President of Bhartiya Krishak Dal Saroj Dixit, today announced full support for Alok Singh, a Socialist Party supported candidate from Lucknow East Vidhan Sabha by-polls. His electio symbol is two candles.
Very recently Saroj Dixit who has been struggling against injustices towards farmers since long, had led the demonstration demanding due food grains for APL card holders in Hardoi, which administration had to respond and allocate due ration. Saroj Dixit had to confront food mafias who had blocked allocation of food grains to APL card holders but due to pressure generated by the demonstrating people administration had to yield and give them their due ration.
Socialist Party (India) demands that UP government should implement food security Act with integrity and honesty without delay. In this Act, demand for universalisation of public food distribution system has been rejected, and two categories have been listed:
1) Antodaya: families under Antodaya will be entitled to get 35 kgs of food grains every month
2) Primary: individuals under this category will get 5 kgs of food grains every month
But our past experience has shown that gross irregularities take place while identifying people with such categorisation and eligible and needy people are left out.
When food grains will be given at the same rate in both categories (rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg, and bulkier grains at Rs 1/kg) why cannot food be given without such categorisation uniformly? Apart from people who are drawing government salaries and those paying income tax, everyone should get food grains at same price but with a reasonable cap on quantity. It appears as if corrupt government system wants to keep public distribution system under its control and that is why government proposes to do a survey to categorise people for eligibility to get food grains. Corruption, malpractices and irregularities are widely known in public distribution system.
Until we uproot corruption in food security schemes, malnutrition and poverty will not end in India.
We also reiterate our demand for compulsory education in government schools for children of those receiving government salaries and elected/ public representatives. After all when air travel can be made compulsory only on Air India for those travelling by government money, then why cannot education from government schools be made compulsory for those receiving government salaries and elected representatives?
Saroj Dixit (Bhartiya Krishak Dal), Alok Singh, Lucknow East bypoll candidate 8756-222-696, Girish Kumar Pande, State President, Socialist Party 94154-02311, Dr Sandeep Pandey, national Vice President, Socialist Party; Anurag Aagney, State Spokesperson Socialist Party 94503-79003, Bobby Ramakant
