Left to launch 'Jail Bharo' agitation against price rise

Mounting a major campaign against the Manmohan Singh government on the issue of price rise, the Left parties on Friday promised to intensify the agitation with 'jail bharo' on April 8 across the country.

In order to give a wake-up call to the 'anti-people' Congress-led UPA government, the Left parties said some 25 lakh people will picket the government offices in various parts of the country and offer themselves for arrest.

"The April 8 agitation will be the biggest 'Jan Andolan' (mass movement) by the people against the policies of the Central Government…if they do not listen we will work against the government during the remainder of the Budget session," the CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat said addressing the assembly.

The Parliament Street stretch from near the Saradar Patel Chowk towards Rajiv Chowk was awash with the Red Flag of the four Left Parties. The venue was the culmination point of the 'March to Parliament' conducted by the four Left Parties against price rise.

The rally made demands on the government: Control Price Rise; Right to Food, Right to Health and strengthen public distribution system, among others. The meeting was addressed by the CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, his RSP counterpart T.J. Chandrachoodan. CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta and CPI(M) Parliamentary Party leader Sitaram Yechury also addressed the gathering.

Leaders charged that the UPA government that came to power promising to work for the Aam Aadmi (common person) has jettisoned the approach by favouring the rich and corporate sector.

"The corporate sector has been given concession worth Rs. 80,000 crore while it imposed Rs 60,000 by way of indirect taxes on the working class," Mr. Dasgupta said asserting that the battle against the government policies has just begun.

On his part, Mr. Yechury argued that had the government taken simple steps like distributing 2.75 lakh tonnes of surplus foodgrains from the godowns for distribution through the public distribution system, the prices would have come down. He said the government is reluctant to ban futures trading even as speculators booked Rs. 15 lakh crore profit. Similarly, it did not take any action against hoarders.

He said the rise in prices of essential commodities has created a situation right in the first year of the government that it has started counting its support in the Lok Sabha, something usually done towards the end of the tenure.