West Bengal Observes All-out Strike Amid Series of Intimidations and Attacks

Refuting incessant intimidation from the West Bengal State Government and series of attacks on road on workers of Left Front and CPI(M), the conscious participation of common people has collapsed the normal life of the state to make the General Strike protesting FDI in retail sector, drastic hike on Diesel price and LPG cooking gas. While rallying in Kolkata the CPI(M) state secretary and Left Front Chairman Biman Basu has commented that the strike was all-out and will mark the beginning of bigger movement in very near future if the Central Government does not withdraw its anti-people decisions.

The strike was called to protest the unprecedented decisions taken by the Central Government to
(i) allow Foreign Direct Investment in internal retail sector; (ii) huge hike in Diesel Price; (iii) withdrawal of subsidy in cooking gas that causes unbearable hike in cylinder price;

The strike in West Bengal also marks its solidarity with the national protest of 8 Left and other parties including CPI(M)in other parts of the country. Since the call of the 12 hour general strike in Bengal the State Government and TMC, being indecisive to launch any drastic mark of protest, started intimidating people and workers of CPI(M) and other left parties throughout the state. Amid such an intimidation people of West Bengal have participated in the general strike.

Whole Hearted Strike

The state witnessed an massive response from the common people working in different fields and disciplines. The shop owners including small enterprises responded hugely not only to mark protest against the decisions but also against the intimidations by the TMC hooligans. The people associated in transport sector have remarkably participated in the strike. The industrial areas, like Kalyani, Durgapur, Taratala, of the state remained almost closed. Most of the schools and colleges remained closed as students have not attended in numbers. The water transport system severely lacked its regular passengers. Rallies have been organized in different areas of the state where state CPI(M) leadership led from the front. Biman Basu himself led the rally in Kolkata.

Intimidation turns into attacks on workers across districts

Having observed the magnitude of the strike and spontaneous participation of common people all over Bengalthe State Government and TMC hooligans from early hours have unleashed series of attacks and assaults on workers of left parties. They did not even spare workers of their present and former allies like SUCI, BJP and others.

Workers and Party Offices of CPI(M) and other left parties have been attacked by TMC hooligans in almost every part of the state.

• Party Office in Bardhaman city has been attacked by TMC hooligans; • CPI(M) workers were attacked in Asansol, Naihati, Khardah, Barjora, Bankura, Birbhum, Tarakeswar, Arambag, Chinsura, Habra, Lake Town, Howrah, Shyambazar, Mathabhanga, and in Amta; • SUCI workers were attacked in Coochbehar, Shyambazar in Kolkata; • More than 20 left front workers have been injured while some of them suffered serious injury.

Translate Peoples’ Discontent into Concrete Movement ; Call from CPI(M) West Bengal Extended State Committee Meeting

Two day extended meeting of CPI(M) West Bengal state committee, which took place on 15th-16th September in Kolkata, reviewed the political situation in the state, state of Party organization at different levels and called for more organized movement on the burning issues of the people. After extensive discussion the meeting noted that there are discernible signs of peoples’ discontent against the State Government which has to be translated into concrete movement

Prakash Karat in his inaugural speech spoke against the anti people policies of the Central Government. He pointed out that this liberalisation drive will ultimately add up to the sorrow of the working people.

Karat added that a rise in the price of diesel will have cascading impact on prices of all commodities and will further hit the common people. The worst hit would be the farmers due to rising cost of production. He added that FDI in retail sector will have a direct adverse impact on the employment of a huge chunk of the population who are engaged in small and unorganised retail trade. He also criticised the UPA Government for its faulty natural resource allocation policy where precious natural resource were being allocated for mere pennies. He also warned of the communal situation in the country and role of different communal and fundamentalist forces, particularly after the events in Assam. Karat emphasized that the independent activities of the Party must be strengthened so as to build Left unity and move towards a left and democratic alternative. To achieve this, fight against liberalization must get priority in the coming days.

Biman Basu moving the agenda for the meeting outlined the attack on democracy and democratic institutions, mounting burden on the people and an ever increasing crime on women. The movement, through mobilizing the people has to be broadened in this perspective. That calls for strengthening the party organisation, uplifting the political and ideological level of the party, more active role of Party members, development of functioning of Party committees. Basu emphasized intensive work among the toiling people and particularly among the urban and rural poor. He has also stressed upon the need to mobilize younger sections and women.

33 comrades from different districts and mass fronts deliberated on the report. While summing up on the second day, Biman Basu said, only mass struggle can change the situation. What is needed is a patient effort among the masses.

One of the major content of discussion was the panchayat elections due to be held in coming months. Biman Basu urged to treat this election as a mass struggle and move forward with courage and determination even in the face of attack from TMC and other forces. Decentralisation and exercise of peoples’ rights have come under severe attacks. This has to be exposed to people through intensive campaign. The meeting took a resolution protesting these attacks and decided to fight the elections facing all odds. Though there is an apprehension that TMC will try to prevent opposition from contesting in many areas and will force bloodshed, CPI(M) has decided to combat these attacks and an all out preparation to mobilize people would start immediately. Polit bureau member Surjya Kanta Mishra explained the situation in the rural areas and outlined the main tasks in this very important political battle.

