Savita
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ON March 9, a joint rally named as ‘Badlav Sandesh Rally’ was organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India at HUDA Ground in Jind, Haryana. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI national secretary Amarjeet Kaur addressed the rally among others.
At the rally, leaders of both Communist parties, Sitaram Yechury and Amarjeet Kaur, launched a scathing critique against the BJP. Presided over by Inderjit Singh and Dr Neelam Sindhu, the rally saw a huge turnout, with many women holding high the red flags.
The leaders charged the double engine Modi and Khattar governments of causing economic ruin, undermining democracy, and jeopardising the country's longstanding socio-cultural fabric. They emphasized the urgent need for change, highlighting the severe consequences and destruction caused by the ten-year Modi regime. They asserted that the nation's resources were being plundered and handed over to the corporate sector. Yechury particularly noted that Rs 17 lakh crore of bank loans had been written off in the past decade, funds that could have otherwise been utilised to generate employment for the unemployed youth.
Yechury highlighted the insidious nature of electoral bonds as a brazen example of legalising corruption through corporate funding quid pro quo and underlined the fact that the CPI(M) had contested it in the Supreme Court. He expressed astonishment at how SBI was compelled to withhold details of donor companies, even in defiance of Supreme Court orders. He said that electoral bonds were just one among a series of scandals, including demonetisation, the Rafale deal, and others. He asserted that the communist parties were the only ones steadfastly opposed to electoral bonds as a policy. He pointed out that ED, CBI, and other institutions were being used to target the opposition. He emphasized that those in power are mere managers of the country and its assets, while the true owners are the public. If the manager is selling the country, the owner must replace them, he said. Commenting on heavily touted guarantees, he dismissed them as mere facades, arguing that guarantees should be implemented rather than merely promised, as exemplified by the Left Democratic Front government of Kerala. He stressed that the country requires alternative policies, not just changes in leadership.
CPI national secretary Amarjeet Kaur made a scathing attack against the Modi government, holding it responsible for inflicting unprecedented suffering upon farmers and workers, leading to soaring unemployment, poverty, and mounting distress. She said 25 per cent of suicides the previous year were committed by daily wage workers, and even MNREGA workers were deprived of their rightful job days. Kaur congratulated the farmers and toiling masses of Haryana for their heroic role in the historic farmers' struggle during 2020-21 at the borders of the national capital. She underscored the urgent need for a workers' and peasants' alliance to remove the corporate-communal alliance from power.
Sitaram Yechury and Amarjeet Kaur urged the people of Haryana to deliver a decisive blow to the BJP and JJP, following the INDIA Alliance's call to "Defeat BJP and Save the country." They expressed hope that all secular and democratic parties, along with individuals, would unite to ensure that anti-BJP votes were not divided in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
CPI(M) state secretary Surender Singh and CPI state secretary Dariav Singh Kashyap, addressing the rally, criticised the BJP government of Haryana for its indiscriminate privatisation of education, health, electricity, and other public sectors. They highlighted that due to the government's anti-people policies, Haryana leads in inflation and unemployment. They pointed out reductions in the budget for public welfare schemes, abolition of subsidies, and the dismantling of the public distribution system (PDS). The mandatory requirement of family ID cards and other conditions have resulted in the cancellation of BPL cards for thousands of people. Many small industries and businesses have shut down, and numerous posts in various government departments remain vacant or have been abolished instead of being filled. Educated youth are resorting to legal and illegal means to migrate abroad due to lack of opportunities. Under BJP rule, Haryana has witnessed a surge in organised crimes like murder, kidnapping, and theft, leaving common people living in fear while criminals thrive. Instead of prioritising policies for public welfare, the state BJP government aggressively implements pro-corporate and communal policies on the lines of the central government. The government is polarising society by spreading religious and caste-based hatred through the misuse of government machinery and media.
The rally started with a speech from state CPI(M) senior leader and national vice president of All India Kisan Sabha, Inderjit Singh. He criticised the BJP government for failing to fulfill its promise of doubling farmers' incomes, highlighting that instead, farmers and agricultural workers are burdened with doubled debts, leading to an increase in their suicides. The BJP government has also reneged on its commitments to ensure minimum support price (MSP) and provide loan waivers.
The rally adopted a resolution in support of the Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat scheduled for March 14 at Ramlila Ground, Delhi, as per the call of SKM and Central Trade Unions. The resolution demanded legal guarantees for MSP, loan waivers for farmers and workers, and the abolition of four regressive labour codes. Leaders expressed solidarity with farmers and agricultural workers who suffered significant crop losses due to recent hailstorms and demanded adequate compensation. They also emphasized the need to repeal anti-worker labour codes and provide permanent employment to temporary workers, including scheme workers, and to address unemployment.
Trade union leader Jai Bhagwan, agriculture workers’ union leader Premchand, women leaders Savita and Jagmati Sangwan, and kisan sabha leader Sukhdev Jammu, Advocate Ashwini Bakshi, among others, also addressed the rally. Senior CPI(M) leaders Prakash Chandra and Phool Singh Sheokand were present on the stage.
In preparation for the rally, an extensive campaign was conducted across the state, including holding nukkad (street corner) meetings in approximately 350 villages and colonies, collecting funds, and distributing leaflets on a large scale. Posters, stickers, and wall writings were used for publicising the rally. However, the BJP government's suspension of internet services and road blockades in many districts, in response to the farmers' movement, posed some challenges to the preparations. Consequently, the rally's date had to be postponed from February 25 to March 9.
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