Another Wall Of Untouchability Demolished in Tamil Nadu

After a determined intervention of the Tamilnadu Untouchability Eradication Front, backed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the officials of the state revenue department, police and the corporation of Coimbatore demolished a wall that had denied dalit people direct access to the arterial road in the city.

There are nearly 60 families of dalit Arundhadhiyar community at Thandhai Periyar Nagar, Singanallur town in the industrial city of Coimbatore. This colony is located in Ward No.10 of the city corporation near the Employees’ State Insurance Hospital, near Kamarajar Road. Here, caste Hindus had built a wall across the 30ft-wide Jeeva Road that was supposed to link the colony with Kamarajar Road. 

“The wall, built in 1990, was evidence of prevalence of discrimination and untouchability,” said U K Sivagnanam, district convener of the Untouchability Eradication Front. The Front had petitioned the authorities demanding the removal of the wall. According to  dalits in Periyar Nagar, the government acquired land for their colony in 1989 and provided house site pattas to them. Caste Hindus living along the initial stretch of Jeeva Road had installed a Vinayakar idol in a small shed and built the wall behind it, exactly from where the colony began. The temple was used as a pretext for closing the road with the intent to prevent the dalits from using Jeeva Road to reach Kamarajar Road passing through the area in which the caste Hindus resided. The dalits had used other routes to reach the main road for many years. But with more buildings coming up on open sites nearby, they were left only with a narrow street to reach the main road.

In this background, the Tamilnadu Untouchability Eradication Front leaders took this issue and the CPI(M)'s Tamil daily Theekkathir carried a front-page story in its issue dated 30 January focussing this matter. Having seen the news item in Theekkathir on that morning, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi ordered the Coimbatore district administration to inquire into the issue and take immediate action.

Officials verified the records and confirmed that the temple and the wall encroached upon a scheme road and also it was an untouchability wall. A group of caste Hindus squatted in front of the earthmover in an attempt to prevent the demolition. As the earthmover began the demolition, the dalit people broke into a thunderous ovation. When the corporation workers were removing the debris of the demolished wall, a group of activists of a Hindu outfit insisted that the temple should not be removed. This resulted in police mobilising more reinforcements.

The dalits pointed out that they were not against the temple but only its location. The state convener of the Tamilnadu Untouchability Eradication Front P Sampath welcomed the action taken by the officials and added that the temple could be relocated with the consent of both sides.
(Peoples Democracy)

AIDWA Condemns Haryana Khap Panchayat Decree

The All India Democratic Women’s Association has issued the following statement on February 1

AIDWA condemns the outrageous and illegal ‘diktat’ reportedly issued by a village panchayat near Rohtak in Haryana that seeks to forcibly separate a married couple, Satish Berwal and Kavita who were married 3 years ago and have a 10 month old baby.  The khap panchayat has informed them that they should henceforth live as ‘brother’ and ‘sister’!  The couple has requested Satish’s village panchayat to overturn this inhuman and patently illegal ‘diktat’.  Satish has also said that both their families have been facing many difficulties since their marriage. Kavita, according to newspaper reports, has threatened to commit suicide with her child on the village panchayat chaupal if the decision is not revoked.  AIDWA respects the courage of the young couple and also of their families who have refused to be cowed down by the khap panchayat. 

The sickening frequency with which young couples are being targeted, harassed, attacked and even killed while their families are subjected to social boycott, exile from their homes and worse, is not only intolerable but has to be stopped by the state government that is responsible for safeguarding the constitutional rights of all its citizens. AIDWA demands that the Haryana government intervene to protect the rights of the young couple and their families and also to punish those who are violating these with impunity. Further, criminal cases should be registered against the panchayat members who are intimidating the couple and their families, and issuing threats to their life and property, under appropriate sections of the IPC. AIDWA once again re-iterates the need for a special law to deal not only with ‘honour’ killings, but also with ‘honour’ crimes which have many aspects that are not covered by existing laws.

Vested interests have ganged up against Bengal: Budhadeb Bhattacharya

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday said “vested interests aided by some foreign power” have ganged up to create an atmosphere of terror in the state, stall its development and even divide it.

