THOUSANDS of people assembled at Rani
Rashmoni Road in Kolkata on November 28 to protest against the anti-people
policies of the Trinamool and Congress run central and state governments;
against price rise; against the reign of terror in West Bengal and
the undemocratic ordinance issued by Mamata Banerjee government on education.
Streams of people gathered in downtown area in large processions. After the
protest meeting, more than 6000 people courted arrested led by the Left Front
chairman, Biman Basu, the leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly,
Surjyakanta Mishra, and various other leaders of the Left Front. The leaders
appealed to the rest of the gathering to refrain from going forward.
Before courting arrest, the Left Front
chairman said in his speech that prices are continuously increasing because of
the faulty policies of the central and the state governments. A systematic attack
is taking place on democracy in West Bengal with the government trying to take
back through undemocratic means the hard won rights of the people of West
Bengal.
At the same time, a reign of terror has been unleashed in the state
whereby 48 Left activists have been killed in the recent past. It is in protest
against such anti-people policies of the government that the Left Front has
taken up the movement of mass civil disobedience. In his speech, Biman Basu
also stated that the Trinamool Congress has always supported the policies of
the central government both during the NDA as well as UPA rule. In the case of
increase of petrol and fertilizer prices, the Trinamool was present in the
cabinet meetings in which the decisions were taken. Therefore they
must also take the blame of the anti-people policies of the central government.
In his speech, the leader of the
opposition, Surjyakanta Mishra said that the state government is resorting to
illegal decisions sitting in the Writers’ Building. They are trying to curb the
rights of the panchayats. On the other hand political opponents are being
killed and farmers are being evicted from their lands. Surjyakanta Mishra also
said that the chief minister broke all laws when she personally went to a
police station to release supporters of her party. In protest against all
these, the Left Front has taken to the streets and will continue the movement
for furthering the interests of the people.
CPI state secretary Manjukumar Majumdar,
RSP leader Kshiti Goswami, Jayanta Ray of Forward Block were among others who
addressed the meeting.
The mass civil disobedience movement was
the culmination of many such programmes which were taken up in the districts.
The Left Front and Kisan Sabha have organised mass protest actions throughout
the state. All sections of the people participated in large numbers in the call
for civil disobedience. The central programme in
Kolkata was in fact the biggest such mobilisation after the assembly elections
in the state.
People’s Democracy, December 04, 2011
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