Com.P Sundarayya - Com.E K Nayanar Memory Day

May 19

Com. P Sundarayya - Com. E K Nayanar
Memorial Day

Together - LET US CONQUER

"We are the Majority, Victory will be with us "

IN THE HONOR of 64th Year OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT VICTORY

Mass procession and meeting in the honor 64- year of the anniversary of great victory took place on May 9 in Moscow. They passed under the slogan: “Together - let us conquer! ”, “victory will be after us!”.

Thousand and thousands of people. Veterans, young people, the representatives of the working associations. There was no such populous demonstration in Moscow has long ago. On May 9 in the capital for the holiday demonstrations of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation always leave many people, and this understandably - Day of Victory is holy holiday for the majority of our citizens. But now it became not only in the daytime recollection about the great accomplishments of our people, but also in the daytime protest, first of all, against the destructive reform of armed forces, making our country defenseless before the external threat.

Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Russian Federation Gennedy Zyuganov led the rally and spoke on the occassion. "Victory - this celebration of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism, Russian spirit and friendship of peoples!" he said. Victory is the apex of strategic genius and will of Stalin. One hundred thirty nationalities, which populated the USSR, were combined in the united impulse in the fight with Fascist plague. Speaking about the heaviest social and economic position, in which proved to be today the country, Zyuganov emphasized that the Communists prepared their program of overcoming the crisis, which makes it possible to raise the economy, to ensure normal wages, pensions, allowances, to again make Russia the Great Power. “In order to personify this program into the life, we must gather the best forces; therefore we revive komsomol and young pioneers.

Red Flag Over Reichstag, Berlin

May 9 victory day commemerates the victory of Red army over the German Nazis in 1945 which eventually led to the downfall of Hitlers Fascism. Thereby the Red guards saved the world from fascist catastrophe.

Russians Praise Legacy of Soviet Army

The vast majority of people in Russia think the Soviet Army was instrumental in the development of Eastern Europe, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 77 per cent of respondents say the Soviet Army freed Eastern European countries from fascism and gave them a chance to flourish.

Conversely, 11 per cent of respondents think the Soviet Army freed these countries only to instate dictatorships and deprive them of their independence.

The Soviet Army got its name in 1946, when it was officially constituted as the legitimate army of the Soviet Union. This army, formerly known as the Red Army, helped liberate Eastern European countries from German Nazi rule.

In the 1980s, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev played a key role in reducing the size of the Soviet Army, mainly due to its immense costs. He also reined in the military forces as he avoided confrontations with civilians in many Soviet republics that were seeking independence. Following the official end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Soviet Army dissolved.

In late February, Communist Party (KPRF) leader Gennady Zyuganov led a rally criticizing the government of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev for its handling of an economic crisis. Zyuganov recalled the glories of the communist era, declaring, "We are holding a rally today in support of the best traditions laid down by the Russian and Soviet armies. In the unity of these traditions lies the future of our national security."

Polling Data

The Soviet Army freed Eastern European countries from fascism, and gave them the opportunity to develop	77%
The Soviet Army freed Eastern European countries from fascism, but chose to establish dictatorial regimes which deprived these countries of their independence	11%
Hard to answer	11%

Peoples' Candidate is Back

"The people of Madurai will win (in the election)," said Communist Party of India (Marxist) Madurai Lok Sabha constituency candidate, P. Mohan.

Arriving home to a rousing reception at various points here on Friday after being hospitalised in Chennai, he said that the people of Madurai would prove that their Lok Sabha constituency too would go for the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance.

Sixty-year-old Mohan underwent a surgery in Chennai after he developed stomach ache on April 28.

He was hospitalised there for 11 days.

With tears rolling down his cheeks, the two-time MP expressed gratitude for the affection shown to him by the people of Madurai.

"I apologise for being unable to participate in the protests against political rowdyism and distribution of money. I am sure, the people of Madurai will win," he said in a choked voice.

