Oppose Cash Transfers as substitutes for Public goods

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

 

The direct cash transfer scheme described by the Congress as a “game changer” is indeed a game changer whose rules are weighted against the poor, in favour of the UPA-2 Government’s obsessive commitment to cut subsidies to the working people. The Government has declared that this policy will, once the “system is in place” be extended to food and fertiliser. In a period of high inflation, cash transfers to replace public goods such as these is to actually cut subsidies since the cash to be transferred will not cover the increased costs of the same amount of subsidized foodgrains. This will have an adverse impact on increasing malnutrition and hunger. The CPI(M) strongly opposes such a policy shift away from provision of foodgrains, kerosene, fertilizers etc instead of providing for a universal PDS at controlled prices.

 

The CPI(M) also objects to linking MNREGA wages to the AADHAR card. As has been repeatedly pointed out by experts, biometric identification for manual workers has a high twenty per cent margin of error as fingerprints of such workers change. It is a similar problem for senior citizens. Without any discussion in Parliament on the proposed Bill for UID to push through such changes, which will have far reaching implications for manual workers is unacceptable.

 

As far as scholarships, pensions etc are concerned, most of these schemes are already cash transfer schemes through bank accounts and are fiscal neutral. The amounts and also the coverage should be increased and linked to the price index.

Discuss Issues Raised by Delhi University Teachers

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

The situation in Delhi University is a cause for serious concern.  The Vice Chancellor and the University authorities have introduced a series of measures without proper discussions and consultations with the teaching and academic community.  The teachers have raised a range of objections to the introduction of the semester system for the undergraduate level, a four-year graduation along with the meta college and meta university system.  All these are being pushed through in undue haste. Statutory procedures and established democratic academic practices have been subverted.

These reforms are being pushed through, along with large-scale contractualisation of teachers.  There have been no regular appointments made for 4,000 teaching posts and 5,000 non-teaching posts. 

The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA), which is the elected body of all the teachers, has been conducting a peaceful protest against these measures.  The Vice Chancellor and the university authorities have resorted to pay cuts and other coercive measures even when teachers have participated in protests on holidays.  This is patently illegal.  The DUTA has been conducting a relay hunger strike which has now completed 50 days. The Vice Chancellor has refused to recognize and talk to the DUTA leadership.

The decision taken by the university can adversely affect the thousands of students in the colleges affiliated to the university.  The university should not take the position that it will not discuss with the DUTA on all these matters.

Delhi University is a Central Government university.  The Left parties appeal to the Minister for Human Resources Development to immediately intervene and ensure that the issues raised by the DUTA are taken up for discussions by the university authorities.  There should be an immediate halt to the coercive steps such as pay cuts.

50000 ‘scheme workers’ start the day and night sit in at Jantar Mantar

 

The ‘mahapadav’ of more than 50000 ‘scheme workers’ , most of them women, including anganwadi workers and helpers, ASHAs, mid day meal workers, Child Labour Project teachers, Krishak Sathis, para teachers, Sakti Sahayikas, Yashodas/ Mamathas, IKP Animators, Grameen Rojgar Sevaks, etc has started at Jantar Mantar at 11.00 AM on 26th November 2012.

These 50000 workers are here to highlight the common demands of the around 1 crore ‘scheme workers’ employed in different schemes/ programmes of the government of India - recognition as workers, minimum wages, social security benefits and regularisation, raising the slogan - ‘No to honorarium or Incentive; we demand Minimum Wages and Social Security Benefits’

These workers have come from all over the country including from far off states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal, and also from Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to all the ‘Hindi speaking’ states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Delhi with the largest contingents coming from Haryana and Punjab.

Around 10000 ‘scheme workers’ from far off places who have reached the national capital earlier and were camping at Ramlila Maidan marched in an attractive and disciplined procession to Jantar Mantar while all the others reached Jantar Mantar directly.

Hemalata, secretary, CITU welcomed this unprecedented mobilisation of ‘scheme workers’ being organised by Centre of Indian Trade Unions. Tapan Sen, MP and general secretary of CITU inaugurated the ‘mahapadav’ while AK Padmanabhan, presided. National office bearers of CITU, Neelima Maitra and AR Sindhu, president and general secretary of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers and state level leaders of ASHAs, mid day meal workers were on the dais.

