CITU Conference expresses solidarity with fighting people in WB

N.S.Sajith

Dr. M K Pandhe Nagar (Kannur); April 5, 2013: Condemning the attack on the trade union movement and democratic rights of the people in West Bengal by the TMC-led government, the 14 the conference of CITU being held in Kannur has called the people to build resistance through broader class mobilisation and in alliance with other mass organisations and democratic sections. The conference also expressed the solidarity with the fighting people of West Bengal. A resolution moved by Elamaram Kareem, General Secretary of CITU Kerala state, has said that the West Bengal government is pursuing the neo-liberal economic policies of the ruling classes aided and abetted by the imperialist forces; and the ruling party goons.

“Violent physical attacks are perpetrated on trade unions, particularly targeting CITU, on the organisations of peasants, students, youths and women, on Left supporters, and on democratic institutions and expressions of the people by the armed TMC hoodlums creating a reign of terror. Till date, 88 leading functionaries of democratic movement, including six from the trade unions, have been killed. Hundreds of people have been injured. The police either remain silent spectators or act at the behest of the ruling party.
Around 400 union offices have been forcibly captured, hundreds were burnt and ransacked. Workers are being terrorised to desert CITU and join TMC unions. Contract workers are being thrown out of jobs and replaced by new workers with reduced wages in connivance with the contractors.
 

During the last two general strikes, on 28th February 2012 and 20-21 February 2013, police, administration and TMC goons were mobilised to break the strike including unprecedentedly deploying police for miking.
 

The chief minister personally supervised the strike breaking operations moving around on the streets encouraging TMC hoodlums who continued the attacks on workers even after the strike. They went on slapping senior teachers, cutting the limbs of an employee, damaging the eyes of a brick kiln worker, ransacking the BSNL office for remaining closed on the strike days.
 

This conference welcomes the united move of all the central trade unions in West Bengal in condemning such attacks, submitting joint memorandum to the chief secretary of the state government and in staging joint demonstration on 7th March 2013.
 

 In many places, tenant peasants are forced to leave their land and the former landlords and jotedars are trying to gain control over the land with the help of the TMC goons and the administration. Peasants are being deprived of minimum support price and remunerative prices forcing several peasants to commit suicide, which never happened during the Left Front rule. The state government is procuring rice through the rice mill owners and private agencies, compelling the farmers to make distress sale.
 

 This conference notes with grave concern about large number working and retired workers of state transport corporation and 3 tea garden workers committing suicide for non payment of salaries and pensions, exposing the anti-worker and inhuman attitude of the TMC government.
 

 Cold blooded murder of SFI leader Sudipta Gupta; pre-planned and gruesome murder of an on-duty police officer; arrest and torture of an university professor for forwarding a cartoon; rapidly increasing the number of atrocities against women, including rape; burning and eviction of the poor from their houses and lands; etc expose the true character of an authoritarian rule and fascistic terror unleashed by TMC government.
 

 The pro-people changes in the economic, democratic, administrative, social, educational, cultural institutions during the 34 years’ of Left Front rule are now under attack in West Bengal. Elections to the college students’ unions, school-committees, and cooperative societies are being rigged in most of the places through violence by TMC goons with the backing of the police and the administration. The benefits and rights of the people are sought to be reversed. Such attacks on the Left forces, trade unions, kisan sabha and other class and mass organisations are designed for such right wing reversal. These will have a bearing on the rights of the toiling people in the entire country. Such a situation bears ominous portent for democracy.
 

 This conference congratulates the trade union and democratic movement of West Bengal for their heroic resistance to such onslaughts braving all atrocities and making immense sacrifices.  The Conference also calls upon the working class and democratic forces of the country to raise their voice to vociferously condemn such attacks on the trade union movement, resolution said.

Angry protest by SFI in Delhi

Delhi state committee of the Students Federation  of India  hold an angry protest at Banga Bhvan againt the cold blooded  murder of Comrade  Sudipto Gupta,.They were  joined by  DYFI ,JMS and other mass organisations.

