CPIM PB On Assembly Election Results

West Bengal

The Left Front has suffered a big defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The CPI(M) accepts the verdict of the people. The Party will analyse the results carefully and come to proper conclusions about the electoral reverse. After the Left Front being in office for a record 34 years continuously, the people have opted for a change. The TMC-led combine has been the beneficiary of this change. 

The Left Front had won seven successive elections and governed the state for more than three decades which is unprecedented in the parliamentary democratic system in India. In this period, there were solid achievements – land reforms, a democratized panchayat system, progress in agriculture, assurance of democratic rights for the working people, for unity, integrity and communal harmony in the state. These are historic gains of the people of West Bengal and an enduring legacy.

Lakhs of people have supported and voted for the CPI(M) and the Left Front in the most adverse circumstances and against heavy odds. The Polit Bureau conveys its greetings to all of them. It assures them that the CPI(M) and the Left Front will stand by the interests of the people and struggle for the cause of the working people. The Party expresses its gratitude to the tens of thousands of Party and Left Front workers who worked tirelessly during the election campaign.

The Polit Bureau cautions that there should be no repetition of the violence that took place against the CPI(M) and the Left Front cadres and offices in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha polls in 2009. We appeal to the people to work for peace and tranquility.

Kerala

The results in Kerala show that the people have by and large endorsed the record of the LDF government of the past five years. The Left Democratic Front has very narrowly lost the elections with the UDF getting a slender majority of only two seats. This shows that there has been no anti-incumbency trend. However, some caste and religious forces have worked to influence the elections.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) conveys its warm greetings to the thousands of Party and LDF workers who have made this creditable performance in Kerala possible. The CPI(M) and the LDF will vigorously advocate alternative pro-people policies and firmly defend the interests of the working people.

Left Role

The results of West Bengal and Kerala will be a disappointment for the Left and democratic forces in the country. But this will, by no means, make the Left policies and programmes irrelevant for the country. The CPI(M) and the Left forces will not only continue to work for the people in West Bengal and Kerala but will vigorously pursue the struggle against the neo-liberal economic policies, defend the livelihood and interests of the working people and combat communalism and defend secularism in the country.

Tamilnadu

The Polit Bureau welcomes the sweeping victory of the AIADMK alliance in Tamilnadu. The AIADMK and its allies have won more than four-fifth of the seats in the Assembly. The Tamilnadu result is a decisive rejection of the corrupt misrule of the DMK and is also a verdict against the corruption which has flourished under the UPA regime at the Centre.

Assam

The Congress party has won a majority in the Assembly elections. The peace talks with the ULFA and the division in the opposition parties have contributed to the Congress victory.

Joint statement issued by Biman Bose and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Highlights

The election results have indicated that the Left Front, which has been in the Government uninterruptedly for the last 34 years, will no longer be in office. This is an unexpected result. The Left Front is accepting the mandate of the electorate of West Bengal with all humility and promising to play the role of a responsible and constructive opposition in the state assembly. Besides adopting specific corrective measures after identifying the reasons behind the defeat, the Left Front is committed to continue with its programmes and activities in order to regain the confidence of the people. The Left Front also congratulates and expresses its gratitude to all those who stood by us in this difficult situation marked by an all-round attack against the Left. The poor and common people of the state have made quite a few gains over the last 34 years. The working people, the peasants and the lower income groups have attained dignity. The Leftists hope that the people will remain vigilant in defence of their rights and dignity. The Left Front is appealing to people to maintain peace and ensure a democratic environment in all areas of the state. We appeal to all leaders, activists and supporters of the Left Front not to fall prey to provocations and to make preparations in all municipal wards, villages and areas - as one organised family - for undertaking mass work in the interests of the people. All complaints should be filed properly with the local police station. The Left Front leadership at the state and district levels will always stand by you. The Left Front MLAs will be prepared to defend the rights of the people both inside and outside the state assembly.

CITU to launch indefinite dharna in Karnataka

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) plans to launch an indefinite dharna in front of Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore on July 18 in protest against the alleged anti-labour and anti-people policies of the Government.

S. Prasannakumar, general secretary of the State unit of the CITU, told presspersons here on Wednesday that the Government was not addressing the problems of the working class on the one hand and, on the other, was using police force to suppress the rights of the people, particularly the working class whenever they demanded wages. “The Bharatiya Janata Party Government, which is involved in several scams, including land-grabbing, is ignoring the rights of the working class even after several protests. Hence, we are compelled to intensify the agitation by launching an indefinite dharna in front of the Vidhana Soudha in which members of the union from across the State will participate,” he said.

The demands of the union include increasing the minimum wage to Rs. 10,000 a month, convening a meeting of the experts' committee for finalising the fixation of minimum wages, abolition of the contract labour system and regularisation of the services of existing contract workers and equal pay for equal work. The union has urged the Government to control the rise in prices of essential commodities. Steps should be taken to extend the benefits of all welfare schemes to the unorganised sector through Social Security Board, the union has said. The CITU also wants the Government to withdraw the new pension scheme, which was tied to the volatile share market, and come out with a constructive pension scheme that would benefit anganwadi workers and others in the unorganised sectors.

