Orissa :Three Left parties criticise Naveen

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Convention to be held on farmer suicides

Revival of Lift Irrigation Corporation demanded

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BHUBANESWAR: The three major Left parties of the State on Friday came down heavily on the Naveen Patnaik Government and blamed it for the spate in farmers’ suicides in the State.

The three parties – Communist Party of India(Marxist), Communist Party of India, and Forward Bloc – also criticised the State government for going soft on those involved in the multi-crore illegal mining scam.

They announced that a State level convention will be held in the city on November 24 on the issues of farmer suicides, mining scam, drought and price rise.

Among the senior leaders who were scheduled to address the rally include CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan and Forward Bloc leader and West Bengal Minister Naren Dey. The leaders of the three parties said that the measures that the State government had announced after the farmers started committing suicide after suffering crop loss due to a bad monsoon and pest attack were not sufficient help the farmers.

The leaders who addressed the presspersons were CPI State Committee Secretary Dibakar Nayak, CPI(M) State Committee Member Santosh Das, and State Secretary of Forward Bloc Santosh Mitra.

They demanded that the State government immediately revive the Lift Irrigation Corporation that had been closed several years ago to increase the irrigation cover. About 12,000 of the total 15,000 lift irrigation points that existed in the State wee lying defunct, they informed.

The leaders also criticised the announcement of the State government that a large number of ponds would be established on agricultural land to help farmers irrigate their crops. “How will the scheme help when there was little rain,” they queried.

They further blamed the government for the decline in agricultural productivity in the State. The agricultural production had decreased with the government allowing the plunder of the mineral resources in the name of industrialisation, they said.

Courtesy : The Hindu

Socialism is the way forward

Mr. Yechury suggested that the time was ripe for international communist movements to intensify popular struggles and launch an offensive against the rule of capitalists.

Disputing the current approach in handling the international financial crisis and terming it as a typical capitalist solution, an international meeting of communist parties and workers on Friday advocated that socialism is the only way forward in the long run.

While tracing the genesis of the economic crisis, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said it was neither the result of greed of some individuals nor an aberration but inherent to the dynamics of the capitalist system that is based on human exploitation.

Mr. Yechury suggested that the time was ripe for international communist movements to intensify popular struggles and launch an offensive against the rule of capitalists.

“This period has also seen the rising resistance to such growing imperialist hegemonic efforts. But it must be noted that much of the struggles launched by the working class and the exploited sections have essentially been defensive in nature… Resistance in the nature of mounting the assault on the rule of capital is yet to take a decisive shape. From this meeting a powerful call must go to all contingents of the international communist movement to intensify popular struggles to mount this assault on the rule of capital… Socialism is the only way…” he said.

Global crisis

On his part, the leader of the Communist Party of China delegation, Ai Ping felt that while many people blame the global financial crisis in the U.S. on speculation or on excessive lending, the crisis is no different from others in history which were caused by the inherent contradiction of capitalism.

New attacks and reordering the world for profit maximisation under the dictates of international finance capital, Mr. Yechury said defines neo-liberalism and how the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank imposed structural conditionalities while disbursing loans ensured compliance to neo-liberal reforms.

He said in the absence of a powerful political alternative, capitalism will emerge from this crisis but at the expense of further intensifying exploitation and through the process of accumulation through encroachment.

Mr. Ping informed delegates from 49 countries and 55 parties how China adjusted its macroeconomic policy, increased government spending to boost domestic demand and improve peoples’ lives which saw its GDP grow by 7.7 per cent this year.

In his address, CPI secretary Pallab Sengupta felt the most powerful peoples’ movement in the world today was aimed against the capitalist system for a world of social and economic justice and socialism.

Interestingly, vice chair of the Communist Party of the United States Scott Marshall narrated how the financial crisis was affecting the working class in his country. He said at a time when economists were declaring the recession was over, the U.S. was still losing around 2 lakh jobs. He saw fresh signs of labour solidarity and saw the election of President Barack Obama as opening the door for a new fight for economic justice, peace and equality.

The three-day meeting will conclude on Sunday with a public meeting where a declaration will be adopted.

Courtesy : The Hindu

11th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties - 1st day

Press Release 1st Day

New Delhi: November 20, 2009

Intensify popular struggles and expand solidarities in the wake of current world capitalist crisis. This seems to be main direction emerging from discussions on the inaugural day of the 11th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties, being jointly hosted by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India.