Addressing the gathering AK Padmanabhan called upon all the scheme workers to unitedly fight against the neoliberal policies of the government which led to increasing exploitation of all workers. He called upon them to join with all the other sections of the workers to intensify the struggle against these policies.

Inaugurating the ‘mahapadav’, Tapan Sen said the government of India was committing a fraud upon the people through its inhuman exploitation of the workers who were providing the most important services related to health, education, food and nutrition for the people, particularly for the poor women and children. The workers who contributed to the human development of the country were forced to starve and suffer because of this atrocious attitude of the government which called them ‘social workers’, ‘activists’, ‘friends’, ‘guests’ etc just to deny them the status of workers.

Tapan Sen demanded that these services should be provided as rights and entitlements to all the citizens and not through ‘schemes’ and ‘programmes’ which can be withdrawn any time as per the whims and fancies of the government of the day and that all the workers in different government schemes should be recognised as workers with all the attendant benefits including minimum wages and social security benefits.

A team of 11 CITU leaders including Hemalata, Varalakshmi, national secretaries, Mercy Kutti Amma, vice president of CITU, Surender Malik, Pramod Pradhan, Prem Nath Rai, general secretaries of the state committees of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh respectively, Uma Maheswara Rao, Tapan Sharma, Gajendra Jha and Radha Raman Sarangi, office bearers of the Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh and Odisha state committees of CITU and Deven Patel, leader of the state government employees and anganwadi employees in Chattisgarh started a fast  for two days, during the duration of the ‘mahapadav’ in solidarity with the demands of the ‘scheme workers’.

AR Sindhu, general secretary of AIFAWH said that the exploitation of the ‘scheme workers’ was the biggest scam in the country. Ranjana Nirula, treasurer of CITU and convenor of the all India coordination committee of ASHAS criticised the government for exploiting the services of lakhs of women workers on the name of ‘social work’. Neelima Maitra, president of AIFAWH spoke on the need of all scheme workers to come together.

K Varada Rajan, general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha along with other kisan leaders, Pawan Kumar, organising secretary of BMS greeted the gathering on the first day.

Marxist Idelogue Com. P Govinda Pillai Passed Away

Comrade P Govindapillai, the tallest ideologue in the CPIM after EMS, died in Thiruvananthapuram 22nd November. He had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital owing to age related illness. He was 86.

Govinda Pillai, who is an author of several books on Communism, Marxism and international affairs had served as the chief editor of Desabhimani daily and weekly. A legislator who was part of the Travancore-Cochin assembly and Kerala Assembly. He was an MLA in the first Kerala Assembly of 1957 which voted communist party to power.

He joined the Communist party in 1946 and became a state committee member in 1953. During the split, Govindapillai chose to be with the CPIM along with AKG and EMS. A master with international affairs Govindapillai's columns in CPIM mouthpiece Desabhimani and Kairali TV had a number of followers. An avid book buff who spent hours continuously in reading, Govindapillai had a vast collection of books sourced from different parts of the world.

 He had an active public life till a few days ago when was hospitalized.He also served as the chairman of Kerala Press Academy and Kerala State Film Development Corporation. Govindapillai is the recipient of several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Academy award for literary criticism.

Govinda Pillai’s last journey, from his residence at Subhash Nagar here to the AKG Centre and from there to VJT Hall, before the final leg to the electric crematorium, saw people from all walks of life, ranging from representatives of the State government and political parties to libraries, theatre groups, media, and students, paying their last respects.

Several hundreds lined up by the sides of the road as the funeral procession wound its way from VJT Hall towards Thycaud in the afternoon.

The respect ‘PG’ commanded from one and all was visible. People with different political persuasions poured in to pay their final tributes right from the morning. Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, Left Democratic Front convener Vaikom Viswan, CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran, and former Minister M. Vijayakumar stood by the body throughout the day till he was consigned to flames at Shanti Kavadam, while more, including Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, CPI(M) Polit Bureau members S. Ramachandran Pillai and M.A. Baby, Communist Party of India State Secretary Pannian Ravindran, CPI leaders Veliyam Bhargavan, K.E. Ismail, and C. Divakaran, former Ministers T.M. Thomas Isaac, G. Sudhakaran, Kadannappally Ramachandran, K.P. Rajendran, E. Chandrasekharan Nair, and P.K. Sreemathy, CPI(M) leaders M.V. Govindan, Anathalavattom Anandan, A. Vijayaraghavan, and C.S. Sujatha, RSP leaders T.J. Chandrachoodan and A.A. Azeez, to name a few, were present at various points of the final journey that began at 11 in the morning.

