DYFI threatens to launch 'Occupy Parliament Street' on Aug 12

The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has threatened to 'occupy Parliament Street' on August 12, in protest against the Congress led UPA-II government. Addressing the DYFI national seminar held on Sunday, at Domalguda, MB Rajesh, CPI (M) MP from Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala and All-India President for DYFI, said that the UPA was responsible for rise in unemployment, neo-liberal policies, corporate exploitation and corruption.

Rajesh drew striking similarities between the 'occupy wall-street movement' in New York City, protests in London, 'Indignados (the outraged) movement' in Madrid and other protests in Turkey, Greece and many parts of the world and said that the 'Occupy Parliament' street takes inspiration from all these movements.

He said that the neo-liberal policies in the last two decades have ruined crores of lives in India, particularly the youth due to 9 per cent unemployment. He said that the rate of growth of employment had come down from 2.7 per cent in 2005 to 0.8 per cent in 2010. He also revealed that the recruitment in Central services, State services, railways, banks and other public sectors were lying vacant because of the Government's policy of downsizing.

He particularly criticized Govt's policy of encouraging FDI in education and FDI in retail. He said that doubling the price of KG Basin gas by Manmohan Singh, was only intended for benefiting the Reliance Company. Referring to 2G, Coalgate and other scams, he said that CAG report's calculation of total scam amount accounts to Rs 6, 25,000 crore in the past four years.

He said that tax concessions to corporate companies, which are called 'incentives for growth', were ways of legally allowing corporate loot. In 2013 budget, according to the statement of revenue foregone, Rs 5,73,000 crore concessions were given to corporate firms. Between 2005 and 2012, corporate firms had received concessions worth Rs 31,00,000 crore.

Eminent Journalist and Magsaysay winner Sainath, had calculated that in the past seven years, 75 lakh rupees of concessions were given every minute, to corporate companies. Rajesh wondered how the PM could say 'money doesn't grow on trees', when such a huge loss was deliberately allowed to happen, to the exchequer.

He said that India ranked 136 according to the Human Development Index and stood 57 among 81 countries, according to the global hunger report. He referred to Aravind Sengupta Committee's observation that 77 per cent of our population spends less than Rs 20 a day and that 44 per cent of our children are malnourished. According to the national crime report, every 31 minutes, a farmer commits suicide in India.

He felt that political battles should be fought between two policies, as opposed to two political parties or two individuals, referring to Modi and Rahul. He felt that policies needed to be reversed, without which, there is no future for the young generation. He said that time had come for the young generation to come out to streets and unleash a relentless struggle against the flawed economic policies.