Both the Central and the State Governments need to provide a decent livelihood to the rural and agricultural labourers of the country,” said Communist Party of India (Marxist-leninist) liberation national secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya here on Friday attending the 5th national conference of the All India Agricultural labour Association (AIAlA). Bhattacharya said they have taken a decision to add rural labourers with agricultural labourers as most of them are attached with different occupations besides agriculture. “These people are engaged in different occupations in countryside to eke out a living,” he added.
He said the Governments have to ensure rights of the agriculture and rural labourers to live with dignity. “We will fight for the rural poor of the country to give them a decent livelihood,” he said. Bhattacharya also informed that they would strongly protest the amendment of the existed land Acquisition Act. “We have started a 100-day campaign against the controversial land ordinance which would continue till June 30. Even we have planned to burn the copy of the ordinance on April 6 protesting the draconian bill,” he added. Addressing thousands of AIAlA members from across the country, Prof Manoranjan Mohanty said the Modi-led BJP Government has started attacking the very foundation of village-level democracy of the country by promulgating the land Bill. “The bill will not help the farmers of the country,” he added.
Other leaders including AIAlA general secretary Dhiren Jha, CPI(Ml) liberation State secretary Khitish Biswal and Satyabati Behera spoke about the problems of agriculture labourers especially women labourers in the country. The leaders said they would take the issue to the streets in future if the State or the Centre fails to solve the problems of rural labourers.