From: sadhan roychowdhury <sadhan.roychowdhury1@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 10:11 PM
Subject: Fwd: Wanted: Democracy, Not Party Slaves
From: paschim banga khet majoor samity <pbkmswb@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 7:11 PM
Subject: Wanted: Democracy, Not Party Slaves
To: Aahana <aahanang@gmail.com>
Wanted: Democracy, Not Party Slaves
With the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, we put forward our charter of demands for consideration by all political parties participating in the elections. We demand that the elected representatives function as servants of the people, not as slaves of their party. Once elected, they must rise above sectarian party interests to represent all in their constituency.
Elections come and go. Ruling groups change with power equations. We, the ordinary working people, realise from our daily experience that the king changes, but our everyday lives don't. As the juggernaut of development travels faster and faster, the daily suffering of the working people also accelerates.
This cannot change merely by changing ruling groups within the framework of the current state structure. The structure needs to be challenged at its base and economic thinking transformed. This has to be done in stages, the first of which is the fight for working people's rights. As part of this struggle, we have to force the ruling groups to negotiate on these rights, to force them to accept those.
We give here our major demands which we are placing before all parties standing for Assembly elections in 2011.
Political Demands
An atmosphere free of terror: where every citizen can freely express his/her views and voters can exercise their ballot without fear. The needs and demands of the people cannot be put down with undemocratic, oppressive and authoritarian measures. An end to the medieval practice of taking control of areas. The tags of Naxalite, Maoist or terrorist must not be used as a form of arbitrary legal harassment. Make it a criminal offence to harass individuals or organisations who lodge complaints against the government, the administration or powerful individuals.
Stop Party control: Ensure autonomy, democratic and non-party functioning of educational, health and social institutions. Panchayat law to be amended to have people's panchayats, instead of elections on party basis.
More power to the people: Meetings of the village council (Gram Sansad) or the fourth tier, (consisting of 500-750 voters in a single polling booth) every two months and their approval for all planning and evaluation of all measures to be made compulsory. Panchayats must be given more powers for area planning and for imposing and collecting revenues.
Right to recall: Gram Sansad or the village council must be able to recall Panchayat members for corruption and other illegal actions.
Complaints Redressal: to be made legally enforceable with prompt and transparent disposal of complaints.
Economic Demands
Food security and safety in agriculture: All natural resources (water, land, forests) to be used to produce food first. Time tested traditional agriculture to be revived, rather than depending on corporate agriculture. Ban on use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and GM technology.
Increased State investment in agriculture: Fair minimum price support to the farmers for cereals, pulses and oilseeds to encourage food production. Special encouragement for small and marginal farmers.
Universal public distribution system: No more APL and BPL. Legal guarantees of rations for all with every adult entitled to 14 kg of cereals at Rs. 2 a kg, 1.5 kg of pulses at Rs. 20 a kg and 800 gm of cooking oil at Rs 35 a kg.
Bar on multinational companies: Land, water and forest not to be turned into commodities for use of multinationals. First right of working people over natural resources to be recognised. No multinationals in agriculture and the food market.
No to Nuclear Energy everywhere: with an immediate stop to the plant at Haripur.
Job-led industrialisation as priority: Industry to create work, and those that displace jobs must be disallowed. Unused land in factory areas must be used to set up new factories and not for housing or town centres. Closed factories to be reopened at once.
Determination and implementation of minimum wages : Minimum wages to be fixed at Rs. 249 at present market rates in accordance with the 15th ILC (Indian Labour Conference) and Supreme Court rulings and to be revised regularly. Small landowners and businessmen in the informal sector who employ workers must be given wage subsidy or grants so that they can pay the minimum wage. All labour laws, especially minimum wage laws, to be enforced strictly, with a minimum wage inspector at every village panchayat.
Social security for workers in the unorganised sector: legal guarantees for pension, insurance, accident-related benefits, maternal benefits, health and treatment facilities etc.
Implementing and amending NREGA: Every adult to get 270 days of work, instead of 100 days in a year, at the statutory minimum wage. Amendments to the rules for prompt and automatic payment of unemployment allowance and compensation for late payment of wages . Creation of sufficient and appropriate work for women, aged and disabled under NREGA.
Land and homes to the landless and homeless
Disasters: Proper (pucca) shelters in areas prone to cyclones, storms and flooding. Double rations and work under NREGA after disasters
Social Demands
Protect women and society: Break illicit liquor and gambling dens. Alcoholism must not be encouraged to increase state revenues. State to deal sternly with atrocities against women and legal red tape must not be allowed to stand in the way of steps against the perpetrators.
Education and health: Enhance budgets on health and education, with at least 60 per cent on services. Make anti-rabies and snake venom medicines available at all rural health centres.
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Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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