CPI(M) flays callous attitude of Haryana Police

The Haryana State Committee of the CPI(M) has expressed anguish over the failure of the police to apprehend those who perpetrated the “most heinous crime of abduction, rape and murder of a school girl'' in Kurukshetra last week

In press statement released in Rohtak on Wednesday, Committee Secretary Inderjit Singh said that ordinary citizens were compelled to live in utmost fear in the wake of unprecedented spurt in crime all over the State especially during recent months. He asserted that the “mass protest in Kurukshetra against the “gruesome murder of the Dalit school girl'' was enough testimony of the brewing anger amongst the common people against the ‘callous attitude of the police generally and in this case particularly'.

The CPI(M) has asked Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to come out with effective steps to restore security to the common people as he is in charge of the Home Department also. Mr. Inderjit Singh said that women in general and Dalits and other weaker sections in particular were “bearing the worst brunt of sexual assault and other form of violence”. He added that the CPI(M) and the CPI state units would work in tandem to contact political parties, mass organizations, social groups and general public towards forging a wider platform to launch effective mass campaign for security of life and property of the people.

(Source : The Hindu)

CPIM and KPRS protest against misuse of MNREGS fund

Many Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) activists, including a large number of women, were arrested to prevent them from going to the residence of G. Janardhan Reddy, Minister for Tourism and in charge of the Bellary district to submit a memorandum to sought Judicial probe into the misuse of funds released under MNREGA. All of them were released later. U. Basavaraj, CPIM Bellary District Committe Secretary, who was among those arrested, condemned the police action and sought to know whether a police regime was prevailing in the district.

In response to a Statewide call, members of the two organisations planned to submit a memorandum to Mr. Reddy. They wanted to draw the Minister's attention to what they described as large-scale misuse of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural

Employment Guarantee Act Allegation

“Is it a crime to meet the Minister and apprise him about the plight of the poor,” he asked. Mr. Basavaraj alleged that the police insisted that there was no need for so many people to go to the residence of the Minister. They (police) said they would ask a representative of the Minister to come here and collect the memorandum. When this was turned down, they arrested all the members. Terming the incident anti-democratic, Mr. Basavaraj said a public movement would soon be launched against it.

The memorandum said that the very purpose of the MNREG scheme was being defeated and crores of rupees misused. “We wanted to seek a judicial probe into the misuse of funds. We also want the scheme extended to urban areas,” he said. V.S. Shivashankar of the KPRS was among those present.

Police rough up agricultural workers
Agricultural workers led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), who sought payment for works executed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) were roughed up by the police here on Monday.

Scores of workers had assembled in front of the home office of Minister S.A. Ramdas to submit a memorandum, alleging that the district administration had been withholding their wages.

Nearly 160 workers, all belonging to the economically weaker section, from the Kodahahalli Gram Panchayat in T. Narsipura taluk, had been denied daily wages. Though they were engaged in work from November 16, 2010 to December 12, 2010 and should have received Rs. 125 per day, the authorities had denied them their due, the activists alleged. However, the workers were dispersed by the police on the grounds that they did not have the permission to stage a dharna.

“Even the basic courtesy of receiving the memorandum was denied to us and the police roughed us up while the women agricultural workers were chased away”, said G.N. Nagaraj, CPI(M) leader.

(source : The Hindu)

CPI(M) to conduct Jail Bharo andolan in Orissa

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Orissa State committe on Sunday announced two-month-long ‘jail bharo andolan' demanding hike in minimum daily wages and homestead land for the landless families.

The fresh agitational programme was planned by the State unit of the CPI (M) as the Naveen Patnaik government did not respond to the demands. Several CPI (M) leaders, led by its secretary Janardan Pati, courted arrest last month and refused to come out of jail showing resentment over insouciant approach of the State government.]

“Now our activists will voluntarily let them arrest across the State as part of our peaceful way to protest against unresponsive State government. Activists in small numbers will keep on protesting and courting arrest during next two months,” Mr. Pati said at a press conference here on Sunday.

“What is baffling is that legislators after being elected forgot interest of daily labourers. They exerted immense pressure to raise their salaries and stipend which put together would come around Rs. 1 lakh per month. But a daily labourer toil for a day in industrial projects to earn just Rs. 90,” he said.

Neglect of poor

Alleging that the present government had neglected the poorest of poor in the State, the CPI (M) secretary said, “the State government has appointed special officers to make land available to multinational companies such as Posco and Vedanta whereas existence of landless families is at stake without a space to have a shelter.” The CPI (M) demanded minimum five decimal of homestead land and agricultural land for the landless families in the State.

