NEW DELHI: The organizers of last week’s rally denounced the Central Government and the Delhi police for making “warlike” preparations to disperse peaceful protestors and for “attacking the citizens’ democratic rights by refusing permission to hold a protest rally before Parliament.” Spokespersons for the National Platform of Mass Organizations, at a Press conference in the evening, charged the Center and the police with “discriminating against the left mass organizations” by denying them a suitable place to hold a rally while favoring the BJP in this regard.

The BJP has been permitted to book five prominent areas in the city for three days for its rally on Wednesday.

Besides, the BJP rallyists would be allowed to march three kilometers from the Red Fort area to the Ram Lila Maidan venue of the rally through thickly-populated localities, the organizers pointed out, while the National Platform’s request to be allowed to march to the Delhi Gate was turned down. The victims of the lathi-charge and teargas included prominent Hind Mazdoor Sabha (IIMS) leader from Madhya Pradesh, Yamuna Prasad Shastri, who is blind.

Shastri has been hospitalized along with others. The rally had been called to register protests against Narsimha Rao Government’s “anti-national and anti-people” economic policies and its decision to sign the GATT, Describing the “warlike” preparations, the spokespersons said barricades had been cemented by steel poles on the road and barbed wire fences were created. As many as 500 teargas shells were lobbed at the gathering of over two hundred thousand, they alleged. All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) General Secretary A.B.Bardhan said the organizers were “lived with rage at the repressive measures used by the police and at the Government’s denial of the people’s democratic right to assemble at a suitable place to register their protest.”

Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) General Secretary M.K.Pandhe declared: “We will not take this action of the Government living down-we are going to be more militant.”

The National Platform has called for observance of April 15, the day the GATT is likely to be ratified, as a Black Day.

Copies of the Dunkel proposals would be burnt, demonstrations would be taken out and bandhs would be organized at local levels the organizers said.

Article extracted from this publication >> April 15, 1994