You Have a Minister Whose Attention is Elsewhere , The Country is Paying the Price!

Courtesy : Mail Today

Agricultural Workers Union Conference concludes

Seventh All India conference of Agricultural workers union concluded at Trichy on Monday with a huge farmers rally. The conference has decided to organise a march to Parliament during the winter session as a culmination of the nation-wide grassroots campaigns on employment and wages, and demanding proper implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) with 150 days of work a year and a minimum wage of Rs. 200 per day.

The demand was adopted as a resolution at the end of the union's seventh All India conference here.

Union general secretary, A. Vijayaraghavan, said grassroots campaign through street-corner meetings and door-to door sensitisation exercises would be carried out in villages from October 2.

Delegates debated the pernicious policies of the Central government and its attempt at marginalising the rural masses, particularly agricultural labourers, and decried the tweaking of the criteria to identify Below Poverty Line beneficiaries of Public Distribution System. Deserving masses had been left out of the scheme in large numbers, he said, citing the instance of the predominantly tribal population in Amaravathi district of Maharashtra. “The poor man has a right to livelihood. We carried out a door-to-door survey in the district and found that there was a very high incidence of child malnutrition in the district with 90 per cent population of tribals,” he said.There was no point in emulating the economic models of western countries, he said, explaining that in India 60 per cent of the population was dependent on agriculture.

Changes could be ushered in only through mass movements, he said, pointing out that naxalism was non-existent in States where land reforms had been carried out. The AIAWU would extend its support to the nation-wide general strike called by trade unions on September 7, said Mr. Vijayaraghavan.

The Conference also elected new office bearers to the union. Paturu Ramayya – president; Bhanulal Saha, Sarangdhar Paswan, M.V. Govindan Master, B. Venkat, and S. Thirunavukkrasu – vice-presidents; A. Vijayaraghavan – general secretary; and Suneet Chopra, Hannan Mollah and Kumar Shiralkar – joint secretaries.

The Conference concluded with a huge farmers rally in Trichy. The rally converged at uzhavarchanthai and the public meeting at Jyothi Basu nagar was inaugurated by Com. Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Tripura. CPIM politburo member K Varadarajan, union General Secretary Com. A Vijayaraghavan, K Balakrishnan also attended the function.

Kashmir : Security Forces should Exercise Restraint

The Polit Bureau condemns the senseless killing of a young man in Baramulla yesterday by the security forces. The tragic death of a child by drowning a day earlier in suspicious circumstances had triggered off the fresh round of protests when the police fired leading to the killing of a young man. Only a few days earlier, the all party meeting had called for restraint on the side of the security forces. It is most unfortunate that instead of exercising restraint in this highly emotionally charged atmosphere, such killings as that in Baramulla continue. 

The all party meeting had also called for a credible inquiry into the circumstances which has led to the deaths of civilians in the recent days. But the process for such an inquiry has still not started. At the same time there are disturbing reports of young people being harassed by security forces in different places. This must stop. 

The CPI(M) calls on the Government to stop its excessive reliance on administrative measures. The Central Government must initiate a dialogue with all organizations representing all shades of opinion. The political process of dialogue must start without delay.

Theekathir circulation campaign from July 22 to August 5

Communist Party of India (Marxist) Tamil Nadu state committee has decided to launch circulation campaign for Theekathir newspaper from July 22 onwards till August 5.

Theekathir has been in the forefront for the struggle for equality and has been the voice of the downtrodden mass. It has been decided that each and every party member from state committee status to the branch level shall go for a door to door campaign and there by giving the message of the "media of the people" in each and every house in Tamil Nadu. Theekathir got its name from the famous Russian proletarian newspaper "Iskra" (spark) run by the great revolutionary leader VI Lenin. Theekathir started functioning from 1963 onwards in Madurai. At first it was a weekly and it changed to daily in the due course. Later the newspaper added editions in Chennai (1993) and Coimbatore (2007). Now the newspaper is adding yet another jewel to its cap. Its 4th edition will be inaugurated on September 5, 2010 from Tiruchy.

