The Hindu : Kerala News : Interventions by Left parties proving crucial, says Umanath

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 29, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Interventions by Left parties proving crucial, says Umanath

Special Correspondent

`Left will protect interests of masses'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Communist Party of India (Marxist)(CPI-M) Polit Bureau member, R. Umanath, has said that the interventions being made by the CPI(M) and other Left parties in the functioning of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government were proving to be crucial in protecting the rights of the working class and the toiling masses in the country.

Inaugurating the zonal conference of the Dakshin Railway Employees Union (DREU) here on Friday, Mr. Umanath said though the Left parties were not part of the UPA Government, the struggles being waged by the Left both within and outside Parliament had helped in ensuring that the UPA Government did not take decisions that went against the interests of the masses.

Railway employees' role

Mr. Umanath, who is also the president of the DREU, reminded delegates to the conference that railway employees had a major role to play in the struggles taking shape across the country.

The forces of globalisation were seeking to push down the wages and seeking to curtail the employment opportunities available to the people, he added.

Call for unity

Addressing the delegates, the CPI(M) Parliamentary Party leader, Basudeb Acharya, MP, pointed out that the Railways was the first organisation in the country to be hit by the globalisation policies of the Government.

As many as 1.52 lakh jobs were slashed in the Railways during the last six years on the basis of the Rakesh Mohan Committee recommendations.

The move to privatise railway catering could be fought only because of the unity among railway employees, Mr. Acharya, who is also the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Railways, added.

The CITU national vice-president, T. K. Rangarajan, presided over the inaugural session.

The DREU general secretary, A. Janakiraman, presented the organisational report. A message from the CITU national vice-president and former CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, E. Balanandan, was read out at the session.

The CPI(M) MP, S. Ajayakumar, also spoke. Earlier, the delegates to the conference held a march to the Central Railway Station. The delegates would conclude on Sunday.

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