Petrol Price Hike

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

 

The public sector oil companies have increased the price of petrol by 70 to 72 paise per litre. This follows an increase in September of 27 paise per litre. The price of petrol has already been increased by Re. 1 per litre in the space of three weeks. 

 

The CPI(M) strongly opposes this recurrent increase in the prices of petrol. By deregulating the petrol pricing, the government has opened the way for successive hikes in petrol prices. 

 

The rise in petrol prices will further fuel inflation. The people who are suffering from continuous food inflation will be more burdened. There is no transparency in the pricing decision making.

 

The Polit Bureau calls upon the government to scrap the deregulation in petrol pricing.

DYFI activists protest delay of trains on western line Read more: DYFI activists protest delay of trains on western line

DYFI activists protested against the delay of trains on the Western Railway (WR) line near the Andheri, Mira Road and Vasai stations.

They demanded that railway officials and motormen resolve their issues as lakhs of commuters were being affected. After an inquiry by officials, motormen have been following speed limits, thus causing delays.

"Following a meeting convened by officials to investigate the issue of motormen speeding to make up for delays, motormen are now following the rules, thus causing delays," said Shailendra Kamble, who was protesting at Andheri station.

Several activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) protested against poor railway services and the delay of trains on the Western Railway (WR) line near the Andheri, Mira Road and Vasai stations .

The protesters demanded that the railway officials bury the hatchet with the motormen and end the rivalry that is causing delays on the WR line. Some of the other demands included the speeding up of Virar car shed construction.

"Last month, senior railway officials convened a meeting to investigate the issue of speed limits. Following this, the motormen, who would earlier make up for the delays by breaking the speed limits, started going by the rule book and following all the prescribed limits. This is clearly causing the delay and affecting commuters," said an agitated Shailendra Kamble, who was protesting at Andheri station.
(Source : The Times of India)

DYFI opposes SBI move to reappoint retired officers

The DYFI took out a march to the Local Head Office of the State Bank of India in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday in protest against the bank's move to reappoint retired hands.

I.B. Satheesh, State secretariat member of the DYFI, who inaugurated the march, deplored the reappointment of retired hands at a time when the number of the educated unemployed was swelling. It amounted to the implementation of the Centre's recruitment policy through the back door, he said.

Mr. Satheesh charged the Centre with trying to privatise the public sector undertakings under it when States, including Kerala, were strengthening the PSUs under them. As part of it, the Centre was abolishing posts, refraining from inviting applications for permanent posts, resorting to contractual appointments even in essential services and reappointing retired hands.

Mr. Satheesh held the Centre's policy squarely responsible for the increase in unemployment.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Definite progress in fight against Maoists: Buddhadeb Bhattacharya

CPIM Polit Bureu member and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Thursday said there has been definite progress in the fight against the “politics of terror” of the Maoists in the State.

Describing the Communist Party of India (Maoist) as a “terrorist outfit” that resorted to “killing, terror and plunder,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said that “people shall not surrender to this politics of terror.”

He also alleged that the Trinamool Congress was using the left wing extremists to kill leaders and supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and convert the Jangalmahal region into a “killing field” where “the Trinamool Congress will eventually hoist their flag.”

Asked if he would also describe the Trinamool Congress as a terrorist organisation because of its alleged support to the Maoists, Mr. Bhattacharjee said: “They are supporting a terrorist organisation and in certain areas are also indulging in terrorist activities...However, on the whole we have not declared them a terrorist organisation [as per law].”

He said that over the past couple of months there had been discernible progress in the political struggle in the Maoist-affected Jangalmahal region, and that it would continue.

He was speaking at the release of a book titled “Maoism – Ideological decay, Political decline” by Nilotpal Basu, a member of the Central Committee of the CPI(M).

Criticising the politics of the Maoists, Mr. Bhattacharjee said that their activities would only provide an impetus to reactionary forces. The support that the Trinamool Congress had received from them was an example of this, he added.

Mr. Bhattacharjee said despite claims made by Maoists, their ideology had no connection with the beliefs of Mao. He said the book challenged the conviction of the Maoists that “they will be able to seize power through the murders they are committing.”

He said the Maoists had been able to gain control over a certain region, not because poor people and the Adivasis resided there, but because the area was inaccessible. “It is difficult for us to intervene in that region and easier for them to find hiding places there.”

(Source : The Hindu)

Left parties to hold protest against anti-labour policy of Tamilnadu government on October 21

Accusing the DMK government of adopting anti-labour and trade union policies, the CPI and CPI (M) on Thursday said they would jointly hold a demonstration in Chennai on October 21 to highlight these issues.

A statement issued by CPI State secretary D. Pandian and CPI (M) secretary G. Ramakrishnan alleged that instead of holding talks with trade union leaders representing 13,000 contract workers, the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) had entered into an agreement with the Labour Progressive Federation affiliated to the ruling party.

“Now the NLC management is imposing the agreement on all workers and using the police to suppress the agitation of the contract workers.” They said in the Foxconn factory at Sriperumbudur, the management had suspended 23 workers.

CITU leader A. Soundararajan and others were arrested for demanding a ballot to elect trade union representatives.

“Trade union rights are being denied in multi-national companies in the State and the government also connives with the management in anti-labour activities,” they alleged.

Secret ballot should be held in all companies to elect trade unions for representing workers.

SFI sweeps Hyderabad Central University

SFI led Secular alliance triumphs at (Hyderabad Central University) by a thumping majority. SFI had forged an alliance with ASA (Ambedhkar Students Association). SFI and ASA jointly fought the communal organisation ABVP.

