Below we publish reports from the states on the protests organised by the Left Parties demanding the central government to sharply reduce the excise duties on petroleum products, and reduce its prices.
West Bengal
Thousands of people participated in the protest against incessant rise in the prices of petrol and diesel on June 29 in West Bengal. 16 Left parties and allied parties participated in the protest throughout the state. In Kolkata, leaders of 16 parties and that of the Congress, along with activists, stood beside the Red Road. They maintained the distancing norms, with placards in their hands, raising posters. They raised slogans against price hike and decisions of the Modi government. Participating in the programme, Biman Basu alleged that during the pandemic situation, the Modi government has unleashed attacks on the livelihood of the people. The continuous hike in petro prices has a cascading effect on everything. It has fuelled general price rise. Both the centre and state governments have collected revenue through this hike. No one is considering the problems of the people.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Mohammad Salim said, this price hike has helped private petro companies to garner profits much more than the state owned entities; they are close to Modi.
In Kolkata, demonstrations took place in more than 20 places.
In all districts hundreds gathered in front of government offices and demonstrated. In many districts, street corner meetings were organised. The programmes were organised at village panchayat and town levels throughout the state.
Meanwhile, peoples’ rage has been unleashed against corruption and unavailability of relief. Large sections of people have been deprived from ration and relief after the Amphan cyclone. There is an allegation of large scale corruption against the ruling party leaders. In many places, people gathered in front of BDO offices and showed their anger. There were serious protests against the TMC leaders, held sometimes in front of their houses. Women are taking a leading role in many places.
(From our correspondent)
DELHI
THE Left parties (CPI(M), CPI, CPI-ML, RSP and CGPI) held protest demonstrations on June 30 in Delhi on the issue of hike in diesel and petrol prices. In Delhi, other demands of the NCR were also added. The Left parties in Delhi had given a 16 point demand charter to the Delhi government on June 20, on the sufferings of the people due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. The demands included free Covid-19 testing and treatment facilities for all, a financial assistance of Rs 7,500 per month to be given to the families (those outside the IT bracket) affected by the lockdown for the next six months, immediate withdrawal of the 12 hour duty proposal, enactment of 'Urban Employment Guarantee Act' on the lines of MNREGA and a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000 for young men and women. It also demanded from the central government to double the number of beds in hospitals run by the centre in Delhi. The Delhi government must break its silence on fake cases against activists and leaders, who were in the forefront of the mass movement against the citizenship law, should also demand the withdrawal of cases against them by the central government and push for their immediate release. The Left parties also voiced anger against the indiscriminate privatisation of profit making public sector units and increased instances of outsourcing of jobs and contractorisation.
HIMACHAL PRADESH
CPI(M) Shimla local committee held a protest demonstration outside the deputy commissioner’s office, on June 30 against the incessant hike in diesel and petrol prices. The demonstration later turned into a street meeting which was addressed by leaders of Shimla town committee, Vijender Mehra, Jagat Ram and Balbir Prashar. In this period, due to lockdown, earlier demonstrations were held only outside the Party offices, but this time the protest was held outside the office of the deputy commissioner. The police in the town are selective in targeting the protesters. The CPI(M) protests in the past, despite being organised with Covid protocol of physical distancing, were termed illegal by the police and cases were slapped against the leaders even when the protests were just in front of the Party offices. However, BJP and its organisations were provided immunity and allowed to hold demonstrations wherever they felt like. The CPI(M) local committee strongly criticised this selective behaviour of the police and the district administration.
TELANGANA
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member BV Raghavulu condemned the central government for increasing petrol and diesel prices during the crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a protest programme organised by the Left parties in Hyderabad on June 25, he demanded immediate reduction in the fuel prices.
Protest activities were taken up across the state in 260 centers in 34 districts by seven Left parties. About 7,750 people participated in these protests and at some centres, the activists pulled motor vehicles with ropes to express their discontent at the government’s decision. A few protestors were arrested in two centres.
“Shame! Shame! Petrol hike during Corona time”, “Withdraw hiked prices”, “Burden to people and profits to Reliance, Is this the Acche Din of BJP”, “Rs 7,500 should be given to poor families during corona period” and “State government must put pressure on Centre to reduce fuel prices” were some of the slogans raised by the Left parties activists.
