Political Resolution of the National Executive of the Samajawadi Janaparishad (India)

POLITICAL RESOLUTION
The meeting of the National Executive of Samajawadi Janaparishad

February 29- March 2- 2008 ,
Nagpur.

The an nouncement of loan waiver for farmers by Government of India in the Budget 2008-09 will neither end the crisis of Indian farmers nor will living a major relief to them. The reasons are the following –:

1. 
   
   The major portion of the loans to the aggrieved farmers are from private money lenders & businessmen, where coercions are compelling the farmers to suicide. In the last 15 years due to the policies of globalization, there has been a steep decline in bank loans to farmers who are now compelled to go in the clutches of private lenders.
   
   


2. 
   
   The loan of farmer with holdings of less than 5 acres have been waived that too pending loans, while the crisis has fallen on all farmers of under developed and unirrigated regions where the condition of even these farmers with larger landholdings are mush worse.
   
   


3. 
   
   In the policy the 25% of loan of farmers with holdings larger than 5 acres will be waived only if they deposit the remaining 75% at one go. The crisis ridden farmers will not have so much ready cash to take advantage of the waiver facility.
   
   


4. 
   
   With the announcement of this partial package, the government has not done any effort to remove the basic causes due to which farmers get entrapped in loans. The real reason is that farming is loss making and the losses are steeply increasing with the coming of policies of liberalization and globalization. The inputs of agriculture have become dearer while the prices have not increased in that ratio. The government is advancing these policies rather than reversing or changing them. The suicides of farmers have not abated inspite of the visit of Prime Minister Vidarbha in July 2005 and his announcements. Two decades back the farmers loan waives by Janata Dal Government did not arrest the crisis of farmers and ultimately reached the point of suicide. The loan waver in this budget will repeat the same. In fact the budget will benefit the banks more than the farmers, since the government treasury will refund their loans. The government has to answer the big question why it did not do anything for four years and why it has awakened for giving relief in the election year?.
   
   The higher fund allocated in the budget for irrigation will be spent mainly on large & medium irrigation projects. How beneficial these large projects will be is doubtful. The data from agriculture ministry show that in the last 10 years the irrigated areas have reduced inspite of huge expenditure or large & medium irrigation schemes. Similarly the 20% increases in the allocation for education will be funding 6000 new model schools, 20 new Navoday Vidyalayas, Central Universities, new IITs and Central Schools etc. The discrimination and inequality in education is growing rapidly and the aims of providing good education to all children is becoming more unattainable. Inspite of the highly orchestrated Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the country is very far from this goal. This can be attained only by a common school system for all children of the country.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   The growth rate of agriculture sector is law and, is decreasing further due to the wrong policies of the government inspite of the high national growth rate. This means that the share of agriculture and villages is decreasing in the National Income. On one hand the farmer is in trouble and on the other the food prices are going up and the country has to make large imports of food grains. The budget is silent on price rise and no reliefs have been offered. Instead of increasing the scope and strengthening PDS., its scope is shrinking. Large number of poor people have been removed from BPL lists.
   
   
   


5. 
   
   The union govt. appointed Arjun Sengupta committee itself has brought to light that 83 crore people are living on less than Rs. 20/- per day. It is a slap on the claims of developments by the government. The present policies of the government. should be seriously reviewed and critically appraised in the light of this report which is not visible either in this report or elsewhere.
   
   
   There is a deliberate attempt to destroy even the profitable public sector companies known as Navaratna not to speak the loss making ones. Outsourcing is increasing in these companies and number of regular employees are being reduced. The labourers of the contractors often don’t get even minimum wage and don’t get good working condition and other securities. Thus the prosperity of the corporate India is being built on the foundation of exploitation of labour.
   
   
   Employment opportunities are decreasing rapidly. Neither the government. nor the budget shows any concern for removing the very high unemployment in the country. The budget given no hope to toiling women and dalitadivasis. On the other hand the government has made its priorities obvious by decreasing taxes on cars, vehicles, motor bikes and fridge, Airconditions etc. The tax relief offered to private hospitals and hotels for 5 years is a similar decision. The govt. is reducing the facilities for health, education employment etc. of common people and is concentrating all the facilities for small number of rich people. On the other hand India tops the list in world in matter development indicator of malnutrition, IMR (Infant Mortality Rate), women’s health etc. India has the largest number of malnourished children in the world. The recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS) brings the seriousness to light. The number of anemic women has gone up from 52 to 57%. 79% of children are anoemic. This is Indian reality amidst the celebration of India’s development and progress.
   
   
   This is more or less the truth of Rail budget too. Allthough Sri. Lalu Yadav has been applauded for no increase in fares for the consecutive 5 years, he has secretly taken out cash from the pockets in the name of Takkal, Super Fast charges, reservation fee etc. He has played a cruel joke with poor people by introduced fully AC. trains with names of Garib Rath. The 3rd division was removed from trains to reduce discrimination amongst Indian people, but now there are a dozen categories again. This country does not need AC train – it is a vulgar display of luxury. The crowding in trains will reduce by removing these higher classes and running ordinary coaches in trains. The retrenchment, privatization, promotion of expensive hotels in railways are all anti people steps. On many stations small food stalls have been closed and expensive food plazas opened.
   
   
   The defects of capitalist and jobless industrialization and development are becoming obvious. Displacement of people is increasing due to SEZ, mines and heavy industries; people are being dispossessed of forests, water and land. New zamindaris of millionaires are being established. Government is preparing to amend the land acquisition act to provide land to companies. No peoples’ hearings, discussions and debates have not been initiated on the proposed new rehabilitation policy. Only a handfull of people and region will benefit from this development based on exports, SEZ and corporations. The rest large part of the country will get only poverty, farmines, unemployment, displacements and backwardness. Both foreign and internal colonialism are increasing.
   
   
   This wrong development policies are giving rise to new tensions, strife, extremism and terrorism, which are being exploited by opportunist and communal forces. The violence and hate perpetrated by the M.N.S. of Raj Thakre on north Indians in Mumbai and some other places of Maharashtra is an opportunism of this type. It is regretful that the Congress- NCP Govenment of Maharashtra ha also shown political opportunism and promoted it rather that stop with force right in the beginning.
   
   
   Janaparishad believes that all the people of India have a right to travel and work in any part of the country and it is the bounden duty of the state governments to protect them. The party calls upon all the people of the country not to get trapped in these mischievous machinations and together strive for a new development policy and order of equity where every citizen will get employment and decent life. It is the main aim of any development policy. So that such employments are mostly available in their own areas and large migrations are not needed. Samajawadi Janaparishad welcomes the call by the Uleman conference of Deoband condemning and rejecting violence and terrorism of all forms.
   
   
   
   
6. 
   
   Janaparishad expresses its grief on the death of Smt. Benazir Bhutto the popular democratic leader of our neighbouring country. The same time it express pleasure on the victory of democratic parties and defeat of the pro-Musharraf party in their election. One notable feature of this general election is the victory of National Awami Party in the North-West provinces who have defeated communal forces in that area, this party was founded by the great gandhian leader and freedom fighter Khan Abdul Gafferkhan, the frontier Gandhi. The party supports the genuine demands of Madheshi population in Terai area of Nepal. Samajawadi Janaparishad also demands the release of Aung San Soo ki and restoration of democracy in Myanmar.