GOALTORE: 219 POOR TRIBAL FAMILIES RECEIVE PATTAS IN JANGALMAHAL

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ON PETROL PRICE HIKE

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on October 18, 2010.

THE public sector oil companies have increased the price of petrol by 70 to 72 paise per litre. This follows an increase in September of 27 paise per litre. The price of petrol has already been increased by Re 1 per litre in the space of three weeks.

The CPI (M) strongly opposes this recurrent increase in the prices of petrol. By deregulating the petrol pricing, the government has opened the way for successive hikes in petrol prices.

The rise in petrol prices will further fuel inflation. The people who are suffering from continuous food inflation will be more burdened. There is no transparency in the pricing decision making.

The Polit Bureau calls upon the government to scrap the deregulation in petrol pricing.

Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org
Vol. XXXIV, No. 43, October 24, 2010

BURDWAN: TMC LEADER THREATENS A POOR GIRL WITH RAPE

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PUNJAB: AIDWA HOLDS EIGHTH STATE CONFERENCE

THE eighth state conference of the Punjab unit of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) was held at Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna Bhawan, on September 25. It was presided over by Surinder Kaur, Pritam Kaur, Tara Sharma, Sarbjit Kaur and Krishna Dutta. The conference was also attended by Sudha Sundararaman, all India general secretary, Asha Lata, treasurer and Jagmati Sungwan, central office bearer of the AIDWA. The flag of the organisation was hoisted by Surinder Kaur, state president of AIDWA. The delegates from all over the state entered into conference hall after paying tributes to the martyrs. Amarjit Kaur, chairperson of the reception committee for the conference delivered the welcome address.

Sudha Sundararaman inaugurated the conference. While addressing the delegates, she said women are marginalised in the Indian society and are suffering from social insecurities, sexual violence, rape, evil of dowry, domestic violence etc. She said the daughters are being killed before birth during the pregnancy. The building of women’s movement for the rights of women should not be construed as a war against men. Our struggle is to change the outlook of the society about the women in our society. She said that AIDWA is struggling for the rights of the women since coming into being in 1981. It is the outcome of our struggle that the bill for the 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislative assemblies and parliament has been passed in Rajya Sabha. She told that the economic self reliance plays an important role in the development of an individual and the social status of almost every person in the society. She said that almost all women are deprived of the right to property and demanded that an act should be passed for the right of women in the matrimonial property after marriage. She called upon the delegates to build a strong movement in the state so that the rights of the women can be achieved as soon as possible.

The work report was placed by Surinder Kaur and discussion on report took place. During the inaugural session, Subash Choudy, Snehlata Misra, Rajinder Kaur Virdi and Manjit Kaur was also present on the stage.

Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org

TEARS IN THE EYES OF BALMIKI WHEREAS GREAT POET RABINDRANATH TAGORE IS STUNNED

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NOBEL PRIZE WINNER AMARTYA SEN OPPOSES ILLOGICAL POLITICAL CHANGE IN WEST BENGAL

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ON THE J&K PROPOSALS

THE POLIT BUREAU OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST) ISSUED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2010.

THE eight-point proposal announced by the central government for Jammu & Kashmir is a step in the right direction. However, it is insufficient. More needs to be done to instill confidence among the people and to help restore peace and normalcy.

While the announcement of the release of young men in jail for stone-pelting, review of detention under the Public Safety Act and compensation for the families of those killed are welcome, it is necessary to provide for compensation for those injured in police firings and for the rehabilitation of those permanently incapacitated.

There has to be a change in the police methods of tackling protesters indulging in stone-throwing. The promise to review the location of bunkers in Srinagar city and the proclamation of Disturbed Areas should be done expeditiously. It should not remain only a promise. Finally, the group of interlocutors for initiating a dialogue should be primarily political in nature. It is only a political exercise which can help initiate a dialogue and sustain it.

