At the call of National Platform of Mass Organisations, the united platform of trade unions and mass organisations of peasants, agricultural workers, students, youth and women, a huge procession marched from behind the Red Fort to converge at Ramlila maidan where the rally was held.

The rally adopted a declaration demanding reversal of the disastrous policy of liberalization, privatization and globalization and condemning the BJP government’s attempt to communalise administration and other important social, cultural, and educational institutions.

The rally also denounced the government of India’s capitulation to the pressure of the imperialist powers both in economic and political fields and passed a resolution unanimously calling upon the mass organisations to organise countrywide protest against the visit of US President Bill Clinton in India.

The rally was addressed by M K Pandhe (CITU), Harkishan Singh Surjeet (All India Kisan Sabha), K L Mahendra (AITUC), Umraomal Purohit (HMS), Ashoke Ghose (UTUC, Satyaban (UTUC-LS), D D Shastri (TUCC), Swapan Mukherjee (AICCTU), A B Bardhan (All India Electricity Employees Federation), Sukomal Sen (All India State Government Employees Federation), S K Vyas (Confederation of Central government Employees), S. R Saini (All India Insurance Employees Association), Ramanand (All India Bank Employees Association), J P Choubey (All India Railwaymen’s Federation, Brinda Karat (All India Democratic Women’s Association), Kumudhini Pati (AIPWA), Md Salim (DYFI) Bhan Singh Bhaura (AIKS) among others.

The speakers, while condemning the BJP led government for its anti-national policies called upon the people to start preparation in all sectors to make the call of General Strike on 11th May a massive success all over the country.

Declaration

The NPMO warmly congratulates the workers, peasants, agricultural workers students, youth and women who have converged today in lakhs at Delhi to join the March to Parliament to protest against the ongoing economic policies being pursued by the BJP-led government at the behest of the Fund-Bank-WTO. This rally condemns the government for further carrying forward the liberalisation process, as reflected in the budget proposals for 2000-2001, ignoring the growing opposition from all sections of the people. In a most anti-national manner, steps have been taken to privatise all public sector banks and highly efficient profit making PSUs, while closing down the sick units.

Against the interest of the country’s economy and the domestic industries in particular, imports have been further liberalised and import duties have been drastically reduced, while increasing the excise duty burden. Subsidies on fertilisers have been curtailed and prices of rice, sugar, wheat etc supplied through public distribution system have been enhanced—all against the interest of the common people. Huge concessions have been granted to the rich and moneyed class. While talking big about employment generation, the budget proposals actually initiated steps to further kill the employment potential of the economy, downsize the employed workforce promoting unemployment and poverty in a big way.

Apart from the aggressive pursuit of the anti-people economic policies, the BJP-led government at the centre has further encouraged the communal forces to disrupt the unity and integrity of the country-through saffronisation of administration and all education, social and cultural institutions, which posses a serious threat to the democratic set up as a whole. This rally therefore calls upon all mass organisations for countrywide united mass movement on the basis of following demands:

1. Roll back the budget proposals and reformulate the Economic Policies to benefit the people and the country.
2. Halt reckless entry of Multinational Companies in Indian Economy.
3. Stop privatisation, disinvestment and corporatisation. Rescind the steps already taken in this direction.
4. Reopen closed industrial units and revive the sick ones.
5. Protect small scale and traditional Indian Industries from the onsalught of the big business.
6. Check price-rise in real sense, strengthen public distribution system, supply adequate quantity and quality of essential commodities at subsidized prices to economically weaker sections.
7. Re-introduce Essential Commodities Act and take action against hoarders and black marketeers.
8. Take appropriate steps to bring landlords, into the tax net. Increase direct taxation on monopolies, MNCs and Corporates, and reduce indirect taxation to the benefit of mass consumers.
9. Initiate strong action for recovering unpaid loans from the nationalized banks. Also take concrete action for recovering/confiscating huge black money running into several thousand crores.
10. Take speedy measures to implement thoroughgoing land reforms, plug loopholes in land ceiling legislations, distribute ceiling-surplus and benami lands to the landless and protect the interest of the share-croppers.
11. Steps up public investment for agri-infrastructure development, research and irrigation; Ensure availability of adequate credit to agriculture, write off all debts of agricultural labour and poor peasants, ensure marketing facilities, remunerative prices and comprehensive crop insurance for poor peasants, and adequate subsidies for agrarian inputs. Curb liberal import of agricultural products and consumer items to protect the Indian agriculture and small scale industries.
12. Introduce comprehensive Central legislation for agricultural labour.
13. Introduce Right to work as a fundamental right under the Constitution. Ensure payment of unemployment allowance. Increase funds for rural development schemes, employment/guarantee schemes and food for work programme and provide for strict monitoring to ensure the benefits to reach the poor.
14. Withdraw ban on recruitment, stop downsizing government staff strength and fill up all vacant posts in the government deptts/PSUs and other places.
15. Make Education a fundamental right in the Constitution and ensure free and compulsory education to all. Stop commercialisation and Communalisation of education. Step up budgetary allocation for education to 10%. Ensure democratic rights of the academic community to elect respective unions and to represent in the governing bodies of all educational institutions. Pass the 83rd Amendment Bill.
16. Adopt 33% Women’s Reservation bill as it is, without further delay; take concrete measures to prevent atrocities against women and take stringent action against perpetrator of crimes and sexual harassment at workplaces. Ensure equal property right to women and guarantee pattas jointly in the name of husband and wife and ensure implementation of equal wage for women workers and also all the protective legislations.
17. Take speedy measures for abolition of child labour in all forms.
18. Guarantee the rights of dalits and tribals; take stringent action against perpetrators of atrocities against them. Fill up the backlong of SC/ST quotas in employment.
19. Modify the existing terms of reference of the Second National Commission for Labour and reconstitute the Commission in consultation with all central trade unions and organisations of peasants and agricultural labour.
20. Guarantee minimum wages above poverty line with automatic linkage to price index and regular periodical revision and progressively increase it to need based level. Suitably amend the Minimum Wages Act and place it in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution.
21. Curb all media and cultural programmes which violate secular values, dignity of women and glorify crime and violence. Prevent entry of MNCs in the media sector.
22. Halt nuclear weaponisation, stop arms race, refrain from signing CTBT and NPT.
23. Take stringent action against all involved in corruption deals, particularly those holding public office.