Northern Sangharsh Sandesh jatha in Rajasthan

CPI(M)'s Northern Sangharsh Sandesh jatha was received in Rajasthan at Sangaria on 8th evening. After an enthusiastic reception, the Jatha travelled to reach Hanumangarh

Addressing a large gathering at Bhagat Singh Chowk, Brinda Karat member of CPI(M) Polit Bureau expressed concern at the fate of Guaar producing peasants of twin districts of Hanumangarh and Ganganagar and other areas who are being deprived of a possibility of good rate. This is due to the intervention of state government favouring big export companies at the cost of peasants. It is to be noted that Guaar, used for extraction of shale gas on a large scale, last year fetched exporters Rs 33,000 a quintal in export market with help of speculative manipulation, while peasants were given only Rs 2,000. This year larger number of peasants with larger investment have gone for this crop hoping for a good rate. But traders have brought the rate down, and government instead of acting against speculators who manipulated market last year has helped crashing of export price. This has pushed the peasant's to an unending wait hoping for a better price to sell their produce. Government, too on its part is sitting idle and not offering any support in the form of Minimum Support Price.

Earlier, denouncing police repression on lawyers in Jaipur in strongest words, Brinda Karat, asked, “If this kind of treatment is meted out to protectors of law, one can well imagine what could await the poor or dalits who approach police with their complaints”. 

At the same time reacting to questions regarding police force in Rajasthan resorting to agitational methods, she squarely blamed State government for things coming to such an pass. “Has the Rajasthan government acted on time, High Court may not have issued the orders they did and hence no police agitation”. Expressing full solidarity with the agitating lawyers, Brinda Karat demanded withdrawal of all the false cases foisted against agitators and urged that the State government should start talks to find a solution for their demands. She was interacting with media here this morning.

Eastern Jatha in Champaran

Eastern Jatha travelled through Champaran of Bihar on Saturday, covering two districts. Once in frontline of independence movement, peasants in Champaran rose on several occasions against imperialist rule. Today, after long periods of misrule and discrimination, Champaran villages and towns carry visible signs of impoverishment. The fertile lands produce finest qualities of rice apart from wheat, sugarcane. But the small peasants and agricultural workers are facing acute crisis. Come to Champaran, and Nitish Kumar’s drumming of 'changed Bihar' is exposed to the core. 

Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha moved in from eastern Champaran headquarters Motihari to West Champaran’s Betiah. In this area, CPI(M) has considerable influence among the peasants and unorganised workers. In Betiah town, rickshaw workers are well organised under the banner of CITU. The public meeting took place in Sahid Smarak area in which poorest of the poor participated. Prakash Karat, Biman Basu and others addressed the meeting. Karat said that CPI(M) would try to co-ordinate various local and sectoral struggles and unleash powerful movement throughout the country.

Darbanga

Madhubani

 On Friday, the response to Jatha in Darbhanga and Madhubani districts was evident on the roads. Hundreds gathered on roadsides to receive the Jatha. Women came with garlands and virtually forced the Jatha vehicle to stop so that they can pay their regards to the leaders. In Laharia Sarai, Shafi Muslim School ground, thousands of people were most vocal in their slogans. There were peasants who are regularly endangered by floods of river Bagmati and Koshi. Nothing concrete has been done over the years for their protection. Whatever money is allotted vanishes even before the work starts. In towns, hundreds of dalits live in jhuggi-jhopris (slums) without basic amenities and under constant threat to evacuate. CPI(M) has taken up their issue and are resisting administration’s attacks on them. These poor people attended the rally and aptly listened to the call for a new struggle.

In Bisfy of Madhubani, struggle against feudal forces has a proud history. The public meeting took place in midst of vast agricultural lands, attended by peasants. Large numbers of women were there. CPI(M) leaders were felicitated in the land of poet Vidyapati in traditional Maithili culture.

 
In Chakia, East Champaran district, the rally was impressive. CPI(M) has strong support base here due to its sustained struggles, particularly on land issues. Landless agricultural workers attended in large numbers here. Biman Basu, while addressing emphasized on unity of the toiling masses to broaden the struggle for alternative policies. Prakash Karat, talking on food security, said that while submitting 4 crore signatures on food security, CPI(M) demanded the Prime minister that 90 per cent of the people should be given foodgrains for less than Rs 2 a kg through PDS. Enough foodgrains for that have been produced in the country he said.

Western Jatha in Warli Tribal Revolt Region

The Western Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha journeyed into the historic Warli tribal revolt region in Thane district on its second day on Saturday, March 09. Impressive meetings were held in Dahanu, Jawahar and Talassery towns, which were the epicentre of the tribal revolt in 1945. It may be recalled that the Warli tribals led by the Communist Party and its legendary leaders Godavari Parulekar and Shamrao Parulekar revolted against the big landlords, sahukars and the British in 1945. The landlords who were holding thousands of acres of land each as absentee landlords had to flee the area due to this rebellion and the lands were re-occupied by the tribals. 

