CPI(M) lays siege to Khammam District Collectorate

Activists of the CPI (M) laid siege to the Khammam District Collectorate in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday in protest against the alleged failure of the government to come to the rescue of the farmers who were badly affected by water and electricity problems.

Party activists in large numbers gathered in front of the Collectorate and staged a massive demonstration resenting the government's alleged indifferent attitude towards mitigating the woes of farmers.

Addressing the gathering, party district secretary Pothineni Sudarshan Rao alleged that the government was responsible for the present miserable plight of the farmers who were reeling under severe water and electricity shortage.

“Minister for Horticulture R Venkat Reddy owes an explanation to the farmers for motivating them to go for cultivation of paddy and depriving them of adequate water and power at this crucial juncture,” he said alleging that the government should own up responsibility for the suicides by distressed farmers. He cautioned that the party would launch a massive agitation if the government failed to release adequate water from Nagarjunasagar reservoir to the canals in the second zone and supply assured electricity to the agriculture pumpsets forthwith.

Party leaders Nunna Nageswara Rao, P. Venkateswara Rao and others spoke.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

CPI (M) announced candidates for Manipur Assembly Poll

The central committee member of CPI (M), Nurul Hooda has announced the first list of candidates who will be contesting in the upcoming state assembly election in Manipur.

Com. Kshetrimayum Shanta would contest in Sagolband Assembly Constituency and Yumnam Romola in Keishamthong AC .

Speaking to media persons at the Paona Bazar office of CPI (M) Manipur State Committe, Nurul Hooda said that CPI (M) would go together with other like minded Left parties in the forthcoming elections with a vision to form an alternative Governments in Manipur as well as at the Centre after toppling the Congress-led Governments.

Saying that the incumbent State Government is no longer supported by the people, Nurul Hooda slammed the State Government's complete silence to the 70 days old highway blockade which has resulted in untold misery to the general public. The plight of the people of Manipur are consequences of the Central and State Government's misplaced policies, he alleged. Observing that the law and order situation in the State has been deteriorating day by day, Nurul Hooda flayed the Government's reluctance to take any concrete initiative to bring major rebel groups of Manipur to the negotiating table.

It would be in the best interest of all if the Centre and the State Government take some concrete steps to bring the major insurgent groups to the negotiating table, he added.

Com Sarat Salam secretary of CPI (M), Manipur State committee, stated that CPI (M) is the first among recognized national and regional parties to have announced the list of candidates for the upcoming assembly election.The party will face the election against corruption and criminalization of politics. It will also work to bring about communal harmony and bring down the prices of essential commodities, he noted.

Sarat further maintained that the CPI (M) along with other left parties will try to form an alternative government in the coming 10th assembly election.

CITU CONGATULATES COAL WORKERS FOR MAGNIFICENT COUNTRYWIDE UNITED STRIKE ON OCTOBER 10

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) congratulates the coal mine workers for their magnificent united strike action on 10th October 2011 which led to almost total standstill in operation in the mines and other units of all the nine subsidiary companies under Coal India Ltd viz., ECL, BCCL, CCL, NCL, WCL, SECL, MCL, NEC and CMPDIL and also in Singarenny Collieries in AP. As per even the assessment made by management of Coal India Ltd, out of 456 work-units in its nine subsidiary companies, in 421 production and operation got completely paralysed, and in 11 units, there was some work and rest 24 units were exempted from strike, those being hospitals and other emergency services. In Singarenny collieries also strike was massive.

All the five major workers federations of all affiliations jointly called for one day strike to protest against Coal management’s rigid and unreasonable stand on the just demand for performance linked annual bonus for the workers commensurate with profit and dividend pay-out. The Federations also demanded to ensure coverage of bonus-payment for all the contract workers in the coal industry in due recognition to their contribution to production and profitability of the industry. The most unreasonable and rigid position taken by the management on the just demands of the workers compelled the workers to resort to strike action.

