MASSIVE RALLY OF AIDWA AGAINST COMMUNAL MODI REGIME

 
Mariam Dhawale

Even the torrential rains could not dampen the spirit of thousands of women - overwhelming   majority of them tribals - who enthusiastically participated in the huge public meeting   organized by the AIDWA Palghar-Thane district committee on August 27, 2014. Young and   old, the women came in trucks, tempos, jeeps, buses and rickshaws. Hundreds of them came  walking from the neighbouring villages, with children in hand.   Attired in attractive and colourful sarees, more than 5,000 women from all directions poured  
into the Somaiya Trust Hospital Hall at Dhundalwadi village in Dahanu tehsil of the newly   formed Palghar district, which was carved out of the old Thane district last month. The new   Palghar district has a predominant Adivasi population.   Women came from the ravines, mountains and forests of Jawhar, Vikramgad, Mokhada,  Dahanu, Talasari, Palghar, Wada and Shahapur tehsils of Palghar and Thane districts. Due to heavy rains, the public meeting could not be held on the huge terrace of the hospital as had
been planned. So the two big halls and all the corridors on the ground floor of the building  were literally overflowing with women. The significance of this women’s rally was that it was taking place on the eve of the state assembly elections that are due next month in October. Among the 20-odd assembly seats that the CPI(M) will fight in these elections as part of the Left Democratic Front, five seats are from the Palghar and Thane districts. The main speaker in this public meeting was AIDWA Vice President Sudha Sundarraman.

She congratulated the women for participating in such large numbers in spite of the heavy downpour, showing the tremendous commitment that of all of them have towards the organization and movement. Sudha lambasted the BJP central government for deceiving the people with false promises of ‘achhe din’ and increasing hardships for the poor and downtrodden. Speaking of the larger struggle going on in the country, she referred to the growing malnutrition-related deaths of tribal children, the non-implementation of the Food

Security Act, the sky-rocketing price rise of essential commodities, the serious question of unemployment, the need to stringently implement and expand the scope of the NREGA, and the importance of adopting the Women’s Reservation Bill. Sudha also spoke about the need to mobilize people against increasing violence against women and girl children. Killings in the name of ‘honour’ are rising. The slogan of ‘love jehad’ is being raised by the Hindutva communal forces against the minority community to polarize the people. This will result in further attacks on women. She stressed the need to fight against feudal and patriarchal attitudes towards women and against all forms of communalism, casteism and social oppression. For all this, she said, our struggles must vastly increase in scope and intensity. Finally, she called upon the women to take active part in the coming election battle for the State Assembly, to defeat the BJP-SS combine as well as the
INC-NCP alliance, and to ensure the resounding victory of the CPI(M) in these elections.

The public meeting was also addressed by AIDWA state secretary Sonya Gill. She elaborated on the changes being made in the laws regarding land rights by the Modi government. Land will be usurped by vested interests under the pretext of development. Hotels and resorts are being constructed on this land in Maharashtra, displacing thousands of tribals and further increasing their impoverishment. Many poor families have been excluded as beneficiaries when implementing the Food Security Act. She praised the women for the consistent and militant struggles they have been waging on these issues in Palghar-Thane district. Sonya criticized the BJP and NCP for instigating the Dhangar community to demand its inclusion in the scheduled tribes and thus dividing the working people for their own selfish electoral interests. Dhangar is a nomadic tribe in Maharashtra and has a 3.5 per cent reservation in this category, as against all Adivasi tribes who have a reservation of only 7 per cent in education and jobs. She called upon the women to work hard in the coming election campaign to decisively defeat the BJP-SS, INC-NCP and to ensure the victory of the Left.

AIDWA state president Mariam Dhawale spoke about the challenges before the women’s movement in the tribal areas of Palghar-Thane districts. AIDWA has a membership of over 22,389 and contacts in nearly 150 villages in 7 tehsils of Palghar-Thane districts. She said that along with the struggles on the issues mentioned above, AIDWA is conducting an awareness campaign on the issue of violence against women and girl children. Mariam said that this campaign which started on July 23, the second death anniversary of Captain Laxmi Sehgal, is receiving tremendous response from all sections of society. The campaign which includes brief lectures explaining the issue of violence on women, discussions on the issue with women and students, taking of oath to prevent atrocities on women and a signature campaign demanding a comprehensive law against honour killings, is being organized jointly with the SFI in secondary schools, colleges, ashram schools and in villages and will culminate on September 28, Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s birth anniversary.

