Centre has made lives of poor miserable: Brinda Karat

Terming the diesel and domestic LPG price hike a ‘brazen attack' on women, speakers at a public meeting held in connection with the 12th State conference of AIDWA here on Wednesday night launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for allegedly pursuing the policies of “enriching the rich and impoverishing the poor”.

Addressing a huge gathering of women at the Pavilion Grounds here, the CPI (M) Polit Bureau member and MP Brinda Karat alleged that the UPA government had made the lives of poor miserable by resorting to steep hike in fuel and domestic LPG prices. "The women are the worst hit by the fuel price rise in view of its cascading effect," she said and accused the UPA government of betraying the faith of the poor after obtaining mandate in the name of welfare of Aam Admi (common man).

She said the increase showed unabashed opportunism of the UPA government which hiked the fuel prices after the elections to various states when the international crude oil prices had dropped to $90 per barrel. The government should make public the production cost of one litre of diesel and the revenue it was earning through the price increase, she said. The rich were growing richer while the poor were suffering the brunt of price rise, she said.

This government does not have the guts to bring back the black money stashed in foreign banks and will to contain the large scale corruption that assumed epidemic proportions in the country, she charged.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, she said, “He cannot manage his own party. How can he run the government?” she questioned. The State government was least bothered about the irrigation projects in the region as was evident from its utter neglect of Dummugudem project in Khammam district, she alleged and accused the government of promoting liquor sales.

AIDWA general secretary Sudha Sundararaman flayed the Planning Commission's 'new definition' of Below Poverty Line. “Let the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee stay for a few days in the rural areas and run their families with a daily expenditure of Rs 15 to demonstrate that one could live with that meagre amount. Freedom fighter Mallu Swarajyam, AIDWA State president T Jyothi, and vice-president S Punyavathi participated.

(Courtesy :The Hindu)

CPI (M) Starts mass movement against corruption in Jammu Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir State Committee of CPI (M) on Tuesday called for mass movement to take on the menace of corruption which it said had has afflicted every sphere of politico-administrative set up in the State. Hundreds of people while holding placards in their hands gathered at bus stand shouting slogans against corruption, demanding immediate measures from the state government to put an end to the menace. The demonstration while passing through the streets of the town later culminated at Deputy Commissioner’s Office wherein a sit-in was staged. The protesters alleged that corruption was rampant in Kulgam district.

The State Secretary CPI (M) and MLA Kulgam, M Y Tarigami, who started his campaign jatha in south Kashmir against corruption said, “It (corruption) has been institutionalized so much that it has gained legitimacy with opportunist officials enjoying patronage to the detriment of the poor and under privileged.” “The upward graph of corruption is going to erode the fundamentals of our society. This menace has deep rooted implications and if the trend continues the day is not far when ours will be a society of criminals.”

He demanded a Lokpal type legislation in Jammu and Kashmir, urging the state government to bring the legislation in the Assembly as soon as possible. Tarigami said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was not being properly implemented in the state as there is gross mismanagement of funds and the poor and deserving rural populace was deprived of even the jobs cards. “There is favoritism in allocation of different works under this scheme and the money meant for poor goes into the pockets of corrupt officials and influential contractors,” said Tarigami. In Social Welfare department, Tarigami said, corruption was deep rooted and four Anganwari workers were working against a single post while the money meant for welfare of the people goes into the pockets of higher ups. The case of various works departments, Tarigami said, was no different.

Tarigami also alleged that there was no transparency in the issuance of ration cards. “We have always maintained that each and every individual should be provided a ration card as by not issuing the same the government is facilitating corruption and giving a free hand to the corrupt officials and politicians,” he said, adding that crores of rupees are being embezzled on this pretext.

Tarigami also expressed concern over the erratic power supply in the valley. “Despite hike in power tariff the government has failed to provide proper electricity to the people even in the summer season,” he said. Tarigami also expressed distress over inflation in the market and said that hike in petrol, diesel, kerosene oil and cooking gas price has severely affected the life of a common man.

Tarigami also sought to bring the horticulture industry of the state under Crop Insurance Act.
“The fruit growers incur huge losses in case of extreme climatic conditions. So the government should bring them under the purview of the Insurance Act,” he said. Tarigami later said that Kulgam being his home constituency, the campaign against corruption was started from here but vowed to carry forward the campaign in other districts of the state.