J&K CPI (M) FOR MORE INITIATIVES

While welcoming the proposals announced by the central government for Jammu & Kashmir, the CPI (M)’s state secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has stressed that the government of India needs to take more initiatives in order to create an environment of peace and confidence.

In a state issued on behalf of the CPI (M) state committee from Srinagar on September 26, Tarigami said, “We suggest a panel of senior parliamentarians to be constituted for a sustained dialogue with all shades of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir primarily with those holding voice of dissent.”

Tarigami said that keeping in view the trust deficit between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the union, which has unfortunately been coupled in the last four months of unrest, concrete steps should be taken besides implementation of the fresh measures in letter and spirit.

“Let there be a louder and firmer resolve to implement the promise made by the prime minister regarding zero tolerance to human rights violations. Besides, immediate steps must be taken to probe the crimes committed during this period and violators of the human rights be identified and brought to book,” he added.

Source: www.pd.cpim.org

CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND CPI (M) AND LEFT IN WEST BENGAL - PRAKASH KARAT

The Extended Meeting of the Central Committee held in Vijayawada had given a call for a countrywide week-long campaign against the attacks on the Party and the Left Front in West Bengal. This campaign will be held from September 12 to 18. The entire Party should go amongst the people to expose the nature of the violent attacks on the CPI (M) and the Left Front in West Bengal and to mobilise the people to express solidarity with the Left and democratic movement in the state.

For more than two years, there has been a concerted attack on the CPI (M) and the Left in West Bengal. After the electoral reverses in the Lok Sabha election in May 2009, this attack has been intensified. All the rightwing and anti-Communist forces have united under the leadership of the Trinamul Congress to weaken the Party and the Left. They are doing so by resorting to continuous violence and attacks designed to sever the links of the Party and the Left Front with the people.
Till August 31, 270 members and supporters of the CPI (M) and the Left have been killed. The toll continues to rise daily. There is a two-pronged attack – one is led by the TMC combine and the other by the Maoists. The TMC-Maoist collaboration is an open fact. The Congress party acts as a junior partner of the TMC and its ministers in the Union Cabinet seek to cover-up the TMC leaders’ pro-Maoist stance.

Why is there such an attack on West Bengal? West Bengal is the strongest base of the CPI (M) and the Left in the country. The Left Front government has existed for 33 years after winning seven successive assembly elections. The distribution of surplus land under land reforms in West Bengal constitutes 22 per cent of the total land distributed in the country. The gains made by the working class over the last three decades due to their organized movement are substantial. The Left Front government has stood with the working people and sought to protect their livelihood and living standards in the face of the neo-liberal policies pursued by successive governments in the last two decades. The attack on West Bengal represents an effort to weaken the Left Front which will help the ruling classes to consolidate their neo-liberal project.

On top of this, the role played by the CPI (M) and the Left in national politics in the last few years has been marked by two specific features. Firstly, the Left’s consistent opposition to the neo-liberal policies. This is seen as an obstacle to the realization of the goals set out by big business and the ruling classes. Secondly, the Left is the only force which opposes the strategic alliance with the United States which has been unfolding in the last one decade. It is this role of the Left which has invited the attack on its strongest base in West Bengal. Weakening the CPI (M) and the Left Front in West Bengal would mean weakening the fight against the neo-liberal policies which are being promoted under the aegis of the strategic tie up with the United States.

In West Bengal, the aim of the anti-Communist combine is to oust the Left Front government and reverse the progressive measures which have been taken over the last three decades. The old landed interests wish to rollback the land reforms and get their power restored.

West Bengal has an exemplary record of defending secularism and isolating the communal forces. Weakening the Left will be the precursor for the rise of the communal and sectarian politics. Already we have seen how the divisive forces and identity politics are being fostered by the anti-Left gang up – whether it be the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha or the Kamatapuri movement.

