The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met
in New Delhi from August 8 to 10, 2014. It has issued the following
statement:
Modi Government
The
two and a half months period of the Narendra Modi government has
confirmed that it will not only pursue the same neo-liberal policies as
the previous UPA government, but it will do so more vigorously.
The
Union Budget and the Railway Budget were characterized by a heightened
push for privatization, greater FDI and more concessions to big
business. 49 per cent FDI in defence production and insurance; FDI in
railway infrastructure; greater opportunities for big capital to profit
at the expense of public resources through PPP and tax adjustments to
benefit foreign institutional investors and the upper classes.
Accompanying
these measures is the unstated squeeze on public expenditure. The
allocation for MGNREGA shows no increase, there is steep cut in fuel
subsidy and no real increase in expenditure on health and education.
The
Central Committee expressed its strong opposition to the FDI cap in
insurance being increased from 26 to 49 per cent. It called upon all
opposition parties to oppose the move. The Party will extend full
support to the struggle to stop the FDI increase in the insurance
sector.
Labour Law Changes
The
BJP government is proposing to bring changes in the labour laws.
Already the BJP state government in Rajasthan has got certain changes
made in the labour laws through the legislative assembly. It must be
emphasized that the changes being proposed are not in the interests of
the workers but of the employers and the capitalists. For instance, the
amendment to the Industrial Disputes Act raises the limit of workers in
an enterprise from 100 to 300 where government permission would be
required for retrenchment of workers. By this, the government wants to
facilitate the removal of workers from their jobs.
The
Central Committee called for a strong movement to oppose the dilution
to the labour laws. All the trade unions and the Left and democratic
parties should jointly oppose this move.
Land Acquisition Act Changes
It
is reported that the government will be proposing changes in The Right
To Fair Compensation And Transparency In Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act which was adopted in 2013. The
efforts to dilute the Land Acquisition And Rehabilitation Act is being
done at the behest of industry. Among the changes proposed are bringing
down the consent required to 50 per cent of the land owners instead of
80 per cent and this being made applicable for PPP projects. The
changes proposed will be detrimental to the interests of land owners
and those dependent on land.
Communal Incidents
The
Central Committee expressed its deep concern at the rising number of
communal incidents across the country. After the Lok Sabha elections,
communal clashes have taken place in a number of states such as Gujarat,
Karnataka, Haryana and Maharashtra. The largest number of incidents
have occurred in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP and the RSS are trying to
utilise the communal tensions and incidents for their political
interests. This was seen in the way they tried to fan tensions and
escalate trouble in Moradabad district. Instances of attacks on women
are given a communal slant.
The mood of
triumphalism after the BJP victory has led to such communal incidents
often targeting the minority community. It is also a fallout of the
intense communal campaign conducted during the elections. The Central
Committee noted that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva
outfits are stepping up their activities. With the BJP coming to power
at the Centre, efforts are being made to re-write textbooks and to
introduce the communal content in the educational system.
The
Central Committee decided that the Party should step up its political
and ideological work to counter the influence and activities of the
communal forces. It will cooperate with other secular and democratic
forces to counter the communal offensive.
Violence against Women
The
Central Committee expressed its deep concern at the continuing cases of
sexual violence against women and children. The shocking case of
gangrape of a child in a Bangalore school and the instances of gangrapes
in Uttar Pradesh points to the utter failure of the police and the
government to put in place standard procedures to ensure the quick
arrest and prosecution of the accused.
The
Central Committee condemned the insensitive and objectionable public
pronouncements of some politicians in positions of power such as two
ministers of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh who blamed the
victims. The highly condemnable statement of the Trinamool Congress MP
Tapas Pal who threatened to send his men to rape CPI(M) women deserve
immediate prosecution of the culprit and suspension from Parliament.
Instead, the shameless TMC state government of West Bengal is spending
public money to defend the accused appealing against the High Court
verdict to file an FIR against him. It is high time that Parliament and
state assemblies adopt a code of conduct for their members regarding
derogative statements about women, the violation of which will invite
punishment.
Israeli Aggression in Gaza
The
Central Committee condemned in the strongest terms the brutal Israeli
attack on Gaza which has lasted for over a month. 1,869 people were
killed in the aerial and ground attack. The fact that 429 children were
killed makes this attack a war crime. Not only should Israel stop
resorting to such violence, but it should lift the blockade and siege
of the Gaza strip which is illegal and against all humanitarian norms.
The
Central Committee strongly criticized the BJP government for refusing
to categorically condemn the Israeli aggression when it was raised in
Parliament.
BRICS Meeting
The
Central Committee welcomed the decision of the BRICS Summit in
Fortaleza, Brazil to set-up a New Development Bank and a Contingent
Reserve Arrangement. As India is a founding partner of the Bank, the
Modi government should adopt such policies which will help the Bank and
the CRA to function in a manner which will be in the interests of the
developing countries eschewing the approach adopted by the IMF and the
World Bank.
50th Anniversary of the Foundation of CPI(M)
The Central Committee decided to observe the 50th
anniversary of the foundation of the CPI(M) which falls in November
this year. A month-long campaign will be observed to popularize the
ideology and Programme of the Party.
Call for Campaign
The
Central Committee called upon the entire Party to conduct a campaign on
the following issues: (i) against FDI in railways, insurance and
defence production; (ii) against disinvestment in public sector shares;
and (iii) against dilution of labour laws.
The
party will take up a political and ideological campaign against the
offensive of the Hindutva forces and all forms of communalism and the
efforts to communalise the education system and text books. All secular
and democratic forces should be mobilized for this purpose.
The
party will mobilize people for the full implementation of the MGNREGA
programme and to oppose any curtailment of the scheme. The Party will
launch struggles against price rise of essential commodities; demanding
universalisation of the PDS and curb on futures trading in food items
and essential commodities. The Party will work to widen and strengthen
Left unity and work for the emergence of a broad Left platform to fight
against neo-liberal policies, communalism and imperialism.
Party Congress
The Central Committee decided to hold the 21st Congress of the Party in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in April 2015.
The Central Committee decided on the timetable to hold the Party conferences at all levels in the run-up to the Congress.