He said that his party would not be a mute spectator and would lead a movement and fight against corruption till it is uprooted from the society. “On July 20, a rally against corruption will be held in Srinagar,” Tarigami declared.

Courtesy : Greater Kashmir

Greece goes on strike! Day 1.

The 48 hour general strike began on Tuesday 28/6, against the new raft of anti-people measures which are being discussed and are expected to be approved on Wednesday 29/6 by the parliamentary majority which the ruling social-democratic party PASOK possesses.

The Parliamentary group of the KKE (Communist Party of Greece) demanded the the vote on the legislation be carried out by a name roll call, while the lead speaker of the Party on the matter, N. Karathanasopoulos, underlined that the measures being pushed forward by the government have as their real goal the reinforcement of the competitiveness and profitability of capital through attacks on the working class and its rights. The parliamentary group of the KKE withdrew from the discussion and will return for the vote.

At the same time, the Prime Minister, G. Papandreou speaking in Parliament, characterised a vote in favour of the new anti-people raft of measures as a “patriotic duty”.

Commenting on the speech of the Prime Minister in Parliament, the press office of the CC of the KKE noted: “ The Prime Minister proposed that in order to solve the debt, deficit and crisis investors must be encouraged to Greece, the other parties agree with this and this why they agree with and support the anti-people measures, which lay waste to the labour rights , salaries and gains of the people. But the workers, the youth must not accept for any reason these painful sacrifices that are being imposed on them for a development which will provide them with salaries and rights at Chinese levels.”

At the same time the Vice-president of the government Th. Pangalos in an interview with a foreign newspaper posed the following dilemma with the aim of blackmailing the Greek people “ a new raft of anti-people measures or tanks”. In its answer the press office of the CC of the KKE underlined that : “ The people itself, learning from its history, must answer that a subjugated people will be threatened by bankruptcy and the other veils of capitalist barbarity. Only if it is determined and organized to fight for its rights and for its power can it repel these measures. It must take into its hands the banks and monopoly businesses so that they serve its interests and do not rob it.”

Preparation of the strike
The forces of the All-workers Militant Front (PAME) waged the struggle to organise the strike in this political atmosphere.

On Monday morning they carried out a symbolic occupation of the Acropolis. This initiative which was saluted by the workers, provoked the furious reaction of the right -wing ND, the nationalist-racist LAOS and the bourgeois electronic mass media, which accused PAME of “desecrating the sacred monuments”.

In its answer the press office of the CC of the KKE stated that: “ ND wants to hide that it essentially agrees with memoranda and the medium-term programme , but their hatred of the struggles of the class-oriented labour movement against them does not allow it to do this successfully. PASOK, ND , LAOS and the others must learn that the monuments are not desecrated by the mobilizations of the people but by their commercialisation and that the country is not defamed by its people's struggles but by its people's destitution.”

On Mon afternoon 27/6, the forces of PAME carried out placard protests and rallies in dozens of Greek cities and popular neighbourhoods in order to propagandize the 48 hr strike.

 

28th June- 1st day of the strike
The daybreak of the 28th June found the class oriented forces of PAME struggling decisively to defend of the strike by picketing factories, stores, construction sites, hotels and offices where they have been in the previous period, while they had mounted pickets on the ramps of the ships from midnight onwards.

The defense of the strike of the seamen has been a particularly tough battle since the trade union federation of seamen played a strikebreaking role. The class-oriented trade unions PEMEN and STEFENSON that represent the engineers and the crew of the ship engines, who belong to PAME, decided to participate in the 48-hour strike and the unions of the chefs and ship's electricians joined them. The strike of these unions and the strong picket lines of PAME paralysed Piraeus, the biggest port in the country, which was “flooded” by the forces of the unions of PAME.

Early in the morning the forces of PAME in Thessaloniki, the second largest city of the country, blocked the 7 entrances to the industrial area of the city and paralysed industrial production.

The protesters met at 10:00 in the squares in order to take part in the strike demonstrations. In Athens they gathered in various meeting points. They marched through different central streets of the city and met outside the parliament, in Syntagma Square, blocking all the main streets around the Square.

“The controlled bankruptcy has been already decided on. What they want from the people is to bow their heads for the next fifty years so as to pass the worst measures. The struggle will be determined in the office, in the factory, in the workplace generally, in the fields and the small businesses, in the neighbourhoods. It is bound to lead to a victory.” stated Aleka Papariga, General Secretary of the CC of KKE at the strike demonstration of PAME.