More than 3,500 students and 7,000 women have participated in this campaign so far. Thousands of women in this public meeting took the oath to combat violence against women. The ensuing state assembly elections, said Mariam, will be a crucial battle for protecting the rights of the tribals, especially women. Right to land, water, forests, food grains, employment are very important for tribal women. ‘Development’ for the ‘haves’ and displacement and migration for the ‘have-nots’ are the policies of the Congress-NCP state government and BJP central government that have to be rejected by women. The danger of the communal forces like RSS-BJP-SS has also to be combated. The AIDWA will hold hundreds of meetings in hamlets and villages to unite the women to elect the CPI(M) candidates in Dahanu, Vikramgad, Palghar, Boisar and Shahapur constituencies in the Palghar and Thane districts. The rally was greeted by CPI(M) Thane district secretary Rajaram Ozare MLA, AIKS state joint secretary Barkya Mangat and DYFI district secretary Ramdas Sutar. AIDWA state secretariat members from Palghar-Thane district Raseela Dhodi and Sangeeta Ozare
addressed the public meeting which was presided over by AIDWA district president Lahani Dauda. The young 27-year old AIDWA state committee member Heena Vanga, who will be the CPI(M) candidate from the Boisar (ST) assembly seat, also addressed the meeting.

A concerted fortnight-long campaign of village-level meetings and the distribution of 5,000 leaflets had been undertaken by AIDWA activists in Palghar-Thane districts to ensure the success of this public meeting. Activists of the other mass organizations in Thane district, like the AIKS and DYFI, also helped the AIDWA in its efforts. The rally greatly enthused all to work for the challenging political battle to come next month.

Martyrs Day! Left calls for unrelenting movements against twin dangers of Trinamul and BJP

31st of August, 1959!  Lakhs of the poorest people in the state had walked to Calcutta, towards the Writer’s Building, the seat of power of the anti-people and oppressive Congress govt. The peaceful, democratic yet determined march of the toiling hungry masses, were met by Chief Minister, Bidhan Chandra Ray’s police with tear gas and a brutal lathi charge. Eighty people died.

This day, commemorated by the Left Front as the ‘Martyrs Day’, saw people all over the state mourning the deaths of innocents and to offer respect to the 160 killed since 2011 and over 2500 killed over the years of left movements at the hands of the reactionary and imperialist forces. CPI (M) Polit Bureau member and WB State Secretary, Biman Basu reminded the audience at Promode Dasgupta Bhavan of that fateful day. Those miserable times, when the cries of the hungry millions who migrated to the city for a bit of rice or came alive during his speech. He reminded everybody about the barbaric role played by CM, BC Ray and Home Minister, Kalipada Mukherjee. Jyoti Basu, in an address to the Bengal Assembly then, had exposed the role played by the duo, which were in the Police Control Room, personally ordering the murderous assault on the people. The protests by the students the following day was summarily fired upon. Speaker after speaker from the Left Front, RSP, Forward Bloc, CPI recalled that inhuman and unprecedented attack on unarmed democratic protestors and vowed to lead the people to fight the current danger.

CPI (M) Polit Bureau member, Buddhadev Bhattacharya called upon the people to take a ‘vow’ on this day to rise in the fight against growing imperialism, which in the quest for super normal profits sends millions hungry to bed. He said that we all were ’indebted’ to the sacrifice of the people on this day. 1947, he said was when people of India got freedom from foreign subjugation but not from hunger. He focussed on the current Mamata Banerjee govt in Bengal, which has, in just 3 years brought down a food surplus state to a deficient one. Farmers were committing suicide again; Lakhs of acres of cultivable land remained untilled.

