All India Convention of National Platform of Mass Organisations (NPMO) was held at Talkatora Stadium on 12th August, with the massive participation of seven thousand delegates representing various mass organisations of workers, peasants, agricultural laboruers, student, youth, women and professionals to decide the future course of struggle against the phenomenal price rise, unemployment and the disastrous economic policy of liberalisation being pursued by the BJP led Govt at the Centre. The convention was presided over by a presidium representing the leadership of various central TUs, viz, CITU, AITUC, HMS, UTUC, TUCC, UTUC(LS) and AICCTU and from the student, youth, women and peasants organisations. E. Balanandan, President CITU, represented CITU in the presidium. M.K. Pandhe, General Secretary CITU addressed the convention.

Among other speakers in the convention were K.L. Mahendra (AITU), V. Tiagi (HMS), Dipankar Bhattacharya (AICCTU), N.M. Sundaram (AIIEA), Brinda Karat (AIDWA), N.K. Shukla (AIKS) etc. The text of the Declaration adopted in the convention of NPMO is reproduced here. - Editor)

DECLARATION

1. The National Platform Mass Organisations in its Convention held on 12th August 1998 expresses serious concern the fast deteriorating economic situation in the country since the BJP Govt has come to power at the Centre. Inflation rate which was 4.7% in April has gone beyond 8% within 100 days of BJP coming power. The prices of essential commodities like vegetables, dal, edible oil etc., have shot up during this period. Public Distribution System is being systematically dismantled.

2. With growing industrial sickness and slowing down of economy in all the sectors, the tall claims of liberalisation have been belied. While multinational companies are allowed to capture Indian market, the loot of Indian people has gone up. There is no wonder that the number of people below the poverty line have been swelling.

3. The BJP-led Government is a hurry to privatise the profit making Public Sector Undertakings close down the so called sick units, gift away the national assets to the Indian and foreign monopoly capital through direct sell out, bringing down Government share to 26% while disinvesting 74% to private sector. Lakhs of public sector workers are thrown out of employment through Voluntary Retirement Scheme and other means. In short the PSU net work built over the years, which served as the backbone of the country's self-reliance, is under liquidation. The workers have been worst affected by the anti-PSU policy. The workers of sick units are not getting salaries for months together, languishing at the wage fixed twelve years ago, vioating agreements revised D A is not paid and overdue wage negotiations are not commenced.

4. The Central Government as well as several State governments have resorted to several measures leading to retrenchment of large numbers of employees. Vacant posts remain unfilled. The retirement age has been hiked shutting the doors of employment to the unemployed.

5. The new economic policies of liberalisation and globalisation pursued since 1991, the main postulate of which was that the State should withdraw from industrial ventures and business, have become more aggravated with the BJP coming to power.

6. The hoax of swadeshi of the BJP Government stands unmasked. While in opposition, the BJP had made a scathing attack on the then government for signing the GATT agreement. But having come to power, it upholds commitment to international agreements including the amendments to the Indian Patent Act. Meeting the WTO conditionalities and amendment of the Patent Act will add to the loot of the Indian people, cause disastrous effect on the agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors and lead to rampant closures, accentuating the unemployment situation in the country.

7. While there is an all-round deterioration in the living conditions of all sections of the people, the BJP Government is trying to divert the attention of the people towards dangerous pursuits like nuclear weaponisation. It has, thereby, disturbed the normal peaceful relations with the neighbouring countries and also has helped internationalising the Kashmir issue. The Govt. has opened up even the Defence Research and Development Organisation to the private sector, collaborating with the CII, endangering the security of the country. It is also preparing to capitulate to the USA on CTBT and like issues.

8. By pursuing the construction of Ram temple the BJP and its Sangh Parivar have rekindled the communal tension in the country developing Hindutva based jingoism.

9. The BJP seeks to subvert the Parliamentary democracy by proposing Presidential form of Government and review of the Constitution. It distorts history and is preparing to rewrite history with the Hindutva approach.

10. The media is used on the one hand for cultural invasion by the multinationals and on theother hand for spreading the Hindutva outlook.

11. The policies pursused by the BJP government have further disturbed the Centre-State relations, instead of strengthening it.

12. The peasantry is suffering due to non-implementation of genuine land reforms and non-distribution of celling surplus and Benami lands to the landless. The BJP has declared its intention to do away with agricultural land ceiling. Whatever money has been pumped into the rural areas, have been pocketed by the rural rich, while poor peasants are groaning under the crushing burden of indebtedness.