Ever since this region has been a stronghold of the Party and the struggle for land continues till date in different forms. There is a concerted effort by the descendants of absentee landlords and sahukars to recapture the lands from tribals. With land rates zooming up because of proximity to Mumbai, there is an urgency in this effort by them using the government machinery. The CPI(M) has in few cases resorted to direct action and demolished whatever structures were being built in such lands and ensured possession of tribals continued. It is an ongoing struggle.

Today, as the jatha reached Dahanu town centre around 1 pm, thousands of people who braved hot sun, greeted the leaders with shouts of 'Inquilab zindabad'. Majority of the gathering were poor tribal women. Jatha member and Maharashtra state secretariat member Mariam Dhawale speaking first in the meeting attacked the NCP-Congress leaders for trampling the rights of tribals.

Sitaram Yechury in his speech lambasted the prime minister Manmohan Singh for stubbornly refusing to strengthen the Public Distribution System in the country. “Here is a prime minsiter who preferred to fatten the rats that were eating the rotting foodgrains in godowns rather than feed the starving millions in the country”, he said. This region, particularly Talassery, has faced severe drought in the recent period. But the PDS here is in a shambles with rampant corruption fostered by the nexus between ruling NCP-Congress leaders, officials and police. The CPI(M) is engaged in a big struggle to prevent this corruption. Recently it directly caught a truck of PDS ration that was being siphoned off to private godown. Although the administration was forced to slap cases against the dealer and few NCP-Congress leaders, it finally turned out to be an exercise in whitewash.

Mohd Salim said the prevelance of aneamia in 70 per cent of pregnant women in the country is due to the lack of food security for the people and wondered how the rulers still have the courage to keep talking of development. Nilotpal Basu explained the purpose of jatha and the need to intensify struggles to better their lives. CPI(M) Maharashtra state secretary also addressed the meetings.

Western Jatha Led by Com. Sitaram Yechury Flagged offf

On the international working women's day, a dalit woman poet and writer of repute, Pradyna Daya Pawar, flagged off the Western Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha in Mumbai by handing over the Red flag to jatha leader, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP, Sitaram Yechury. She did this at Hutatma Chowk (Martyrs Square) in the presence of other jatha members, CPI(M) central secretariat member Nilotpal Basu, central committee member Mohd Salim and Maharashtra state secretariat member Mariam Dhawale. 

Also present were Maharashtra state secretary Ashok Dhawale and central committee member K L Bajaj, Mumbai city secretary Mahendra Singh, and scores of Party workers and sympathisers, large contingent of Forward Seamens Union of India and CITU workers. A cross section of people from all walks of life were also present on the occasion.

Before the flag off ceremony, the leaders paid homage to the martyrs of Maharashtra state formation movement who were killed in a police firing in 1960. As this place is a designated silence zone, no speeches were made. However, speaking to media persons, Pradyna Daya Pawar lauded the CPI(M) for taking up the basic issues of working masses in this jatha programme and expressed her total support to the effort to present an alternative programme. She said dalits are the worst affected due to the implementation of neo-liberal policies and called upon them to join this struggle for a better and more equal India.

Sitaram Yechury in his remarks said that the country has all the resources, natural and demographic, needed to build a better India where every person gets education, job and access to health care. If this is to be made possible, then the present economic policies have to be changed. “And this change can only be brought about through waging militant struggles”. He said the present Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha is a vehicle to sharpen those struggles in the coming period.

The first stop of jatha after flag off was at Azad Maidan, a centre for political demonstrations, rallies and hunger strikes since independence movement. Today, as the jatha arrived there, the ground was filled with thousands of degree college lecturers who were agitating on their demands. Also, there were parallel demonstrations by Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan workers, Mumbai Municipal workers and domestic workers union. The college lecturers are on statewide strike on demands relating to wages, regularisation etc. The nearly 3000 odd gathering warmly greeted the jatha leaders with prolonged clapping as they walked into the place. Addressing them, Yechury expressed solidarity with their strike and demands. He called on them to continue the struggle.

 Public Meeting in Andheri

Addressing a public meeting in Andheri West on March 8 evening, Sitaram Yechury underlined the need to intensify struggles to beat back the loot-mongering, pro-rich economic policies and for implementation of pro-poor alternative economic regime. He appealed to the people to remain united and join this struggle to build a new and better India.
The meeting took place right in front of the bustling Andheri West railway station and apart from few thousands who participated in the meeting, hundreds more stopped by to listen to the speeches. Significant was the participation of a large number of Muslim minority women in the meeting.

