9-day agitation in Delhi from January 30

A nine-day agitation will be held in the national capital from January 30 by several social and political outfits that are fighting for the cause of farmers, women, youth, servicemen, people from Dalit and Adivasi communities, among others, the organisers said on Thursday.

Some 40 organisations will hold a 'dharna' at Jantar Mantar under the banner of 'India Unites' from January 30 to February 7.

They will highlight issues like rural distress, rise in hate crimes, environmental degradation, ethics in journalism, atrocities against women and unemployment.

Addressing a press conference here, Hannan Mollah, General Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) said the socio-economic condition of Indians has worsened in the past four years due to a "destructive" mix of poor economic policies and implementation by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

"We will invite all political parties on the last day of the dharna and set a 15-point programme on which they will be asked to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," Mollah said.

"The agitation is organised by concerned citizens who are alarmed at the direction the country is taking. We find trivialisation and subversion of our Constitution through underhanded tactics unacceptable."

Satbir Singh, Chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement and Dalit leader and Gujarat lawmaker Jignesh Mevani were among those present at the conference.

"The campaign is against non-deliverance. It will set an agenda for the new government, whichever party forms it," said Singh, who was at the forefront of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) agitation.

Mevani said the BJP government had come up with the 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' slogan but the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was working to divide the society on the lines of caste and religion.

"This campaign is to come up with a positive agenda. What people want will prevail not what the BJP and the RSS want," he said.

Protesters, from a wide section of society, will take up different issues every day and on the ninth day all political parties except the saffron outfits are expected to join them, Mollah said.

--IANS

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