>Date: Tue, 02 May 2000 16:02:53 +0530 >From: "CPI(ML) LIberation" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ML Update >CPI(ML) News Magazine >Vol:3: No:17 : May 3, 2000. > >Editorial > >No Mercy for the Saffron Designers of Drought and Famine! > >Only a month ago, they were busy showcasing a different India. On his >return from the sub continental sojourn, Clinton regaled his American >audience with surprising stories from this new India, which, he said, >was dotted with villages like Naila in Rajasthan where empowered women >were discovering their way to prosperity through a computerised dairy >cooperative. Armed with certificates from Clinton, every metropolitan >newspaper and every TV channel began to bombard us with glossy images of >this brave new cyber-savvy India. > >But no amount of cyber-fiction can change the real face of India. The >truth is now out that behind all the hype of India emerging as an IT >superpower, real India is now faced with the century�s worst drought. >Dozens of districts in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa,Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan >and Gujarat are tackling a severe crisis of water and a resultant >famine-like situation. Heart-rending reports of agricultural labourers >and even once-prosperous farmers being driven to suicide are once again >surfacing from Andhra Pradesh and even Gujarat. And the callous saffron >regime which refused to tackle last year�s super-cyclone in Orissa as a >national calamity is once again exhibiting supreme apathy to the plight >of the drought-stricken, famine-stricken rural poor. > >Obviously, the century�s worst-ever drought has not happened overnight. >Successive years of bountiful monsoon and overflowing FCI godowns have >made our policymakers virtually insensitive to the lurking threat of >monsoon failure, declining water level and diminishing food security. >The agricultural scene in India is marked increasingly by a changing >land use pattern resulting in net transfer of cultivable land away from >agriculture, coupled with shifts in cropping pattern favouring >commercial cultivation of cash crops and growing agricultural trade >across international borders. The crisis is further compounded by skewed >economic policies under which public irrigation has been subject to >chronic neglect, the small farmer�s access to credit is getting >increasingly restricted and input costs have been steadily escalating. >On top of it the government is bent upon dismantling the public >distribution system, leaving the rural poor completely exposed to the >fury of a devastating drought and famine. > >The nationalised banks in this country are reportedly reeling under the >burden of bad debt worth Rs. 58,000 crore. Most of this staggering >amount is attributable to India�s monopoly comprador capitalists. While >successive central governments have shelled out such huge subsidies to >fund unproductive ventures of capital, small farmers are being >persecuted for cases of non-repayment of agricultural credit. More than >drought and famine, its this persecution which is driving small farmers >and poor peasants to the extreme step of committing suicide. In the case >of 25-year-old Betavati Ratan in Pothur mandal of Mahboobnagar district >of Andhra Pradesh who committed suicide by consuming pesticide on March >27, we now know what drove him to this extreme act. He had to borrow >from his village moneylender to repay the loan taken from the district >cooperative bank and the moneylender in turn asked him to sell his wife >in lieu of his accumulated debt. > >Behind the boastful claims of cyber era and new economy lie such >horrendous tales from rural India. Are we listening? > >Student Youth Parliament Against Saffron Regime > >Inaugurating the Student-Youth Parallel Parliament held at >Constitutional Club lawns in Delhi on 24 April, Party General Secretary >Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said that it is Bhagat Singh's dream that >will get materialized in the 21st century, not the one dreamt by >Golvalkar. He called upon the student youth to come forward in the >decisive battle against the saffron regime and join the struggle to turn >this millennium into a millennium of working people. > >The parellel parliament convened against saffron attacks on education >and