People's Democracy

MAHARASHTRA

Agr Workers Stage Huge Rally In Mumbai

Fight For Employment, Wages, And Land

THOUSANDS of agricultural workers from every nook and corner of Maharashtra converged at Azad Maidan, Mumbai to protest against the vacillating attitude of the UPA government and the state government towards the urgent demands of the rural poor. The massive rally demanded immediate enactment of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act without any dilution whatsoever, along with a central legislation for agricultural workers.

The All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) organised this rally and it was presided over by veteran trade union and democratic movement leader, Ahilya Rangnekar. Thousands of men and women agricultural workers, particularly from Nandurbar, Beed, Parbhani, Thane, Kolhapur, Sangli, Jalgaon districts flocked to the Azad Maidan. Red flags and banners fluttered through out the ground. Those who attended the rally comprised mostly of adivasis, dalits, nomadika and the backward classes. Revolutionary songs were sung in the beginning of the pubic meeting.

Addressing the rally, AIAWU general secretary and MP, A Vijayaraghavan referring to reports that the Employment Guarantee Scheme will be diluted in terms of reach and coverage, called upon the toiling masses to resist such an attempt. He stressed the need to unitedly fight for the basic demands of the poor and reverse the pro-landlord policies of the UPA government. The gathering loudly cheered this exhortation.

Vijayaraghavan contrasted the failure of successive bourgeois-landlord governments at the centre and the states to provide any relief to the agricultural workers to the pro-people welfare schemes launched by the Left Front governments in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.

In his introductory remarks, Babasaheb Saravade severely criticised the state government for not implementing the various social welfare schemes for the rural poor. Narayan Gaikwad, Rajan Kshirsagar, Sakharam Shinde, Kashinath Budhar and Limbaji Kachare in their brief speeches painted a grim picture of the rural toilers who were without employment, ration, safe drinking water, shelter and social security.

While speaking at the rally, activists from the various districts narrated the wretched conditions of the rural poor and the inhuman treatment being meted out to them by the ruling classes and the bureaucracy. Every speaker came down heavily on the anti-poor policies of the state government.

The demands for universal public distribution system, guaranteed employment for hundred days work to at least one person per family, regularisation of the forest plots and house-sites, restoration of alienated lands of adivasis and dalits were raised by Natthu Salve, Sukamabi Thakre and others.

The CITU leaders Mahendra Singh and Suman Sanzgiri, Kisan Sabha leaders Krishna Khopkar and Dr Ashok Dhawale and other greeted the agricultural workers for their militant rally and supported their demands.

Later, a delegation led by Ahilya Ranganekar, Kumar Shiralkar, Madan Naik, Suman Sanzgiri, Babasaheb Saravade presented a memorandum to the rural development minister and discussed with him about the pressing demands. The minister promised to call a meeting of the concerned immediately.

The agricultural workers who participated in the rally returned with a firm resolve to agitate for wages, employment and land.