The targeting of the CPI (M) by the Maoists is part of the overall gameplan. The brutal killings of the CPI (M) members by the Maoist gangs are intended to cripple the Party in some of its strongest base – in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. Those killed are Party members and supporters from the adivasis, school teachers, agricultural workers and poor peasants. In a recent incident on September 4, a school teacher who was a member of the CPI (M) local committee was dragged out of a class room in Salboni primary school where he was teaching children and shot dead. Even those who do not belong to the CPI (M) but refuse to cooperate with the Maoists are killed.

It is necessary to expose this brutality and vicious character of the Maoists – how they have become the instrument of the most reactionary and rightwing forces in West Bengal. The rally held in Lalgarh by Mamata Banerjee and the Maoists jointly on August 7 was a public display of this nefarious partnership.

The campaign to be conducted should expose those intellectuals, social activists and so-called civil libertarians who are supporting this murderous partnership. The likes of Swami Agnivesh and Medha Patkar are condoning the inhuman killings indulged in by the Maoist gangs by extending support to the Trinamul-Maoist gang-up. Many dubious NGOs are involved in this anti-Left enterprise. This is a common tactic of the rightwing forces, they enlist the support of the ultra-Left to provide a cover for their reactionary platform.

The campaign should highlight how the Party and the Left are fighting back this anti-Communist offensive in West Bengal. The CPI (M) is going amongst the people and is taking up their issues by launching movements and struggles. The Left Front government has initiated a number of measures to provide relief to the people suffering from price rise, unemployment and the agrarian crisis. Special attention is being paid to the poorest sections. In the areas affected by the Maoist violence, the people are mobilizing and resisting the Maoist depredations and intimidation. Thousands of people are now coming out in rallies and processions against the Maoists in the affected areas.

Though the Party and the Left have paid a heavy price with the loss of so many valuable comrades, their sacrifices will not go in vain. The CPI (M) and the Left in West Bengal cannot be suppressed by killings and violent repression. The defence of the Left in West Bengal is the defence of the gains made by the working people.
It is incumbent upon the entire Party to go amongst the people and rally them against the attacks on the Party and the Left in West Bengal. We should explain how for the working class, the peasantry and all democratic sections of the people throughout the country, the defence of the West Bengal movement will be a defence of their own rights and movements.

Courtesy: www.cpimwb.org.in

JULY 5 HARTAL: A BIG SUCCESS - Prakash Karat

EVERYONE, except the Congress party, accepts that the July 5 all India hartal was a big success. The hartal affected all parts of the country – from Manipur in the North East to Jammu in the North West and from Kerala in the South to Himachal Pradesh in the North. This response came from the people who are fed up with the ever increasing price rise of food and essential commodities. Ever since the UPA-II government came into office, there has been no respite from price rise.

The last straw was the second successive hike in petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices within three months. This time, kerosene was also not spared. On top of this has come the deregulation of petrol pricing which will mainly benefit the private oil companies and put consumers at the mercy of the market.

All the justifications by the government for increasing the prices of petroleum products and deregulating them have been exposed as untrue. India has the highest petrol price in the region which is due to high taxation. The government revenue keeps increasing exponentially with every price hike. The public sector oil companies are making profits and the so-called under recoveries are only notional. The price hikes will fuel inflation which is already in double digit figures and erode any possibility of providing food security.

The success of the hartal has led to the usual criticism – that the economy has suffered a loss of thousands of crores of rupees. This cry is being raised by the very quarters who have received tax concessions worth thousands of crores in the last budget and who are being promised more in the Direct Taxes Code to be promulgated shortly. Taxes foregone through various exemptions to the corporate sector alone amounted to Rs. 80 thousand crore in 2009-10.

The other attack is on the Left. The Congress has accused the Left of joining hands with the BJP. The corporate media is amusingly concerned about the ideological purity of the CPI (M). They are railing against the opportunism of the Left for combining with the Right.

The politics of the CPI (M) and its stand against communalism is well-known. The role played by the CPI (M) and the Left in countering the communal politics represented by the BJP and defending secularism is consistent. It does not suffer from the vacillations and compromises which the Congress is prone to.

