Bengaluru: Khaasagikarana Virodhi Vedike, a platform formed to oppose privatization has decided to hold a massive protest against privatization of public sectors in the country on Tuesday March 16.
This decision was taken in a round table conference – Public Arena and Development held at MLA Bhavan Auditorium on Tuesday March 1 to give strength to opposition of privatization through organisational efforts. BEML Trade Union submitted a memorandum to MP L. Hanumanthaiah. The workers from sectors such as BSNL, LIC, KPTCL, BEML will participate in the protest.
Speaking on the occasion, Khaasagikarana Virodhi Samiti and convenor S Varalaxmi observed that it is time to make a collective effort and fight unitedly against privatization as separate fights organized by various organizations have not been effective as the government concerned have not heard our voices yet. I am happy that all the like-minded organisations have come to a consensus on this massive protest, she added.
Hanumanthaiah said that to uplift the downtrodden in the society, a provision for reservation was made in the constitution. Similarly, the public sectors were established with no profit motive, but only to augment country’s financial and overall development.
However, in the recent years the current central government is enthusiastic to privatize public sector saying that the sectors are under loss, he added. He alleged that the central government through privatization will hit common man’s dream of getting government jobs. But turning the jobs contractual, the government is planning to curtail job opportunities and job security, a basic purpose that would be otherwise available under social justice system. While, the central government is trying to weaken reservation system for downtrodden, it is a sad development that upper caste too today are demanding reservation, he rued.
He called out all the like-minded organization to unitedly oppose privatization for reservation to be meaningful and questioned how a country can remain self-sustaining without providing job security to its citizens.
Theatre artiste and movie director B Suresh said that it is high time one stops questioning the citizens’ patriotism. It is time the youth know the difference between patriotism and love for one’s country. Opposing privatization of public sector is also part of one’s love for the country. Let’s unite and fight like that of farmers, he added and called out to being together all sections of the society to oppose privatization, effectively.
BEML Trade Union president Domlur Srinivas Reddy, former minister B T Lalitha Naik, Prof. T R Chandrashekar, State Farmers’ Association president Badagalapura Nagendra and KPTCL Employees Union R H Lakshmipathy among others were present.
Image Courtesy No-mad from Pixabay
