>Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 21:48:12 +0530 >From: "CPI(ML) LIberation" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> : > >ML Update >A CPI (ML) Weekly News Magazine >Vol : 3 ; No . 40 ; 11-10-2000 > > >Editorial: > > >RSS 'Holy Land' Sermon to Minorities > > >RSS Sarsanghchalak (Chief), Mr. Sudarshan's 'Sandesh' ( �Message�) to >Muslims and Christians on the occasion of Dushahara, the Sangh's >foundation day, is nothing but a crudely refurbished version of the old >Golvalkar's pitrabhoomi-punyabhommi (fatherland-holy land) concept >enunciated in 'We or Our Nationhood Defined'. Whereas Golvalkar ruled >that no Muslim can be patriot or at least not as good as a Hindu because >their holy land lies in Mecca, Sudarshan decrees that in order to become >'swadeshi' Muslims should learn to worship Rama and Krishna from >Indonesian Muslims, and Christians should sever their ties with foreign >churches, especially Vetican, and found their own church like the >Chinese. Such a blatantly offensive exposition of 'Hindutwa' looks a >little amazing now because consequent to the BJP entering a hotch-potch >coalition with "secular" parties, RSS officially disowned the Golvalkar >book as something not penned by Golvalkar himself. One could have taken >Sudarshan's prescription of the same old recipe in a new bottle as a >rider to counterbalance the recently crowned Bangaru Laxman's newfound >zeal to recruit Muslims into BJP fold and thus into the "national >mainstream". But when a BJP National Secretary Narendra Modi >acknowledges that with his Dushahara sandesh "Mr. Sudarshan has endorsed >the new thrust" of Laxman's line, it casts a long shadow of doubt on >BJP's newly evolved love for Muslims. While it still remains doubtful >how far Muslims and Christians could trust the BJP, the statements put >together clearly reveal how far BJP lays its trusts on Indian Muslims, >"flesh of our flesh, blood of our blood" in Bangaru Laxman's words. >Is it not a self-defeating sermon to ask Indian Muslims and Christians >to learn from their Indonesian and Chinese counterparts in order to >become 'swadeshi'? If Indonesian Muslims are patriots despite >worshipping Rama and Krishna, a practice originating in India, or for >that matter if Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian Buddhists can >remain patriots to their own countries with a faith originating in >Indian sub-continent, why not Indian Muslims can be as patriot as any >other while practising a faith that originated in Arabia? Secondly, it >is a well known fact that Islam and Christianity came to India well >before establishment of any Muslim regime or British conquest, much >before any concept of nationhood dawned upon our country. The practice >of Islam or Christianity in its various shades has evolved in the >speicific circumstances obtaining in this very land out of the spiritual >requirements of people residing in various regions of India and this has >nothing to do with nationalism. And thirdly, religious reforms don't >take place on diktats issued by state of forces like RSS. The Chinese >church was not founded on the Chinese Communist Party's advice! >It is really intriguing to witness that at a time when the whole country >is reeling under price hike generated out of the saffron sell out of >national economy to global forces led by America, when the RSS has bid >farewell to the concept of swadeshi in the realm of economy, Mr. >Sudarshan who has no credentials of patriotism in his bag is asking the >two major religious minorities of India to go through the test of >patriotism. The motive behind pedling this pseudo-patriotism is clearly >to split the patriotic forces in the country so as to suit the interests >of American masters. It is under US auspices that RSS has floated a >front in Jammu and Kashmir to push through trifurcation of the state on >religious lines. Secular forces in India must do their utmost to foil >Sangh Parivar's splittist fond dreams. > > > >Commentary > >People die in Naidu's dotcom regime > >"For, coinciding with the Bill Gates-Naidu meeting in Delhi was a tragic >spate of suicides in the rural hinterland of Andhra. What is worrisome >is that what was till now a "social phenomenon" restricted to >Mehaboobnagar district -- where several farmers have committed suicide >for two consecutive years -- has now rapidly spread to several other >districts in the poverty-stricken Rayalaseema region. What is more >ironical than the paradox where a farmer kills himself with the same >pesticide which has failed to protect his crop... Recourse to such >desperate measures is being witnessed in several previously unaffected >districts like Ananthapur, Karnool, Chittoor and Cuddapah ... ravaged >drought for many years, the farmers rely on only one cash crop, that of >groundnut. There are no other subsidiary crops or small scale industries >to help them cope with this continuous ordeal. Left to their dark fate, >people are opting to end their miserable existence to escape hunger and >debt. But this is one virtual reality which Mr. Naidu's search engine >has fail to discover."�( Hindustan Times ) > > >Movement Against Price Hike > >Anti-Price Hike Rally in Rajasthan > >On 6 Oct. a rally against increased prices of diesel, petrol, gas and >kerosene was taken out in Jaipur. The rally started from the CPI-ML >party office at Dhuleshwar Bagh and went to the Raj Bhavan where the >protesters held a public meeting. The rally also went to the State Party >Office of the BJP where they raised slogans against the anti-peoples' >policies of the central BJP government and warned the BJP to stop >selling the country to foriegn imperialist powers. In front of Raj >Bhavan the rally was addressed by Central Committee Member Com. Srilata >Swaminathan and Jaipur District Seretary Com. Harkesh Bugalia, Rajasthan >AIPWA Secretary Meva Bharati, AICCTU leader Com. Mohanlal Parikh and >others. The protesters handed over a petition addressed to the Prime >Minister through the Governor demanding that the price hikes be >withdrawn and that the poor should be given jobs. > > >Protests Against Price Hike in Delhi > >RYA and AIPWA took out a protest march on 3 October on Parliament Street >condemning the hike in prices of petroleum products and burnt the effigy >of Vajpayee there. It was addressed by Jeeta Kaur, Shashibhushan and Ram >Abhilash, Prof. Vinod Khurana and Srikant. >A statewide protest programme against petroleum price hike was taken up >by RYA in Delhi, in which the effigy of Vajpayee Govt. was burnt in >place of Ravana on 7 October, the Dashahara day. The programme was >observed at Shahdara, Mandawali, Narela and Rohini. At Mandawali the >effigy was 12 ft. high and various constituents of NDA represented other >heads of Ravana. Aroud 60-70 youth marched from Posta to Mandawali Chowk >and during the march it was explained why this effigy is to be burnt. >In different areas Party and RYA leaders led the march and addressed to >the people gathered for effigy burning. In Mandawali the programme was >led by Ravindra Sharma, Shashi bhushan, Brajkishor, Himmat Singh and >Samundra paswan. In Narela it was led by Satbir Singh and Surendra >Panchal, in Shahdara by Rajendra Pratholi and Ram Abhilash, in Rohini by >Kailash, Mela Ram and Satya Prakash Bouddha. > >West Bengal Protests Against Price Hike in Petroleum Products > >Against this price hike comrades of Calcutta District staged a >demonstration before the office of Indian Oil Corporation at Dhakuria >where Com. Basudev Bose, Arijit Mitra and others addressed. In another >well attended demonstration at the Dist. Headquarter of Hooghly, dist. >leaders like Com. Prabir Halder, Mukul Kumar in their speeches before >the crowded people severely condemned the decision of BJP Govt. and >demanded its withdrawal. > > > >Protests & Resistance > > >Party Condemns Police Firing in Nalanda > >Bihar State Party Committee strongly condemned the police firing at >Biharsharief in Nalanda on 9 October in which one woman was killed and >several people got seriously injured. The Party has held nexus between >the BJP-RSS on the one hand and the RJD-Congress administration on the >other responsible for the incidents leading to communal tension in >Biharsharief. The administration deliberately allowed construction of >Durga idol at a place that was under dispute as to whether the land was >gair mazarua vest land or it belonged to Sogra Waqf Estate. Party has >said that the BJP rioters and administration worked hand in glove to >disturb peace in this sensitive area. Party appealed to the masses as >well as all the secular forces to defeat the ugly designs of communal >forces and the administration and