Left call to raid FCI godowns on Sept 12

The Left parties, comprising Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc, today gave a call to their cadres to raid Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns on September 12 and seize grains and take them home.

The call came after the conclusion of a five-day agitation of the Left parties today at the Jantar Mantar to focus on ‘food security for all’.

The call for loot of FCI godowns came from a stage, which had leaders like Prakash Karat, former CPI politburo member AB Bardhan, CPI national secretary Amarjit Kaur, among others.

CPI national secretary Atul Anjan told a gathering, “Tell all your comrades to go to the FCI godowns in their areas and seize foodgrains stored there. All the grains there are yours....”

"States may open fire at you. Those who do that would be exposed as anti-poor, while those who don't are with us..." Anjan said.

All India Forward Bloc national secretary G Devrajan said the parties would meet the prime minister to seek amendments in the Food Security Bill to ensure people of below and above poverty line families get 35 kg of foodgrain at Rs 2 a kg.

“We will demand that no cash transfer takes place, as that would finish off the public distribution system, which ensures a steady demand for agricultural produce,” he said.

On the 12th we are calling for halls Bol at fci godowns and will seize grains if required, he said

Speaking to the crowds he said: let us remove the rats that are now eating those grains and provide it to the hungry masses. Weare blowing the bugle for a grain revolution here today he said to an appreciating rustic crowd.

The parties said they would give a memorandum to prime minister Manmohan Singh demanding that public distribution system of ration card based allocation of food grains should be universalised and the distinction between BPL and APL be removed. We will demand that 35 kilos of food grains is uniformly given to those below and above poverty line at Rs 2 per kilo the speakers said.

On the agitation that drew cadres from across the country dk sachdev national secretary of all India trade union congress said: it is a de- hoarding campaign as much as it is for amendment of the NSFB. And we would target private godowns as much as fci ones.