Buddhadev Bhattacharya also used the occasion to remind the people of the danger of the fascist and communal BJP govt at the center. He slammed the efforts of the popular media to whitewash the agenda of ex-RSS pracharak PM, Modi as ‘development’ focussed. ‘Development’, he said was a mask. Whatever economic policies this govt has outlined was for the large corporations, domestic and foreign. They were being allowed loot of the most profitable of sectors, financial, defence, Railways, etc. The common toiling masses and the middle-class would have wait for the ‘Good Days’ and be happy with the ‘bitter pill’ served by the PM. He was scathing about the industrial wasteland that Bengal was turning into under Mamata, ‘extortion’ being the only policy and asked as to what would happen to the bright boys and girls graduating out of colleges. He reminded all that their future was our responsibility. He reminded the audience about the dangers of the current phase of imperialism, which is not only looting the world of all resources and the working people of the most basic levels of sustenance, but also sparking off barbaric wars on innocent people across the world.

They both called upon the people to rise in a democratic manner against the twin dangers of the Trinamul and the BJP govt.  Tomorrow, the 1st of September, the day Hitler’s Panzer division had crossed the border into Poland, which the Left parties designate as the ‘anti-imperialism’ day, will see lakhs of people walk in protest. Both Biman Basu and Buddhadev Bhattacharya gave an impassioned call to the people to rise in a ‘face-to-face’ fight against these anti-people govts. Enough was enough. This oppression and injustice cannot be accepted any more.

SFI won student union elections in Rajasthan

Central executive committee congratulates Rajasthan state committee for encouraging victory in student union elections in Rajasthan held on 23^rd August, 2014. This victory of SFI is more significant when state government has used all his machinery and power to tilt the results in favour of ABVP.

One of the important results is of S. K. College Sikar, the historical strong hold of SFI. On the lines of earlier elections all anti SFI forces were united here against SFI and used all kinds of tools but yet again students gave their mandate to struggles of SFI. In S. K. College Suresh Kumar Dhaka won the president post with 2491 votes by a margin of 287votes, meanwhile Mahender is elected as vice president, Yogesh kumar as general secretary and dropti verma as joint secratary, with margins of above 600votes. SFI also won full panel in Government Girls college Sikar

SFI contested student union elections for the first time in Dr. Sampuranand Ayurvedic University, Jodhpur and won the full panel. Same thing was repeated in Barmer Government College where SFI became victorious. SFCI won most of the colleges in districts like Jhunjhunu, Shri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and alwar. But after winning election president of student union is brutally attacked by BJP goons and attacks are also there at his home.

SFI lost the post of president post by mere 62 votes in Jodhpur University where heavy irregularities were witnessed. University authority was working under the directions of BJP government and SFI candidate was defeated using unfair means by the nexus of BJP and university authorities. Even after repeated protests recounting is not done giving an example of dictatorial attitude of university authorities.  Initially SFI presidential candidate was declared winner but then BJP leaders entered the counting place and result was changed after which no plea is being considered.

Corruptions of authorities become more apparent in view of huge margin of victory by SFI candidate Roshni Vishnoi for the post of general secretary. Central committee demand independent enquiry of corruption in student union elections in jodhpur university (Jai Narayan Vyas University).

These are the first student union elections after general parliament elections and these results conveys a clear message that so called Modi wave is over and student community as not with ideology of BJP because ABVP’s elections campaign was centered around Modi’s wave. It is important to note here that in Rajasthan state government is of BJP.

We also thanks to student community of Rajasthan for their support and pledge to carry forward their struggle for a better education policy.

HORRIFIC TORTURE, GANG RAPE AND MURDER OF CPIM WOMAN COMRADE

The atrocities of the TMC in Bengal on CPIM workers reached a new low when TMC workers committed the most horrific violence against COMRADE G.GIRI a 47 year old woman comrade in Sunia village in Contai East Midnapur She was dragged out of her home, badly beaten, stripped,paraded in the village, gangraped and then murdered.

A group of about 15 TMC goons turned up at the victim's house on Sunday morning, led by Debashis Bhunia, who is a Karmadhaksha of Deshapran Block, as well as Block Yuva President of the Trinamool. They demanded that she bring her husband and son back to the village otherwise she has to pay a penalty of Rs 15 lakh.

Her husband Byomkesh Giri is a Local Committee member of the party who was forced to leave his home along with his son in 2011 after the Assembly elections. Her son was unable to sit for the last HS examination.She had to stay on because of her job as an ICDS worker.
When she expressed her inability to pay the fine, they committed these atrocities.

