Thursday, July 15, 2010
All India Strike on September 7
DYFI memorandum to The President of India on Bhopal Gas Tragedy Case
To
Her Excellency,
The President of India
Rashtrapati Bhawan
New Delhi.
Her Excellency,
The 7th June 2010 judgement in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy case has yet again brought to light the fact that how our ruling classes and big corporates have treated and are continue to treat the common majority of our people. This judgement has yet again shown the dangerous dimensions of surrendering our sovereignty to big and mighty profit seeking corporates. For the ruling classes and their political representatives, for the big corporates like Union Carbide, the 20,000 people who died and another tens of thousands who were physically affected in the worlds worst industrial disaster in Bhopal were poor and expandable and that is why it took 26 years to yield a minuscule penalty. It was obvious that this double tragedy of justice delayed and justice denied has outraged the people at large and brought the important questions to the fore which needs to be answered by the Central Government.
Meanwhile, the Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted to look in to the measures to be taken on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy has finalized its recommendations. But apart from the suggestions such as filing of the curative petition against the order of the Supreme Court of March 1997, there are serious problems regarding the recommendations of the GoM. Moreover, the GoM has failed to provide the answers to important questions and in providing assurance to the people that in future their lives and safety shall not be compromised.
In such a situation, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) is conducting a nationwide campaign and as part of this campaign has decided to send emails to seek the intervention of the highest office of the country on the following issues and demand:
1. The Government must bring the main accused, Warren Anderson, to India and initiate a criminal case against him.
2. The Government must initiate a criminal case against the politician, bureaucrats and judicial authorities, involved in protecting the accused, tampering with evidences and misusing their official position.
3. The Compensation package offered by the GoM is based on flawed estimation of deaths and injuries and the amount of compensation is meager. Over the years the death and disabilities caused by the gas leak is far higher than what was then officially recorded, with succeeding generations inheriting the health and environmental disabilities. The Central Government should, first arrange for a credible current calculation of compensation requirements and then ensure its speedy disbursement to the affected people.
4. There is no serious effort to make the Dow Chemical Company, which took over the Union Carbide, liable for the damages and compensation. The Government should take a firm stand that the entire expenses for the remediation and environmental clean up at the Bhopal factory site should be borne by the Dow Chemical company.
5. In order to ensure safety of the lives of the people in future there should be strict laws to assign and fix civil and criminal liability. The Nuclear Liability Bill must now be seen through the happenings of Bhopal Gas Leak.
Bhopal gas tragedy: DYFI activists send e-mails to President
Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists on Wednesday sent e-mail messages to President Pratibha Patil seeking stringent action against former CEO of Union Carbide Warren Anderson and others allegedly responsible for the Bhopal gas tragedy.
Speaking on the occasion, DYFI district secretary M. Viplav Kumar said that the e-mail campaign was taken up as per the call given by the federation to send 30 lakh emails to the President from all over the country urging the latter to ensure stringent punishment to the guilty of Bhopal manmade disaster.
“The persons at the helm of affairs have failed to ensure the trial of Anderson, the prime accused in the Bhopal gas tragedy case, even 25 years after the disaster in a bid to allow him go scot-free from the grave offence bowing down to American imperialism,” he charged and urged the activists in the district to actively participate in the three-day e-mail campaign.
DYFI Nalgonda division president U. Madhusudhan Reddy, secretary J. Saidulu and others were present.
TNUEF STRUGGLE AGAINST UNTOUCHABILITY IN CHIDAMBARAM NATARAJAR TEMPLE
The famous Natarajar Temple at Chidambaram is a place of untouchability in as much as the south gate of the temple through which Nandan, ardent follower of Natarajar went to worship the God,Natarajar was closed as a symbol of untouchability. Many dalit organisations are fighting for the cause of opening the closed door of untouchability but in vain.
Tamilnadu Untouchability Eradication Front,CPM and other Dalit Organisations to day held a demonstration before the South Gate of Natarajar temple demanding opening of the closed door.Nearly 600 people led by Samuelraj (TNUEF Genl.Secretary), K,Balakrishnan, P.Selvasingh, P.Shanmugam (State Secretariat Members of CPiM), D.Arumugam( Dist.Secretary of CPIM)S,Tamilselvan,(Genl.Secretary,TNPWA) S.K.Mahendran MLA picketed the south gate of the temple raising powerful slogans against untouchability practiced by the temple administration and Govt.of Tamilnadu. The police arrested all the agitators and removed them and later released them in the evening.
