CITU CONDEMNS INTOLERANCE AND ATTACK ON DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS BY UPA GOVERNMENT

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions vehemently denounce the most autocratic manner the Govt of India sought to crush the democratic protest by Shri Anna Hazare and his associates against corruption and to press through their opinion on the Lokpal Bill. Withdrawal of Police-permission and arrest of Shri Anna Hazare before the commencement of his fast and sit-in demonstration in JP Park at Delhi speaks volume about ominous intolerance and arrogance of the Manmohan Singh Govt towards the exercise of democratic right to protest in a peaceful and constitutional manner.

The trade union movement has long been a perpetual victim of such autocratic, intolerant and repressive treatment by the Govts (in connivance with the employers) in their activities and movement for implementation of labour laws and trade union rights in most of the workplaces in the country and it has been consistently raising its voice against such machination on workers to be precursor to attack on democratic rights of the people as a whole. And now the rights of the people in general to protest in a democratic manner are facing the wrath and arrogant intolerance of the same corporate captive Govt involved in all pervading corruption to promote the interests of the corporates, both domestic and foreign. This signals a serious danger for democracy as such and warrants condemnation and protest from all concerned.

CITU calls upon the working class to unitedly voice their protest throughout the country against such brutal attack on democratic rights to protest. CITU also calls upon the trade union movement to fight for an effective Lokpal Bill while unitedly pressing for reversal of the neoliberal policies which has institutionalized corruption in the interests of domestic and foreign corporates.