Resolutions Adopted by 7th AIARLA National Conference
All India Agricultural and Rural Labour Association (AIARLA) concluded its two-day 7th National Conference on 15th November at Kanailal Datta, Rashbehari Bose-Nazrul Islam Nagar (Chandannagar), Hooghly, West Bengal with the following resolutions.
1. We recognize B.R Ambedkar’s analysis of caste as a division of labourers and oppose the attempt of the Modi government to promote casteism in society. The EWS reservation upheld by the Supreme Court affirms the Modi government’s reservation of 10% quota for forward castes. This violates the principles of social justice that is behind the original provisioning of Reservation for constitutionally recognised groups like SC, ST and OBCs. The judgement is on the basis of excluding these groups from the 10% quota. Reservation is not a poverty alleviation method, for which employment and wages have to be improved, on which the Modi government has completely failed.
2. AIARLA exhorts its members and public to rise against growing hunger and rural indebtedness. The deaths brought on by indebtedness are signs of the government’s failure to control inflation and impoverishment of rural poor. The Global Hunger Index places India among the worst off countries and the steady fall in the rankings establish that this government is playing with the lives of children of rural poor who are wasting, stunting and becoming increasingly malnourished. Child mortality caused by this negligence of the government anguishes the delegates and we are determined to mobilise against this enforced ill- health, malnourishment and deaths.
3. We are determined to mobilise against unchecked inflation and increasing unemployment levels that are forcing people to reduce basic consumption. The government instead of acting upon the price-rise and unemployment is further promoting inequality by bringing policies to enrich its corporate allies.
4. The scam in teachers appointments in Bengal has got exposed and the education minister Partha Chatterjee of TMC has also got jailed. However the main issue of teachers appointments has been put in cold storage. We demand that education of the rural poor should not be scuttled and teachers and staff be appointed in a transparent manner at the earliest.
5. AIARLA condemns the dilution and distortion of MNREGA by the Modi government and various state governments by reducing budgetary provisions, non- provisions of wages in time and not offering work to those seeking it in this time of rising prices and unemployment. We recognise this as an act against the Right to life and livelihood of the rural poor and will mobilise for immediate payment of wages at the completion of each day’s work, 200 days of work and Rs. 700 daily wages. The government cannot enrich its allies while denying the rural poor even survival rights.
6. We exhort the people to rise in unity against the trampling of life, livelihood, dignity, wages, education, employment of dalits and adivasis. We will organise and agitate against the Modi government's attempt to establish Manuwad. We will resist violation of dalit women and atrocities against Dalits and Adivasis.
7. We recognize more than one crore women engaged in implementing schemes of the government as employees and workers of the government, who are being denied minimum wages. Most of these women are rural workers and we will mobilise them to achieve their economic rights.
8. We the delegates of AIARLA endorse the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha’s call to demonstrate before governor houses and ensure guarantee of MSP of grains and all agro products. We recognize that the government policies to corporatise farming is to further snatch away the bargaining power of agricultural labour/work which has been attained after many struggles.
9. We are anguished at the death of innocent migrant workers in Kashmir. This is an outcome of the complete failure of Modi Shah’s policy which has taken over the state and made it into union territories, abrogated article 370 and created a vicious atmosphere of distrust among the local population. The lives of migrant workers are not fodder to play politics by the central government. We demand that migrant workers' dignity, safety and social security be ensured through a central legislation.