The bogey of the Left joining hands with the communal forces is being raised to divert attention from the main issue. The CPI (M) has opposed the petroleum pricing policies of successive governments. During the United Front government when a policy announcement was made regarding deregulation, the CPI (M) had strongly objected to it. The Party had pointed out what steps should be taken to reduce the oil pool deficit. The United Front government could not implement this policy as it did not last long after the notification. However, deregulation was implemented by the NDA government in 2002 by dismantling the Administered Price Mechanism (APM). The CPI (M) opposed the policy and conducted agitations against the price hikes of petroleum products. The deregulation policy was discontinued in 2004.

Now too, the Manmohan Singh government’s decision to deregulate petroleum prices will be met with strong opposition from the CPI (M).

After the announcement in the Union Budget of increase in excise and customs duties on petrol and diesel, the Left parties took the initiative and 13 parties met and gave a call for an all India hartal on April 27. This was the first major all India protest action against price rise after the UPA-II government came into office.

Disregarding the protests of the entire opposition inside Parliament and outside, the Congress-led government has now callously taken further steps to increase the burdens on the people through another round of price hikes. This is accompanied by its refusal to make policy changes which will help curb price rise. This is the issue on which the Left parties along with seven other parties – the Samajwadi Party, AIADMK, TDP, BJD, JD(S), INLD and AGP – decided to give a call for the July 5 hartal. Faced with such a big attack on the people’s livelihood, no opposition party could keep away from an all India protest. Other opposition parties, mainly the NDA, also gave a call for a bandh.

Even the RJD and the LJP, which support the UPA government, have given a call for a bandh on July 10 in Bihar.

Faced with this massive opposition and protest, the Congress party and its supporters in the corporate media are now raising in chorus the spectre of a “Left-BJP unity”. They conveniently ignore the fact that almost all the secular opposition parties have conducted the hartal.

The people are not going to be confused by the talk of a “Left-BJP” combination. They are going to judge each political party by how sincerely they protect their interests in the face of this onslaught through price hikes. The Trinamul Congress has been stripped off all its pretensions of defending the people’s interests by being part of the Central government and going along with these anti-people measures.

As far as the CPI (M) and the Left parties are concerned, such politically motivated propaganda will not deter them. The struggle against price rise and the government’s harmful petroleum pricing policies will have to be intensified further. The Convention held by the Left parties has already called for a campaign on food security and price rise in the month of August. This campaign should lay the basis for next phase of the struggle. In the meantime, the Left parties will, in coordination with the secular opposition parties, take up the price hikes of petroleum products in Parliament in the forthcoming monsoon session. Along with that, all these parties will consult on how to widen and develop the movement outside.

Source: www.pd.cpim.org

DHARNA BY DISABLED PERSONS - UNPRECEDENTED RESPONSE

THE unprecedented response that the April 20 dharna received gives an inkling of the shape that the movement of disabled persons for justice and right to a dignified life is going to take in the near future. The turnout in the national capital’s Parliament Street in response to the call given by the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled, was massive. Proving all projected estimates wrong over 4000 disabled persons turned up for the dharna. They were undaunted by Delhi’s scorching heat and the multitude of obstacles that they had to encounter and cross to make it to Delhi. Surged by enthusiasm the hundreds that had gathered at Atul Grove Road marched to Parliament street raising slogans and giving vent to their anger against an insensitive and callous administration that refuses to recognise their problems let alone addressing them.

Earlier, a nine-member delegation led by Brinda Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and Rajya Sabha MP, met the prime minister and submitted a memorandum enlisting the demands. It was for the first time that the prime minister was meeting a delegation of disabled persons at Parliament House. It is pertinent here to note that only one gate of the Parliament House complex, Gate No 9, is disabled friendly. A disabled person can access parliament only through this gate. Later, in the evening a delegation also met the minister for social justice and empowerment, Mukul Wasnik. Both of them said the government is sympathetic towards the issues raised in the Memorandum and was also considering change in laws and also bringing in a new law to replace the outdated Persons With Disabilities Act, 1995. The issue was also raised in parliament by CPI (M) MPs.