“All vested interests and anti-Left forces, both from within and outside, have ganged up to stop the Left Front. They are even ready to divide the state,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said, addressing a rally at the Brigade Parade Ground ahead of the May-June election to 82 municipalities and Kolkata Corporation.

Mr. Bhattacharjee, who was in a combative mood, said the “vested interests” wanted to stall the LF’s initiative to set up industries in the West Bengal and move the state backward. “We will never let that happen and we have accepted their challenge,” he thundered.

Turning to the statehood demand in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, he said, “The opposition party has not uttered a word against the attempt to divide the state. They have joined hands with those who are out to dismember our state.”

He once again spoke of Trinamool’s link with Maoists who, he said, were killing CPI(M) workers. “Sometimes, they say there is nothing called Maoists. If so, then who are killing our party workers?”

The Chief Minister told the rally that the CPI(M) would not surrender to Maoists who were killing its workers on an almost daily basis. “We will not surrender. Trinamool Congress wants to see that in the face of Maoist onslaught, our people will surrender. But it is mistaken. They are not going to bow down.”

Mr. Bhattacharjee categorically ruled out any further division of West Bengal, saying, “No one will gain if the state is divided. A dangerous thing is taking place in Darjeeling. We are saying repeatedly that we are ready to give more power, but will not allow division of the state.”

Mr. Bhattacharjee said 84 per cent of land in the state was with the poor — a reality which the ‘jotedars’ (land owners), he felt, were unable to accept. “They have also joined hands with the vested interests and are trying to change the situation,” he said.

Referring to Left Front government’s work for the peasants, workers, poor, tribals, teachers and students, he said the government was trying its best. “We have progressed and helped people,” he said. However, he admitted, “Unemployment is still there. We have to reach out to those who did not get anything. There is no alternative to the LF“.

He appealed to the farmers, workers, tribals, Muslims, youths and artistes to come forward to stop those forces who were trying to create restlessness in the state. “Whether those forces will succeed will depend on you.”

(courtesy : The Hindu)

CPI (M) activists Gheroe Andhra Minister

KURNOOL: The supporters of CPI (M) led by district Secretary T. Shadrak Gheroed the convoy of in-charge Minister D. Manikya Varaprasad and Housing Minister Shilpa Mohan Reddy demanding the government to pay adequate compensation to flood victims in urban and rural areas.

Mr. Shadrak urged the Ministers to pay Rs. 5,000 for each household in Kurnool and Rs. 3,000 in rural areas to clean up flood affected houses. He said the Minister V. Vasantha Kumar promised the package but nothing was done till now.

He wanted the government to pay a compensation of Rs. 10,000 per acre for crop loss. He said the Andhra Pradesh government should emulate its Karnataka counterpart in compensating the flood victims.

The protesters wanted the government to waive house tax for a year in Kurnool city and supply ration for one more month. The Ministers promised to look into the matter.

(courtesy : The Hindu)

Adhyayana Yatra : AP CITU Moves To The Door Steps Of Workers

The AP state committee of CITU decided to find out directly from the workers, particularly the unorganised workers, about their working and living conditions and how they were making both ends meet with the ever rising prices. It decided to organise the ‘Adhyayana Yatras’ (study tours) with the slogan ‘Meet the workers; Learn about their problems’.

284 Adhyana yatra teams consisting of 1,438 leaders and cadres travelled on bicycles across the state covering all the 1,100 mandal headquarters, 134 municipal towns and 16 municipal corporations including Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation for full one week from 25th November 2009. All the full timers of the CITU including those working in state centre as well as in the districts were asked to participate in the yatras without any exception. 286 full timers and 1,152 part timers joined the Adhyayana Yatra teams. Working women full timers, part timers and activists participated in the Yatra in 11 districts, travelling by bicycles for the entire week along with the male comrades.

Preparations were made by the state committee of CITU for the effective organisation of the Yatra. Workshops were organised in all the districts. CITU activists from 528 mandals, 169 municipal corporation divisions and 92 municipal towns participated in these workshops. Following the workshops, committee meetings were held in 618 mandals and 72 municipal towns. More than 10 lakhs leaflets were distributed and press meets were held in around 400 centres in the state to give wide coverage about the Adhyayana Yatra.

