Investigate New Revelations on Purulia Arms Drop

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

 

The Purulia arms drop in December 1995 was one of the most serious instances of an assault on the country’s sovereignty. The investigations and the court trial had proved that the arms were meant for the Ananda Marg which was planning to use it to foment violence to destabilize the Left Front government.

 

The revelations by Niels Christian Nielsen alias Kim Davy, who is still absconding and Peter Bleach who was sentenced in the case, have raised new questions.

 

In the aftermath of the Purulia arms drop it was known that the British intelligence agency MI5 had informed RAW about the proposed airdrop in late November 1995. The then British Home Secretary had confirmed this in a press conference in Delhi on January 5, 1996. The RAW had alerted the Home Ministry and other authorities. Yet, the West Bengal Government was sent this information by registered post which reached  after the arms drop.

 

 

· It was reported that the radar at the Kalaikunda air base was not operational at the time of the air drop.

 

· How was it that on the return trip from Phuket in Thailand the plane could land in Chennai and take off even when there was an alert on the aircraft.

 

· For more than a decade Kim Davy has been living in Denmark and the Central Government has been tardy in getting him extradited.

 

Kim Davy has given specific details of how he had escaped from the Mumbai airport and reached Nepal. He has named Pappu Yadav, who was then an MP, as the person who assisted him. It should be noted that the same Pappu Yadav is in jail serving a life sentence for the murder of CPI(M) MLA Ajit Sarkar.

 

Both Bleach and Kim Davy have made charges of connivance by certain Indian authorities in the airdrop plan and the cover up later.

 

All this information necessitates looking at the Purulia airdrop in a fresh light.

 

The existence of the Left Front Government in West Bengal has been anathema for many domestic and international forces. At present too, the spectre of violence is being used to destabilize the Left Front Government. Even the Union Home Minister recently talked of the “killing fields” in West Bengal and blamed the CPI(M) for it. On the other hand, the Maoist violence is being aided and supported by the Trinamul Congress which is part of the Congress-led government at the Centre.

 

It is essential therefore to thoroughly investigate the Purulia arms drop affair. For this the following steps have to be taken:

 

(i) Pappu Yadav should be interrogated and the trail by which Kim Davy escaped from the country should e uncovered and the persons responsible brought to book.

(ii) There has to be a judicial enquiry by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court into the circumstances of the arms drop in Purulia and to uncover the network responsible.

MAY DAY MANIFESTO 2011

On the occasion of May Day 2011, the day of the international solidarity and unity of the working class, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) extends warmest revolutionary greetings to the entire fraternity of the working class and the toiling people of the country and the world. On this great day the CITU re-affirms its commitment to class struggle and reiterates its goal for establishment of a Socialism to ensure complete emancipation of the human society from all forms of exploitation. 

Fraternal Greetings

CITU conveys its firm solidarity to the struggles of agricultural workers, poor and middle peasantry against the disastrous impact of deepening agrarian crisis under neoliberal order and for better wages, right to land, remunerative prices, institutional credit at low interest rates, and input and infrastructural support through massive public investment. CITU aspires for an effective joint struggle of workers, agricultural workers and small peasants against neoliberalism in the days to come.

CITU also conveys its fraternal greetings and message of solidarity to the struggles of the youth and students organizations for the right to education and employment and against commercialization and privatization of education which were also the offshoot of the neoliberal policy regime. CITU expresses solidarity to the struggles of women’s organizations against discrimination, violence and for their right to appropriate representation and empowerment.

CITU reiterates its commitment of solidarity to the struggles of working people in the capitalist world fighting against the onslaught on their rights to employment, living wages, social security and trade union rights unleashed by the crisis stricken neoliberal economic order. Struggles are on the rise both in the developed and also in the developing countries against the attack on their rights and livelihood by the recession stricken neoliberal capitalist order and the imperialist agencies.

CITU conveys its warm revolutionary greetings to the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) for having held the 16th World Trade Union Congress in Athens, Greece, where it has been decided to carry forward the class oriented Trade Union activities and struggles against the imperialist and capitalist offensive against the working people all over the world.

 

Greetings to Socialist Countries

On this May-day, the CITU conveys its fraternal greetings to the working class of the socialist countries for their continued fight to protect the gains of revolution, to continuously improve and expand the rights and the living condition of the people in the midst of worldwide crisis of the capitalist order, and holding high the banner of socialism and defending the superiority of the socialist system.

CITU rejoices over the successes attained by Socialist Cuba in carrying forward its advancement braving the economic blockade and sanctions thrust upon it by the US imperialism. Cuba’s steadfast and uncompromising stance against US hegemonism will continue to be the source of inspiration for the toiling people’s movement all over the world.

 

Rising Assertion for Democracy and Against Authoritarianism

On this May-Day, CITU welcomes the rising peoples’ assertion in the Arab World against authoritarian rule and for democratic rights, which started with peoples’ uprising in Tunisia and thereafter in Egypt unseating the Hosni Mubarak Govt. This has spread like waves of similar peoples’ action in Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Oman, Jordon, Morocco, Turkey, Algeria and other places opening up the possibility of changes towards a more democratic order in most of the countries. CITU notes with pride that working class played a crucial frontline role in many of these countries in such peoples’ assertion against autocracy. It also notes that unbearable sufferings of the mass of the people owing to severe economic crisis reflected in widespread joblessness, rising food prices, widening poverty among the masses, rising cost of public utilities, corruption etc and denial of rights to even voice the resentment by the repressive autocratic Govts led to such flare-up of popular uprising in Tunisia, Egypt, followed by other countries in the region.

While welcoming the mounting peoples’ assertion against autocratic regime in the Arab world as a positive development in world political scenario, CITU notes with anxiety and anguish the satanic ploy of US imperialism and NATO to intervene into the situation with an aggressionist approach. In Libya, NATO’s mass-scale air-strike on the vile plea of protecting civilians under the garb of UN Security Council’s Resolution, has actually killed large number of civilians, besides exposing the imperialist’s ploy to re-establish control on the Oil-rich Libya. Hypocrisy of the imperialism led by US stands thoroughly exposed when the same US administration supports the Saudi Arabian military intervention to prop up the Autocratic Khalifa regime at Bahrain in its brutal crack-down on mass of the civilians protesting against autocracy and demanding democratic changes. The same imperialists are also lending tacit support to brutal crackdown on the protesting civilians to kill and maim them by the respective despots in Tunisia and Yemen.