restore peace and communal amity in >Biharsharief. > > >Criminal Gang's Attack Resisted > >At Jeeradei-Andar border in Siwan district of Bihar, when 7-8 armed >goons belonging to Satish Pandey criminal gang fired upon two of our >comrades, hundreds of people from surrounding 5-6 villages came out and >attacked the gang in which one criminal was killed and 3-4 got seriously >injured. The administration in place of hailing people's initiative are >harassing local people with raids. > > >Protest March Against PWG Killing > >A protest march was taken out in Patna on 4 October against killing of >eight CPI(ML) supporters in Shahbazpur-Baraipura-Mehdipur villages of >Punpun PS in Patna district. The march was led by CC members Com. KD >Yadav and Saroj Chaube, state party and mass organisation leaders Com. >Kamlesh Sharma, Shivsagar Sharma, Manohar, Murtaza Ali, Vimalesh Mishra, >Anil Tiwari, Anita and others. In the mass meeting held at Radio Station >chowk the leaders said that PWG is following the footsteps of feudal >private armies like Ranvir Sena and erstwhile patrons of the notorious >Bhumi Sena are parading as PWG who enjoy backing of the local RJD >leaders and therefore Rabri Devi has no moral right to stay in power in >Bihar. Speakers also pointed out that both Ranvir Sena and PWG have come >up as obstacles of people's movement against backwardness of Bihar and >for democracy. >On 3 October, a big mass meeting was held at Shahbazpur to protest PWG >killing which was addressed by Party Politbureau member Com. Nand Kishor >Prasad. Torchlight processions were also organised in various blocks and >main market places in the rural areas of Patna district. >Throughout the state 4 October was observed as protest day. Programmes >like street corner meetings, burning of Rabri govt. effigy, road block, >torchlight processions, protest marches and dharna were conducted in >Arrah, Dumraon, Sasaram, Gaya, Jahanabad, Nawada, Aurangabad, Siwan, >Gopalganj, Darbhanga, Bettiah, Kursela, Purnea etc. > > > >Party Conferences > > >Party Area Conference > >Area-level Party conference was held in Narela of West Delhi on 2 >October. Com. Jeeta Kaur, State incharge of West Delhi inaugurated the >conference and State Party Secy. Com. Rajendra Pratholi made the >concluding speech. Veteran left leader Com. AL Chakravarty and comrades >from various left stream attended the conference. A leading team was >formed and Com. Satbeer Sramik was appointed incharge. > > > >Party DTC Sector Unit Conference > >On 3 October Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) sector Party committee >organised its first conference. Attended by around 40 delegates, it was >inaugurated by Com. Swapan Mukherjee, CCM incharge of Delhi. Com. >Rajendra Pratholi, Secy. Delhi State Committee, Party leaders Com. Jeeta >Kaur and Himmat Singh addressed to the conference. A 7-member Sector >Committee was elected and Com. Sankaran was reelected its secretary. > > > >Investigation > > >Party Demands Justice to the Rural Poor in Haryana > >An investigation team comprising local party comrades led by Com. Prem >Singh, Party incharge of Haryana visited Chandraon village of Indri >Tehsil in Karnal district of Haryana on 8 October. Investigation >revealed that land mafia Ajit Singh had earlier occupied 14 acres of >land from villagers and evicted 35 families, and now he and Pammi Maan, >son of ex-minister of Congress Janaki Maan were trying to grab another >15 acre of the communal land. When some villagers tried to approach them >to talk, they fired without provocation killing 4 rural poors on the >spot. The people heroically persisted with resistance in which Ajit >Singh was killed and Pammi and others fled. In place of arresting Pammi, >police have caught some innocent persons. Com. Prem Singh and local >comrades met the SP, Karnal on 9 Oct. demanding arrest of Pammi and >other goons, release of the innocent rural poors, compensation and >employment to the family of the poor deceased and immediate distribution >of communal land among landless and poor peasants. > > > > Initiatives > > >Agricultural Women Workers Win the Battle > >In Thiruvidaimaruthur taluk of Tanjore district, a strike was called on >17 Sept. This compelled the district administration to announce the >Govt. Order (G.O.) regarding wages through public audio system in every >panchayat. This