The Hindu : Left organisations' call for State bandh on May 21

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 09, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Left organisations' call for State bandh on May 21

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD May 8. Several mass organisations affiliated to the Left parties have called for a Statewide bandh on May 21 to highlight the State Government's failure in tackling drought.

The bandh coinciding with the all-India strike called by Central trade unions barring INTUC and BMS, against the Central Government's anti-labour policies, is being supported by the nine Left-party combine and the Congress.

None other than the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president, M. Satyanarayan Rao, participated in the round table conference convened by the mass organisations here on Thursday and declared "full support'' to the bandh. He said he would direct all the district units of the party to work for its success. "We have to oppose the anti-people policies of the State Government.'' Pointing to the CPI (M) State Committee Secretary, B. V. Raghavulu, sitting beside him, he wondered why the party had reservations working with the Congress. "In the past, we had no problem working with the CPI but our CPI (M) friends seem to be reluctant. There might have been problems earlier but not after I took over. Forget the past and let us come together to put up a joint struggle against the Government.''

The conference released a declaration, read out by S. Malla Reddy of the AP Rythu Sangham. It described the pathetic condition of people in drought-hit areas and highlighted the failure of the Government in not only providing adequate relief to them but on all fronts. The demands listed out by the declaration include payment of daily wages to labourers under the Food for Work programme, 10 kg rice to all eligible persons deciding them at "gram sabhas'', extension of mid-day meal scheme to the handicapped, pregnant mothers and aged persons, sanction of drinking water schemes, ration cards and house sites.

Mr. Raghavulu suggested making the World Bank reforms and conditionalities central to the people's struggle and the bandh. After all, the anti-people decisions taken by the State Government were all at the behest of the World Bank, he said. Supporting the declaration, he, however, wanted inclusion of problems faced by the handloom weavers and toddytappers in it.

He criticised the State Government for changing the guidelines for Food For Work programme and bringing back the system of giving rice for material component, which, he said, would again lead to irregularities. It was perhaps aimed at somehow completing the quota of supplying 12 lakh tonnes of rice in the next few days. This move should be strongly opposed. He was also critical of the move to privatise the RTC and Singareni Collieries.

K. Narayana, assistant secretary of the State Council of CPI, demanded payment of minimum wages for works under FFW and not on cubic metre basis, package for handloom weavers providing them 20 kg rice each and waiver of fee for students in educational institutions in drought-hit areas. Others who spoke were G. Vijay Kumar of Unity Initiative, Sambasiva Rao of CPI (ML)- New Democracy, Sridhar of SUCI, P. Prema Pavani of AP Mahila Samakhya and T. Pavani of AP Mahila Sangham.

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