At the call of the CPIM protest rallies were held all over the State.Party State Committee members and State AIDWA office bearers Minati Ghosh and Rekha Goswami rushed to the village.They found the villagers terror stricken. Women with tears in their eyes with folded hands told the leaders that they were too scared to say what they had seen as they would also be attacked.

A road block was held till the police assured the protesters of swift action.
However there are reports that the police is trying to cover up the actual incidents and manufacturing their own version. Organize Join Protests Against this Horrific Attack.

CPI(M) PUNJAB STATE COMMITTEE CHALKS OUT STRUGGLES AND CAMPAIGNS FOR BURNING DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE

Com. Charan Singh Virdi, Secretary, Punjab State Committee, CPI(M) has issued the following statement to the press here today :

The State Committee of Communist Party Of India ( Marxist ) met here in State Headquarters of the party from August 12-14, 2014 presided over by Comrade Ranvir Singh virk.

Comrades S. R. Pillai , Polit Bureau Member and Nilotpal Basu , Central Secretariat Member made report on International and National situation and other decisions of the Central Committee.
 

The State Committee reviewing the political situation in the state has concluded that the Akali-BJP coalition government of Shri Parkash Singh Badal is continuing on its anti people path with added cruelty . It has got passed the draconian bill – named “ The Punjab prevention of damage to public and private property bill -2014 “, which scuttles the fundamental rights guaranteed to the people in Article 19 of our constitution. Its budget for the year 2014-15 is totally adhoc , non developmental and anti people.
 

Shiromani Akali Dal ( Badal ) has precipitated the issue of formation of separate Gurdwara Committee in Haryana to divert and digress the attention of the people from misdeeds and and anti people policies of the Akali-BJP government in the state. All sections of people are fed up with the policies of the government . Government employees, peasants, unemployed youth, trained teachers khet mazdoor , anganwadi workers and transport workers are agitating for settlement of their demands.
 

The state committee concretised the campaigns and struggles programme of various calls given by the central committee. It has been decided to conduct struggles against FDI in railways, insurance, defence production and against disinvestment of public sector shares. The state committee has also decided to launch a struggle against dilution of labour laws by the Modi led NDA government. The party will take up a political and idealogical campaign against the offensive of the Hindutava forces and all forms of communalism and the efforts to communalise the education system and text books. Party will will make efforts to rally all democratic and secular forces against the Hindutava forces and communalists of all other hues. The party will launch struggles against price rise of essential commodities, demanding universalisation of the PDS ( Public D istribution System ) and curb on futures trading in food items and essential commoditie
 

The state committee called upon its various units to spare no effort for making the state level joint programme of four left parties against the draconian law passed by the Punjab Assembly and other burning demands of the people. All the units have been directed to hold joint protest demonstrations all over Punjab from 2-5 September, 2014. 

The state committee passed a resolution condemning Israel for attack on Gaza in which 1300 innocent people including women and children have died. The committee noted with concern the departure of NDA government from established pro Palestine Indian foreign policy. It appealed to all democratic and peace loving forces to support the Palestinian cause.
 

The state committee has decided to hold its state conference from 23-25 January, 2015 in run up to the All India 21st Party Congress being held at Visakhapatnam ( Andhra Pradesh ) in April, 2015.

West Bengal Left Front observes National Integration-Unity-Communal Harmony Day commemorating 68th Independence Day

The Sovereignty, Secularity, National Integration and Democracy as proclaimed in the Constitution of India are now in crisis. Time has come to combat the increasing threat to jeopardize the constitutional proclamations. Left Front in such a situation avows to fight against such concerted move with all its strength. West Bengal State Left Front Committee has observed National Integration-Unity-Communal Harmony Day on 15th August throughout the state to commemorate 68th Independence Day of the country. The day was marked by organizing “Human Chain” programme in every possible corner of the state with common people from all spheres of life joining hands from 11.00 to 11.30 in the morning. Left Front Chairman and CPI(M) State Secretary Biman Basu along with other leaders of Left Front joined the programme in Siliguri, North Bengal. The day was duly marked by different such gatherings addressed by the Left Front leaderships. 

