Left Parties to intesify the struggle against FDI in retail sector

The Left parties on Saturday called upon people to join their rally in New Delhi on December 3 against the UPA government decisions on FDI in multi-brand retail, replacement of subsidy by cash transfer, rising inflation and capping the number of subsidized LPG cylinders. They have also called a two-day statewide agitation in Bihar on February 20 to press their demands.

Speaking at a state-level convention of CPI, CPM, Forward Block and RSP held at Patna CPIM general secretary Prakash Karat said the UPA-II has been anti-people all through.  Karat hoped all the political parties opposing FDI would vote against the government in parliament on December 5. He said the Left parties would also seek a vote over RBI amendments in Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to facilitate FDI in multi-brand retail. Ahead of the vote in Parliament on foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said here on Saturday that since parties with a majority were opposed to the policy, there was no consensus among the allies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the issue. 

Addressing supporters at the meeting, he said, “Besides the Congress and its allies, namely the Nationalist Congress Party and the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, all the others have taken a stand against FDI. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, its biggest ally, is also against FDI. So where is the consensus?” After the FDI vote, the Left parties will target the proposed amendment to the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) regulations to allow FDI in retail. “The Supreme Court has said the Reserve Bank of India should have amended the FEMA regulations to bring in FDI. We will ask for a vote on this too,” he said. 

Accusing the UPA of bowing to pressure from the U.S. and the foreign capitalists, Mr. Karat said the UPA went back on its promise of discussing with parties and governments to build a consensus on the issue and took a “one-sided” decision to allow FDI. 

“This government has been trying to bring Walmart and other supermarkets since 2004. The decision was stalled due to stiff opposition. When Pranab Mukherjee was the Finance Minister, he had assured that the decision would be suspended and a consensus would be created through consultation with other parties. But in September, the one-sided decision to allow FDI was taken. Of the 28 States whose opinion was sought, only nine backed it. What economic freedom will we have if foreign giants like Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour capture our markets?” he asked, likening the fight against FDI to the freedom struggle.Terming the policy as “antinational” and “anti-people”, Mr. Karat said the government’s claim of creating one crore jobs was “a blatant lie.” 

“In the U.S., a Walmart supermarket employs an estimated 200 to 250 people. And in India, a small shop would have around three employees. If a Walmart comes in an area, it will employ 200 people, but 1,300 shops in the vicinity will be shut, resulting in job losses for around 4,000 people. This is not just an attack on small businesses, it will impact the industry and agriculture.” 

As almost two of the four crore estimated retailers are concentrated in the 53 cities, rolling out FDI in 53 cities would affect a large number of them. The policy was not in farmer’s interest but in the interest of the US and Walmart, he said. he Left parties would mobilise people against the “damaging” policy. “We will not allow a single Walmart store to open. Our slogan will be ‘Stop Walmart’,” Mr. Karat said. 

Highlighting the pressing problems of inflation, poverty and unemployment, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan asked, “Is this (FDI) our priority? The government has not given any thought to its impact on livelihoods. The big retail giants have been looting the world in the name of retail trade. We don’t to give them space in India.” 

Both the leaders criticised the government’s decision of direct cash transfer for subsidies and entitlements and reiterated the demand for universal public distribution system. The joint convention on FDI saw the participation of the CPI (M), CPI, CPI (ML) and the All India Forward Block.

CPI(M) Fire chain stir against Price Rise and LPG Subsidy Cut

CPI(M) Kerala State committee organised fire chain protest in 775 km in the National Highway starting from Manjeswaram in the North to the Parassala in the south as part of  agitation against price rise and LPG subsidy cut.  State-wide agitation ‘Agnisringhala’ (chain of fire) on Saturday, against price rise of essential commodities and restriction on the number of subsidised LPG cylinders, evoked massive response in the state.  As per the initial figures around 30 lakh people  cooked food on one side of the National Highway road against the alleged anti-people policies of Union and State governments.,They set up hearths on the roadside and cooked food using firewood. The activists distributed payasam and steamed tapioca to the people thronged to watch the novel protest. The activists and  people, mostly women and children, took part in lighting earthen hearths along the National Highway at around 4.30 p.m. Nearly one hearth per metre. 