Scores of party men and cadres of alliance parties gathered at Jeeva Nagar to welcome him. Comrade Mohan would resume his election campaign on Sunday, R. Annadurai, district secretary of the party, said.

CPI (M) State secretary, N. Varadarajan, district secretaries, R. Annadurai and V. Sundaram (both CPI-M), K. Raju, M. Boominathan were among those who received him at the airport.

Congress, BJP silent on economic crisis: Yechury

MADURAI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has charged that the global economic crisis that led to loss of lakhs of jobs in the country was not a matter of concern for both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Addressing an election meeting here on Sunday, the CPI (M) polit bureau member, Sitaram Yechury, said the Congress leader Sonia Gandhi did not utter a single word on the issue while addressing an election meeting in Chennai on Sunday. Similarly, the BJP leaders also failed to make a mention of it at their rally at Ludhiana.

It was because they do not have an alternative policy, he said adding, “Their concern is to try to find out new avenues to make money through corruption,” he said.

Mr. Yechury was seeking votes for his party candidate for Madurai Lok Sabha seat, P. Mohan.

He said that his party was pressing for making public investment in a big way in infrastructure development. “Building of infrastructure would generate crores of jobs so that the people could spend their salaries, giving a stimulus to the economy,” he said. Stating that the country had lost one crore jobs in the last three months, he warned that if effective measures were not taken another five crore jobs would be lost in the next three months.

Mr. Yechury said that the economic policies of the Congress and the BJP Governments in the Centre have led to creation of “two Indias” – one shining and the other suffering. Lakhs of farmers had committed suicide and hundreds of children were dying due to diseases that could be prevented, he said.

Stating that the Prime Minister of the country had been elected only after the Lok Sabha elections in 1996, 1998 and 2004, he said that would be the case even in 2009. It was with due respect to the people of the country. The sovereignty of the country rested with the people according to the Constitution, he said. Mr. Yechury said that this time, the coalition Government to be formed by the Third Front would not be instable, as it would not need the outside support from both the Congress and the BJP.

Mr. Yechury said that he was not seeking votes for the alternative front for alternative economic policies alone, but for a shift in direction in the policies concerning the security of the nation from terrorism, social justice and foreign policy.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

After Money its the turn of Sarees to woo Madurai Voters

Election Observers seizing Sarees meant for distribution by DMK

MADURAI: Special Election Observer for Madurai Lok Sabha constituency Madangopal seized six bundles of saris from two houses in Jaihindpuram, reportedly meant for free distribution to voters, in Madurai on Wednesday.

Mr. Madangopal, along with another Observer, M. Matthew Jolly, handed over the seized materials to the Jaihindpuram police.

A former Corporation councillor of Communist Party of India (Marxist), Murugan, said his partymen alerted the police and the Observers on receiving information about distribution of saris at Meenambigaipuram.

“The police chased away scores of women who were waiting for their turn to get the saris from the ruling partymen,” he said.

Later, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam men locked the factory in which the saris were kept.

The Observer who arrived at the scene found the bundles and some of the saris kept in plastic covers ready for distribution.

The Observers, accompanied by Assistant Collector (Training) K. Veeraraghava Rao, went to Netaji Nagar and seized more bundles from a house belonging to another ruling party worker.

The DMK men had told the Observers that the saris were stocked for distribution after the elections in connection with the birthday celebration of DMK south zone organising secretary and the Madurai Lok Sabha constituency candidate M.K. Azhagiri.

CPI (M) Politburo member Brinda Karat told reporters here on Wednesday that the Madurai constituency had become an example of complete subversion of electoral and democratic process. Muscle power, money power and misuse of State machinery were evident in the constituency, she said.

Ms. Brinda urged the Election Commission to deploy paramilitary forces in those booths identified as sensitive in the constituency.

(Source :Hindu)

Third Front committed to uplift of poor

NAGERCOIL: The Third Front is committed to the uplift of the poor and downtrodden and also keen to safeguard the interest of the nation, said Polit Bureau member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) Brinda Karat on Tuesday.