In the brief inaugural session, CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member and head of International Department of the Party, Sitaram Yechury presented the main theme of the meeting, 'The International Capitalist Crisis, the workers and people's struggle, the alternatives and the role of the communist and working class movement'. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and CPI general secretary A B Bardhan were also present along with scores of other leaders from the Cps of the world.

The delegate session began at 12:15 a.m. Discussion began with countries of American continents. In pre-lunch session Oscar Martinez Cordoves (C P Cuba), Jose Reinaldo Carvalho ( C P doB), Patricio Echegaray ( C P Argentina), Antonio Pavel (C P Mexico) and Scott Marshll (C P USA) addressed the session. Manzurul Ahsan Khan (C P Bangladesh) also addressed the delegates.

All speakers from parties of Latin American countries underlined that for the progressive forces and processes in their region, the coming to power of Obama in USA does not indicate any favourable change. It represents only new and more intelligent tactic of Empire to stall the march of progressive forces in the region. They underlined various steps taken by US under Obama to strengthen forces of reaction in the region. The coup d'etat in Honduras was repeatedly mentioned in this context.

Cuban representative specifically debunked this media created impression that Obama administration has begun dismantling the half century old criminal blockade against Cuba. He underlined that Obama has powers but no political will to change US imperial methods. Scott Marshal of CP USA said that Obama's victory in the election was an outcome of the struggle to defeat the reactionary right regime of Bush. He also underlined the significance of largest US trade union organisation, AFL-CIO, rediscovering its working class roots, as represented by its 2009 convention.

CP Bangladesh representative underlined the fact that imperialism encouraged and supported fundamentalist and reactionary forces in their country, including the two year long military supported dictatorial rule, that working class and people of Bangladesh had to defeat to restore democracy in the country.

International meeting is to continue it's discussion in the evening session which would see Manik Sarkar speaking on behalf of CPI(M) and S Sudhakar Reddy of CPI, Ai Ping of Communist Party of China and Pak Gyong Son of Workers Party of Korea among others.

Socialism, the only alternative to global financial crisis: Yechury

Suggesting it is time for all international communist movements to intensify popular struggles and launch an offensive against the rule of capital, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said socialist way should be the alternate in meet the global financial crisis.

``This period has also seen the rising resistance to such growing imperialist hegemonic efforts. But it must be noted that much of the struggles launched by the working class and the exploited sections have essentially been defensive in nature…Resistance in the nature of mounting the assault on the rule of capital is yet to take a decisive shape. From this meeting a powerful call must go to all contingents of the international communist movement to intensify popular struggles to mount this assault on the rule of capital…Socialism is the only way…’’ Mr. Yechury said.

The CPI (M) MP and Polit Bureau member said this at the inaugural session of the 11the International Meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties’’ being attended by 55 delegates from 49 countries, and 55 parties. The meeting being held for the first time in India is co-hosted by the CPI and the CPI (M).

Remarking on the timing of the meet, he said, the ``capitalist’’ crisis that affected the world is neither the result of greed of some individuals nor an aberration but inherit to the dynamics of capitalist system that is based on human exploitation.

Forces of world socialism suffered reversal since the collapse of the Soviet Union and East European countries allowing imperialism to consolidate its hegemony in all sphere, he said noting that the growing resistance in parts of the world is yet to develop to the desired levels.

New attacks and reordering the world for profit maximisation under the dictates of international finance capital, Mr. Yechury said defines neo-liberalism. The first way is to have policies removing restrictions on the movement of goods and capital across border with trade liberalisation displacing domestic producers.

The second route is consolidating capital accumulation through deflationary policies by limiting government expenditure in the name of fiscal discipline, rolling back of State sector globally, that allows opening up of new areas for private accumulation.

``The structural conditionalities imposed by the International Monetary Fund and separately by the World Bank while disbursing loans ensured compliance to neo-liberal reforms’’, he said.

Mr. Yechury said in the absence of a powerful political alternative, capitalism will emerge from this crisis but at the expense of further intensifying exploitation and through the process of accumulation through encroachment.

While the current crisis would be overcome, he predicted a major systemic crisis for the world capitalism was in the offing and cautioned that the USA will try to thwart it by transferring the burdens. This would be done by intensifying exploitation through accompanying political and military might.

In his address, the CPI sectary Pallab Sengupta felt today the most powerful peoples’ movement in the world was aimed against the capitalist system for a world of social and economic justice and socialism.

Courtesy : The hindu

Action sought against those hoarding essential commodities

Secretary of the State unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxists) V.J.K. Nair said here on Wednesday that the Government should ban forward trading in essential commodities to control price rise.

