Corporate looters quit India, quit agriculture: Clarion call of workers and peasants

Statement released by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) following united protests across India on 81st anniversary of Quit India day, August 9:

***

On the 81st anniversary of the “Quit India Day” called against British Imperialism, on 9th August, 2023, farmers, agricultural workers and workers of India had collective actions across the country with the slogan “Corporate Looters, Quit India, Quit Agriculture” in protest against the pro-corporate policies of the Narendra Modi-led BJP-RSS Union Government.
AIKS congratulates the lakhs of peasants and workers who came out to send a resolute message against the corporate-communal nexus.
Demonstrations and rallies were held across the country by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (JPCTUs) in many places. The AIKS, CITU and AIAWU worked in a coordinated way along with other constituents of SKM and JPCTUs to ensure the success of the programme.
Major rallies were taken out at Churu in Rajasthan, Bhiwani in Haryana, and Solapur and Nashik in Maharashtra. Demonstrations were held in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Assam, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Maharashtra. Despite heavy rain in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and other states, people came out in large numbers drawing inspiration from the August Kranti Diwas. Some States held the protest on 8th August, 2023.
The massive nature of protests is an expression of the anger of the masses against the BJP-led Union Government which is facilitating corporate loot of our resources, handing over Public Sector Undertakings, farm-land, forests and agriculture to their cronies, snatching the hard-won rights of the peasants and workers.
The corporate-communal nexus is not only attacking farmers and workers but also carrying out a divisive, violent onslaught on minorities and the oppressed. The recent communal violence in Nuh, Haryana, where VHP and Bajrang Dal mobs instigated the local populace, or the three-month long ethnic and communal strife in Manipur engineered through divisive policies expose the dangerous direction in which the BJP Government led by Narendra Modi is leading the country.
The major demands of the nationwide actions today were:

enacting a law for remunerative MSP @ C2+50% with assured procurement,
comprehensive loan waiver to free all the farm households from indebtedness,
scrapping of the four Labour Codes, curb price rise, stop disinvestment of PSUs,
withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2022 and smart metres,
dismissal and prosecution of Ajay Mishra Teni, the Union Minister of State for Home, responsible for the massacre of farmers and a journalist in Lakhimpur Kheri,
withdrawal of the pro-corporate PMFBY and establishment of a comprehensive Public Sector Crop Insurance Scheme, Farmer’s Pension Scheme of ₹ 10,000 per month for all small, marginal, middle farmers and agricultural workers,
scrapping of the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act 2023,
removal of Chief Minister N Biren Singh to establish peace in Manipur,
stop the communal carnage in Haryana etc.

Comments

Will official Modi invitation to Pope include itinerary of meeting Manipur Christians, too?

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* Few will not remember Judas Iscariot and the role he played in the betrayal of Jesus! For those who don’t know or don’t remember, these passages from Sacred Scripture will help put things in perspective: "And while they were eating, he said, 'Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.' They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, 'Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?' Jesus replied, 'The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray from Sacred Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.' Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, 'Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?' Jesus answered, 'You have said so.' (Mt. 26: 21-25)

RSS supremo Deoras 'supported' Emergency, but Indira, Sanjay Gandhi 'didn't respond'

Indira Gandhi, Balasaheb Deoras By Shamsul Islam* National Emergency was imposed on the country by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25-26, 1975, and it lasted for 19 months. This period is considered as ''dark times' for Indian democratic polity. Indira Gandhi claimed that due to Jaiprakash Narayan's call to the armed forces to disobey the 'illegal' orders of Congress rulers had created a situation of anarchy and there was danger to the existence of Indian Republic so there was no alternative but to impose Emergency under article 352 of the Constitution.

Amidst climate of hate, none cares to remember VP Singh, not even his family

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* It was former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh's birthday on June 25. He would have turned 93 on this day. A man of great idealism and conviction, VP changed the politics of power in India that became more inclusive in terms of participation and representation of the marginalised in our highest decision making bodies.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Manipur's Meira Paibis: Inter-sectional activism, regional bias, media misconstruction

By Biswanath Sinha* The women led movement in India is a diverse and multifaceted phenomenon that reflects the country's vast cultural, social, and political landscape. One of the most distinctive and influential women's organizations in this tapestry is the Meira Paibi of Manipur. Known as the "torchbearers," Meira (lights/torch) Paibi (holder/bearer) carved out a unique space in the annals of women's activism in India.

Architects, planners, designers discuss impact of climate change on infrastructure

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* The School of Architecture and Planning at the Woxsen University, Telengana, organized a conference on Architecture & Design of Built Environment (ADoBE) on 6-7th June 2024 at the Indian Institute of Technology, IIT-Hyderabad. The larger theme of the ADoBE’24 pivoted on ‘Cities Embracing Inclusivity’.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Search This Blog