The party described the campaign as a symbolic way of conveying the anger of the common man against the policies of the Centre, including the cut in subsidised LPG and failure to rein in runaway inflation.

Party leaders claimed the response had been overwhelming and spontaneous as food was cooked on nearly one million brick or stone hearths set up on the western side of highways from Manjeswaram in the north to Parassala in the south.

Participating in the protest were wives of leader of opposition V.S. Achuthanandan and state secretary of Kerala CPI-M Pinarayi Vijayan, who cooked rice and tapioca in temporary ovens set up in the heart of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. cum Vijayan launched the protest at 4.30 p.m. He was later joined by Achuthanandan

.

"Generally it's the males in our party who take to the streets. But the restriction of six LPG cylinders and the price rise is affecting women in every family," said Pinarayi Vijayan's wife Kamala Vijayan.

The cooked food was later distributed among all those present. CPI-M politburo member M.A. Baby and his wife Betty Baby also joined the protest. In Manjeswaram town of Kasargode district that borders Karnataka, CPI-M's district secretary K.P.Satish Chandran led the protesters, while in Kalyikavilla that borders Tamil Nadu, CPI-M state committee member A. Nagappan led the protest.

Oppose Cash Transfers as substitutes for Public goods

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

 

The direct cash transfer scheme described by the Congress as a “game changer” is indeed a game changer whose rules are weighted against the poor, in favour of the UPA-2 Government’s obsessive commitment to cut subsidies to the working people. The Government has declared that this policy will, once the “system is in place” be extended to food and fertiliser. In a period of high inflation, cash transfers to replace public goods such as these is to actually cut subsidies since the cash to be transferred will not cover the increased costs of the same amount of subsidized foodgrains. This will have an adverse impact on increasing malnutrition and hunger. The CPI(M) strongly opposes such a policy shift away from provision of foodgrains, kerosene, fertilizers etc instead of providing for a universal PDS at controlled prices.

 

The CPI(M) also objects to linking MNREGA wages to the AADHAR card. As has been repeatedly pointed out by experts, biometric identification for manual workers has a high twenty per cent margin of error as fingerprints of such workers change. It is a similar problem for senior citizens. Without any discussion in Parliament on the proposed Bill for UID to push through such changes, which will have far reaching implications for manual workers is unacceptable.

 

As far as scholarships, pensions etc are concerned, most of these schemes are already cash transfer schemes through bank accounts and are fiscal neutral. The amounts and also the coverage should be increased and linked to the price index.

Discuss Issues Raised by Delhi University Teachers

The Left Parties – Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, All India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party – have issued the following statement:

The situation in Delhi University is a cause for serious concern.  The Vice Chancellor and the University authorities have introduced a series of measures without proper discussions and consultations with the teaching and academic community.  The teachers have raised a range of objections to the introduction of the semester system for the undergraduate level, a four-year graduation along with the meta college and meta university system.  All these are being pushed through in undue haste. Statutory procedures and established democratic academic practices have been subverted.

These reforms are being pushed through, along with large-scale contractualisation of teachers.  There have been no regular appointments made for 4,000 teaching posts and 5,000 non-teaching posts. 

The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA), which is the elected body of all the teachers, has been conducting a peaceful protest against these measures.  The Vice Chancellor and the university authorities have resorted to pay cuts and other coercive measures even when teachers have participated in protests on holidays.  This is patently illegal.  The DUTA has been conducting a relay hunger strike which has now completed 50 days. The Vice Chancellor has refused to recognize and talk to the DUTA leadership.

The decision taken by the university can adversely affect the thousands of students in the colleges affiliated to the university.  The university should not take the position that it will not discuss with the DUTA on all these matters.

Delhi University is a Central Government university.  The Left parties appeal to the Minister for Human Resources Development to immediately intervene and ensure that the issues raised by the DUTA are taken up for discussions by the university authorities.  There should be an immediate halt to the coercive steps such as pay cuts.