BV Raghavulu, said that the Modi government has imposed an unofficial emergency. “They are hiking prices of diesel and petrol as they like, and are protecting the corporates. People are being looted and big business is being given concessions. Since the BJP assumed power, civil liberty is being trampled upon, and democracy is being destroyed,” he lamented. He said that false cases are being foisted against people protesting in democratic ways and said that the government, adding to the troubles caused by the coronavirus pandemic, is imposing further burdens on people. He said that taxes are being collected forcibly.
CPI(M) state secretary T Veerabhadram explained that diesel and petrol prices increased because of taxes imposed by state and central governments. He warned of intensified agitations if the fuel prices are not reduced.
Chada Venkatareddy expressed anxiety over the government collecting heavy taxes during this crisis time. CPI(ML) New Democracy leader K Rama and Tandrakumar, MCPI(U) also spoke.
Participating in another protest in front of the Directorate of Health, in Hyderabad, BV Raghavulu said that the state and central governments have miserably failed in containing the spread of Covid-19.
The CPI(M) activists at the protest demanded for more tests and inclusion of Covid-19 treatment under the Aarogyasri scheme. They demanded that the government should appoint more medical and para medical staff to meet the needs of the ever increasing Covid-19 cases in the state. Leaders including BV Raghavulu, Cherupally Seethramulu, DG Narasimha Rao, T Jyothi, John Wesley and others were arrested.
BV Raghavulu demanded that the private hospitals and labs should be taken over through an ordinance. In many countries private hospitals have been nationalised, he reminded. He demanded that through private and public hospitals, corona tests should be done extensively. He said that Kerala is not a rich state, but because a Left democratic government is in power, coronavirus could successfully be contained. There are more tourists from abroad in Kerala and corona effect should have been more there if not for the steps taken by its state government.
(Kambhampati Sarma)
UTTAR PRADESH
THE Left Parties - CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML-Liberation) and Forward Block held demonstrations across the state against the hike in petrol and diesel prices since last 23 days and against increasing price of essential commodities. These protest demonstrations were also supported by various mass organisations of kisans, workers, youth, women and agricultural workers.
The Left parties were actively raising issues even during the lockdown period following the protocol of the lockdown. However, during the protests held against the petrol and diesel hike, the activists did not stop holding these protests despite prohibitory orders by the police. These protests were held at various levels; at the village level the branches organised successful demonstrations. In various districts even processions were taken out on the streets. The memoranda were submitted to the police officials who tried to stop the protesters at various places in the state. It is an irony that the police is very selective is obstructing processions. Whereas, the BJP cadres were/are allowed to move freely and hold processions in the state in the guise of atma nirbhar(self-reliant) campaign, others are not allowed to hold protests even for genuine demands of the people. The protests by the Left parties were held at 455 places in 57 districts. These districts are: Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Kanpur, Mathura, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Agra, Jalaon, Allahabad, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Sultanpur, Sonbhadra, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Kushinagar, Gajipur, Maharajganj, Bulandshahr, Muradabad, Shamli, Oreya, Kasganj, Banda, Itawa, Mainpuri, Fatehpur(Khaga), Jaunpur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bahraich, Balrampur, Farooqabad, Raibareili, Ajamgarh, Balia, Bhadrohi, Barabanki, Hathras, Gonda, Deveria, Mau, Basti, Ambedkarnagar, Hamirpur, Firozabad, Bijnour, Lakhimpur Khiri, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Sitapur.
Memoranda were submitted to the district administration which were addressed to the president of India. The memorandum focussed on the incessant price rise and hike in petrol and diesel prices since last three weeks. It was mentioned that despite the fact that there is low price of crude oil at the international level, the government of India is looting the people of the country in the interests of the large oil companies by raising the prices irrationally. During this period of the pandemic when the people's pockets are empty as there has been massive unemployment and people are without work, the government instead of providing relief to them has mounted additional burdens. With the hike in petrol and diesel prices, the severest hit are the kisans, workers, business people, transporters and common people.
The memorandum further stressed on providing relief to the people. The major demands include: cash transfer of Rs 7,500 per month for six months to every non-income tax household; provide 10 kg ration per person, per month for six months free of cost; improvement in the law and order situation in UP; stop the attacks on dalits and minorities; improve the conditions of Covid designated hospitals and that of institutional quarantine centres; people must be tested for Covid by the government and free treatment must be provided to them; increase the ambit of MNREGA and stop corrupt practices in it.
The memorandum also highlighted the demand of putting an end to the victimisation of political and social activists. As unlock 2.0 is announced so should political activities be allowed in the state.
(Hiralal Yadav)