13. Declining public investment and encouragement of corporate sector in agriculture leaves them at the mercy of rural capitalists and MNCs. Unprecedent price fluctuations of cash crops, lack of credit, lack of marketing facilities and poor quality of pesticides had led to the failure of cotton and other crops leading to suicides of peasants in several parts of the country. Due to all these anti-peasant policies our food security system has been endangered.

14. The agricultural workers are denied minimum wage above the poverty level. The BJP Government has turned down the demand to introduce the long pending comprehensive Agricultural Workers' Bill giving in to the landlord lobby.

15. The Urban Land Celling Act has been scrapped enabling the builders lobby to grab urban lands.

16. The Bill providing for 33% reservation to women has been scuttled. The Govt. intentionally backtracked from introducing the Bill taking advantage of sabotage by some others.

17. The large majority of women workers have no protective legislation. Discrimination against women in different spheres continues unabated. Women are denied equal right in property. Crimes against women are on the increase but culprits invaribaly go scot free.

18. The students are denied the right to education and the siogn "Education for all" has become a mirage. Students from lower income group are being deprived of higher education due to exorbitant hike in fees and commercialisation of education. Instead of strengthening the scientific, democratic and secular education, the BJP Govt. is trying to cimmunalise the education system.

19. The teachers are denied proper scales. Vacant posts are not filled up, a sinister adhoc and contract appointment system is introduced creating job insecurity among the teachers' community.

20. The condition of youth is very bad due to loss of job opportunities during the last several years and right to work as a fundamental right has become a far cry.

21. In cultural sphere, driven by profit motive, the official electronic media competes with western and private satellite channels in broadcasting offensive programmes which degrade women and glorify violence and crime, throwing overboard all the rich cultural heritage of India.

This Convention, therefore, calls upon all the mass organisations in India to organise a countrywide campaign on the following demands :

Demands

1. Withdraw the new economic and industrial policy; scrap IMF-World Bank package of neo-liberalisation and patents regime.

2. Halt reckless entry of multinational in Indian Economy.

3. Stop privatisation, disinvestment and corporatisation of central and state public sector units and Government department work. Give up opening of insurance, telecom, financial sectors, electricity, etc. and open sky policy.

4. Reopen closed industrial units, revive all sick units, provide adequate and immediate financial packages therefor.

5. Protect small scale and traditional Indian industries.

6. Check price rise and inflation.

7. Strengthen public distribution system, supply in adequate quantily and quality essential commodities at subsidised prices to economically weaker sections.

8. Reintroduce Essential Commodities Act and take action against hoarders and blackmarketeers.

9. Take speedy measures for implementing genuine land reforms, plug loopholes in land ceiling legislations, distribute ceiling surplus and benami lands to the landless. Provide free house sites to agricultural workers. Update the land records and protect the sharecroppers.

10. Step up public investment for agri-infrastructure development, research and irrigation; ensure availability of credit for agriculture, write off all debts of poor peasants, ensure marketing facilities, remunerative prices and comprehensive crop insurance.

11. Introduce comprehensive central Agricultural Workers' Bill.

12. Introduce right to work as a fundamental right under the Constitution. Ensure payment of unemployment allowance.

13. Withdraw ban on recruitment and till up all vacant posts.

14. Ensure education for all; ensure free and compulsory primary education; stop commercialisation of education; withdraw fee hikes and step up budgetary allocation for education to 10 per cent.

15. Adopt 33 per cent Women's Reservation Bill; ensure equal property rights to women and guarantee pattas jointly in the name of husband and wife; prevent atrocities against women and take stringent action against perpetrators of crime and stop sexual harassment of work places.

16. Take speedy measures for abolition of child labour.

17. Guarantee the rights of dalits and tribals; take stringent action perpetrators of atrocities against them. Fill up the backlog of SC/ST quotas in recruitment.

18. Immediately enact the law on recongnition of trade unions through Secret Ballot.

19. Guarantee above poverty level minimum wages with automatic linkage to price index; ensure periodical revision; place the Minimum Wages Act under 9th Schedule of Constitution; strengthen implementation machinary; extend labour legislations and social security measures to the unorgansied sector and home based workers.

20. Hike direct taxes; tax the corporate sector and rural rich; reduce indirect taxes and grant relief to the poor.

21. Curb all media and cultural programmes which violate secular values, dignity of women and glorify crime and violence.

22. Halt nuclear weaponisation; stop arms race, Refrain from signing the CTBT and NPT

23. Take stringent action against all involved in corruption deals, particularly those holding public office.

24. Arrest all those named in the Sri Krishna Commission report.

Action Programme:

This convention calls upon all mass organisations irrespective of affiliations to join the following programme of action in pursuance of the above demands:

1. Holding of State/District level Conventions, to be completed by October 1998.

2. Massive rallies at State Capitals including at Delhi in November 1998.