Press Release from Progressive Parties (Maharashtra) 28 July 2023

Progressive Parties (Maharashtra)

Press Release

28 July 2023

Progressive Parties Plan Public Meetings, Jail Bharo and March to Mantralaya around Peoples’ Burning Problems in Maharashtra

The front of 13 Progressive Parties in Maharashtra has decided on a plan of united struggle around the burning problems of the people in Maharashtra, at a meeting held in Mumbai last week.

These issues include remunerative price for agricultural produce, minimum wage and social security to agricultural labourers and unorganised workers, injustice and atrocities on women, dalits, adivasis, minorities and OBCs, the burning problems of price rise and unemployment, the defence of constitutional values and strong opposition to communal and Manuwadi fascism of the RSS-BJP.

They will also lead an intensive campaign against them corrupt, immoral and discredited Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar state government and also the anti-people, pro-corporate, communal and authoritarian Modi-led BJP government at the centre.

The programme decided is as follows:

1. Large public meetings in 15 major centres in Maharashtra from 1 September to 8 October. These will take place in Kolhapur, Sangola, Solapur, Pune, Nandurbar, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nanded, Amravati, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Nagpur, Palghar, Panvel, and Mumbai.

2. Statewide Jail Bharo Agitation on 30 October. This will take place at the district and tehsil headquarters with the participation of thousands of people.

3. State Level Rally to Mantralaya (Secretariat) on 28 November to coincide with the death anniversary of Mahatma Jotirao Phule, the champion of the peasantry and of the anti-caste struggle.

This programme was declared on behalf of the six member core committee of the Progressive Parties, comprising Dr Ashok Dhawale, Raju Shetty, Dr Bhalchandra Kango, Jayant Patil, Abu Asim Azmi, and Hitendra Thakur.

This meeting was held in the office of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) in Mumbai. It was presided over by Dr Ashok Dhawale of the CPI(M), and it was attended by Prof S V Jadhav and Adv Rajendra Korde of the PWP, Dr Uday Narkar, Dr S K Rege and Shailendra Kamble of the CPI(M), Subhash Lande and Madhukar Kadam of the CPI, Rahul Gaikwad and Anis Ahmed of the SP, Pratap Hogade and Prabhakar Narkar of the JD(S), Sham Gohil and Ajit Patil of the CPI(ML-L), Vijay Kulkarni of the Lal Nishan Party, Kishor Dhamale of the Satyashodhak Communist Party, Sandeep Jagtap of the Swabhimani Party, Adv D Rajbar and Dipak Chougule of the Bahujan Republican Socialist Party, and Mahendra Pandagle and Milind Gaikwad of the Republican Party of India (Secular).

Prof S V Jadhav, Pratap Hogade, Adv Suresh Mane
Coordinators, Progressive Parties (Maharashtra)