>Date: Tue, 09 May 2000 11:26:34 +0530 >From: "CPI(ML) LIberation" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ML Update >A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine >Vol.-3; No.-18; 10-5-2000 > >Editorial > >May Day and Suicidal Death of A "Marxist" Industry Minister > >For the crisis-ridden Left Front government of West Bengal, the >coincidence could not have been more ominous. May Day began in West >Bengal with the stunning news of the "accidental" death of the state�s >industry minister Mr. Bidyut Ganguly. The minister had been hospitalised >the previous night with more than 90% burn injury. While the state >government waited for the post-mortem report and forensic investigation >before making any definitive statement about the apparently mysterious >nature of the incident, it was an open secret that Mr. Ganguly had >actually committed suicide. We now have the official confirmation from >the state government and also the official �explanation from the state >CPI(M) leadership: Mr. Ganguly was suffering from depression and he was >leading a wayward life. > >Mr. Ganguly was a veteran parliamentary leader of the CPI(M) with a >political life dating back to the undivided communist party. A >long-standing trade unionist and municipal chief, he became minister of >state for industry and commerce in 1991, and attained cabinet rank in >the same ministry in 1993. In 1994, the LF government came up with its >own version of economic neo-liberalism, extending a warm welcome to >Indian monopolies and foreign multinationals. Prompted by this policy of >cosying up to big capital, the industry minister began to cultivate >intricate links with corporate circles, took to excessive drinking and >went wayward. Even as he kept crossing one milestone of misdemeanour >after another on his reckless journey, organising super-lavish family >weddings and provoking complaints from his communist hosts in >neighbouring Bangladesh, the CPI(M) however let him off with mild >inner-party censure. And now after waywardness has finally taken its >toll, the party would perhaps like to close the entire chapter with the >solemn seal of silence. > >One of course does not expect a more self-critical response from the >CPI(M) bosses. But the facts clearly speak for themselves and a >political post-mortem of the minister�s unfortunate end stares us all in >the face. This one suicide case has stunningly exposed the growing >degeneration of the Left Front government, trapped as it is in the >inescapable contradiction of safeguarding the interests of big capital >in a bourgeois state system. Few years ago, we had another telling >evidence of the Left Front�s paradoxical situation. Bhikhari Paswan, a >jute mill worker had suddenly "disappeared"; in Left-ruled West Bengal >as workers had exploded in rage against the cruel cycle of lockouts in >the speculator-dominated jute industry. The government or for that >matter the party which heads it could not show the moral guts or >political courage to squarely face the bitter truth of a worker being >killed in police custody in a Left-ruled province. > >Once upon a time, Bhikhari Paswan and Bidyut Ganguly and people like >them belonged to the same class called the working class. Behind every >Bidyut Ganguly stood hundreds of Bhikhari Paswans, whether in daily >trade union struggles or in the periodic battles of ballots. Somewhere >along the line, in the course of the longest recorded "democratic" rule >of a Left party under the stewardship of India�s longest-serving chief >minister, Bhikhari Paswans and Bidyut Gangulys have begun moving in >diametrically different directions. With the Paswans living in the >shadow of ever growing industrial sickness and closure and the Gangulys >chasing the mirage of "industrialisation" through class peace and >worship of speculation-oriented big capital, discovering new friends in >the Goenkas and their Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the two have >increasingly fallen apart! Now nemesis seems to be finally catching up >with the Gangulys! They have also begun to lose their way rather >disgracefully in their own rule! And the Paswans are obviously not >around to shed tears for their long lost leaders. >While Ganguly was being declared dead in Calcutta, thousands of workers, >speaking varied tongues, practising different religions and coming from >diverse socio-cultural roots, were unitedly staging an �Akrosh (eruption >of anger) Rally� at Nirsa in Dhanbad district of Bihar to give vent to >their collective anger against the killing of trade union leader and >Leftwing legislator Comrade Gurudas Chatterjee. A fortnight ago >Chatterjee was brutally assassinated by Dhanbad�s infamous coal mafia. >The working class in India will surely learn its lessons from these two >contrasting episodes of May 1, 2000. > >Statewide Protest on Murder of TU Leader > >Com. Jagdev Sharma, member of Palamu District Party Committee, National >Councillor of AICCTU and President, Jharkhand General Mazdoor Union was >murdered by local transport mafia Videsh Singh gang on 4 May at Redma >Chowk in Palamu. Com. Jagdev Sharma was a veteran revolutionary and a >popular trade union leader. >Com. Rajaram Singh, President of RYA and Com. K.P. Singh, state >president of AICCTU, attended the funeral ceremony on 5 May and >addressed a number of condolence meetings in Daltonganj. Palamu bandh on >5 May was widely successful and on 6 May, protest day was observed >statewide. The same day around a hundred activists gathered in a dharna >organised at Patna Station Chowk addressed by Party CC members Com. K.D. >Yadav and Saroj Chaube, State HQs incharge Com. Prabhat Kumar, Com. >Tarakant Prakash of RSP, Com. Rama Shankar of MCPI and Com. Vasant >Chaudhry of Organising Committee, and also by Leaders of AICCTU, >Inquilabi Muslim Conference, AISA, RYA and artists of Hirawal. > >Obituary > >Com. Sudama Paswan, a local Party cadre was killed by Ranvir Sena goons >at Beni Bigaha village of Kanapa (Rania Talab) P.S. of Vikram block in >Patna on 6 May. People chased the culprits but the culprits escaped. The >people gheraoed the police station and got the FIR registered against >them. In Paliganj, a local Party activist Com. Parmanand Ram was killed >by PWG armed gang while he was on his way to attend a meeting. We >condole the death of fallen comrades and pledge to fulfil their dream >with all our energy. >May Day Celebrated All Over India > >Karnataka : In Bangalore, after hoisting flags at the factories where >AICCTU unions were there workers took out a procession and assembled in >front of K.K. NAG Company gate and the meeting followed was presided >over by Com. T.M. Poonacha and addressed by Com. Srinivas and a worker >from Bata company which is on struggle. Com. N. Divakar, a PUCL >activist, delivered a speech centering on �Class Struggle in the Era of >Globalisation�, the paper presented earlier by Com. B. Sivaraman in a >party workshop in Tamil Nadu. The same paper has also been published as >a small booklet in Kannada in its condensed form and distributed among >the workers. Com. Gopal called for workers' sustained movement on the >issues arising out of liberalisation policies and also called for >organising Peenya workers under the fold of AICCTU against Peenya >Industrialists Association. > >Tamil Nadu : In Chennai, a convention was held in Ambattur, in which 400 >workers participated. Com. S. Kumarasamy, CC Member, criticised the >rulers� kneeling down before the American bosses and their indifference >to the plight of people in drought-stricken Gujarat, Rajasthan and >Orissa. He called upon the workers, like the Chicago workers who fought >for eight hours work, to fight vigorously against the Globalisation, >Liberalisation, Privatisation policies of the Government, come to >streets on May 11 and to bring Ambattur Industrial Estate to a >standstill. >AIPWA, AISA, RYA & AICCTU leaders also addressed the convention. The >convention was presided over by Com. G. Radhakrishnan, State >Vice-President, AICCTU. > >In Nellai, A May Day rally was held with 150 workers participated >therein. Com. Sankara Pandian, State Committee Member of the Party, >Com. Ramesh, Com. Rajamanickam and Com. Ganesan addressed the gathering. > >In Coimbatore, AICCTU flag was hoisted in six areas and a public meeting >was held in Venkatapuram. > >In Dharmapuri, May Day was observed hoisting CPI (ML) flag hoisted in >Poosaripatti and 10 subscriptions were paid to ML Seithikaditham >(Newsletter) by the local supporters. > >Rajasthan : Rajasthan Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan, affiliated to AICCTU, >observed May Day at Nursery Circle, Vaishali Nagar and held workers� >meetings. The meetings were addressed among others by Com. Srilatha >Swaminathan, Com. Mahendra Choudhary and Com. Harkesh Bugalia. > >Madhya Pradesh : A rally was taken out on May 1 at Bhilai in Madhya >Pradesh. Around 200 people participated in it. Rallyists also organized >a meeting at Nagar Nigam office. > >Karbi Anglong : A 2000-strong