CITU GENERAL COUNCIL CALLS COUNTRYWIDE CAMPAIGNS AND HEIGHTENING THE UNITED STRUGGLE

All India General Council of CITU meeting at Coimbatore from 2^nd to 5^th June has decided:

 

·         To organize a wave of massive and militant campaigns and struggles in the country against the regime of loot and plunder on workers and the mass of the people let loose by the neo-liberal policies of the government of India and on the pressing demands of the working people in various sectors. These campaigns with a countrywide campaign week from 2^nd to 8^th July 2012 raising issues like price rise, leading the exploitative system of contractorisation prevailing in all sectors in the country, equal wage for equal work, minimum wages of at least Rs. 10,000 per month and ensured pension for all. Campaigns will be organized at workplaces and residential areas.

 

·      General council reviewed the 28^th February 2012 General strike and decided to continue the joint struggles against the polices of the government as the Government of India has failed to look into any demands raised by the unions during the struggles in the last 3 years.

·         CITU along with other central trade unions and national federations will go for countrywide campaigns and struggles culminating in multiple days of countrywide strike as to be decided jointly by the Central Trade Unions.

·         Protesting against the cruel exploitation of millions of workers especially women in the name of honorarium, workers in various schemes of the government of India like anganwadi, mid-day meals and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), CITU will organize countrywide struggles demanding regularization of these scheme workers with proper wage scales and social security benefits. The programme will include state level campaigns and mobilizations culminating in a ‘Mahapadav’ (massive mobilization) in front of the Parliament during November 2012. 

·         CITU will organize struggles of various sections of unorganized sector workers on issues like minimum wages of at least Rs. 10,000, social security benefits, welfare board and other statutory benefits as part of these struggles. Construction workers will organize a countrywide strike on 6^th November 2012.

 

·         CITU will organize solidarity actions with the workers in central PSUs, who are struggling against privatization. CITU extends solidarity with the steel workers’ united strike in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL) on 27^th and 28^th June against disinvestment.

 

·         CITU expressed solidarity with the struggles of various sections of workers in Tamilnadu who are demanding end to victimizations, ensuring trade union rights, wage increases and proper functioning of the welfare boards of unorganized sector workers. 

·         CITU General Council has decided to conduct movements and campaigns on issues of social and gender oppressions in different parts of the country. 

·         General Council has decided to conduct its 14^th National Conference by the end of March 2013 and will be preceded by state conferences. 

·         Working Women Co-ordination Committees of CITU will also organise state and national conventions of working women before March 2013. 

Civic Elections Results in West Bengal

In six civic bodies in west Bengal, Trinamool Congress has won in 4 while Left Front won in Haldia and Congress, contesting separately won in Coopers’ camp notified area.


The elections were held in vitiated atmosphere, with TMC terrorizing the whole campaign period. Opposition candidates were threatened, attacked and their families were heckled in Haldia, Panshkura. In reality, Left Front could not go for a peaceful campaign in both these areas. In Durgapur, the terror was unleashed throughout the campaign period and CPI(M) activists were attacked. On the day of elections too TMC unleashed violence and meticulously planned terror tactics in all three civic areas. Even Congress alleged that elections were not fair and TMC terrorized people while administration remained crippled.


Despite this, Left Front won 15-11 in Haldia. This industrial town in East Midnapore district witnessed TMC terror from 2009 after they won the parliamentary elections. Hundreds were forced to leave their houses, CPI(M) leaders were detained in false cases, TU offices were destroyed or captured. It was a determined fight from the Party workers and people that TMC could not wrest the municipality from Left Front.


In Panshkura, TMC won 11-5, despite attacks. In Durgapur Municipal Corporation, TMC won 29 wards, Left Front 11, Congress 1, BJP1 and others one. In Nalhati TMC retained their hold. In Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri district, the voting was peaceful and Left Front was defeated. In Coopers Camp Congress retained its hold despite all efforts from TMC.


Biman Basu, Chairman, Left Front congratulated the people of Haldia for supporting Left Front despite terror. ‘It was a silent protest against incessant terror” Basu said. In Haldia, just after the results were out, Tamalika Panda Seth, Chairperson of the outgoing municipality was attacked. Many CPI(M) activists were attacked and some of them had to be hospitalized. Biman Basu condemned the violence. In Durgapur, A large section of people voted in favour of the Lefts braving terror, Basu pointed out.


