NO to LOCKDOWN

Reject the pro Corporate, pro MNC, pro Landlord changes by RSS/ BJP govt.

Friends,

More than 120 days have passed and govts continue to impose lockdowns in some form or other, imposing severe restrictions on small economic operations, peasants, industrial workers, traders and meanwhile opening the flood gates for big capital to penetrate and control all small production, distribution and marketing.

While people are being fined, booked and arrested for minor and fabricated offences, even coming out of their houses, MNCs are being given full freedom to penetrate and control agriculture input supply, crop purchase, regulate cropping, food processing, food supply, retail trade and do hoarding and black marekting. They are being offered land, natural resources and infrastructure. Banks, Insurance, LIC are being privatized; and the Prime Minister is seeing green shoots in this Corporate and foreign loot!

This lockdown is a plan by RSS/ BJP, not to control Corona, but to distress peasants, small manufacturer, ordinary trader, education and health in order to help increase of corporate profits. They have used the lockdown to witch hunt anti CAA protestors and are centralizing greater control by undermining the Constitution and usurping rights of state govts.

Under this lockdown we are witness to the worst ever human tragedy created by any elected govt in the world, when migrant labour were locked down, forced to starve and forced to walk back home, thousands of kilometres. The govt never cared to teach or provide Corona precautions. It pretended to care for people by providing food, work under Mnrega and health, made loud propaganda of this, while diverting more resources and funds for growth of big private players. We need to build a big movement for our rights today.

Our main demands are:

1. Allow protests. Stop misuse of Epidemic Act, Section 144 and 188, Section 353 (obstructing govt functioning), Goonda and Gangster Act, UAPA (terrorism), NSA, AFSPA. Withdraw cases against Anti CAA protestors. Release the arrested in manipulated Elgar Parishad (Bhima Koregaon) case.

2. Food: Give 15 kg food grain, 1 kg lentils, sugar and oil per unit in PDS to all with our without cards.

3. Give work under Mnrega at minimum wages to all who ask and for at least 200 days a year. Sanction money for peoples’ development in villages. Distribute ceiling surplus, benami and riverbed land to poor. Stop displacing Tribals from forest land.

4. Waive Rabi KCC loans, issue interest free Kharif crop loans and loans for animal husbandry. Waive interest on SHG Microfinance loans, postpone recovery.

5. Reduce prices of diesel and petrol to same as Air Turbine Fuel, ie Rs 42/litre.

6. Withdraw the three agriculture Ordinances: Trade Promotion, Price Assurance and Essential Commodities Ordinances of June 2020. Implement MSP at C2+50%.

7. Withdraw Electricity Bill 2020. Waive all electricity bills of agriculture, small shops, small businesses, micro/small enterprises and poor people during Corona period.

8. Schools: Open all schools with precautions. Regulate and pay school fee of all children.

9. Nationalize all health services and give free, uniform and quality health care to all.

10. Corona Compensation: Till Corona period grant Rs 10,000 pm to each working adult; Compensate loss of vegetable, fruit, dairy, fish farmers.

11. Restart all trains, allow to and fro free of cost and safe travel to migrant workers.

CEC, AIKMS