rally was held at Diphu addressed by Com. >Holiram Terang. At Howraghat, 600 people assembled in a public meeting >addressed by Com. Rabi Kr. Fangchow, Chandrakant Terang. At Kheroni, >Com. Francis Teron addressed a 500-strong rally and at Bokajan, Com. >Ramsing Tokbi addressed a public meeting of 250 people. In these >functions, Karbi Employees Association and AICCTU ensured the >mobilisation. > >Dharna in Patna > >A marriage party belonging to dalit agrarian labourers was attacked by >Ranvir Sena men in Pachpokhari village of Nokha P.S. in Rohtas district >of Bihar, in which 4 agrarian labourers were killed and 3 others got >seriously injured. A CPI(ML) team led by Com. Rameshwar Prasad, State >convener of Khet Mazdoor Sabha and Com. Arun Kumar, Party MLA from >Karakat found on investigation the S.P. of Rohtas S.K. Singhal the >culprit for the killing. The team demanded action against him and >enquiry into his relations between police and Ranvir Sena. They also >demanded proper compensation to the dependents. > >People's Resistance to Police Terror in Siwan > >Police camps are being set up in Siwan district in a big way and peasant >activists are being implicated in false cases. When in Andar P.S. a >Party cadre Com. Siyaram Singh was arrested, people protested and broke >a police jeep and beat police inspector. Police took Com. Siyaram not to >Andar but Hussainganj P.S., which is under influence of Satish Pandey >gang. Five other cadres who have no cases against them have been >arrested. All this is being done by a district administration that is >working under the instruction of Shahabuddin, the notorious MP from >Siwan. > >KSA and DSU March to Parliament in Delhi > >A large number of students and youth from the hill districts of Assam >under the banner of the Karbi Students� Association (KSA) and the >Dimasa Students� Union (DSU) marched to Parliament in Delhi on April 27 >demanding immediate introduction of Autonomous State Bill for the hill >districts of Assam under the provision of Article 244(A) of the Indian >Constitution. Agitators charged the Congress of fomenting trouble and >abetting series of massacres in the hill districts of Assam by backing >extremist outfits like the KNV, KPF, UPDS and DHD and demanded a high >level enquiry into the links between the Congress and the extremist >outfits. >In a pitched battle fought between the Police and the students and >youth, at least 30 students and youth got injured in police lathicharge. >Six of them were rushed to the hospital. Police also arrested four >leading leaders of the KSA and the DSU and sent them to Jail. Later they >got released. >The agitation was led by ASDC leader and MP (Rajya Sabha) Com. Prakant >Waresa, KSA President and Gen. Secy. Kamal Rongpi and Longsing Tokbi and >the DSU President and Gen. Secy. Rajat Thaosen and Shyamol Langthasa. >Apart from these leaders, Ranjit Abhigyan, ex-Gen. Secy. of AISA, Lal >Bahadur Singh, RYA Gen. Secy, and Mr. Sunil Yadav, AISA Gen. Secy. and >several other leaders addressed the meeting. The meeting condoled the >death of Com. Pran Hojai of NC Hills in Assam who died in an accident >near Allahabad on the way to Delhi to participate in the �March to >Parliament�. > >Revitalising Autonomous State Movement In Assam Hills > >CPI (ML) committees of the hill districts of Assam have chalked out a >comprehensive plan for revitalising autonomous state movement in Karbi >Anglong and NC Hills in Assam. Under this planning, a leadership >training camp was organized on 7-8 May at Diphu. The CC members of ASDC, >KSA, DSU, KNCA, NCHSF and DWS participated in the camp. Com. Jayanta >Rongpi presented an approach paper which deals with experiences gained >during last 14 years of autonomous state movement and lays down present >day orientation of the movement and future course of action. The >training camp decided to step up campaign against the Congress-KNV/KPF >designs to create trouble in the area. Party committees have decided to >make 11 May all India general strike a grand success. District level >leadership training camp will be held on 12-13 May to be followed by >constituency level camps on 15 May. On 17 May, ASDC foundation day will >be observed at branch levels. > >AICCTU Gearing up towards May 11 Bandh > >To make May 11 Bandh (General Strike) a success, all out efforts are >being taken up by AICCTU in Chennai. On 29 April a joint convention was >held in which AICCTU and CITU took part at Thiruvattiyur, old industrial >locality of Chennai. Com. S. Kumarasamy, State