There were people on wheel chairs, there were persons who crawled on their four limbs, there were others who walked the distance with the aid of their crutches, there were persons who needed assistance and had to be guided all along and there were a few who had to be transported in a vehicle. Persons with hearing and speech disabilities, persons with visual disabilities, persons with motion related disabilities, people with stunted physical growth, representatives of persons with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers, all were there determined and unflinching in their resolve. They were agitating on the demands for a universal identity card, employment opportunities, amendment to the RTE Act to include the disabled, replacement of the PWD Act of 1995 with a new law and harmonising all other laws in tune with the United Nations Convention on Persons with Disabilities, 2008.

Leading the march were Brinda Karat and leading members of the National Platform Kanti Ganguly, Sailen Chaudhury, P Mohanan and O Vijayan, Namburajan, G Ramulu, and Subash Gupta. Participating organisations included the Paschim Banga Pratibandhi Sammelini, the Differently Abled Welfare Federation, the Karnataka Rajya Angavikalara Mattu Palakara Okkota, Tamilnadu Association for the Rights of all Types of Disabled and Caregivers, Jharkhand Viklang Manch, and the Vibhinna Prathiba Vanthula Hakkula Vedika, Andhra Pradesh. There were contingents also from Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc. Then there were participants from organisations which were not associated with the platform like the Human Rights Law Network, the Aarth-Aasta, the National Association of the Deaf, the Deafway Foundation etc.

What was most shocking was the insensitivity of the railways. This is amply reflected in various obstacles put before the West Bengal contingent before they could finally make it to Delhi. Initially, the railways refused to give a special train at concessional rates, despite the disabled being entitled to concessions. Later on after the matter was pursued vigorously, the railways decided to run a special train between Howrah and Delhi. The train which was scheduled to reach Delhi at around 1.30 am on April 20 finally reached at around 10.30 am. This was not all. The railways left no stone unturned to ensure that the disabled passengers faced a very difficult time. Despite the train making long unscheduled stops all along the route, water in the washrooms were not replenished, putting the passengers to discomfort. It is only after reaching Lucknow that too after being forced by the passengers that the railway authorities filled water. On their return journey too, even though the train was parked at Anand Vihar station for more than eight hours water was not filled. After the agitated disabled passengers raised a hue and cry, the authorities promised to fill water at Ghaziabad. But it was done only a few stations later long after Ghaziabad had passed. When the matter was raised in the Rajya Sabha by Brinda Karat an infuriated minister for railways, Mamata Banerjee instead of assuaging the feelings of the disabled passengers turned intemperate and accused them of misutilising the water provided in the washrooms.

Kanti Ganguly, leader of the Sammelini and minister in the West Bengal government, addressing the dharna accused the union railway minister for attempting to settle political scores. He detailed the hurdles and troubles that the disabled persons encountered even while traveling by a so-called special train. The “special” treatment meted out to these passengers by the railways came in for universal condemnation by the participants. He vowed alongwith the participants from the Paschim Banga Rajya Prathibandi Sammelni to not take it lying down and fight back.

Speaking at the dharna, Brinda Karat drew attention to the lack of sensitivity to the issues concerning the disabled. She cautioned that no society can consider itself democratic unless it is able to provide equal opportunities to all its citizens, including persons with disabilities. Congratulating the participants she maintained that it is only because the disabled have organised and have started asserting themselves that the movement for their rights has gained momentum. She called upon the democratic forces to include disability issues as part of their agenda.

Others who spoke were P Mohanan from Kerala, Pankaj Das from West Bengal, Sumati from Andhra Pradesh, Aparna from Tamilnadu, Menna Kumari from Jharkhand and Rajiv Raturi from the Human Resources Law Network. Sign language interpreter from the Deafway Foundation, Gaganpreet Kaur translated the proceedings into sign language for the benefit of those with hearing disability.

Source: People’s Democracy dated 23-05-2010