Therefore, while welcoming the popular pro-democracy uprising in the Arab world, CITU joins the world’s peace-loving community in condemning the imperialist’s and imperialist-backed aggressionist interventions in some of the countries.

 

Against Imperialist Machinations

On this May Day the CITU expresses its deep anguish and reiterates its condemnation against the aggressive hegemonic machinations of the imperialist forces led by US imperialism. Besides continuing its de-facto occupation on Iraq and Afganisthan, it has been in continuous quest for new areas of intervention particularly focusing on the oil-rich Arab world.

CITU reiterates its solidarity with the struggling Palestinian people in the face of inhuman military onslaught by Israel with active support of the military strength of US and its European allies. CITU also condemns the continuing conspiracy of the US imperialists to attack Iran, Syria and DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).

There are indications of changes too arising out of murmuring and not so loud contradictions within the imperialist powers and their allies indicating prospect of emergence of multipolarity in the international arena. And even in the matter of NATO’s intervention in Libya, Germany and Turkey have withdrawn themselves and Germany along with Russia and India abstained from voting on UN Security Council’s resolution on Libya.

In the face of the rising opposition to its economic political and military hegemony and its increasing isolation, the US has become desperate to consolidate its influence. The US has been desperately attempting to tighten its grip over the ruling polity in the developing countries in the eastern hemisphere including the Indian sub continent. The strategic military cooperation and the Indo US nuclear deal are expressions of this intent. US imperialism has redoubled its conspiratorial attempts to weaken the opposition to its interventions and interference by the Left and other progressive forces in the developing countries, including India. Recent Wikileaks expose has thoroughly exposed as to how the US administration has long been monitoring and interfering in the day to day governance of our country including appointment of ministers, important policy decisions on both political, economic and foreign policy fronts while Indian ruling polity has been subjecting itself to that process obligingly.

 

Rising Struggles Worldwide

This year’s May Day is being observed the world-over in the midst of widespread protest mobilizations and united actions by the toiling masses against the onslaught on their rights and livelihood following the worst-ever global crisis of the capitalist order in the form of mass-scale joblosses, lay-off, closure, wage-cut etc. Despite all optimistic talks of recovery, the situation in the advanced industrialized economies of the Europe and the West continued to remain critical with rising unemployment and deep-seated recession owing to their sticking to the same bankrupt finance-capital driven neoliberal path.

Following global meltdown, public exchequers in these countries were liberally utilized to bail out the bankrupt banks and financial institutions which in turn plunged these countries, the European countries in particular in acute debt crisis pushing the Govts into virtual bankruptcy. This resulted in the respective Governments adopting a drastic cut on all public related expenditures in the name of so called austerity measures while letting the capitalist lobby a free hand to loot the workers and the people. All aspects of the working life of the people, right to employment, social security, wages, working hours etc are under severe attack by such exercise of austerity and the workers enmasse are opposing such loot and plunder through strikes and militant mobilizations all over the world. During the period since last May-Day 2010, entire Europe and also USA became a theatre of militant strike actions and massive protest mobilizations by millions of workers and toiling people from all walks of life boiling in anger owing to price-rise, unemployment, cuts in wages and social security and other attacks on their life and livelihood thereby exposing the utter inefficacy of the neoliberal capitalist order to address the basic problems of mankind. CITU garners strength and inspiration from such rising tide of the worldwide struggles by the working class, voices its solidarity which those struggles and stressed upon the urgency for sharpening those struggles to force upon reversal of neoliberal capitalist order itself.

 

Capitalism Stands Exposed

The current spate of crisis fuelled by so called global financial meltdown has been the inevitable culmination of the finance capital driven neoliberal imperialist order. All aspects of economic governance are subordinated to finance capital’s lust for quickest possible gain. This crisis thoroughly exposed the extreme fragility of the world capitalist order while exploding the much-touted idea of seeking “opportunity for development” in the neoliberal packages. It has also exposed the dubious mode of operation of modern capitalism under neoliberal order. When there is a boom, there will be no regulations and the speculators will reign. They will create artificial boom by fraudulent methods using public funds for their personal or cartels’ gains. When the boom bursts, the government will rescue the collapsing institutions by public funds, but the people will continue to lose through unemployment, loss of savings, wage cut etc. This is the real face of present day capitalism under neoliberal globalisation, which is nothing but a loot and fraud on the people and the economy, integrally built-in the working of the capitalist system. On this May-day, CITU renews its commitment to work for exposing this dubious system before the people while continuing to fight against its depredations.

 

In India

CITU takes pride along with the entire toiling class that owing to consistent opposition and united countrywide struggle by the working class and stout resistance by the Left forces in Parliament, the financial sector of the country could not be privatised or deregulated fully, privatisation of public sector units could be halted and the country’s economy could be saved, at least partially, from inevitable collapse and disaster in the midst of global economic meltdown.

At the same times, CITU notes with anguish that the ruling polity, instead of taking lessons from the crisis has been pushing through the same failed path of financial sector deregulation and privatization and already Bills are introduced in that direction. This is also reflected in ongoing aggressive exercise of initiating a free trade regime with the European Union etc. At the same time, it has set in motion a regime of widespread corruption, loot and fraud on the mass of the people.

The intervening period has witnessed exposure of numerous cases of the worst kind of corruption involving huge loss to public exchequer in telecom, mining, construction of Common Wealth Games infrastructure, various land and housing deals etc benefiting the big corporate houses, both domestic and foreign. This is also reflected in huge drainage and accumulation of black money in foreign banks. The manner such corrupt deals are promoted by those in governance reflects the depth of criminalization and simultaneous corporate-captivity of the entire governance under the neoliberal economic order. In fact corruption got totally institutionalized and neoliberal policies paved the way for the same.