Some of the slogans that were prevalent in the demonstrations of PAME:

“People rise up, do not compromise with the measures of the government.”

“Patriotism is what is just for the people and not the profits of capitalism.”

“No cog can turn without the workers. Worker you can do without the bosses.”

“No more deception! Capitalism cannot become human.”

AIDWA Andhra Pradesh State Conference begins

The 12th Andhra Pradesh State Conference of AIDWA began in Khammam. Senior leader and Telangana Struggle Warrior com. Mallu Swarajyam raised the flag to start the proceedings.

Inaugurating the 12th State conference of AIDWA on Monday, All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) general secretary Com. Sudha Sundararaman deplored that the government instead of taking concrete steps to ensure effective implementation of the Acts like Domestic Violence Act and anti-dowry law was contemplating to dilute them on illogical pretexts. Coming down heavily on the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for allegedly trying to dilute the laws governing women's protection under pressure from some disgruntled and fundamental forces, com. Sudha Sundararaman has warned of intensive broad-based struggles if the government failed to drop the ‘detrimental move'.

“Specific instances of misuse of the Acts if any could be dealt with separately,” she said while underscoring the need for effective enforcement of the laws to uphold the constitutional safeguards meant for protection of women.

She demanded that the UPA government make proper floor management and ensure the passage of the long-cherished Women's Reservation Bill in the ensuing monsoon session of Parliament.

Sex ratio

As per the 2011 census figures, there was a drastic decline in child sex ratio at the national level as well as in several States including Andhra Pradesh, she deplored pointing out that number of girls had declined from 927 in 2001 to 914 for every 1,000 boys in 2011 census.

Andhra Pradesh reported sharp decline in the child sex ratio to an extent of 18 per cent.

The disturbing figures reveal the plight of girl child in the society and highlight the urgent need for a collective action to check the dangerous trend, she said.

She criticised the government for its alleged apathetic attitude towards addressing the grave problems plaguing women such as growing gender offences, malnutrition and anaemia.

Corruption

Corruption assumed grave proportions in the country under the present regime as was evident from the series of multi-crore scams like 2G spectrum, she charged and alleged that the UPA government lacked commitment to contain corruption which is taking a heavy toll on the common man.

“The rhetoric movements would not serve any purpose,” she felt underscoring the need for sustained agitations to exert pressure on the government take concrete steps to root out corruption from the grassroots level. The Lok Pal bill should have been brought in long back, she said.

Left activists continue protest against fuel price hike across the country

DELHI
Left Front activists led by CPI-M leader Brinda Karat on Monday marched from Jantar Mantar towards the Parliament to protest the 'anti-people' price hike in petroleum products.

The protesters vowed to intensify their agitation against the UPA government before they were stopped at the Parliament Street by the police.

Brinda said the move to hike the prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG betrayed the UPA government's preference for the 'khaas admi' as against the 'aam admi', whose cause it claims to champion. he activists from CPI, CPI-M, All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), who gathered at Jantar Mantar, marched to demand a withdrawal of the price hike.

Questioning the timing of the hike that came closely after elections in four states, Brinda also said that crude prices at the international level were actually coming down and the oil and gas firms in India were making huge profits.

The CPI-M leader said the entire argument of 'under recoveries' by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was 'notional' rather than 'actual'. She also sought clarification over what the cost of production of oil products was and how much was the tax.

She also attacked the Trinamool Congress over its unwillingness to compel the government to give up ad valorem taxes, and termed a reduction of VAT on LPG in West Bengal as a 'cosmetic show'.

HIMACHAL PRADESH
Despite inclement weather on Monday, the CPIM after holding a procession through the Lower Bazar, in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh the demonstration culminated into a public meeting at Naaz, close to The Mall Road.

Ridiculing the congress slogan of ‘Congress ka haath, aam admi key saath’, Tikender Panwar, CPIM member secretariat said that the party that had professed to work for the common man has turned the hand around to strangulate him with hiking certain petro products substantially.

Hiking the prices of diesel by Rs 3, kerosene by Rs 2 and LPG gas cylinder by Rs 50 has broken the back of the ordinary citizen, he said.

The party has decided to intensify the agitations to build a strong movement for exposing the sinister policies of the congress party, he added.

