CPI(M) to organise 'Jail Bharo' on April 4

Mumbai, Mar 31 (UNI) The state unit of CPI(M) will organise a demonstration and court arrest infront of the Maharashtra Assembly on April 4 in protest against load-shedding, farmers suicides, unemployment and 'anarchy' in the public distribution system.

Addressing mediapersons here, party state secretary Ashok Dhawale said workers, peasants, dalits, adivasis and women from 31 districts of Maharashtra would participate in the demonstration which would be addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechuri, among others.

Mr Dhawale said a charter of demands has already been submitted to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in this regard and a party delegation would meet the Chief Minister on April 3 for a detailed discussion.

He said a call would also be given for expanding this struggle in May if the discussion with the Chief Minister does not yield any 'concrete results.' Mr Dhawale said the load-shedding in both rural and urban areas has adversely affected agriculture, industry, education and other spheres and the 'anarchy' in the public distribution system was growing leading to malnutrition-related deaths of children in the adivasi belt.

He also alleged that farmers' suicides in the State have assumed grave proportions as in the last eight months more than 350 farmers have committed suicide in the Vidarbha region alone.

''The problem of unemployment in both urban and rural areas has reached alarming proportions as in the recently published Economic Survey, the state government has admitted that the number of registered unemployed in Maharashtra has crossed four million,'' Mr Dhawale observed.

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