Sunday, May 15, 2005
Sunday, May 15, 2005 |
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Staff Reporter
For workers' cause: The Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Ram, inaugurating the 42nd State conference of the Kerala NGO Union in Alappuzha on Saturday. Photo: Johney Thomas
ALAPPUZHA: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre should show a firm will to solve the agrarian crisis in rural areas and save the working class from threats to their rights, the Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu , N. Ram, has said. Inaugurating the 42nd State conference of the Kerala NGO Union here on Saturday evening, Mr. Ram said that though the UPA Government had by and large provided a qualitatively different alternative to the ``communalist and reactionary character'' of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), there had not been any significant change in its policies on many major issues. Though the growth rate was not bad last year, the rural areas continue to face crises. Not only farmers and farm labourers but various other sections of society continue to be affected by it. The challenge before the Government is to find an answer to the problem. He said the mainstream media should give more attention to the issue of poverty and the threat to the rights of workers. Some of the recent judgments of various courts in the country, including the Supreme Court, had an adverse impact on the right of employees to agitate and go on strike. A major section of the media and political parties, barring the Left, chose to fudge the issue. Mr. Ram said the right of employees to agitate and strike work was a major political issue and needed to be highlighted. The UPA Government has failed to take a clear position on it. Mr. Ram lauded the efforts of the Central Government to build friendly relations with neighbouring countries. The efforts to build friendly relations with Pakistan and improve trade relations with Sri Lanka and China are welcome moves. But the move to restore arms supply to Nepal would be a retrogressive step if implemented, he said. Speaking on the challenges posed by separatist movements to the integrity of the country, Mr. Ram said there was no military solution to the problem. The Government should show the will to implement the promise of giving regional autonomy within the country. The idea of soft borders which aims to remove unreasonable restrictions on the movement of people between India and the neighbouring nations would be helpful in establishing friendly relations with the neighbours, he said. On the challenges faced by Third World countries as a result of the efforts of the U.S. to establish its hegemony, Mr. Ram said there was unease around the world from the present aggressive posture of the U.S. and its actions. The forces that occupy Iraq are responsible for the violent agitations in Iraq. The agitation in Iraq is a resistance by the masses of Iraq for their national sovereignty. The CPI(M) Alappuzha district secretary, G. Sudhakaran, welcomed the gathering. The Kerala NGO Union president, V. M. Pavithran, presided.
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