The candidates who won under SFI-ASA panel are :
1 . President- Mukesh Kumar( Majority- 872)
2. General Secretary- Nagesh (Majority-951)
3. Joint Secretary - Shyam Krishna (Majority-1018)
4. Cultural Secretary- Indira Priyanka( Majority-840)
5. Sports Secretary- Uday Kumar(Majority-940)
Vice president was elected without voting(EC rejected Opposition's candidature)

All the school board members and councillors were from SFI-ASA leaving ABVP without any post. This shows the strength of secularism and this marks the end of communal forces in Hyderabad Central University. ABVP has been ruling for the last 3yrs apart from 6month rule of SFI. ABVP union was virtually a Gunda union.In this year itself they beaten SFI cadres 4 times( in March,june,july and recently in september). ABVP has attacked dalit students in these periods. ABVP have been playing dirty politics by charging baseless allegations against Senior leaders of SFI.They have been surrendering to HCU administration regarding fees hike and basic amenities.

The SFI campus president, Parameshwarudu said the victory was against broader communal forces on the campus and also against the education reforms being brought in by the Central government. “In fact, the elections were fought on these two planks,” he said.

Addressing the students,SFI unit Sec Com paramesh said it is the victory of secularism and against the communal incidents happened all across India in the last decades and he also warned the central government not to go ahead with commercialisation and privatisation of the education sector. This thumping victory is indeed the victory of students in the campus and the victory of secularism all over India.

(Source : KK@HCU)

CPIM condems the arrest of trade union leaders

CPI(M) Tamil Nadu State secretary G. Ramakrishnan condemned the re-arrest of CITU general secretary A. Soundararajan and 12 others immediately after their release on bail on Wednesday.

Com. Soundararajan and others were arrested and remanded to judicial custody on October 9 for fighting against the suspension of 23 workers and in support of a secret ballot to elect trade union leaders in Foxconn factory in Sriperumbudur. In a statement here, Mr. Ramakrishnan said Mr. Soundararajan and others were re-arrested on charges of causing damage to public property. “The government should withdraw the cases and intervene to find an amicable solution to the workers' problems in Foxconn,” he said.

CITU Karnataka Vidhana Soudha Chalo on October 20

The State unit of the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) will take out a Vidhana Soudha Chalo here on October 20 in protest against the alleged misdeeds of the Government and to draw its attention towards the immediate needs of workers and the poor.
 

The president of the CITU State unit, V.J.K. Nair, and general secretary S. Prasannakumar told presspersons here on Wednesday that the BJP Government was caught in a whirlpool of serious problems and issues by its own misdeeds. In the process of its “power protecting politics”, it has neglected the problems of the workers and general public.

The Government should provide relief to all workers from the increase of price on all fronts by fixing a minimum wage of Rs. 6,000 for those working in the districts and Rs. 10,000 for workers in Bangalore. It should also issue ration cards for all and supply a minimum of 15 kg rice at Rs. 2 a kg for each family through its fair price shops, they said.

Demanding that the Government should abolish contract labour system and regularise all contract labour, they commented that the Government itself is accused of practicing nepotism and favouritism in denotifying land acquired for public purposes.

The Government had failed to fulfil the housing needs of the workers and the poor. It is time that the Government allocated free dwelling sites for all such people, they said. Emphasising the need for implementing labour-related laws strictly, Mr. Nair and Mr. Prasannakumar said that the Government should consider the long-pending wage revision in the State road transport corporations and order elections to the trade unions pending for over 14 years. The Government should extend minimum benefits for all hamali workers, they added.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Left Parties will increase its tally in Bihar : Prakash Karat

The Left Parties alliance which include CPIM CPI and CPIML will increase the number of seats in the coming assembly polls in Bihar said CPIM General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat. He said only the left parties will be able to bring about development with a humane agenda. He was speaking at a public meeting held as part of the election campaing of party candidate in Bahadurpur assembly constituency in Dharbanga district. Thousands came to hear the speech holding red flags.

Major Left parties should continue to maintain pressure on central and state governments for early implementation of 'real and important public issues' like food security, employment and land reforms, he said.

Stating that three major Left parties -- CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML-Liberation) -- were contesting the poll this time in Bihar with full coordination, he said land reforms had emerged as the most important issue to be highlighted during the election campaign.

Charging the Centre with being responsible for the price rise, Karat said the state government should also ensure effective implementation of the Public Distribution System and take steps to ease the problem.

He alleged that the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar was 'a total failure' to reach relief to the people.

"There have been large-scale complaints of irregularities in distribution of red (BPL) cards and failure of the authorities to arrange ration for BPL families," He alleged that the Nitish Kumar government did not achieve the desired goals of the centrally-sponsored MNREGA. "MNREGA is full of corruption in Bihar." , Karat said.

Karat asked the Election Commission to lift the ban on small election materials being used by political parties not not having resources to bear the cost of advertisements in TV channels and newspapers, for campaigning.

"Other parties should also realise this fact and approach the EC for permission," he said.
CPIM State Secretary Com. Vijaykath Takur, and the candidate from Bahadurpur constituency Com. Shyambharathi participated in the meetings.

CPIM Candidate Bindeshwari Prasad files nomination for Kumhrar seat

CPI-M candidate from Kumhrar Assembly constituency Bindeshwari Prasad filed his nomination papers in Patna on October 7, 2010.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui
(Courtesy : Viewpatna)

Vote of Confidence in Karnataka Assembly Farcial : Prakash Karat

Prakash Karat, General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist), has issued the following statement:

The vote of confidence conducted in the Karnataka Assembly was farcical and a gross violation of democratic norms. The CPI(M) reiterate that a proper vote of confidence must be taken in the Assembly in which all MLAs are allowed to participate and the vote recorded.

Without doing so, the Yeddyurappa government cannot be treated as having acquired a vote of confidence.