People's Democracy

All India Protest Day Evokes

 Huge Response Across the Country

The following are some of the state reports on the all India Protest Day called by eight parties on September 20, to protest against against the steep rise in prices of diesel, limiting of gas cylinders and opening retail trade to FDI.

ODISHA

HARTAL was a total success. Transport, shops and commercial establishments were closed. State government offices, bank and insurance offices were closed due to Nuakhai festival and for that reason western Odisha was left out from the purview of the hartal. Picketing was held in front of railway stations, national highways and central government offices. NALCO Plant Office was closed and corporate office work was affected. Hartal effected rural and urban areas. Thousands of Party volunteers had participated and hundreds courted arrest.

MADHYA PRADESH

THE bandh was complete. All shops, business establishments, schools and colleges were closed. Road transport was also affected in a big way.

In few areas, especially in Gwalior, railway services too were tried to be obstructed. Police arrested 125 persons after lathicharge, including two of the state secretariat members, Jaswinder Singh and Ramvilas Goswami. At a few places, SP and CPI too joined. 

PUNJAB

MASSIVE hartals, rallies and demonstrations were held in Punjab for the roll back of steep hike in diesel and cooking gas prices and FDI in multi-brand retail trade in response to the call of opposition parties. Every where resounding slogans of ‘Roll Back Cruel Blow or Quit Office’ were  raised. The CPI(M) and CPI jointly organised the protests in all cities and towns in a big way.

Apart from holding rallies and demonstrations in bazaars, effigies of Manmohan Singh government were burnt by the protestors to articulate their discontent and anguish against the anti-people policies.

Addressing the rallies at various place state and district leaders of CPI(M) and CPI and various mass organisations strongly condemned the UPA government’s policies and said that these cruel policies would further add to the miseries of the people of our country through cascading price rise, who have been already reeling under the burden of soaring prices of essential commodities and continuously eroding purchasing power. The speakers also said that this decision of UPA government would also prove fatal to the industrial and agricultural development.

HARYANA

HARYANA unit of the CPI(M) has greeted the shopkeepers, business establishments and other sections of the people for expressing their total rejection of the anti-people decisions of the UPA government, by responding to all India protest day call. Party state secretary Inderjit Singh said that overwhelming sections voluntarily kept their shutters down in all cities and towns of Haryana.

A large protest demonstration organised by the Party passed through the main bazars of Rohtak town. Addressing the common people, CPI(M) leaders said that the UPA government has no other option but to either roll back the harmful decisions or quit power.

In all the districts and sub-division levels, the Party distributed pamphlets during the protest, explaining the consequences of the FDI in retail sector.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Hundreds of CPI(M) workers from different parts of the valley joined protest demonstration at Pratap Park, Srinagar. The demonstrators shouted slogans demanding roll back of decision on diesel price, LPG cylinders and FDI in multi-brand retail.

CPI(M) state secretary and MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami led demonstration which was stopped by police from marching onwards at Regal Chowk.

The protest rally was addressed by senior CPI(M) leaders Ghulam Nabi Malik, Abdul Hameed Wani, Gh Qadir Hafroo and Mohd Afzal Parry  highlighting the demands of the people and the purpose of the nationwide protest.

Tarigami while addressing the rally said that the decision regarding FDI in multi-brand retail trade will only deprive millions of people of their livelihood across the country. He expressed his surprise over the unwarranted support from Omar Abdullah, chief minister, Jammu and Kashmir to the decision of FDI in retail trade. Such policies, if pursued are bound to harm the interests of the people of the state as well. Keeping in view the opposition to such measures from most of the political parties including those supporting the UPA, it is sufficiently clear that government of India does not have the mandate for these anti-people policies.

Prime Minister must understand the writing on the wall and rollback these disastrous decisions to safeguard the interests of the people rather than playing to the tunes of western multi-national corporations, he said.

A series of decisions taken by UPA government over the years including diesel price hike has triggered unprecedented price rise, Tarigami said adding that these measures are breaking the backbone of common man. Even the lower middle class is struggling to sustain life in the face of price escalation.  Instead of restructuring tax regime, the UPA dispensation is fudging the statistics on the losses by petroleum companies to hoodwink people of the country.

Come what may, CPI(M) alongwith other Left and democratic parties will continue resistance against such anti-people measures and will not allow the people’s voice to go unheard, he said.