President of AICCTU and >Com. Soundararajan, State Deputy GS of CITU addressed the gathering. The >convention was a concerted effort of all trade unions in Thiruvattiyur, >Manali and Ennoore areas. >In Tambaram, AICCTU, CITU & AITUC held a joint meeting on 4 May. Com. >Iraniayappan addressed the gathering among others. In Ambattur, a >convention was organised on 6 May jointly by AICCTU, CITU & AITUC. Here >AIPWA, RYA, AISA are also involved in the preparations. >Similar attempts are made in Salem and Nellai of TN. > >Protest meeting in Sirkali > >Protesting attacks on dalits, CPI(ML) and DPI jointly organised a dharna >in Sirkali on April 27 though police had denied permission. Facing >hundreds of armed policemen activists defiantly held a meeting in which >around 500 people belonging to Party and DPI gathered. Leaders of DPI >and Com. Balasundaram, Party State Secy. and TKS Janathanana, SCM >exposed the anti-dalit attitude of DMK government. State level poster >campaign has been organised to observe All India Protest Day against the >killing of Com. Jagdev Sharma. > >Rojgar (Employment) Yatra by RYA Takes Off in U.P. > >Under the banner of Revolutionary Youth Association, Rojgar Yatra in >U.P. took off from Jamalpur of Mirzapur district on 4 May. The Yatra is >being led by Com. Lal Bahadur Singh, General Secretary of RYA. In its >first leg the Yatra will continue for one week; it will pass through >Ghazipur, Ballia, Deoria, Padrauna, Mau, Azamgarh and Chandauli >districts and conclude at Varanasi on 10 May. > >Casteist Feudal Attacks in Devakottai (Tamilnadu) Resisted > >On 22 April, 55 students and 20 parents were arrested in Siruvachi of >Devakotai while protesting against anti-dalit casteist programme >organised by the headmaster of Siruvachi Union Middle School. Two >journalists of Junior Vikatan were also attacked and their camera was >smashed. Earlier the headmaster had to abandon the plan to unveil >portrait of a notorious casteist Kariamanicka Ambalam, Ex MLA at the >annual day celebration because the Party strongly protested against it, >demanding that Com. Subbu�s portrait should unveiled instead, whom the >upper cast landlords headed by Kariamanicka Ambalam had murdered. Later >the headmaster planned to unveil a Kalvettu (epitaph) bearing only the >names of local upper cast landlords. Boycotting the function and >demanding dismissal of the headmaster and dropping the plan to unveil >the Kalvettu, Party organised a black flag demonstration but Police >arrested a lot of people and took them away. On those few who remained >there, armed goons brought by local TMC MLA Ramasamy chased the people. >First the people fled to shelter in Siruvachi but soon they were >organised by the party to launch a counter attack and resisted against >the hired goons. After several hours the mob withdrew around 10 PM. >After the incident, the landlords are organising local Nadu meetings. We >are also mobilising our people and preparing for any eventuality. > >Administration Bows Down in Pilibhit (UP) > >Following the arrest of 182 demonstrators including Com. Krishna >Adhikari and freedom fighter Ramharsh Vidrohi during Chakka Jam called >in Pilibhit on May Day to protest conversion of the Park built in memory >of a freedom fighter into public toilet, the next day the administration >had to bow down, stop construction work in the Park and start >negotiations with the agitators. U.P. State Party Committee has >condemned BJP Govt. for destroying the memorial by converting it into a >public toilet. > >Zonal Leading Team Met in Delhi > >The Zonal Leading Team formed by the Central Committee in its last >meeting to coordinate Party work in Delhi and some states near and >around it had its first sitting on 3 May in Delhi. Presided over by >incharge Com. Swadesh Bhattacharya, the meet discussed how to conduct >"Strengthen the Party" campaign in the zone through Party bodies. > >Around the World > >Crisis in Sri Lanka > >Fall of Elephant Pass has brought Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) >to just 40 k.m. away from Jaffna together with trapping of 25,000 Sri >Lankan soldiers, which has demoralised the Army and shaken Chandrika >Kumartunga's government. These lightening developments have brought the >battle for Jaffna to a decisive point and now the alternatives are >evident: either a civil war of mutual distruction, or ending the war >with a mutual accomodation based on equality and dignity. But Chandrika >is seeking foreign assistance including India's to resolve