No-response Prime Minister

It’s not really a blue moon stay for Chhote Khan and his family living behind the abandoned Union Carbide factory in a colony called Blue Moon in Bhopal. So are over five lakh people who got exposed to deadly poisonous gases from a pesticide factory in Bhopal on December 2-3, 1984. In the last 23 years, more than 23,000 people died painful deaths and those survived suffer from chronic illness.

Union carbide corp., the American multinational that operated the factory in Bhopal absconding from the criminal case on the death and injury caused by the disaster. The corporation was taken over by another American multinational; the Dow Chemical Company. Dow chemical refuses to pay for the clean up of the abandoned factory or produce subsidiary Union Carbide in court.

Manmohan-Sonia govt had set up committee for gas victims two years back, which didn’t deliver a single promise… forget legal actions against Union Carbide or Dow Chemical.

On 20th February this year, 50 Bhopalis have traveled to Delhi from Bhopal on foot. They reached here on 28th March, after 38 days of padyatra and staying on the pavements of Jantar Mantar till the PM gets time to hear their grievances. The PM seems too busy to meet them, though he finds time to meet Dow Chemical only on a two-day-notice.

For the economist Prime Minister, profits of American multinationals is dearer than basic human rights of Indians. Why couldn’t the UPA govt. respond to the Bhopal gas victims in the last three months? Because Manmohan Singh, the top-notch economist, thinks that by giving rehabilitation to country’s victims, he might go against economic prosperity of the country. Whose prosperity?

If you want to support the struggle… You can write/call or fax to the Prime Minister Office. 7, Race Course Road. New Delhi. Fax: 011-23015470. Phone: 011-23011156