The same corruption in governance is reflected in the management of the economy under the neoliberal format. The same corrupt approach surfaced in the management of continuously rising prices, the food inflation in particular. It has become a joint venture of the Government and the corporate speculators in the commodity market where shortage and scarcity of food articles and resultant price-rise are being cultivated and promoted further to ensure windfall gains for the corporate speculators in the commodity market. The refusal of the Govt to universalize the public distribution system and dilly-dullying in Right to Food legislation are integral part of that joint venture exercise. The whole system of economic governance including the agricultural credit have been so much biased in favour of big corporate landlords and the corporate lobby in commodity trading that the small and middle peasants who produce the food grains do not get enough price for a human survival on the one hand and people as consumer pay through their nose for their food just to survive.

At the same time the mass of the people are being cruelly fleeced through higher burden of taxes and duties and drastic cut in basic subsidies like food, fertilizers and fuels. Most of the crucial inputs and commodities like fuel, fertilizers, medicines etc are being sought to be priced at par with global rates while keeping the mass of the people deprived of even the statutory minimum wages at home and/or minimum level of earnings to ensure a barely human living. The crucial public utilities like health, education, roadways, transport etc are being sought to be privatized and commercialized through so called PPP model and blue chip public sector units in strategic, infrastructure and natural resources sector are being sought to be privatized in phases at throw-away prices.

And simultaneously as a supplementary measure, all basic labour laws are being allowed to be desperately violated by the employers in collusion with the custodians of law and order. Trade unions are not being allowed to be formed in many places and rampant victimization of workers for forming trade unions has become the order of the day. The motive is to weaken the peoples’ opposition and resistance to anti-people policies and anti-national designs. The attack on the labour rights, as the history shows, has always been precursors to onslaught on the democratic rights and institutions.

And of late, active move is afoot to completely change the labour laws to legitimize the violations and empower the employers to hire and fire at will; pension system is being totally privatized to allow the pension funds to be handled by the speculators, both domestic and foreign along with switching over from a system of assured pension to a system dependent on the market forces.

On this May-day, CITU vows to redouble its initiative to unite the toiling class in the resistance to the regime of loot and plunder on people, who produces wealth and push up GDP numbers by their sweat and blood. The brutality of the employers class, howsoever atrocious it might be with the active patronage of those in governance, have to be combated by the working class through demonstration of greater unity, vigour and conviction to combat and defeat the exploitation and the exploiting class as well.

That is the challenge destined to be taken up by the working class in the coming days. In view of the set back of the Left forces in the last Lok Sabha election and a weakened Left inside Parliament, the historic responsibility to build the resistance to such grave anti-people and anti-national designs of ruling combine has fallen on the life-line of the Left movement in the country—the working class.

CITU notes with confidence, while the correlation of forces in the political arena inside the Parliament has somewhat tilted towards the right, developments outside signal differently. All the trade unions, irrespective of affiliations, came together on the same platform to raise voice against price-rise, against state-sponsored violation of labour laws, against reckless contractorisation and casualisation of workforce, against disinvestment and privatization and demanding universal social security coverage for unorganized sector workers. Workers in various sectors are on bitter struggles in respective industries. More than three hundred thousand coal workers went on countrywide strike action on 5th May 2010 against disinvestment at the initiative of CITU alone and that paved the way for all in united strike action in the industry in the days to come. In Banking and financial sector and in telecom sector also the workers protested against deregulation through massive united strike action during the intervening period. On 7th September 2011, countrywide all in united general strike by around 10 crore (100 million) workers created history in the annals of the trade union movement in the country. And as a follow up to that historic action, around half a million workers thronged in the national capital at New Delhi on 23rd February 2011 to stage militant demonstration before Parliament. On this May-day CITU calls upon the working class to widen further the all in unity of trade unions at the grass root level and carry the united struggle of the working people to a militant height to fight for reversal of the anti-people pro-imperialist policy regime.

 

Combat the onslaught on Left and Democratic Movement

May Day 2011 is going to be observed at a time when the country is in the midst of a grim political battle in two major stronghold states of the working class movement where the Left and Democratic forces are running the state governments. In these two states –the elections for the state legislature which has already started in the first week of April 2011 and end on 10th May, symbolizes the fight between policies of neoliberalism and the progressive forces opposing the same and fighting for pro-people alternative. It is going to be a fight between Left and democratic forces and the forces of extreme right reaction, between the pro-people welfarist policy of governance and the corporate captive policies of loot, plunder and fraud on mass of the populace. It is also going to be battle between the policy of empowering the working people and policies for subjecting them to slavery and worst exploitation for corporate sector’s windfall gain, both domestic and foreign. The working class movement of the country must stand and battle for victory of the Left and democratic forces since the aspiration of the working class for better life and expanded rights coincides with the vision of the Left forces.

On this May-day the CITU therefore calls upon the working class movement to fight and combat the grievous onslaught being perpetrated on the Left and democratic movement which always stand by the working class in all its struggles and always voice their concern and work for their victory in all the states where state legislature’s elections are taking place.

We must note that in the face of Left’s uncompromising stance against neoliberal and pro-imperialist policy regime and its successful blockade to many of their anti people projects, all the forces of right reaction aided and abetted by the imperialist agencies and the big-bourgeois-run media have become desperate in launching an all round attack against the Left movement.

Along with, concerted physical attack is also being launched against the Left and democratic movement in the strongest bastion of Left in West Bengal by the gang-up of extreme right reaction and extreme ultra-Left combine in the garb of so called Maoist outfit and all kinds of divisive and separatist forces. In Kerala all the anti-Left forces have ganged up along with the bourgeois media to carry on malicious campaign against the Left and Democratic forces to confuse the people against the Left forces.

