CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday held a protest rally under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Kisan Tehreek against “anti-workers, anti-farmers and anti-people policies” of the government.
He also called slapping UAPA against seven students of a farm university in Kashmir as “repressive”.
Despite restrictions imposed by the UT administration, hundreds of workers and farmers assembled at Maharaja Hari Singh Park here and held protest demonstration against “anti-workers, anti-farmers and anti-people” policies of the governments at the Centre and UT of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
While addressing the demonstration, Tarigami expressed concern over unending problems being faced by the farmers, workers and the common man due to job losses, unemployment, spiraling prices of all essentials.
He alleged that due to the government policies, the debts of farmers have increased, agrarian economy is continuing to face a crisis despite their contribution in enhanced production.
He said that the government has been one of the founding members of International Labour Organisation but the “government is not observing even the ratified conventions”, the very first convention enjoins the government to limit working hours of workers to 8 but the governments are increasing it to 12 hours.
He alleged that due to strong opposition of trade unions against privatisation, the government now came up with National Monetisation Pipeline project and handing over all public sector assets built with people’s money to big corporates to make money without any investment.
He said that Rs15.32 lakh crore have been written off by the PSU banks during the last nine years but “the government is not ready to write off debts of peasants”.
Reacting to the arrest of seven students of a farm university in Kashmir under UAPA for celebrating Australia’s win over India in ODI cricket world cup, he called it as “repressive” and said that they were students and not terrorists.