its crisis. >Vajpayee's annoucements ruling out military intervention but in the same >vein offering humanitarian assistance are no doubt dubious. After all, >what for Indian Air Force Chief Chitnis rushed to Sri Lanka and Air >Force flights are being kept ready at Thiruvananthapuram to take off to >Colombo any minute? Why Indian Navy has also been put on alert and it >has started moving into Palk Strait and Indian Ocean? Humanitarian >intervention is so misleading that America carried out sustained bombing >of Yugoslavia precisely under the same pretext. Therefore, ruling out >Indian Army's march into Sri Lanka does not mean no military >intervention. Then, although the Vajpayee government says that it does >not want to act as a mediator, Mr. Jaswant Singh holds that Norwagian >peace initiative is not likely to be successful. Doesn't it smack of a >South Asian patriarch? The intervention in some way seems on the cards >because the government has repeatedly talked about its regional >responsibility and national interests in relation to Sri Lanka's >internal affairs. >America has openly come out with the offer of assistance with its >military base in the neighbouring Diego Garcia. It may also press India >to prove the trustworthiness of its new partnership. India's national >interests demand today to guard the Southern Coast and Indian Ocean >against big foreign powers fishing in this troubled waters, and leave >the internal dispute of Sri Lanka to be resolved among themselves. No >involvement in the internal dispute of Sri Lanka will serve our national >interests. > >Culture > >Hazar Chaurasi ki Ma (Mother of 1084) Staged > >For years together a stagnation had taken over theatrical activities in >Patna. A serious effort to break it began when two renowned local >theatrical teams, Hirawal and Sarjana joined hands to stage Mahashweta >Devi's novel Hazar Chaurasi ki Ma. The novel is based on early days of >Naxalbari movement. After four months of preparation with newcomer youth >and child artists, the play was staged on three consecutive days, 4-5-6 >May at Kalidas Rangalaya. The play was directed by Prof. Santosh Kumar >while Santosh Jha of Hirawal directed its music. The play was widely >aclaimed by spectators and media and the Rangalaya remained overcrowed >for all the three days. The response is particularly heartening because >the subject matter is related to the revolutionary movement in India and >most of the artists are newcomers. > >Jan Sanskriti Manch (People�s Cultural Forum) Resolves to Defend >Democratic Values Against Fascist Attack > >The National Council of Jan Sanskriti Manch met in Allahabad on 6-7 May >to discuss preparations for its next national conference and >organisational matters. It was decided that the next conference would be >held at Varanasi which has become the new target of communal fascists, >as evidenced not only by their concerted attack on shooting of Water but >also by the BJP government's latest initiative to launch a massive >saffron cultural centre there. The dates are 14-15 October, 2000. In >another decision, the council relieved Brij Bihari Pandey from the post >of General Secretary because of his preoccupation with other >responsibilities on revolutionary political front, and appointed veteran >journallist and literateur Ajay Singh as the new General Secretary. > >BHU Administration Goes Saffron > >CPI(ML) strongly condemned the BHU administration for conferring >doctoral degrees on RSS frontmen Murli Manohar Joshi and Atal Behari >Vajpayee and their cohort Chandrababu Naidu despite loud protests within >the academic council. Demanding Visitorial intervention from the >President of India to stall the conferring, Party called for removal of >BHU Vice Chancellor Y.C. Simhadri. Tearing all pretensions of secularism >to shreads the citation on Joshi�s merits highlights his consistent >involvement in the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, his >participation in the cow protection movement, his �satyagraha� against >Al Kabeer slaughter house and his �staunch championship� of �swadeshi >and Hindutwa�. > >Edited, published and printed by S. Bhattacharya for CPI(ML) from U-90, >Shakarpur, Delhi:110092; printed at Bol Publication, R-18/2, Ramesh >Park, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi:110092; Phone:2221067, Fax :2218248, >e-mail:[EMAIL PROTECTED], http//:www.cpiml.org > __________________________________ 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] ___________________________________