Earlier Left Front had decided to organize Human Chain in every locality of each district. While talking on this issue Left Fornt Chairman and CPI(M) State Secretary Biman Basu said that 'news of communal crisis and communal violence are meanwhile increasingly coming from different parts of the country. The country hovers toward communal crisis. Violence and killing are spreading steadfast in the country. The Army Patrol is continuing in different parts of the country but the problem remains persistent. Left Front for that reason has decided to organize Human Chain programme to observe communal harmony day'.

In one such gathering held in Central Kolkata at the Entally Market area the leader of opposition and CPI(M) Politbureau member Surya Kanta Mishra warned about the different attitudes and notions that are being shown by the rulers who are at the helm of the Nation and in the State. He stated that 'not Congress, it was the Leftists, who had called for Complete Independence. It was the Leftists, who still have the strength and political will to safeguard and protect the essence of the Tri-Colour flag that holds the prestige of India. Constitution declares India to be a Sovereign, Democratic, Republic. In its 42nd amendment it has been added to be a Secular and Socialist Country. It is indeed saddening that the path India has taken vouches to move its inclination far from these declarations. Instead of Socialism we are moving in the direction of the Rightist. The economic independence of the Country is now at stake. It is being dictated by the imperialist rulers of other Countries. America is directly dictating the policies that India is supposed to acquire. For this reason the Minister of the Petroleum Department is being changed frequently. India has earlier announced to acquire gas at a cheap rate from Iran via Pakistan but the diktat of America is setting new terms to block the aspiration of India because it knows that India will then move ahead in acquiring self reliant independence and will not have to adhere to dictum of dollars to. The rulers at the centre are now moving ahead to surrender to USA'.

He appealed to the people to be careful about the various policies being taken by the Central government to disturb the National Harmony. He said that 'now the call of the government is for the proclamation of Hindustan. It is frequently being said that India is to be known by Hindustan. It is a country of the Hindus. The National Integration of the Country is thus confronting destruction. So the Left Political Strength has to unite to give a sustaining fight against it. The occasion was marked by the important presence of different Left Front leaders like CPI State Secretary Manju Kumar Majumder, RSP leader Kshiti Goswami, Forward Block leader Hafiz Alam Sairani etc.

Central Committee Communiqué

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi from August 8 to 10, 2014. It has issued the following statement:

 

Modi Government

 

The two and a half months period of the Narendra Modi government has confirmed that it will not only pursue the same neo-liberal  policies as the previous UPA government, but it will  do so more vigorously.

 

The Union Budget and the Railway Budget were characterized by a heightened push for privatization, greater FDI and more concessions to big business.  49 per cent FDI in defence production  and insurance; FDI in railway infrastructure; greater opportunities for big capital to profit at the expense of public resources through PPP and tax adjustments to benefit foreign  institutional investors and the upper classes.

 

Accompanying these measures is the unstated squeeze on public expenditure.  The allocation for MGNREGA shows no increase, there is steep cut in fuel subsidy and no real increase in expenditure on health and education. 

 

The Central Committee expressed its strong opposition to the FDI cap in insurance being increased from 26 to 49 per cent.  It called upon all opposition parties to oppose the move.  The Party will extend full support to the struggle to stop the FDI increase in the insurance sector. 

 

Labour Law Changes

 

The BJP government is proposing to bring changes in the labour laws.  Already the BJP state government in Rajasthan has got certain changes made in the labour laws through the legislative assembly.  It must be emphasized that the changes being proposed are not in the interests of the workers but of the employers and the capitalists.  For instance, the amendment to the Industrial Disputes Act raises the limit of workers in an enterprise from 100 to 300 where government permission would be  required for retrenchment of workers.  By this, the government wants to facilitate the removal of workers from their jobs.

 

The Central Committee called for a strong movement to oppose the dilution to the labour laws.  All the trade unions and the Left and democratic parties should jointly oppose this move.

 

Land Acquisition Act Changes

 

It is reported that the government will be proposing changes in The Right To Fair Compensation And Transparency In Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act which was adopted in 2013.  The efforts to dilute the Land Acquisition And Rehabilitation Act  is being done at the behest of industry.  Among the changes proposed are bringing down the consent required to 50 per cent of the land owners instead of 80 per cent and this being made applicable for PPP projects.  The changes proposed will be detrimental to the interests of  land owners and those dependent on land. 

