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From: "cpimllib" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001 01:11:31 +0530
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;@tonto.eunet.fi>
Subject: INDIA [ML Update], Vol:4; No.3; 17-1- 2001.
ML Update
A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine
Vol.-4; No.-3; 17-1-2001
Editorial
The Dream of Jharkhand versus
the Design of Sangh Parivar
The newly installed Jharkhand government completed its first two months in
office on January 15. Of course, there can be no questioning the formal
majority of the NDA government headed by Babulal Marandi. But there is
hardly another parallel of a government having alienated so vast sections of
the society within a span of just two months. The gulf between the
aspirations of the Jharkhand movement and the Jharkhandi people and the
design of the Sangh Parivar is daily widening. Going by the proverb 'the
morning shows the day', the future indeed looks full of challenges for this
28th state of India.
The assault on a church in Bokaro steel city followed by a heinous attack on
a Christian missionary school and rape of a woman employee in Kurpania in
Bokaro district - within weeks of the swearing in of the new government -
were of a piece with the anti-Christian crusade being spearheaded by the
Sangh Parivar all over the country. Thousands of students and young people
came out on the streets of Ranchi to condemn this attack and demand justice,
but the government turned a deaf ear. Then on December 28, the occasion of
the first Eid of the new Millennium, we had this incident of unprovoked
police firing on a predominantly Muslim crowd protesting against the death
of a four-year-old girl. The events leading to the unfortunate death of a
DSP who was alleged to have been stoned by the mob are still shrouded in
mystery. Yet defying the curfew, rabid communal elements were allowed to
politicise and communalise the DSP's death and innocent Muslim citizens are
since being subjected to a systematic campaign of harassment. Indiscriminate
arrests, extortion and blackmail, add up to a typical story of a harassed
and helpless community living in the shadow of police terror.
On the economic front, the burning agenda before Jharkhand is creation of
employment, elimination of the mafia and finding a solution to the
long-standing tragedy of large-scale displacement, the havoc caused to the
poor in the name of industrialisation and development. But instead of making
any gesture to suggest even an acknowledgement of these issues, the
government is busy appeasing the chambers of commerce and the mafia, and
threatening the people with more devastating designs of displacement. It is
quite revealing that the government has thretaened to resume work on the
widely opposed Koel-Karo project. Jharkhand has a great concentration of
public sector units in coal and steel sectors. The fact that the same
political coalition now holds power both at the centre and in the state
renders the public sector in Jharkhand all the more vulnerable to the
neo-liberal assault of privatisation and closure.
There are also other factors worrying the people of Jharkhand, especially
the adivasis. The ongoing official bid to tamper with the Fifth Schedule has
raised serious questions regarding the future of tribal rights on land. The
non-inclusion of the adivasi religion 'sarna' in the census questionnaire
and a possible exclusion of large numbers of migrant Jharkhandi workers from
the census operations are also causing widespread anxiety.
The good news from Jharkhand is that the people are not prepared to take all
this lying down. Signs of a new phase of popular mobilisation and movement
have already begun to surface. The Nav Nirman Rally held by the CPI(ML) in
Ranchi on November 30 was the biggest in its history. The call for Jharkhand
bandh on December 6 to press for recall of Governor Prabhat Kumar, an
Ayodhya accused, was greeted with an overwhelming response in all corners of
the state. The radical Left and other disillusioned focres of the Jharkhand
movement have begun to come closer. This has the potential of generating a
formidable combination which in turn can serve as a great bulwark for
secularism and democracy, for a determined defence of the needs and
aspirations of the adivasis and the working class. The dream of Jharkhand
can only be realised by defeating the evil saffron design that seeks to
convert this new state into a playground for communal fascism and predatory
capitalism.
CPI(ML) Held Historic "Save Democracy" Rally in Jharkhand
More than 15,000 people participated in "Save Democracy" rally held at
Dhanwar of Giridih district in Jharkhand on 11 January in protest against
increasing onslaughts on minorities, backwards and weaker sections of
society, against government repression on opposition and patronage to
corrupt and feudal elements. Addressing the rally Party General Secretary
Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya asserted that Party will resolutely fight all
saffron attempts to finish off democracy and secularism in the country.
Jharkhand is a state where Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and Hindus, dalits and
backwards have lived with tribal people for centuries and established a
strong communal amity and fraternity through a prolonged struggle for
independence and identity of Jharkhand. Condemning the police firing on Eid
day he demanded judicial enquiry into the whole incident and recall of
Prabhat Kumar, Governor of Jharkhand who is a co-accused in Babri Masjid
demolition case. Com. Suvendu Sen, Secretary of Jharkhand State Committee,
Com. Mahendra Singh, CC member and Party MLA in Jharkhand, Com. Rajkumar
Yadav, Secretary of Giridih District Committee, Puran Mahato, District
convenor of Jharkhand Mazdoor Kisaan Samiti, Parmeshwar Mahato, member of
Jharkhand State Committee and Loknath Paswan, Secretary of Bagodar Block
Committee also spoke at the occasion. The meeting was presided over by Com.