Speaker G. Karthikeyan, Deputy Speaker N. Sakthan, Ministers Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, P.K. Kunhalikutty, and V.S. Sivakumar, poets Sugathakumari, Puthussery Ramachandran, and Ezhacheri Ramachandran and senior Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran were also among the hundreds who paid their tributes.The cremation took place at 4pm at Thycaud electric crematorium.

SFI CEC press release

The SFI CEC organised a Press Conference  at SFI Central Office. The Press Conference was addressed by General Secretary Ritabrata Banerjee and President V Sivadasan.

Press Note

The Central Executive Committee of Students’ Federation of India met in New Delhi on 22^nd and 23^rd of November.  THE CEC decided to organise a massive March to Parliament on 6^th of March, 2013 protesting the neo liberal designs of the Central government and the monumental attacks it is spearheading against the common man of the country in general and the student community in particular in the name of carrying  ‘reforms’. The Central Demands of the march will be –Increase spending for equitable access to Quality Education; Resist Commercialisation and Centralisation of Education; Ensure Democratic Rights. The CEC decided that in order to conduct extensive campaigns at the ground level it will be publishing a booklet explaining the dimensions and consequences of the attack and demands concerning the march. Seminars, conventions at all states will be organised by 15^th of January. Signature campaign and other state level agitational programmes will be organised. Before the march there will be state level gatherings throughout the country. The entire three month long campaign will culminate with an impressive gathering on 6^TH of March at New Delhi with students in large numbers from different parts of the country pouring in at the capital and marching to the parliament.

The CEC decided to organise Convention for Professional, Technical and Private Institutions students in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 5^th and 6^th of January, 2013.  The CEC also decided to organise The Girls Convention at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh in June and the University Students Convention at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in July, 2013.

The CEC congratulated the Tamilnadu state organisation for a successful conduction of our 14^th All India Conference at Madurai in September 2012.

The CEC also congratulated the Kerala Committee for its stupendous performance in all the University Union elections of the state amidst all sorts of obstacles.

 The Andhra Committee was also congratulated for the victory registered at the Hyderabad Central University Union elections against a united opposition of all shades and hues.

 The CEC expressed its revolutionary solidarity to SFI Central Secretariat member and state President of Himachal Pradesh Kapil Bhardwaj who have 58 false and fabricated cases filed against him. The state administration of Himachal has been the mastermind behind such attacks.

 The CEC also expressed its revolutionary solidarity to CEC member R S Balamurali OF Kerala who along with 16 other comrades was in Jail for the last three weeks. Comrade Balamurali could not attend the CEC meeting as he was in jail. The UDF Government has been extremely sincere in piling one after another false cases and charges against our comrades in Kerala.

The CEC expressed its steely resolve to stand in firm solidarity with the struggling Bengal comrades who are facing an unprecedented attack from the state administration and the Trinamool Congress in Bengal. A nationwide campaign in solidarity with the comrades of West Bengal where the democracy is in peril will also be conducted in this period.

The CEC decided to form a Cyber Space Sub Committee in order to utilise the cyber space at full length for campaign purpose. Comrade Aravind Kunjunni from Kerala is appointed as the incharge of this subcommittee.

CPI(M) announces civil disobedience movement in Assam

Protesting against the Centre's failure to control inflation and to press for food security and minimum support price for farmers, CPI-M today announced a civil disobedience movement across Assam on December 14. "We demand universalisation of the PDS, ration cards for all families, minimum monthly wage of Rs 10,000 for workers in unorganised sector and government initiative for procurement of crops at MSP, besides strong action against corruption and loot of national resources," CPI-M state committee member Nayan Bhuyan said.

Bhuyan , who was speaking after the party's state-level convention here during the day, said both the Centre and Assam governments have failed to deal with price rise, food security, corruption and devastation cause by flood and erosion.     "All our district and local committees across the state will hold rallies, signature campaigns and dharnas across Assam beginning from now and this will culminate with the civil disobedience movement on December 14," he said. 

