>Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 15:15:10 +0530 >From: "CPI(ML) LIberation" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ML Update >A CPI (ML) Weekly News Magazine >Vol.3; No.19; 17-5-2000 > >Editorial > >The Last Day Fraud > >The last days of parliamentary sessions are increasingly acquiring a >farcical and fraudulent character. Two kinds of bills, it seems, are >being reserved for the last-day treatment. One, controversial economic >reforms bills which the government is keen on pushing through and >therefore tables them towards the fag end of a session. By the time such >bills finally come up for discussion in a subsequent session, it turns >out that public attention has already been diverted in a dozen different >directions and shorn of the oppositional sting, bills get enacted with a >relatively safe and sanitised passage. And then there are the other kind >of delicate bills which are tabled just for the sake of record, with the >government effectively trying to buy time to kill them. The women�s >reservation bill which was tabled on the last day of the winter session >and then forgotten conveniently through the summer heat of the budget >session is perhaps a classic example of bills belonging to this second >category. >Perhaps no other bill in recent times has suffered the kind of fate the >women�s reservation bill has. Attempts to table the bill were first >sought to be frustrated physically. SP and RJD members of Parliament >vied among themselves in a competitive display of sheer hooliganism to >stop the bill from being tabled at all. And now after the bill was >finally allowed to be tabled on the last day of the previous session, it >was left to gather dust through the three long months of the budget >session. Intriguingly enough, even an institution like the Election >Commission got into the act of scuttling the bill. An all-party meeting >convened by the EC ostensibly to discuss electoral reforms turned out to >be a forum for the EC to kick the ball of women�s reservation away from >Parliament to the court of the political parties themselves. Worse >still, we saw a delegation of cross-party women MPs pleading with the PM >to allow the bill to be put to a conscience vote in Parliament. When >officially both the BJP and the Congress claim to have taken a firm >position in favour of women�s reservation in Parliament and state >legislatures, they must be pinned down and made to fulfill their >declared commitment and not allowed to beat a solemn retreat in the name >of either party-based reservation or an unscrupulous conscience vote. >While the fate of the women�s reservation bill thus continues to hang in >the balance, we now have three state reorganisation bills reserved for >tabling on the last day of this budget session. On the face of it, the >bills advocating the creation of the three new states of Uttarakhand, >Jharkhand and Chhattishgarh enjoy the support of all major political >parties with perhaps the sole exception of the CPI(M). The bills have >already been approved by the respective state assemblies with a few >amendments and yet there is little guarantee of the new states really >being carved out. On economic policy measures favouring MNCs, the >government goes by the principle of majority which is often extremely >slender and doubtful. But when it comes to measures like women�s >reservation and creation of new states, the democratic principle of >majority is strangely replaced by the dubious policy of consensus. > >11 May All India General Strike A Grand Success > >Thousands of CPI(ML) activists and supporters took to the street to >support and actively implement the nationwide General Strike called by >National Platform of Mass Organisations on 11 May. The strike was called >in protest against saffron establishment's surrender to imperialist >powers and its anti-people industrial and financial policies which have >resulted in an unprecedented rise in unemployment and steep hike in >prices of essential commodities. Privatisation of public sector >industries, services and financial institutions and even social sectors >like education, health etc. has pushed the poor to the brink of >starvation and death. Against this people's discontent has been building >up and as Party General Secretary Com. Dipankar said, General Strike >signalled a grim warning to the government. >It is noticeable this time the General Strike had much wider impact than >earlier such actions. Its impact was not limited to the Left Front ruled >states. In Bihar, Assam and Andhra Pradesh, statewide Bandh was observed >at the call of Left parties including CPI(ML). >Left MPs staged a dharna in Parliament and later the entire opposition >stalled work in both houses of Parliament demanding withdrawal of price >rise in essential commodities. >Party General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya led an activists' >march in Patna. Thousands of Party workers all over India, from Panjab >to Andaman and Assam to Kerala, braved lathicharge and were arrested >implementing the General Strike. It also marked culmination of the >current phase of Party's "Dam bandho kam do" campaign that was launched >in April. > > >Andhra Pradesh : Responding to the call of All-India General Strike by >NPMO, 9 left and revolutionary parties in Andhra Pradesh organised a >successful Bandh in the state. More than 500 activists worked for >ensuring success of the bandh call in different mandals including >Kakinada town, where Com. Bangar Rao coordinated the 9 