Surjya Kanta Mishra, opposition leader in the state, while commenting on the results, said, “This result is a yellow card to TMC State Government. People will show a Red card if they don’t change their way”.

Rollback Full Price Increase

After increasing the price of petrol by Rs. 7.54 per litre including taxes, the oil companies have now announced a token cut of Rs. 2 per litre. This is unacceptable because the increase in the price of petrol is still Rs. 5.54 per litre.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demand that there should be a rollback of the entire price increase.

The Left parties will continue their agitation for the reversal of the price increase.

Railway Accidents : Minister's Responsibility

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its deep concern at the spate of railway accidents occurring in the country. The latest accident on May 31 is that of the Howrah-Dehradun Express that derailed in Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Five persons were killed and several injured. The Polit Bureau conveys its heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

Just nine days before, there was another major accident when the Hampi Express rammed into a goods train killing 25 passengers and injuring 55 persons on May 22. Prior to this, on May 6, the Ferozpur-Punjab Mail drawn from Mumbai had a derailment of six coaches in Rohtak in which 29 persons were injured.

The responsibility for this shocking state of affairs in the railways lies with the Railway Minister Mukul Roy. He seems more pre-occupied with the Trinamul Congress affairs and assignments in West Bengal.

The talk of sabotage by the Railway Minister and Ms. Mamata Banerjee cannot hide the fact that the railways are in a poor state with elementary safety standards being neglected.

The Prime Minister should not ignore the dereliction of duty by the Railway Minister and remain a hapless spectator.

Don't Bypass Parliament on Foreign Educational Institution Entry

It is reported that the HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, on the eve of his visit to the USA to attend the Indo-US CEO Forum meeting, is keen to find a way to satisfy the demand of US educational institutions for easy entry into India, by introducing liberalised UGC rules which do not require the assent of Parliament. Since the relevant Bill for entry of foreign educational institutions is pending before Parliament, this would be a clear case of bypassing Parliament and is contempt of Parliament.

The CPI(M) warns the Minister against any such move. On the contrary those foreign owned institutions operating in India in violation of the law must be proceeded against and steps taken to prevent any further violations.

Historic victory for CPIM in Shimla Municipal Corporation Elections

Communist Party of India (Marxists) has created history in hill town of Shimla by winning the posts of Mayor and deputy mayor by huge margins. Results announced on Monday has left Congress and BJP shocked as both parties were claiming to win the elections comfortably.

CPI-M’s mayoral candidate Sanjay Chauhan won the election by defeating his nearest BJP rival SS Minhas, a former surgeon, by 7,868 votes. Chauhan got 21,903 votes. Congress candidate and sitting mayor Madhu Sood finished third with 13,278 votes. 

The state assembly elections are due in December, 2012 but is likely to take place in October.

For the post of deputy mayor, Tikender Panwar of the CPI-M won the post by defeating his nearest rival Digvijay Chauhan of the BJP by a margin of 4,778 votes. Panwar polled 21,196 votes. Congress candidate Devinder Chauhan finished third (13,205 votes).

Since the creation of Shimla municipal corporation in 1851, this is for the first time when CPI(M) has clinched the top two political posts of the civic body. Congress for last 26 years was enjoying majority but this time voters in Queen of Hills decided for a change.

BJP has emerged as the single largest party by winning 12 councillors seat while Congress won 10 seats. CPI (M) besides winning two mayoral posts also won three councilors seat.

Election to the Shimla municipal corporation are considered as mini assembly polls as it seats the voting trend for assembly polls which is due late this year. Considering the fact that people from all 12 districts of state residing in Shimla participate in the corporation election political parties consider the results crucial to understand voter's nerve.

But today's election have shown that people are in favour of change as they have rejected the Congress and BJP candidates by favouring CPIM) for mayor and deputy mayors post. Union minister Virbhadra Singh while campaigned for Congress candidates, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his entire cabinet had thrown their weight behind BJP candidates. CPI (M) candidates besides relying on their state leadership had invited Sitaram Yechury as star campaigner.