 

Communal Incidents

 

The Central Committee expressed its deep concern at the  rising number of communal incidents across the country.  After the Lok Sabha elections, communal clashes have taken place in a number of states such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Haryana and Maharashtra. The largest number of incidents have occurred in Uttar Pradesh.  The BJP and the RSS are trying to utilise the communal tensions and incidents for their political interests.  This was seen in the way they tried to fan tensions and escalate trouble in Moradabad district. Instances of attacks on women are given a communal slant.

 

The mood of triumphalism after the BJP victory has led to such communal incidents often targeting the minority community. It is also a fallout of the intense communal campaign conducted during the elections.  The Central Committee noted that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva outfits are  stepping up their activities.  With the BJP coming to power at the Centre, efforts are being made to re-write textbooks and to introduce the communal content in the educational system. 

 

The Central Committee decided that the Party should step up its political and ideological work to counter the influence and activities of the communal forces.  It will cooperate with other secular and democratic forces to counter the communal offensive. 

 

 

Violence against Women

 

The Central Committee expressed its deep concern at the continuing cases of sexual violence against women and children.  The shocking case of gangrape of a child in a Bangalore school and the instances of gangrapes in Uttar Pradesh points to the utter failure of the police and the government to put in place standard procedures to ensure the quick arrest and prosecution of the accused. 

 

The Central Committee condemned the insensitive and objectionable public pronouncements of some politicians in positions of power such as two ministers of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh who blamed the victims.  The highly condemnable statement of the Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal who threatened to send his men to rape CPI(M) women deserve immediate  prosecution of the culprit and suspension from Parliament.  Instead, the shameless TMC state government of West Bengal is spending public money to defend the accused  appealing against the High Court verdict to file an FIR against him. It is high time that Parliament and state assemblies adopt a code of conduct for  their members regarding derogative statements about women, the violation of which will invite punishment. 

 

Israeli Aggression in Gaza

 

The Central Committee condemned in the strongest terms the brutal Israeli attack on Gaza which has lasted for over a month.  1,869 people were killed in the aerial and ground attack.  The fact that 429 children were killed makes this attack a war crime.  Not only should Israel stop resorting to such violence, but it should lift the blockade and  siege of the Gaza strip which is illegal and against all humanitarian norms.

 

The Central Committee strongly criticized the BJP government for refusing to categorically condemn the Israeli aggression when it was raised in Parliament. 

 

BRICS Meeting

 

The Central Committee welcomed the decision of the BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil to set-up a New Development Bank and a Contingent Reserve Arrangement.  As India is a founding partner of the Bank, the Modi government should adopt such policies which will help the Bank and the CRA to function in a manner which will be in the interests of the developing countries eschewing the approach adopted by the IMF and the World Bank. 

 

 

50^th Anniversary of the Foundation of CPI(M)

 

The Central Committee  decided to observe the 50^th anniversary of the  foundation of the CPI(M) which falls in November this year.  A month-long campaign will be observed to popularize the ideology and Programme of the Party.

 

Call for Campaign

 

The Central Committee called upon the entire Party to conduct a campaign on the following issues: (i) against FDI in railways, insurance and defence production; (ii) against disinvestment in public sector shares; and (iii) against dilution of labour laws.

 

The party will take up a political and ideological campaign against the offensive of the Hindutva forces and all forms of communalism and the efforts to communalise the education system and text books. All secular and democratic forces should be mobilized for this purpose.

 

The party will mobilize people for the full implementation of the MGNREGA programme and to oppose any curtailment of the scheme. The Party will launch struggles against price rise of essential commodities; demanding universalisation of the PDS and curb on futures trading in food items and essential commodities. The Party will work to widen and strengthen Left unity and work for the emergence of a broad Left platform to fight against neo-liberal policies, communalism and imperialism.

 

Party Congress

 

The Central Committee decided to hold the 21^st Congress of the Party in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in April 2015. 

 

The Central Committee decided on the timetable to hold the Party conferences at all levels in the run-up to the Congress.