In this era of globalization and liberalization, where media is playing a big role especially the big bourgeois media is playing a slander game against the left parties, namely CPIM, it is the need of the hour to increase the circulation of the proletarian media. Theeekathir is in the forefront in the struggle against untouchability. It has brought into light the apartheid wall at Uthapuram, Chidambaram temple wall issue and various other practices of untouchability followed in various parts of the state. It has also been highlighting the issues of land less poor and farmers. It is in this context that the state committee has decided to enroll news subscribers to the newspaper for various schemes, viz 10 year subscription, 5 year subscription, 1 year subscription. Party has asked all the sympathizers to actively participate in this circulation campaign. Party has decided to enroll each and every party member in the state as a subscriber of Theekathir.

Karnataka: Take Action On Illegal Mining

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

 

The statement by Karnataka Chief Minister Yeddyurappa that the Reddy brothers of Bellary are not involved in any illegal mining is shocking and unacceptable.   He has further said that there is no need for the two ministers to step down, refusing to acknowledge the illegal mining activities of these ministers.   

 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the illegal mining activities and export of iron ore from Karnataka be handed over to the CBI for investigation. The two ministers who are directly involved in the mining affairs should step down immediately.

 

In cases where illegal mining activities are established, those mines should be nationalized. The Central government should stop the export of iron ore till a review is conducted of the present mining and minerals policy.

Sainthia Rail Accident

 

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

The Polit Bureau expresses its shock and sorrow at the terrible railway accident due to the collision of two trains in Sainthia railway station leading to the tragic death of at least 60 persons. It conveys its deep condolences to the families of those killed and sympathy to those injured.

 

The number of rail accidents has been unprecedented in the last one year. Maintenance of equipment and safety measures are being neglected in the railways. One lakh jobs in safety related jobs remain vacant. The government cannot keep quiet about the present state of affairs in the railways.

All India Agrilcultural Workers Union national Conference begins in Tiruchi

7th All India Conference of the All India Agricultural Workers Union started in Tiruch with the flag hoisting on Friday in Thiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu. Delegates session started on Saturday. The 3 day national conference will conclude on Monday with a huge farmers rally. Flags to be hoisted in the Delegates nagar and Public Meeting Nagar has been brought from Mudigonda in Andhra Pradesh and Chenganoor in Kerala respectively. The Andhra jatha was lead by AIAWU Andhra State Secretary Comrade Venkid and the Kerala Jatha was lead by KSKTU state secretary M V Govindan. Flag posts were brought from Keezhvenmani Martyrs column and Raymundanpatti Martyrs coloumn in Tanjavoor. The conference proceedings started with the hoisting of flag in public meeting ground (Jyothi Basu Nagar) by AIAWU All India Secretary Com. A Vijayaraghavan. The Delegate session was inaugurated by CPIM polit beureu member and AIKS President Com. S Ramachandran Pillai. The Delegates session is held in a nagar named after the revolutionary hero Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet. Com P Ramayya, AIAWU President presided over the Function. Later in the day Com Vijayaraghavan placed the organizational report and discussion has been started. 

The public meeting on Monday will be inaugurated by Tripura Chief Minister Com. Manik Sarkar. 750 delegates representing 48 Lakh members participate in the conference. 

Agrarian crisis looms over nation

The country was facing an unprecedented agrarian crisis owing to the neo-liberal economic policies adopted by the Centre and the capitalist path of development trodden by the ruling class since independence, said S. Ramachandran Pillai, president, All India Kisan Sabha here on Saturday.

Agriculture was becoming an unviable and a loss-making venture in view of the rising prices of agriculture inputs, implements and fertilisers on the one side and the declining prices of agricultural commodities the other , said Mr. Pillai while inaugurating the delegate session

Rising unemployment

Unemployment among agricultural workers was on the rise and peasants were selling their cattle and lands to meet their daily expenses. As a result, landlessness was growing at a faster pace. A chunk of agricultural workers were saddled with debt, he said adding that the neo-liberal economic policies had sounded death-knell for the traditional industries.

