After the successful national convention on the Right to Food and Against Price Rise organised by the CPI(M) at New Delhi, the Left parties have decided to intensify their movement against price rise and for the right to food and demanding drought/flood relief.

As part of this movement, state level conventions will be jointly organised at  the initiative of the Left parties. State level rallies will be organised in the month of November at state capitals.

Following will form part of the demands being raised by the Left parties, apart from state specific demands: 

Demands Against Price Rise
  • Ban all future trade in essential commodities
  • Ensure dehoarding and take strong action against hoarders and black marketeers
  • Withdraw the price hikes in petrol and diesel
 
In Drought-Affected Areas
  • Ensure distribution of food grain to all affected families in drought hit areas on an emergency basis
  • Help State Governments through urgent allocation of resources to start widescale NREGA projects to ensure real incomes of at least rupees one hundred per work day in drought areas.
  • Arrange for fodder for cattle and drinking water supply
 
Demands for Food Security legislation
  • Scrap targeting, make PDS universal; entitlements under this Act must be delinked from Central poverty estimates
  • 35 kg of food grain at Rs 2 per kg per nuclear household to be provided by Central Government
  • include other items, such as pulses, sugar, cooking oil and kerosene, at subsidized rates in the legal guarantee
  • incorporate all food and nutrition schemes of the Central Government such as the mid-day meal scheme and ICDS nutrition programme in the proposed legislation
  • promote national self-sufficiency in production of food grain, pulses, sugarcane, and oilseeds through public investment, provision of extension services and appropriate land use policies with guaranteed fair prices for farmers and expanded public procurement.