Sangh Parivar joins the stir against government's 'anti-poor' policies

NEW DELHI: Activists from diverse backgrounds, including even the Sangh Parivar, plan to join a broadbased agitation against the Modi government's "anti-poor and anti-farmer" policies on February 24, in a country-wide protest planned by Anna Hazare and others.

A march beginning from Palwal in Haryana leading up to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is estimated to see the participation of hundreds of farmers and labourers, most of whom have been affected by the government's land acquisition and labour policies.

Senior sangh ideologue KN Govindacharya said the andolan will be an attempt to bring out the dissent in the civil society that was being silenced in the last few months.

"Amendments to the Land ordinance act and rapid land acquisition have only made the government appear anti-poor and anti-Bharat. The government is trying to use hoodwinking techniques to project its actions. It can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. It needs to take a stance." What was missing in the government's implementation of schemes such as Make in India was a connect with the Indian population, the senior RSS leader said. "No one doubted their intentions till now, but lack of an innovative approach to harness the indigenous potential of India makes one rethink that. We don't want to be the next China or America that have exploited their own people in the countryside."

The agitation will begin at Palwal on February 20 with a padyatra by farmers after which activists such as Anna Hazare, Aruna Roy, Medha Patkar, PV Rajagopal and Govindacharya are expected to address a public meeting. Farmers and labourers from 20 states are expected to participate in the agitation. Many of them are likely to be farmers from MP, Jharkhand and Odisha from among those who have lost their lands to mining and other projects.

While organisations affiliated to RSS have not openly confirmed their participation in the protests, sources said the work of mobilising of workers and farmers from different states to the protest site is being done by organisations such as Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the trade union arm of RSS, and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, a sangh-affiliated farmers' union.