People's Democracy

FOR 27 days, from July 19 to August 14th, a huge Jatha by the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) - Tamil Nadu unit crisscrossed the entire 30 districts of Tamil Nadu and Pondichery with an aim to spread the message of struggle against privatisation of banks. Along with a cultural troupe of buddding youth, wedded to progressive ideology, this Jatha conducted more than 300 meetings in more than 150 towns and cities it passed through.

"With songs on their lips and passion in their hearts, the bank employees and the professional artisans from "Pudhugai Bhoopalam" have been expounding to the public how the liberalisation policy will harm the economy, since July 19th and for 4000 kilometres now"…..

"After singing their way across the state, the union and artists are hopeful that their adventure has made an impact. After winning the support of agrarian workers and even fishermen, BEFI is now hoping to win over the urban masses."

This is how The Indian Express narrated the campaign Jatha undertaken by the BEFI. This Jatha was flagged off on July 19, 2001 in Chennai by S K Mahendran, MLA and general secretary of DYFI state committee.

It was greeted by R Govindarajan joint secretary, AIIEA.

The Jatha concluded again in Chennai city on August 14th night in a mammoth public meeting.

Wherever the Jatha went, be it the hilly terrain of Ooty or the southern most tip of the country- Kanyakumari or the parched lands of Ramanathapuram or the green Cauvery basin in Thanjavur, it was received with tremendous enthusiasm by the general public. Huge crowds gathered to witness the cultural programmes and hear the speeches.

Bank employees, after hours of waiting at the town entrance, took the Jatha in a procession inside the town amidst bursting of crackers.

In various places, elected representatives of the people like MLAs, municipal chairmen greeted the Jatha. The leaders and members of other constituents of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) and other mass organisations greeted the Jatha in several centres.

The participants of the Jatha through their speeches and the cultural troupe thorough their songs and skits highlighted the achievements of nationalised banks and explained how privatisation of banks will affect the life of common man. They explained how indigenous industries would be crushed due to the removal of import restrictions. They convincingly argued the need for a comprehensive all India legislation for agricultural workers. They explained how and why the NDA government is attempting to snatch away the rights of the working class through amendments to labour laws. The recalcitrant attitude of the government in recovering huge bad loans was focussed and the necessity to strengthen the co-operative and regional rural banks was emphasised. The cultural troupe simplified the complex fiscal policies through colloquial language and film song rip-offs and this attracted the masses. Lakhs of pamphlets elaborating the ill-effects of the economic policies pursued by the central government were distributed amongst the public.

The Jatha received wide publicity in all leading news papers and electronic media.

BEFI viewed the contribution of this Jatha as one more attempt of the bank employees in strengthening the agitational call of central trade unions in the fight against the retrograde economic policies of the government.

The Jatha in its last leg toured in Chennai city for 3 days and held meetings in around 30 centres. Women bank employees participated in large numbers in these meetings. The concluding public meeting, held in front of government press compound, was addressed among others by A Soundararajan, deputy general secretary CITU state committtee, K Gangadharan secretary, AISGEF, J Gurumoorthy, general secretary AIIEA and Sudha Dudarraman, general secretary AIDWA state commmittee.

M S N Rao president of BEFI-TN presided over the meeting and K Krishnan joint secretary BEFI inaugurated the valedictory function. A Rengarajan concluded the 27 days, 5000 KM Jatha . It was a travel of the progressive forces of bank employees towards the struggle against the anti-national and anti-people economic policies of the Vajpayee government.