culture, unemployment, price rise and Indian government's >capitulation to the US imperialism was presided over by veteran >communist leader Jagjit Singh Layallpuri. Apart from senior historians >Prof. KM Srimali and Prof. Uma Chakravarty, ex-President of BHUSU Anand >Pradhan, ex-General Secretary of AISA Ranjit Abhigyan, RYA President >Rajaram Singh and General Secretary Lal Bahadur Singh, KSA President >Kamal Rongpi, Tamil Nadu youth leader V. Kumaran, Kiranjeet Singh >Shekhon from Punjab, Kamalesh Sharma from Bihar, Ajay Mandhata from >Orissa, Yogesh Pandey from Uttarakhand and others also spoke at the >parliament. It was conducted by AISA General Secretary Sunil Yadav and >AISA President Kavita Krishnan presented the 8-point charge sheet >against the Vajpayee government. The parallel parliament pledged to make >11 May general strike a success and decided to observe "Dam bandho, kam >do" (check prices; give jobs) Day on 8 May throughout the country and >hold meetings on the issues raised in the parallel parliament. > >Party Foundation Day Anniversary Observed > >Assam : The 31st anniversary of the Party Foundation day was observed in >various districts of Assam by convening cadres' meet through which >"Strengthen the Party" campaign was started. In Tinsukia a day-long >programme was observed where Com. Rubul Sarma was present. Different >steps of the Campaign were concretised, including revitalising the trade >union work in tea gardens, building up organization of agrarian >labourers and student-youth. In Dibrugarh, thedistrict committee >observed the day in Tingkhong, the area of concentration of our work. 55 >cadres attended the meeting and plans for the campaign were charted out. > >In Guwahati, the City Committee observed the day at Party State Office >and planned to revitalize mass activities, particularly work on trade >union, women, cultural and students' front. At Behali, Sonitpur DC >observed it in the same manner in the district party office. Apart from >drawing plans to overcoming various imbalances, the meeting stressed on >developing propaganda and school system. Comrades emphasized on putting >politics in command. > >Observing the day in Party's district office, Jorhat DC decided on steps >for implementing the CC call. It decided to organize a youth gathering >at Jorhat and resolved to take certain programmes in the tea garden. The >foundation day was also observed in Barpeta and Nagaon districts.Karbi >Anglong : In Karbi Anglong, the day was observed at ten places >throughout the district, following the guideline issued by KAPC. >Everywhere the Party flag was hoisted at 8 a.m. in the morning, Shahid >Tarpan (remembering martyrs) was observed and then processions were >brought out which culminated in mass meetings. In the evening cadre >meetings were held where Com. Dipankar's article was read out and a >6-month plan to launch "Strengthen the Party" campaign was charted out. >In Diphu the mass meeting was addressed by Com. Jayanta Rongpi, CC >member and Secy. of Hill District Party Committee. > >Tamil Nadu : The district committee of Nagai-Tanjore-Thiruvarur convened >a cadre meet to initiate the 'Strengthen the Party' campaign in which >44 cadres including a woman took part. After District Secy. Com. >Balasundaram explained Com.Dipankar's article, the DC presented a paper >on the problems faced by it in building peasant association considered >to be the topmost important task in strengthen the party campaign. >Problems in considering the agricultural laborer as a class, correct >handling of inner contradiction of other classes, development of >capitalism in agriculture and structural changes brought by it, >importance of organisation were main points discussed, after which a >12-point guideline was evolved. It is decided to hold block level >conferences in May and make Anti-DMK padyatra (foot march) a success. > >The Chennai City Committee held a meeting on this day in which Com. >Dipankar's article was read out and discussed. A detailed plan to >conduct the campaign was charted out. The next day a cadre meet was >organized in which 50 comrades participated. A class was also conducted >on Paris commune and Russian and Chinese revolutions. In Salem, Party DC >discussed the article and decided to hold a cadre meet on 7 May. >Comrades in Nellai town assembled and discussed the article. In >Thiruvallur, DLT discussed Com. Dipankar's article. > >22 April in Orissa-M.P. > >Party foundation day was celebrated in Ramanaguda block of Rayagada >district. 