Alleging both the successive Congress and BJP state governments of ignoring the public centric issues, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has threatened to intensify their fight against the anti-people policies.

CPM legislator from Theog constituency Rakesh Singha, on the concluding day of the two-day 13th district CPM conference here on Sunday, said that owing to the anti-people policies of the Centre and the state government in Himachal the condition of the farmers, women, youth, students, small business, middle class and the general public is pitiable. “The Modi government’s promises of good days have only resulted in rise in poverty. The rich are getting richer, while the poor getting poorer. Farmer suicides are also on the rise and they are not getting fair price for their produce,” he alleged.

The poor farmers in Himachal are facing eviction from their land and at the time of rising inflation the workers are being given meager Rs6300, he said, alleging that the public is being looted in the name of privatisation that is being brought about in education, health and public services. He called upon the party representatives to work for the development of the party in Shimla district, so that the party succeeds in emerging as an alternative party in the next three years.

The newly elected Shimla district secretary Sanjay Chauhan said: “Due to the anti-poor and anti-people policies of the central government about 73 per cent of the total property of the country has been concentrated in the pockets of 1 per cent of the rich.” In order to fight against the neo-liberal policies of the successive governments of Congress and BJP, he urged the party to work towards strengthening the party and to organise the unorganised sections of the society in the state.

He said that along with the expansion of the CPM in the state, there was need to intensify the struggle and agitation against the demands and problems of the public. He blamed the newly elected BJP government in Himachal for media management and that it was not bothered about the problems of the public like the previous Congress government.

The party will have to fight strongly to increase its penetration in the state and Shimla district, to emerge as a third alternative party, he said.