LEFT parties of Jharkhand have welcomed the Hemant Soren government’s petition in the Supreme Court to stop commercial mining. Left parties issued a joint press release on 21 June that this is a step in the direction of preventing the loot of mineral resources, water, forests and land by corporate houses protected and abetted by the Central government.
Jharkhand is a State covered by the Constitutional responsibility under the 5th Schedule of the Constitution to protect Adivasi community. Commercial mining will adversely affect the lives of Adivasis in the State. As profit-centric private mining uses unscientific processes the brunt of which have to be borne by Adivasis and other poor people. In addition, commercial mining will have an adverse effect on ecological balance and forest conservation.
The struggle to save national assets like water, forests, land and minerals has now entered a new phase because under the guise of commercial mining of coal the Central government is bent on handing over agriculture, forests, environment and all other resources to corporate houses. Narendra Modi himself is leading the pro-corporate lobby which he proved by being present at the auction of mines on 18 June. The working class of the country is angered by this step by the Prime Minister. Coal workers had been successful on 5 earlier occasions in stopping commercial mining through their unity and struggle but now the Prime Minister himself is leading the war against them. The present situation can be tackled only through unity and dedicated struggle by coal workers.
A call has been given for a joint 3-day strike by coal workers to be held from 2 July to 4 July will prove a decisive struggle against the Central government.
Left parties support the coal workers’ struggle and call upon all their units to organize solidarity programs on 2 July in support of this joint 3-day strike by coal workers.
The statement was released by Gopikant Baxi, CPI(M), Bhuvaneshwar Mehta, CPI, Janardan Prasad, CPIML and Anand Mahto, MSS.
