People's Democracy

Massive Political Campaign Against Govt Policies

A WIDESPREAD massive political campaign to expose the policies of the central government and BJP-led state government at Shimla has been launched in Himachal Pradesh by the Kisan Sabha, CITU, SFI and DYFI. The campaign was broad-based, covering a spectrum of issues. Started initially as jathas on April 12 and 13, the campaign culminated in a massive rally at Shimla on April 18.

The four jathas started from remote parts of the state: Rekong Peo in Kinnaur (bordering China), Chirgaon (Rohru), Nerwa (Chopal) and Khanag (near Jalori Pass in outer Kullu). Public meetings addressed by members of the four organisations were held at different places en route, organized by the local committees. The jatha one from Rekong Peo covered a distance of approximately 400 km. The jatha from Khanag consisted of 150 activists travelling some 16 km on foot, interacted with a large number of people, covering 15 panchayats on the way to Ani tehsil headquarters. Similarly the other two jathas. Many public meetings were organized in Shimla city on April 16 and 17, all meetings preceded by intensive organisational work. Schools were organized at mass organisation and Party level on the issues taken up for the campaign, and propaganda for mobilization of people was carried through by posters, announcements, leaflets, handouts and wall writing, with overall 78-80 public meetings held at different levels, in addition to the mass contact at smaller meetings.

Thus, in the process about 50, 000 people were contacted. These areas covered are both sides of the Satluj. Many of the hydroelectric project works lying in this belt. The agony of the people adversely affected by the execution of these projects is well known and many democratic movements led by CITU and Kisan Sabha were launched here. Further, the areas covered also include the apple and vegetable economy where peasants, interests will be worst hit after full liberalization under WTO norms comes into operation.

The most common question that came up in the campaign was where is common man in the overall paradigm of the much eulogized economic development, as every human activity, education, health, drinking water and employment is denied to the mass of people? The BJP had given a slogan to usher in an era where fear, hunger and corruption would be things of the past.

However, all these three things have increased under the present regime. In Himachal Pradesh, we did not need the help of any website to unearth the corrupt practices of BJP ministers and leaders. Dissident ministers and MLAs openly level serious charges of corruption against the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues, while the latter reply with equal vehemence, all this through open letters in the press. Begun in the last quarter of 2000, this drama of immorality in public life continued till recently to the point of the government falling and it was left to RSS leaders from Delhi to patch up their differences. To permit–licence and inspector raj, this government has landed the state in loot raj. Giving the go-by to probity and morality in public life, the BJP government has withdrawn a bill that was put in the Himachal Vidhan Sabha calling for the declaration of assets of public representatives. At the same time, the man leading Operation Dismantle PDS and Liquidation of FCI, at the centre, is the MP from Himachal Pradesh, Shanta Kumar.

The process of selling off public sector assets at throwaway prices is not confined to Delhi. In his budget speech, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who also holds the finance portfolio, has proposed the selling of PSUs to meet the liabilities (sic!) on account of payment of interest on loans, pension and salaries. The loan raising limit of Himachal Pradesh Marketing Corporation, HPSEB, has been increased from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 crore and is the first step to its sell-off as a consequence of non-payment of loans raised. PSUs like Handloom and Handicrafts and the Electronic Corporation have been wound down and there is a proposal to close down the Khadi and Gram Udyog and many more. Others are being merged for sale at a later stage. Recently Kisan Sabha leaders unearthing a deal whereby the HPMC signed a joint venture in the name of Himachal Indage for fruit-based wine production with Champagne Indage. The public sector HPMC has only a 10 per cent stake in the venture, a camouflage to cover the sell-out. The private company has been given every infrastructure facilities built by the Agro-Packaging Industries (PSU) at a throwaway price and till date the government has not made it clear whether the company will purchase local horticulture produce to make the different brands of liquor. The Agro-Packaging unit at Pragatinagar, a profit-earning PSU (despite under utilization) produces carton boxes for apple and other fruits. It was first merged with the loss-making HPMC (PSU) and later sold in the guise of the joint venture. For the people this is their local BALCO.