Whitewashing Black Money

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

 

The Finance Ministry’s White Paper on Black Money presented in parliament reflects a trite exercise devoid of any political will. Neither has any credible estimate of black money stashed abroad been provided by the white paper nor any concrete measures suggested to retrieve the illicit funds.

 

The paper states that the total amount held in the Indian deposits of Swiss Banks fell from Rs. 23373 crore in 2006 to Rs. 9295 in 2010. The government seems to have no clue as to where this amount has gone. There is no assessment of Indian deposits in other offshore financial centres. The paper suggests that much of illicit financial outflows are round-tripped into India through FDI via the Mauritius route or via FII investments through Participatory Notes. Yet there is no specific recommendation to ban Participatory Notes or to scrap the DTAA with Mauritius. 

 

The paper cites the Global Financial Integrity study which estimated the current value of illicit financial flows from India between 1948 and 2008 to be around $462 billion (Rs. 25 lakh crore approximately). The fact that these are not gross overestimates can be seen from the information provided by the white paper: over the last two financial years (2010-2012) alone the Directorate of Transfer Pricing has detected mispricing (such as over-invoicing and under-invoicing of imports and exports) to the tune of a whopping Rs. 67768 crore in 1343 cases. Rs. 48951 crore has also been collected by the Directorate of International Taxation in just two years, between 2010 and 2012. It is clear that these amounts detected or collected over the past two years still comprise the tip of the iceberg. 

 

The white paper reveals that the amounts of undisclosed income of Indians, who figure in the lists of secret bank account holders received from the German and French governments respectively, are Rs. 40 crore and Rs. 565 crore only. These are minor parties. The Indian individuals and entities, who are holding bulk of the illicit wealth in offshore accounts, are yet to be identified. The white paper disappointingly reiterates the myriad technical difficulties involved in retrieving these huge amounts stashed abroad.

 

The lack of progress in this direction raises doubts over the sincerity of the UPA government on this crucial issue. The Polit Bureau of the CPI (M) demands that a serious effort be made to quantify illicit funds stashed abroad by Indians and identify the culprits. Undisclosed assets of Indians located abroad should be confiscated by the government as per the provisions of the Income Tax Act. 

CPIM lauches padayatra against communal violence in Kasargod District

CPIM Kasargod district committte has lauched its 3 day padayatra named ‘ Maanava Souhruda Sandesha Yatra' to campaign against the recurring violence and communal clashes in the district in recent months. Two padayatras were flagged off on suday. One is led by party central committee member P. Karunakaran, MP and the second march is led by party district unit secretary K.P. Sathish Chandran. The Padayatra led by Com P Karunakaran was flagged off by Party state secretary Pinarayi vijayan at Thrikkarippur and the second one was flagged off by party leader A.K. Narayanan at Kunjathur at Manjeswaram. Both the marches will culminate at Kanhangad on Tuesday evening.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) State unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) of sheltering communal and extremist forces. Mr. Vijayan said the UDF was appeasing the communal forces, which were bent on vitiating the religious harmony in the State. The recurring communal violence in parts of Kasaragod district should be attributed to the appeasement policy pursued by the ruling front, he said. The reforms witnessed in the State as a result of the progressive ideals espoused by social leaders and the Communist movement had vanished. The IUML was full of communal and divisive forces and the party was sheltering perpetrators of communal clashes, he alleged. The M.A. Nisar Commission appointed by the previous Left Democratic Front government to probe the November 2009 violence in Kasaragod was dismantled owing to pressure from the IUML leadership after the UDF came to power, he said. It was time that the IUML did an introspection on its role in the 2009 violence in which two IUML activists lost their lives. He said that the IUML was protecting those committing atrocities in the name of ‘moral policing,' and the UDF was making every attempt to shield such persons from the clutches of law. He alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was also guilty of similar actions.

CPIM calls for Fight for rights of Vittala Malekudiya

Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday urged the people to fight for the democratic rights of Vittala Malekudiya, a postgraduation student of Mass Communication at Mangalore University, who has been arrested on charges of having links with Maoists. He said a delegation of CPI(M) MP's will meet chief minister of Karnataka D V Sadananda Gowda on May 28 and discuss the release of tribal's, Vittala Malekudiya and his father Linganna. He was speaking after meeting Vittala and Linganna Malekudiya at the district sub-jail. He said that the charges made against Vittala and Linganna Malekudiya of waging war against the state was 'totally absurd' and said that they would challenge it in High Court and even Supreme Court if necessary.

