People's Democracy

BRAVING the biting, chilling cold and sub-zero temperature of the hilly town of Shimla, a 24 hours dharna was held on November 27, at the call given by the central executive committees of the DYFI and SFI. The dharna, attended by scores of activists, was held to protest against the government’s policy of privatising, commercialising and communalising education. It was also against the ban the government has imposed on recruitment and the systematic scrapping of posts in government departments under the guise of staff rationalisation.

Similar dharnas were held at almost all district headquarters in the state. A very successful dharna cum rally was held in Hamirpur, the home district of the chief minister. Hundreds of youth and students took out a procession through the streets of this town. Encouraging dharnas were held in Mandi, Kullu, Una, Chamba, Sirmour and Solan. State SFI secretary Manoj Chandel led the action in Chamba. Here, recently, goons of the Bajrang Dal and VHP had launched an attack on the students of Chamb College, targeting the SFI activists. Even the local administration is patronising the miscreants. But the successful action was a rebuff to these attackers.

A militant dharna was held in the historic town of Mandi, where state DYFI president Kushal Bhardwaj led the dharna. Later a public meeting was organised in the town.

Quite surprising was the large mobilisation in Bilaspur where the SFI and DYFI are organisationally very weak. Here the dharna was led by state DYFI vice president Lakhan Pal Sharma. The heavy turnout in this stronghold of the ruling party was in itself a reply to the anti-people policies of the central and state governments.

No dharna could be organised in the tribal district of Lahul Spiti as it has lost its link with the country because of the heavy snowfall and closure of the road leading to the state capital.

Altogether unprecedented and innovative was the dharna in Shimla. Here the dharna was held for more than 24 hours. Even the chilly winds blowing from the northern snow-capped Himalayas could not deter the activists from their commitment to hold the action. When the people curiously inquired about the action and its necessity in the evening the activists replied in determined voice that combating the ruinous policies requires far more determination than just braving the chilly weather. The dharna continued the next day on November 28, till 2 p m. The action metamorphosed into a large procession that marched through the Lower Bazar, raising slogans against the government and culminated in a mass meeting at Naaz restaurant. The fury and the interest of public were worth watching. The mobilisation for the rally was almost doubled by the audience.

Former employee leader O P Chauhan, loved for his speeches full of humour, addressed the rally, among others. He categorically blamed the government for ruining education and employment. He lambasted the state’s Dhumal government for organising yajnas in temples to save his government from the wrath of the people, instead of rectifying its mistakes. The rally was also addressed by Tikender Singh Panwar, who said the IMF-World Bank-WTO policies have led to a hike in the fee by 600 per cent and the hostel charges by more than 300 per cent. Higher education too is being commercialised. One MBA seat is costing about Rs 3 lakh, one MBBS seat Rs 47 lakh, one B Ed seat Rs 50,000, and so on. Above all, the colleges are being given to the BJP men who are minting large sums of money. In the university, while the Department of Public Administration is being scrapped, courses like karmakand and jyotishshastra have been introduced. Similarly, user charges are being taken from the patients in hospitals, which have been converted into societies. These societies are actually to withdraw the government from the health sector. More than 15 government departments too have been converted into societies.

Before the dharna, DYFI units had run a five-day campaign in Shimla and other places. The issue of user charges in hospitals and the increase in electricity tariffs were also highlighted. The DYFI and SFI have decided to launch a continuous agitation in this regard in days to come.