Corona

In the current situation when at least  an additional 150 million people have been rendered unemployed during the lock down period adding to the overall huge numbers of the unemployed. A vast section of our people have lost all means of livelihood. The heart rending experiences of hungry migrant workers on the roads marching back home has shown the depths of huger that a sizeable section of our people are suffering today. The PB decided that protests against these conditions must be organised all across the country. These protests will scrupulously observe the regulations and restrictions prevailing in each area maintaining physical distancing,  wearing protective masks etc.

The Indian economy was already in the grip of a severe slowdown, bordering on recession, with largescale fall in production, job loss, agrarian distress and a steep rise in unemployment on the eve of the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. With this lockdown the situation has worsened and the misery of the people has grown exponentially.

My previous communications to you listing out various measures that the central government must undertake to alleviate the sufferings of a vast section of our people during the lockdown have gone unanswered. In fact they have not even been acknowledged, which is unusual.

However, the ordinance issued by the President of India has certain serious flaws. Section 3 (c) and 3 (d) together violate the principle of common law accepted and followed by all countries in the world including the criminal law jurisprudence in India on the vital issue of presumption of innocence until proven guilty. These two sections together overturn this principle on its head. This is open to gross misuse, harassment and targeting.

Full text of the letter addressed to the President of India by CPI(M) General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury, urging the President to prevail upon the Central Government to act on the measures suggested in his letter.

This is nothing but an open violation by the Prime Minister himself of the 21-day lockdown that he himself announced and an open encouragement to the ruling party do so.

In view of the Corona virus pandemic, it has been decided that this observation will not be held in large gatherings and public meetings. The martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, however, will be observed as we traditionally observe them every year.