Comrade. T. Wilson had been selected by the local peoples of Marthandam as a candidate of Kanyakumari constituency, to reflect their aspirations in the Lok Sabha elections 2014.
Comrade. T. Wilson had been selected by the local peoples of Marthandam as a candidate of Kanyakumari constituency, to reflect their aspirations in the Lok Sabha elections 2014. He is supported by Communist Ghadar Party of India, Thozhilalar Otrumai Iyakkam (Mazdoor Ekta Committee), Makkalathi Iyyakkam (Lok Raj Sangathan), Progressive Womens’ organization, Indiya Ilaingar Otrumai Sangam (Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha), Kanyakumari District Plantation Workers Union, Kanyakumari District load workers union, Tamilaga Vivasaiyigal Sangam (Tamilnadu peasant organisation) and other known peoples. He had been given the symbol of Torch Light by the state election commission.
In the last 10 days, Comrade. T. Wilson’s team has been going around places in Marthandam, Nagercoil and other areas in the Kanyakumari constituency explaining in detail the anti-people achievements of all the capitalist fronts that are fooling the people with various promises. Com. Wilson explained, how this system which is designed by the capitalists for their benefit, does not let ordinary people take charge of their lives. People are expected to be just voting cattle to legalize the capitalist rule. Everything done with their parties is intended to fool the people with illusions. All the parties promise things which people are looking for but in reality, they stand for the private interests and personal gains of the ruling capitalist class. They are at all not interested in people’s welfare at large. In fact, more and more, they all talk only of diversionary issues and ignore the people’s issues like elimination of contract wage system, availability of affordable food grains through PDS, minimum wages to ensure decent living standards of workers by covering for inflation, ensuring availability of electricity, water, education and health care to all sections of the people, providing toilets, cultural centers, libraries, etc.
Com. Wilson, is committed to stand shoulder to shoulder with each worker, peasant and toiler to fight for these basic rights of the people. He and his team are explaining in each of the street corner meetings, that, in order for us to get what is our basic right, it is required that all of us – workers, peasants and oppressed sections – unite on a common platform, to work to smash the present capitalist system which is based on exploitation, and create a new system, which will work to defend our interests. They are pointing out that today’s Constitution was not created by representatives of working people, but created by an elite class, which was not even elected by the people. Hence today’s Constitution is not legitimate as far as the people are concerned. It has been created by the rich, to defend what is in their interest alone and that is the reason, we see so many black laws enacted used against the workers and toilers, who raise their voice against the corruption ridden system.
Com. Wilson raises several relevant questions on this system. Is it not the duty of the State to address all the issues of the working population, when they protest against the price rise, when they protest against the inhuman working conditions, when they protest against unavailability of medicines, doctors and affordable health care, when they protest that their salary is not sufficient to maintain human standards of living, when workers claim their right to form their own union, when they demand a life fit for humans after their retirement with adequate pension, when they claim nutritious food for their family? He alleged that, far from the government enabling these issues to be resolved in favor of the majority of working population, it criminalises their dissent. It defends exploitation and enables capitalists to loot the country without any resistance.
Com. Wilson pointed out that petrol price has been raised consistently by both Congress and BJP. Actual data shows BJP increased petrol prices from Rs. 22.84/litre on March 19, 1998 to Rs. 33.71/litre on May 22, 2004, which was a 48% increase during the period of 6 years of their rule. Congress in their two terms of UPA I and UPA II, increased petrol prices from Rs.33.71/litre on May 22, 2004 to Rs.71.41/litre as on date, which is an increase of 112% in a period of 10 years. Both the Congress headed front and BJP headed front are fighting against each other, to show the capitalist class that, they can attack the people better than the other, while posing to be on the people’s side.
He also pointed out that the big fuss being made about people being subsided is just a farce. In reality, Indian government gives more than three times the concessions in terms of money value to a handful of capitalists than it gives to the people at large. He said that the actual revenue forgone for 2011-12 was Rs.5.4 lakh crore and that of 2012-13 was Rs.5.8 lakh crore, which blatantly favoured the capitalists. He asked the people be aware that when any of these capitalist parties take the throne now, they are hell-bent on further attacks on the people, in the name of privatization, liberalization and globalization and to move more of what is being accounted for in the head of subsidies to revenue forgone in the coming budgets.
The campaigners pointed out that more than 32% of current budget expenditure is on interest payment and for repayment of debt which is of the order of 5.4 lakh crore. That is, this government spends more than 51% of people’s money other than revenue forgone year on year, again to money lenders, who are the biggest corporations and banks. Total defence and police spending in year is around 23% of revenue receipts.
The campaigners pointed out that to provide 35 kg of food grains per family of 5 members at the rate of Rs 3 per kg would mean expending Rs. 1.2 lakh crore only for the entire country, whereas the government spends around Rs.2 lakh crore of rupees on defence of which 70% is towards buying new weapons. This shows that the ruling classes are more interested in giving profits to weapon manufacturers more than taking care of the people.
Com. Wilson and his campaign team pointed out that these atrocities of doling out all the money to the capitalist corporations which is only a handful, while singing the song of ‘resource not available’ or ‘bitter medicine’ to the majority of the people, must not be tolerated. It is not that ‘nothing can be done about this terrible situation’. In order for us to come out of this impoverishment and powerlessness, all of us have to unite. There is a way out of this crisis. It is to take power from the capitalist class into the hands of the working people and peasants. It is to rewrite the Constitution so that it represents the interests of the working people and hold as inviolable the rights of all individuals and declare exploitation as a crime.
Com. Wilson and his team call on all to vote for Com. Wilson whose symbol is the Torch Light, to reflect our unity in the current situation. And this call has reverberated in places near Marthandam like Kalingarajapuram, Idaikodu, Mukootukal, Arumanai, Muzhukodu, Puthansanthai, Panachamoodu, Kaliyal, Kadayalumoodu, Siraar, Pachupparai, Kothaiyaru, Kuzhithurai. The team has also traveled to Nagercoil and carried out propaganda in important places like Meenatchipuram, Vadacheri, Vepamoodu junction. It also covered Azhakiya Pandiyapuram, Gospel Nagar, Padikara Konam, Kulasekaram. In all the junctions and street corner meetings, enthusiastic friends and supporters distribute leaflets in support of Com. Wilson and ask people to vote for Torch Light in the coming Lok Sabha election. Other comrades sell the booklet in all the meeting locations, titled “Corruption, Capitalism and the Indian State” which was recently released in Tamil. The campaign is matching the rising temperature in the state, by raising the level of discussions and deliberations amongst the working people of Kanyakumari and elsewhere.