91.6% Of People In Workers And Students’ Localities Vote Against Demonetisation
A 3 day Janmat Padyatra on Note Ban starting in four different parts of the city was undertaken under the banners of CPI (ML), AISA, AIPWA, AICCTU and RYA. Since the day Note Ban was announced, the Prime and Minister and other ministers had only sought to impose their views on Note Ban without once wanting to hear people’s voice. Even their token surveys did not allow people an opportunity to voice their disagreements. In view of this CPI(ML), AISA, AIPWA, AICCTU and RYA decided to reach out to people of Delhi especially the workers and students, hear their experiences and ask them to vote on the question -‘Note Ban caused suffering for the common people rather than the corrupt – and people’s suffering continues even after 50 days have passed: YES or NO’
On 6 January, the yatra started at Jamia Nagar. Large number of students and teachers from the University and also residents of Jamia Nagar participated in the ‘Janmat’ which was asking people their opinion about whether demonetisation brought an end to corruption and whether after 50 days the problems faced by people had abated.
The Padyatra elicited enthusiastic response from the residents of Jamia Nagar who voted in large numbers during the Padyatra. Most of the people who voted in the ‘Janmat’ were also of the opinion that even after the end of the 50 days, their troubles have not gone away, rather they have increased, as an autorickshaw driver put it very clearly that due to note ban there has been a huge decrease in ridership which has wrecked his livelihood. As the Padayatra made its way into parts of Zakir Nagar, with enthusiastic sloganeering by students of Jamia Millia, people expressed their anger at the way their opinion has been held with scant regard by the government, many of the residents also joined the Padyatra as it went around in the locality, distributing pamphlets and holding the Janmat at road junctions and local teashops. The Padyatra culminated in a meeting at Batla House Chowk, where Kavita Krishnan, PB member of CPI(ML) and AISA National President, Sucheta De addressed the gathering.
On 7 January, the yatra started simultaneously from different places in Delhi. In North Delhi it started from Narela and from there it moved on to Mukundpur and ended at Wazirpur Industrial Area. In the South, the yatra started at JNU where JNU students along with contract workers of JNU marched from the campus to Motilal Nehru Camp and then from there to Kusumpur which is one of the largest working class colony in South Delhi. Several people met during this yatra shared how Note Ban had disrupted their lives and robbed them of livelihood. Women shared the difficulties in running home and several said that there were days after Note Ban when due to absence of cash, their families had to sleep hungry. Many migrant labours complained that they had lost their jobs, while rickshaw pullers and small vendors narrated how their daily incomes had reduced by more than half. After this the Padyatra proceeded to Sangam Vihar for the night to begin next morning’s janmat from there. Another Padyatra started in the Eastern part of the city at Kondli Kalyanpuri. Here students from Jamia Millia also joined the yatra. Despite the cold and rain, the referendum got very enthusiastic response from the citizens of the city and many of them also joined the Yatra spontaneously.
Throughout the Yatra it has become clear that even after the end of 50 days of demonetisation the problems of the common people remain. Even though the lines at the banks may have somewhat thinned, the economy has been wrecked. Many workers were being forced to leave for their villages in other states, clearly showing all is not well.
On 8 January, the padyatra started at 10 AM simultaneously from Vijay Nagar (Delhi University), and Deoli Village to give voice to the people’s experience of Note Ban. Thousands of people shared their experiences and casted their votes in the referendum. At 2 pm, all the contingents gathered at Jantar Mantar for the ‘Jan Ki Baat’ programme where the counting of votes began. In the 3 days of padyatra, 53, 227 votes were polled in the referendum held. At the ‘Jan Ki Baat these votes were counted in the public. After the counting of votes it was found that an overwhelming 48,756 which is 91.6% of people voted YES to the question and 4,259, 8% voted NO and around 212 (0.4%) were invalid. The results mean that most of the people who voted in the referendum agreed that demonetisation has not affected the corrupt but made life harder for the common people and that even after 50 days since demonetisation was announced, the problems faced by the people have not ended. People from many walks of life like domestic workers, students, autorickshaw drivers, construction workers shared their grueling experience on the Note Ban.
Speaking at the declaration of the results of the Sucheta De, National President of AISA said, ‘The results reflect the mood of the people in the city, since Modi is not interested in the opinion of the people we have gone around collecting the opinion of the people. Modi had said that he will come anywhere to listen to the problems faced by the people, but today he is nowhere to be seen, he will pay for this. The workers and students of the city are still suffering, the ATMs in the worker localities never have cash in them, but Modiji is nowhere to be seen. He didn’t come to any chauraha but we went to the chaurahas and this is the result, will Modi accept this?’
CPI(ML) General Secretary, Com. Dipanakar Bhatttacharya congratulated the activists who had conducted the Janmat Padyatra and collected the opinion of the people of Delhi. He said, ‘Today the note ban has spelled the end of employment and work for the people of the country. It is also important to note in the way the decision was taken, completely trampling upon the autonomy of institutions like the RBI. The need of the hour is that referendums like this are conducted all across the country so that the Govt. can be told what the people are thinking.
CPI(ML) PB Member Kavita Krishnan, JNUSU President Mohit Pandey and CPI(ML) Delhi State Secretary Ravi Rai also spoke at the Jan Ki Baat. The Jan Ki Baat decisively showed that contrary to the self-congratulating mode in which the government is, the people were angry and in distress which showed no signs of ending.
