Resolutions Adopted at the Patna Rally
1. The Rally demands that the Central Government that it unequivocally scrap the anti-national Indo-US nuclear deal to protect India’s sovereignty and Independence.
2. The Rally declares this year’s general budget to be an election stunt that is bound to escalate prices even more. The Rally demands waiving of loans of all sorts for all rural poor – including farmers owning up to ten acres in crisis-ridden areas, weavers as well as fishermen. The Rally also expresses people’s anger at the reduction in outlay for the rural poor’ employment programme NREGS and demands that the Central Government makes a budgetary provision equivalent to the Defence budget for NREGS. The Rally also expresses deep concern about the fact that Laloo Yadav’s Rail Budget reflects extreme negligence for passenger amenities and safety by Railways administration.
Atrocities on Bihar’s SC, ST on rise under Nitish The state government’s own official figures explode Nitish’s myth of good governance and social justice, since they tell an unmistakeable tale of aatrocities on the rise in the past year. In 2007, there was a rise in cases of atrocities on them as compared to previous years, official sources admitted. Altogether 1932 cases of atrocities on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes were registered during 2007 against 1729 in 2006. Altogether 3,091 cases of atrocities on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are pending in Bihar till January 2008. Of the 3091 cases, 378 cases were reported from Muzaffapur. Of the cases registered during 2007, one related to murder, 11 to rape, 8 arson, and 67 under the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act 1989 and others under the Indian Penal Code. |
3. The Rally holds the pro-rich, pro-US economic policies imposed by the Central Government, in equal partnership with the State Government, responsible for sky-rocketing prices, and declares its intention to launch a nationwide campaign with the slogan ‘Roko mehengai bandho daam, nahin to hoga chakka jaam’ (Stop inflation and rein in prices, or else face the music).
4. This Rally demands a complete roll-back of the SEZ policy and advises that both Central as well as State Governments completely halt all land-acquisition without consent of the peasants and alternative job provision. This Rally expresses solidarity with all the struggles of farmers in the Country against SEZs and forced land acquisition.
5. The Rally condemns the pro-rich and anti-people character of the Nitish Government. Behind its corporate-sponsored drama of ‘Global Meet’, ‘Poor Summit’ and ‘Development Runs’ is its failure to provide even the essentials like foodgrain rations and kerosene oil, electricity and water for the people of the State. The Rally calls for intensified resistance to such callousness for the lives and livelihoods of the people of Bihar.
6. This Rally condemns the Nitish regime’s brutal suppression of movements of Shikshamitras (para-teachers), Lok-Shikshaks, ASHA health workers, poor people struggling to get their names included in the BPL list, and people demanding electricity. The custodial murder of Ashok Sah (Sitamarhi), and the political killing of Sufian in Bhojpur, as well as the massacres at Chilranv, Pipra and other places expose the complicity of the police in the nexus of criminals and mafia networks.
7. The Rally demands to know why, in spite of the CM’s tall claims of stopping crime within three months, abductions, extortion and murder continue unabated, and criminal politicians receive patronage while people’s leaders like Mehboob Alam are maltreated in jail.
8. This Rally expresses deep anger at the escalating attacks on Dalits and women, and the terrible incidents of rape of minors, and demands that the State Government constitute special Judicial Enquiries into these incidents; especially into the more than 100 incidents of assaults and killings of Musahars.
9. The Rally demands a CBI enquiry into the swindle to the tune of more than 1000 crores of public money through fake muster rolls of NREGS and demands that the State Government fill up the more than 7.5 lakh jobs lying vacant in the State, and regularize all irregular, contract and casual workers, Forest Department workers, Sarva Shikha Abhiyan workers, para teachers, anganwadi workers and ASHA workers in the State, and institute proper wages for them.
10. The Rally, comprising the struggling peasants and toiling rural labourers of the State, declares its intention of gheraoing the Nitish Government for its backing out from the land reform agenda, evading its promise of granting legal rights to sharecroppers, and putting the Bandhopadhya Land Commission recommendations on the back burner, and doing nothing to ensure the rightful share of land even to those who have received papers for the same.