Buddhadev Bhattacharjee addressing the meeting said there are perceptible positive changes in the state. We could see the positive impacts of Party’s efforts in many areas. However, the balances of forces are still tilted towards the anti-Left forces. The people who left us have not returned entirely. A degree of alienation is still there. Our priority is to win over those sections of the people. We have to concentrate among the toiling people and the poorer sections. The impact of centre’s fresh reform initiatives and misrule of TMC Government in the state would bring a large scope of building movements. But to respond to the situation we need more developed and cleaner Party organization.

Extended meeting decided the tasks before the Party. Those are : to build up powerful movement against neo-liberal attacks on people; taking up the issue of food security and mobilize poor people; to take up issues of demands and social security of the unorganized sections of workers at local level; to build up movement against detoriating public services; mobilizing people against anarchy in educational institutions, mobilizing democratic opinion against detoriation in law and order situation and particularly against attack on women; massive campaign in villages against attack on panchayats.

The meeting called for a widespread mass movement against the price rise of diesel and cooking gas along with the decision of ushering in 51% FDI in the retail sector and disinvestment of profit making PSU’s. It called upon to make the general strike in West Bengal on 20th September, called by Left Front a success.

The meeting also adopted a resolution extending support to nationwide strike on 20th-21st February, 2013, called by central trade unions.

It has been decided that a mass collection will be organized on 23rd, September to collect money for the distressed and homeless people of Assam.

Apart from Party’s general secretary, Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury and S. Ramchandran Pillai attended the meeting. Polit Bureau member Nirupam Sen presided over the two day session.

Resolutely Oppose Notification on FDI in Retail

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

 

 

 

The CPI(M) strongly protests the policy notification on FDI in retail trade issued by the government. Notwithstanding the widespread opposition to FDI in multi-brand retail trade, the government has gone ahead with the notification.

 

The rules announced by the government for FDI in multi-brand is designed to serve the interests of MNCs like Wal-Mart, TESCO and Carrefour. The investment floor of $ 100 million (R. 550 crore) is insignificant for the giant retailers like Wal-Mart which are multibillion companies.

 

The restriction that foreign retail outlets should be in cities with over 10 lakh population is also irrelevant because these are precisely the urban centres which the MNCs want to access as they are the most lucrative segment of the market. Furthermore, the rules provide that in states/Union Territories which do not have cities  having a population of more than 10 lakh, foreign retail outlets may be set up in cities of their choice. Thus foreign supermarkets can be set up in all parts of the country and in a wider range of urban centres.

 

The condition for making at least 50 per cent of the investment in ‘backend’ infrastructure is being cited to argue that this would lead to more cold chains and other logistics, benefiting the farmers. International experience has, however, shown that procurement by MNC retailers do not benefit the small farmers. Over time, they receive depressed prices and find it difficult to meet the arbitrary quality standards.

 

 

That the government is bent upon promoting FDI in retail at the cost of domestic interests is clear from the dilution of the conditions set for FDI in single-brand retail. Earlier, the rule was that for FDI above 51 per cent in single brand retail, there was a mandatory sourcing of at least 30 per cent of the value of products sold from Indian “small industries/village and cottage industries”. Now this has been diluted. It is stated that instead of mandatory sourcing it is “preferably” from small and medium enterprises etc. Further, the definition of small industries has also been done away with.

 

By this policy announcement, the Manmohan Singh government has taken the single biggest step of destroying the livelihood of the largest number of people engaged in retail trade in India.

 

The CPI(M) will resolutely wage the struggle to get this anti-national decision rescinded.

Massive Response to Protest Day

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

 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) congratulates the people for the massive response to the protest day on September 20, 2012.  Eight parties had given a call for observing the day through hartal, picketing and court arrests against the steep rise  in prices of diesel, limiting of gas cylinders and opening retail trade to FDI.  The NDA had also called for a bandh on this day.

 

The hartal has been successful in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and other states.

 

In West Bengal, there was a total strike.  Vehicles and traffic was off the roads; shops and markets were closed; workers in the industrial establishments and tea gardens were on strike and schools and colleges were closed.  The strike call was implemented despite attacks on Left Front workers by TMC goons in a number of places.

 

In Tripura, there was a complete bandh all over the  state with all offices, markets and educational institutions closed.

 

In Kerala, a hartal was observed on September 15, therefore the day was observed through protest marches in all the 140 assembly constituencies under the banner of the Left and Democratic Front.

 

In Delhi, leaders of the eight parties among them Mulayam Singh Yadav, H. D. Deve Gowda, Chandrababu Naidu, Prakash Karat, S. Sudhakar Reddy, A. B. Bardhan, Ram Gopal Yadav and Sitaram Yechury courted arrest at Parliament Street.

 

In Tamilnadu, Left leaders and cadres conducted picketing in 200 places. More than 50,000 protestors were arrested.

 

In Odisha, the BJD has called for a protest day on September 17 due to the Nuakhai festival in western Odisha.  The Left parties and the Samajwadi party called for a hartal on September 20 which was observed widely with transport, shops and commercial establishments closed. 

 

In Maharashtra, there was no strike in Mumbai because of Ganesh Chaturthi. Protest demonstrations and local strikes took place in various cities and towns.

 

The widespread support for the hartal manifested the anger of the people against the anti-people measures taken by the UPA government.  The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands of the Manmohan Singh government  that it cancel the FDI in retail, the disinvestment of public sector shares, rollback the price hike  of diesel and restriction on gas cylinders.  The struggle against these anti-people measures should be intensified in the coming days.