Convention of representatives of people’s

March 27, 28, 2010, Swaraj Vidyapeeth, Allahabad

To coordinate various struggles and movements going on oneconomic, social and environmental fronts in the country so as to build a national movement to face the challenges thrown by the present crisis, a convention of representative-activists of various movements going on in the country will be held in Swaraj Vidyapeeth, Allahabad on March 27, 28, 2010. This decision was taken in a similar but smaller meeting at Bhopal on January 12 and 13, attended among others by Medha Patkar (Narmada Bachao Andolan), Professor Banwari Lal Sharma (Azadi Bachao Andolan), Amarnath Bhai (Sarva Seva Sangh), Sunil (Samajvadi Jan Parishad), Janak Lal Thakur (Chhattiesgarh Mukti Morch), Anand Majhagaonkar (National Alliance of People’s Movements), Gautam Bandyopadhaya (Nadi Ghati Morcha), Vivekanand Mathne (Movements Committee, Sarva Seva Sangh) and Madhuresh (NAPM). For the Convention, a list of more than 250 invitees including activists of various struggles and concerned intellectuals drawn from all over the country was prepared and invitation are being issued to them.

Participants of the Bhopal meeting discussed in depth the various forms of the present crisis, large scale displacement from land, destruction of agriculture, corporatization of economy and polity, shameful inequality and poverty, rising unemployment, high price-rise, grab of resources by multinationals, consumerism, social disintegration, violence on women, extremism and terrorism, loss of sovereignty and democratic values and environmental crisis. They strongly felt that the whole system has become anti-people and the country is heading towards civil war. Education, health care and culture have become means of profit making.

Activists have realized that the present crisis is so big and multidimensional that no single movement/organization can cope with it. A joint, united efforts to build a national movement is the need of the hour. Allahabad convention will expore how to transform the present crisis into a great opportunity.