Vijay Singh.
"Save the Peasantry" Rally in West Bengal
While CPI(M) and Trinamul are busy in rehersing for the forthcoming bloody
electoral battle for Legislative Assembly in West Bengal, in which peasants
are being reduced to cannon fodder, Party held a "Save the Peasantry" rally
at Rani Rasmoni Road in Calcutta on 9 January. Party General Secretary Com.
Dipankar Bhattacharya was the main speaker. Other speakers included Com.
Kartik Pal, Secy. of State Committee, Com. Ajit Das and Biman Biswas,
secretaries of North Dinajpur and Nadia respectively. The meeting was
presided over by Com. Shankar Mitra, CC member.
Addressing the rally Com. Dipankar said that "Save the peasantry" call is
the call of the working people throughout the country. Even after 53 years
of independence and 23 years of left rule, the conspiracy to kill people
goes on. The current NDA govt. is inviting MNCs to agriculture and asking
local peasants to grow grapes. Now we have turned a foodgrain importing
country whereas we used to export it earlier. Remunerative prices are not
available to peasants so they are committing suicide. This is happening
despite green revolution. The struggle of saving peasantry is the struggle
for country's independence.
Preparatory Mobilisation
In the course of preparatory mobilisation to 9 January "Save Peasantry"
rally called by CPI(ML) rally at Calcutta, people rallied before ADM office,
Balurghat of South Dinajpur district on 29 December. The speakers included
Com. Ajit Das, State Committee member, Com. Subhas Das, Distt. Secy. and
others. Similar mass meetings were held at Tungidighi of North Dinajpur
district, mainly organised by comrades joining our party coming out of
CPI(M) and addressed by Com. Basudev Bose, State Committee member, Com. Ajit
Das, Distt. Secy., Com. Ramdas Mandal, Manik Datta and Laxmi Saha; at Itahar
on 31 December, addressed by Com. Ajit Das, Manik Datta and Ganesh Chhetri,
and at Goalpukur on 2 January, Chopra on 3 January and Islampur on 5
January, all addressed by Com. Ramdas Mandal.
Preparations for 17 January Bihar Bandh
In the course of preparations of Bihar bandh called on 17 January to protest
the govt. anti-peasant, anti-agriculture policies, widespread propaganda was
conducted in Patna and elsewhere. Torchlight processions were taken out at
district headquarters. Peasants armed with ploughshare will block the roads
with their bullock carts and tractors. In this course, joint dharna by 8
left parties including CPI(ML), CPI, CPI(M), MCPI, SUCI, Marxist
Coordination Committee(MCC), RSP and Forward Bloc was held at district
headquarters on 12 January.
Two Touts Punished
In Bhawanipur bazaar of Dhamdaha subdivision of Purnea district in Bihar,
two touts Taleshwar Murmu and Lakhan Hansda were paraded with shaven head
and face blackened along with the effigy of BDO. These touts had cheated
people in the name of Indira Awas Yojna. Party warned the BDO to mend his
ways otherwise he will be punished in the same manner.
Dharna at Durgawati Dam
As the height of Durgawati dam is being raised by 3 feet, demands were
raised to construct 6-ft. culvert on the barrage and embankments on both
sides up to Telari to check the overflow of water and facilitate
transportation. More than 300 people sit in a dharna at Sakri daily since 5
January on these demands under the banner of Area Development Struggle
Committee that covers Kudra, Rampur and Bhagwanpur blocks. The dharna is led
by local Party and peasant leader Com. Gopal Singh.
PWG-Ranvir Sena Attacks
PWG attacked Mushahr tola of Supahali village in Masaurhi block on 28
December and beat women, broke houses as well as handpumps. When the
aggrieved women reached police station to register their complain they were
asked to leave CPI(ML). Com. Saharuddin Miya was attacked by Ranvir Sena
goons while he was returning from dharna at Naubatpur block. He is serious
in Patna and is being treated.
Power Workers' Conference in Assam
The Fourth bi-annual conference of Assam State Power Workers' Union (ASPWU)
was held in Guwahati on 5-6 January, 2001. A massive rally was brought out
on 5 January in which about 3,000 power workers of the state participated.
The rally was flagged off by Upen Talukdar, a veteran TU leader. It marched
through the heart of the city shouting slogans 'Save Electricity Board -
Save Assam', 'Withdraw Electricity Bill - 2001', 'Stop mass killings and
secret killings' in the state.