Pointing out that agricultural workers were the worst sufferers owing to the neo liberal economic policies, Mr. Pillai said agricultural labourers did not have any security in food , nutritional , health , employment and income sectors .

The government should pump in more money into the agriculture sector, expand irrigation facilities through public investments besides enhancing investments in science and technology. It should produce high yielding seeds and supply it to farmers.

‘Eyewash'

Terming the social security measures an eyewash , he alleged that the agricultural policies were formulated by the Indo–US Knowledge Initiative.

The AIAWU had been urging the Centre to pass a comprehensive legislation that would declare minimum wages for agricultural workers and provide social security measures for them. But, the Centre's response has been a deafening silence, , he claimed. The government's move to allow foreign direct investment in the retail, banking, insurance and defence sectors would only intensify the process of neo liberal economic policies putting the common man in dire straits, he said. A powerful and a united movement is the need of the hour to bring about a change in the government's policies, he added.

AIAWU president P. Ramaiah said liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation policies were putting heavy burdens on the living conditions of agricultural workers.

Member of Parliament and chairman of reception committee T.K. Rangarajan, senior CPI(M) leaders - R. Umanath and Papa Umanath  and Subhashini Ali, president, All India Democratic Women's Association took part in the opening of the three-day conference

 

P. Ramamurti Trade Union School & Research Centre foundation stone laid

In order to continuously promote ideological education and imparting training on strategic and tactical understanding to the organisers and cadres of progressive trade union movement, CITU has decided to establish a permanent Trade Union school and Research Centre at Saket, New Delhi as a memorial of the founder General Secretary of CITU and legendry trade union leader Comrade P. Ramamurti. The foundation stone of the building was laid by Comrade M. K. Pandhe in the presence of the Working Committee members from all over the country on 16th July 2010. The Working Committee has decided that each member of CITU will pay Rs.5.00 to mobilise fund to meet the construction and running cost of the building and the Institution.

The proposed schools will be set up on a 504 sq mts of land allotted by the government to the CITU at a concessional rate. CITU had made a payment of Rs 22 lakh for the piece of land.

"We are agreement-bound to complete the construction of the proposed school by September next year. Till then, our educational programme will continue from the CITU headquarters here," CITU All India Secretary Tapan Sen told.

Among other things, the school will provide basic knowledge about the economics and social science which are "crucially" required in a trade union, Sen said.

"It is to update the skill and understanding of the trade union activists to make them understand the changes in the situation, to make them able to analyze it, and at the same time to make them able to communicate to the people in a convincing manner and to organise them," he added.

CITU Working Committee Meeting

On 7th September General Strike:

The 3 day session of the Working Committee of CITU held at its headquarters, BTR Bhawan, New Delhi concluded today with a clarion call to its affiliates and the working class in general to deploy total organizational strength to ensure a reverberating success of the countrywide General Strike on 7th September 2010. This was the first meeting of the Working Committee presided over by A. K. Padmanabhan and the General Report presented by Tapan Sen, General Secretary both elected at the 13th conference of the CITU held at Chandigarh on 17-21 March 2010. 27 out of 35 Office Bearers and 100 out of 125 Working Committee Members attended the meeting.

A resolution moved by M. K. Pandhe extended full support to the strike call against unprecedented price rise, rampant violation of labour laws, contractorisation of workforce, disinvestment of profit making public sectors and for provision of universal social security for unorganized sector workers. The resolution called upon the entire working class irrespective of affiliations to make the General Strike a massive success and prepare for heightening the united struggle in the days to come for reversal of neo-liberal economic policies pursued by the UPA-II Government.

On Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS)

The Working Committee expressed very serious concern at the deplorable state of condition of the EPS. The pensionery benefit has gone down at atrociously low level. At the time introduction of the scheme the Government refused to accept of demand of CITU to link the pension benefit with price index and instead had decided to undertake review at regular interval. But actually no worthy name review to revise the benefit neutralising the rise in prices has taken place at all. The fan fare with which the EPS was imposed on the workers by the Government, now it cannot arrogantly avoid to act with financial contribution to keep the corpus of the EPS viable and ensuring benefit to the senior citizens of the country for a decent retired life. After all it is an all important matter of social security.

The Working Committee has decided to launch massive campaign and propaganda to lend support to exploited EPS beneficiaries and mounting pressure on the Government to come out with financial support to the EPS and also to organize resistance to any apprehended steps by the Government to restructure the scheme in furtherance to the neo-liberal policies causing more economic hardship to the current and future beneficiaries.

Against Privatisatioin, Opening up and Deregulations :

On the continued onslaught of privatization through dinvestment, the Working Committee noted that shares in blue chip PSUs is being carried on and already shares are being off-loaded at a price much below the price ruling in the share market in all cases disinvested so far. The Govt has already entered into free trade agreement with the ASEAN countries and recently similar free trade agreement is being negotiated with the European Union. Both together will mean almost total and unrestricted opening of our market for both industrial and agricultural products from abroad which is going to severely affect the domestic industries and already crisis-ridden agriculture. Hundred per cent FDI in retail trade including multi-brand products is also being actively considered by the Govt.

All these are going to create grievous consequences for the national economy and many more such steps for deregulation of the financial sector are on the anvil as the trend indicates. The ruling polity in India is in a hurry to completely deregulate the national economy and the domestic market to force upon similar opening and deregulation in other developing economies—all to facilitate a quicker recovery of the crisis ridden economies of the rich industrialised nations. The project of strategic alliance of Indian ruling polity with imperialism is in action through such hectic move of deregulation and disinvestments which needs to be understood comprehensively and propagated intensively among the people. The Working Committee decided that in course of the campaign centering round the forthcoming General Strike these issued should be highlighted.

Deregulation of Petroleum Pricing:

The increase in the price of petrol, diesel, LPG and Kerosene as a step towards complete deregulation of petroleum pricing will further aggravate the inflationary situation. The plea taken by the Govt that petrol/diesel/kerosene prices are raised owing to increase in international price of crude oil is totally untrue. Even on date the international price of crude oil, if converted into rupees per litre adding together refining cost and other incidentals is less than half the price of petrol diesel etc at the domestic market. Fact remains that the present high level of prices of petrol and diesel etc is because of heavy tax and duties extracted by the Governments from mass of the people. Whatever little subsidy still being given to people by the Govt in Kerosene and LPG, four times more is being extracted by the govt from the same people in the form of high tax and duties. In fact in case of petroleum products, mass of the common people have in fact subsidising the Govt.

The Working Committee further noted that deregulation of petroleum pricing will be the source of constant increase in prices and more and more burden on the common people in one hand and on the other hand the private operators both indigenous and foreign shall deploy all foul means to derive undue advantage out of the deregulated regime and the oil PSUs shall be put to serious disadvantage threatening commercial viability in the long term. Naturally the trade union movement of country must address this issue with this perspective understanding.

CPI(M) leaders console victims of the Andhra police firing

A team of leaders and activists of Communist Party of India(Marxist) visited Lakkavaram, Palasapuram, Isukalapalem, Golagondi and Ramayapatnam on Thursday and consoled the villagers who were victims of the police firing on agitators.

The team members asked the villagers not to be cowed down by the threats of the Government and the police but continue to fight for their rights. They promised to stand by the agitators in their fight for justice. The team members said that thousands of villagers and fishermen were dependent on the fertile and marshy lands in the affected villages for their livelihood. They alleged that the Government had forcibly acquired 1,600 acres of land from the villagers.

The CPI(M) leaders said that the victims were not willing to part with their lands even after losing their kith and kin. They demanded stoppage of all the activities of NCC on the disputed land and a probe by a judge of the High Court into the firing.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)