While Sitaram Yechury addressed the meeting. Among those who were present were, Jogendera Sharma member of  CPI(M) secretaiat, Pushpendra Grewal state secretary of  Delhi party,  B  Balagopal CPI(M)  MP and M B Rajesh MP  DYFI President,  Nurul Hooda and Bijoo Krishana (AIKS),  Vijay Prasad, NK Sharma, Sudhanva Despande, Rajndra Prasad. etc. Sunand CEC member  of SFI.,  JMS leader Sonia Verma, as well the JNUSU representatives were also presentetc

Banga Bhavan was never protected by so  many police personnel.,  Hundreds of protesters assembled  in the Barakhama  Road side of Hailey Road and marched  towards Banga Bhavan carrying SFI flags and  placards  decrying the incidents and  raisng  slogans. They broke the  barricades, as well as the locked gates. Angry protesters sloganeered inside the building for more than  half and hours shouting slogans before  coming out  after which  a public meeting was organised.

Sitram Yechuy MP  who was also All India President  of SFI  said that as  Com.  Sudpito was killed in the police custody, which means the police is responsible  for it, that means the government is responsible. He demanded  immediate constiution of a  judicial enquiry   to look into the matter. He said this  incident was  not a one off  case of police brutality , rather it shows the deterioration of law and order, and the continous assault on democracy and democratic institutions in last two years, since the Mamata bannerkjee  led government came to power in the state.  There  have been more  than 600 instances of attacks on elected students  unions and students activites.
He said   the incidents of the  killing of  a  SFI  leader reminds us of the 1972 semi fascists terror  in West Bengal  which was followed  taking away of democratic rights of the people  in the form of emergency all over the country.
In this present situation prevailing in the countrry, it is important for us to realise, that as gradually  it is a  going on the way of repeat of 1972 semi fascist terror is West Bengal, what will follow in the entire country , one should ponder.
He said protest will continue , come what may.

Law and Order Situation is Deteriorating due to Chief Minister: Biman Basu

By making off hand comments, the Chief Minister herself is actively responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation of the State. The Chief Minister along with his Ministers should stop making comments before investigations are done in different cases for establishing the rule of law in the State. Biman Basu, the Chairman of Left Front and Secretary of CPI(M) West Bengal State Committee, said this on 3rd April.
On the way to Writers’ Building Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to SSKM Hospital on that day. But she did not visit the place where post mortem of departed student leader Sudipta Gupta was taking place. She decided to return from the mid way. On the way while talking to reporters she tried to establish the accident theory and told that the death of Sudipta has taken place by being hit on the Lamp Post. Later when reporters questioned Biman Basu about it he said Chief Minister did the right thing by visiting the hospital today. But when the whole state was agitated due to the death of student leader Sudipta Gupta in Police custody, she was in Yuba Bharati Krirangan enjoying an entertainment show. So she could not manage to find out time. It is nice of her to visit the hospital today.
Biman Basu further said that she has not done the right thing by saying the cause of the death to be accident before investigation. If she makes such comment in beforehand, is there any scope for investigation? Especially the Chief Minister herself is the Home Minister. Then no departmental enquiry will take place. Chief Minister’s comment will only be stamped. By making beforehand comments like this the Chief Minister herself is taking part in the deterioration of the law and order situation in the state. In which direction is the State moving?
Biman Basu also informed that on 2nd April after returning from SSKM Left Front leadership sat in a meeting and decided to demand for a judicial enquiry. He said the people of Bengal want to know how a young 23 year old vibrant boy died in this way. People can’t accept it. He demanded things to be scrutinized thoroughly and impartially, which is possible only through judicial enquiry. He said, we have heard about the details of the death from eye witnesses. After the students were arrested from the Law Breaking programme the bus was stopped in the Red Road and the students were asked to get down from the bus. As the students were not willing to get down, they were pushed and hurled from the bus. They surrounded the bus and said when they have been arrested they have to be taken to the jail. It is also known that at this time the students were thrashed mercilessly and even were kicked from the back. Biman Basu said after being arrested such incidence of being beaten up in prison van is unprecedented. He said the whole incident has been recorded in the close circuit TV of Presidency Jail. Let it be seen what is there. In another question he said that the driver and the helper of the bus have been arrested only to prove it is an accident. Though the on- duty police should have been arrested as Sudipta lay for a long time after being injured. Why Trauma ambulance was not kept?
By mentioning the participation of innumerable students and common people in the funeral procession of Sudipta, Biman Basu said, it is pathetic that such a young boy had to die. The participation of the people is its reflection. He said from his father we came to know that Sudipta used to study late till 1.30 in the night to enrich him. He also tried to reanimate others even who were reluctant to protest.
Biman Basu also said that the Left Front will be organising protest rallies throughout the state on 4th April evening. In all the 19 districts rallies will be held. In some districts rallies were taken out on 2nd and 3rd April as spontaneous reaction. They will also take part in the protest rallies. He informed that the Kolkata District Left Front has convened 12 hour general strike on 4th April in Tollygunge-Dhakuria-Garia region where Sudipta Gupta used to live and carried out his political activities. The Kolkata District Left Front will also bring out protest rally from Garia to Netaji Nagar at 5 p.m. on the same day.
The Left Students’ Organisations have called for a state wide Students Strike on 4th April. The Left Youth Organisations will also take part in road blockade from 11 to 11.15 a.m. on the same day.