TRIPURA

Life in all spheres of the state got completely paralyzed today in Tripura where the people spontaneously responded to the dawn-to-dusk Bandh called the Tripura Left Front Committee protesting against the recent hike of prices of fuel by the UPA-II Government at the centre.
All the markets, commercial centres remained closed. No student, teaching staff and employees turned up in any school, college and university. All types of vehicular traffic remained off the road and the rail did not move in the state today. All private and Government offices looked to be a solitary place because of no staff attended for duty today.
While hailing the people for rendering overwhelming respond to the Bandh call, Tripura Left Front Committee in a statement said, this irrational price hike is an attack on all sections of people. This hike shall cause unbearable percolating affect to all sections of the people of the state particularly, because of the state’s remote location and its dependence on road transpiration for all essential commodities. So it is a united protest voiced by the people of the state in line with the protest throughout the country.

If the hike of the price on diesel, K. oil and cooking gas is not rolled back and the people’s protest is not honored, the people will have to prepare themselves for a bigger struggle in the coming days, the Left Front urged. Normal life was paralysed in Tripura today during a dawn-to-dusk bandh called by the ruling Left Front to protest hike in the prices of petroleum products.

Traffic was off the roads. Shops, markets, schools, colleges and the Tripura University were closed. Attendance at Civil Secretariat, offices and banks was almost nil, officials said. The police said picketers took to streets since morning but no untoward incident was reported. Security was strengthened in the state and the police and paramilitary forces were on patrol in different parts of the state.

PUDUCHERRY

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday held a protest outside the head post office condemning the hike in prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG and demanded an immediate rollback of the hike.

Puducherry secretary of the CPI (M) V. Perumal said that since the UPA came to power for the second time in 2009, fuel prices have been increased 10 times. The hike in prices was a blow to the people, who were already suffering from escalating prices of essential commodities.

Condemning the acts of oil companies, which were putting up advertisements persuading people to bear with the “small increase” in fuel prices, he said that such advertisements were insensitive to the plight of the people.

While corporate companies in the country got huge tax benefits in the form of waivers, the government was trying to bring down fiscal deficit by reducing subsidies provided to the poor, he said.

China's Communist Party members exceed 80 million

The number of Communist Party of China (CPC) members has exceeded 80 million, a senior CPC official said Friday.

The CPC had 80.269 million members by the end of last year, Wang Qinfeng, deputy head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, said at a press conference.The Party grew from only about 50 members at its birth to nearly 4.5 million when the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.Last year, 3.075 million people joined the CPC, the world's largest political Party -- a net increase of 2.274 million taking into account members who died or left the party.The two leading groups in new members were college students and people at the frontline of production or work, such as industrial workers, farmers, herders, and migrant workers, both accounting for more than 40 percent of total new Party members.The CPC received 21.017 million membership applications last year, a year-on-year increase of 861,000.Of the Party's members, 18.03 million were women and 5.338 million were from ethnic minority groups in 2010, accounting for 22.5 percent and 6.6 percent of the total respectively, according to Wang.In terms of occupation, the group of farmers, herders and fishers, numbering 24.427 million, was the largest, while 6.989 million Party members were workers, he said.Another 6.812 million members worked in Party and state agencies, and 18.413 million were managerial staff and professional technicians working in enterprises and non-profitable organizations, and 2.539 million were students, according to Wang.

As the Communist Party of China (CPC) prepares to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its founding, the party is making extra efforts to ensure that its officials are living up to the standards first established by the party's founders back in 1921.

Source : Xinhua

Left Front’s protest march in Kolkota

The Left Front took out an impressive protest march before organizing a meeting in Azad Hind Bag in north Kolkata on June 25. The protest was against widespread Trinamool attacks on Left party leaders, workers and even supporters in West Bengal immediately after the declaration of poll results, price rise particularly the rise in prices of diesel and ,LPG cooking gas.

The march started from Rani Rashmoni Road in Esplanade area where Left Front leaders including Front chairman Biman Basu and Leader of the Opposition Surya Kanta Mishra were frontliners in the 8-kilometre march along Esplanade East, Lenin Sarani, College Street and Bidhan Sarani. The former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was present at Rani Rashmoni Road.Braving the afternoon rain a large number of Left supporting people assembled at Rashmoni Road. The participation of students and youths was particularly impressive.The Front chairman Biman Basu reminded the marchers of Emergency during the days of Indira Gandhi 33 years ago when ruthless attacks were mounted on the people to take away their democratic rights. Now again after the span of Emergency period a situation had been created by Trinamool-Congress combine by resorting to indiscriminate attacks on Left supporting masses across rural Bengal, he alleged.

