The Communists were largely responsible for saving the Indian economy from the crisis that had hit the world economy. Through their interventions during the United Progressive Alliance's last term, they prevented the government from selling stakes in public sector undertakings, said Tapan Sen, all India general secretary of Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
Addressing a public meeting at Jhansi Rani Park here on Sunday to commemorate the CITU's 40th anniversary, Mr. Sen said that there were many attempts to sell PSU stakes but it was the Left parties, which thwarted the attempts and saved the Indian economy.
Shock absorbers
Indeed, it was the efforts of the Communists who opposed the neo-liberal economic policies that stood as shock absorbers and saved the economy from getting caught in recession.
Mr. Sen said that the 13th conference held at Chandigarh recently discussed the setting up of the P. Ramamurthi Memorial School of Trade Union Education and Research Centre at New Delhi. “We have identified land and work had already started,” he said.
The trade union was also discussing about organising an all India bandh demanding the speedy implementation of the Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act 2008, during September.
Recalling the history of the union, he said that many workers from Madurai joined the CITU during its inception in 1970.
In fact, the late Marxist leader, P.Ramamurthi, was the first general secretary of the CITU and one of the stalwarts in building the working class movement and educating the working class to play the political role of leading the fight for social transformation.
The CITU had been a central force in upholding the rights of the working classes in the country against the capitalist exploitation. Its essential premise was to create a rule of working classes.
It was this theme that made B.T.Ranadive and P.Ramamurthi coin the slogan, ‘Unity and Struggle.'
Assistance
Twenty nine children of CITU members were given Rs. 500 each for scoring good marks in the Class X and XII examinations.
N. Nanmaran, MLA, Madurai East, and Madukkur Ramalingam also spoke.
