Protest programmes were organized under the joint banner of CPI-ML and Jharkhand Gramin Mazdoor Sabha at the block offices in Mandu, Patratu, Ramgarh and Gola blocks of Ramgarh district (Jharkhand). Hundreds of people took part in the dharnas at each block office. Speakers addressing the dharnas said that the BJP government in Jharkhand is showing much haste to implement the pro-corporate policies enacted by the Central government and has launched an attack on democracy. The State government has ignored the demand that all poor should be included in the BPL list and should get 50 kg food grains and 5 litres of kerosene; the government has made ration cards for only 20% of the poor and kept out a major portion of the population of poor from the list. Ration card holders have been promised 5 kg rice per person but only 4 kg is being given. 100 days’ work for rural workers through MNREGA and payment of minimum wages are being flouted brazenly; corruption is rampant in the issue of dakhal-kharij of lands, caste, residential and income certificates. The protesters shouted slogans on all these issues.
The protests also strongly condemned the arrest of JNUSU President and the witch hunt and suspension of 8 JNU students. The speakers said that this action is part of a calculated drive by the Modi government to crush campus democracy and students’ movements. Only recently Rohith Vemula was branded as an anti-national and made the victim of political repression; now in the same way JNU students are being made victims of a planned witch hunt. HCU and JNU are being targeted for opposing the policies of the government and the RSS. The meeting vociferously made the following demands: (1) All poor should get ration cards and 50 kg rice and 5 litres kerosene per person should be issued; (2) Arrested JNU students should be released and false charges against them should be taken back; (3) The 8 Pricol workers should be released; (4) Ramgarh should be freed of pollution from sponge factories and other polluting factories; (5) rural raiyyats who have been displaced due to land acquisition for CCL, Rail, Tata Coal, Patratu Thermal, Jindal Steel, Sponge Factories, India Forbes, Glass Factories and other industries should be given rehabilitation, employment, and long due proper compensation.