CITU congratulates the coal workers and their federations and unions for the unprecedented unity and resolve they demonstrated through this historic total strike action in all the collieries and establishments spread over length and breadth of the country. CITU is confident, the federations will remain firm and united to prepare for further struggle to compel the management and the Govt to concede to the just demands of the workers which will go a long way for strengthening the struggle for forthcoming wage negotiations in coal industry and also against the retrograde move for contractorisation and outsourcing.

CPIM demands judicial probe into Kozhikode firing

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded a judicial probe into police firing on students at Government Engineering College here yesterday. Inaugurating a dharna Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) demanding ouster of student Nirmal Madhav, who got admission by violating norms, party State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said today a judicial probe could only unravel the government’s role into the firing. Stating that the police had opened fire on Students Federation of India activists, who were on a peaceful agitation, he also demanded stringent action against the police officers involved in the incident.He said the officer, who opened fire was 'mad' as he resorted to the action without provocation and clearance from a magistrate. Justifying the SFI stir, he said Nirmal Madhav, who had completed only two semsters in a private self-financing college, was not eligible for admission to a government engineering college that also in the fifth semester. Cautioning that the brutal police action could not weaken mass movements in the state, he said the agitation by the student and the youth wings of the party would continue till its logical conclusion. More than 30 people, including SFI State Secretary P Biju, were injured in police lathicharge on agitators at the college premises.

Condemn the killing of jute farmars in Assam

AIKS condemns the barbaric killing of four jute farmers in police firing in Assam’s Darrang District on 10th October, 2011. We express heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and express solidarity with the peasantry who are fighting for a just cause.

The farmers were demanding fair and remunerative prices for their jute crop. Jute farmers have been pushed to dire straits by extremely low Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced over time. The Congress Government in the Assam as well as the Congress-led UPA Government has been insensitive to the plight of the jute farmers and the farmers have not been getting even the meager MSP fixed by the Government. Since the Government has shirked from its responsibility of procurement, the private buyers have been given a free hand to exploit the situation. They are paying as low as Rs.700/- per quintal only for jute although the Government announced Rs.1675/- per quintal. In Assam the Jute Corporation of India has fixed the price between Rs.1350/- to Rs.1675/- per quintal. It is notable here that the AIKS had demanded a MSP of Rs.3000/- per quintal for 2011-12.

AIKS demands immediate action against the police officials responsible for the brutal killings. Appropriate compensation must be paid immediately to families of each of the deceased farmers. We demand that the Central Government immediately announce an MSP of Rs.3000/- per quintal and the Government must procure directly from the farmers. Strong deterrent action must be taken against the traders who are exploiting the farmers.

A delegation of AIKS Assam Unit will be visiting the families of the victims to express solidarity and also meet the concerned authorities to press for the above demands.

The CPI (M) has strongly decried the role of the police in the incident. In a statement, the CPI (M) said that the farmers were compelled to resort to agitation seeking just price for their produce as they had been languishing for not getting the minimum price in return for their toil. “We condemn the police firing…it exposes the anti-people face of the State Government which is giving the agitating farmers bullets instead of mitigating their woes through an appropriate mechanism,” it said, adding that it wanted the guilty police officials to be punished besides adequate compensation to the families of victims.

Comrade Raj Bahadur Gaur passes away

Comrade Raj Bahadur Gaur, first generation Communist leader, veteran trade unionist, stalwart of the Telangana Armed Struggle and a champion of Urdu, passed away here on Friday morning. He was 93. He was rushed to a hospital with high fever and died while undergoing treatment. Doctors said the death was caused by sepsis.

Along with Makhdoom Mohiuddin, ‘shayar-e- inquilab', Dr. Gaur had formed the underground ‘Comrades Association' in 1939 and then the AITUC-affiliated All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress (AHTUC) in 1946, considered a revolutionary step in the pre-Independence princely State of Hyderabad. Mohiuddin was the president and Dr. Gaur, general secretary of AHTUC, that spawned and dominated the trade union movement scene for several decades. 