50000 ‘scheme workers’ start the day and night sit in at Jantar Mantar

 

The ‘mahapadav’ of more than 50000 ‘scheme workers’ , most of them women, including anganwadi workers and helpers, ASHAs, mid day meal workers, Child Labour Project teachers, Krishak Sathis, para teachers, Sakti Sahayikas, Yashodas/ Mamathas, IKP Animators, Grameen Rojgar Sevaks, etc has started at Jantar Mantar at 11.00 AM on 26th November 2012.

These 50000 workers are here to highlight the common demands of the around 1 crore ‘scheme workers’ employed in different schemes/ programmes of the government of India - recognition as workers, minimum wages, social security benefits and regularisation, raising the slogan - ‘No to honorarium or Incentive; we demand Minimum Wages and Social Security Benefits’

These workers have come from all over the country including from far off states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal, and also from Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to all the ‘Hindi speaking’ states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Delhi with the largest contingents coming from Haryana and Punjab.

Around 10000 ‘scheme workers’ from far off places who have reached the national capital earlier and were camping at Ramlila Maidan marched in an attractive and disciplined procession to Jantar Mantar while all the others reached Jantar Mantar directly.

Hemalata, secretary, CITU welcomed this unprecedented mobilisation of ‘scheme workers’ being organised by Centre of Indian Trade Unions. Tapan Sen, MP and general secretary of CITU inaugurated the ‘mahapadav’ while AK Padmanabhan, presided. National office bearers of CITU, Neelima Maitra and AR Sindhu, president and general secretary of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers and state level leaders of ASHAs, mid day meal workers were on the dais.

Addressing the gathering AK Padmanabhan called upon all the scheme workers to unitedly fight against the neoliberal policies of the government which led to increasing exploitation of all workers. He called upon them to join with all the other sections of the workers to intensify the struggle against these policies.

Inaugurating the ‘mahapadav’, Tapan Sen said the government of India was committing a fraud upon the people through its inhuman exploitation of the workers who were providing the most important services related to health, education, food and nutrition for the people, particularly for the poor women and children. The workers who contributed to the human development of the country were forced to starve and suffer because of this atrocious attitude of the government which called them ‘social workers’, ‘activists’, ‘friends’, ‘guests’ etc just to deny them the status of workers.

Tapan Sen demanded that these services should be provided as rights and entitlements to all the citizens and not through ‘schemes’ and ‘programmes’ which can be withdrawn any time as per the whims and fancies of the government of the day and that all the workers in different government schemes should be recognised as workers with all the attendant benefits including minimum wages and social security benefits.

A team of 11 CITU leaders including Hemalata, Varalakshmi, national secretaries, Mercy Kutti Amma, vice president of CITU, Surender Malik, Pramod Pradhan, Prem Nath Rai, general secretaries of the state committees of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh respectively, Uma Maheswara Rao, Tapan Sharma, Gajendra Jha and Radha Raman Sarangi, office bearers of the Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh and Odisha state committees of CITU and Deven Patel, leader of the state government employees and anganwadi employees in Chattisgarh started a fast  for two days, during the duration of the ‘mahapadav’ in solidarity with the demands of the ‘scheme workers’.

AR Sindhu, general secretary of AIFAWH said that the exploitation of the ‘scheme workers’ was the biggest scam in the country. Ranjana Nirula, treasurer of CITU and convenor of the all India coordination committee of ASHAS criticised the government for exploiting the services of lakhs of women workers on the name of ‘social work’. Neelima Maitra, president of AIFAWH spoke on the need of all scheme workers to come together.

K Varada Rajan, general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha along with other kisan leaders, Pawan Kumar, organising secretary of BMS greeted the gathering on the first day.

Marxist Idelogue Com. P Govinda Pillai Passed Away

Comrade P Govindapillai, the tallest ideologue in the CPIM after EMS, died in Thiruvananthapuram 22nd November. He had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital owing to age related illness. He was 86.