Addressing election meetings at Colachel and Thuckalay in the district, Ms. Brinda said that Colachel was one of the worst affected areas when tsunami hit the coastal areas of the State. Even as the then government extended all kind of assistance to the affected people, the present government failed to take any follow up action to sustain their livelihood.

The Communist parties provided moral support to the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre from outside for the betterment of society. But the misrule, including the signing of the nuclear deal with the USA and the failure to take any action to control prices of essential commodities and steps to ensure employment to the already employed youth in many fields, particularly in IT, who lost their jobs, had forced the Communist parties to withdraw support to the government.

She appealed to the people to cast their votes in favour of the CPI (M) candidate, A. V. Bellarmine, who had done a lot for the development of the district, particularly the construction of fishing harbours at Colachel and Thengapattinam. If he were elected as MP again, he would take necessary steps for the setting up of a commercial harbour at Colachel so that fishermen in the coastal areas need not migrate to other States in search of jobs.

Voters in Kanyakumari would facilitate the formation of a Third Front government at the Centre because people were fed up with the misrule of the Congress and the BJP. They should opt for a neutral person like Mr. Bellarmine, instead of other candidates who were seeking votes in the name of caste and religion.

(Source: The Hindu)

HYUNDAI WORKERS INDEFINITE STRIKE

More than 1300 Hyundai employees at company’s Sriperumbudur unit have gone on an indefinite fast to protest the absence of anti labor policies of the management. Members of Hyundai Motors India Employees Union went on fast in front of the office of Commissioner of Labour in chennai. The employees had been staging an indefinite strike since April 20. They are demanding recognition and solution to certain labour related issues. "After participating in four conciliation meetings, the representatives from the management did not come for the last three meetings. Therefore, we went on an indefinite fast today," CITU Tamil Nadu President A Sounderrajan, who is also the President of the Hyundai employees union, said.

Hyundai Motor India, which employees some 3000 precarious workers, has a history of labor rights abuses in their plants. The company recently terminated the contracts of some 600 workers, some who had worked at the plant for almost 4 years, just prior to them receiving permanent status.

Since July 2007, in response to the formation of the HMIEU, trade union leaders, members and supporters have suffered from dismissals, suspensions and transfers and workers have faced management's widespread use of threats, harassment and intimidation for joining a union. Currently 65 workers have been fired for their union activities and 34 more are in the process of being dismissed.

Approximately 1200 permanent workers, out of a total of 1500 permanent employees, and a large number of precarious workers are supporting the strike.

Among the contract demands, workers are calling for:

* Union recognition and a collective bargaining agreement;
* Equal treatment of all workers;
* Reinstatement of all precarious workers fired as a result of the company's response to the economic crisis or those fired in an effort to deny them permanent status;
* Reinstatement of union members and officers unfairly fired, transferred or suspended and the withdrawal of all charges pending against them.

CPI (M) State secretary N.Varadarajan on Tuesday sought Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi’s intervention to bring to an end the fast by employees of the Hyundai car factory.

