CPI(M) not against religion: Pinarayi Vijayan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has said that nothing will happen to the CPI(M) on account of the former Member of Parliament K. S. Manoj’s resignation from the party.

Addressing a rally to mark the conclusion of the four-day State conference of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) here on Monday, Mr. Vijayan said the party was not against religious faith and that this was something that Mr. Manoj knew well when he had agreed to be the party candidate. His sudden revelation that the CPI(M) was against religious faith was incomprehensible. Once he got elected to Parliament, he had settled down in Delhi instead of being in his constituency and it was for him to explain what had happened after that.

The party had never insisted on his taking a membership in it and it was entirely on his own volition that he had done so. That being the case, his exit would not in any way prove to be a setback for the party. Nor would it result in the faithful getting alienated from the party, the CPI(M) leader said.

Touching upon the alleged assault on writer Paul Zacharia at Payyannur late Saturday evening, Mr. Vijayan said the writer would have observed greater restraint and taken the sensitivities of the local people into account when saying what he had said there. Mr. Zacharia had the freedom to hold his views and the CPI(M) fully respected his right to do so. The CPI(M) also held him in high esteem.

Nobody had raised any objection when he wrote an article in a magazine expressing his ‘peculiar’ views on an incident involving a Congress leader (Mr. Rajmohan Unnithan).

However, when he spoke at Payyannur, he also observed that Communist leaders of the past had indulged in sexual anarchy when they were underground. This was not to the liking of some in the audience and one of them had questioned him then and there itself. What Mr. Zacharia did was to take offence.

“Suppose somebody speaks against Christ before an audience full of those who believe in Christ, will they take kindly to such talk? Would an audience full of those having faith in Allah remain tolerant if somebody speaks against Allah,” the CPI(M) leader asked.

(Courtesy : Hindu)

DYFI KERALA STATE CONFERENCE CONCLUDES

T V Rajesh ***************** M B Rajesh

11th DYFI Kerala state conference concluded with a huge youth rally here in Thiruvananthapuram on January 11, 2010. The rally was attended by around 1 lakh young men and women from Thiruvananthapuram district alone. The concluding rally and meeting was inaugurated by Com. Pinarayi Vijayan, CPIM State secretary. DYFI All India Secretary Com. Tapas Sinha, DYFI All India President Com. P Sreeramakrishnan along with the newly elected state office bearers were present at the concluding function held at Sangumugham Beach. DYFI activists from 18 Area Committes from Trivandrum District marched under the banner of their respective unit committes. The conference earlier re-elected Com. TV Rajesh as State Secretary and Com. M B Rajesh as State President. Com V V Rameshan is elected treasurer. A 75 member state committe is also been elected. The conference discussed in detail various issues relating to the youth and common man and passed various resolutions regarding these issues.

Left parties work out plans to protest against UPA over price rise

Top Left leaders on Monday reviewed the political situation in the country and worked out modalities for a joint rally here in March to protest the UPA government’s policies which, they said, had led to price rise and unemployment.

At the meeting which lasted almost an hour, the General Secretaries of the CPI(M), the CPI and the Forward Bloc also held preliminary discussions on the Assembly elections in some States later this year and next year, Left sources said.

Assembly polls are due in some States including Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu where the Left parties have major stake.

The Left leaders — Prakash Karat, A.B. Bardhan and Debabrata Biswas — also took stock of the joint campaign conducted in the States against price rise, on problems of drought and flood and for food security.

The issues of price rise, unemployment and land acquisition for industrialisation, besides other immediate problems of the people would be highlighted in the all-India rally of the Left parties on March 12, the sources said.

The Left parties have maintained that the government has “totally failed” to curb the continuing steep rise in the prices of food items. Issues related to land and unemployment have also become acute, they said.

The rally, to be held during the Budget Session of Parliament, aims at highlighting these and other issues and give a thrust to an all-India movement by the Left parties, they said.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

DYFI ninth Mangalore city conference

The coastal belt in the State, once known for its secular credentials, is now reeling under the grip of religious fanatics, according to the former director of Rangayana, C. Basavalingaiah.

Addressing the members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) at its ninth Mangalore city conference here on Sunday held at commercial tax employees’ hall, Kottara Chowki here, he alleged that a majority of youths in the coastal belt were slowly becoming communalists.

