ON the 59^th anniversary of Quit India Movement on August 9, 2001 ‘Save agriculture - Save India - Drive MNCs out’ movement was launched at the call of the All India Kisan Sabha, Rajasthan. Thousands of peasants in Rajasthan responded to the call and offered court arrest in protest against the policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the centre and the congress government in the state.

The response was quite encouraging as 15,000 peasants in Sikar, 3500 in Ganganagar, 2000 in Bikaner, 1000 each in Hanumangarh and Churu and 500 in Udaipur courted arrest. Even in other district towns like Kota, Alwar, Nagaur, Jhujhunu, Dholpur and Bundi hundreds of peasants held meetings and offered court arrest. The CPI(M) and the Kisan Sabha have been carrying on struggle for quite some time in the state on the issues of splitting Rajasthan Electricity Board into five companies, hike in electricity rates, privatisation of the power-sector, fair prices to the farmers for their produce, adequate supply of water in canals for irrigation, reopening of closed factories, growing unemployment, prevention of atrocities on dalits, minorities and women.

As part of the struggle earlier Kisan Sabha and the mass front organisations of the CPI(M) held numerous meetings in the Tehsil towns and the country- side and organised state and district level rallies, demonstrations and gheraos in which lakhs of peasants participated.

On August 9, the largest meeting was held in Sikar and in this town peasants offered court arrest in the maximum number. Former prime minister V P Singh and Polit Bureau member of the CPIM) Sitaram Yechury were to address the meeting. They were late by one and a hours, yet the large gathering of the peasants stayed for the meeting defying heavy downpour, thundering and lightening in the sky and knee deep water at the meeting ground.

V P Singh praised the audience for its exemplary commitment to attend the meeting despite heavy rains. He said that today the country’s need is that the democracy is to be saved whatever to be the cost. The issue of forming the government is not on the immediate agenda of the country. The former prime minister denouncing the centre’s anti-people policies remarked that these have led to a situation that we in this country have hungry people with vast stocks of foodgrains. There cannot be a bigger failure of the government than this. The BJP government, he added is a government replete with scams and corruption. The BJP all the time keeps on talking about Ram but how low it can stoop down is clear from the tehelka incident. It is both regrettable and shameful that for the first time presidents of the two ruling parties were caught-red-handed receiving the bribes.

V P Singh blamed the BJP government for the power crisis and remarked that in its thirteen days minority government it did virtually nothing in the interest of the people, but it gave approval to the Enron Power Project Agreement which is certainly a criminal act. The Enron Agreement is now a serious malaise for the Maharashtra government. If it has to be scrapped, then the financial implications are such that it will leave the government completely bankrupt. Pointing towards the lightening in the sky he said that it could hurt one or two persons but the power crisis has created a threat to the lives of thousands.

The former prime minister further remarked that the BJP and the Congress governments have found an alibi for their anti-people economic policies. These governments pass the blame on the WTO for their wrong policies. He added the country does not need a weak government. The need of the hour is that we have a strong government which tells the WTO that we won’t allow our 70 crore people to die, come what may. He said people want a government that cares for their well-being rather than the one that cares for its power and glory. Referring to West Bengal he remarked that in that state there has been a government for the past twenty five years which cared only for the well-being of the people and not for power and glory. Criticising the Congress he said that it is not playing the role of honest oppostion. Whatever criticism Congress makes of the economic policies of the central government, the BJP silences it by retorting that those policies are basically Congress’s own policies.

V P Singh gave a call to strengthen the People’s Front by participating in mass struggles against the BJP and Congress governments and thereby create genuine alternative. While lambasting the communal policies of the BJP, he said that always at the time of election this party revives the Ayodhya issue and rouses communal frenzy. He added, true religion is a source of enlightenment and thus should not be used for spreading hatred and stirring violence. The former prime minister concluded his speech by strongly condemning the brutal firing on the peasants who were demanding regular supply of power. He said democracy can be saved by mass movement and not by repression.

Addressing the meeting Sitaram Yechuri, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M) said after 54 years since independence there is widespread poverty and hunger in the country. Today seventy million tonnes of foodgrains are rotting in the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), but the government is destroying Public Distribution System. It is strange that people are starving while the rates are merrily consuming foodgrains in FCI godowns. Yechuri alleged that although according to WTO conditions quantitative restrictions on imports were to be withdrawn by 2003-04 the BJP government has eagerly removed restrictions on imports of 1429 commodities which has meant ruination to farmers. Farmers have been driven to commit suicide as they fail to get fair prices for their produce. The country is caught in debt trap. At present, the country’s debt is as large as Rs 16,00,000 crore and the interest liability amounts to Rs 1,25,000 crore.

The anti-people economic policies of the government have led to closure of 6 lakh factories rendering crore of workers jobless. The BJP had contested election on the plank of hunger, fear and corruption free administration. This slogan has however turned out to be hollow and hypocritical. Yechury alleged that Yashwant Sinha had mortgaged the country’s gold in his first stint in office. This time he is going to mortgage the country itself.

Yechuri remarked that anti-people liberalisation-globalisation-privatisation policies of the BJP and Congress now pose a grave threat to the independence of the country. The BJP is prepared to make all kinds of compromises for remaining in power. Referring to increasing terrorist activity, he said brutal killings have become a routine affair in Kashmir. In Delhi, which is the capital of the country an MP is killed and the assassin is not apprehended.

The BJP government in the centre is anxiously trying to create communal disharmony before assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. As a matter of fact, the conservative Hinduist Fascist government has become a serious threat to secularism in the country.

Yechuri cautioned the peasants by saying that privatisation of electricity will spell disaster. As a result of the Enron Agreement the Maharashtra government is being pressurised to buy power at the rate of 9 rupees per unit. The power tariff will rise to Rs 13 per unit next year. Over the years water level in the villages of Rajasthan has fallen continuously. Yechuri thus demanded that the peasants must be supplied electricity at cheaper rates and the power supply should also be made regular.

The CPI(M) leader called upon peasants to prepare themselves for bigger struggles in times to come. The working class is going to organise a countrywide strike, he said. The peasants should also participate in Bharat Bandh in a fighting spirit. He added that only the combatting struggles of peasants, workers, students, youth and middle class employees will pave the way for the emergence of People’s Front as an alternative to BJP and Congress. Congratulating the Shekhavati peasants, he remarked that the red flag will fly high on this earth so long our blood remains red.

State secretary of the CPI(M) Hari Ram Chauhan, MLA Amra Ram, State Kisan Sabha vice president Vasudev, state general secretary CITU Ravindra Shukla also addressed the peasants gathering. Jawahar Singh presided over the meeting.