Madurai CPI(M) Secretary complains to CEC

Cash distributed by DMK to the voters

R. ANNADURAI

District Committee Secretary

CPI(M) Madurai Urban District Committee

4.05.2009

The Chief Election Commissioner
New Delhi
Sir,

Since the process of elections for the 15th Lok Sabha started, we have been compelled to send letters of complaint which are as many as 26 on various types of violations by the ruling DMK party in the Madurai Lok Sabha Constituency. Of these 26 letters, most of them were addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer – Tamilnadu. Copies of some complaint letters written to the District Election Officer/District Collector were also marked to the CEO-Tamilnadu. After the Central Election Observers were posted to Madurai copies were sent to them, apart from making personal representations to them. The violations brought out by us were on a number of aspects and we would quote a few:CampaignØ A number of flex boards and posters were displayed by the DMK. The hoardings even obstructed traffic in the public roads. Ø DMK Election offices were put up at unauthorized places. Despite the DEO ordered for removal of such unauthorised occupations, they were put up again caring too little for the Election authority. Ø When Maha Kumbabihsekam of Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple was telecast live by a local TV Channel, there was a scroll advertisement seeking vote for the DMK candidate. Though the District Administration was immediately informed of this, it took three hours for the channel to stop the telecast.Ø Posters for Sri Lankan Tamils put up by the DMK included the Election symbol.Bribing the Voters by the DMKØ Token for performing arathis for the candidate were distributed by the DMK people during the campaign of the candidate. Later they gave money for this token. This was captured in camera and a CD shown to the press and also sent to the Election Commission. Ø Saris were distributed to women voters through Self Help Groups. The SHG members were given money for distributing the saris. Ø On the Akshaya Thrithaya day, arrangements were made to distribute gold/golden ornaments through jewellery shops.Ø The DMK distributed Advance tokens using the party manifesto with the name and serial number of the voter for which money was guaranteed. This was done, despite the practice banned by the DEO. Ø On 2nd/3rd May midnight, money was distributed to the voters in many parts of the Constituency with the help of goondas mobilised from various parts of the neighbouring areas. Known anti social elements including those who were earlier detained under the Goondas Act were pressed into service for this purpose. Attack on the cadres of AIADMK alliance Ø Even before the Nominations were filed, the DMK started indulging in violations of the Model Code. When such violations came to be resisted by the AIADMK alliance cadres, they were either attacked by the DMK or false cases were foisted on the very complainants. Ø Mr.N. Nanmaran, CPI(M) MLA of the Madurai East Constituency was attacked with lethal weapons right in front of his house.Ø The major attack was on 2nd/3rd May midnight, when AIADMK alliance cadres resisted the move of DMK men distributing money to voters. The hooligans brought from various parts of the neighbourhood brutally attacked our cadres. More than 20 of them with serious injuries had to be hospitalised. While a Corporation Councilor was a victim of the attack, interestingly the list of attackers included the Deputy Mayor of the Madurai Municipal Corporation. Apathy of the District Administration and the PoliceØ Right from day one, the Madurai District Collector has been quite indifferent to whatever complaints on violations by the DMK that were brought to his notice. This even went to the nasty extent of the Public Relations Officer attached to the District Collectorate allowing his Office to be used for sending electoral advertisement through e-mail seeking vote for the DMK candidate Azhagiri.Ø Despite many complaints to the Police Stations in the Constituency, especially in the Madurai City limits, no action has been taken against the offenders of law. This was manifest in the major violation of Model Code i.e., distribution of money. Detailed information regarding the modus operandi of distribution, the name of persons involved, registration numbers of vehicles used was given to the Commissioner of Police. He also assured to do everything in his power to prevent the distribution of money. But to our dismay, what happened later is diametrically opposite of what was assured. As we write this letter to you, the entire city of Madurai is now witnessing an interesting scenario in which the DMK is distributing money to the voters in almost all the wards of Madurai Corporation, with the Police escorting the DMK men. Popular media coverage would simply bear testimony to this fact.Ø As matters stand to day, we have come to the inevitable conclusion that we cannot anymore count upon the District Administration and the City Police for a free and fair election in Madurai Lok Sabha Constituency. As we have already written to you in our previous letter, the District Collector and the Commissioner of Police are either afraid of the ruling DMK or they are willing partners in the DMK’s electoral game – for whatever reasons.In such a situation that is not conducive for free and fair elections, our earnest appeal to you is as follows:1. It is gathered that some criminals released from Madurai Central Prison in the recent times are likely to be used by the DMK to incite violence in the Constituency before and during the poll. Therefore we would request you to have a list of such known rowdies and take suitable preventive action.2. We feel that the present size of the security forces may not match the present needs. So we would request you to see that additional forces are deployed for poll duty. 3. We sincerely feel that free and fair elections are simply impossible with the present leadership in the District Administration and the City Police on whose attitude and approach the lower officials are sold upon. Therefore, we would request you to arrange to replace these officials with those who would fit the bill.We hope, you would appreciate the enormity situation that is confronting us and do everything possible of you in order to ensure free and fair poll.