parties and >conducted the Bandh. In Vishakapatanam city, Com. B. Siva, Party's city >organiser, was arrested along with CPI leaders. In Kalahasthe of >Chittoor district, activists participated in ensuring success of Bandh. >State Committee members D Harinath and Com. RN Mani of AIPWA along with >other party activists and B Vekateshwara Rao of AICCTU along with >workers actively participated in Vijayawada. K Venkatanarayana and P >Satyanarayana along with party supporters ensured Bandh in Avanigadda in >Kakinada district. >U.P. : Hundreds of Party and mass activist led by Com. AP Singh held a >meeting at GPO Park in Lucknow and took out a march in the city. At >Mughalsarai, rail line and GT Road were blocked for two hours. While >ensuring Bandh in a market party activists had to scuffle with BJP >workers. Chandauli district was the most affected by Bandh where 159 >party activists were arrested. In Kanpur, Party and AICCTU workers were >lathicharged while implementing strike call in tannery mills. 7 >activists including Com. Ramesh Singh Sengar were arrested there. At >Jarib Chwoki in Kanpur, 250 activists of all mass organisations blocked >GT Road. In Mirzapur, market was closed at Jamalpur. In Ambedkar Nagar, >left parties activists took out a joint procession. >Karnataka : AICCTU played active role in Peenya industrial estate in the >joint campaign on May 10 and in enforcing the strike on May 11, A joint >procession was taken out. Workers of many factories numbering around few >thousands marched with the strikers in response to the NPMO call. A >group of workers led by Com. G.A.Srinivas, were brutally lathicharged by >the police. >Delhi : Party and mass organisation activists led by Com. Kumudini Pati >blocked ITO crossing for half an hour and were subsequently arrested. In >Okhla industrial area AICCTU-led DTC Workers' Unity Centre, All India >General Kamgar Union and Moolchand Hospital Employees Union took out >several marches and implemented the General Strike. AICCTU General >Secretary Swapan Mukherjee and Ranjan Ganguli led the marches. >Haryana : Party activists in Asandh subdivision of Karnal district >participated in a joint march organised by CPI, CPI(M) and our Party. In >Kondli industrial area, workers of HM Mehra Workers Union led by AICCTU >ensured that factory remains closed on 11 May. >Tamil Nadu : In Ambattur, party activists led by S Kumarsmy, blocked >rail line and train service was disrupted at peak hours. At Saidapet, >about 50 comrades and at Chengalput about 50 women blocked the trains. >In Madhavaram, the demonstration of 150 workers was led by Com. Eranian >and G Radhakrishnan. In Thiruvallore district AIPWA and RYA jointly >organised a 100-strong demonstration. In Villupuram RYA led by Com. >Balaraman led a demonstration. In Pondicherry, 25 comrades led by Com. >Mahesh blocked road traffic and were arrested. In Pudukottai, activists >led by Com. Viduthalai Kumaran blocked the road and courted arrest. In >Nellai, all the cotton mills where trade union is under AICCTU >leadership remained closed. In Pettai, 100 activists led by Com. T. >Sankar Pandian took out a rally and organised road roko and got >arrested. Earlier on 8 May a joint Left TU convention was held at Nellai >to prepare for the General Strike. In Salem about 500 workers led by >Com. Murugan and Ayyanthurai bolcked the roads and courted arrest. In >Kumarapalayam, powerloom workers led by Com. Govindarajan blocked the >road and courted arrest. >Rajasthan : AICCTU and AIPWA participated in the torchlight procession >taken out by the Rajasthan PMO in Jaipur on the evening of the 9th. May >and in the mass rally held in Jaipur on 11th May. The rally turned into >a mass meeting where for the first time the three Party State >Secretaries of CPI, CPI-M and CPI-ML addressed the PMO gathering. Com. >Mahender Chaudhary, Harkesh Bugalia, Meva Bharati and addressed the >meet. Com. Srilata was on the Presidium. >Andaman : Activists of AICCTU took lead in implementing the PMO call of >General Strike on 11 May. Earlier too, they had taken initiative in >holding May Day rally on behalf of PMO. > >Strengthen the Party Campaign > >A cadre meeting of Nellai-Tuticorin-Virudunagar region was held in which >50 comrades participated. It was attended by Com. Balasundaram, State >Party Secretary. The meeting decided to increase Party, trade union and >Kisan Sabha membership. >Party cadre meeting was also held in Salem in which 25 cadres >participated. Com. S Kumarsamy attended it. It decided to build a strong >movement among powerloom workers, increase membership of both RYA and >AIPWA and regularise party education. > >Dharna by All India >Nepali Unity Association >All India Nepali Unity Association, an organisation of Nepalese in India >organised a March to Parliament on 9 May to protest against the killing >of 19 Nepalis in Karbi Anglong by UPDS (conglomerate of KNV and KPF) >gunmen. Earlier they met the Prime Minister and gave him a memorandum. >As their march or dharna was not permitted, around 2000 demonstrators >courted arrest and held a meeting at Parliament Street Police Station. >Com. BB Pandey addressed the gathering on behalf of the Party. > >Both RJD and BJP Are Responsible for Turning Bihar into Killing Fields > >The killing of 11 labourers at Hasanpur in Lakhisarai district of Bihar >is a further proof of the phenomenon that almost all political parties >of ruling class are patronising mafia elements and criminal gangs. Not >only the ruling RJD, but the BJP, Samata, Congress, and even