The people of West Bengal have been physically in the frontline of this resistance struggle, bleeding and laying down their lives. The people of Kerala are also heroically combating the heinous campaign against the Left. The enemy they are fighting is the enemy of the entire toiling class, enemy of democracy, enemy of peoples’ empowerment and finally the enemy of the people. Therefore, there must be no let-up on the part of working class movement in other states in the continuing campaign to expose the game plan of the right-reactionary-ultra-left-imperialist agencies behind the continuing attacks campaign against the Left forces in these states and also in solidarity actions. On this May Day CITU pledges to rouse the working class throughout the country ideologically and organizationally, to unite and fight against the brutal onslaught on their fellow travellers in West Bengal and Kerala who always remained in the frontline of battle championing the cause of the working class and led the struggle against exploitative regime of the capitalist order.

 

The Appeal of May Day 2011

On this May Day 2011, CITU reasserts its commitment to international solidarity with the struggles being carried on by the working class throughout the globe against imperialist offensives and the neoliberal order and in defence of their rights and livelighood.

CITU reiterates its firm support to the Left forces in their struggle against right reactionary and the imperialist forces. CITU’s call to the working class to support the Left candidates in the forthcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Tamilnadu is part and parcel of this struggle.

CITU appeals to the working people in the country to work for building all in unity of the class to combat and confront the onslaught being brought down by the corporate captive ruling polity on the rights and livelihood of the workers at every workplace; the struggle against attack on labour rights in workplace must be supplemented by solidarity actions in all others. Solidarity actions must form an inseparable part of the day to day collective life of the working people. This is the call of May-day.

On this May-day CITU calls upon the working class to remain vigilant and fight against the divisive forces of all hues- communalism, casteism and parochialism while defending and expanding the unity of the class and the people in the struggle against oppression and exploitation.

Long Live International Solidarity of the Working Class
Down with Capitalism & Imperialism
Down with Neoliberal Imperialist Globalisation
Long Live Socialism

LDF Hartal for Banning Killer Pesticide Endosulfan in Kerala total

CPIM State Secretary Com. Pinaryai Vijayan leading the rally on Harthal day in Thiruvananthapuram

The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala to press for a total ban on production, sale and use of Endosulfan in the country was total and peaceful.
 

The hartal hit normal life across the State with vehicles, barring two-wheelers and a few four-wheelers, staying off the road and shops and commercial establishments downing their shutters. None of the markets in the State functioned. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operated only skeletal services, but there was no disruption in train services. But for a few isolated incidents, no major instance of hartal-related violence was reported from any part of the State.

Marches in all districts

Activists of various LDF constituents and trade unions took out marches in all districts in the morning. In a sad development, former Kottayam district panchayat president K.P. Sugunan collapsed and died even as he was participating in a public meeting in the town.

There were some instances of forcible closure of Central government offices. The ruling alliance had exempted two-wheelers, milk and newspaper supply, and hospitals from the purview of the hartal. The LDF had announced the hartal to coincide with the conclusion of the Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants at Geneva. The news of the conditional global ban on Endosulfan, which came even as the hartal wound to a close, brought cheer to the green and LDF activists. They held demonstrations in different parts of the State hailing the decision.

Describing the Geneva decision to ban Endosulfan as a vindication of the strong stand that the Kerala government had taken on the issue, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said that it showed what determined popular will could achieve even in the face of strong resistance from the powers that be.

CPIM - CPI hails ban on Endosulfan

The State CPI(M) and CPI have welcomed the Stockholm Convention decision to ban Endosulfan globally. In separate statements here on Friday, CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI State unit secretary C.K. Chandrappan termed the decision a severe blow to the UPA government at the Centre.

While the former doubted whether the Centre would do all that was necessary to enforce the ban, the latter wanted the Centre to compensate Endosulfan victims and take steps for their rehabilitation. Mr. Vijayan said it was disturbing to note that the UPA government was trying to secure concessions after failing in its bid to block the global ban on production and use of Endosulfan. Describing the ban decision a matter of great joy for all those who had fought for it, he said this was also the moment to sympathise with the UPA government for the negative stand it had taken on the issue.

Mr. Chandrappan said that the Geneva summit decision to ban Endosulfan had exposed the games played by the Congress and the UPA government on the issue despite the Centre being in possession of several study reports proving the massive devastation caused by the killer pesticide.

In Kerala, around 500 lives had been lost and thousands had sustained congenital abnormalities on account of the use of the pesticide. Despite all this, the Centre's attempt was to block a global ban on Endosulfan on flimsy grounds. All political forces, except the Congress, had come forward to press for a ban and the credit for the victory at Geneva should go to all of them, the CPI leader said.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Purilia Arms Drop: Targetting LF Govt.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The latest revelations on the arms drop in Purulia in West Bengal in December 1995 are further confirmation of the fact that there was a well planned conspiracy to use violence to destabilize the Left Front at that time.

Whatever has been said by Kim Davy, a prime accused in the case and Peter Bleach who was sentenced in the case show that the arms drop for the Ananda Margis was planned through an international network and the target was the Left Front government. It was known at that time that the British intelligence had alerted the Indian government about the arms drop. Yet, the Central Government failed to inform the West Bengal Government about the matter in time. Even as early as 1990, according to the Home Minister’s statement in the Lok Sabha, there were reports of the Ananda Marg arranging for arms to be brought from abroad (see statement below). Still the matter was not taken seriously.

It is imperative that the Central Government explain why it failed to act on the information given by the British intelligence? It should also explain how Kim Davy was allowed to escape from the Mumbai airport at that time. Further, the Government has shown no urgency in getting Kim Davy extradited from Denmark to stand trial. Was any Central Government agency complicit in the operation?

The Purulia arms drop was a serious assault on India’s sovereignty and a diabolical plot against an elected government and the Constitution.

The entire episode of the Purulia arms drop is a graphic example of how various anti-communist forces have been targeting the Left Front Government of West Bengal. Such moves are still on even today.

