The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in
New Delhi on July 19 & 20, 2014. It has issued the following
statement:
Attack on Gaza
The
Polit Bureau strongly condemned the Israeli military attack on Gaza.
The aerial bombardment followed by the ground invasion of Gaza for the
past nearly two weeks has led to the death of 386 Palestinians. The
brutal and indiscriminate violence has killed more than 60 children.
Israel has been subjecting the occupied territories and the people of
Palestine to continuous violence and this is the third attack on Gaza in
the last six years. The United States of America has supported the
military action taken by Israel.
The Polit Bureau
strongly criticized the BJP government for refusing to condemn the
Israeli aggression. Earlier the Ministry of External Affairs had issued a
statement equating both sides as responsible for the violence. The
government’s attempt to avoid a discussion in the Rajya Sabha is most
objectionable.
The Polit Bureau demanded an
immediate halt to the Israeli attack and the withdrawal of all its
forces from the territory of Gaza.
Modi Government’s Economic Policies
During
the nearly two months of the Narendra Modi government, it has become
clear that the government will adopt policies for the benefit of big
business and international finance capital. The direction of the Union
Budget for 2014-15 is to provide concessions to the corporates and the
upper classes at the expense of the poorer sections. It is a trajectory
for significant privatization of the economy through large-scale sale of
public sector shares and greater reliance on public-private
partnership. The fiscal deficit will be reined in only by expenditure
cuts and squeezing the people further.
The railway
budget has proposed FDI in the railway sector and reliance on the PPP
model for its future development. Prior to the budget passenger fares
were hiked by 14.2 per cent and freight charges by 6.5 per cent.
Periodic passenger and freight charges will be determined by the fuel
price index as decided earlier by the UPA government.
The
CPI(M) is opposed to the increase of FDI in defence production to 49
per cent. Foreign arms companies getting a controlling stake in the
defence production enterprises will be detrimental to national
sovereignty. Entry of US arms companies into this sector will only lead
to further dependence on the United States for India’s strategic
interests. The CPI(M) is strongly opposed to the proposals for further
disinvestment of shares in nationalised banks and the proposed massive
disinvestment in the shares of public sector enterprises. All these
steps are being taken to appease Indian big business and international
finance capital.
Price Rise and Inflation
The
Modi government’s failure to curb price rise has been exposed within a
short time. The government is pursuing the same policy of deregulation
of petroleum prices. Petrol prices were increased by Rs. 1.69 per litre
and diesel had been raised by Rs. 0.50 in May and June. Railway freight
fares have been hiked steeply. All this has contributed to the price
rise of essential commodities and there is no let up in the food
inflation.
Dilution of Labour Laws
The
government has announced its intention to bring in labour law reforms.
Already the BJP government in Rajasthan has proposed amendments to the
Industrial Disputes Act, Contract Labour Act and Factories Act. The
changes proposed do away with existing safeguards for workers in the
case of retrenchment, rights of contract workers and so on.
The
CPI(M) is totally opposed to any dilution or doing away with the rights
and safeguards provided to workers which are in the existing labour
laws. Many of the provisions in these laws are not being implemented.
The CPI(M) will mobilize the working class to oppose all such changes
which are detrimental to the rights of workers.
Appointment of Governors
The
Polit Bureau cricitised the manner in which Governors are being changed
and new ones appointed. The BJP is misusing the office of Governors for
its narrow partisan ends just as the Congress has been doing in the
past.
It is wrong on the part of the Central
government to appoint a Governor in a state without consulting the Chief
Minister. The Polit Bureau reiterated that the Central Government
should adhere to the principle that a Governor should be appointed after
consultation with the Chief Minister of the state concerned.
Tripura Panchayat Elections
The
Polit Bureau congratulated the CPI(M) and the Left Front in Tripura for
the sweeping victory in the three tier panchayat election. The Left
Front has gained a majority in more than 95 per cent of the gram
panchayats; 97.6 per cent of the panchayat samitis and 99 per cent of
the zilla parishad seats. The Polit Bureau greeted the people of Tripura
who have reposed their faith in the CPI(M) and the Left Front in such a
spectacular fashion.
Party Conferences
The
Polit Bureau discussed the time table of holding the Party conferences
in the run-up to the Party Congress. These will be placed before the
next Central Committee meeting for finalization
