People's Welfare Front

People's Welfare Front (PWF) (Tamil: மக்கள் நல கூட்டணி) is a Tamil-Nadu political alliance formed in October 2015. It consists of four political parties: Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK). The alliance is expected to contest 2016 Tamil Nadu and Poducherry legislative assembly elections as one unit.^[1] The alliance has rejected potential alliance with Indian National Congress, BJP, DMK or ADMK, while hopeful of enlisting and TMC (G.K.Vasan) and Puthiya Thamizhakam.^[1]

In early November the alliance led movements against price rise, atrocities against minorities and Dalits and efforts to curtail freedom of speech.^[2] It has taken a strong position in favour of prohibition in Tamil Nadu. Later it made an electoral alliance with DMDK^[3] and Tamil Maanila Congress.^[4]

Policies

The alliance consists of two leftist parties (CPI and CPI(M)) and one Dravidian party (MDMK) and one Dalit party (VCK). People's Welfare Front released a Common Minimum Program which all parties agreed to.^[5] The major features of the program are as below.

• Oppose globalisation, liberalisation economic policies and stop the privatisation of state programmes and industries
• Oppose Hindutva, religious extremism and religious prosecution
• Oppose powers exploiting caste - work to pass stricter laws preventing violence and discrimination against Dalits
• Oppose corruption - implement Lokayukta
• Implement transparent government - information about laws and programs will be released online
• Increase funding and support for local governance units - implement Right to Public Services legislation in Tamil Nadu
• Stop the stealing of minerals
• Promote social justice - preserve 69% reservation, expand reservation in the private sector
• Mother tongue development - make multilingual education ("first-language-first") mandatory
• Promote folk arts - establish a university to develop folk arts
• Work for increase powers and funding for states
• Work to resolve river water issues
• Support Sri Lankan Tamils in pursuit of justice and rights
• Law and order - prevent police brutality
• Protect democratic rights - fully protect freedom of expression
• Prohibition - fully implement prohibition in Tamil Nadu
• Development of agriculture and villages - provide funding and infrastructure services for farmers
• Land - protect arable land
• Irrigation - maintain and modernise major irrigation systems
• Homes and homelessness - provide homes for all without homes
• Promote crafts and small businesses
• Electricity - make Tamil Nadu self-sufficient in producing electricity
• Labour rights - introduce minimum wage of ₹ 15,000 per month
• Education - prevent privatisation of education and develop competitive public educational systems
• Health - allocate 6% to health; create a multi-purpose public medical training facility in each district
• Environment - implement stricter environmental standards
• Employment - fill the two lakhs vacancies without corruption
• Elimination of poverty - correctly identify people below poverty line (BPL) and deliver welfare services to them
• Rural employment scheme - increase wages given under rural employment guarantee
• City people - provide safe drinking water, develop underground sewage system
• Women welfare - ensure that the state women commission works effectively and reports the results in the state assembly
• Fishing communities welfare - stop multi-national companies (MNCs) from using sea resources; provide pensions to fishers
• Minority rights - take strong actions against Hindutva religious violence and hate speech
• Civil service and teachers - make part-time and shift workers permanent
• Democratic reform - recommend proportional representation; work for 50% reservation for women in elected offices
• Inflation - stop online and future trading activities
• Public distribution - provide basic necessities including fruits and vegetables at subsidised prices
• Science and Technology - build a central science and technology advanced research centre in southern Tamil Nadu
• Sports - Make exercise mandatory for all levels until class 12
• Transportation - Increase number of buses to reduce congestion
• Road accidents - Separate traffic by building dividers

References