120 cadres and activists participated. Party PB member Com. >D.P. Buxi, M. Rao, DPMohanti, Tiriputi Bharati spoke in the meeting held >to discuss the Party's national campaign "Strengthen the Party". > >In Durg of M.P., a general body meeting was organised which resolved to >strengthen the party and make 11 May Bharat Bandh a success. A leading >team has been formed at Chattisgarh level led by Com. Shambhu Singh. > > >Karnataka : Kannada Liberation Released : On the occasion of 31st >Foundation Anniversary Day of the party, Kannada Liberation was released >at a hall meeting in Bangalore. The CPI(ML) monthly Bulletin was >released by a founder member of the party in Karnataka, Comrade J. >Sankar and the first copy was received by Ninge Gowda, a worker comrade. >Rajiv Lochanan, a trade union leader, Malathi, a theatre activist, >Ramachandraiah and T.M. Ponnappa, worker comrades of the area, >contributed Rs.100/ each for the magazine as a mark of encouragement to >the venture. The bulletin is of something in between the ML Update and a >full-fledged party organ. Comrade Ranjani is the Editor while V. >Govindarajan is the publisher on behalf of the party. The meeting was >presided over by T.M. Poonacha and was addressed by N. Divakar from >PUCL, V. Gayatri from Mahila Sankarana (a women organization), >Srinivasan and Gopal. > > >Bandh (general strike) in Karbi Anglong > >On 26 April, the CPI(ML) along with ASDC and KSA called for a 24-hour >Karbi Anglong bandh to protest against the spate of massacres >perpetrated by KNV-KPF under the patronage and instigation of Cong(I) >leaders. On the bandh day, the Governor of Assam came to Diphu. All the >elected representatives in Karbi Anglong, including members of >Autonomous District Council and MLAs, met the governor and put forth >three demands: (1) the govt. must return the licensed weapons seized by >it from the villagers in the name of saving the arms from extremists, >and moreover, distribute free arms to people's guards and village >defense councils. If they do not agree to give arms free, they must >issue licenses, and the weapons would be purchased by the Autonomous >Council. (2) Army should not be deployed, it only increases harassment >and hardship for the people; rather the police be made more sensitive >towards people; and (3) as it has been proved time and again, Assam >government is not interested in the problems of security of people >living in far-flung areas of Karbi Anglong, therefore, it has become all >the more necessary to at least hand over the Law and Order department to >the Autonomous District Council. > >Joint Activity in Andhra-Orissa > >Nine Left parties of the joint front in Andhra mobilised around 2000 >people in Srikakulam on 17 April and gheraoed (encircled) the >Collectorate on people's demands. Police resorted to brutal >lX-X-Mozilla-Status: 0009. Sanyasi Rao and scores of others received >serious >injuries. The same day activists gheraoed Collectorate at Vijayanagaram >under the leadership of Com. V. Bharati and DP Mohanty. > >On April 30 a convention was held by NPMO in which our forces from >Rayagada and Gajapati districts of Orissa participated. This was >organised to mobilise people for 11 May general strike. Com. Bidyadhar >Patra and DP Mohanti spoke on behalf of Orissa Pradesh Kisan Sabha and >AICCTU respectively. > >Slum-dwellers' March > >Hundreds of slum dwellers under the banner of Delhi Jhuggi-Jhopdi >Samyukta Sangharsh Samiti staged a march to Parliament on 25 April. The >march started from Mandi House and converted into a mass meeting at the >Parliament Street PS barricade. Com. Rajendra Pratholi, Sunita, >Dharmendra, Brajkishore, Kameshwar, Ram Abhilash and Rajeshwari >addressed the marchers. The memorandum warned the Prime Minister to >remain prepared to face the consequences if the slum dwellers are >evicted without being given alternative rehabilitation near the work >site as well as the money required to build it. > >Tea-tribes Cultural Festival > >For the first time, Sadou Asom Jansanskritik Parishad organised a >colourful tea tribes cultural festival as a three-day cultural programme >from 8 to 