The Union government works against the common man and its only goal is to help the corporate houses, especially those of the Ambanis and Adanis, claimed Ashok Dhawale, president of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).
Mr. Dhawale was in town with other leaders leading the agitation of the farmers in New Delhi to attend a meeting on Sunday against the 100% strategic sale of the Visakhapatnam steel mill.
Speak with The HinduThe AIKS president claimed that the privatization of the steel mill was also part of this agenda for the transfer of public property to companies.
However, the agitation is no longer limited to a struggle of the factory workers, but has become a struggle for the people of India and a political struggle, Dhawale said.
“VSP has a unique history as its creation is sacrificed by many people and is not just a plant, but a symbol of human struggle. If things can be revived with a few minor tweaks, why sell them to a private player for a song? “Asked Mr. Dhawale.
“We will not allow it and the struggle of the VSP will be the nerve center for all struggles against privatization in the future,” he said.
Three farm laws
Speaking about the agitation against the three farm laws, he said that the April 25 agitation will last 150 days and it was the longest and largest protest by farmers around the world. It was secular and peaceful and around 350 have lost their lives so far, but the farmers will not budge from their demands, said Mr Dhawale.
The AIKS president pointed out that the agitation was no longer a peasant protest, but had now become a protest against the “unholy” connection between government and companies.
The basic idea is to get rid of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system and government procurement of food grains, Dhawale said.
“If the government does not source grains of food and store them in the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), how will they operate the public distribution system that is the lifeline for 81.3 million people?” Asked Mr. Dhawale.
The basic idea is to dissolve the PDS and hand over the distribution to the companies. Little does the government know, however, that this will affect the lives of Crores who are dependent on the PDS, Dhawale said.