People's Democracy

MEETING at New Delhi on November 24 and 25, the central working committee of the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU), the largest organisation of agricultural workers in the country with over 2.5 million members, expressed serious concern over the drought and flood situation in large parts of the country. This is playing havoc with the poorest sections of the Indian population, who have not only lost their belongings but are starving as well.

The AIAWU described as shocking the fact that the central government has actually refused to deliver aid to the states, despite the vast stock of grain rotting in FCI godowns. The centre is thinking of dumping this grain as cattle-feed in the USA at Rs 4.30 a kilo or even destroying so that the profits of the grain trading lobby, that is the backbone of the BJP, are not affected and this lobby is able to make a killing. Moreover, the central government has decided to export 80 lakh tonnes of food grains with a price that is less than the issue price fixed for the below-poverty-line (BPL) population. In this manner, the centre is providing an indirect subsidy to the export lobby while denying all assistance to the vast majority of the poor in the country.

The result of this move is evident from the reports of starvation deaths from all over the country. These include even the areas that have been known as prosperous, like Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh and Palakkad district in Kerala. The AIAWU said this is obviously on account of the opening up of our market to dumping by the USA and EU countries from 1999 onwards, when even the WTO had given India time up to 2004. The indiscriminate imports of agricultural produce have compelled thousands of peasants all over the country to commit suicide on account of the fall in the prices of all crops, coupled with the government’s refusal to procure the peasants’ produce or prevent dumping of highly subsidised products by multinationals.

The AIAWU said there is also reason to believe that the government has failed to prevent India from being used as a dumping ground for untested drugs, pesticides and genetically engineered products that have been banned even by the EU as unfit for human consumption.

However, the AIAWU warned that the organised section of agricultural workers would not allow 43 crore Indians to face unemployment, ruin, starvation and death while there is plenty in the country. The organisation has decided to fight and expose the duplicity of the BJP-led governments at the centre and in states.

The union has decided to launch agitations all over the country to implement the food for work programmes with the help of watchdog committees including the representatives of agricultural workers. To voice their protest, the union activists will organise a protest march to the parliament during the budget session. On the same day, union activists will take out solidarity marches to the FCI godowns and central government offices all over the country. State level action committees will be formed to organise massive campaigns and propaganda. (INN)