created tremendous enthusiasm among the agricultural >laborers and from 29 Sept. onwards, women laborers struck work in 9 >panchayats of Thiruvidaimardur and Thiruppananthal blocks. Some >landowners in Sooriyanarkoil village agreed to give statutory wages to >the laborers, which provided further fillip to the striking workers of >the other panchayts. Next, Thugili viilage workers also got the new wage >rate. Reacting to this, big landowners pressurized the district >authorities through DMK and PMK leaders not to intervene in the issue. >Side by side, in some cases they tried to intimidate the workers as >well as spilt them with the help of self-seeking Nattamaies (dalit caste >headmen). In Sooriyanarkoil village too the Nattamai had dictated the >woman workers to accept Rs 30 or 35, and even asked male workers to >reduce their wage (from Rs 45 to 35). The agri. labour union and party >units mobilized the women workers successfully and ultimately won the >battle. In other villages the struggle is going on. >The issue is now being popularly debated and our activities get wide >coverage. To counter this, landowners issued false statement that wage >issue has settled for Rs 30. Protesting this, the angry workers, women >and men gheraoed (encircled) the landowner. In some villages women in >hundreds forced the village officers to implement the collector's >instruction of announcing the new wage rate over public audio system. >The strike continues for the 12th day. To pressurise the Taluk >administration to get the G.O. implemented, a demonstration was >organised on 9 Oct. Around 500 including 400 women blocked the road at >Thiruvidaimaruthar RDO office for 3 hours. At last the RDO agreed to >call the landowners in a meeting for negotiations on 10 Oct. Our >comrades stressed that all the big landlords as well as mutt chiefs of >the two blocks must be present, because first of all they must implement >the G.O. as regards minimum wages to women. > > >Civil Society Meeting on Kashmir > >The Delhi Chapter of Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and >Democracy (PIPFPD) is organising a "Civil society meeting on Kashmir" on >14-15 Oct. in New Delhi. The schedule for the conference is panel >discussion on "impact of violence on civil society", regional questions >and issues of minorities", political perspectives on Kashmir problem and >peace process". >Such a conference may assume great significance in a situation of >increased US intervention, government's apathy towards a negotiated >political settlement of the problem, mounting state terrorism and, above >all, resurrection of anti-Muslim hysteria whipping up ISI-phobia. > > >Demonstration in Raipur > >Around 300 peasants and workers led by Party, kisan sabha, ( Peasant >Association ), agri-labour union and stone quarry workers union staged a >demonstration before DM office on following demands: waive off all debt >on Chhattisgarh, decare Raipur as a famine-hit district, provide relief, >waive off govt. revenue and irrigation tax on peasants holding less than >10-acres, ensure minimum wages and 100-day employment guarantee to >agrarian labours, stop mechanisation of stone quarries, seize the land >illegally encroached upon by rich peasants and provide jobs or Rs. 1500 >as unemployment allowance to educated unemployed youth. > > >Seminar in Chandigarh > >On 6th October a seminar on the role of left was organised by Jan Chetna >Manch ( people�s conscious forum ) in Chandigarh. In the by-election to >Sunam Assembly seat in Punjab, while CPI(M) has extended its support to >the Akali candidate, CPI(ML) has supported the CPI candidate. In the >context of the debate of two tactics, whether to back other bourgeois >formations in the name of fighting communalism or to go for independent >left assertion, the main speaker at the seminar Prof. Randhir Singh >opined that CPI(ML) has been taking a basically correct stand. Com. MS >Randhawa introduced the subject. The speakers included Com. Sukhdarshan >Natt. > > >International > >Worldwide Protest Against Israeli Attack > >It has now become clear that Oslo, Camp David or Paris peace process >initiated by the US could not address the root cause of the conflict, >because that does not serve the interests of the West. On the one hand >Israeli attacks have intensified, and on the other, the US has >pressurised