He criticised the State Government for celebrating the 500th year of the coronation of Krishnadevaraya in a grand manner.

Mr. Basavalingaiah wanted to know why the State Government was not according prominence to late Tippu Sultan who had fought against the British rulers.

Youth should involve in activities that join hearts and not separating people he added.

He expressed regret that the coastal district has become a platform for the political parties that groom their party workers to divide the society in the name of community and religion. He said that most of the vibrant youth need to think of strengthening the society and see that everyone irrespective of their community or religion have the freedom to exercise fundamental rights and duties provided by the Constitution, he said. The religion and community is a very personal issue and should not be used as a tool to spread communal disturbances, he said adding that the political parties are involved in such activities, which the youth need to be aware of.

Samuel Titus, working president of welcome committee, leaders of DYFI, Dayanand Shetty, L T Suvarna and Prashanth Achar were present.

(Courtesy ; Dajjiworld, The Hindu)

Implement land reforms: AIKS

GUNTUR: Voicing concern over the agrarian crisis, leaders of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) have made a strong pitch for the immediate implementation of land reforms in the country as the curtains came down on the All India Kisan Sabha convention which ended here on Sunday.

Addressing a public meeting held at B.R Stadium, S. R. Pillai, president of AIKS, demanded that the Centre should immediately act on recommendations made by a report by the Rural Development Ministry on land reforms and has called for a united peasant struggle. A mass movement will be held in New Delhi in March, he said.

Hitting out against the UPA government, he said that neo-liberal and capitalistic policies being implemented by the Centre led to an all encompassing agrarian crisis.

Stating that agricultural activity has become an unenviable proposition, he said that peasants have been forced to part with their cattle and lands and were being forced into debt as they take money from private money lenders.

A report of the National Sample Survey has revealed that more than 50 per cent of peasantry is willing to give up farming, if provided an alternative.

The Government should increase credit facilities, remunerative prices, provide water, power and increase in subsidies, he said.

White paper

He also demanded that the Government should bring out a white paper on the experiences of the last 15 years that the country has faced after signing the WTO agreement in the year 1995. Even now the government is willing to sign new agreements with Asian countries, which would have disastrous effects on the farmers, he said.

Another peasant leader V. Srinivasa Rao lashed out at Chief Minister K. Rosaiah and said he is keen on following the pro-capitalistic policies of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

CPM central committee member and AIKS vice-president Benoy Konar, P.M. Kutty, Kerala Home Minister, AIKS general secretary K. Varadha Rajan, vice-president S. Malla Reddy and Madan Ghosh spoke.

Organising secretary of AIKS D. Narasimha Rao and district CPM committee general secretary D. Rama Devi came in for special appreciation from the delegates for organizing the event without a glitch.

Office Bearers

S.R. Ramachandran Pillai and K. Varadharajan were unanimously re-elected as president and general secretary respectively as the 32nd All India Conference of All Indian Kisan Sabha (AIKS) came to an end on Sunday.

The other newly elected office-bearers included, Benoy Konar, P.M. Kutty, Madan Ghosh, S. Malla Reddy and Amra Ram (vice-presidents), N.K. Shukla, Suryakant Mishra, L.S. Taggar, Babu Ban Riyan and Vijoo Krishan (joint secretaries) and Noorul Hooda (finance secretary).

A Central Kisan Committee consisting of 138 representatives from all States in the country have also been elected.

725 delegates attend

The conference was attended by 725 delegates all over the country and included seven Cabinet Ministers representing West Bengal and Kerala. Brinda Karat, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member and vice-president of the All India Democratic Women Association, was present.

Giving details of the various themes and resolutions passed at the conference, vice-president of AIKS S. Malla Reddy said deliberations centred on injustice being meted out to peasants, drastic rise in food prices, concerns over BT seeds and erratic crop insurance policy being followed by the governments.

Draft resolution

The conference has passed a draft resolution to launch a nation-wide struggle to save peasants from the menace of wild animals.

It said that enactments of acts such as Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, The Wild Life Protection Act 1972 and Biodiversity Act-2002 have resulted in small and marginal farmers living on edge of forests to become “ecological refugees,” and they were being forced to migrate from their villages.

The conference also resolved to take up the cause of gender equality and supported 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures.