Needless to say, basic amenities and social welfare measures are either being neglected, made costlier or given to unscrupulous private hands. Health, education, public transport, electricity and drinking water have been made so costly that these have become luxuries even to the middle class. In the name of user charges, all the above services are charged at a prohibitive rate. On the other hand, the excise duty on liquor, has been reduced. Thus the priorities of the government are more than clear.

The government also proposes to withdraw the non-practising allowance (NPA) of medical and veterinary doctors, allowing them to have private practice. The saving to the governemt will come to Rs 8 crore - the air transport bill of the CM alone costs the state exchequer Rs 6 crore. The implications of the proposal are dangerous, as the doctors will be free to practise while in government jobs. This is being looked upon as the second step to privatize medical facilities in the state, the first was the proposal to set up a Society of Medical Colleges and Associated Hospitals. This is followed by the proposal in the recent budget that all services like animal husbandry, veterinary, agriculture, horticulture, health, universities, or in other words, all the activities related with the rural development and the peasantry in general, will be asked to charge for the services, and generate their own resources to run these departments by converting into societies.

The current state budget promotes internet and computers, but has neglected the minimum basic infrastructure like roads, horticulture, and agriculture - the lifeline of a hill economy. Chief minister Dhumal has called upon the peasants and horticulturists to compete but has disarmed them by withdrawing all subsidies on fertilizers, equipment and other small instruments. Withdrawal of the market intervention scheme, under which a part of the apple crop was bought by the government, will be done away with within three years.

So, the BJP government talks of international competitiveness by increasing the cost of inputs and denying support and subsidies. These circumstances will lead to the destruction of the whole agriculture/horticulture-based economy of this hilly state. It has unfortunately come at the time when the state has suffered the worst drought after a devastating monsoon and floods in 2000. The only thing this government could do was constitute of a committee under chief secretary. No compensation has been paid to the affected.

Himachal will perhaps be among the worst hit by the WTO and new export -import policy to be followed from April 1, 2001. Most of the produce like plums, peaches, apples, peas, vegetables, etc., are facing the axe of these agreements and policies. In other words the whole economy of this state is endangered.

In 1999-2000, 70,000 tonnes of peas worth Rs 78 crore, and ginger worth Rs 9.45 crore was imported, while in 2000 (April-September alone) fruits worth Rs 149.3 crore were imported against just Rs 6.6 crore only in 1999. It is obvious that these non-essential imports have encroached (and will do so more) on to the market occupied by the farmers of states like H.P. The most well known produce of Himachal is the apple, that sustains a sizable section of society and generates a lot of revenue. Employment throughout the country will be badly affected as cheaper and produce from New Zealand, US, China and France will flood the Indian market under the new EXIM policy. No wonder the farmers of these countries are protected and supported by subsidies, and enjoy other official privileges.

The state had already taken many decisions to curtail jobs in the government sector, well before the recommendations of the finance minister’s present budget were made public. VRS, non-filling of existing vacancies, stress on contract jobs, reduction in number of jobs, closure or merger of many PSUs, etc., will swell the already gargantuan figure of unemployed manifold.

The Existing number of registered unemployed in Himachal Pradesh is 8,99,961 out of a population of 60 lakh (15 per cent of the total population). Further, there is a proposal to put teachers, nurses and other welfare and service - providing staff under the direct control of panchayats which is not a step in decentralisation, as panchayats will have to generate the salaries of the staff from their own resources. In this way the government is withdrawing from the welfare sector like providing free elementary education and primary health services to the people, and also denying job opportunities to the youth. Further, the chief minister in his budget speech asked the employees to make sacrifices (sic!) to build a strong and prosperous Himachal Pradesh, an obvious reference that the process for denial of allowances and service benefits is in the offing in the near future.

The massive campaign raising these issues culminated in the huge rally at Shimla. It was after a very long lull that Shimlaites witnessed such a great political congregation. Activists attended from other parts of the state also including Mandi, Hamirpur, Kangra, Una and far-away places like Chamba on the Kashmir border. The success of the rally was obvious from the BJP reaction; its spokesman Ganesh Dutt, explained the large turnout as "a desire of people to travel and visit Shimla.

The rally attendance of more than seven thousand would have been far bigger had the weather not been so bad. The Dhumal government cancelled bus services from the remote places of state, but the people overcame these obstacles and financed private vehicles. The large gathering surpassed the organisers’ expectations.