Stop Indo-EU Free Trade Agreement

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


The Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses deep concern that negotiations on the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) between the European Union and India, has proceeded without any due scrutiny by Parliament or other democratic institutions. We understand that there is a move to conclude the negotiations by the middle of April.

The FTA with the European Union is the most ambitious and comprehensive of all FTAs that India is negotiating or has signed. Its impact on the economic and social fabric of the country could well be deep and long lasting. The agreement is likely to worsen the already burgeoning current account deficit and trade deficit. Evidence from trade agreements that India has already entered clearly indicate that they further worsen the country’s trade deficit. For example, in the case of the agreement with Singapore a trade surplus was rapidly converted into a deficit after the signing of the FTA.

The intellectual property, investment and government procurement chapters of the agreement will have a negative impact on virtually every area of economic activity -- including agriculture, industry and services. Higher standards of intellectual property protection will have a negative impact on health services; strong investor protection mechanisms will undermine the government’s ability to regulate industrial and financial corporations in national interest; and the opening up of government procurement to foreign firms will undermine even the minimal social protection measures in place, such as the public distribution system. The agriculture sector is likely to be particularly affected by the dumping of subsidized agricultural products from the EU.

Several sections representing different sectors of the economy have already articulated serious concerns about the impact of the FTA. The automobile industry is likely to be seriously affected. Amul, India’s largest milk cooperative, has similarly expressed concern regarding the impact of subsidized dairy imports from the EU that can jeopardize the livelihood of 80 million farmers in India.

Claims that the FTA will open up additional markets for Indian exporters are unsubstantiated and are not, in any case, going to compensate for the expected surge in imports. The EU can be expected to continue with its strategic use of subsidies and non tariff barriers to prevent entry of Indian exports.

The CPI(M) is particularly concerned that the entire negotiating process has been non-transparent, with a total lack of public consultation with affected sections, parliamentary oversight, or the involvement of state governments. Despite repeated expressions of concern by political parties including the CPI(M), the government has moved forward with the process, shunning even a modicum of effort to arrive at a political consensus on the issue. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce is examining the impact of FTAs but the government’s determination to sign the EU-India BTIA without waiting for the Committee’s report betrays a shocking disregard for parliamentary democratic institutions.
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The CPI(M) demands that the government should not conclude the negotiations at this stage and should instead:
• wait for the Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee;
• conduct a parliamentary debate on the issue;
• hold public consultations with all affected groups;
• share the texts of the current negotiating process and conduct, on their basis, impact assessment studies.