An extremely tense situation prevails all over Haryana. In the name of maintaining “law and order”, many atrocities against people are being carried out with impunity. As of February 20, 2016 at least 10 people have been reportedly killed and hundreds seriously injured in firing. The central government has deployed the army in seven districts of Haryana.
Haryana was at the forefront of the Green Revolution in the sixties. However, the condition of farmers in the state today is a far cry from the promise of the bountiful harvests. Indian agriculture is increasingly being privatised and left to the mercy of the market with the withdrawal of government support. Hence, the cost of agricultural inputs has become prohibitive for Indian farmers and many have been forced to sell their landholdings to big companies (http://scroll.in/article/754203/beyond-reservations-haryanas-jats-believe-the-ground-is-slipping-beneath-their-feet). In this uncertain environment, the youth of Haryana have come onto the streets demanding higher education and jobs. This is a demand that concerns all youth, the whole of society. The current political system and mainstream parties do not have any solution to this problem. Instead, they distort this legitimate struggle of the youth and set one section of the people against another while preaching peace and harmony. All the mainstream political parties like the BJP and Congress have been waving the wand of reservation in higher educational institutions and government jobs on the basis of caste as the magic wand that will address the problems of the youth. On this basis, they have deliberately been setting people against each other on the basis of caste, and reinforcing caste divisions in society. This is prevalent not just in Haryana, but all over India.
People are being blamed for the anarchy and violence when they are in actual fact demanding their rights and being beaten down for doing so. Instead of ensuring that all Indian citizens have their basic human rights to food, water, shelter and livelihood fulfilled, the Indian government and mainstream political parties pit people against each other in the name of removing inequality. The source of the problems of all sections of the people lies in the system which is based on protecting profit and cannot provide for all. It continuously deprives the vast majority of people of their just claims and rights. People are made to fight against each other on the basis of religion, caste and region, in order to divide and perpetuate the rule of the ruling elite.
The people of Haryana must refuse to fall into the trap of this or that party. In the present case, it is by upholding the banner "education for all, jobs for all", and condemning repression against any section of the people.
Together, we must wage the struggle with the perspective of establishing a new political process that will empower the vast majority of the people and set the course of development in the direction in which all are benefited. LRS condemns the violence against the people of Haryana and demands political solutions for people’s issues.
Nirmala Mathew