Supporting the struggling peasants for adequate compensation and remuneration for their crops, the left parties of Punjab — CPI, CPI (M), CPM Punjab and CPI (M-l) liberation — on Sunday decided to hold district level mass dharnas and demonstrations on October 12.
The parties, during their State Coordination Committee meeting, also strongly condemned the “callousness” and “raw deal” of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with the ruined cotton growers, basmati growers and sugarcane growers.
Expressing grave concern upon the growing distress and discontent amongst the people particularly the peasants and youth because of neo-liberal policies pursued by Narendra Modi-led Central Government and Parkash Singh Badal-led Punjab Government, the State Coordination Committee has decided to broad base and intensify its ongoing
struggle named Mission-2016 for achieving 15-Point Demand Charter.
It has decided to hold a State level convention on November 6 at Desh Bhagat Memorial Hall, Jalandhar, in which phased programme of struggle named Mission-2016 will be prepared including recruitment of volunteers for courting arrests etc.
The burning demands or issues include controlling the sky rocketing prices of essential commodities, unemployment, curbing drug mafia, transport, sand and gravel, land grab mafias, issue of agrarian distress and growing suicides by the peasants, house site plots for landless, payment of MNREGA wage arrears, cheaper health facilities, old-age pension of `3,000 per month and minimum wages of `15,000 per month to the workers etc.