Addressing a joint conference of CPI (M) and Communist Party of India (CPI) workers on Price rise and food security at the Town Hall, he said that if the Government did not stop forward trading, prices of essential commodities would go beyond the reach of common man.

Mr. Nair said that people were finding it difficult to buy foodgrains owing to price rise. On the other hand, farmers were not getting any profit in spite of prices of foodgrains being high in the market. This indicated that middlemen were the actual beneficiaries, he said.

He alleged that multinational companies (MNCs) were making an all-out effort to control the Indian market and promote commercial crops. Mr. Nair said that the Government should take stringent action against those hoarding essential commodities.

He claimed that daily income of 70 per cent of the people in the country was not more than Rs. 20. In such a condition, it would be difficult to achieve economic stability, Mr. Nair added.

H. Vasantha Rai, member of the State committee of the CPI, said that the economic policy being implemented in the country was only making rich people richer and the poor poorer. It was a market-driven policy. Arjun Sengupta, chairman of National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector, in his report on social security, submitted to the Union Government, had stated that economic developments taken place in the country since the Independence had benefited only 30 per cent of the population. This indicated the direction on which the Indian economy was moving, he said.

He said that 35 lakh people had applied for 20,000 clerical posts in a nationalised bank recently. This showed the extent of unemployment in the country.

B. Madhava, president of the Dakshina Kannada unit of the CPI (M) said that the Government should address the nutrition problem being faced by workers in the country.

P. Sanjeeva, secretary of the district unit of the CPI, and K.R. Shreyan, State secretariat member of the CPI, were present
(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Tribute To A Valiant Fighter : COMRADE BSR

The Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday declared open the P. Srinivasa Rao Memorial at Thiruthuraipoondi in Tiruvarur district.

Srinivasa Rao was a freedom fighter and who also fought for the cause of farm labourers.

Mr. Stalin paid floral tributes to the portrait of Srinivasa Rao inside the building after its inauguration. The memorial has come up at a cost of Rs. 25 lakh. The Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi gave an assurance in the State Assembly on April 10, 2007 that a memorial will be constructed for Mr. Rao at Thiruthraipoondi in recognition of his services to society. Accordingly, the memorial has been constructed opposite the bus stand at Thiruthuraipoondi on the Tiruvarur-Thiruthuraipoondi road and handed over to the Information and Public Relations Department.

Comrade BSR was born in 1906 in south Canara area of Karnataka, part of erstwhile Madras presidency. After finishing his school education in his native place, he continued college education in Bangalore. Responding to the call of Mahatma Gandhi, Comrade BSR quit his college studies and joined the freedom movement. He was one among the leaders who picketed against the sale of foreign clothes in Madras city in the later part of the thirties. Comrade BSR became a member of the Communist Party in Tamilnadu along with P Ramamurthy, Jeevanandam and others. In fact, he was inspired by Amir Hyder Khan when they met in Trichy central prison during those times. At the time of his death, he was a member of the national council and the state secretariat of the Party.

In 1943, the Tamilnadu state committee of the Communist Party decided to send Comrade BSR to Thanjavur to mobilise the peasants and agricultural labourers. In the early part of the 20th century, there was a huge concentration of land in the hands of few landlords, Mutts and zamindars in Thanjavur district. The entire district was under the domination of the landlords and the economy and the lives of the people in the villages were under the iron grip of the landlords. Among all the districts of Tamilnadu, the age-old caste system and caste oppression of the dalits by caste Hindus was the worst in Thanjavur district compared to other districts in Tamilnadu. Majority of the dalits were pannayals (bonded labourers) in the 1940s. Majority of the cultivating tenants were caste Hindus. All the landlords were caste Hindus and some of them were from upper castes. The dalits had to face both feudal and caste oppression. In the 1930s there was a certain spontaneous upsurge among the dalit pannayals and tenants in East Thanjavur. In this background Comrade BSR was sent to Thanjavur to mobilise the peasants and agricultural labourers. When he went to Thanjavur he could speak Tamil but not read and write. Still he was successful in building a powerful communist and peasant movement in East Thanjavur. He was able to grasp the socio-economic situation in East Thanjavur then and dedicated himself to mobilising the oppressed people against caste and feudal oppression and also against the colonial rulers.