The two leaders played a key role in the armed rebellion against the Nizam's rule, landlordism and imperialism. Attracted by Communism early in life, Dr. Gaur, hailing from a Kayasth family, left the typical ‘Devdi' lifestyle of the old city of Hyderabad and took the plunge into a seemingly proletariat, land to the tiller, movement. Leftist ideology had such an influence on him that he settled down in a lower middle class colony in Chikkadpally in Hyderabad and named his spartan house, “Ek chameli ka mandva”, drawn from the popular verse penned by Mohiuddin. 

A trade unionist who fought for the rights of the working class, Dr. Gaur was an unrivalled leader of the workers/ employees unions of Singareni, APSRTC, public sector banks, Medical and Health Department and IDPL for a long time. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha member twice, the first time in 1952, when he was in jail.

Progressive rationalist

A die-hard lover and promoter of Urdu, a medium in which he completed his MBBS, he would often say it was his mother tongue, while English his “step-mother tongue”.

Donates pension

He was the president of the Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu and only last month donated Rs. 3 lakh he had received as arrears of pension (for being MP) to the Urdu Taleemi Trust for extending scholarships to needy students. Dr. Gaur has authored several books, including “Glorious Telangana Armed Struggle”, “Mulki Tangle: The Communist approach”, “Working class and Emergency” and “Makhdoom, a memoir”.

A progressive rationalist, Dr. Gaur willed that his body be handed over to Osmania Medical College for research. Several CPI leaders led by Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, deputy general secretary, and CPI (M) State secretary, B. V. Raghavulu, have condoled his death. 

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

215 sentenced to jail in Vachathi case

CPIM cadres under the leadership of Com. Dili Babu MLA held demonstration hailing the verdict

More than 19 years after forest and police officials descended on Vachathi, a tribal hamlet in western Tamil Nadu, and committed atrocities on hapless villagers in a raid said to be against sandalwood smuggling, a district and sessions court here on Thursday found 215 government officials and employees guilty and handed down prison terms ranging from two years to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Seventeen persons were convicted of the charge of rape. 

Among the senior officials found guilty by Principal District and Sessions Judge S. Kumaraguru were a retired Conservator of Forests, two serving Conservators and an Additional Chief Conservator of Forests. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation, which was directed by the Madras High Court to investigate the case, arraigned 269 officials of the Forest, Police and Revenue Departments, but only 215 lived to receive the verdict in a court thronged by victims, their family members and activists who had supported them over the years. The remaining 54 officials are dead.

On June 20, 1992, a large contingent of officials entered Vachathi following information that sandalwood was being illegally felled and smuggled. The team claimed to have recovered a huge quantity of sandalwood from a riverbed. 

Later, the villagers complained that under the pretext of conducting a search, the raiding party had ransacked their property, destroyed houses and killed their cattle.

The most shocking charge was that the men in uniform had raped 18 women. The State government denied the charges. The then Forests Minister, K.A. Sengottaiayan, now Agriculture Minister, had accused the entire village of being involved in sandalwood smuggling, and when a team of officials went there for investigation, the villagers had attacked them. 

However, in 1995, on a writ petition filed by the then CPI (M) State secretary, A. Nallasivan, the Madras High Court handed over the probe to the CBI, which charge-sheeted the 269 officials. Later, compensation was paid to the victims.

The senior-most official convicted was the first accused, M. Harikrishnan, a retired Conservator of Forests, who was awarded a three-year prison term under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code for causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen the offender, and another three years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs.1,000 in fine under Section 3(2)(1) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Accused number 2, Additional Chief Conservator of Forests P. Muthaiyan, was sentenced to jail for a year under Section 342 (wrongful confinement) of the IPC. Conservator of Forests, Dindigul, L.Nathan was given a one-year term. S. Balaji, Conservator of Forests, Chennai, was awarded three-year rigorous imprisonment on three counts, but the terms would run concurrently. He was also fined Rs.5,000.

A long, agonising wait for justice ends

The excruciating wait for justice was nearly two decades long for the people of Vachathi, a tribal hamlet in Pappireddipatti taluk, 50 km away from Dharmapuri and 16 km from Harur. Jubilation was writ large on the faces of the victims and their family members, as the final verdict of the trial court came. Some of them broke down on hearing the verdict.