Go Thru the Video
http://www.timesnow.tv/videoshow/4371694.cms

Chidambaram: Absurd Charges

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

 

The Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram, has called West Bengal among the worst governed states in the country, during his election campaign in the state. This is a ludicrous statement coming from a person who belongs to a government which is presiding over the most corrupt regime in independent India. Mercifully, West Bengal has been saved from the style of governance that Chidambaram’s party has been practicing at the Centre. The absurdity of the statement can be gauged from the fact that on the very day when Chidambaram made the statement, West Bengal was given an award for panchayati raj programme rural development by the Central Government.

 

It is shocking that the Home Minister goes to West Bengal and does not speak a word of condemnation of the Maoist violence which has led to the death of 265 cadres and supporters of the CPI(M) and the Left Front since the last Lok Sabha elections. Instead, he has leveled the patently false charge that it is the CPI(M) which is responsible for the killings by presenting wrong figures. By covering up the Maoist violence and the Maoist-TMC collaboration, Chidambaram has betrayed the elementary duty entrusted to him as the Home Minister of the country. The egregious and partisan manner in which Chidambaram is behaving will only call into question the way he is handling the key office of Home Minister in the government.

Peasants - Youth rally against Karnataka Government's Attitude towards Landless People

  

The Karnataka State Farmers' Association (KPRS) along with  Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held a 'DC Office Chalo' protest on Tuesday, April 26 in front of the DC office, Mangalore. The protest rally was flagged off from the taluk panchayat and culminated in front of the  DC office gate.

 

Addressing the protesters, KPRS president K R Shriyan said that over the past one year the farmers had a tough time in running from pillar to post to get their land right documents.  They had applied in the taluk panchayat, zilla panchayat and Mangalore City Corporation, but no one had listened to their plea.  It was a well-known fact that for the past 15 years, neither Congress nor the BJP governments appeared to be interested in helping the farmers to get their land rights.

Shriyan drew everyone's attention to the fact that minister Krishna J Palemar had given 34 acres of land to builders for developing, but he did not even bother to give 5 cents of land to the poor Sitamakka from Talapadi. The BJP and Congress leaders did not even bother to listen to the poor people's pleas.

Further he  said that according to a government survey, there were more than 49,000 homeless and landless families and over 18,000  people did not have proper land documents. But he said according to independent enquiries  the number could be double. He also said that Yeddyurappa had encroached upon over 500 acres of land and distributed to his family, but he did not even bother to fulfil the people's demands. During election time, the leaders tend to give false promises with an eye on votes and then they forget everything. He said that DC has promised the agitators to give justice and said that the fight would continue until justice was received. He said his supporters would go to any length to get their land rights. he added.

DYFI district president Muneer Katipalla, speaking to the protesters, said "We have been very co-operative and waiting to get farmers' rights.  According to the constitution, poor people should get the land from the government for their livelihood, whereas our farmers and poor people are running from pillar to post to get their rights, and nothing has happened over the past 2 years," said he.

He demanded that the government give housing sites to the poor and urged the district administration to take immediate action and fulfil the demands of the farmers as well as landless people.  A hunger strike would be resorted to if the demands were not met, he warned, stressing that the fight would continute until the last breath.

District secretary Dayananda Shetty, city unit president Imtiaz,  city unit secretary Santoshh Kumar,  young women's wing president Pramila, district vice president Mohammed, district vice president Ashok Shetty and KPRS district secretary Yadav Shetty were also present.

(Source : Mangalorean.com)

Left Front in Kerala calls Hartal to ban Killer Pesticide Endosulfan

Left Democratic Front (LDF) Kerala has called for a state-wide Hartal on Friday to protest the Congress Led central government’s stand not to clamp a ban on pesticide endosulphan, which is the reason for many deaths in the state.

LDF convenor Comrade Vaikom Viswan announced the front decision to call the shutdown to protest the Indian government’s stand on endosulphan at the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which began in Geneva Monday. India has decided it would not support a call for a ban on the pesticide during the April 25-29 convention.

‘The conference ends Friday and hence we decided to express our protest against the centre’s stand not to ask for a ban at the ongoing conference. It appears the centre is more concerned about the ‘health’ of multinational companies and not the real health of people of this country,’ said Viswan. ‘We request the people to cooperate with the shutdown. All essential services would be allowed to function and so would two-wheelers,’ he added. Comrade V.S. Achuthanandan staged a seven-hour fast to demand a nation-wide ban on endosulphan on Monday.

About 500 deaths since 1995 in 11 villages have been officially acknowledged as related to the spraying of endosulfan, whose use on the estates of Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) in Kasargode district began in the early 1970s and continued till 2001. Unofficial estimates put the deaths since the late 1970s to around 4,000.

Arrest of Suresh Kalmadi

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The arrest of Suresh Kalmadi, Congress MP, for corruption associated with the Commonwealth Games, is a welcome step, though it is much delayed. Apart from the instances of corruption indulged in by the organizing committee of the Commonwealth Games, there is the large scale misuse of funds for the games by other agencies and authorities in the Delhi Government and the Central Government. Some of these have been enquired into by the Shunglu Committee.

The CBI should forthwith take steps to lodge cases and prosecute those who were responsible for the expropriation of public funds.

Ban Endosulfan: Comrade V S Achuthanandan leads fast

Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan went on a seven-hour fast at the Martyrs' Column here on Monday demanding a ban on Endosulfan and seeking Central assistance for the victims of the pesticide.
 

About 500 people from different walks of life joined the fast, held as part of a State-wide observation of Anti-Endosulfan Day by the government. Later, they took a pledge to fight the menace of the pesticide. Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran administered the pledge.

In districts

Ministers led protests at district headquarters, including Kasaragod, where about 5,000 people were affected by aerial spraying of the pesticide in cashew plantations of the State-owned Plantation Corporation of India. The fast coincided with a Conference of Parties to Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants that began in Geneva on Monday.

The conference will consider a global ban on the pesticide which has reportedly caused more than 150 diseases, mostly affecting the nervous, immune, and reproductive systems.

Launching the fast, the Chief Minister said the dangers of using Endosulfan were getting more acute with more cases being reported from different parts of the State and outside. In Karnataka, 96 villages were affected, he noted.