Comrade BSR was given a rousing reception at Kalappal village presided over by Kalappal Kuppusamy. (At the instigation of the landlords Kalappal Kuppusamy was poisoned to death in Trichy central prison in 1948) While thanking the organisers Comrade Srinivasa Rao said “You all were in mother’s womb for ten months and your mothers gave birth. Your landlord and their agents were also like that. You are also a human being like your landlords. Like them you also have two legs and two hands. What is the difference between you and them? If you are hit, hit them back. It is not only illegal to whip the pannayals and forcefully pour cow dung liquid into their mouth, it is inhuman too. If they try to impose punishment like this, you should chase them and attack them. If the goons come to attack, you tie them to a tree. If any one of you is attacked, the entire village should rise against the attack and defend you. Your unity and the strengthening of Kisan Sabha are more important. Hoist the Red flags in all the villages” This was how Comrade BSR spoke to the people. He ate with the dalits, stayed with them and spoke their language. In 1943 the first unit of the Kisan Sabha was formed in Thenparai village. Struggle against untouchability, struggle for wage increase and protection of tenants, and struggle for land began all over the district. Units of the Party and Kisan Sabha were formed in all the taluks of East Thanjavur. Besides this, Comrade BSR concentrated on developing cadre system in the Party.

The peasant movement had to face police repression. During 1948-51, the Communist Party and the peasant organisations were banned in these districts. Comrade BSR along with other leaders had to function underground in this period. Many a settlement was reached between the landlords and the Kisan Sabha abolishing the worst form of untouchability and for wage increase and other demands later.

He was able to build a strong leadership of Communist party in the districts consisting of people from both dalits and caste Hindus. In the 1952 assembly elections, the Communist Party won six assembly seats out of 19 seats in Thanjavur district. It is pertinent to note here that the undivided CPI won 14 seats in the entire state out of which six were from Thanjavur district.

On August 20, 1952, the Kisan Sabha held a conference against the eviction of tenants form the lands at Thiruthuraipoondi. About 60,000 tenants and pannayals attended the conference. Newly-elected Congress state government brought out an ordinance abolishing pannayals system and also protecting tenants from eviction. After the promulgation of Pannayals Protection Act (1952) the relationship between the landlords and the pannayals changed as landlords and agricultural labourers. As the situation changed, peasant movement raised new demands. Comrade BSR was not only an organiser of the movement in East Thanjavur but also the state general secretary of Tamilnadu Kisan Sabha. On his initiative, state-level picketing was organised by Kisan Sabha in 1961 demanding amendments to the land reforms legislation bill introduced by the state Congress government. He toured all over the state organising the picketing. Around 20,000 Kisan Sabha volunteers courted arrest. He was very frail and as he restlessly campaigned, he became ill and died on September 29, 1961.

Comrade BSR lived for 54 years and worked for 19 long years in East Thanjavur. His dedicated work contributed to the development of communist movement and peasant movement in not only East Thanjavur but all over the state. Though the dalits of East Thanjavur are still poor and economically backward, they are comparatively free from worst forms of caste oppression and untouchability. They earn agricultural wages above the level of minimum wages notified by the state government form time to time.

The relentless struggle of the dalits and downtrodden agricultural workers – who were subjected to innumerable insults and inhuman exploitation –against all odds even today, is only because of the kisan movement and the foundation of leadership provided by Comrade B Srinivasa Rao and others. Comrade B Srinivasa Rao is a legend even today in every hutment of East Thanjavur. He lives in the memory of his comrades-in-arms even today and would continue to glow in the memories of generations to come as a comrade who broke the back of the feudal oppression and class exploitation. The opening of his memorial is a fitting tribute to his memory and to remind the younger generation to keep the vigil till the bourgeoisie-landlord social order is razed to the ground.

DYFI for making Karnataka State hunger free

Convention to be held in Bangalore on November 25

‘Union Government adopting an anti-poor stance’

The State unit president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), N.L. Bharatraj, announced here on Tuesday that the DYFI would organise a convention in Bangalore on November 25 to urge the Government to make Karnataka a hunger-free State and check the rising prices of essential commodities.

He was speaking to presspersons here. The Government should provide rice/wheat up to 35 kg for every poor family at Rs. 2 a kg every month, Mr. Bharatraj demanded.

The B.S. Yeddyurappa Government should follow the Kerala model where 14 commodities, including oil, detergents and cloth, were sold in ration shops under the Public Distribution System, he said. The Kerala Government had opened over 4,000 shops to sell various products at lower than the market price for the benefit of the poor, he added.

Mr. Bharatraj accused the Union Government of adopting an anti-poor stance, and said it helped the large corporate companies with huge concessions in tax every year. The unit system introduced by the State Government in fair price shops should be scrapped, Mr. Bharatraj demanded.