Nilotpal Basu illustrated the rising inequalities in the country by drawing attention to Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani's obscenely large Rs 600 crore house near to the meeting venue and 70 per cent of people living on less than Rs 20 per day.
Mohd Salim explained how this Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha has taken up the basic issues of common people and spreading the message of the need for struggles to achieve the rights. Attacking those who seek to pit Hindus against Muslims or Marathis against Hindi-speaking people, Salim said that it is only leaders who benefited out of these divisive politics, not the common people. He called on the people to remain united and join the struggles for bettering their lives.

Mariam Dhawale said the major issue facing the women today is access to cheap foodgrains and quality education to children. She explained how the CPI(M) has put such issues on the agenda of politics and appealed to the people to strengthen that effort. 

CPI(M) central committee member and veteran trade unionist K L Bajaj in his brief speech said the remarkable success of the two day nationwide strike called by trade unions shows how the people are ready to join the struggle as also the strength of the working class. 

CPI(M) state secretary Ashok Dhawale, veteran educationist K K Theckedath and others were present while the meeting was conducted by state committee member Shailendra Kamble.

Chávez: A universal revolutionary

WITHOUT any distinction of political affiliation or geographic location, expressions of sorrow at the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez continue, in a generalized acknowledgment of the architect of the Bolivarian Revolution and one of the principal promoters of an integrated Latin America and the Caribbean.


The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America- Trade Treaty of the Peoples (ALBA-TCP) honored him before the UN Human Rights Council.

"Chávez was able to fully interpret the pro-independence and pro-unity thinking of Latin American and Caribbean independence leaders and take it to its most complete expression, the ALBA," affirmed Angélica Navarro, the Bolivian permanent representative in Geneva.

Alí Rodríguez Araque, UN secretary general of UNASUR, said that Chávez would be remembered not only as the promoter of Latin American integration and "the great restorer of Bolívar’s original project, but also the leader who restored Venezuelan dignity…"

Heads of MERCOSUR, ECLAC, and the Latin American Parliament also sent condolences to the Venezuelan government and people.

In a press conference in Haiti, President Michel Martelly expressed his sorrow at the death of Chávez, who he described as an exceptional person. "A great man has died, an exceptional person who never missed an opportunity to express his love for Haiti and to help its people. We will always be grateful to President Chávez, today is a sad day."

Guyanese President Donald Ramotar and Alejandro García Padilla, Governor of Puerto Rico, also sent condolences.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Army of the People (FARC-EP) issued a communiqué stating that it shares the pain of Venezuelan Bolivarians at the heartbreaking news. "Like no-one else, Chávez fought passionately to make material the social program of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, the unity and dignity of our peoples, the conviction of sovereignty and freedom in their widest sense."

Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized Chávez’ elevated human and leadership qualities in a message of condolence to the Venezuelan government and people. Putin described him as "an exceptional and outstanding leader and a close friend of Russia."
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko lamented the death of the Venezuelan leader, whom he described as a faithful and close friend and brother of his country.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic announced that the Venezuelan President is to be awarded a posthumous decoration "for his merits in the development and reinforcement of peaceful cooperation between the two countries."

Irish President Michael Higgins highlighted Chávez’ battle against poverty and the social advances he achieved.

There were official announcements of condolences and acknowledgment of the head of state’s historic legacy in Italy, Portugal and Spain.

The Chinese Foreign Minister announced that President Hu Jintao; General Secretary of the Communist Party Xi Jinping; and Wu Bangguo, President of the Permanent Committee of the People’s National Assembly sent messages of condolence to Venezuelan authorities. The note describes Chávez as "a good friend of the Chinese people… who did much in favor of friendly and cooperative relations between Beijing and Caracas."

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh affirmed his profound sadness and described Chávez as "a charismatic and immensely popular leader, who leaves a legacy of struggle for social justice."

President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya also lamented the death of Chávez, who he defined as a key architect in African-South American relations.

Palestine National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas offered condolences to the 
Venezuelan people and government, while noting, "Palestinians have lost a friend who passionately defended their right to freedom."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad affirmed that his Venezuelan counterpart will be like a saint who will return on the Day of Resurrection. Syrian leader Bashar al Assad stated that the death of Chávez was both "a great personal loss" and a loss for the Syrian people.
In the United States, actors Danny Glover and Sean Penn, and filmmakers Michael Moore and Oliver Stone also expressed their condolences to the Venezuelan people and highlighted the leader’s work in defense of the poor of the world and lovers of freedom.
Argentine footballer Diego Maradona also joined his compatriots in mourning the death of President Hugo Chávez. (SE)

Communiqué from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on the death of Comandante President Hugo Chávez Frías