THOUSANDS of agricultural labourers from as far afield as Saharanpur, Etah, Badaun, Allahabad, Chandauli, Ambedkar Nagar, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Azamgarh and other areas of Uttar Pradesh, braved the heavy downpour to gather in Lucknow on June 23 for a mass protest of Dalits and rural poor. The rally, presided over by the state AIAWU president Sri Prasad, reflects an awakening among and determination of the organised sections of the rural poor to have their say in the determining of their lives and future.

A 12-point charter of demands was presented by the AIAWU state secretary Ambika Prasad Mishra, which called for an end to the destructive and communal policies of the BJP-led government at the centre and in UP. Other demands included immediate implementation of the food for work scheme for those facing starvation; distribution of land among the landless to help them save themselves from hunger; passage of a comprehensive legislation on the Kerala pattern to protect agricultural labour; implementation of a minimum wage of Rs 60 per day; adequate supply of cheap rations through the public distribution system; an end to police repression against Dalits and minorities and punishment for atrocities against the scheduled castes and tribes; waivers of all debts owed by agricultural labour up to Rs 10,000; an end to hunger, starvation and corruption and a special call to accord the scheduled tribe status to the Kols in UP, as has been dome in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing the rally, two UP MLAs --- Master Ram Swarup from Bijnor and Ram Kripal from Maja, both state committee members of the All India Agricultural Workers Union --- urged the downtrodden and the oppressed to awaken. Otherwise they would face marginalisation and destruction as never before under the anti-people policies of the BJP-led government that are being imposed upon them under the WTO and US pressure.

Three CPI(M) Central Committee members addressed the rally, reflecting the importance of the rural poor’s active participation in the policies of the state. CPI(M) state secretary Ram Sumer Yadav highlighted the class nature of the BJP-led government’s policies which aim at serving the interests only of a handful of the rich in the villages and cities, and also of the monopolists and multinationals. Clearly they cannot survive if they do not buttress their inadequate presence in the assembly by dividing the opposition and establishing a coalition of opportunists, criminals and casteist forces. The people, he pointed out, have begun to feel the pinch and see through these policies. They also know that the Congress, in broad agreement on economic policies with the BJP, cannot provide an alternative. The BSP may collaborate with the BJP any time because of its greed for power. That is why forces like the Lok Morcha constituents are able to confront the BJP successfully all over the state. He pointed out how the Lok Morcha had come forward as a platform of pro-peasant and pro-poor policies and deserves strong support of the poorest and downtrodden in its fight to defeat the BJP-led combine in the coming elections.

Subodh Roy, MP from Bhagalpur, stressed the urgency of the need for the poor to organise and resist policies like the dismantling of the public distribution system, opening up of the grain trade and privatisation of the public sector. These policies mean unemployment for the masses and hunger when plenty of food is rotting in godowns. He urged the gathering not to get diverted by communal and casteist appeals but firmly become part of the worker-peasant alliance emerging to defend Indian unity, communal harmony, economic progress and our democratic traditions of the national movement. That is the lesson to be learnt from the historic victory of the Left Front in West Bengal for the sixth time in a row.

AIAWU joint secretary Suneet Chopra pointed to the ominous signs of US imperialist interference in our internal affairs. The US announced the date of the Indo-Pak talks even before India did and the prime minister of India welcomed when Musharraf declared himself president, showing little concern for the democratic rights of the people of Pakistan. In the same way, the truce with Naga militants in the north-east was declared without any concern for the people of the states where these militants operated, as was evident from protests in Manipur and Assam. In UP too, with 47,000 violations of human rights out of an all-India total of 70,000, we can see a similar unconcern not only for democratic rights but also for the lives and property of Indian citizens.

Chopra pointed out that there is no way open to us but that of struggle. And this struggle cannot be allowed to fragment on a caste basis. Whole sections of the people have to come together irrespective of their religion or caste. Only then is success possible on the basis of common interests. He urged the rally to launch an ongoing struggle on each of the 12 demands and observe the union’s programme of observing July 5 as a day of struggle to highlight the atrocities against scheduled castes and tribes at all district headquarters.

The rally adopted a resolution on the demands, moved by AIAWU state joint secretary, Brij Lal Bharti. The rally ended with resounding slogans endorsing the call to make the July 5 programme a success.