CPI(M)'s 'fraternal organisations' -- All India Kisan Sabha, All India Democratic Women's Association, Democratic Youth Federation of India and Students' Federation of India would also participate in the agitation, he said.  Party activists took out a march in the city after the convention today. The convention was attended by CPI(M) state secretary Uddhab Barman, former secretary and ex MLA Hemen Das and other leaders and 1000 delegates.

AIDWA DEMANDS STRICT ACTION AGAINST THE POLICE AND SHIV SAINIKS FOR ARBITRARY ARRESTS OF TWO YOUNG WOMEN

The Maharashtra State Committee of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (Akhil Bharatiya Janwadi Mahila Sanghatana) expresses deep concern and outrage at the high handed arrest of two young women in Palghar, Thane for expressing on ‘Face book’ their discomfort at the complete shutdown in Mumbai following the death of Bal Thackeray. The local Shiv Sainiks, true to the intolerance practiced by their party, intimidated them into giving a forced apology and complained to the police. Shockingly, the Palghar police, instead of providing them with security and taking action against those harassing them, arrested the two young women on serious charges of outraging religious feelings and posting an offensive message. These were later changed to an arbitrary charge of ‘creating enmity’ after a public uproar. This is a complete travesty of the Constitutional right to democratic freedom of expression available to every citizen of India.  

The complicity of the Police emboldened the local Shiv Sainiks and their supporters to vandalise two hospitals of a relative of one of the women and intimidate their families. The police did not act against, nor arrest, those responsible for breaking law and order. These developments seriously compromise our democratic functioning and weaken the law and order in the state. The AIDWA in Thane has continuously being raising the problem of arbitrary and false cases and lack of action by the rural Thane police who side with political elements and criminal forces.

We demand that the Maharashtra Government takes strict action against those responsible for the arbitrary arrest and charges. The Shiv Sainiks responsible for the harassment and violence must be arrested immediately. The Government must ensure protection for the young women and their families, withdraw the false cases and compensate them for the high handedness of the police.

THE SHIV SENA: ACE PRACTITIONER OF REACTIONARY IDENTITY POLITICS

Statement Issued by CPIM Maharashtra State Commitee

The CPI(M) has always had sharp political differences with the Shiv Sena (SS) and its leader the late Mr Bal Keshav Thackeray. Under his leadership, the SS always played upon the reactionary politics of identity, which diverted attention from the grave problems facing the people of Maharashtra.

First, the CPI(M) has resolutely been opposed to the violent culture of regional chauvinism practiced by the Shiv Sena, and now also by its breakaway organisation, the MNS. Mr Thackeray began his politics by portraying the south Indian community of Mumbai as stealing the jobs of Maharashtrians, and later expanded the same logic to migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Enmity, thus, became the basis of his party's programme, which was in complete contradiction to the spirit of unity put forward by the Samyukta Maharashtra movement that was effectively led in the 1950s by the Left and secular forces, comprising the Communist Party, Praja Samajwadi Party, Peasants and Workers Party and Republican Party.

Secondly, the Shiv Sena ideology was deeply communal and the CPI(M) has consistently fought this ideology. In 1992, Mr Thackeray welcomed the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The Shiv Sena was deeply complicit in the Mumbai riots and the violence against Muslims after the Babri demolition, and this role of the Shiv Sena and Mr Thackeray was detailed with evidence by the Justice Srikrishna Commission of Enquiry. Not surprisingly, the Srikrishna Commission Report was rejected out of hand by the then SS-BJP state government.

Thirdly, the Shiv Sena's politics was deeply anti-working class and anti-communist, and in this it received the full and consistent support of successive Congress governments and of the big capitalists of Mumbai. In the late 1960s, it were the Communists who were at the receiving end of Mr Thackeray's violent political practice. Offices of the Girni Kamgar Union were regularly attacked by Shiv Sainiks and Communist leaders were brutally assaulted. In June 1970, this violence against communists reached its peak when Comrade Krishna Desai, MLA, was murdered by Shiv Sainiks. But the communist movement in Maharashtra has survived in spite of these physical attacks and constant threats.