Thanking you,

yours faithfully,

(R. ANNADURAI)

Copy to Sri Naresh Gupta, CEO-TN, Chennai

Copy to Central Election Observers of Madurai LS Constituency

A Leftist against the royals

In an arena contested by “Rajas,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is making its debut this time in the high profile parliamentary constituency of Mandi, in Himachal Pradesh. Senior CPI(M) leader and State secretariat member. Onkar Shad is the party nominee from Mandi. He will be taking on the candidates of the Congress and the BJP, royals from Rampur and Kullu states of this constituency.

Dr. Shad, a Ph.D. in Botany gave up an illustrious academic career to join the Left student movement during his college days in Rampur. “Long ago I made up my mind to challenge the rule of Rajas and to work among the backward farmers,” says Dr. Shad who has finished campaigning in the tribal belt.

He says that the people, when offered an alternative to the Congress and the BJP, are responsive; but they do not seem to be aware of any options other than the “Rajas.”

The hill State has a bipolar polity and the Left is considered part of a bigger secular coalition against the BJP, he says. “The biggest problem we are facing in the villages is to make people understand that there is a third alternative and its possibilities of becoming a part of the power sharing process at the centre,” says Dr. Shad.

“Raja Sahib [Virbhadra Singh of the Congress] has told us to either vote for him or the BJP, but never to the CPI(M) or any third force. Instead throw your votes into the Sutlej,” Dr. Shad quotes villagers in the Sutlej basin as saying.

According to them, the BJP nominee Maheshwar Singh, who belongs to the former Kullu royal family, also says the vote should remain with the royals, whether the BJP or the Congress, but not go to the third front.

Some of the villages in the area are so backward that their residents cannot even conceive that someone other than a royal can be elected to Parliament, says the Left leader. “Sometimes it appears that they have been deliberately kept people backward so that the status quo should not be disturbed,” he says.

The villagers are quite willing to discuss unemployment, price rise, lack of roads, poor health and education facilities and the need for change, but fear incurring the wrath of the Rajas, who they see as the incarnations of local “devtas.”

(Source: The Hindu)

May Day demonstrations around the world

May day rally in Russia led by Communist Party

Millions of workers marched in May Day demonstrations around the world Friday, celebrating international proletarian solidarity.

In Greece, 6,000 people marched in a peaceful demonstration in Athens. In central Athens, 4,000 policemen were deployed, as authorities feared a possible replay of the December riots that followed the shooting death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos. Police fired teargas at a group of demonstrators from Athens Polytechnic, which had been at the center of the December demonstrations.

An estimated 1 million people (450,000 according to police) marched in hundreds of demonstrations in France. The demonstration in Paris drew 165,000 marchers, carrying banners reading “Sarko [President Nicolas Sarkozy] promised us, Sarko lied” and “We won’t pay for the bankers.”

There were also marches in big cities in Spain, burdened with the highest unemployment rate in Europe — 17 percent. More than 65,000 people, according to organisers, gathered in the centre of Madrid in a demonstration run by the country’s two largest trade unions.

In Italy, union leaders shifted rallies from major cities to the earthquake-stricken town of L’Aquila, as a sign of solidarity with the thousands who have lost their jobs since last month’s deadly quake.

In Germany, the DGB trade union federation mobilised its entire organisation this May Day to proclaim its willingness to work with the government to ensure that the traditional demonstrations proceeded peacefully. However, there were reports of violent clashes and injuries in demonstrations in Berlin and Hamburg.

According to its own figures, the DGB organised around 400 demonstrations and rallies across Germany. Participation at the rallies was increased in a number of cities by large delegations of foreign workers.

