TMC trade union arm burns PM's effigy, protests against Centre's policies on jute

The Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) Wednesday burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal at a rally against Centres policies on jute here.

The agitators submitted a memorandum to the Jute Commissioner Moloy Chandan Chakraborty alleging that the Centres policies were crippling the industry, which provides employment to thousands of people.

The memorandum also demanded removal of the ceiling on the procurement price of jute fixed by the Centre. Bengal minister Moloy Ghatak and Becharam Manna were present at the rally.

“The rally was held from Salt Lake City Center to the Jute Commissioners office and a memorandum was submitted to the regulator. Effigies of Narendra Modi and Piyush Goyal were burnt as their policies are crippling jute industry, workers and farmers of the state,” INTTUC state president Ritrabrata Banerjee later said. The TMCs trade union arm demanded immediate removal of the price cap of Rs 6500 per quintal of raw jute, introduction of new jute bag prices pending since April 1, 2021 and retrospective effect from September 2016 as per the suggestions of the Tariff Commission.

The price of raw jute in the market is Rs 7000 per quintal now, it said. We demanded the setting up of a Centre-State Joint Inquiry Committee (JIC) to probe and identify the culprits within and outside the textile ministry who are conspiring to destroy Bengals jute sector, Banerjee said.

He also called for safeguarding the interests of the jute workers and cultivators of West Bengal.

Around 60,000 workers have lost employment overnight and are now on the streets with their families. The jute sector lost over Rs 1700 crore by way of purchase of plastic bags by consumers of jute bags by consumers of jute bags,” he claimed.

The memorandum said that the jute crisis resulted in the closure of 14 jute mills in five months between November 2021 and February 2022. West Bengal BJP vice-president and MP Arjun Singh said at a dharna by the party that he cannot be swayed until steps are taken by the Centre to end the impasse in the labour intensive jute sector.

Singh, who has been highlighting the crisis in the states jute industry, had met Goyal and textile secretary in Delhi a few days back. On his return he had said that the meeting was fruitful.

A tripartite meeting involving representatives of Centre, West Bengal government and jute mills, including Indian Jute Mill Association, is expected to be held on May 9.

Singh threatened to hold protests and dharnas in jute mill areas if the meeting did not yield result.

The Jute Commissioner said recently that the Centre is adequately protecting the farmers but cannot allow inappropriate profiteering.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)