It demanded that Centre the improve the working of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme by enhancing the daily wages to Rs.100 and ensuring every family got work for 100 days, increase in farm subsidy and came out strongly against the proposed Indo-Indonesian agreement which, it said, would prove detrimental to the interests of the farmers cultivating commercial crops.

Action plan

The conference has also chalked out an action plan for the coming months which would include a massive peasant rally at Delhi in March.

UPA out to destroy Left movement: Brinda

GUNTUR: Hitting out at against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Brinda Karat, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member and Rajya Sabha MP, has said that the Centre is bent on hitting at the ‘heart of the Left movement’ in the country.

“Their immediate target is the Left Front government in West Bengal, but the real target are the Left parties which have taken up the cause of peasants, dalits, students and other democratic forces in the country,” Ms. Karat said while addressing a well-attended public meeting at B.R. Stadium marking the end of the 32nd All India Conference of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) here on Sunday.

AIKS call

Ms. Karat said that the AIKS has given a call to defend West Bengal and called for launching of a mass struggle against Centre’s oppression. She pointed out that the Left cadre in Bengal had shown indomitable courage in the face of the violence unleashed by the Trinamool Congress and the Maoists. “Though our cadre are being killed and our properties destroyed, we will remain undaunted by the challenges.” Rooting for a ‘Maha’ Andhra Pradesh, she said that the fundamental duties of peasants in all the regions of the State were being ignored by forces of separatism which had hatched a conspiracy to divide the State on cultural lines. Accusing the UPA government of trying to break the ‘backbone’ of the country, she said that the neo-liberal policies of the Centre had led to destitution, debts and inequalities in India.

DYFI Kerala State Conference From Jan. 8

DYFI Kerala State conference will be held in the capital City of Thiruvananthapuram from Jan 8 to 11, said T V Rajesh, DYFI state secretary at a press conference organised to give the details of the state conference. The Conference will be attended by 699 delegates, which include 137 women delgates. The conference will be inaugurated by young science activist Prabir Purkayasata. The delegate session will be held at AKG hall. Com. V S Achuthanandan will inaugurate a seminar on the evening of Jan 8th. On the concluding day a rally of 1 lakh youth has been planned and the concluding day meeting at Sangumugam Beach will be inaugurated by CPIM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. It is after 27 years (Second State Conference, 1983 ) that Thiruvananthapuram is going to host the conference of biggest youth organisation in the state. The membership of the organisation has increased from 4611313 to 4929066 since the last state conference held at Kannur during 2007. Various events are been conducted as part of the conference throughout the state.

MNCs must also be brought under labour laws: CITU

CUDDALORE: The Centre should subscribe to the International Labour Organisation convention on the right to form trade unions and collective bargaining so as to bring all domestic establishments and multinational companies within the ambit of labour laws.

The ongoing 11th State conference of the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) passed a resolution in this regard on Tuesday. Briefing reporters , A.Soundararajan, CITU State general secretary, said that to scuttle the laws the MNCs had set up workers’ committees as their handmaids through whom they forced their decisions on the employees.

Any dissenting voice was an anathema to the MNCs who either victimise or resort to penal transfer to faraway places of those employees who dare form trade unions. They were in the habit of bringing their own officials, engineers, technicians and even labourers from other places, thereby denying job avenues to the local people, except in the human relations and industrial relations sections.

The labour force was generally being exploited through contract, trainee and apprenticeship routes with great wage disparity. Thus, he said, the MNCs were violating Constitutional provisions relating to the right to form trade unions and collective bargaining.

Mr. Soundararajan pointed out that the proposal not to extend the period of apprenticeship beyond one year was pending consent before the President for the past four years. It urged the Centre and Tamil Nadu government to emulate the West Bengal and Maharashtra governments that had passed legislation for recognising the trade unions through secret ballots, preventing anti-labour measures and giving freedom to employees to join the trade union of their choice.

Mr. Soundararajan said the CITU also voiced concern over the exploitation of about two lakh women in the age group of 16-17 years by textile mills across the State under the Thirumagal Thirumana Thittam or Sumangali Thittam.

They were treated just as camp coolies who had to work for 12 hours a day without any leave for a period on meagre wages and at the end of three-four years they were being paid Rs.30,000. In certain cases, women employees were prematurely sacked, denying them the terminal benefits.