The Yatra teams met thousands of workers across the state. The information about the conditions of the workers gathered in the Yatra were revealing and silenced the sceptics who doubted whether any information more than already known to the CITU activists could be collected through the Yatra. Of course they have once again established what the CITU has all along been asserting – that the policies of globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation have engulfed the country and the state and are having devastating impact on the lives and livelihood of the workers. The study has also proved wrong the arguments of some that it is impossible to organise and bring the workers reeling under such miserable conditions into struggles.

It is known that 150 years back workers had to work from dawn to dusk. But who would imagine that this situation exists in our country in this first decade of the 21st century? But this was the situation in Entrepreneurial Documents Management System (EDMS) in Warangal. The 120 highly educated employees in this enterprise are engaged in digitalising the records of the Life Insurance Corporation of India. Some of these employees in EDMS are forced to work from 5.00 in the morning to 10.00 in the night. They are paid a monthly salary of Rs 2,000 – Rs 2,500! The employees have organised themselves against these exploitative conditions and went on strike since 7th November.

Another example of the workers’ revolt against exploitation is the spontaneous strike by the workers of Brandix Apparel India in Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Around 4,000 women work in this SEZ unit near Anakapalle. They are paid Rs 2,800 per month and find it almost impossible to have two square meals a day with the amount they get after deductions for bus passes, provident fund etc. Many of these women workers suffer from health hazards because of the bad working conditions in the factory. Two workers – Saana Durga aged 19 years and Kasi Lakshmi aged 21 years died due to lung disease within a span of a few days. This caused serious agitation among the workers who spontaneously stopped work. All the 4,000 women workers struck work and stopped production for two days. They resumed work only after a written commitment from the management. They were highly encouraged by the leaflet issued by the Visakhapatnam district committee of CITU supporting their demands.

The contract workers in different state government departments all over the state are not getting their wages since the last 3-4 months. The payment of bills for the mid day meal workers was pending for the last 5 months; they had to take huge loans to feed the school children. The ASHAs were not paid any remuneration for several months. The anganwadi workers were not getting the rent for the anganwadi centres; they had to face the wrath of the people who stopped sending their children to the anganwadi centres because of the bad quality of the nutritious food supplied to the centres; many anganwadi employees were being arbitrarily and unilaterally removed from service in the monthly village level review meetings.

It was found that in many villages the village servants were still being forced to work in the houses of the officers though this practice has come down to a large extent. Huge amounts of money of around Rs 25,000 – 30,000 were being demanded for compassionate appointments as village servants. This was particularly widely prevalent in Ranga Reddy district. Throughout the state, the village sarpanches were pilfering the grant provided by the state government to the village panchayat workers. The sweepers in schools were not being paid any wages but were given rice that was meant for mid day meals for the school children.

The home based workers were not getting loans from the banks as a result of which they had to depend on the microfinance institutions, which were extracting huge amounts as interest; they had no marketing facilities. The street vendors who sell vegetables and eatables by moving from village to village on cycles found themselves helpless and starving when they could not go to work due to illness or accidents.

The government was refusing to renew the licences of the auto drivers who could not pass 8th class. In Nagari municipal town of Chittoor district, the local municipal officials were collecting ten rupees daily per auto as parking fees.

In many factories in Medak, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and other districts the amounts deducted from workers for provident fund, ESI etc were not deposited to the concerned accounts.

The simmering discontent among the workers was palpable during the Yatras. In several places, the Adhyayana Yatra teams tried to intervene in these issues and were able to provide some relief to the workers, which created confidence among them.

Soon after the completion of the yatras, the district committees of CITU conducted agitational programmes on the issues that came to the notice of the teams. Dharnas, picketings were held at the government offices. Memoranda were submitted to the concerned officials who held discussions in some places. These efforts helped in resolving some problems. Many of the problems centred round the pending wages in the government related sectors like ASHA, Mid day meal, anganwadi and contract employees etc. As the government revenues were affected because of the recession, the state government was finding it difficult to pay the wages and other dues to these workers.

During the yatras, the teams identified 4,161 active workers all over the state who could possibly be developed as union organisers. The district committees of CITU were asked to conduct training programmes and classes for them. Till now, two day classes were held in 9 districts, in which 1,215 of these workers participated. Other districts are planning to hold classes.

