NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE’S MOVEMENTS

National Office : 6/6 Jangpura B, New Delhi – 110 014 . Phone : 011 2437 4535 | 9818905316

PRESS RELEASE

                                                            01.11.2014
NAPM ready for wide ranging struggles including Control Over Natural Resources and Community Rights, Strengthening Secular Forces for communal Harmony, Electoral Reforms etc. and to present a vision of alternative development cherished and evolved over twenty years of people’s struggles.

“United Action is the need of the hour” say senior activists Aruna Roy, Medha Patkar, Yogendra Yadav and Anil Sadgopalan

People’s movement will come together on 2^nd December at Jantar Mantar, Delhi to challenge the neo-liberal communal onslaught and to fight dilution of hard won legislation like MNREGA, Land Acquisition Act, Forest Right Act and Environmental Rules

Second day of the 10^th NAPM biennial convention started with articulation of people’s movement demand on fifteen thematic subjects including Control Over Natural Resources and Community Rights, Strengthening Secular Forces for communal Harmony, Electoral Reforms, Farmers and Workers in Agrarian Economy,  Atrocities on Dalit and Adivasi communities and their Struggle for Dignified life, Social Entitlements and Social Security for All, Rights of unorganised sector workers, Energy Crisis and others. Resolutions were taken to present alternative development policy which rejects the policy pursued by neo-liberal and communal forces of the country. People’s movement categorically rejected the dilution of pro-people acts like MNREGA, Land Acquisition, Forest Right, Labour Laws etc. and vowed to go to people to launch a struggle against this onslaught.

At a public meeting in the evening several renowned political and social activists namely Medha Patkar, Prof. Ajit Jha, Nikhil Wagle, Dr. Sunilam, Anil Chaudhary and Gautam Mody deliberated on “Role of People’s Movements in Political Transformation” and stressed on the need of creating an alternative transformative politics and gave a call to fight the communal and neo-liberal forces represented by Modi Government. Speakers also acknowledged the contribution of various people’s movement in changing India and stressed on the need to continue fighting as the people’s movement have been doing against all oppressive anti people policies.    

A public meeting held on 31^st evening on the topic of  “Social Justice, Developmental Policy and Future of India”, Yogendra Yadav categorically stated that twenty years of work of NAPM has demolished the blind faith on western model of development which is based on more and more consumption and this has been its biggest contribution. He called for unity of progressive forces to defeat the forces taking the country on the course of destruction of ecology and to preserve the earth for generations to come. Veteran communist leader Vinoy Viswam said that the present government says that it is for development, but who is not ? Question is what kind of development and for whom? Social activists Dayamanyi Barla from Jharkhand, Pushpa Bhave, Srinivas Khandewal , Khaleel Deshmukh and Vilas Bhongade spoke on the occasion and Kamayani Swami, a trade union activist from Bihar moderated the session.

The 10^th biennial convention of NAPM based on “Politics of development and Social Justice Today” was inaugurated by eminent social activists Aruna Roy, Anil Sadgopal and Medha Patkar and eminent communist leader and ex-minister Vinoy Viswam on 31^st Oct, 2014, at the Dr. Narendra Dabholkar Hall, Rashtra Seva Dal campus, Pune. More than Six hundred activists representing social movements in fifteen states are attending the convention. Various political and organisational issues will be discussed at length in the convention. Convention started with garlanding the statue of Savitri Bai Phule and Mahatma Jotiba Phule at Phulewada, Pune by veteran activists.

Addressing the gathering in the inaugural session, National Advisor of NAPM, Medha Patkar discussed the role of NAPM in transformative politics and developments in last two decades and underlined the contribution of people’s movement in resisting the neo liberal onslaught on the right of community over natural resources. She recalled how people have fought against coke plant in Plachimada and Enron in Maharashtra.

Veteran educationist Anil Sadgopal delivered the keynote address and said that public land is being taken away on the name of education. Government Schools are being shut down in thousands so that private corporations can benefit.

Aruna Roy, eminent social activist known all over the world for her contribution to Right to Information Movement and MNREGA and member of advisory committee of NAPM chaired the inaugural session and said that people’s movement should connect with the youth of the country and bring them to the leadership of movement like NAPM. She also remarked that Youth is being fooled on the name of Jobs but where are the Jobs?

A compendium “NAPM @ 20 : Alliance in struggle and reconstruction” illustrating the various struggles of people’s movement all across the country  was released by eminent tribal right activist B.D Sharma.

Eminent supporter and activists of people’s movement namely BD Sharma, Bhai Vaidya, Pushpa Bhave, Samar Bagchi, Bhau Bhuskute, Vikas Amte, Vinoy Viswam,  Anna Hazare,(in Absentia) Justice Sacchar (in Absentia) were felicitated at the convention for their contribution towards strengthening social movements.

The session started with songs and cultural programmes by Charul, Vinay (Loknad, Gujarat), Shakar (Odisha) and children of Sal Sabeel Green School (kerela). Various exhibitions and stalls reflecting the constructive side of various people’s movements were at display at the venue.

Medha Patkar – Narmada Bachao Andolan and the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM); Prafulla Samantara – Lok Shakti Abhiyan, NAPM, Odisha; Dr. Sunilam, Aradhna Bhargava – Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, NAPM, MP; Gautam Bandopadhyay – Nadi Ghati Morcha, NAPM, Chhattisgarh; Suniti SR, Suhas Kolhekar, Prasad Bagwe – NAPM, Maharashtra; Gabriel Dietrich, Geetha Ramakrishnan – Unorganised Sector Workers Federation, NAPM, TN; C R Neelakandan – NAPM Kerala; Saraswati Kavula, P Chennaiah – NAPM Andhra Pradesh,  B S Rawat – Jan Sangharsh Vahini, Rajendra Ravi, Sunita Rani – NAPM, Delhi; Arundhati Dhuru, Richa Singh – NAPM, UP; Sister Celia – Domestic Workers Union, NAPM, Karnataka; Sumit Wanjale – Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan, NAPM, Mumbai; Manish Gupta – Jan Kalyan Upbhokta Samiti, NAPM, UP; Vimal Bhai – Matu Jan sangathan, NAPM, Uttarakhand; Vilas Bhongade – Gosikhurd Prakalpgrast Sangharsh Samiti, NAPM, Maharashtra; Ramashray Singh – Ghatwar Adivasi Mahasabha, Jharkhand; Anand Mazhgaonkar, Krishnakant – Paryavaran Suraksh Samiti, NAPM Gujarat; Kamayani Swami, Ashish Ranjan – Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, NAPM Bihar; Mahendra Yadav – Kosi Navnirman Manch, NAPM Bihar

 For details contact : Madhuresh Kumar 9818905316 | email : napmindia@gmail.com  

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