‘I was just 13 then when dragged me by the hair, abused me in foul language and raped me on the bund of a lake,” recalled a victim, now 33 years old, who came to the court premises with her husband and children to watch justice being meted out.

“When I pleaded that I was a small girl studying eighth standard, the men in khaki responded saying ‘Being a girl is enough'. I was waiting with bated breath for the 19 years hoping that the long arm of justice will not spare the offenders,” he said. Her entire family was happy as the verdict, she said, came as a healing balm after barbaric acts had pushed them to the edge of their lives.

“Though it was done by men in the lower ranks, the officials were in the know of the whole incident and watched everything from a distance and it all happened with their sanction."

Paranthayi, a woman in her late 30s, said her 16-year-old daughter (name withheld) was dragged and stripped right in front of her. The men forced their way into the house showering choicest abuses. “My daughter who was taken away by 2.45 p.m. was brought back only at 9 p.m., only to be taken to the forest office at night. She has managed to survive the trauma and is in court today with her husband and three children. Our only mistake is that we hail from a suppressed community," she said.

Reacting to the judgement, P. Shamugam, State president of the Tamil Nadu Tribals Association, said in this case the verdict made up for the long and agonising wait. The delay was primarily due to the lack of co-operation and dilatory tactics adopted by those who held high offices in government. Mr.Shanmugam said though Rs 1.25 crore had been disbursed as compensation in two phases, it was disappointing.

CPI(M) MLA P. Dilli Babu said the case and the verdict were historic. “The verdict has assuaged the hurt feelings of the victims. The efforts taken by Tribals Association, AIDWA and CPI(M) have not been in vain. With regard to higher compensation for the victims of rape and those who lost their property and livelihood, CPI (M) will fight legally,” he said.

S. Chrisa Mary, president of the Dharmapuri District Unit of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), said: “It is a victory for the poor and the suppressed, and a befitting lesson to the bureaucracy and the Government.”

D.S. Kavitha, AIDWA Dharmapuri unit secretary, said the compensation of Rs 15,000 each to the 18 victims of rape is inadequate and AIDWA will fight for getting it enhanced. 

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

CPIM P.B. Communiqué

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on September 29 & 30, 2011. It has issued the following statement:

At the outset the Polit Bureau expressed its deep grief at the loss of lives suffered due to the earthquake in Sikkim, North Bengal and Bihar. The Polit Bureau urged the Central Government to assist the state government of Sikkim to take all necessary measures for the speedy rehabilitation work in the affected areas.

UPA Government & Corruption

The recent period has once again highlighted the high level corruption which had engulfed the UPA government since its inception in 2004. Apart from the unfolding 2G spectrum scandal, the CAG reports on the KG basin contract and the Air India mismanagement have reinforced the image of a totally corrupt government in the eyes of the people.

The Polit Bureau also discussed the latest exposure of the role played by the then Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, in the 2G Spectrum licence allotment. The note forwarded by the Finance Ministry to the Prime Minister’s Office has clearly delineated the role played by the Finance Minister at that time in going along with the policy and the implementation of it by the then Telecom Minister, A Raja. Despite the obfuscation by the Government, the issue is that P Chidambaram had given the green signal for a policy which led to a massive loss to the State exchequer. This is despite his ministry earlier objecting to the first come – first serve policy and the entry fee being retained at the 2001 rate.

Chidambaram Should Resign

The explanation provided by the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that it is an inter-ministerial note prepared with inputs from various ministries and coordinated by the Cabinet Secretary only underlines the authoritative nature of the conclusions that have been drawn. It is not the work of any single officer or ministry. Therefore, P Chidambaram has to take responsibility for his action. The Polit Bureau demands that he resign from the Union Cabinet.

Attitude to Price Rise

The Polit Bureau strongly condemned the price hike of Rs. 3.14 per litre of petrol. This price hike has taken place when the inflation rate is hovering just below 10 per cent and there is no let up in the increase in food prices. By this act, the government has only stoked price rise and inflation.