Fourthly, the Shiv Sena's politics was deeply anti-Dalit. This was made clear in the physical attacks by Shiv Sainiks on the Dalit Panthers in the early 1970s leading to the death of Panther activist Bhagwat Jadhav; in the SS stand opposing Dr Ambedkar's 'Riddles in Hinduism'; in the action of the SS-BJP state government withdrawing all the police cases of atrocities against SCs in Marathwada region; and most of all, in the shocking police firing by the SS-BJP regime at the Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in Mumbai, which led to the killing of 11 innocent Dalit people.

Finally, there was the Shiv Sena's opposition to democracy and support of dictatorship. This was made amply evident by Mr Thackeray's support to the Emergency; his open glorification of Hitler; and the constant SS attacks on journalists, cultural and literary figures and others who dared to be critical.

This last point has been repeated today with the arbitrary arrests of two young girls in Palghar and with the attacks on the hospital of the uncle of one of them. They were arrested because they, on social networking sites, expressed disapproval of the bandhs of the last couple of days.

The CPI(M) Maharashtra state committee condemns the arbitrary arrests of these young girls, demands that the cases against them be dropped forthwith and further demands strict action against the police officers who instituted these cases and also against the goons who attacked the hospital. The Congress-NCP state government must take immediate action and stop pandering to the whims and fancies of the SS, as it has often done in the past.

The CPI(M) has always, and will in the future, continue to fight the chauvinist, communal, casteist and anti-working class policies of the Shiv Sena.

Dr Ashok Dhawale
Secretary, Maharashtra State Committee,
Member, Central Committee,
Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M)

CPIM led Candle Light protest in Tamilnadu to highlight the power crisis in the state

Cadres of Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a demonstration  and held a candle light protest on Saturday across Tamilnadu condemning the State government for the prolonged power cuts.

CPIM Memo to President: Targetting of Muslim Youth

Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the CPI(M) led a delegation to meet President Shri Pranab Mukherjee regarding targeting and persecution of scores of Muslim youth in terrorism related cases.  The memorandum submitted to the President has demanded that:

1.Compensation and rehabilitation for the innocent persons implicated in such cases.

2.Provision of Special Courts with time bound procedures to settle cases within a year.

3.In cases where the court has held that evidence has been concocted or misrepresented by the investigating agencies to implicate innocents, action must be taken against those responsible.

4.The draconian provisions in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act must be reconsidered and removed.

The other members in the delegation were Subhashini Ali, member of the Central Committee of CPI(M), Mohd. Yusuf Tarigami, MLA, Jammu & Kashmir and member of the Central Committee of CPI(M), Sehba Farooqui, member of the Delhi state committee of CPI(M) and three young men who were jailed for long periods and then acquitted by the courts.  They are Mohammed Aamir from Delhi (in jail for 14 years), Maqbool Shah from Srinagar (jailed for 14 years), Syed Wasif Haider from Kanpur (in jail for 8 years).

Following is the Text of the Letter Addressed to the President                                     

                        November 17, 2012

The President of India

Rashtrapati Bhawan

New Delhi

Dear Rashtrapati ji,

I write to draw your attention to the grave miscarriage of justice to scores of Muslim youth who were and are being wrongly arrested and charged in cases related to terror attacks in different parts of the country. In some cases these young men have been incarcerated for ten to fourteen years as undertrials and then finally acquitted by the courts as being innocent. Several reliable groups of concerned citizens and organizations who have collected the details of these cases, have revealed how the court judgements themselves have strongly indicted the investigation agencies for the biased mentality against the Muslim youth and in several cases the manipulation and presentation of concocted evidence against innocent young men. It would appear that the investigation agencies are more driven by the requirement to show “results” in their investigation rather than to ensure that it is the actual culprits who are caught. 

Muslim youth are the most vulnerable targets today. The draconian provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are used to deny the normal processes of justice, while there is no time bound procedure for the judicial processes. There is a growing feeling of fear and apprehension on the one hand and anger on the other that innocents are being implicated. Young lives have been destroyed, families stricken, forced into social isolation, driven into debt to pay the huge expenditures in legal fees—the terrible conditions caused by State led injustice.

As an illustration, the cases of the four young men Md. Aamir from Delhi, Syed Maqbool from Srinagar, Wasif Haider and Mumtaz Ahmed from Uttar Pradesh are presented before you. They were arrested arbitrarily when they were just eighteen or nineteen years of age, implicated in dozens of cases, incarcerated for over ten years and each one of them was, as held by the courts, innocent. They are today without jobs, considered unemployable, with dark and uncertain futures.