Manmohan misled

Referring to the Central government's stand that a national ban was possible only if health problems were reported from other States also, he said it was regrettable that the Centre chose to wait for more deaths. Endosulfan was a poison that should not be used anymore. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had been misled by those supporting the pesticide lobby.

When an all-party delegation from the State met the Prime Minister recently, he chose to side with his Ministers who stood for the pesticide industry. Mr. Achuthanandan said the issue should be resolved above politics, as it concerned all.

The Chief Minister took lime juice from poet Sugathakumari at 5 p.m. to end the fast. Speaking on the occasion, he said India's stand against a global ban on the pesticide was deplorable. Mr. Divakaran presided over the agitation. Minister for Public Works and Law M. Vijayakumar welcomed the gathering. State Education Minister M.A. Baby, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union Minister of State, O. Rajagopal, film actor Suresh Gopi, Members of Parliament and Legislative Assembly, and several writers and artists were among those who joined the protest.

 

According to reports from districts, organisations such as the Democratic Youth Federation of India, the Karshaka Sanghom, the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association, service organisations, film personalities, and their organisations either associated with the government-sponsored fast or organised their own protests. These included marches, signature campaign, public meetings and burning of effigies.

Members of the CPI(M)'s student and youth wings, Students Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), staged a protest throughout the state demanding a ban on Endosulfan. They also burnt an effigy of Dr. Singh. 

( Courtesy : The Hindu)

Comrade V S Achuthanandan to observe fast against non-banning of Endosulfan by Central Government

On April 25, when delegates from across the world will meet in Geneva to discuss the Stockholm convention on Persistent Organic Polllutants (POPs), Kerala will observe a black day and Comrade V S Achuthanandan will lead the protest by fasting on that day.

Ever since the first day of assuming office, VS has taken a soft approach to the hundreds of victims of the deadly pesticide which had contaminated a large area in Kasargod district. A solatium of `50,000 was given to the families of all those who died following diseases caused by Endosulfan. It happened within weeks of VS assuming office. The next step was to give a monthly pension of `300 to all living victims of Endosulfan. It was hailed as a major step by environmentalists as victims of Bhopal tragedy had been battling for compensation even then. The pension was increased to `700 and an additional amount of `300 was sanctioned as pension for the caretaker of the victim. In the final year of the LDF rule, these pensions were respectively enhanced to `1400 and `600. The government also took initiatives to provide adequate treatment for Endosulfan victims in Kasargod. Facilities in the primary health centres in the affected areas were increased and mobile clinics were set up. In all the 11 affected panchayats, vehicles and Ashraya workers were arranged to transport Endosulfan victims to hospital and back. In addition, all victims were given identity cards that would ensure them free treatment in all state government hospitals.When the cry for Endosulfan ban again reached its climax this month, VS decided to act stern.

UPA govt favouring pesticide lobby: VS Achuthanandan

Stepping up the attack on the Centre over the issue of banning Endosulfan, Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan today accused the UPA government of favouring the pesticide lobby.

Achuthanandan also termed as "deplorable" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's stand that a further detailed study was needed before considering a nationwide ban on it.

He said Singh should not repeat the arguments of agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who, he alleged, were out to help the pesticide lobby while turning a blind eye to the sufferings of the poor.

"This stand (of Singh) is deplorable. He should immediately take steps to convene the Cabinet to discuss the issue raised by the delegation. He should use his good offices to deal with the issue, affecting many citizens of our country, in a more responsible manner." He said though the Indian Council of Medical Research's report of 2002 was with the Centre, Singh had still told an all-party delegation from Kerala, which met him yesterday, that a further study by ICMR is needed to take a decision.

The Prime Minister should not "helplessly" watch the situation worsen, but instead take urgent steps to ban it, he said a day after he lashed out at Ramesh, ridiculing his environmental concerns as "sheer hypocrisy".

Achuthanandan said hundreds of citizens in Kerala and Karnataka had lost their lives and many were suffering from deformities due to ill-effects of spraying the pesticide.

Ramesh, who claimed to be a person having concern for the environment, had already proved he was not only "anti-environment, but anti-people," Achuthanandan charged.

He wanted to know why six ministers in the Union Ministry from Kerala were keeping silent on the issue. These ministers were also not concerned about getting central aid to implement rehabilitation package for Endosulfan victims, he said.

The Centre had also not bothered to implement the recommendation of the national human rights commission to provide an assistance package to endosulfan victims, he said.

He said the notion so far had been that only Sharad Pawar and his Ministry were supporting endosulfan. With the Prime Minister and Jairam Ramesh speaking in the same language, it had become clear that the Congress and UPA government were also favouring the pesticide lobby, he said.

Achuthanandan said people in 11 panchayats in northern Kerala and 96 villages of southern Karnataka were affected by the pesticide. "The Centre should come out to help the people and not the pesticide lobby," he said.

(Courtesy : DNA)

Prosecute Narendra Modi

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The affidavit filed by a senior Gujarat police official in the Supreme Court has provided direct evidence of the role of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, in the 2002 pogroms against the minority community. In the affidavit, the police official has stated that the Chief Minister instructed senior police officials in a meeting not to act to protect Muslims from violence.

This testimony of the police officer, Sanjeev Bhatt, confirms the culpability of the Chief Minister in the pogroms. There should be no further delay in the investigations into the role of Narendra Modi and initiating steps to prosecute him.

Red Salute to the Great Martyr Comrade Leelavathi

APRIL 23 : COM. LEELAVATHI MEMORIAL DAY

Comrade K Leelavathi, the fighter who laid down her life for the cause of the people. April 23 is her Martyrdom Day. People of Madurai still holds her near to their heart. This time around her martyrdom day coincided with the election campaign in Tamil Nadu. This time Madurai is going to see a straight fight between the Culprits of Leelavathi's murder DMK and the Party for which she laid down her life CPIM.