An open session was held after the rally, addressed by Com. Sudhiruddin
Rana, working president of All-India Federation of Power Workers, Chakradhar
Prasad Singh, Gen. Secy. of U.P. Power Workers Federation, Com. Rubul
Sharma, CC member and State Secretary of CPI(ML), Com. Prasun Chatterjee,
State Vice President of AICCTU, Bimal Nandi of UTUC(LS). Conference in its
resolutions decided to launch vigorous struggles against policies of
liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation as well as against
implementation of Electricity Bill, 2000. Conference also demanded that the
government must recognise ASPWU as it is the biggest union of power workers
in Assam.
The conference elected an executive body of 69 members with Tolan Bhorali
as president, Nagen Bora as working president and Aja Rajkonwar as General
Secretary.
Cachar Distt. Conference
First Cachar District Conference of CPI(ML) was held at Silchar town on 6-7
January, 2001. The open session was presided over by Com. Asim Nath and
addressed by Distt. Party Secy. Com. Sripad Dhar, Com. Subhas Sen, and
others. On 7 January delegates discussed the fall out of saffron policies of
globalisation imposed by the central govt. as well as problems faced by the
rural poor in the district and decided to build the party for giving
leadership over the mass movement, particularly peasant movement. Conference
elected a 9-member district committee with Com. Sripad Dhar as Secy.
ATSU Conference
Fifth bi-annual conference of All Tiwa Students Union (ATSU) was held at
Kathiatoli of Nagaon district in Assam. It was attended by 500 delegates.
The open session was addressed by Pronab Jyoti Mosrong, President of ATSU,
Balaram Senapati, President of Tiwa Sahitya Sabha, Aditya Khaklari, Gen.
Secy. of All Assam Tribal Sangha and others.
Conference agreed that United People's Front (UPF), though not an
independent political party, will act as a coordinating body of Karbi
(plain) and Tiwa organisations. Conference also resolved to launch struggle
for implementation of the 6th Schedule of the Constitution in Tiwa areas,
dissolution of the adhoc autonomous council, holding tri-partite talks and
free and fair elections. Conference also demanded to decalre the Tiwas
living in Karbi Anglong and Meghalaya as Sceduled Tribes. Conference elected
a 17-member Central Executive with Pronab Jyoti Mosrong and Santanui Amsi as
its President and Gen. Secy. respectively. During the debate regarding
tribal movement, a section of the delegates who advocated hobnobbing with
the ruling parties for achieving the autonomous council staged a walkout
from the conference.
South Orissa Bandh
In Kashipur of Rayagada distt. of Orissa 3 adivasis were killed on 16 Dec.
2000 in a police firing during an agitation against displacement of adivasis
from their land that was given by the Govt. to Larsen and Toubro for
building a plant. Party and Lok Sangram Manch gave a call for South Orissa
Bandh on 28 December which was complete success in Behrampur, Koraput and
Rayagada districts. Traffic on Berhampur-Koraput road was completely
collapsed. Bandh was total in Gunupur and Parlakhimundi towns as well as in
Mukundpur and Padampur blocks.
Women Agri Workers Protest Illicit Liquor Sale
Women agricultural workers of Mannippallam in Mayiladuthurai block of
Tanjore district took to the streets and blocked the traffic for 6 hours,
protesting the illicit arrack sale. In order to give organised shape to the
women workers' protest,. CPI(ML) decided to have a protest programme and
announced the decision, which evoked good response. In an attempt to
counterbalance our move the district SP issued a press statement stating
meaasures supposedly taken to curb the menace. Countering this, Party on
behalf of agrarian workers issued a statement how rampant the menace was
that in Sirkazhi taluk alone liquor business was around Rs.23 crore a year,
and even political party functionaries leaders were holding liquor shops.
The coverage drew massive response and around 400 people, out of which 250
were women, protested in front of Tehsildar office for two hours. Protest
demonstration was held jointly by Tamizhaga Vivasaya Thozhilar Sangam (Tamil
Agrarian Workers Union) and AIPWA. The tehsildar assured the protestors that
in one week time the illicit arrack will be removed.
Agrarian Labour Conference in Tanjore
After the successful wage struggle of women workers, the first district
conference of "Tamil Agrarian Workers' Union" was held at Tanjore on 7
January. Out of 75 delegates participating in the conference, 34 were women.
Experience of wage struggle and plans to strengthen grassroots organisation
were discussed. The conference elected a district committee of which Com TKS
Janardhan is President and Com. Mallika Vice President, T Kannaiyan Secy.
and Azhagmmal and Bharati Dasan Joint Secretaries. The conference demanded
representation of women workers and inclusion of Tamil Agri. Workers Union
in the State Agricultural Workers' Welfare Board, recently constituted by
the State govt. and enacting a separate Act for agricultural workers'
welfare in the present session of Assembly. Observing it as a campaign,
thousands of postcards will be dispatched to the Assembly speaker demanding
introduction of this Act.
