Scores of peoples' movement converged in the national capital on Saturday to present a 'People’s Agenda' ahead of the Lok Sabha elections while issuing a "chargesheet" against the Narendra Modi government indicting it on several counts from Dalit atrocities to anti-labour policies to vigilantism.
The 'Jan Sarokar'presented the 40-page chargesheet indicting the current ruling government along with a "strong positive agenda and strong resolve to express their disaffection through the electoral process" at the function in which saw the attendance of such political parties who will protect the Constitution and has rights-based development approach".
Among those attended included UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, CPI National Secretary D Raja, AAP's Sanjay Singh, DMK's TKS Elangovan and CPI(ML)'s Kavita Krishnan among others. CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, NCP chief Sharad Yadav, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and Swaraj India's Yogendra Yadav sent messages.
Addressing the meeting, Gandhi said, "up until a few years ago we couldn’t even imagine the kind of hatred that would grip the nation. The promises made by the Congress will be fulfilled and having proved ourselves in the past, we will continue do so and for that we need to bring back and reclaim secular spaces and constitutional principles.”
Raja said the Modi government was serving the interests of the corporates and it is anti-women, anti-farmer, anti-labourer, anti-Adivasi and anti-Dalit. People should not allow such governments to rule. saffron outfits shall not get away with their divisive politics."
While Elangovan said Niti Ayog was meant for propaganda, Sanjay Singh said the Modi government was killing humanity. “These elections are not ordinary. It will decide whether our country will survive free or not. The current government is hell-bent on tearing apart the country and the Constitution that makes it democratic and equal in nature,” Krishnan said.
Activist and former Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed said everyone should understand the significance of the election as it will have the "most dramatic impact" on the country. "The Jan Sarokar which represents a huge surge of people’s movement should not only make sure that all parties and candidates listen to their voices and decide whether they place them in power or throw them out,” she added.
According to the Jan Sarokar chargesheet, at least 75 people were killed since 2015 due to "prolonged hunger", as hundreds of families are not able to get their ration. It put the blame at the Aadhar linkage saying they are not able to get ration as they could not authenticate their biometric identity due to glitches in the Aadhaar technologies.
It also referred to the jump in unemployment rate to 7%, the highest in 45 years, as well as reports about the loss of 1.1 crore jobs last year. The government had refused to acknowledge these figures claiming that the official reports are not out yet.
"Prime Minister Modi promised two crore jobs every year. Yet, 11.56 crore educated youth were unemployed in 2017-18," it said.
Another charge against the government was that it allowed the loot of Rs 1.33 lakh crore public money of which Rs 1.2 lakh crore were looted from public sector banks.
The charges also include government's inability to address the promise of housing for all, displacement of around 2.6 lakh people for various projects, dilution of laws that used to protect Dalits, tribals and environment as well as attempts to dilute RTI regime and expenditure on advertisements.