I feel very happy as I write this letter. I am a college teacher, and I have been following the work of the All India Forum Against Privatisation since its foundation meeting on 4 July. This forum has united the workers of the railway, electricity, banks, insurance, defence, port and docks, telecom, coal, steel and oil sectors. The government, working under the orders of its monopoly capitalist masters, has been announcing the privatisation of one sector after the other. Using the “Divide and Rule” method, a legacy of the British colonizers, the government wants to divide us into separate struggles. At such a time, the establishment of this forum is a step towards uniting the struggles of the public sector.
Within a month of the foundation meeting, the forum launched its website and mobile app, which will be highly effective in keeping workers and consumers informed about any news related to privatisation. We should always remember that the workers of one sector are the consumers of another. That is why, we must fight against the privatisation of not only our own sector but also of every other sector. Wherever possible, we must fight unitedly. We should check this app and website daily and support the struggles of other sectors. Although the website was launched only 15 days ago, it has been actively disseminating news about privatisation and about the many ongoing protests against privatisation.
I thank the forum for providing us with this news. I hope that the forum will continue to be active and that it will work to stop privatisation as well as to rollback privatisation in the sectors that have already been privatised.
Prathamesh Kumar, Thane
13/08/2021
(English translation of the letter in Hindi)