The government’s callous attitude has also been made clear by the Planning Commission’s affidavit before the Supreme Court on the poverty line. By declaring that the poverty line for an adult is Rs. 26 in rural areas and Rs. 32 in urban areas, the government has imposed a starvation line.

The Polit Bureau demands that the cap imposed by such fraudulent basis for dividing the population into BPL and APL be abandoned. Further, the cap imposed on the number of people below the poverty line be scrapped.

The Polit Bureau demanded that the Food Security Act should be changed to ensure the universal right to food and not the targeted system.

The Polit Bureau expressed its concern at the rise in prices of DAP fertiliser and the shortage of urea in the market which is affecting the farmers.

Rath Yatra for What?

The announcement of a rath yatra against corruption by the BJP leader, L K Advani is surprising and ironical. The BJP has to answer for its record of corruption during the NDA government starting from the Tehelka tape expose of defence purchases to the sanction of petrol pumps and gas agencies.

The BJP is also accountable for the brazen corruption under its state government in Karnataka. The illegal mining and the nexus with the mining mafia which has resulted in tens of thousands of crores of rupees being looted is stark testimony to the BJP’s commitment to fight corruption. In this context, the rath yatra of the BJP leader will have no credibility whatsoever.

Ideological Resolution

The 19^th Congress of the Party held in 2008 had decided that the Central Committee should adopt a resolution on ideological issues. In this connection, the Polit Bureau discussed an outline for the draft resolution. On this basis, the draft resolution will be prepared for discussion in the Polit Bureau and the Central Committee and taken up at the Party Congress in April 2012.

Call for Campaign & Protests: November 1-7

The Polit Bureau decided that the Party should take up a countrywide campaign and protest movements on the following issues immediately:

i. Curb price rise and ensure universal right to food.

ii. Take firm action on all corruption cases and adopt an effective Lokpal Act.

iii. Ensure supply of fertilizer at subsidised prices to farmers and stop black marketing of urea.

iv. Steps to curb unemployment and fill up all vacancies in government posts.

v. Stop FDI in the retail sector; protect the interests of small shopkeepers and traders.

The Polit Bureau called upon all its Party units to conduct a campaign and to launch protest actions, including picketing and demonstrations on these issues from November 1 to 7. The state committees will chalk out the concrete programmes.

The Polit Bureau extended its full support to the call given by the Central trade unions and national federations for a `Jail Bharo’ movement on November 8. The Party will mobilise the working class to participate in this programme.

Com E Balanandan Research Foundation Website inaugurated

CPIM State Secreteriate Member and Eranakulam District Secretary Com. M V Govindan Master inaugurated the website of Com. E Balanandan Research Foundation on 22 september 2011. Com. Chandrasekhara Pillai Secretaray EBRF, Com M M Lawrance , Chairman EBRF were present during the occassion.

E Balanandan Research Foundation is a Research Institution established in memory of veteran communist leader Com E Balanandan. Com. E Balanandan, former President of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) was a pioneer in the working class movement in the country. As an uncompromising Communist and a thorough trade unionist he contributed immensely in the political spheres and in building up the working class movement in the country. The Research Foundation is basically planned do study and research on Working Class Ideology and Organisations, World Socialist/Communist Movement, Trade Union organisation and Trade related issues, Socio-economic development, Urban Planning, Rural development, energy efficient systems and practices and Information Technology with special relevance to advancement of Free software movement and enriching the Free Software such other socially owned knowledge assets. The long term perspective is to develop EBRF into a resource centre and a University for educating the workers and empowering their organisations for the advancement of the society into socialism.

State Sponsored Police Terror against protesting youth across the nation

SFI Kerala State Vice President Com. Rahim brutally attacked by police in Trivandrum while protesting against Petrol Price Hike

DYFI Trivandrum District Secretary Com Biju beaten by police

DYFI Cadres Lathicharged in Salem, Tamil Nadu

Where Opression is a Reality,,, Revolt is a Right...And we will do that...