The DYFI would fight for more effective public distribution system, ensuring food security to the poor, restricting retail multinational chains, punishing hoarders, ensuring effective functioning of midday meal scheme, enhancing daily food allowance to students in SC/ST and BCM hostels, bringing down prices of petrol and diesel, taking up rehabilitation of the flood-affected people in the State and increasing the wage under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act to Rs. 150 by removing the 100-day cap, Mr. Bharatraj said.

Organisations such as the Karnataka Pranta Raitha Sangha, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Janawadi Mahila Sanghatane, Krishi Koolikarara Sangha, and Students Federation of India had extended support to the State-level convention, he added.

Secretary of the Kodagu unit of the DYFI P.R. Bharat criticised the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC), and said that power failures and unscheduled power cuts had become common in the district.

(courtesy : the hindu)

Micro Finance Sector Development and Regulation Bill : AIDWA demands wider consultations

The Union Government should hold wider consultation with different stakeholders before coming out with the planned Micro Finance Sector Development and Regulation Bill if it should really benefit the women SHG movement, according to All India Democratic Women’s Association general secretary Sudha Sundararaman. Interest cap

“The Bill being formulated now is only beneficial to the private micro financial institutions and is not addressing the demands of women SHG members for a cap on interest levied,” she said.

Ms. Sundararaman was talking to reporters here on the sidelines of the special state conference organised by AIDWA for women SHGs here on Tuesday.

According to her, the Bill should go through process of re-drafting to erase the fundamental flaws in it before got implemented.

On interest ceiling, Ms. Sundararaman said that the government should mention it in the Bill instead of allowing the private micro finance institutions to determine the rates of interest on the credit extended, which could be detrimental to the interests of women.

The interest ceiling fixed should be ‘realistic’ and ‘affordable’ to the women SHG members.

Allocation

She said that it was indeed a pity that the Centre had cut short the allocation towards the corpus created under the head of ‘Rashtriya Mahila Kosh’ (also known as National Credit Fund for Women) for this financial year vis-À-vis last fiscal.

Instead, the Centre should have made more budgetary allocation to help skill development of women and support to market the produces made by women SHG members at remunerative prices.

Criticises practice

She also criticised the practice of certain State Governments of using the SHG to operate fair price shops and anganwadis just to ‘pass the responsibility.’

“If SHG welfare is the real aim, the groups should be given assistance for capital and operational expenditures,” she said.

Ms. Sundararaman wanted the Tamil Nadu Government to take a leaf out of the successfully implemented ‘Kudumbashree’ initiative in Kerala, which credit linked poor households with the banks.

AIDWA state general secretary U. Vasuki was present.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Karunanidhi belittling Bengal’s efforts: N.Varadarajan

CPI (M) State Secretary N.Varadarajan said West Bengal had re-distributed at least 30,000 acres in 2006-2007 as part of implementation of the Land Ceiling Act, in response to Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi’s statement that Tamil Nadu’s track record in land reforms is comparable with that of West Bengal.

Mr. Karunanidhi himself had made the statement earlier in response to Mr. Varadarajan’s observation that the Mandal Commission had recognised West Bengal’s achievement in land reforms. The CPI (M) State secretary said Mr.Karunanidhi was belittling West Bengal’s efforts.

West Bengal’s contribution to redistribution of lands was 21 per cent of the country’s effort.

The total number of beneficiaries was 28 lakhs, he said in a statement.

In 1990, a total of 95,000 acres were taken over by the government and 94,000 acres were redistributed.

Post-1991, after the economic liberalisation policies came into effect, land redistribution had nearly come to a stop in the country, but West Bengal continued.

Don’t portray land retrieval movement as law and order issue: N. Varadarajan

CPI (M) State secretary N. Varadarajan on Monday asked Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi not to portray the ‘land retrieval movement’ to reclaim the government lands allegedly held by Karnataka Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran as a law and order issue.

He also rejected the Chief Minister’s accusation that the CPI (M) was concentrating more on Mr. Justice Dinakaran’s land while adopting a silent attitude towards former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s holding in Siruthavur.

“The Siruthavur issue is lying idle because Justice Sivasubramanian, who was probing the land grabbing allegations, has been given additional responsibilities. The CPI (M) cannot be held responsible for it.

As regards the Chief Minister’s allegation that the CPI (M) was adopting double standards, one for Tamil Nadu and another for West Bengal, he said West Bengal’s achievement in land reforms had been recognised by Mandal Commission.

(Courtesy : The Hindu, Photos : Gavaskar Theekathir)