Left parties to hold mass protests in Punjab on farm issues

The four Left parties in Punjab today said they would hold mass protests at district level on October 12 in support of farmers seeking compensation for their damaged crops.
The meeting of the state coordination committee CPI, CPI(M), CPM Punjab and CPI(M-L) Liberation also strongly condemned the "callousness and raw deal" of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with the "ruined" cotton, basmati and sugarcane growers of the state, a spokesperson said.
The committee meeting, led by CPI(M) secretary Charan Singh Virdi, also supported the struggling peasants for adequate compensation and remuneration for the peasantry and announced holding district-level mass sit-in and demonstrations on October 12, the spokesperson said.

Expressing concern over the "growing distress and discontent" among people, particularly farmers and youth, the committee blamed the "Neo-liberal policies" pursued by the Centre and Punjab Government and has decided to intensify the struggle against it.
It has also decided to hold a state-level convention at Jalandhar on November 6, in which Mission-2016, for achieving the 15-Point Demand Charter, would be prepared.
"The burning issues include controlling the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, unemployment, curbing drug mafia, transport, land mafias, issue of agrarian distress and growing suicides by farmers, house site plots for landless, payment of MNREGA wage arrears, cheaper health facilities, old age pension of Rs 3,000 per month and minimum wages of Rs 15,000 per month to workers," Virdi said.

The meeting was attended by Hardev Arshi, Joginder Dayal, from CPI, Charan Singh Virdi, Vijay Misra, from CPI(M), Mangat Ram Pasla, Inderjit Singh Grewal from CPM Punjab and Gurmeet Singh Bhakhatpura from CPI(M-L) Liberation among others.