10 April, 2000 at Borgang, Behali in Assam. Hundreds of >cultural activists from different parts of the state came to take part >in it and performed various cultural programmes. They also participated >in different seminars and discussions held on the conditions of >tea-tribes in the state. Encouraged by the response, Jansanskritik >Parishad (Cultural Forum) has resolved to hold this festival on annual >basis. Apart from the performer troops and well-known artists coming >from various tea-tribes, Karbi Cultural Society also performed several >attractive programmes. > >Dharna in Raipur > >On 22 April Party activists from Raipur, Durg and Bilaspur districts of >M.P. staged a dharna at the office of Commissioner of Raipur Division. >Before this, cadre meetings were held in the 3 districts, 3000 leaflets >were distributed in Durg district and a one-week Jan Jagran Abhiyan was >conducted in slum areas. Com. Rajaram, CCM incharge of M.P. also >participated in the dharna. A memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister >was handed over to the Commissioner demanding allowance of Rs.1000 to >the unemployed, withdrawal of current price hikes, full year's >employment to agrarian labourers, payment of arrear 10 months' wages to >HSCL workers arrangement of drinking water to people in Raipur division. >It was also demanded a stop to mechanisation of Mura-Dhansuli mines >which will result in retrenchment of hundreds of workers. > >May Day Rally > >A May Day rally was organised by Jalani Tools Workers' Union, Kondli, >Sonepat district of Haryana under the banner of AICCTU. In this entire >belt, when the owners took the offensive against workers in the form of >closure and non-payment of wages, all other trade unions failed to >counter it and were consequently swept away, but the AICCTU stood firmly >at the forefront of workers' struggle. So this union after two decades >of its existence under CITU, preferred to join AICCTU on May Day. The >meeting was addressed by Com Swapan Mukherjee, General Secretary of >AICCTU as also by Com. Krishna Yadav, General Secy. of Jalani Tool >Workers Union, Com Surender of RYA, Com. Satbir of Jan Sanskriti Manch >and Com. Satpal of CPI(ML). > > >Party Staged Dharna, Chakka Jam in Pilibhit > >CPI(ML) started an indefinite dharna before the Collectorate at Pilibhit >in U.P. on 20 April to demand unconditional release of Party activists >arrested in Puranpur subdivision while agitating against suspension of >panchayat elections in U.P. In the meantime, district units of SP, NCP >and SJP also joined in and a Samyukta Loktantra Bachao Sangharsh Samiti >was formed on 21 April, which raised a 7-point demand including the one >against the district council's bid to convert Ramswaroop Memorical Park >into public toilet, the founding stone of which was laid by the BJP MLA >of Pilibhit town. This infuriated the freedom fighters who stood up >against the nefarious plan. Addressing the dharna on 23 April, Party CC >member Krishna Adhikari, the Convenor of Sangharsh Samiti, attacked RSS >and BJP for the conspiracy and announced that the struggle will be >continued through to an end. Ultimately on 29 April all the 8 comrades >arrested in Puranpur were unconditionally released, but the >administration didn't agree to stop conversion of the Park. CPI(ML) and >Sangharsh Samiti gave a call to observe "chakka jam" on 1 may in >Pilibhit. Several mass meetings were held in Pilibhit on 30 April and on >1 May hundreds of activists came out on the roads to ensure success of >"chakka jam". Leading the procession Com. Krishna Adhikari was arrested >by police along with 182 activists. But there is no let up in the >movement and the Party is planning to further broaden the scope of the >movement by involving all the genuine patriotic and democratic people of >Pilibhit. > >May Day Meeting in Dhanbad > >A large May Day meeting was held at Nirsa in the industrial district of >Dhanbad in which CPI(ML), CPI, CPI(M), Marxist Coordination Committee, >RSP, JMM(S), RJD and Samajwadi Jan Parishad participated. Com. Dipankar >Bhattacharya, Mahendra Singh and veteran trade unionist AK Roy were the >main speakers. It was presided over by ex-MLA of MCC Anand Mahato. The >meeting demanded that killers of the martyred trade union leader Com. >Gurudas Chatterjee be arrested immediately. > >May