“Implement CMP Promises”

AIKS Plans Widespread Campaign In September

The All India Kisan Sabha has decided to conduct a widespread campaign and organise mass actions in the month of September to pressurise the central government to implement the promises made in the CMP. It also called upon its units to propagate  alternative policy of the AIKS, which is the only way for a real change in the agriculture and life of the rural poor.

This was decided in the central kisan committee (CKC) of the AIKS meeting held in New Delhi on August 2-3, 2004.  The meeting also took stock of the dismal situation prevailing in the country due to drought in nearly half of the country and severe floods in Bihar, Assam and North East. The CKC demanded relief and rescue operations on a war footing in both the drought and flood affected areas and adequate compensation for the peasantry for the loss of crops, cattle, houses etc. and immediate financial help to the families, who have lost their kith and kin in this calamity.

S Ramachandran Pillai, president AIKS presided over the CKC meeting. The meeting adopted the following resolutions unanimously.

FLOODS AND DROUGHT

The CKC expresses its deep sorrow at the miseries of the people due to prevailing drought in nearly half of the country and severe floods in Bihar, Assam and North East.

Hundreds of people have lost their life in Bihar, Assam, and other parts of the North East. Embankments in number of rivers have been breached which led to washing away of thousands of huts, damaging crops in lakhs of acres. Thousands of cattle and other live stocks were washed away causing a big loss to peasants and agricultural workers.

Besides this, severe drought is also affecting many states in India. Half of the total districts in the country were affected by severe drought this year and a considerable number of these districts are facing drought for the third and fourth consecutive years. Peasants who have gone for sowing crops in June faced heavy losses due to subsequent failure in monsoon. In many areas, drinking water itself has become a big problem. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra  and Gujarat are some of the states worst affect by drought.

The CKC demands relief and rescue operations on a war footing in the drought and flood affected areas and adequate compensation for the peasantry for the loss of crops, cattle, houses etc. and immediate financial help to the families, who have lost their kith and kin in this calamity. The CKC demands adequate allocation of funds by the central government to the affected states and the proper use of this relief should be ensured without corruption at any level. Provision of fodder, drinking water, foodgrains on Antodaya rates, food for work programme have to be taken up.

Along with the immediate measures, long-term measures to protect people from miseries of recurring flood and drought must be undertaken. The CKC notes with concern that only a paltry sum of Rs 30 crore has been provided for flood control measures in the union budget and the absolute lack of any significant provision for expansion of irrigation facilities. The CKC appeals to all the units of AIKS to be with the people suffering from drought and floods and mobilise the peasantry in the struggle for realisation of their demands.

IMPLEMENT CMP 

The CKC congratulates the people for defeating the communal, anti-people NDA combine in the recent elections. The CKC specially congratulates the people of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura for strengthening the presence of Left in the Parliament.

The UPA government has come out with a common minimum programme, which contains some pro-people promises as far as agriculture and peasants are concerned. The employment guarantee scheme, comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers, developing infrastructure in rural India, doubling the institutional credit in three years, new insurance schemes are some of them.  While welcoming thee promises the CKC notes with concern that the present government has not changed the basic policies of liberalisation that aggravated the crisis in agriculture and the miseries of the peasantry. These policies were decisively rejected by the people of India in the last elections. The CKC also took note that the promises made in the CMP were not reflected in the recent budget presented by the UPA government.

WTO MEET IN GENEVA

The recent announcement of union commerce minister Kamal Nath that the WTO talks were successful and beneficial  to India is far from truth.  Opening up of the Indian market without proper commitment by the imperialist countries to do away with the millions of crores of rupees subsidies given in various names in their countries will only further damage the Indian agriculture.

Taking all these into consideration the CKC calls upon all its units to conduct a widespread campaign and organise mass actions to pressurise the central government to implement the promises made in the CMP. The CKC also calls upon its units to propagate alternative policy of the AIKS, which is the only way for a real change in the agriculture and life of the rural poor.

The CKC calls upon all its units to organise widespread campaigns along with the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) in month of September 2004.

ANTI-IMPERIALIST DAY

The AIKS, which has a great tradition of fighting against the imperialist onslaught on the people of India and the world right from its inception, calls upon all its units to observe September 1 as Anti-Imperialist and Anti-War Day all over India.

On September 1, the Kisan Sabha units will conduct public meetings, demonstrations, dharnas to condemn the imperialist intervention in Iraq, Cuba, Palestine and other part of the world. The CKC urges upon the government of India to take firm anti-imperialist position on all these issues.

MEMBERSHIP

The CKC congratulates its units for enrolling a membership of 1,71,45,792 for the year 2003-2004.

(INN)