Report by Lok Raj Sangathan correspondent
Lok Raj Sangathan congratulates AIFAP for organising a successful all India conference against privatisation of electricity and other sectors in New Delhi on 15 April 2025.
Lok Raj Sangathan has always considered privatisation to be completely against the general interest of society. It is an anti-people and anti-democratic program. It is anti-people because it results in essential services becoming too expensive and unaffordable for many working people. It is anti-democratic because it involves selling what belongs to the people without seeking their consent. If something is public property, should the public not have a say in the decision to sell it to some private company? Violating this principle, the courts have ruled that privatisation is a policy matter, which the government can decide, without even seeking the approval of Parliament.
Despite the clear opposition from lakhs of workers who have taken to the streets across the country, the government continues to pursue policies that serve the interests of the monopolies. The voices of the workers, who are the backbone of our economy, are being systematically ignored. The privatisation of electricity is being opposed not only by workers’ unions but also by kisan unions and other people’s organisations. The government is going ahead with the privatisation program in spite of the mass protests of workers, kisans and others.
This is a reflection of the marginalization of the working people in the current political process. Beyond the right to vote, people have no power, no say in deciding policies or laws. Their elected representatives are not accountable to them. Members of Parliament who oppose privatisation when they are in the opposition benches change their tune when they sit in the ruling benches. In the existing political system, elected representatives are not accountable to the electorate. They are accountable only to the corporate giants who finance the election campaigns of the major parties. This is evident in how the government continues to prioritise private profits over the well-being of the working class, kisans and other toiling people.
The struggle against privatization has definitely contributed to the unity and consciousness of workers. It is bringing together many of the most organised sections of the working class in our country. It is contributing to create a powerful force that can play a key role in the struggle to change the system, in a way that leads to the empowerment of the people. The struggle against privatisation is contributing to the struggle to establish a political system in which the working people will have the right to take decisions which affect our lives and livelihood.
Lok Raj Sangathan gives unconditional support for the struggle against privatization. Let us continue to work together, building unity and solidarity among all sections of the working class, so that we can achieve the power that rightfully belongs to us. Let’s continue our united struggle which can pave the way for a society where the working people will come to the centre-stage of decision-making.
Source: AIFAP Conference successfully held in New Delhi – Lok Raj Sangathan