A 'Jan Sansad' or people's parliament was held here at Jantar Mantar today to protest against, among others, the government's move to amend the Land Act and tweak the rural job scheme.
The Jan Sansad, which was organised by the All India People's Forum (AIPF), was addressed by peasant and adivasi rights activists and Left and socialist leaders.
In the run-up to the Jan Sansad, resolutions from thousands of gram sabhas across the country were passed demanding scrapping of the Land Acquisition Bill as well as of moves to allegedly dilute and curtail the MNREGA and Food Security Act.
AIPF leaders announced their intention to observe Mar. 23, the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, as Bhoomi Adhikar Diwas (Land Rights Day) followed by a 100-day mass campaign on land and labour rights (Bhoomi Adhikar-Shram Adhikar Sangharsh Abhiyan).
As part of the campaign, the rights of people to health, nutrition, water and education will be raised along with right to land, livelihood and workers' rights.
A delegation of AIPF leaders also submitted the gram sabha resolutions to President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his immediate intervention to protect land and livelihood and guarantee food security.
"Your land is your own, no one can take it from you by force, defend your land with all your might," veteran columnist Kuldeep Nayyar told the gathering at Jantar Mantar.
AIPF Campaign Committee member Roma Malik, general secretary of the All India Union of Forest Working People, spoke of women's enormous role in all the ongoing people's movements and stressed the need for united struggles of peasants, adivasis and workers.
Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary CPI (ML)- Liberation, pointed out that the Narendra Modi government had promised "acche din" for the people, but had delivered "acche din" only to the corporates and the rich.
He said that AIPF was born out of the urge of people's movements for greater united resistance to the ongoing corporate and communal offensive.
