Left parties support farmers’ cause
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, November 5
A joint meeting of Left parties has supported the agitation of seven farmers’ organisations for a genuine cause and deplored the adamant attitude of the government, saying that neither the state government had given Rs 30 bonus on paddy and nor Rs 20 announced by the Centre had materialised so far. Even sugarcane price had not been announced. The meeting also demanded announcement of Rs 130 per quintal as minimum price for sugarcane.

Representatives of the Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI), the CPI-M (Pasla) and the CPI-ML (Liberation) met here under the presidentship of Mr Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri. Among others, Mr Prem Singh Bhangoo, Mr Kuldip Singh and Mr Kiranjeet Singh Sekhon, all of the MCPI, Mr Harkanwal Singh and Mr Tarsem Jodhan, both of the CPI-M, and Mr Darshan Singh ‘Natt’ of the CPI - ML (Liberation) participated in the meeting. The meeting decided to hold convention at Bhatinda, Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Amritsar in December to focus on ‘anti-people’ policies of the government and the plight of farmers.

Giving details of deliberations, Mr Kuldip Singh, state secretary, Punjab MCPI, said there was resentment over gross interference by the Punjab Government into the SGPC elections to be held on November 12 in violation of established norms. The SGPC members should be allowed to use their franchise freely and democratically because such kind of government interference could lead to serious implications of law and order in the state. Through another resolution, the meeting hailed the announcement of newly elected Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mr Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, with regard to non-implementation of POTA in the state. The participating parties urged the other state governments to follow suit in this direction so that civil liberties and democratic rights were not curtailed.

Education bandh on Nov 8
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, November 5
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) has decided to observe education bandh, take mass casual leave and proceed to Patiala on November 8 to hold a state-level rally against failure of the government to respond to its demands.

A meeting of the state executive of the PCCTU, held here today under the presidentship of Prof S.S. Hundal, reiterated the pending demands of teachers which included withdrawal of 10 per cent annual cut on salary grant, regular and due payment of salaries and CPF, implementation of pension-cum-gratuity scheme and implementation of UGC package.

It decried the non-fulfillment of the assurance to pay UGC arrears in cash.

According to Dr V.K. Tewari, its general secretary, the meeting regretted that the Punjab Government had failed to show any positive signs of resolving the immediate issue of non-payment of salaries to the staff for months together.

Denouncing the 10 per cent annual cut on grants, the PCCTU leaders condemned the attitude of the government.

“Whereas the annual amount of salary grant under 95 per cent system has been made static at Rs 72 crore, instead of raising it to Rs 104 crore, the 10 per cent cut this year to the tune of Rs 7.2 crore has created further problems.

In fact, the policy framed under WTO pressure is intended to wipe out the public-funded system and to replace it with total privatisation and commercialisation”. The attitude of the Vice-Chancellors of the three universities towards the legal provisions to protect salary and CPF also came under sharp criticism.

The meeting observed that the state government’s negative policies had impacted higher education as its unbearable cost in non-government colleges and universities had edged out a large number of students.

Later, activists of various trade unions and students bodies met office-bearers of the PCCTU and vowed to launch a united struggle against the negative policies of the government in general and the students community in particular.

It was resolved to focus on high fee and fund structure, lack of facilities in educational institutions, diversion of students’ fund, falling standards of educational research due to lack of infrastructure, denial of transport facilities to students in all buses and interference with democratic elections to the students’ bodies.