People's Democracy

THE National Platform of Mass Organisations (NPMO), comprising several trade unions like the CITU, HMS and AITUC as well as organisations of the peasants, agricultural workers, students, youth and women, is going to hold a national convention at New Delhi on February 19. The convention is expected to launch a countrywide action programme against the ongoing "reforms" being pursued by the BJP-led NDA government.

Held on February 5, the NPMO meeting was chaired by HMS secretary R A Mittal and was attended by 29 members representing the central trade union organisations, national federations and organisations of the peasantry, agricultural workers, students, youth and women.

The meeting observed two-minute silence to condole the death of thousands of people in the devastating earthquake in Gujarat. Serious concern was expressed over the way the relief work was being carried. The meeting described as reprehensible the fact that relief operations were being entrusted to the RSS and the NGOs in the main. The NPMO welcomed the formation of an all-party national committee to monitor the relief work. It gave a call for contributions to the Relief Fund and called for stepping up the drive.

The NPMO condemned the BJP government of Jharkhand where the police killed 9 adivasis in an indiscriminate firing. There was a total bandh in the state in protest. The collapse of the government machinery was also seen in its failure to save the life of 38 miners in the Bagdihi Colliery near Dhanbad.

The NPMO condemned the BJP government’s intention to impose harsh taxes in the budget, including an increase in rail fares and freight, to cover up the expenditure on earthquake rehabilitation. It has already promulgated an ordinance to levy an additional 2 per cent surcharge on income tax. Even before the earthquake the government had been talking of a harsh budget to carry forward the economic "reforms" in pursuance of globalisation. This was obvious from the pre-budget meetings called by the finance minister. Such an increase amounts to an emotional blackmail of the people, heaping upon them further miseries in the name of the earthquake.

The NPMO reiterated its earlier decision to hold countrywide protest demonstrations against the budget, including in Delhi. The meeting further expressed serious resentment against the ongoing "reforms" and privatisation being pursued with a vengeance in all sectors of the economy including the public sector, agriculture, unorganised sector, and vital sectors like power, telecom, banks and other financial institutions, etc, allowing the entry of the multinational corporations into all these sectors.

The meeting congratulated the workers in different sectors like post and telegraph, banks, electricity, drug and pharmaceuticals, and the state government employees, etc, who staged strike struggles recently. (INN)