Govinda Pillai, who is an author of several books on Communism, Marxism and international affairs had served as the chief editor of Desabhimani daily and weekly. A legislator who was part of the Travancore-Cochin assembly and Kerala Assembly. He was an MLA in the first Kerala Assembly of 1957 which voted communist party to power.

He joined the Communist party in 1946 and became a state committee member in 1953. During the split, Govindapillai chose to be with the CPIM along with AKG and EMS. A master with international affairs Govindapillai's columns in CPIM mouthpiece Desabhimani and Kairali TV had a number of followers. An avid book buff who spent hours continuously in reading, Govindapillai had a vast collection of books sourced from different parts of the world.

 He had an active public life till a few days ago when was hospitalized.He also served as the chairman of Kerala Press Academy and Kerala State Film Development Corporation. Govindapillai is the recipient of several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Academy award for literary criticism.

Govinda Pillai’s last journey, from his residence at Subhash Nagar here to the AKG Centre and from there to VJT Hall, before the final leg to the electric crematorium, saw people from all walks of life, ranging from representatives of the State government and political parties to libraries, theatre groups, media, and students, paying their last respects.

Several hundreds lined up by the sides of the road as the funeral procession wound its way from VJT Hall towards Thycaud in the afternoon.

The respect ‘PG’ commanded from one and all was visible. People with different political persuasions poured in to pay their final tributes right from the morning. Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, Left Democratic Front convener Vaikom Viswan, CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran, and former Minister M. Vijayakumar stood by the body throughout the day till he was consigned to flames at Shanti Kavadam, while more, including Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, CPI(M) Polit Bureau members S. Ramachandran Pillai and M.A. Baby, Communist Party of India State Secretary Pannian Ravindran, CPI leaders Veliyam Bhargavan, K.E. Ismail, and C. Divakaran, former Ministers T.M. Thomas Isaac, G. Sudhakaran, Kadannappally Ramachandran, K.P. Rajendran, E. Chandrasekharan Nair, and P.K. Sreemathy, CPI(M) leaders M.V. Govindan, Anathalavattom Anandan, A. Vijayaraghavan, and C.S. Sujatha, RSP leaders T.J. Chandrachoodan and A.A. Azeez, to name a few, were present at various points of the final journey that began at 11 in the morning.

Speaker G. Karthikeyan, Deputy Speaker N. Sakthan, Ministers Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, P.K. Kunhalikutty, and V.S. Sivakumar, poets Sugathakumari, Puthussery Ramachandran, and Ezhacheri Ramachandran and senior Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran were also among the hundreds who paid their tributes.The cremation took place at 4pm at Thycaud electric crematorium.

SFI CEC press release

The SFI CEC organised a Press Conference  at SFI Central Office. The Press Conference was addressed by General Secretary Ritabrata Banerjee and President V Sivadasan.

Press Note

The Central Executive Committee of Students’ Federation of India met in New Delhi on 22^nd and 23^rd of November.  THE CEC decided to organise a massive March to Parliament on 6^th of March, 2013 protesting the neo liberal designs of the Central government and the monumental attacks it is spearheading against the common man of the country in general and the student community in particular in the name of carrying  ‘reforms’. The Central Demands of the march will be –Increase spending for equitable access to Quality Education; Resist Commercialisation and Centralisation of Education; Ensure Democratic Rights. The CEC decided that in order to conduct extensive campaigns at the ground level it will be publishing a booklet explaining the dimensions and consequences of the attack and demands concerning the march. Seminars, conventions at all states will be organised by 15^th of January. Signature campaign and other state level agitational programmes will be organised. Before the march there will be state level gatherings throughout the country. The entire three month long campaign will culminate with an impressive gathering on 6^TH of March at New Delhi with students in large numbers from different parts of the country pouring in at the capital and marching to the parliament.

The CEC decided to organise Convention for Professional, Technical and Private Institutions students in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 5^th and 6^th of January, 2013.  The CEC also decided to organise The Girls Convention at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh in June and the University Students Convention at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in July, 2013.

