PUNJAB

CPI(M), CPI Organise Joint Actions

Asha Nand

AT the call of their respective state committees in Punjab, workers of the CPI(M) and CPI organised protest actions all over the state against the sky rocketing prices of essential commodities,  for strengthening of the public distribution system, for adequate compensation for the drought hit peasantry, and for steps to overcome the ongoing agricultural crisis. These actions were in the form of protest dharnas and hunger strikes that were held at 45 of the tehsil headquarters all over the state from January 18 to 22. Impressive actions took place at Jalandhar, Philaur, Nakodar, Sultanpur, Phagwra, Kapurthala, Shahkot, Batala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Nawanshahar, Banga, Balachaur, Nangal, Ropar, Anandpur, Ferozepur, Zira, Jalalabad, Fazilka. Abohar, Sangrur, Sunam, Munak, Barnala, Dhuri, Malerkotla, Rajpura, Patran, Nabha, Patiala, Dharamkot, Moga, Nihalsinghwalla, Ludhiana, Jagraon, Raikot, Samrala, Payal, Mukerian, Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, Garhshankar etc. The participation at some of these places went up to 800.

Leaders of both the parties, namely Joginder Dayal (member of CPI Central Executive), CPI(M) state secretary Charan Singh Virdi, CPI state secretary Bhupinder Sambhar, CPI(M) state secretariat members Lehmbar Singh Taggar, Raghunath Singh and Vijay Misra, CPI state executive members Jagrup Singh, Hardev Arshi and Harbhajan Singh, and many other state and district level leaders of both the parties addressed the gathering at various places. While addressing the gathering, the leaders said the central and state governments� economic policies were responsible for the price rise which is touching the sky in the country. They said that 78 per cent people were forced to live on a measly twenty rupees per day. They accused the governments of not providing any relief to the poor peasants from their indebtedness which is about Rs 50,000 crore, but have given relief worth Rs 4,18,000 crore to the big capitalists by way of tax cuts and loan waivers. They demanded that the central and state governments must take immediate effective steps to strengthen the PDS and to control the sky rocketing price rise.