People's Democracy

DYFI organises Occupy Parliament Street Dharna

MORE than ten thousand youth staged a massive dharna–Occupy Parliament Street–at Parliament Street on August 12, 2013. The principal slogan of the dharna was: “Against unemployment, corporate loot and neo-liberal exploitation.” DYFI activists from across the country participated in the protest.

Tripura chief minister and former DYFI leader, Manik sarkar inaugurated the dharna. DYFI founder general secretary, Hannan Mollah, Sitaram Yechury, MP, CITU president, AK Padmanabhan, SFI general secretary Ritabrata Banerjee, former DYFI leader Suneet Chopra addressed the dharna among others.

Manik Sarkar outlined in brief the achievements of the pro-people, especially pro-poor Left Front government.He also pointed to the all time high unemployment rate of the country and drew the attention of the dharna to the emphasis that the Left Front government had placed for some time now on the all-round generation of employment.

Referring to the UPA government and the BJP, Sitaram Yechury remarked that real match fixing is happening in the parliament as there are no differences in policies of these two parties. Yechury also called upon the youth to make sure that a government with entirely different policy perspective from both the Congress and the BJP comes in power at the centre in the next Lok Sabha polls.

Hannan Mollah, in his speech called upon the DYFI to face the immense challenges before the youth. He said that only a democratic and progressive organisation like the DYFI can guide the youth in a positive direction.

AK Padmanabhan, president CITU, pointed out that the workers of the nation were being made to undergo serious sufferings under the UPA rule.Unemployment has risen sharply. The welfare state or what remained of it was being systematically dismantled.

DYFI president MB Rajesh presided over the public meeting and general secretary Avoy Mukherjee delivered the concluding speech. In his speech Avoy said that this agitation will continue and there will be state level rallies in September.