Odou Asom Gramin Shramik Sanstha and AIARLA held a protest demonstration at Dighalipukhuri at Guwahati. About a thousand rural workers/tea garden workers raised demands of land and food rights. They strongly demanded a stop to inhuman eviction of landless poor people. Currently, thousands of acres of land is being handed over to corporate houses and people close to the BJP-RSS such as Baba Ramdev. The protestors demanded an end to this continuing land alienation and corporate land grab.
Regarding food security, the protestors demanded that food and not cash should be distributed to the poor. There is currently a conspiracy to abolish or curtail the distribution of food, and this needs to be resisted. Moreover, it was noted that communal politics was ripping apart the social fabric of society in Assam, a process which is being exacerbated with the BJP government in power. Protestors also demanded the enactment of a new policy to ensure land for the landless. The Sanstha sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Assam through the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup district. The rally was addressed by CPI(ML) Assam state secretary comrade Rubul Sharma, AICCTU Assam state secretary comrade Subhas Sen, AIARLA national Vice President comrade S. Bardhan, Gramin Shramik Sanstha’s state President Pankaj Kumar Das, Gramin Shramik Sanstha’s state secretary Arup Kumar Mahanta and prominent singer Loknath Goswami.
