BJP MISRULE IN GUJARAT CASTIGATED

 CPI(M) Proclaims Tohmatnama In Six Major Cities

THE Gujarat state committee of the CPI(M) recently issued an open chargesheet, named as Tohmatnama, against the BJP’s misrule in the state. The proclamation of the chargesheet, simultaneously in six major cities of the state, synchronised with the BJP’s so-called Gaurav Yatra.

 In Ahmedabad, the CPI(M) organised a public meeting at Lal Darwaza Chowk, and it was addressed by CPI(M) state secretary Arun Mehta. Significantly, this was the first public meeting at Lal Darvaza, the main bus station in the city, after the recent communal carnage and the gathering was considerably big and noteworthy in view of the prevailing situation. Others to address the meeting included CPI(M) city committee secretary Devtadin Yadav, Satishbhai Parmar, Anandbhai Parmar, Yashodaben Kosti and Nareshbhai Parmar.

 What directly appealed to the sentiments of the masses here, were the issues that affect their day to day life and living. The speakers accused the BJP government of Gujarat of having conspired with the rioting mobs in effecting a veritable genocide of the Muslim men ad women in the state. The state government has also colluded with the Asian Development Bank to mortgage the entire state to the multinationals, behind the back of the people. It was in pursuance of the ADB conditionalities that the tariff for electricity was hiked to Rs 5 per unit. The CPI(M) leaders also alleged that corruption in the administration of earthquake relief has nakedly crossed all limits. At the same time, the victims of the recent anti-Muslim carnage are still facing discrimination in relief and other matters. The liberalised imports have smashed a number of small scale industries in the state and also hit the peasants hard by pushing the prices of milk, maize, pulses, groundnuts and many other agro-products down.

 The audience at the meeting listened to the CPI(M)’s message with rapt attention for three hours. The chargesheet prepared by the party was written in capital letters on a big cloth sheet and also printed on the leaflets that were distributed on this occasion.

 In Bhavnagar, the CPI(M) meeting was held in the centrally located Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk. Near the martyr Bhagat Singh’s statue, the party had put up a very large board that displayed the chargesheet in capital letters. The big mass meeting in the evening was addressed by CPI(M) state committee member and AIDWA leader Ivaben Mehta, municipal cooperators Bhupat Mer, Manekben Makwana, Hardev Singh, SFI state secretary Naresh Gohel, and DYFI state secretary Harun Khan Pathan. Ashok Sompura proclaimed the chargesheet.

 At Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha district, hundreds of demonstrators surrounded the Collectorate and shouted roaring slogans. The mass meeting here was addressed by state Kisan Sabha president and CPI(M) state secretariat member Pragjibhai Bhambhi, district CPI(M) secretary Kuberbhai Bhambhi, the CITU’s Dahyabhai Yadav, and Purushottambhai Parmar, deputy chief of a village panchayat.

 In Vadodara, even the torrent of heavy rain did not prevent the holding of the programme that was organised at the main Gandhinagar Grih Chowk in the city. A large mass attended the meeting despite the rain. CPI(M) state secretariat member Naginbhai Patel conducted the meeting.

 At Rajkot, district CPI(M) secretary Ramchandran addressed a sizeable  gathering in the centrally located Babasaheb Ambedkar Chowk, led the march to the Collector’s office, and read out the chargesheet.

 In Upleta, the CPI(M)’s state committee member and district secretary  Dinesh Kantaria led more than 200 demonstrators in Bhagat Singh Chowk where a big cloth sheet displayed the party’s chargesheet against the BJP’s state government. The demonstrators also raised loud slogans.

 Handbills containing the charges were distributed everywhere in the state.

 According to a press statement issued by the CPI(M)’s Gujarat state secretary Arun Mehta recently, the programme so launched would continue in all the districts in the state. It may be noted that the CPI(M) is the first political party to issue such a chargesheet.

 The CPI(M)’s chargesheet makes the following accusations against the BJP’s misrule in Gujarat.

1) The BJP committed the crime of dividing the people of the state instead of uniting them.

2) Planned efforts to destroy the secular basis of India’s constitution were undertaken and the state-supported riots killed 2500 persons, rendered 1,13,000 homeless, and destroyed more than 10,000 houses as well as 5,000 work places totally. All this necessitates that Narendra Modi must be removed from the chief minister’s post forthwith.

3) Attacks on Christians and Muslims have defamed the state at the international level.

4) Despite the famine conditions in certain districts, they are not being declared as famine-hit, as doing so would mar the BJP game plan of having immediate elections in the state.

5) Acute price rises and severe tax-hikes have thrown the common people at the mercy of white-collar looters. The latest such act is the rise engineered by hoarders in edible oil prices right during the festival season, with the collusion of the state government. For, as is quite well known, the BJP gets crores of rupees from these Telia Rajas (oil magnates).

6) The state government is giving to the multinationals a red carpet welcome, while claiming to be in favour of self-reliance and swadeshi.

7) The BJP has rendered the state highly indebted. The total debt is Rs 47,000 crore; that comes to Rs 5,000 per citizen of Gujarat.

8) The agriculture’s share in total production in the state has come down from 70 per cent not very long ago to 28 per cent only.

9) The textiles industry, for which Gujarat was once famous the world over, stands destroyed. The policies of the state and central governments have led to closures and lockouts in private textile mills as well as public sectors units.

10) Within the last 3 years, 85,000 small industry units have got closed down and 7 lakh workers thrown on to roads.

11) The figure of registered unemployed youth has risen to 15 lakh.

12) The state’s labour department runs under the total control of big industrial houses, and the judicial set-up for labour affairs is facing the allegation of all-round corruption. Workers’ condition in pitiable.

13) Corruption is rampant in the earthquake relief work also.

14) The ongoing commercialisation of education is tending to close the doors of education for the poor and middle class children.

15) The rampant corruption by multinational companies has led to a shortage in electricity supply. The Gujarat government recently signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank to increase the electricity rates and to instal meters for agricultural consumers.

16) At the same time, supply of electricity to rural Gujarat and for agricultural operations has been reduced to four hours per day only.

17) Over 7,000 villages underwent the pangs of agony in winter under the BJP’s “Vision 2000.”

18) The state government is attacking the cooperative sector at the behest of multinationals. Scams have shaken the very foundation of several cooperative banks.

19) Demolition operations have rendered at least one lakh people jobless.

20) The conservative attitude of the ruling party has encouraged, and led to an increase in, the killing of female foetuses. The tendency has brought dishonour to Gujarat. In view of this extreme and heinous patriarchal attitude, it is not surprising that the recent riots in the state saw maximum female killing.

21) And for the first time ever, Gujarat has begun to witness the phenomenon of suicides by cultivators.