left parties in Punjab on Wednesday urged Governor Shivraj Patil not to give his assent to the anti-protest legislation, recently passed by the state Vidhan Sabha in its Budget Session. 

The parties have also decided to launch a “sustained struggle and movement” for withdrawal of this “anti-people, anti-democratic and authoritarian bill”. 

As a first step, the parties have decided to hold a joint state-level convention August 4 at Jalandhar. 

A delegation of four left Parties, including CPI, CPI(M), CPM Punjab and CPI(M-l) liberation, met Punjab Governor and submitted memorandum requesting him not to give his assent to the “draconian” Punjab Prevention of  Damage to Public and Private Properties Bill- 2014. 

The left parties’ leaders said that this law is “totally not required” since more than sufficient laws are already in existence which provide for meeting with any eventuality of violence, arson etc. 

Terming the provisions of the legislation as “arbitrary, harsh and vast”, they apprehended that any agent provocateur can create a situation of flimsy pretexts for booking the organisers of legitimate and peaceful protest actions. 

The leaders impressed upon the Governor that earlier this Bill was also passed by the Akali-BJP coalition Government in the Assembly on October 12, 2010, “but following strong public protests, it was withdrawn in the Assembly on October 9, 2011”. 

The delegation, comprising of comrades CPI’s Dr Joginder Dyal, CPI (M) Charan Singh Virdi, appealed to the Governor not to give his assent to this “black bill which is an attack on the fundamental democratic political rights of the people provided under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution”.