Com Leelavathi was a political activist, fighter for social causes and an active participant in the women's movement, She was an active worker of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and was the member of its Maduri District Committe. She was elected to the Madurai Corporation Council from Ward 59 (Villapuram) in September 1996 in the first ever elections held with one-third of the seats reserved for women. She was One of her election promises was to supply piped water to the people of her ward, most residents of which are economically backward people. For long, they had been buying water supplied by water tankers actually supplied by the coporation but was hijacked by a mafia and was supplied at abnormal prices and had been literally at the mercy of the lorry operators for their daily requirements of water. During times of acute scarcity, they found it difficult to get even a potful of water.

Leelavathi intervened on behalf of these people. She tried to regulate the supply in a fair manner and fought against the fleecing of the poor by the tanker mafia. When she was named a candidate of the CPI(M) for the corporation election, she promised the people that she would put an end to this unfair system. From the moment she assumed charge as councillor, her one-point mission was to bring tap water to her ward. She had to pursue her efforts both inside and outside the Council. She insisted that water supply be given priority over other development works and, in six months' time, triumphed in her mission. The entire city saw her as a crusader.

The pipeline was laid and even a trial supply of water was also undertaken. But a day or two before the supply was to have been formally inaugurated, Leelavathi was done to death by a group of six persons while she was returning from a shop. The wrath of the water tanker mafia as well as political rivalry was seen as the reason for the crime. The city of Madurai plunged into grief. Protest rallies were held in several parts of Tamil Nadu.

Even after her election to the Corporation Council at the age of 40, Leelavathi, a weaver by profession, and her husband Kuppusamy, a vendor of stainless steel utensils, continued to live in a single-room house, along with their three grown-up daughters. Her loom occupied most of the space in the house. A table fan and a black-and-white television set were the only other valuables in the house. Simple and unassuming, Leelavathi endeared herself to almost all sections of the people in her ward. She attended to their complaints with utmost sincerity. In the process, she had to confront several anti-social elements in the area. When the CPI(M) launched a demonstration against these elements, she was in the forefront. She gave her whole time to public service and party work. She became an enemy of these anti socials who actually had the supporting of DMK and its top leaders.
On 23 April 1998 while Com Leelavathi was going to shop to buy household things she was attacked brutally killed by a group led by DMK Ward secretary.

At the time of her death, one of the State vice-presidents of the Handloom Workers Union and a State committee member of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA).
You have shown us our way forward and you have been leading us as torchbearer in our journey forward. We remember You Comrade. We dip our Red Flag in our great memory. Lalsalam Com. Leelavathi.. Long Live Your memories..

CPI(M) seeks action against pondicherry governor Iqbal Singh

CPI(M) demanded that the President intervene and take action against Puducherry Lt Governor Iqbal Singh, who is embroiled in a controversy over alleged links with suspected money launderer Hasan Ali Khan.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) conducted a protest outside the Raj Nivas, when its members sought the immediate recall of Mr. Singh by the President. CPIM Tamil Nadu State committee member T. Murugan said that the Lieutenant Governor had “misused his powers” and took decisions that favoured the Trust in which his sons were members.

He said that the argument of Mr. Singh that he was not aware of the credentials of tax evader Hasan Ali when he recommended expeditious issuance of passport for him could not be accepted. “The truth in this issue would come out only if the investigations are carried out after removing him from his post,” he said. He came down on the ''inefficient'' Congress government for allegedly issuing a No Objection Certificate to a medical college to be set up at Karaikal by a trust, which reportedly has his relatives in it. "Even Chief Secretary R Chandramohan's clarification later on the essentiality certificate issued to the trust to start the college were inspid," he alleged. Further, starting on Friday, the party would show black flags to Mr. Singh whenever he stepped out of Raj Nivas, he said.

CPI (M) hails verdict on caste panchayats

The Haryana State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has hailed the directions issued by the Supreme Court regarding caste menace and caste panchayats. In a statement issued in Rohtak on Wednesday, Haryana State CPI(M) secretary Inderjit Singh said: “The comments of the apex court are timely.”

“Under the shameless protection of ruling politics, the way in which vested interests have become active under the garb of caste gotra/panchayats holding the rule of law and democracy to ransom pose a serious challenge to society as a whole,” he said. He asserted that as per the directions of the Supreme Court, the Haryana Government should also give up its “opportunistic stance of giving patronage to caste panchayats and curb their activities effectively which are otherwise trampling upon the fundamental rights of the common citizens”. The progressive forces fighting against casteism would certainly get a boost.

CPI campaign on Land issue evokes good response in Andhra Pradesh

CPI Andhra Pradesh State secretary K. Narayana on Tuesday inspired hundreds of Adivasis to ‘grab' the forest lands in this habitation and neighbouring Khandrigagudem in the Agency in West Godavari district.

 

Armed with sickles and axes, the tribal people marched under his leadership from Buttayagudem to the place of grabbing for a distance of 5km under the scorching sun. The adivasis took part in the struggle from 5 to 6 habitations in the Agency. Mr. Narayana demanded that the government should allow the landless tribal people to raise fruit-bearing plantations in the reserve forests by giving them the titles over the lands under their enjoyment in line with the Forest Rights Act. “We are not against environment and destroying the green cover either,” he said.

It is a long-drawn struggle for an extent of 1100 acres at Marlagudem. The police registered cases against 300 tribals and CPI leaders three months ago and foiled the latter's attempts for grabbing the land. Addressing a gathering of tribals, Mr. Narayana highlighted the need for the tribals to raise certain plantations like cashew, mango and tobacco so as to help them eke out a living without damaging the forest cover.

The CPI leader wanted the police officers to mediate with the Forest Department for a solution to ensure that there would not be any law and order problem in the Agency. The official machinery heaved a sight of relief with the ‘land grabbing' movement ending on a peaceful note.

(Courtesy ; The Hindu)

CPI(M) stages protests across Karnataka against corruption and Anti people policies of State BJP government

Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists organised protests outside taluk offices in Gulbarga District seeking fulfilment of various demands. Protesters gathered outside the taluk office here and raised slogans against the Government for neglecting the poor and the marginalised.