Yasser Arafat to postpone the September 13 deadline on >declaration of Palestinian Independence. Unleashing brutal violence the >Israelis have killed as many as 60 persons. Its military adventure has >now extended by commandos operation in the Lebanon and Syria border >regions, while its bulldozers and tanks are destroying the buildings in >Gaza strip. All this is leading to a kind of radicalisation of the >Palestine movement. Since the deadlock may turn into an explosion >because of the brutal violence of Israel, a wider regional conflict >could also flare up at any moment. >In this context worldwide protest movement against Israeli massacre and >continuing repression is also growing. On 6 Sept., more than 5,000 >people demonstrated in New York. They expressed solidarity with >Palestinian people. More than 1,000 people protested in the centre of >Vienna against the Israeli massacres. The demonstration was supported by >a broad coalition of Islamic, Christian and anti-imperialist forces >while the participants were predominantly Arabs and Muslims from other >countries. After the mass rally the anti-imperialist forces continued >the demonstration with about 300 people calling for the liberation of >entire Palestine from imperialist and Zionist occupation. > > >Mongolian People Again Routed Capitalist Reformers > >In the elections to the provincial and municipal governments on Oct. 1, >Mongolian people have once again inflicted a crushing defeat to the >pro-imperialist reformers. Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) >won 552 of the total 695 seats. Earlier, in the July 2 general election >to the Great Hural (parliament), MRPP had routed the Democratic >Coalition, winning 72 out of 76 seats. Mongolian people, knowing well >the taste of bitter poison of neo-colonial capitalism, have rejected it >unambiguously. > > > >'Strengthen the Party' Campaign > > >The Role of the Class Conscious Vanguard of the Working Class > >The immediate objective of the class conscious vanguard ... i.e., the >Communist parties, groups and trends, is to be able to lead the broad >masses (who are still, for the most part, apathetic, inert, dormant and >(convention-ridden) to their new position, or, rather, to be able to >lead not only their own party but also these masses in their advance and >transition to the new position. While the first historical objective >(that of winning over the class conscious vanguard of the proletariat) >could not have been reached without a complete ideological and political >victory over opportunism and social-chauvinism, the second immediate >objective, which consists in being able to lead the masses to a new >position ensuring the victory of the vanguard in the revolution, cannot >be reached without the liquidation of left doctrinarism and without a >full elimination of its errors. >The differences between the Churchills and the Lloyd Georges on the one >hand, and between Hendersons and the Lloyd Georges on the other, are >quite minor and unimportant from the stand point of pure (i.e., >abstract) communism, i.e., communism that has not yet matured to the >stage of practical political action by the masses. However, from the >stand point of this practical political action of the masses, these >differences (among the leaders of ruling class parties -ed.) are most >important. To take account of these differences, and to determine the >moment when the inevitable conflicts between these "friends", which >weaken and enfeeble all the "friends" taken together, will have come to >a head -- that is the concern, the task, of a Communist who wants to be, >not merely a class-conscious and convinced propagandist of ideas but a >practical leader of the masses in the revolution. To link the strictest >devotion to the ideas of communism with the ability to effect all the >necessary practical compromises, tacks, conciliatory maneuvers, zigzags, >retreats and so on, in order to speed up the achievement and then the >loss of power by the representatives of petty-bourgeois democracy who >calls themselves socialists; to accelerate their inevitable bankruptcy >in practice, which will enlighten the masses in the spirit of our ideas, >in the direction of communism..." >(Lenin, CW. Vol: 31, P.93-95.) > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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