A public meeting was organized in the Okhla Industrial Area of South Delhi on 16th October, 2011 under the banner of Lok Raj Sangathan Samiti (Sanjay Colony), to report on the actions taken by the Samiti on the issue of basic rights like water and sanitation.
A public meeting was organized in the Okhla Industrial Area of South Delhi on 16th October, 2011 under the banner of Lok Raj Sangathan Samiti (Sanjay Colony), to report on the actions taken by the Samiti on the issue of basic rights like water and sanitation.
The stage was adorned with beautiful banners, with slogans like – ‘livelihood and homes are our innate rights!’, ‘Capitalism has to be erased, People’s rule has to be brought!’, ‘We will decide the road to progress!’ ‘People should have the right to recall their representatives! Residents were excited to find out what kind of steps could be taken to advance their struggle to the next level. They came to the meeting in large numbers.
The meeting started with a revolutionary song by the young comrades of Rangbhoomi Natya Samooh.
The secretary of the Sanjay Colony Lok Raj Samiti, Lokesh Kumar, referred to the work done by the Samiti and said that the present system refuses to give importance to the basic necessities of the people as their right. The Congress party and the BJP see these rights as something to be given to the people as alms and not as basic rights. This holds true for the right to clean drinking water for which the struggle is being waged. This is the reason why a lot of colonies are deprived of amenities like water connection, sewers, roads, etc. which are basic and the right of the citizens of the country.
He went on to explain that ‘place of settlement’ is defined in a way so as to prevent people from being able to demand these services. The majority of the population dwells in slums and resettlement colonies. These places are termed illegal by law and then the government claims that it has no obligation to provide any services to those living in these colonies. They claimed that the papers of the Delhi Water Board for this colony show that many bore wells are running. When the Samiti enquired into the papers they found that many of the bore wells were closed and not working. The Samiti brought to light many of the irresponsible activities of the Water Board and the corrupt practices of the Congress-BJP leaders.
The representative of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, invited by the Samiti, congratulated the Samiti on the work it had done. He inspired and urged the youth to come forward as the leaders of the working class and take the people’s movement ahead.
He said that the political system in our country is such that leaders of both ruling and opposition parties say what the people want to hear but only do as the big capitalists wish. People do not have power in their hands in the present system. Lok Raj Samitis are a medium to bring power into the hands of the people. These samitis should be strengthened and built. We have to establish mechanisms by means of which the people will decide how much money is spent on what service and what are the services that are needed by the people. We will be able to get power only when people will select and elect their own representatives (not political parties) and people will be able to initiate legislation.
The President of Lok Raj Sangathan, Shri Raghavan gave the call to the Samitis to stay away from the divisive politics of the Parliamentary parties and to unite the people and strengthen the struggle for the rights of the people.
He said that the attack on Prashant Bhushan was instigated by the government and condemned the act. The right to conscience and the right to be able to speak ones thoughts without fear are extremely crucial for the progress of society. He declared that people should always be prepared to struggle and protect their right to conscience.
The Delhi secretary of Lok raj Sangathan said that Samitis should not divide the people based on political ideology; instead they should always follow the principle of building the unity of people around common issues. The Lok Raj Samiti will not accept the violation of the rights of any person on the basis of ideology, gender, region, etc. instead the samitis will work towards the safeguarding of the basic rights of every individual and unitedly struggle for the same.
Meera Devi a member of the Samiti spoke about the dirty and unscrupulous politics of the Parliamentary parties. The representative of the New Sanjay Camp, Lok Raj Samiti also expressed his support for this struggle in his speech. Santosh Kumar, member of the Samiti, enthused the members with his speech. Sanjay Colony Samiti member Chirangjeet Shah called upon the youth to join the organization. Ashok Gupta, member of the Lok Raj Samiti of Sanjay Colony appealed to the members of the Samiti to work together in increasing the membership of the Samiti.
The meeting which went late into the night concluded with a Bhangra Dance.