People's Democracy

PUNJAB

CPI(M) to Launch Mass Contact Programme

CPI(M) Punjab state committee has issued the following statement on July 23

THE Punjab state committee of CPI(M) has chalked out a fortnight long campaign of mass contact in all the districts of the state from August 16 -30, 2007 in pursuance to the call of the Party Central Committee. The jathas consisting of district leadership of the Party will march in villages and rouse public opinion for the vital demands and problems of the various sections of the people. On August 30, the culmination day of the campaign, daylong picketing will be held in front of central government offices including TV centres and other important offices. The following demands and issues will be raised in this campaign:

• Demand to curb price rise

• PDS for all,

• Agrarian crisis and peasant problems

• No FDI in retail trade

• Curb unemployment

• Women’s reservation bill

• Fight communalism and

• Nuclear deal

The chief minister Parkash Singh Badal will also be exposed among the people for not fulfilling the promise of supplying atta at Rs.4 per kg and dal at Rs.20 per kg to the poor people. Pressure shall also be built on Punjab government for revision of minimum wage of industrial workers, which is long overdue.

Through another resolution the state committee has expressed its concern over the simmering Dera-Sikh dispute. It has strongly condemned the failure of Badal government in protecting the Dera followers who are being harassed and denied the right of worship. The state committee had decided to come forward in protection of the followers wherever they are harassed and denied their right of worship etc. It has also decided to campaign for maintaining communal harmony in the state.

The state committee also finalised the timetable for its organisational conferences to be held before the 19th Party Congress. The branch conferences will begin from first week of September and state conference will be held on December 30-31, 2007 and January 1, 2008 at Chandigarh.

S Ramachandran Pillai, Polit Bureau member who gave a report on international and national developments, guided the state committee deliberations. The two-day meeting of the state committee held on July 21-22, 2007 was presided over by R S Virk.

At the outset the state committee condoled the death of comrade Balwant Singh Changara, a district committee member of Mansa district. INN