The main event of the DGB took place in the northern port city of Bremen, where DGB chief Michael Sommer addressed a crowd of around 2,500. Sommer repeated his warnings of social unrest, but then offered the cooperation of the trade unions to the government, advising the implementation of new government stimulus programmes.

The German Social Democratic leaders did not speak at the main meeting in Bremen. But SPD chairman Franz Müntefering spoke at the DGB rally in Wuppertal and SPD foreign minister and chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke in Ludwigshafen.

The May Day meetings and rallies in Germany have been traditionally used by the trade unions and the SPD to cover their political tracks and talk “left.” But as the financial crisis deepens—and the active role of both organisations in the destruction of jobs, wages and working conditions becomes evident—such a balancing act is becoming increasingly difficult. Despite the rapid growth of unemployment in Germany in the past months the low participation at the rallies in Germany is testimony to the growing credibility crisis of the trade union bureaucracy.

In Russia, 25,000 marchers gathered for rallies in Moscow, led by trade unions and the Russian Communist Party. They rallied around a statue of Karl Marx and called for the resignation of the government. Police arrested 120 marchers at a demonstration in St. Petersburg.

Rally in Turkey

In Turkey, 2,000 demonstrators marched into Taksim Square, for the first May Day demonstration since the government legalized the holiday last year. Police fired tear gas and water cannon and charged hundreds on the square—the site of a May 1, 1977 massacre of demonstrating workers by unidentified gunmen.

Latin American countries celebrate May Day

Latin Americans held marches, rallies and other events on Friday to mark the May Day, during which workers also expressed their demand and concerns.

In Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, thousands of workers marched to the city center near the Miraflores Palace, headquarters of the Venezuelan government, from three separate locations.During the march followers of President Hugo Chavez shouted "we are majority, we are joyous."

May day rally in Caracas

Panama, unions celebrated May Day with marches and rallies in the historic Cinco de Mayo Square in Panama City. During the events, workers demand salary increase, freedom of unions, better working condition and called for a constitutive process for Panama's May 3 elections. The Single Workers union of Construction and Similar (Suntracs) urged the Panamanian government to raise the workers' salaries.

Cuban leader Raul Castro, along with more than 2,000 friends of Cuba from 70 countries and 200 unions across the world, attended the May Day celebration with a slogan "united, productive and efficient" in Revolution Square in Havana.

General Secretary from the Workers Central of Cuba (CTC) Salvador Valdes Mesa reaffirmed Cuban workers' support for the Socialism under the leadership of Cuban former leader Fidel Castro and leader Raul Castro.

Meanwhile, a traditional parade, led by professors, students as well as health care workers, which are considered important parts of the Cuban Revolution, was held.

In Honduras, thousands of workers shouted "Entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs pay a good salary", "people want to talk, let's hold a people's consultation" during a march to celebrate the May Day. The workers also demanded more safety and price cuts in basic products.

In Uruguay, the single workers Union (PIT-CNT) called for unity of the Latin American people and governments in order to tide over the global economic crisis.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said one of the challenges for her government is to create more jobs amid the world economic crisis at a May Day breakfast with a group of "home advisors" in the Santa Zita foundation.

In Pakistan, there were May Day demonstrations in all the major cities in three provinces, including Quetta, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad.

In Sindh, the Pakistan People’s Party-led provincial government banned all May Day demonstrations, using as a pretext the ethnic violence that erupted in Karachi on April 29 and resulted in more than 30 deaths. The People’s Labour Bureau, the trade union wing of the PPP, supported the ban.

In the Philippines, 7,000 demonstrators marched in Manila to Mendiola and the US embassy, as police blockaded the streets in central Manila. Protesters denounced President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s offer for the unemployed to join the armed forces, noting that the daily cost of living for a family is pegged at 922 pesos, while the minimum wage is 382 pesos per day. Protesters also held rallies at Olongapo City and Subic Bay.