The CEC congratulated the Tamilnadu state organisation for a successful conduction of our 14^th All India Conference at Madurai in September 2012.

The CEC also congratulated the Kerala Committee for its stupendous performance in all the University Union elections of the state amidst all sorts of obstacles.

 The Andhra Committee was also congratulated for the victory registered at the Hyderabad Central University Union elections against a united opposition of all shades and hues.

 The CEC expressed its revolutionary solidarity to SFI Central Secretariat member and state President of Himachal Pradesh Kapil Bhardwaj who have 58 false and fabricated cases filed against him. The state administration of Himachal has been the mastermind behind such attacks.

 The CEC also expressed its revolutionary solidarity to CEC member R S Balamurali OF Kerala who along with 16 other comrades was in Jail for the last three weeks. Comrade Balamurali could not attend the CEC meeting as he was in jail. The UDF Government has been extremely sincere in piling one after another false cases and charges against our comrades in Kerala.

The CEC expressed its steely resolve to stand in firm solidarity with the struggling Bengal comrades who are facing an unprecedented attack from the state administration and the Trinamool Congress in Bengal. A nationwide campaign in solidarity with the comrades of West Bengal where the democracy is in peril will also be conducted in this period.

The CEC decided to form a Cyber Space Sub Committee in order to utilise the cyber space at full length for campaign purpose. Comrade Aravind Kunjunni from Kerala is appointed as the incharge of this subcommittee.

CPI(M) announces civil disobedience movement in Assam

Protesting against the Centre's failure to control inflation and to press for food security and minimum support price for farmers, CPI-M today announced a civil disobedience movement across Assam on December 14. "We demand universalisation of the PDS, ration cards for all families, minimum monthly wage of Rs 10,000 for workers in unorganised sector and government initiative for procurement of crops at MSP, besides strong action against corruption and loot of national resources," CPI-M state committee member Nayan Bhuyan said.

Bhuyan , who was speaking after the party's state-level convention here during the day, said both the Centre and Assam governments have failed to deal with price rise, food security, corruption and devastation cause by flood and erosion.     "All our district and local committees across the state will hold rallies, signature campaigns and dharnas across Assam beginning from now and this will culminate with the civil disobedience movement on December 14," he said. 

CPI(M)'s 'fraternal organisations' -- All India Kisan Sabha, All India Democratic Women's Association, Democratic Youth Federation of India and Students' Federation of India would also participate in the agitation, he said.  Party activists took out a march in the city after the convention today. The convention was attended by CPI(M) state secretary Uddhab Barman, former secretary and ex MLA Hemen Das and other leaders and 1000 delegates.

AIDWA DEMANDS STRICT ACTION AGAINST THE POLICE AND SHIV SAINIKS FOR ARBITRARY ARRESTS OF TWO YOUNG WOMEN

The Maharashtra State Committee of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (Akhil Bharatiya Janwadi Mahila Sanghatana) expresses deep concern and outrage at the high handed arrest of two young women in Palghar, Thane for expressing on ‘Face book’ their discomfort at the complete shutdown in Mumbai following the death of Bal Thackeray. The local Shiv Sainiks, true to the intolerance practiced by their party, intimidated them into giving a forced apology and complained to the police. Shockingly, the Palghar police, instead of providing them with security and taking action against those harassing them, arrested the two young women on serious charges of outraging religious feelings and posting an offensive message. These were later changed to an arbitrary charge of ‘creating enmity’ after a public uproar. This is a complete travesty of the Constitutional right to democratic freedom of expression available to every citizen of India.  

The complicity of the Police emboldened the local Shiv Sainiks and their supporters to vandalise two hospitals of a relative of one of the women and intimidate their families. The police did not act against, nor arrest, those responsible for breaking law and order. These developments seriously compromise our democratic functioning and weaken the law and order in the state. The AIDWA in Thane has continuously being raising the problem of arbitrary and false cases and lack of action by the rural Thane police who side with political elements and criminal forces.

