Port Blair, Aug 04: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Andaman and Nicobar State Organising Committee has conducted a week-long campaign at Port Blair and South Andaman areas from 21st July, 2017 onwards. Corner meetings were organized at different parts of the Port Blair town and rural South Andaman areas in which party leaders highlighted various burning issues of the people of these islands. Port Blair, Aug 04: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Andaman and Nicobar State Organising Committee has conducted a week-long campaign at Port Blair and South Andaman areas from 21st July, 2017 onwards. Corner meetings were organized at different parts of the Port Blair town and rural South Andaman areas in which party leaders highlighted various burning issues of the people of these islands. The campaign ended with a day-long Mass Dharna held at Tiranga Park, Port Blair on 28th July, 2017 from morning to evening. A large number of party leaders and workers participated in the Dharna which was followed by a public meeting at the same venue. Addressing the public meeting, Shri D. Laxman Rao, Secretary, CPI (M) A & N State Committee criticized the central government for the communal polarization taking place in the country and the attack on minority communities. Expressing his concern over the sky-rocketing prices of essential items despite the claims of the central government otherwise. Addressing the public meeting, K.G. Das, State Secretariat Member of the CPI (M) said that the NDA government has proved itself as a failure as none of the promises made by the BJP during the last parliamentary election was fulfilled. Referring to the intermittent power cut at Port Blair and South Andaman areas following the shutdown of Surya Chakra Power Generating Unit at Bambooflat, he said that despite spending several crores of rupees in the power sector, the NDA-ruled A & N Administration failed to provide uninterrupted power supply to the people. Dr Gauranga Majhi, State Secretariat Member of the Party explained in detail the increasing suicide of farmers in the country due to various anti-farmer policies being pursued by the NDA government and went on to say that the farmers in these islands too are facing hardship. Shri P. Banerjee, State Committee Member, Shri Raj Kumar Saw, Zonal Committee Member also addressed public meeting. The demands raised during the corner meetings and mass dharna and public meetings were: Reversal of neo-liberal economic policies of the central government, Start political dialogue on Kashmit with all stakeholders, Stop commercialization and communalization of education, Stop atrocities against dalits and minority communities, Remove ban on cattle trade, Loan waiver for peasantry, Grant equal pay for equal work, Lok Sabha to pass Bill for 33% reservation for women, Employment to unemployed youth and till then grant Unemployment Allowance, Inclusion of left out categories in OBC list, Regularization of services of DRMs/Contract workers who have been working since long, Regularization of left-out cases of land encroachment and restoration of supply of sugar through PDS in the islands, etc.