Day Celebrated in Delhi > >Thousands of workers under the banner of left trade unions jointly >marched through the densest and busiest streets of old Delhi and reached >the traditonal May Day celebration venue, Town Hall. In the May Day >meeting that followed, Com. NM Thomas was in the joint presidium and >Com. Ranjan Ganguli spoke on behalf of AICCTU. The May Day was also >celebrated by the workers' union of Tubes and Switchgears in Noida and >by Moolchand Hospital staff union by hoisting the red flag there. >Everywhere workers resolved to continue their fight against Govt's >anti-poor policies and make 11 May general strike a success. > > >Preparing for May Day : In West and East > >On April 30, about 1,000 members of Local 4501, Communications Workers >of America (representing service and skilled trade workers at the Ohio >State University) and supporters held a candlelight vigil for the >impending strike from 8 PM, in front of Bricker Hall (the OSU >administration building). Local 4501 is demanding living wages and a >fair contract that treats all CWA members equally. The union also >opposes the "merit pay" system that will give supervisors a power to >exercise favoritism and to punish workers arbitrarily. At the vigil, >faculty and graduate students pledged support for Local 4501. After the >vigil, unionists and supporters moved from the main campus to the >University Hospitals, chanting "no contract, no work," to the rhythm of >African drums. Workers who just finished their shift walked out of the >Hospitals and joined the protest, to thunderous cheer and applause from >the crowd. The strike began at midnight, and unionists and supporters >will walk the picket lines on May Day. > >About 15,000 workers marched through downtown Seoul on 29 April ahead of >May Day, demanding a shorter work week and opposing the sale of auto >firms to foreign investors. "Five-day work week," they chanted, picking >up the slogan blared from loudspeakers mounted on vans. "Let's crush >foreign sales and protect our right to survival." The protest turned >violent when about 200 workers and students, hurling rocks and wielding >sticks, clashed briefly with riot police. Several protesters were taken >away by police in sporadic clashes that followed. Similar but >small-scale May Day protests were held in about a dozen other cities. > >The protesters in Seoul marched into the streets after a two-hour rally >in front of the railway station downtown. Led by a traditional Korean >farmers' band, the workers paraded 4 kilometers along busy streets, >carrying hundreds of red, yellow and blue placards. Traffic was backed >up for miles. Police stood a few meters apart along the center line of >the eight-lane boulevards and tried to keep the march orderly. Workers >distributed leaflets appealing for support. The rally and march were >organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a militant >umbrella labor group which claims a membership of 500,000, many of them >in the car and shipbuilding industries. 29 April protest was part of the >plan to organize a nationwide strike in May. Workers demanded that their >work week be cut from 44 hours to 40 hours, without a cut in pay. They >claimed that South Korea has the longest work week of all industrialized >countries. > > >Demonstration in Srilanka by Left Parties > >Janata Vimukti Perumana, the Nava Sama Samaj Party and the MULF held a >demonstration near the Fort railway station on 25 April against >repression, the war and racism which was a grand success. There were >nearly 3000 people, in the midst of war cry by the racist press and the >Sinhala chavanists, to protest against all repressive actions. After the >demonstration which went on from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm, a meeting was held >opposite the Fort railway station where Dr Vickramabahu Karunarathne, >Wimal Weerawansa and Abdul Marsook spoke condemning the repression, >military barbarism and racism. Both the PA and the UNP were condemned >for their inability to resolve the national problem. They appealed to >the masses to rally round the left in order to achieve peace, freedom >and democracy. > > >May Day Call to Indian Workers: >With enthusiasm and vigour, participate in the >General Strike >on 11 May, 2000 > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
