The West Bengal Left Front has set a target to reach out to 1.5 crore people across the State and collect their signatures during a 50-day campaign in support of ensuring food security for all sections of society, said its chairperson Biman Bose here on Friday.
The campaign will be ceremonially launched in Kolkata on December 3 and in the following 50 days attempts will be made by all the constituents of the Left Front to reach out to all sections of society including the most economically weak, he said.
A three-pronged demand centring round food security will be explained to the people through big or small rallies and streetcorner gatherings before urging them to sign in support of the demand, Mr. Bose said.
The Left Front is demanding that the food security law ensure the public distribution system is universal with no distinctions of people living above or below the poverty line, 35 kg of foodgrains be provided per month at not more than Rs.2 per kg and cash transfers not replace the entitlements, he said. “The demands will be explained to the illiterate people and their thumb impressions will be taken after their consent,” he added.
Stating that a target will be set up for each district Left Front committee, he said: “We will carry our campaign to all urban and rural localities inhabited by the weakest sections of society. Besides Bengali and Hindi, we will take our message to the masses through Urdu, Nepali, Oriya and Telugu.”
Asked about the upcoming rural elections in the State, Mr. Bose said that district committees have been asked to stay prepared though he does not feel that the elections can be advanced in view of the annual examination in schools scheduled at the beginning of next year.
Mr. Bose also said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was spending a lot of her time in being present in festivals and religious ceremonies instead of paying attention to the overall situation in the State.
“The general administration and law and order in the State are being affected because of this, but it is for the Chief Minister herself and the people of the State to realise it,” he said.