Mr. Pati said rising prices of essential commodities had already pushed scores of families into realm of food insecurity. “Universal public distribution system would be able to solve the problem. At present, paltry old age pension is nothing, but a cruel joke to needy elderly persons. Amount of old-age pension should be immediately raised,” he demanded.

District and block-level workers of the party were asked to mobilise support for the ‘jail bharo' programme.

(Source : The Hindu)

Theekathir Chennai Edition launches Color printing

In an yet another milestone, Theekathir the mouthpiece of CPIM in Tamil Nadu, introduced color printing in its Chennai Edition. The new mechanism was inaugurated by CPIM Polit Bureau member Com. K Varadaranjan. CPIM State Secretary Com. G Ramakrishnan, Com. N Sankaraiaah, Com T K Rangarajan and many other leaders participated in the function.

Thunderbolt team wishes all greetings to the new venture 

Left to Launch Campaign Jointly in Punjab

A joint meeting of the state coordination committee of the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was held here on April 26, 2011 at Cheema Bhawan. In the session that was presided over by Dr. Joginder Dayal, member of the national executive of the Communist Party of India, the CPI decided to hold mass political rallies and demonstrations in 12 districts especially in the first phase of the campaign which would be against corruption, rising prices and unemployment.

Apart from these burning issues affecting the development process in the state, there is unending industrial crises leading to unprecedented rate of unemployment, and also against the commercialization of education and health care.
The financial crisis which the state is facing today, involves increasing agriculture crisis resulting in unbearable rural indebtedness culminating in thousands of suicides by the peasants and agriculture workers. In addition there is the unending industrial crises leading to unprecedented unemployement, against the commercialization of education and health care.
 

For the development of the state in all spheres of life, campaign would be initiated against the deteriorating law and order situation, against the unprecedented daily repression of the struggling masses and against the draconian laws passed by the Punjab Assembly suffocating the democratic rights and liberties of the masses.
 

The meeting was attended by the leaders of both the parties which included Charn Singh Virdi, secretary, CPI (Marxist), Raghunath Singh and Lehmbar Singh Taggar both members of CPI(M) state secretariat and Dr. Joginder Dayal and Nirmal Singh, both state secretaries of the CPI and Bant Singh Brar and Gurnam Kanwar both members of the state secretariat, CPI. These rallies will be held at Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, Moga and Ferozepur from May 20, to the end of June. The meeting had also decided to take steps to get other like-minded political forces in this campaign.

Resolutions taken in the session are as follows:
On the recent damage of wheat crop, the meeting expressed its deep sympathy with those whose crop has been damaged due to untimely rain and hail storm at a time when the crop was ready to be brought to the market.
It demanded that the state government should provide 100 percent compensation to the affected people. The meeting strongly rejected the meager bonus of just Rs.50 per quintal by the central government. It called it a cruel joke with peasants and that Rs.150 per quintal be given of which 33 percent should be born by the state which earns Rs.160 per quintal from the taxes.

Resolution on Civil Services Act
In another resolution the leaders of both the parties condemned the recently passed Civil Services Act because it puts all new employment on contract at the salary of 40 percent that of the regular salary. Hence The Civil Services It supported the agitation by all sections of employees, electricity engineers and workers. The meeting demanded that this Act should be withdrawn because it will cripple all the services to the people. The meeting directed all the district units to hold joint meetings and start making full preparation for the success of this campaign.

CPI(M) plans padayatra in Pondicherry for removal of Lt. Governor

The Puducherry unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will organise padayatra in the town and suburban areas on May 7, 9 and 10 to generate public opinion for the party's campaign against the continuance of Iqbal Singh as Lieutenant Governor.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu State committee member of CPI(M) T. Murugan and local committee secretary of the party V. Perumal said they would continue with the struggle demanding removal of the Lieutenant Governor. Mr. Singh had also misused his office in getting approval for a private medical college, Mr. Murugan alleged. The party had already made a representation to the President of India demanding recall of the Lieutenant Governor, he added.

Killing of Osama Bin Laden

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

 

Osama Bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan by the US special forces. This, however, does not mean an end to the problem of terrorism, which has many dimensions.

 

The death of Osama Bin Laden, while being a setback for the Al Qaeda, will not result in an end to the extremist violence spawned by fundamentalism. At the same time, the methods used by the United States to fight the so-called global “war on terror”, has only worsened the situation. In the name of fighting the Al Qaeda, the US devastated Afghanistan and Iraq. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives in these wars of aggression.

 

The fact that Bin Laden could live in Pakistan for so many years points to the linkage between the security establishment and some of the extremist groups operating there. The US had enlisted Pakistan to fight the Afghanistan government backed by the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The Pentagon and CIA had equipped and financed through the ISI, people like Osama, thus fuelling the later day Taliban and Jehadi fundamentalists.

 

The recent military intervention in Libya and the continuing war in Afghanistan, show that the United States has learnt no lessons from the past. State terrorism and fundamentalist terrorism feed each other. Unless the United States changes its approach of resorting to military force and state terrorism, the problem of terrorism cannot be tackled successfully.