Seminar Against Globalisation
Bangalore Party organisation held a well-attended "Seminar against
globalisation" on 7 January 2001 at Institute of Agricultural Technologists,
Bangalore. Among the speakers, Prof. Babu Mathew spoke on 'Impact of
globalisation on working class', KS Puttannaiah of KRRS on 'Globalisation
and farmers' issues', Prof. Gangadharmurthy on 'Impact of globalisation on
dalits', Prof. LN Gopalkrishna, a social activist, on 'A creative response
to globalisation', and Com. Shankar, Party Central Committee member, on
'Globalisation and political responses". The welcome address was given by
Com. Govindaraj, State Secy. and vote of thanks by Com. Ranjani. The seminar
was moderated by Com. Subramani.
Party CC Resolves to Isolate Congress,
Corrupt Regional Forces from Third Front
Party Central Committee met on 12-14 January 2001 at Ranchi in Jharkhand. It
reiterated our basic position regarding the ongoing exercises in third front
formation: (i) Clear and categorical opposition to both BJP and the
Congress, (ii) a minimum democratic programme with due emphasis on economic
issues, and (iii) exclusion of corrupt and discredited regional forces and
primacy of movemental forces with clean and credible records.
The CC noted that "after a decade of neo-liberal economic reforms,
contradictions at various levels of society are sharpening beyond normally
manageable levels... Faced with intensifying socio-economic crisis and
growing political challenges of governance, the BJP and other outfits of the
Sangh Parivar are once again trying to rake up the Ayodhya issue and switch
over to a pitch of stridency and aggression comparable to the first round of
Ayodhya mobilisation in the late 1980s and early 1990s."
CC noted that "the economics and politics of globalisation have entered a
new phase of uncertainties... the most stunning expression of this
uncertainty could be seen in the US Presidential election." It took note of
"a reversal of America's much-celebrated economic boom", in which "American
economy - not only the so-called new economy but also the old economy of
industrial manufacturing has begun to slow down."
The ceasefire announced by the NDA government during the month of Ramzan has
not succeeded in generating any real hope of a political breakthrough in
Kashmir. The whole move, in fact, has been perceived more as a tactical ploy
to divide the Kashmiri organisations than a real attempt to restore normalcy
and find a political solution to the Kashmir question. At best it can be
termed half hearted response. We demand that the government put forth the
formula on the basis of which it proposes to hold talks with Pakistan. Also
noting that the "Indo-Nepal relations have touched a new low", the CC noted
that the situation has been further vitiated by blatantly expansionist
remarks made by Sangh Parivar ideologues.
Discussing various facets of agrarian unrest in the country that has once
again begun to assume explosive proportions, CC noted that "While
neo-liberal economic reforms have eroded the very basis of public investment
in agriculture, WTO-dictated globalisation has exposed the Indian farmer to
the clutches of giant agribusiness firms and highly subsidised cheap
imports, thereby further exacerbating the inherent crisis of the landlord
path of capitalist development of Indian agriculture." On our part, we have
to "intervene in this crisis on behalf of the agricultural proletariat and
the rural poor from the standpoint of the revolutionary peasant path of
capitalist development." "We have to link the question of procurement to the
broader issue of public distribution because the new policy essentially
seeks to dismantle the public distribution system and replace the earlier
procurement-cum-distribution arrangement by completely privatised foodgrains
trade."
Pursuing the agenda of organising agricultural labourers as well as
restructuring and rejuvenating peasant associations, the CC resolved to form
a national coordination among our agricultural labour organisations very
soon. National level peasant coordination committee will be formed in a
conference to be held at Faizabad of UP on 2-3 March, 2001. These would
facilitate interaction with other peasant/agricultural labour organisations
as well as in intervening in the crisis.
In the current phase of sustained activism of working class movement, CC
noted that "most of these struggles and strike actions", unlike the
conventional patterns and parameters of trade union movement, "are
addressing questions linked to government policies and the very survival of
the working class. The old lines of demarcation between trade union
struggles and political movements are getting blurred." In order to impart a
conscious political thrust and direction to the trade union struggles and
other spontaneous actions of the working class, CC resolved to carry on
efforts of building a solidarity forum and launch a working class journal.
CC noted that the initiative for a national conference against globalisation
has been received quite well, which is "a necessary exercise to study
various forces in action and develop our understanding and response
regarding the broad spectrum of ongoing popular struggles against
globalisation."
Obituary
Com. Ramchandra Yadav, veteran communist and AICCTU leader, died on 13
January 2001 after prolonged illness in Patna. He was over 75 years of age.
He had played a significant role in organising town poor and unorganised
labourers in Patna. We condole his death and share the grief with his family
members and comrades-in-arms.
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