People's Democracy

YECHURY AT SFI AP STATE CONFERENCE

'Let us Build a New India'

THE onus of building a new India by waging united and concerted struggles against neo-liberal policies rests with the students and youth of the country said CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and former SFI president Sitaram Yechury.

Addressing an impressive public meeting held on the occasion of the 19th  state conference of SFI Andhra Pradesh unit in Kadapa town on January 23, he asserted that socialism is the only alternative to the present rotten capitalism that is squeezing the people and called on students and youth to join the united struggles.

Earlier, a huge rally of the students was taken out from the municipal sport stadium of the town to the old bus stand area where the public meeting was held. Thousands of students took part in this enthusiastic rally. The public meeting was presided over by SFI state president M Surya Rao.

Yechury dealt with the severe economic crisis that overtook the American economy and also affected the world economy to an extent. Terming this crisis as a serious one, he said the Occupy Wall Street movement that rose up in US had spread to 1500 cities in the world. He felt that the struggles against the capitalist system would intensify in the near future. The capitalists cannot survive without indulging in exploitation and oppression of people and thus the only alternative to it is socialism, he emphasised. He called upon the youth and the students to build a new India with this understanding.

Today people below 25 years of age constitute nearly 54 per cent of the nation's population, which is a great demographic advantage for the country. But the government was shirking its responsibility towards education. Only 9 per cent of the students are reaching to the level of the higher education presently and if this rises to 25 to 30 per cent, Indians could lead the world, he reminded. Already every third person in Silicon Valley, the world capital of information technology, is an Indian, he said.  Although the Act providing for the ‘Right to education’ has been enacted, it is not being properly implemented properly even after two years of its existence. “According to Planning Commission a sum of Rs 1.75 lakh crore would be required to implement this Act properly implemented over a period of five years. This is the same amount that has been embezzled in the 2G spectrum scam during the UPA regime. If such loot could be prevented, the Right to Education can easily be implemented” said  Yechury. Explaining in detail the oppressive and exploitative policies of the UPA-II government at the centre, he urged the student community to fight against these deceptive policies of the government. Bhagat Singh fought for economic independence too along with the political independence, he reminded and urged the students to strengthen the heritage of Bhagat Singh.

Yechury expressed concern that caste and religion are creating disunity amongst the people of the country. United struggles should be held for the sake of a new India, an India without hunger, unemployment and illiteracy, he called upon the students. He expressed optimism that the students and the youth of the country would join ranks with the Left parties in order to defeat the exploitative and religious fundamentalist politics.

SFI president P K Biju, addressing the public meeting, said that lives of 99 per cent of the people were being dictated terms by one per cent of capitalists. The neo-liberal policies being pursued by Manmohan Singh government have led to rise in poverty, slowdown of agriculture and negative industrial growth, he said. He expressed concern that these policies are responsible for the increasing farmer suicides in the country. These same policies are damaging the educational and the health sectors too along with the agriculture, he said. Charging the Manmohan Singh government as being the most corrupt government in the history of the country, he called upon the students to fight against its neo-liberal policies.

Former SFI president Y Venkateswara Rao criticised the central government for following an opportunistic policy with regard to the Telengana issue. It is making the state to perpetually seethe under the turmoil without revealing the stance of the central government or the Congress party on the issue.  The state was suffering in the form of stunted development as a result of such opportunism of both the Congress party and the TDP.

Chairman of the Reception Committee and MLC, M Geyanand and SFI state secretary K Chandra Mohan were among those who addressed the public meeting. SFI joint secretary Siva Dasan and SFI former president R Arun Kumar, SFI former secretary B Venkat and others participated in the meeting.  (INN)