While no quarter can be given to any individual or group which is responsible for dastardly terror attacks, the arrest of innocent Muslim youth has reached serious dimensions which requires immediate attention. It is a blot on the principles of secular democracy. At the same time, the arrest of innocent people means that the actual culprits go free. There are three aspects, which require to be looked at:

1. Compensation to and rehabilitation of the innocents. While in some cases, with the intervention of the Minority Rights Commission and other agencies, some monetary compensation may have been given in a few cases, by and large most of the victims of State  injustice are in a terrible condition. It is essential to ensure justice by providing compensation as well as the means towards a livelihood through provision of employment or any other avenue suggested by the victim.

2. The provision of Special Courts with  time bound procedures is essential so as to end the sometimes deliberate prolonging of the cases. All such cases should be settled in a year.

3. In cases where the Court has held that evidence has been concocted or misrepresented by the investigating agencies to implicate innocents, action must be taken against those responsible. This will act as a deterrent in the deliberate implication of innocents.

We believe also that the draconian provisions in the UAPA must be reconsidered. At the time of the passage of the Bill in Parliament the CPI(M) had warned of the consequences of keeping such provisions on the Statute book akin to TADA and POTA. Experience has shown the legitimacy of the apprehensions expressed at that time.

We request you to take up these issues urgently with the Government of India. We also enclose relevant information and documents with further details.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

Sd/-

Prakash Karat

(General Secretary)

Annexure

Examples of some of the cases of acquittal and discharge of youth wrongfully charged and incarcerated

01 – Mohd Marouf Qaamar (Delhi), ….     Acquitted on 11.11.2008, Tis Hazari Court Delhi

02 – Tariq Ahmad Dar (Kashmir),           Discharge 2006    Case of Tis Hazari Court, Delhi

03 – Tasleem (Muradabad – UP), Discharge – Release on 1998, Tis Hazari Court No. 19, Delhi

04 – Najeem (Muradabad – UP) Discharge – Release on 1998, Tis Hazari  Court No. 19, Delhi

05 – Shamim Akhtar (Kolkata),  Discharge – Release on 1998, Tis Hazari Court No. 19, Delhi

06 – Syed Maqbool Shah (Kashmir) Acquitted on 08.04.2010, Patiala House Court, Delhi

07 – Mohd Aamir Khan (Delhi)  Acquitted  - 17 Cases (Delhi & NCR), Release on: 09.01.2012

08 – Haroon Rashid (Bihar),  Acquitted on Jan – 2010, Tis Hazari Court, Delhi Case

09 – Dilawar Khan (Orissa), Acquit on Jan – 2010, Tis Hazari Court, Delhi Case

10 – Salman Khurshid Kori (Manipur)Acquitted on 14.12.2011, Tis Hazari Court, Delhi Case

11 – Syed Mubarak (Sitapuri – UP)         Acquitted ………….Case of Bareli Dist Court – UP

12 – Abdul Mubeen (Sidhard Nagar)       Acquitted ……………Case of Agra Dist Court – UP

13 – Ghulam Mohd (Kanpur),                 Acquitted on 12.08.2009, Case of Kanpur City – UP

14 – Sajjad-ul-Thman, (Kishtuwar)         Discharge on 14.04.2011, Case of Lucknow – UP.

15 – Mumtaz Ahmad (Sopur)                 Acquitted on 06.08.2003 Case of GRP – Kanpur, UP.

16 – Faheem Ansari (Maharashtra)         Acquitted case of Mumbai, 26.11.2008, Session Court & Supreme Court

17 – Saba uddin (UP),  Acquitted Case of Mumbai, 26.11.2008, Session Court to Supreme Court!

18 – Jogeshvari Rly st Case,                 2 Persons Acquitted Mumbai Maharashtra Case

19 – Tilak Nagar Rly st Case,  2 Persons discharge & 2 Acquitted. Case of Mumbai,

20 – Ghaat – Kopar 2003 Case  9 Persons Acquitted, Case of Mumbai, Maharashtra

21 – Gateway of India Case,                 2 Persons Acquitted, Case of Mumbai, Maharashtra

22 – Rehmana Farooqui    Acquitted by Delhi High Court in 2007 in 2000 Red Fort Case.