On thesame day, a government-run job fair offered 200,000 overseas jobs in construction, engineering and other work, attracting thousands of applicants in cities across the country.

In South Korea, 16,000 demonstrators converged on the National Assembly in Seoul, demanding job protection, employment and the resignation of conservative President Lee Myung-bak. Several protesters were detained after clashes with riot police.

In India, workers took part in a May Day march in New Delhi protesting job and wage cuts. The protest was organized by the Indian Federation of Trade Unions. Workers all over the southern state of Kerala observed the day, holding marches and meetings.

In Kolkata, the capital of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, workers participated in a May Day rally and meeting. They carried placards denouncing India’s foreign policy, imperialism and communalism.

In Chennai, the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, about 2,000 workers participated in a May Day rally and about 3,000 gathered for the meeting at the conclusion of the rally. They were organized jointly by the Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), union federations affiliated to two main Stalinist parties, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)—CPM—and the Communist Party of India (CPI) respectively.

Perambur, where the rally and meeting were held, is a working class area in the city. Workers from the Chennai port and docks, as well as railway and municipal workers, bank and insurance workers, rickshaw drivers and workers from various auto manufacturing plants, took part in the rally and meeting. There was also a group of women workers from the unorganized sector. The groups marched under their respective union banners.

In Andhra pradesh also various functions were conducted by trade unions in commemoration of May day. In Karnataka too rallies and meetings were conducted

The day of the poor of the world

REFLECTIONS BY COMRADE FIDEL

Karl Marx made a call for unity: "Workers of All Countries, Unite," although many poor people were not proleterian. Lenin called more broadly still for the peasants and colonized peoples to struggle united under the leadership of the proletariat.

The celebratory date was chosen as homage to the martyrs of Chicago, when on May 1, 1886, they initiated a strike in a capitalist country whose working masses suffered unemployment and other calamities associated with economic crises that are inseparable from the system.

Their rights were not recognized, and the the bourgeoisie regarded the unions as if they were terrorist organizations, enemies of the people of the United States.

Later the capitalists resorted to their best weapons: division and economism to dismantle the revolutionary struggle. The workers’ movement divided, and for many, in the midst of reigning poverty, union demands were the principal objective, more than change in the society.

The United States became the imperialist country with the greatest difference in income between the rich and the poor. In the shadow of its hegemony, Latin America became, for its part, the area of the Third World where the inequalities between rich and poor were more profound. The rich enjoyed levels of life comparable with those of the bourgeoisies of the developed European countries. The notion of Homeland had disappeared in the richest strata of the population.

A collision between the superpower of the North and the Cuban Revolution was inevitable. The heroic resistance of the people of our tiny country was underestimated.

Today they are prepared to pardon us if we resign ourselves to return to the fold as slaves, who after knowing freedom, accept anew the whip and yoke.

Today the planet is debating amidst economic crises, pandemics, climatic changes, dangers of war and other concurrent problems. The political task becomes more complicated, and there are still many who have illusions that the peoples can be manipulated like puppets.

The last word has not been said about the future evolution of the current U.S. administration. There are new elements, both of an objective as well as subjective character. We carefully study and observe each one of its steps. We are neither incendiary as some imagine, nor dumb as to be easily fooled by those who believe that the only thing that matters in the world are the laws of the market and the capitalist system of production. We all have the duty to struggle for peace; there is no other alternative. However, the adversary should never have the illusion that Cuba will surrender.

We hope that every May Day thousands of men and women from all corners of the planet will share with us the International Workers Day that we have celebrated for the last 50 years. Not in vain, long before January 1, 1959, we had proclaimed that our Revolution would be the Revolution of the humble, by the humble, and for the humble. The successes of our Homeland in the sphere of education, health, science, culture and other branches, and especially in the strength and unity of the people, have shown this, in spite of the cruel blockade.

Fidel Castro Ruz
April 30, 2009

(Source : Granma)