The rally was addressed by Rakesh Singha (state president, CITU), O P Chauhan (state vice-president, CITU), Dr Onkar Shad (state president, Kisan Sabha), Kushal Bhardwaj (state president, DYFI), Manoj Chandel (state joint secretary SFI), Dr. Kashmir Singh Thakur and Jagat Ram (CITU). Subhashni Ali CPI(M) leader was the main speaker. The highlights of the rally included the very large number of women participants (Anganwadi workers), peasants from areas near the project and the self discipline of the gathering, commented upon by the district administration.

The rally was converted into a long procession that marched to the HP Vidhan Sabha where a delegation met with the chief minister and submitted a Demand Charter containing the following demands:

• Minimum salary of Rs 3000 p m to unskilled workers linking the minimum salary with the users value index, and corresponding DA be paid. Workers of other categories to be paid high wages in the same way.
• Rescind the government order of transfer of Anganwadi centers under panchayat control immediately and place these centers under the control of the Department of Women Welfare of HP government.
• Recognize Anganwadi workers and helpers as government employees and implement the accord between the government and Women Welfare Department which includes a hike of Rs 200 for workers and Rs 100 for helpers immediately. Payment of fuel charges to be made at Rs one per beneficiary, and appoint supervisors amongst the Anganwadi workers.
• Ban MNCs entry into small scale industrial sector and provide protection to this sector.
• Abolish the Electricity Regulatory Commission at the earliest and stop privatisation of the power sector.
• Restore the rate of interest on GPF and small savings.
• Take back proposed retrograde amendments in labour laws.
• Release compensation to flood and drought-hit farmers who have lost 60 per cent of their crops and continue the policy of support price and market intervention mechanism for fruits and vegetables.
• Pay remunerative prices of crops to the farmers. Release remaining Rs 9 crore balance payment due to the apple growers for the apples purchased by the state-owned HPMC in August September 2000.
• Provide subsidies on fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides and restore the PDS following the earlier provisions. Remove the ban imposed on Khair wood.
• Cancel proclamation of Nathpa – Zhakri project area as prohibited and banned.
• Take back the surcharges proposed in the budget on health, animal care, transport, education, electricity and drinking water.
• Pay compensation to the farmers at the rate of Rs two lakh per bigha for the land taken by the government for construction of various hydel power projects in Himachal Pradesh.
• Provide 80 per cent jobs to Himachalis in hydel power projects through employment exchanges, out of which reserve 30 per cent for the locals of the project area. Provide interview allowance to unemployed.
• Withdraw the fees-hike in education and stop privatization, commercialisation and saffronisation of educational institutions. Provide free and compulsory education up to class VIII.
• Clear immediately the pending cases regarding registration of various unions.
• Provide jobs to mid-wives/dais trained by the Department of Women’s Welfare on seniority basis. Fill vacancies in ayurvedic hospitals from these trained mid-wives/dais.
• Stop turning of hospitals and other departments into societies.
• Regularize daily-paid workers. Pay remaining balance of salaries to daily-paid workers in the Forest Department and stop sending these workers to work beyond 8 km from their place of residence.
• Restore the NPA of doctors.
• Send the pending cases before the Labour Department to the Labour Court immediately.
• Strengthen PDS, and
• Provide 33 per cent reservation to women in state assemblies and parliament. Establish ‘female police stations’ to deal with female cases at every district headquarters.

The tremendous response generated by this massive campaign has created a lot of enthusiasm in the Party cadres and mass organization activists. To consolidate the gains of this significant exercise the district committee of CPI (M) has drawn up a charter of tasks to be taken as follow-up action. These include more emphasis on the integration and coordination of activities by fronts, and more such actions in the future. Trickle-down meetings have been planned for all the mass organisations at all levels, for affecting organisational expansion and consolidation of the recent gains. Himachal Pradesh being a predominant agriculture economy it is important to understand and raise issues of the peasants and build movements on concrete demands and problems. A convention on the adverse effects of the WTO on horticulture and agriculture will be organised on May 24. These actions should not only help in organisational gains but will help build the confidence of the activists also.