smaller >parties like JMM and BSP have enrolled historysheeters and mafia >elements on their panel of legislators and parliamentarians. Whereas RJD >has Shahabuddin, against whom more than a dozen cases of massacre and >murder including the one of Chandrashekhar are pending, the BJP-Samata >patronise Ranvir Sena which has been responsible for dozens of massacres >of dalits and rural poor in Central Bihar. >This was confirmed by the 5-member investigation team led by Com. >Krishnadev Yadav, CC member in its report after visiting Hasanpur, >Basamatia Kishanpur and Salunachak villages in Lakhisarai district of >Bihar. It held Jeevan Yadav, the brother of RJD MLA Prahlad Yadav, and >his associate Hareram Yadav directly responsible for the killing. >However, the other side of this massacre is the BJP legislator Krishna >Chandra Singh who patronises Janardan Yadav gang. These gangs have been >fighting a bloody battle for control of the river banks from where sand >is procured. Whereas one gang stopped the workers from going to work, >the other gang forced them to go to the river bank. >Ironically it is the present BJP legislator Krishna Chandra, owner 7,000 >acre of land and 7 cinema halls, who had recruited Jeevan-Hareram gang >while he was a JD MLA, and it was he who helped Prahlad Yadav win >Suryagarha assembly seat as an independent candidate. Later a fight for >supremacy ensued between Prahlad Yadav and Krishna Chandra, and the >former joined BJP and the latter RJD. The district administration always >colluded with these gangs and never tried to stop their bloody game. >Therefore, mere transfer of DM and SP was no remedy, much stronger >action should have been taken against these officials. And a powerful >democratic movement is necessary to inspire people rise against this >criminalisation and take active role in politics. Property illegally >earned by both Prahlad Yadav and Krishna Chandra should be confiscated >and a judicial probe should enquire into the role of these legislators >in the killing. Moreover, sand lifting from the river banks should be >handed over to the labourers of Hasanpur village as a means of >livelihood. > >CPI(ML) on Delimitation of Constituencies > >On behalf of CPI(ML), Party Central Committee member Com. Jayanta >Rongpi, M.P. attended the all-party meeting called by the Union Law >Minister Mr. Ram Jethmalani on 13 May to discuss the issue of >delimitation of constituencies. On the agenda presented by the Law >Minister, Com. Rongpi said that a constitutional amendment to put an >embargo on increasing the number of constituencies till 2026 A.D. on the >basis of population logic is not acceptable because an increase may >become necessary in response to the rising aspirations of the people as >well as with the creation of new states, which the government has >already put on its agenda. Secondly, even reorganisation of >constituencies (while keeping their number unchanged) in a state should >not be based on discrepancy in population alone, as exemplified in 1:7 >ratio between Chandni Chowk and East Delhi constituencies; rather >geographic and developmental-administrative factors should also be taken >into consideration. Presently in areas like Arunachal Pradesh vast >region is covered by a single MP. There may be more seats in states like >Arunachal. Moreover, as far as possible the MLA segments of a MP >constituency should lie within single district because district is >regarded a developmental-administrative unit and consolidation may take >place accordingly. Regarding the proposal to rotate reserved >constituencies, Com. Rongpi said that there should be a differentiation >between SC and ST reserved constituencies. Whereas SC constituencies can >be rotated, ST population is limited to certain regions only and there >is not much scope for their rotation. Even in rotation of SC >constituencies the percentage of SC in the whole population should be >within consideration. Lastly, Com. Rongpi said that Election Commission >is not a competent institution to conduct such delimitation exercise and >a proper delimitation commission will serve the purpose better. > >Indian Population Crossing A Billion : Whose Fault? > >May be it was just a coincidence. Whereas the working class and toiling >millions were observing a nationwide general strike against saffron >misrule, whom they hold prime responsible agency for all their present >miseries, India supposedly crossed the billion mark of its population on >11 May. Ironically, it was also Pokhran II Day, "Shaurya Diwas" if you >call in Sangh parlance. And since the explosion was seen as a big >breakthrough in technology, it is also termed as the technology day. >While discussing unemployment Mr. Vajpayee had once put the blame on two >factors: new technology and population. Now new technology is the New >God, so the only demon is population. Rather it serves as the panic >button, pressing which all opposition to government policies and actions >can be made to evaporate in no time. >Therefore, out of their "grave" concern the govt. hastened to constitute >a national population commission with a 100 members on it. Population >policies such as sterilisation adopted by earlier governments were all >termed a failure. But what is the real reason for this alarming growth? >The four Hindi speaking states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and >Uttar Pradesh and one eastern state of Orissa are held chiefly >responsible for this alarming population increase. It is well-known that >in these