An Open Letter
to Mr. Amitabh Bachchan from a Workers Union
Dear
Sir,
Your
fame in India and abroad makes you one of the biggest superstars of our times.
Artists and film stars alike look up to you as their idol. There is no doubt
that large masses of people will gather to catch a glimpse of you on your visit
to Chhattisgarh. Your security during such visits must be a matter of grave
concern. In Chhattisgarh too, the State administration is working hard to
ensure that you have the strictest security during your visit to the capital,
Raipur, on the 28th of September, 2014.
We
trust that someone of your stature is well aware of the geographical, cultural,
economic and political scenario in the state of Chhattisgarh. Our grand forests
and our rich cultural and artistic traditions are famous the world over. While
it gives us much pleasure to know that stories of Chhattisgarh's beauty and
diversity have reached the remotest corners of the world, there are also other
narratives of our great state that one rarely hears about. Despite the fact
that you are well acquainted with the history and culture of Chhattisgarh, we
would like to draw your attention to some of these lesser heard narratives.
Respected
Sir, were you aware that in 1977, Comrade and Martyr, Shankar Guha Niyogi, led
a mass movement to raise some of the burning social, economic and political
issues of the time? The movement he began, compelled Indian industrialists to
follow the provisions of Labour Laws enshrined by the Constitution. Having understood
and analysed the implications of the globalization and liberalization policy
adopted by the government in 1990, Niyogiji warned workers, peasants,
progressive individuals and unions of the potential devastating consequences of
such policies. It was his fight against the exploitation of cheap labour by
market forces in the mineral-rich tribal pockets of Chhattisgarh that led to
his assassination on the 28th of September, 1991 by complicit industrial and
State forces.
It
is to mark this day of martyrdom, that we hold a rally and meeting on the 28th
of September each year. This year, however, we have not been granted access to
any of our meeting points because of your arrival.
It
has become clear to us that while you capture the imagination of people by
building false dreams of becoming a millionaire, the lives and status of the
poor are going from bad to worse. Such a contrasting dreams and reality will
expose the false dreams you project.
As
preparations for your visit are in full swing, people are being made to believe
that the visit of star such as yourself would make Chhattisgarh proud by
bringing it in to the national and international spotlight. Such lies are
nothing more than a way of masking the ugly truth of the millions of rupees
that Sony TV makes as profit.
While
asking for permission to hold our Shahid Diwas program, administrative
officials invoke the issue of Law and Order. Thousands of people who walk
through these streets everyday, will be kept away from their daily routes in
the name of your security.
Such
action makes it increasingly clear that the State and its administration only
act in the interest of an elite few.
Just
recently, you praised Narendra Modi and the Gujarat Model of development. You
probably know that in the short time that Narendra Modi has been Prime
Minister, his government has shown tremendous interest in furthering the cause
of National and International Capital. At the same time however, the general
public continues to battle the many difficulties of everyday life. We are also
quite certain that once you arrive in Chhattisgarh, you will have similar words
of praise for the Raman Singh government. Before you begin praising those in
power, however, we request you to try and understand some of the following issues
–
- Chhattisgarh has
been a site of worker-peasant protests since Independence. In order to
make profits off natural resources such as Coal, Iron Ore, Bauxite and
Limestone, farmers and tribals are being displaced from their lands on a
massive scale, and environmental pollution is also rampantly on the rise.
- Industrial
workers are constantly being denied their Constitutional rights, resulting
in increased dissatisfaction among large sections of the workforce.
Industrial accidents are common, and workers are made to work 12 hour
shifts, thereby violating the provisions laid down by labour laws.
- Workers who are
responsible for building the world we live in, ironically, have no access
to any of the amenities that they are actually responsible for providing
the rest of the population with. They are denied even the most basic of
such amenities and instead live in slums and their livelihoods are
constantly at risk. Here in Raipur, several of their homes are soon going
to be destroyed in the name of development. Just recently, 100 homes in
Sondongri basti just outside Raipur have been demolished.
- In Chhattisgarh,
which is also called the Rice Bowl of India, farmers have constantly had
to struggle with issues of access to electricity, water, seeds and
fertilizers. They are also struggling against the shrinking of
agricultural land due to development projects. This is accompanied by a
reduction in the purchasing of rice, subsidies and State support.
Respected
Sir, the purpose of this open letter is simply to compel you in some way to
think about the plight of the working poor, which constitutes 90% of this
country's population.
Thanking
you,
KalyanSingh
Patel,
Member,
Chhattisgarh
Mukti Morcha Mazdoor Karyakarta Samiti,
Ward
no. 31, Shahid Nagar, Birgaon, Raipur.
Ph:
09826689317.
Email:
patel.kalyansingh51@gmail.com
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