Vittala Malekudiya complained about the problems faced by Malekudiyas in their village Kuthloor and said that they had faced harassment from the Anti Naxal Force. He said that the medical report of Linganna Malekudiya, who was admitted to Wenlock hospital was not yet provided, to determine the cause of Linganna's injury. Meanwhile, doubts on whether Vittala will be allowed to attend his second semester examinations starting from Monday, May 21 was cleared as the district fast track court allowed him to attend examinations. Prakash Karat hoped that the University would allow him to write his examinations without bowing to pressure.

CITU state leader and CPIM Dakshin Kannada District Secretary Com B Madhava, DYFI district president Muneer Katipalla and others were present.

Later Speaking at a seminar on the menace of naxalism and the Government's atrocities on human rights of adivasis and tribal people here, Com Prakash Karat said that draconian laws were being invoked against him in the name of controlling Maoism. “If we do not fight and defend the basic democratic rights of Vittala and his father, then we will eventually suffer … repression of our own democratic rights … of all of us.” He vowed to fight his case till the issue was quashed and urged people to support him ignoring their party affiliation.

Clarifying that the CPI(M) opposed Maoist ideas of waging war against the State, Mr. Karat said it was the exploitation of adivasi people by the Government that led to naxalism.

The real focus should be on ending the all-round attack on adivasis.

He said that Maoists who exploited tribal people ran away when the police came looking for them leaving the tribal people to fend themselves. Mr. Karat, who met the student and his father earlier in Mangalore sub-jail, expressed his happiness that the committees had been constituted in Mangalore and Bangalore to fight the case of the arrested student. A district defence committee was also formed during the occasion, to fight for the release of Vittala and Linganna Malekudiya. President of Maanavatha Vedike Yashwanth Maroli was elected president of the committee. Noted author Sara Aboobaker is vice-president, with Muneer Katipalla as the general secretary. The defence committee consists of lawyers, journalists, writers and thinkers of the region.The Mangalore Committee includes Yashawanth Maroli of Manavathavadi Vedike,  advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady, activists T.R. Bhat and Vasudev Uchila, student leader Jeevan Kuttar, and Konkani cultural leader Eric Ozario.

Honnamma, mother of Vittala Malekudiya, said that Rs. 22,000 was taken away when the house was searched. She said that they earned that money through sale of minor forest produce. Mr. Karat asked her and her daughter Rajeevi not to be scared and that his party had taken up their cause. Mr. Ulepady, who has taken the case of Vittala, said that he would bring this fact to the notice of the court. Ms. Honnamma said they did not have a bank account to keep the money.