Membership campaign also followed the Yatra. Membership enrolment as a campaign was planned in 8 districts. The Adhyana Yatra also provided an opportunity to the district committees to form scores of new unions. Hyderabad city committee alone has reported that it would be able to form more than 100 new unions. The Adhyana Yatra provided a very rich experience to the Andhra Pradesh state committee of CITU in the fields of agitation, struggle, propaganda and organisation.

(The Working Class)

CPIM Kerala gearing up for "Right To live Struggle"

Kerala, the state with a long tradition of struggles, is gearing up for a prolonged fight against the anti peoples policies of central government which is becoming a burden for the common people. The price of every daily use commodities is going up day by day and the central government is just having a watch on that and that no steps is being taken to bring down the prices. Instead they are preparing to give another shock treatment to the common man by going to increase the price of petroleum products. It is in this backdrop that the CPIM Kerala state committe has given a call for a prolonged fight against the anti-peoples policy of congress led government.
Party cadres and sympathizers will ghareo all the central government offices on Taluk basis continuously from March 8 to 12.
As part of this campaign jathas will be organised on district basis to promulgate the slogans of this protest. Pamphlet will be given to every house in the states by the party branch committees. Price list of various products will be displayed at every ration shops.

CPIM Central Committee Communique

The Central Committee of the CPI(M) met in Kolkata from February 4 to 6, 2010. It has issued the following statement:

Relentless Price Rise

The Central Committee strongly opposes the recommendation of the Parikh Committee to decontrol petrol and diesel prices and link it to international prices, as also its anti-people recommendation to increase price of cooking gas by Rs. 100.00 per cylinder. It warns the Central Government not to use these recommendation as an excuse to hike prices of any of these items. Such a step will have a cascading impact on raising prices of essential commodities which are already at an all time high and will lead to a further burden on the people.

The CC condemns not only the utter failure of the Central Government to control prices but reiterates that it is precisely the wrong policies of the government which have led to this situation of high food inflation. The redressals suggested are also misconceived. A major reason for price rise is the severe weakening of the public distribution system by a drastic cut in allocation for so-called above poverty line. Instead of at least partial restoration of the cuts, given the buffer stocks available, the government in the name of additional allocation is giving the states 10 kgs of foodgrains per family at double the price.

The CPI(M) demands restoration of the allocations at least at the APL prices. The sugar shortage and subsequent high prices are a direct result of the refusal of the government to maintain a buffer stock when there was high sugarcane production and instead incentivised exports. The sugar mills and sugar companies have made huge profits in this period while farmers and consumers have had to suffer. The Central Government has stubbornly refused to ban futures trading in essential commodities. In May 2009 it had lifted the earlier ban on wheat futures trade.

The CC demands that the government bring a food security legislation which ensures a universal right to food, with a 35 kg family allocation of foodgrains at Rs 2 a kilo. It also demands that more essential commodities at subsidised prices should be included in the PDS through central government subsidies.

The CC called upon its Party units to intensify the campaign against price rise.

Disinvestment in PSUs

The Central Committee reiterated its strong opposition to the decision of the Central Government to disinvest atleast 10 per cent of government equity in all profitable public sector units. Already shares of NHPC, Oil India and the NTPC have been sold. The government is planning to sell shares in sixty central public sector undertakings that would be short-listed in the stock market in the next two years. The deceptive concept of “people’s ownership” is being used to mislead public opinion and conceal the true nature of disinvestment.

This aggressive disinvestment drive is being undertaken to bridge the fiscal deficit which has reached nearly seven percent of the GDP. The government is forgoing future income from dividends. Worse, it is transferring State-owned assets to private hands. The NTPC shares are being sold cheaply, showing how public assets are being plundered.

Rather than mobilizing more taxes from the private corporate sector by doing away with tax exemptions, the Congress-led government is opting for the irrational course of disinvestment which is only meant to benefit the big financial players in the stock market.

The Central Committee decided to mobilize people against the disinvestment. It will extend all support to the struggle of the trade unions and the public sector employees against this step which is contrary to national interests.

