People's Democracy

PUNJAB

Unprecedented Response To Satyagraha

AT the call of the sponsoring committee of central trade unions and over sixty federations of the central and state government, over one and half lakh industrial workers, FCI workers, transport workers, anganwadi workers and helpers, brick kiln workers, BSNL employees, LIC employees, electricity board employees, medical and sales representatives, contract workers, construction workers, state government employees of various departments, agricultural workers, peasants took part in the protest rallies, demonstrations and chakka jam organised at more than fifty places in Punjab and Chandigarh on December 4-5, 2007. The satyagrah action got unprecedented response all over the state of Punjab and union territory of Chandigarh. Several independent state level peasants, agricultural workers unions and various workers and employees unions also supported this action and organised rasto roko.

Every where CITU workers and workers of other trade unions and peasants, agricultural workers organisations and anganwadi workers and helpers organised militant demonstrations before blocking rail and road traffic. Rail and road traffic was blocked at Mansa, Bathinda, Garhshankar and Amritsar. Road traffic was blocked at Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Sangrur, Raikot, Barnala, Budhlada, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Rajpura, Patran, Moga, Pathankot, Batala, Amritsar, Ferozpur, Fazlika, Malot, Malerkotla, Kapoorthala, Mansa, Mukatsar on December 4, 2007. On December 5, 2007, rallies, protest marches and chakka jam was organised at Talwara, Garhshankar, Gardhiwala, Hoshiarpur, Mukerian, Nawan Shehar, Ropar, Sunam, Majri, Tarantarn, Barnala, Sherpur, Nabha and Malerkotta.

At Munak, the police resorted to manhandling with the anganwadi workers numbering about 300 who were being led by state president of Anganwadi Mulajam Union, Usha Rani. But the militancy of CITU affiliated union frustrated all attempts of the police and broke the police barricade and gheraoed the SDM office of sub division of Munak in Sangrur district.

At Ludhiana, where over 5000 workers of CITU and other trade unions and peasants and agricultural workers organisations including about 300  anganwadi workers and helpers held rally and chakka jam action, the police threatened to arrest the agitators. But the courage and militancy of the agitators compelled the heavy police force to beat a retreat and traffic remained totally halted for two hours. At Taratarn also police warned the anganwadi workers and helpers and CITU activists to vacate the road. But the police could not remove the militant workers who were blocking the traffic. At Fatehgarh Sahib, Rajpura, Sangruru, Sunam Patiala, Nawan Shehar, Ropar etc., national highways and GT roads were blocked for two to three hours and the agitators were arrested.

Raghunath Singh, All India CITU vice president and state general secretary, Rachhpal Singh, Punjab Kisan Sabha president, Vijay Misra, senior vice president of state CITU, Balwant Singh, CPI(M) state secretary, state president of CITU Kishan Singh, vice president CITU Jatinderpal Singh, Gurmesh Singh and Fateh Chand, joint secretary of Kandhi Sangarsh committee, Sucha Singh president PRTC Motor Mazdoor Union, Narinder Pal Chamiari, general secretary of Punjab Roadways Motor Mazdoor Union, Usha Rani, president and Harjit Kaur, general secretary of Anganwadi Mulaym union, Punjab, Mohinder Kumar Baddowan, general secretary and Sharief Masieh president of Lal Jhanda Bhatta workers union Punjab president of Lal Jhanda Narega workers union Hosharpur, Jagdish Chohka, chief adviser of Janglat Vibhag Field Workers Union addressed the rallies apart from AITUC general secretary Bant Brar, president Nirmal Singh Datiwal. They condemned the anti people and anti-nation economic policies of the centre and state governments. The speakers also criticised government for not filling more than one lakh vacant posts in various government departments. The speakers warned the government against privatisation of the PSEB and other public sector undertakings. They strongly demanded  that privatisation of PSEB should be stopped; minimum wages of industrial and agricultural workers should be increased with effect from January 2006; contract labour system, downsizing and out sourcing should be stopped; interest rate of EPF, GPF, CMPF and other small savings should be increased; ICDS should be regularised and anganwadi workers and helpers should be given class-III and class IV government employees grade ; work charged and daily wage workers should be regularised; rising prices should be checked; new jobs should be generated; loans of peasants and agricultural workers should be waived off and public distribution system should strengthened.