[Marxistindia] Western Jatha Flagged Off

[news from the cpi(m)]

Dalit, Woman Poet, Flags off Western Jatha 

 

On the international working women's day, a dalit woman poet and writer of repute, Pradyna Daya Pawar, flagged off the Western Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha in Mumbai by handing over the Red flag to jatha leader, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP, Sitaram Yechury. She did this at Hutatma Chowk (Martyrs Square) in the presence of other jatha members, CPI(M) central secretariat member Nilotpal Basu, central committee member Mohd Salim and Maharashtra state secretariat member Mariam Dhawale. 

 

Also present were Maharashtra state secretary Ashok Dhawale and central committee member K L Bajaj, Mumbai city secretary Mahendra Singh, and scores of Party workers and sympathisers, large contingent of Forward Seamens Union of India and CITU workers. A cross section of people from all walks of life were also present on the occasion.

 

Before the flag off ceremony, the leaders paid homage to the martyrs of Maharashtra state formation movement who were killed in a police firing in 1960. As this place is a designated silence zone, no speeches were made. However, speaking to media persons, Pradyna Daya Pawar lauded the CPI(M) for taking up the basic issues of working masses in this jatha programme and expressed her total support to the effort to present an alternative programme. She said dalits are the worst affected due to the implementation of neo-liberal policies and called upon them to join this struggle for a better and more equal India.

 

Sitaram Yechury in his remarks said that the country has all the resources, natural and demographic, needed to build a better India where every person gets education, job and access to health care. If this is to be made possible, then the present economic policies have to be changed. "And this change can only be brought about through waging militant struggles". He said the present Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha is a vehicle to sharpen those struggles in the coming period.

 

The first stop of jatha after flag off was at Azad Maidan, a centre for political demonstrations, rallies and hunger strikes since independence movement. Today, as the jatha arrived there, the ground was filled with thousands of degree college lecturers who were agitating on their demands. Also, there were parallel demonstrations by Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan workers, Mumbai Municipal workers and domestic workers union. The  college lecturers are on statewide strike on demands relating to wages, regularisation etc. The nearly 3000 odd gathering warmly greeted the jatha leaders with prolonged clapping as they walked into the place. Addressing them, Yechury expressed solidarity with their strike and demands. He called on them to continue the struggle. 

 

Apart from receptions at various places, two meetings are scheduled for the evening at Andheri and Bhandup.



Released from CPI(M) Office