relatively backward states the remnants of feudalism are most >strong. Therefore, eradication of feudalism becomes the main tasks in >order to control population. In states with weaker feudal ties >population has been considerably checked and education spread. Then >comes the question of women's empowerment, and in a society where >parents do not long for a male child, population control becomes easier. >In the heavily male biased society of Rajasthan, where sex ratio is much >below national average, population growth rate is much higher than >national average. The twin conditions of eradication of feudalism and >empowerment of women would result in spread of social awareness and >check on population. But it is difficult for the mindset of a saffron >collaborator of neo-colonialism to perceive the problem in this way. >Hence despite all talks of women's empowerment, the govt. is likely to >pursue a confused course. > >Onions Hurled at Pramod Mahajan > >Nashik, 14 May. Farmers agitated over the onion export quota fixed by >the Centre, hurled some of the produce (onions) at Union Minister Pramod >Mahajan at a public meeting on Saturday night. Mahajan, here in >connection with BJP's state-level convention, was addressing the public >meeting when some farmers and activists of Shetkari Sangathana began >demanding that he address the issue of the low onion export quota and >started throwing onions at the dias. (The Hindustan Times, 15-5-2000) >The reason for farmers' discontent is that this year the farmers have >grown more onion but the government has imposed quota on export of onion >in the light of last year's experience when there was shortage in supply >of onions. Now the onions are selling at 20 paise a kg. and still there >are no takers in Nashik. As government agencies failed to market it, >heaps of onion were rotting under the sun and unseasonal showers have >further damaged heaps of onion lying in open at several market yards in >Maharashtra. (The Observer, 12-5-2000) > >Around the World > >UN debacle in Sierra Leone > >The revolutionary United Front Army in the diamond rich West African >country of Sierra Leone forced the UN troops to withdraw from the >capital Free Town after incurring heavy casualties and exhausting their >ammunition in the exchange of fire. Just before the retreat 500 UN >troops were held hostage by revolutionary United Front forces of Sierra >Leone people. >US and UK Governments and also other European states have often adopted >the tactic of "Black fights the Black" and to enforce this tactic UN has >been used as a convenient prolix, to safeguard their imperialist >interests. Only when this tactics fails, their ground troops will risk >under some pretext. Now British troops have entered onto Sierra Leone in >the name of rescuing the hostages to fight against revolutionaries and >protect their interests in the diamond fortune. It is not the first time >for Britain. Earlier, at least on two occasions, in 1994 and 95, When >the Revolutionary United Front was very close to capturing Freetown, >Britain entered and beaten them back. >Transition of Sierra Leone from a British colony to dominion status in >1961 and adoption of a republican constitution four years after, >negotiated by the local compradors, and consequent cosmetic changes >could not address the problems of the people, rather life became more >miserable. People rose in revolt in '91 against the corrupt one-party >autocracy. The revolt headed by Revolutionary United Front led Foday >Sankoh. Since then the struggle continues despite the loss of 50,000 >lives and displacement of a million. Last 9 years of political >instability the rulers live in coup and counter coups, while the RUF >continues the battle through alternating war and peace, combining >diplomacy and armed struggle. >For instance the ceasefire agreement signed last year was followed by >another peace agreement at West African leaders summit. The deal >offered the RUF four cabinet seats in national unity government in >return for their disarming. This has provided a power base for the >revolutionaries in the capital to continue with the plan to capture >power in Sierra Leone. This agreement has now broken-down in the last >four weeks developments and the leaders went underground. UN may carry >the white men's burden to its foot deep into the pit as it fell in >Rwanda, Somalia and Congo. What the wise African are doing? Listen the >Unofficial: "about 100 Nigerian Peace keepers were disarmed by the >Revolutionary United Force last week near Cambia, the north west of >Sierra Leone, but were allowed to go free" This is how the UN arms >changing hands between wise Black brotherhood ! > >Workers-Peasant Struggle Against Govt. in Zimbabwe > >There are reports that land struggle in Zimbabwe has started influencing >the landless rural poor of Kenya, a country which is already in an >explosive situation and where the govt. functionaries are partners of >the white land owners. At the same time, the Zimbabwean working class, >inspired by the May 10 South African General Strike against >unemployment, is being engaged in organising a country-wide genaral >strike demanding employment and against the IMF designed policies of the >government. A Sierra Leone spark can also create a prairie fire in the >exlposive Africa, which will bury imperialists, whose origin was >intimately linked with the Africa slave trade. > __________________________________ 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] ___________________________________