Andhra Pradesh Situation

The Central Committee discussed the situation which has developed in Andhra Pradesh with the agitation for a separate Telengana state and the counter-agitation for a united state. It is unfortunate that the Central Government and the Congress leadership took the short-sighted step of announcing the process of the creation of a separate state on December 9. It is now for the Central Government to ensure that the stalemate is ended and the solution found by taking into account the views of all political parties and sections of the people. This process is to begin with the setting up of the committee headed by retired Justice B N Sri Krishna.

The initial stand taken by the Central Government on Telengana gave a fillip to demands for separate states in various other states. The Central Committee reiterated its stand that the states which were linguistically reorganized as part of the democratic restructuring of the State structure should not be disturbed.

The Central Committee appealed to all sections of the people of Andhra Pradesh to maintain peace and harmony. There are forces trying to provoke further divisions among the people which is harmful to the overall interests of the people.

Ranganath Mishra Commission Report

The Central Committee considered the report of the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by Justice Ranganath Mishra. The Central Committee welcomes the recommendations for providing reservation for the minorities in government jobs. The CC urged the Central Government to take necessary steps to implement the recommendations.

West Bengal

The Central Committee heard a report on the situation in
West Bengal. The TMC combine on the one hand and the Maoists on the other are continuing their campaign of violence against the CPI(M) and the Left. Since the Lok Sabha elections, 167 members and supporters of the CPI(M) and the Left have been killed. Thousands have had to leave their homes due to the attacks. The Maoist gangs have killed over seventy of our comrades in West Medinipur district alone. There is a deliberate and planned effort to attack the CPI(M) and the Left to prevent them working among the people. The Central Committee condemned the dubious links between the TMC and the Maoists. The TMJC is in the Central Government whose declared policy is to counter the Maoist violence.

The Central Committee is confident that the CPI(M) state unit and the Left Front will successfully mobilize the people in defence of their rights and livelihood while countering the anti-democratic assaults and violence.

Maharashtra: No Pandering to Chauvinism

The Central Committee condemned the chauvinistic forces who are targeting non-Marathi speaking people in Mumbai and the state. The Shiv Sena and the MNS are indulging in this disruptive game after having failed to mobilize support for their platform in the recent assembly elections. The attempt to intimidate film actors like Shahrukh Khan and other personalities for speaking out their mind is highly condemnable.

The Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra is also pandering to chauvinistic sentiments. The recent order on taxi drivers in Mumbai having to speak and write Marathi with the 15 year domicile is one such step. The CPI(M) calls upon all citizens in Maharashtra and the country to rebuff the virulent chauvinistic politics which harms national unity.

Rectification Campaign

The Polit Bureau submitted its rectification report to the Central Committee. As per the decision of the rectification campaign document adopted in October 2009, the rectification process is to begin from the Polit Bureau and the Central Committee. The report of the rectification of the Central Committee will be taken up in the next meeting of the CC.

Party Congress

The Central Committee decided to hold the 20^th Congress of the Party after the assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala due in May 2011. The schedule of the Party conferences will begin after this.

In the meantime, the Central Committee has decided to convene an extended meeting of the Central Committee in early August 2010 to decide on the political line to meet the current situation.

March 12 Left Rally

The Left parties have decided to hold an all India rally in Delhi on March 12. The rally is being organized to focus on the demands to curb price rise, protection of the lands of the peasants and land reforms, employment for all and against the attacks on democracy and violence against the Left in West Bengal.

The Central Committee called upon all its units to mobilize people for the rally and make it a big success.

Ban Future Trading of Food Items : Manik Sarkar

Ahead of chief ministers’ meeting on price rise called by the Prime Minister on Friday, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Friday demanded that the Centre ban future trading of all food items and ensure higher allocation of foodgrains for BPL families.

“Future trading in all food articles should be immediately banned. Speculative capital in the futures market continued to play havoc with commodity prices,” Mr. Sarkar told reporters here on the sidelines of a party programme.

A three-day meeting of the CPI(M) central committee is in progress since Thursday with the issue of price rise and party’s campaign programmes against it on the agenda.

Stating that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should have convened the meeting with chief ministers much earlier, he said, “I wonder how this meeting on so many points on the subject could be possible to discuss in a day.”

Besides Mr. Sarkar, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee and his Kerala counterpart V.S. Achuthanandan would participate in the meeting on Saturday, party sources said.