The Govt.of Tamilnadu posing itself as the champion of dalits and following the preachings of Periyar did not come forward to open the untouchability wall of Chidambaram Natarajar temple instead suppressing the legitimate and justified struggles aiming at the eradication of untouchability.One has to correctly understand the dual role of the DMK Party in the power in Tamilnadu.
(Courtesy : onuntouchability.blogspot.com, Photos : Gavaskar Theekathir)
Third alternative not feasible now : Prakash Karat
The Left “must pay emphasis to mobilise the people into wider struggle and movement,” he said, citing the success of the nationwide agitation against price rise and the recent hike in fuel prices, where the Left parties allied with non-BJP and non-Congress parties.
“The Left Front in West Bengal is the strongest base for the Left in the country,” Mr. Karat said, adding that the correct lessons must be learnt from the success of the Left Front, which was “the highest form of a united front” that the Communist movement in India had witnessed.
He, however, said that the struggle to build a Left and alternative front at the national level was much more complicated and difficult.
While alliances and electoral adjustments had been made with other political parties it would not be a united front “unless we can bring these parties into the joint action and the joint struggle.”
“Such a third alternative is not feasible. That we are going to discuss again.”
He said that other than West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala “we have not been able to form a united (Left) front.”
Electoral adjustments with other political parties were forged “mainly to fulfil immediate political tactical needs…these are temporary arrangements.”
Mr. Karat was delivering the memorial lecture titled “Communist Parties and the politics of united front” at a function to mark the birth centenary of Pramode Dasgupta, the first chairman of the Left Front in West Bengal. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chairman of the State Committee of the Left Front, Biman Bose, and leaders of the other constituents of the Left Front were also present.
Mr. Karat said the fundamental principle of the success of the Left Front in West Bengal was that “unless you are able to develop the independent strength of the working class party, you cannot develop and widen the scope of the united front.”
(Courtesy : The Hindu)
CPIM Protest across Tamil Nadu
on the party men at Uthapuram in Tiruchi on Tuesday.
Tuticorin: Nineteen cadres of Communist Party of India (Marxist) courted arrest in Kovilpatti on Tuesday following their involvement in a sit-in protest at Kovilpatti Cooperative Society Sub Registrar Office. The agitating members claimed that proper ledger was not being maintained by the officials concerned at Eeratchi village primary agriculture cooperative society for those who applied for jewel loans.
There was a mismatch and the accounts did not tally when the farmers approached them. The cadres in support of the farmers demanded jewels from them immediately for settling the issue. The farmers also expressed their condemnation over the issue and they sought remedial measures, the agitators alleged. Later the arrested were released.
NAGAPATTINAM: Communist Party of India (M) workers protested the ‘passivity' of the Central and the State government to the Sri Lankan attacks on Indian fishermen, here on Tuesday.
They criticised the governments for standing as mere spectators to the continued attacks and for failing to protect their own people. While the attacks were in themselves reprehensible, the placidity of the governments was equally deplorable, the protestors said.
The demonstration was led by Marimuthu, MLA. Nagai Maali, district secretary, CITU, A. V. Murugayan, district secretary, CPI (M), Subramaniyam, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, were among the participants.
Nagercoil: The police arrested 300 activists of Communist Party of India (Marxists) including two MLAs, John Joseph of Vilavancode and Leema Rose of Thiruvattar Assembly segments on Tuesday when they staged a ‘road roko' at Marthandam and Attoor junctions to urge the Government to carry out maintenance works of the damaged roads.
According to sources, there were lot of pot holes at Kuzhuthurai and Vettunthi in Thiruvananthapuram – Nagercoil National Highway. Owing to this, the vehicle drivers were put to untold hardship. Moreover, the district administration had sent a Rs. 9-crore proposal to carry out maintenance works in various roads in Vilavancode Assembly segments.
But the Government was yet to allot the amount. The concerned authorities had laid giant pipes after digging the road for the implementation of integrated drinking water supply scheme for the benefit of people belonging to Manakudi viz Monday Market and Muttom in Kappukadu Road. To carry out maintenance work, the Government needed to provide the cost of Rs. 6.18 crore to the highways department.
To protest against the delay in removing the encroachments and to press for carrying out the maintenance works of various damaged roads, the activists of CPI (M) staged road roko at Marthandam junction led by the MLA, John Joseph. Similarly MLA of Thiruvattar Leema Rose, and CPI (M) activists staged road roko at Attoor junction. The district secretary of CPI (M), Murugesan participated.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)