Left Front will Spread Movement on Attack Against Women All Over The State: Biman Basu

The West Bengal Left Front Committee issued its absolute dissent over the rampant of anti-women crime in the State of West Bengal at Rashmani Road in Kolkata near Dharmatala. Thousands of protesters gathered today at Dharmatala to strengthen the call of the Left Front to protect women from growing social disasters that curb out social security and democratic space in West Bengal. The Left Front vowed its discontent over the passive and continual sponsorship of the State Government to the growing felony and criminalization against women. Rapes, physical harassments, incidents of abuse are getting surfaced in this state every now and then. The State Government is doing away with this towering criminalization with their hypothetical ‘created incident’ or ‘done by CPI(M)’ theories, which are not getting welcomed by common people. The West Bengal Government has created so much of ground level chaos through its autocratic attitude that the people of West Bengal are much angry than frustrated that they have no other way but to launch protest on the streets. On the 17th of November 2012 the state witnessed just one of a kind protest led by Left Front which was going to get followed by waves of protests voicing the rejection of TMC Government. The meeting was presided over by the Left Front Chairman Biman Basu; it was women of this state on the front-foot this afternoon.

Left Front Chairman Biman Basu while addressing the crowd pointed out that there are plenty of cases where TMC leaders are allegedly associated with such incidents. He also made it clear how the State Government’s responses with ‘created incident’ theory that either way deciphers their attitude towards criminalization against women. Sharply criticizing the role of state police Basu mentioned how the police have been acting indifferently or in some cases counter-productively to the victims of those brutal incidents. Innocent college girls are not even spared these days from the wild intensions of the offenders who are mostly TMC supporters, said Basu. He also mentioned that the State Government’s passive endorsement had caused the towering high on this sort of anti-women crime which we are tolerating every day. It is not only the subject of anti-women crime that the Chief Minister is endorsing, same way she is doing away with the disasters of police firing either at Loba Village, Birbhum or at Tehatta, Nadia. The way she is trying to cover up the incidents translates either to a direct endorsement of anarchy which may be in some way or other helping her or her party to do whatever she is targeting for, or on her gross incompetence to maintain social rest, law and order. It is the people of this state who are facing series of attacks, molestation and killing every day. Basu asked people of the state of West Bengal to unify and fight against the role of the Government. He then issued ultimatum to the State Government that this specific meeting is not the ending; it marks the start of continuous protest movements against their anti-people installations. 

The leader of opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra started addressing the huge gathering by expressing his concern over growing rate of crime against women throughout India. He discussed about the situation of Hariyana, Karnataka and Delhi regarding this issue. Then coming back to West Bengal he drew everyone’s attention by saying that the larger share of anti-women crimes are being committed in the rural areas of the state. So it was his understanding that protest movements must have to be organized in rural areas, village specific mobilization discarding those criminal tendencies against women is a must to do task for every leftist of the state. Speaking on the state sponsorship to the criminal offenders he said that if the people are aware of the attitude of the Government then they must translate their discontent in to massive protests. It is the misfortune of the people of West Bengal that Left Front Government is not in power; when women are attacked, molested, that means democracy is under attack. The draconian TMC Government has turned this state to an endangered state in just 19 months, said Mishra. He also said that it is the utmost priority of the leftists to stand beside the oppressed people; the duty of Left Front workers start with helping people out there. He thoroughly discussed the cases of the developed countries where women are playing key role, women are accounted for 2/3rd of net labour worldwide where they are consuming only a half of net production and wealth generated. If leftists are sworn to fight for the peasant’s rights and labour interests, if the leftists are foot soldiers of class struggle, Mishra mentioned that then fighting for the rights of women is no split phenomenon than that. All the issues of social disorder, capitalist oppression and the issues of caste division must be addressed uniquely but the protests must be united in order to deliver the gravest blow to the anti-people ruler to ensure the emancipation of the oppressed, said Mishra. CPI State Secretary Manjukumar Majumder, RSP leader Mihir Byne and Manoj Bhattacharya were among the left leaders, who spoke to the gathering regarding the issue of growing attack against women.

SFI All India Protest Day on 19th November

The Central executive committee of the Students’ federation of India in strongest possible words condemns the recent spate of Imperialist aggression spearheaded by Israel leading to an unrelenting military attack on the Gaza city killing as many as twenty one people including a number of children in the last three days.