Mr. Sarkar, a CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, said the government must release cereal stocks through the PDS by increasing the rice and wheat quotas for the states.

The Centre’s faulty approach was evident in the decision to release buffer stocks of foodgrains in the open market rather than to provide it to state governments at subsidized rates as a measure to restore the earlier cuts in allocations to APL sections, he alleged.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

CPI(M) for direct action against hoarders in Himachal to control price rise

Communist Party of India (Marxists) conducted rallies and dharna's across Himachal pradesh against price rise. The party made it clear ofintensifying their stir, declaring that inaction by the government against hoarders would make them resort to direct action by picketing black-marketers and hoarding stockists.

Holding both the UPA government at the centre and the BJP government in the state responsible for the ‘uncontrolled price rise’ Rakesh Singha, CPI(M) state secretary told reporters “botched up food policies of these governments have caused a crisis that could precipitate hunger deaths and suicides in the hill state.”

“Having lived through 3 crop failures and staring in the face of another one has broken the farming community’s back and the country’s two largest political parties, congress and BJP are playing food politics,” he said.

After having held two public rallies at Shimla and Mandi in December and January in protest of prices rise, starting Monday CPI(M) has planned state wide demonstrations and rallies to exert pressure on the government to act.

“Whereas the central government has reduced the state’s public distribution system (PDS) rice quota by 36.11 percent (1 lakh tons) since 2007 and the state government from 1st February has announced increase of prices of Urad Daal under an food subsidized scheme from Rs 30 to 35/- per Kg,” said Singha.

Governments that swear by ‘Aam Adami’ have become insensitive to the needs of the poor as high food prices are only making the rich richer and the poor poorer, he added.

Calling for a change in law whereby displaying of food stocks by wholesalers and retailers should be made mandatory, the CPI(M) secretary held that the state government had failed to act against hoarders.

Seriousness of the state government can be gauged from the fact that out of an staff strength of 505, there are 239 positions lying vacant in the food and civil supply department. With such a shortfall, how can the essential commodities act be enforced, he questioned.

“Should the government fail to act, our party will resort to direct action by picketing black-marketers and hoarders, and food will be distributed to the poor people,” said Singha.

To contain prices, the party has asked for moving out of neo-liberal policies that favour corporate houses and industry over farming communities, and sought immediate removal of food items from forward trading in the country.

(Courtesy : My Himachal)

Research Centre to be established in Memory of Com Jyothi Basu

CPIM West Bengal state committee has decided to establish a research centre in memory of the great leader Com. Jyothi Basu. The research institute will include Study centre, Historical Museum, Modern exhibition hall, auditorium, library and other allied facilities. For the purpose of establishing this research centre a Trust will be formed said com Biman Bose, CPIM state secretary. The state committe which started on Friday paid tributes to Com Jyothi Basu. 

CPI (M) State Committee emphasises on strengthening Left unity 

the State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday laid emphasis on strengthening Left unity while building up an intense political campaign to generate public opinion against the move by anti-Left forces to unleash a reign of terror and anarchy in the State. Draft note

Left Front Chairman Biman Bose, who submitted a draft note prepared for discussion at the meeting, said party workers would have to be enervated to tackle the emerging situation in the State.

He laid stress on mobilising public opinion and support against the anti-Left forces trying to usher in an era of terror.

Senior party leader Nirupam Sen said talks were under way to get the opinion and perception of district-level party workers and leaders. "We have to see how we can tackle the atmosphere of terror that has been created in various parts of the State."

The extended meeting also discussed the current political situation in West Bengal and discussed organisational measures that need to be put in place to tackle this.

The meeting is being presided over by Benoy Konar. Present at the meeting were party general secretary Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen, a statement said.

Highlighted

Certain points have been highlighted in the draft note circulated on Friday, the first day of the meeting.

These include increasing mass contact with the aim of building up mass movement. "Terror has to be tackled by building up a mass movement against it."

Senior party leader Shyamal Chakraborty said there was need to infuse young blood into the party though this may be difficult in reality. The meeting also discussed the forthcoming rally on February 7 at the Brigade Parade Ground in honour of Jyoti Basu and the ensuing municipal elections mater this year.

The meeting will end on Sunday.