People's Democracy

PUNJAB

Rally in Defence of TU Rights

ON July 7, the CITU organised a rally near the factory gate in Ansro, in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, on the occasion of 24th Martyrdom Day of Comrade Parampal Singh. It is to be noted that Comrade Parampal Singh laid down his life 24 years ago, on this day in 1987, when a CITU affiliated union was being organised in the Swaraz Mazda factory here. The rally was chaired by Parshotam Das, president of the Swaraz Mazda Workers Union.

Addressing the rally, the CITU’s all-India secretary Raghunath Singh paid homage to Comrade Parampal Singh, urging upon the workers that in order to fulfil the unfinished revolutionary task of the martyred comrade, they must further strengthen, widen and intensify their struggle to protect the basic trade union rights which are under attack from the ruling classes. He further added that our struggle against the capitalist system would continue tilt the exploitation of man by man is done away with. He thanked Comrade Parampal Singh’s family members for standing by the CITU throughout. It was the martyr’s sister, Mrs Inderjeet Kaur, who hoisted the CITU flag at the factory gate amid loud slogans.

The rally was also addressed by Maha Singh Rori (district CITU president in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar), Gurdev Singh Baggi (district CITU president in Ropar) Dr Diljeet Singh Gill (brother-in-law of Shaheed Parampal Singh) and Jaswant Singh (general secretary, Swaraz Mazda Workers Union). When Raghunath Singh made an appeal for collection of fund for the CITU workers who were killed by the anti-social elements patronised by the TMC and Congress in West Bengal, Rs 5,300 were collected on the spot. The fund collection campaign for CITU activists who are victims of violence in West Bengal, is continuing.