Communist protest march against center and state govt.

Sat, Jan 25, 2014 at 3:08 PM
Price rise and deteriorating law and order situation were the main issues
Rly station to Clock Tower was like red flag area

Ludhiana: 25 Jan 2014: (Rector Kathuria//Peoples Screen):
The Communist Party of India (CPI) and  CPI(M) held a protest march against the rise in prices of essential commodities including the LPG Petrol, deteriorating law and order situation and other anti people policies of the state government, consolidation of land and sand mafia, criminal activities of drug mafia and increase in the petty crime. The parties held rally at the railway station and then marched to the Clock Tower Chowk. Speaking on the occasion various speakers said that even the police personnel are not safe as proved by the killing of an ASI trying to save the honour of his daughter by a member of the Akali Dal. The incident of violence at the mini secretariat is also another evidence. The law and order situation has deteriorated to the lowest ebb ever in the recent period. All sections of the people particularly the women have never felt them so unsafe as today. The unwarranted behaviour with the struggling teachers is highly condemnable the speakers said. There is political interference in the functioning of the police. Land Mafia and Sand Mafia as well as the drug peddlers are active without any fear. The speakers also lambasted the government for imposing taxes to the tune of Rs. 9000 crores on the people of Punjab in form of property tax, increase in bus fare, registration of vehicle rates increase, enhancement of rate of Intqal and TS 1, electricity tariff etc. The tax on petrol is also maximum in Punjab. Not only that the employees are not being paid salaries on time. Even the pension is not being disbursed. Over and above increase in the prices of LPG have completely imbalanced the ordinary family. Large number of people have not got the subsidies. They are even finding it difficult to get Aadhar cards. People have to wait in long queues for this and then run around in the banks. Policies of both state and central governments have robbed the people. Those who addressed the gathering include Com Vijay Mishra- Member State Committee CPM, Com Kartar Singh Bowani- Secretary CPI Ludhiana, Com Sukhminder Singh Sekhon- Member state committee CPI (M), Com Gulzar Gorea, Com O  P Mehta,  Com D P Maur, Com Jatinder Pal , Com Jagdish, Com Ramesh Rattan, Com Amarjeet Mattu- Distt. Secretary CPM, Com Badev Singh Latala, Com Surinder Singh Jalaldiwal, Com Avtar Gill, Com Gurnam Sidhu, Com Sukhminder Lotey, Com Devraj, Com Kewal Singh, Com Jagdish Chander, Com Amarnath Koomkalan, Com Anod Kumar, Com Manjeet Singh Buta, Com Ramadhar Singh.

Subsidy must be given in cash instead of through the banks

Sun, Jan 5, 2014 at 1:01 PM

MCPI (United) condemns the increase in the prices

Doraha: 5 Jan 214: (Punjab Screen Buureau): 

Marxist Communist Party of India (United) in a statement has condemned the inappropriate and unabated increase in the prices of domestic Gas, Petrol and Diesel, thus burdening the common man and giving huge profits to the monopoly oil companies of the country when 80% of the population of the country is already poverty ridden. The price rise in these commodities will further increase the problems of the common man and those of the poverty ridden people. The party is of the view that the price rise will further worsen the country’s economy. M C P I (U) demanded the roll back of the price rise and to withdraw its policy of decontrol of domestic  gas, petrol and diesel and supply gas, petrol and diesel at subsidized rates to the consumers. 

According to a statement released by the Secretary, State Committee, M C P I(U), Punjab; Comrade Pawan Kumar Kaushal party also demanded that Adhaar Card should not be made mandatory for the purpose of getting subsidy as the Supreme Court decision, secondly the subsidy must be given in cash instead of through the banks ,because the consumer has to pay Rs.30 to 40 more than on the subsidized cylinder in the form of V A T. One has to waste time and daily to enquire about the subsidy that is a difficult job for a daily wage earner. The Party demanded that the respective governments  should withdraw V A T on domestic gas, petrol and diesel.

The protestors included large number of women

Workers jammed the railway track and held a rally

The nationwide strike call given by the 11 Central Trade Unions and various independent federations, unions and associations had an effective participation on the second day today. The workers affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), INTUC, BMS, CTU, TUCC and CITU observed strike today in their respective industries and other institutions and thereafter they gathered at Bus stand from where they marched to the Provident Fund Office in Sham Nagar. After that workers in Thousands went to the Loco Diesel Shed and jammed the railway track and held a rally. Today’s protest rally  was presided over by Com Om Parkash Mehta - AITUC, Com Jatinder Pal Singh of CITU and  Shri Swaran Singh of INTUC, Com Paramjeet Singh of CTU, Sh Nageshwar Singh of BMS, Shri Sham Narain Yadav of TUCC. Speaking on the occasion state leaders Com Raghunath Singh, General Secretary of CITU Punjab,  Com. Inderjeet Singh- President CTU Punjab, Com Paramjeet Singh of CTU, Sh. Swaran Singh- President INTUC Punjab, Hari Singh Sahni-TUCC and Com D P Maur member state working committee AITUC.
The speakers said that yesterday’s strike was a complete success and it reflected the growing resentment among the working class against the anti people policies of the government.  They demanded minimum wages to be fixed by the Punjab Govt. @ for unskilled workers Rs 10,000, Semi Skilled 15,000, Skilled workers 20,000 per month, end to contractual and outsourcing and filling up of all govt. and semi govt. posts on regular basis, to disband the new pension policy effective from 1.1.2004 and implement the same old pension scheme on all employees. They also demanded creation of social security fund for the workers of the unorganized sector.   They cited low wages in the state as major reason for the shortage of labour in the state. They demanded all anti worker acts recently promulgated by the Punjab government to be withdrawn with immediate effect. The speakers said that the labour laws in the state are being flouted by both public and private sector with impunity. The contractual workers in both the sectors be regularized hence forth.  These must be implemented in letter and spirit. They deplored that under the process of so called globalization and privatization at the diktat of the world bank and International Monetary Fund ,  the economic policies of both central and state governments there has been accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few, while vast majority is suffering under acute poverty and unemployment. Latest reports have indicated that 100 top rich families in India own assets to the tune of 16 lakh crores of rupees where as 70% are forced to live on meager spending of Rs. 16.60  per day.  Speaking on the occasion Com. Tarsem Jodhan, Com D P Maur, Com Ram Lal, Jagdish Chand and Gurjeet Singh Jagpal, Gulzar Singh Gorea opposed FDI in banks, LIC and retail as this will hit the job situation hard for the employees and also the production in the small scale sector. They also demanded  regular jobs and equal wages for ASHA, Aanganwadi and mid day meal workers. They warned that if the govt. does not change its economic policies benefitting the rich and the corporate sector, then more militant agitations   are on the anvil. Others who addressed include Com Bhagirath Paliwal, Suresh Sood, Gurnam Gill, Laddoo shah, Haniuman Prasad Dubey, Samar Bahadur, Gurnam Sidhu, Kameshwar Yadav, Sarbjit Singh Sarhali, Manjeet Singh Buta, Charan Dass, Amarnath Kumkalan, S K Tiwari and Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Com Naresh Gaur, Dr Arun Mitra and Shri Gurbaksh Rai.
The protestors included large number of women, construction workers, industrial workers, Public health workers,  contractual workers, Corporation workers, roadways  and others sections of workers and employees.