Courtesy : The Hindu

Photo Courtesy : Mangalorean.com

West Bengal: A Year of Violence and Crime

This is not something the people of Bengal had bargained for when they bought the slogan of “paribortan” advanced by the TMC-Congress combine and decided to end 34 years of uninterrupted reign of the Left Front. Killings, arson, rape, molestation, physical assaults on women, forcible collection of money and eviction from land - have all become a daily occurrence. It does not surprise them anymore. Slowly but surely, people have started comparing the current dispensation with the dreaded period of the seventies, when the state witnessed semi-fascist terror. Will the state fall back to those days is an apprehension being shared by more and more people. Between the period May 14, 2011 when the TMC combine assumed office to May 12, 2012, as many as 65 Left Front leaders, activists and supporters have been brutally killed by TMC goons. 4,904 persons had to be hospitalized on account of the injuries sustained in such attacks. The steep rise in the overall crime graph points to the general deterioration in the law and order situation during the past one year, since the TMC combine assumed office. 40,124 people have been evicted from their homes. It is estimated that an amount of around Rs. 28 crores has been forcibly collected from 9,529 persons. There has been an alarming increasing in the number of rape cases. 23 cases of rape have been reported from different parts of the state during the past one year. Apart from this, there has also been an overall rise in the incidents of atrocities against women. During the first year of the TMC regime, and shamefully with a lady at the helm, 517 cases of molestation of women and 790 cases of physical assault on women have been reported. One of these cases pertains to the rape of a speech and hearing impaired girl in Bankura by a resident doctor within the hospital premises. In an overwhelming majority of these cases the culprits owe their allegiance to the ruling TMC. Unfortunately, however, in many cases, the complainants have been discredited, their character assassinated and motives assigned. In cases were police officers have investigated independently and proceeded against the culprits, they have been promptly transferred. The CM has had the cheek to call these cases “politically motivated” or “fabricated”, even if it meant tarnishing the image of the victim and defending the perpetrators of these crimes. There has been a planned and systematic attack on land reforms implemented during the Left Front rule. Apart from 26,838 patta holders and bargardars (who had received tenancy rights during the tenure of Left Front Government) who have been evicted from their lands, 3,418 peasants are not being allowed to cultivate their own land. The attack has now spread to democratic institutions and the electoral process, besides the massive attack on the political opponents of the TMC. Even the levels of intolerance have seen a steady growth. The innocuous act of forwarding an email containing a caricature of the Chief Minister saw a university professor, Ambikesh Mahapatra landing behind bars. Newspapers and periodicals that a library could subscribe to have all been listed and sent in an order to libraries across the state. Boards put up by the Ganashakti daily have been made a special target for attack. 250 of such boards on which the daily was pasted for reading by the public who could not afford purchasing the paper, have been destroyed. The democratic right to protest is also sought to be curtailed. Another renowned professor, Partho Sarothi Ray was arrested and jailed for taking part in a peaceful demonstration against eviction of slum dwellers. Since October 2011, 38 incidents of attacks on the election process in different institutions in the state have been reported. 84 student union offices have been captured by the student wing owing allegiance to the TMC. Assault on students, teachers and staff in educational institutions are increasing. It is but natural that the brunt has been borne by the CPI(M), the mass organisations under its leadership and its partners in the Left Front. Apart from the 65 leaders and cadres of the Left who have been mercilessly killed, 611 offices of the CPI(M) have been ransacked and captured. 217 offices of the mass organisations have been captured in different parts of the state. 14 Party conferences at various levels were attacked. 3293 persons have been arrested on the basis of false and fabricated cases being foisted on them. Arms are being planted in houses and offices of the Party and in subsequent raids “recoveries” are reported. The reported number of such cases is 169. Besides, there has been a sharp increase in the number of kidnappings, looting of shops, dismantling of elected three tier panchayat bodies or forcible resignation of elected representatives. But this is not all. In the seven month period between October 12, 2011 and May 12, 2011, agricultural distress has led 53 peasants to commit suicide, which the Government is not ready to admit. Post poll violence perpetrated by AITC and INC miscreants against CPI(M) and Left Front activists in West Bengal as reported from May 14, 2011 to May 12, 2012 at a glance.

1.	Killed	65
2.	Abetted to commit suicide	12
3.	Peasant suicides (from October 12, 2011)	53
4.	Rape	23
5.	Molestation	517
6.	Physical assault on women	790
7.	Injured and hospitalized	4,904
8.	Evicted from house	40,124
9.	Ransacked, looted and burnt	2,867
10.	CPI(M) office ransacked and captured	611
11.	Attack on party conferences	14 (from November 2011)
12.	Mass organisations and trade union offices captured	217
13.	Attack on the election process in different institutions	38 (from October 2011)
14.	Student union offices captured	84
15.	Ganashakti board destroyed	250
16.	Pre-planned so called "arms recovery"	169
17.	Arrest on false and fabricated cases	3,293
18.	Forcefully collection of money No. - Amount	- 9,529 (+) Nos. - Rs. 27 crore 87 lac 8 thousand
19.	Not allowed to cultivate own land No. - Acre	- 3,418 (+) Nos. - 9,222.73 Acre
20.	Eviction of patta holder and bargader No. - Acre	- 26,838 (+) Nos. - 9,404.13 Acre
-	-	-

* Apart from the above statement, the incidents like kidnapping, assault on students-teachers-staffs, ransacking educational institutions, looting of shops, dismantling of elected three tier panchayat, forcing to resign from the elected bodies are not enlisted.

Courtesy : CPIM Westbengal website