CPIM holds anti mining rally in Andhra Pradesh

CPI(M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu has asserted that the anti-mining movement in the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam district will continue until such time all leases are cancelled.

Addressing a meeting, a culmination of an eight-day anti-mining campaign by the CPI(M) in the 11 mandals of the tribal areas, here on Friday, Mr. Raghavulu said already 29 licences had been given for mining in nearly 4,000 acres. Accusing the government of giving scope for illegal mining, he said 120 applications for mining in 1.1 lakh acres were pending with the government.

‘Destructive mining'

‘Destructive mining' would not only ruin the ecology in the Girijan areas but would also devastate the plain areas, he said.

It was estimated that mining in one acre would get Rs. 2 crore of revenue and in 1.1 lakh acres it would get Rs. 2.5 lakh crore.

“But why should Girijans sacrifice their land and ecology for mining, when they are not getting health, colleges or bridges they need and the money on mining was spent elsewhere?” he asked.

The government was not even spending the tribal sub-plan amount of 7 per cent of the budget in tribal areas. The leaders of Congress, TDP, and YSR Congress should declare whether they were with Girijans or hand in glove with those taking up mining. He charged the Congress government with overcoming the Panchayat approval for mining in violation of the Panchyatraj Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act and putting it in the hands of mandal and zilla parishads. The mandal parishads should pass a resolution opposing destructive mining. Describing the tribal movement that led to putting off public hearing on china clay at Sarai in Kandrika mandal as significant,

Mr. Raghavulu said Girijans were ready to lay down their lives for protecting their lands from mining.

If the government wanted to take up mining in areas that would not disturb ecology, it should come out with an alternative mining policy for spending money from it in Girijan areas, set up industries using the raw material within the State and provide employment to local youth.

Former MP Midiam Babu Rao, CPI(M ) district secretary Ch. Narsinga Rao Araku Valley ZPTC Killo Surendra, K. Santi of GK Veedhi, and Makireddy Ramana of Samata, a voluntary organisation, spoke.

(courtesy :The Hindu)

Protest Petroleum Products Price Hike

The Left parties strongly condemn these price increases and demand that they be withdrawn. The Left parties call upon all its units to immediately conduct hartals, demonstrations and other protest actions.

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

The UPA Government has struck another cruel blow at the people by increasing the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas. The increase in the price of diesel by Rs. 3 per litre has come at a time when the people are suffering from all round price rise and the inflation rate has crossed 9 per cent. The diesel price increase will raise the price of transportation and affect the farmers as well. The increase in the price of kerosene by Rs. 2 per litre will be an added burden on the poor. The Rs. 50 increase per gas cylinder will also burden the common people.

The withdrawal of 5 percentage points in customs duty on crude oil, which was imposed last year, shows how such taxes are levied by the Centre to raise revenue and this is the main cause for the high prices of petroleum products. Yet, the government refuses to restructure the taxes on petroleum products and give up the ad valorem tax.

The Left parties strongly condemn these price increases and demand that they be withdrawn. The Left parties call upon all its units to immediately conduct hartals, demonstrations and other protest actions.

CPIM demands government to immediatly solve the issue of Tamilnadu Fisherman

The Centre should find a permanent solution for the Indian fishermen's problem who are often arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) secretary, G. Ramakrishnan, has said.

Addressing the media here after a meeting of district committee members of seven party districts on Wednesday, Mr. Ramakrishnan condemned the recent arrest of 23 fishermen of Ramanathapuram.

He urged the Centre to intervene and take necessary steps for their immediate release.

Stating that there were reports on the posts in local bodies being allegedly auctioned by villagers, Mr. Ramakrishnan said such a practice was against the democracy.

Those who win the posts through auction would only focus on earning the money they had spent in the auction, he said.

The State Government should take necessary steps to stop such illegal practice. He also advocated for conducting direct elections to elect the heads of local bodies, instead of indirect election.

Stating that there were agitations throughout the State in support of Samacheer Kalvi, he said the State Government should implement it for all the classes from the current academic year.

Seeking to reduce the fee structure recommended by the Justice Raviraja Pandiayan committee, he also wanted strict action against the private and Government-aided schools that were collecting exorbitant fees.

(courtesy : The Hindu)