union at Bhung and covered Dutal, Khaspur, Gobindpura, Paind, Sutrana, Dugal, Chunagra, Hamjheri and Moulviwala villages. In each place, local workers organised impressive meetings. Kulwant Singh Moulviwala of CPI, Dharampal Sheel of CPI(M), and Puran Chand Nanhera of CPM Punjab, while addressing the meetings, demanded implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, adequate compensation to peasants whose cotton crop has been destroyed by white fly, ownership writes to abaadkars and curb on illegal activities of land and mining mafias. On the second day, the jatha began its march from Nabha town. A procession was taken out through the main bazaars of the town and the workers raised slogans in support of peace and communal harmony and against the anti-people policies of the central and state governments. It covered 10 villages in Nabha Tehsil. The jatha also covered Main, Ballan, Diwanwala, Hadana, Khalaspur, Daru Kutian and Saniarheri villages. Similarly in Ropar, the four Left parties organised a jatha, which started from Bhalan village in Nangal area and covered Majara, Bhanam, Gohlani and Mojowal villages. Addressing meetings along the jatha route, the Left leaders condemned the Badal-led Akali-BJP government for its failure to help the peasantry in distress. The next day, the jatha marched through more than 10 villages of Anandpur Sahib Tehsil and the Left leaders addressed corner meetings organised in the villages. In Hoshiarpur district, the jatha began at Dharampur village in Talwara tehsil, highlighting the message of peace and communal harmony and issues like problems of Kandi area, price rise, unemployment, drug addiction, increasing assaults on women and dalits, compensation to peasants affected due to crop loss owing to heavy rains and hailstorm etc. Harkanwal Singh, Asha Nand, Sumeet Palihar, Yugraj Singh, Sohan Singh, Amarjit Singh Kanugo, Jhushi Ram, Dharam Singh and Gurdev Singh Rana led the jatha in the district. It went through Alera, Banwara, Amroh, Ramgarh Sikri, Ambi, Bhambotar, Rajwal, Dosarka, Talwara, Datarpur, Karora and Badala villages. In Ferozepur, the jatha began from Kalu Arai village with an impressive rally under the presidentship of sarpanch Sardara Singh. CPI(M) district secretary Kuldip Singh Khunger and state secretary of the Border Area Sangharsh Committee Hansa Singh, while addressing the rally, demanded implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, waiving of debts of peasants and agricultural workers, supply of seeds and diesel at cheaper rates, Rs 3,000 as minimum pension to widows and elderly people and filling up of all vacant posts in government departments. A similar jatha was organised in Tarntaran district and it marched through the villages of Bhikhiwind tehsil. In Pathankot, workers of four Left parties marched through the main bazaars of the town on the first day of the week-long jatha programme. The workers raised slogans in support of peace and communal harmony. On the second day, the jatha marched through Nangalbhoor, Fulra, Ghiala, Ghura, Meerthal, Kentarpur and Lahri Bahmana villages. Kewal Krishan Kalia, Amrik Singh, Shiv kumar, Ashwani Kumar, Satdev Saini, Bikramjit, Subhash Sharma and other leaders addressed meetings held at various places along the jatha route. In Ludhiana district, the four Left parties organised a massive rally at Jagrqaon on the second day of the jatha programme, in which large number of peasants, agricultural workers, MGNREGA workers and other working people participated. The rally was addressed by Baldev Singh Kohli, Chamkaur Singh, Hakam Singh Dalla, Pal Singh Bhammipura, Gurmit Singh Mita, Lachhman Singh, Gurdip Singh Kotumra and other leaders. In Moga, the Left activists began their jatha from Dharamkot and held meetings in Data, Kishanpura, Indgarh and Baduwal villages. In Amritsar, the workers of Left parties paid tributes at the memorial of great freedom fighter Sohan Singh Bhakna before starting a jatha, which covered Khasa, Natar, Bhakna, Bhuso, Jathel, Rajatal, Rodawala, Attari, Gharinda, Mulakot and Lohrimal villages. On the jatha route, Left leaders addressed several street-corner meetings. Similar jathas were taken out in Sangrur, Muktsar, Fazilka and Moga districts.