 

CPI(M) leader Nityananda Swamy said that corruption in government offices had reached a peak. . However, the Government had failed to act against corrupt officials, he said. The CPI(M)'s city unit secretary Gangamma Biradar said that the public distribution system in the State was flawed. “The Government has delayed issuing below the poverty line cards to the poor for more than a decade. The unit system of 4 kg of foodgrains per person needs to be scrapped. The price of foodgrains such as jowar has reached unprecedented levels, but the Government is indifferent to it. All these need to be addressed,” she said.

The police arrested protesters who tried to storm into the taluk office. Around 30 protesters, half of them women, were arrested and released later. Their other demands included curbing inflation, issuing of ration cards to all families, providing rice at Rs. 2 a kg and jowar at subsidised rates, and supply of pure drinking water to Gulbarga city. 

Raichur

Members of the Raichur district unit of the CPI(M) took out a procession and staged a dharna urging the Government to provide houses and land for cultivation to the homeless and landless in the district.

The activists went in a procession from Station Road and reached the taluk office here on Tuesday. They staged a dharna on the office premises and accused officials of indulging in irregularities while implementing the Land Reforms Act. In a memorandum submitted to the tahsildar, they said farmers in several villages such as Undraldoddi, Ijapur, Bapur, Baidoddi, Singanodi and Krubaradoddi in Raichur taluk had been cultivating ‘gairana' (notified revenue land) land for more than 75 years. Most of this land had been developed into agricultural fields where several borewells had also been sunk by taking loans.

On several occasions, the farmers had submitted applications to the department seeking transfer of land as per the Land Reforms Act. But the officials at the taluk office did not help the beneficiaries. On the contrary, Forest Department officials here were harassing farmers claiming the land that the farmers were cultivating was reserve forest land. Demanding that the Government allot houses to the poor in urban and rural areas, they said many agricultural labourers and poor people were living in huts even though the Government was implementing several housing schemes.

Udupi

Activists of the Udupi district unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) laid siege to the taluk office here on Tuesday against the “anti-people” policies of the Union and State governments.

Party leader P. Vishwanath Rai said the common man was suffering owing to poor administration and corruption. Inflation, substandard items given under the public distribution system, and unemployment had hit poor people hard. Farmers were not getting good prices for their produce such as rice, arecanut, and sugarcane.

Listing the demands of the CPI (M), Mr. Rai said that forcible acquisition of fertile agricultural land should be stopped. The government should provide a minimum wage of Rs. 6,000 a month for industrial workers. Ration cards should be provided to all. Each family should be given 35 kg of cereals. Rice should be distributed at Rs. 2 a kg under the public distribution system.

Labour laws should be strictly enforced and violators should be punished. A fund should be established to provide social security to temporary and contract workers. Beedi workers should be given a minimum wage of Rs. 125 for rolling 1,000 beedis. Futures trading in foodgrains should be banned to control prices. Black marketers should be punished.

Mangalore

CPI (M) activists held dharna in front of DC office in Mangalore to protest against the failure of the State and Central government.

Addressing the media DKDC Secretary CPI (M) B Madhava said that UPA government as well as BJP government has failed to solve the problems of the citizen. The Central government is involved in 2G spectrum, Common Wealth Games Scam, Adarsh scam and also bribing for votes whereas the state government is involved in corruption, land scam and illegal mining.  This has created ups and downs in ruling the country so the common people have been affected and there is no one to listen to their plea, he said. 

Among these it is the poor people who have been suffering from unavailability of the ration system. In the Central Government Budget the ration system will be cancelled he said. For the past three years State labourers union has been fighting to fix the minimum salary for the unskilled labourers but the state government has never bothered to implement it.  Instead they try to break the strength of the Labourers Union.  To make matters worse, he said the government has implemented a defective pension scheme for Anganvadi workers.

The state is witnessing thousands of homeless people who everyday are running behind the officers to get a land with proper documents but their cry has never reached the State government as well as Central government. Instead the government is denotifying the land and busy distributing to the capitalists, he charged.

Further he said that the BJP government had promised to give rice for Rs.2 per kg and had also promised to provide jobs to all unemployed but the said government has failed to keep its promises.

Sunil Kumar Bajal, Krishnappa Salian, K R Shreyan and Munir Katipalla were also present at the protest. Pandeshwar Police arrested and took into custody more than 400 protestors but they were released later.

Bangalore

In Bangalore, a large number of people staged a protest outside the tahsildar's office. The protest was jointly organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), and the Autorickshaw Drivers' Union (ARDU). “The consistent rise in prices of essential commodities has been neglected by the Government. It is high time that it is reined in,” CPI(M) district secretary Prakash K. said. The protesters distributed copies of a memorandum to be submitted to the Chief Minister. They were briefly detained by the police.

Kolar

The police detained CPI(M) workers in Bangarpet as they were preparing to gherao the taluk office.Activists of the CPI(M) and its frontal organisations such as the KPRS, SFI, DYFI and JMS gathered outside the taluk offices at Kolar, Srinivaspur, Malur and Mulbagal to protest against the rampant corruption in the State and the Centre. They also condemned the rise in prices of essential commodities.

Tension prevailed at the tahsildar's office in Kolar when the police stopped the activists from entering the office. The police did not allow them to protest near the taluk office because the model code of conduct is in force for the recently held bypolls.

When the workers, led by CPI(M) district unit secretary G. Arjunan, insisted on staging the protest, the police arrested them. They were released later.

Hassan

Workers belonging to the CPI(M) staged a protest against illegal mining in the State, outside the taluk office in Hassan. The protesters carried posters criticising the BJP, corrupt practices allegedly by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and rise in prices of essential commodities. The protesters submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor to the tahsildar.

Bijapur

Members of the district unit of the CPI(M) staged a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner's office in protest against the increase in prices of essential commodities.

The protesters gathered outside the Sri Siddeshwar temple and took out a procession through the main streets of the city. They raised slogans against the State and Union governments for their failure to address the “problems of the common man”.They submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner S.S. Pattanshetty.

(Source : The Hindu, Mangalorean.com)