More than 280 strikes have been launched against Gaza in the last 72 hours, killing 21 Palestinians and injuring almost 200 people. Those killed include Hamas military chief Ahmad Jaabari and a number of innocent children.

The US backed Zionist aggression has been the root cause of current crisis in Gaza. In the meeting of the UN Security Council USA has again shamelessly advocated for Israel clearly reflecting its own strategic designs.

The UPA government in the centre has again chosen to remain silent on this issue debunking the historic position of our country, which has always stood with the liberation struggle of Palestinian people.

 
We demand that the central government must immediately denounce the Israeli aggression and work with other countries to push for immediate truce in Gaza.
The CEC of SFI stands in complete solidarity with the people of Palestin

e and calls upon all its units to rise in protest against the heinous and barbaric Israeli aggression. The CEC of SFI calls upon all its units to observe an All India Protest Day on 19th of November throughout the country in this regard.

AIKS Condemns the firing on Sangli farmers in Maharashtra

The All India Kisan Sabha strongly condemns the heinous police firing on protesting farmers at Sangli in Maharashtra on 12th November. One farmer died in the incident. Another farmer who was part of the protest was run-over by a truck. AIKS offers its condolences to the families of the bereaved. Kisan Sabha demands Rs.10 lakh compensation and a Government job to one member of each of the families of the deceased. 

The sugarcane farmers in different parts of Maharashtra have been on a consistent organised struggle demanding not less than Rs.3000/tonne as the first advance and Rs.3600/tonne as the final price for sugarcane in the State. The AIKS has been part of this struggle and have been carrying on a united struggle for remunerative prices. In the run-up to these struggles on 21st October 2012, a 500-strong Convention had been organised jointly by the AIKS, CITU and AIAWU at Ambajogai in the Beed District of Marathwada region comprising of sugarcane farmers, sugarcane cutters and sugar factory workers which took up demands of all three toiling sections.

Meanwhile, in the Kolhapur District of South Maharashtra, four Left and secular parties had come together to form a Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti and have held large demonstrations for remunerative price to sugarcane farmers. The AIKS has been a part of the struggle in Kolhapur including other organisations of the peasantry like the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. The struggle has now spread to other cane growing areas and sugarcane farmers in Beed, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Pune and Sholapur Districts have been agitating with the demand that Rs.3000/tonne be fixed as the first advance on sugarcane purchase this season. In Ahmadnagar and Parbani Districts the Kisan Sabha has been independently carrying out this struggle from the last few months. On 9th November 2012 there was a miltant demonstration by over a thousand farmers at Pune under the banner of the Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti. It was in the course of the continuing struggle of sugarcane farmers, cutters and sugar factory workers that this brutal police firing took place.

Yet again police fired on protestors on 14th November also. Police have arrested 152 protestors while no action has been taken on the police officials guilty of firing causing injury and death. This exposes the fact that the Congress-NCP led State Government is taking a confrontationist stand openly in favour of the sugar lobby and is least bothered about resolving the issue through negotiations. It is to be noted that the Congress-NCP State Government in line with the Congress-led Central Government and the Agriculture Ministry’s proposal to decontrol sugar industry, decided not to intervene in sugarcane pricing this year even before the Rangarajan Committee recommendations have got Parliamentary sanction. The Government is shirking its responsibility and wants the peasantry to settle the issue directly with the sugar mills and cooperatives. The private millers and cooperative sugar factories have refused to pay Rs.3000/tonne and were offering only between Rs.2100/tonne to Rs.2300/tonne.

Notably the private sugar mills in different parts of India owe arrears of over Rs.10,500 crores to sugarcane farmers. The ruling class has not made any sincere effort to recover this amount and give it back to the farmers. In Maharashtra a vast majority of the cooperatives and sugar mills are directly owned or controlled by the leaders of the Congress-NCP combine or the BJP-Shiv Sena combine. Hence none of these parties are interested in resolving the issue or paying remunerative prices to the sugarcane growers.

The AIKS along with the different Farmers’ organisations that are part of the Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti is organising a massive protest Dharna on 16th November in Kolhapur against the police firing. This will be followed by a massive protest rally in Mumbai on 26th November 2012.  We warn that protests will be intensified if the Government continues with its insensitive stand.