People's Democracy

NPMO Appeals For Actions On May 21

MEETING at New Delhi on April 19, the National Platform of Mass Organisations (NPMO) has fully endorsed the call of the central trade unions for an all-India general strike by the industrial workers, both in public and private sectors, and by the unorganised sector workers and employees of central and state governments, banks, insurance, defence and other sectors on May, 21. The strike has been planned to press for the eight-points demands and against the disastrous economic policies pursued by the government of India. The meeting was presided over by K L Mahendra, vice president of the AITUC, and attended by the representatives of all the constituent trade unions, kisan sabhas, and organisations of agricultural workers, women, students and youth.

The NPMO condemned the BJP-led NDA government’s reckless pursuit of the ruinous policies thrust by the World Bank, IMF and WTO, under the neo-colonial powers led-by the US. The NPMO also denounced the cowardly posture of the central government in refusing to condemn the naked aggression on Iraq by the US, which is seeking to impose its hegemony on the world.

This servile attitude of the NDA government is proof positive of the fact that both the domestic and the foreign policies manifest a capitulation to the dictates of the neo-colonial powers and serve the interest of international finance capital. That the policies of the government are brazenly anti-people and against the national interest, is a logical outcome.

These policies have led to heaping of miseries on the mass of the people belonging to all sections of the society. The NPMO said that being the common platform of organisations of all such people, it cannot but extend active support to the struggles of any and every section of the society.

Apart from making common cause with the workers and their trade unions, the NPMO has underlined the urgent need to fight for immediate relief to the victims of severe drought situation prevailing in different states in the country, which has taken a heavy toll of human lives. The situation obviously demands strengthening of the public distribution system in the country.

The NPMO has also expressed deep concern over the unprincipled use of  communal, casteist and other such disruptive forces by the NDA government for diverting the attention of Indian people from its all-round failures, while at the same time undermining the unity of the working masses and weakening their struggles.

The NPMO has appealed to all the mass organisations representing the peasantry, agriculture workers, women, students and youth to organise simultaneous actions in furtherance of their own demands by staging rail/rasta roko actions and demonstrations all over the country on May 21, when the workers go on a nationwide strike. (INN)