The union condemned the denial of democratic rights such as conducting public meetings and staging agitations, and expressed dismay over undue delay in disposal of labour-related cases.

It opposed disinvestment in the public sector undertakings and called for smooth functioning of the welfare boards, Mr. Soundararajan added. District secretary G.Sugumaran was also present.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Cultural programmes held as precursor to AIKS national meet

Praja Natya Mandali troupes regale audience

GUNTUR: Revolutionary songs and skits by Praja Natya Mandali troupes from all over the country sent out messages of agrarian struggle through their songs and dance at the A.C. College here on Tuesday.

The cultural programme began as a precursor to the All India Kisan Saha national symposium beginning here on Thursday. Singers from Hyderabad, Medak, Sangareddy, Nalgonda, Guntur and Khammam participated in the day’s events, which started off with an energetic song on agricultural crisis in Andhra Pradesh, which was initially hit by drought conditions and later by excess rains and floods.

Performers concentrated on the continued sway of the private investors on tenant farmers, as institutional finance was not available to this class of people. Some of the prominent singers included Rajesh, Narsimha, Venkata Reddy and Ananad, who were directed by event coordinator P.V. Ramana, who himself dished out a couple of songs. In the morning a Prabhata Bheri was taken out with drummers and artistes going out on the streets to announce the programmes.

The team from Maharashtra also performed at which Rupa, a Praja Natya Mandali artiste performed on the stage with an AIKS flag.

Entire city was painted red with AIKS flags and banners tied all along the main streets and near the venue.

The main venue for discussions Venkateswara Vignana Mandiram has been readied and renamed Harkishna Singh Surjeet Nagar.

Exhibition

On Wednesday an exhibition of cattle and agricultural produce from the region would be on display at the Wolf Hall Grounds and the main attraction would be art works and photographs of some of the historical agrarian movements in the country with their history.

National symposium organising secretary P. Narasimha Rao said cultural delegates from Maharashtra and West Bengal had arrived and some others wishing to participate in the discussions had arrived in advance in view of the strife in the State. All arrangements had been made for the delegates coming from other states and other cities in Andhra Pradesh.

Courtesy : The Hindu)

"Entire nation disappointed with how Telangana issue was handled" : Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Reacting to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s recent remarks expressing his disappointment with the situation in Lalgarh, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here on Sunday that he “was not disappointed” with what was his government was doing to combat Maoist activity there. Instead it was Mr. Chidambaram who had “disappointed the entire nation” with his handling of the Telangana statehood issue.

Speaking at a function to mark the 44th Foundation day of ‘Ganashakti,’ the official organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), he said: “I usually refrain from commenting on other Ministers, but the Union Home Minister has said that he is disappointed with the situation in the (south) western part of West Bengal. I would like to tell him that I am not disappointed with the situation as I know what has to be done.”

“The entire nation has been let down by the way he [Mr. Chidambaram] handled the Telangana issue,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.

“First a midnight decision was taken and now they are talking of all-party meetings and consensus. Why was this not done earlier?”

He also said that the announcement on Telangana had repercussions in West Bengal as well, giving an impetus to the demands for statehood of Gorkhaland, Kamtapur and Greater Cooch Behar.

“Why is he [Mr. Chidambaram] only concerned about our State? I would not like to belittle the efforts put in by other States, but the situation exists elsewhere,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said adding that Mr. Chidambaram was critical of the State government merely because of the Congress’ alliance with the principal Opposition party in the State — the Trinamool Congress.

On the Union Home Minister’s remarks that he had received a brief reply to a long letter he had written to Mr. Bhattacharjee, the CM said: “His letter was so long that the reply had to be short.”

Industrialisation

Mr. Bhattacharjee also spoke about the need for industrialisation in the State in order to provide employment to the youth. A lot of hard work had gone into the policy of industrialisation in the State, Mr. Bhattacharjee said, adding that West Bengal was placed among the most industrialised States in the country.

Biman Bose, secretary of the West Bengal State committee of the CPI(M), was also present on the occasion.

Hinting at the projects being inaugurated by Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Mr. Bose said that it was a policy of creation of “instant jobs,” that was not sustainable.

“The State government is committed to the creation of jobs for the unemployed youth but development projects are being obstructed,” he added.