We demand that the Maharashtra Government takes strict action against those responsible for the arbitrary arrest and charges. The Shiv Sainiks responsible for the harassment and violence must be arrested immediately. The Government must ensure protection for the young women and their families, withdraw the false cases and compensate them for the high handedness of the police.

THE SHIV SENA: ACE PRACTITIONER OF REACTIONARY IDENTITY POLITICS

Statement Issued by CPIM Maharashtra State Commitee

The CPI(M) has always had sharp political differences with the Shiv Sena (SS) and its leader the late Mr Bal Keshav Thackeray. Under his leadership, the SS always played upon the reactionary politics of identity, which diverted attention from the grave problems facing the people of Maharashtra.

First, the CPI(M) has resolutely been opposed to the violent culture of regional chauvinism practiced by the Shiv Sena, and now also by its breakaway organisation, the MNS. Mr Thackeray began his politics by portraying the south Indian community of Mumbai as stealing the jobs of Maharashtrians, and later expanded the same logic to migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Enmity, thus, became the basis of his party's programme, which was in complete contradiction to the spirit of unity put forward by the Samyukta Maharashtra movement that was effectively led in the 1950s by the Left and secular forces, comprising the Communist Party, Praja Samajwadi Party, Peasants and Workers Party and Republican Party.

Secondly, the Shiv Sena ideology was deeply communal and the CPI(M) has consistently fought this ideology. In 1992, Mr Thackeray welcomed the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The Shiv Sena was deeply complicit in the Mumbai riots and the violence against Muslims after the Babri demolition, and this role of the Shiv Sena and Mr Thackeray was detailed with evidence by the Justice Srikrishna Commission of Enquiry. Not surprisingly, the Srikrishna Commission Report was rejected out of hand by the then SS-BJP state government.

Thirdly, the Shiv Sena's politics was deeply anti-working class and anti-communist, and in this it received the full and consistent support of successive Congress governments and of the big capitalists of Mumbai. In the late 1960s, it were the Communists who were at the receiving end of Mr Thackeray's violent political practice. Offices of the Girni Kamgar Union were regularly attacked by Shiv Sainiks and Communist leaders were brutally assaulted. In June 1970, this violence against communists reached its peak when Comrade Krishna Desai, MLA, was murdered by Shiv Sainiks. But the communist movement in Maharashtra has survived in spite of these physical attacks and constant threats.

Fourthly, the Shiv Sena's politics was deeply anti-Dalit. This was made clear in the physical attacks by Shiv Sainiks on the Dalit Panthers in the early 1970s leading to the death of Panther activist Bhagwat Jadhav; in the SS stand opposing Dr Ambedkar's 'Riddles in Hinduism'; in the action of the SS-BJP state government withdrawing all the police cases of atrocities against SCs in Marathwada region; and most of all, in the shocking police firing by the SS-BJP regime at the Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in Mumbai, which led to the killing of 11 innocent Dalit people.

Finally, there was the Shiv Sena's opposition to democracy and support of dictatorship. This was made amply evident by Mr Thackeray's support to the Emergency; his open glorification of Hitler; and the constant SS attacks on journalists, cultural and literary figures and others who dared to be critical.

This last point has been repeated today with the arbitrary arrests of two young girls in Palghar and with the attacks on the hospital of the uncle of one of them. They were arrested because they, on social networking sites, expressed disapproval of the bandhs of the last couple of days.

The CPI(M) Maharashtra state committee condemns the arbitrary arrests of these young girls, demands that the cases against them be dropped forthwith and further demands strict action against the police officers who instituted these cases and also against the goons who attacked the hospital. The Congress-NCP state government must take immediate action and stop pandering to the whims and fancies of the SS, as it has often done in the past.

The CPI(M) has always, and will in the future, continue to fight the chauvinist, communal, casteist and anti-working class policies of the Shiv Sena.

Dr Ashok Dhawale
Secretary, Maharashtra State Committee,
Member, Central Committee,
Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M)