Another Untouchability Wall demolished in Tamil Nadu

Under severe pressure and protests by Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front and CPIM against the untouchability wall, Revenue officials on Saturday demolished two portions of a one-km-long compound wall in Nagarajapuram on the outskirts of the city, which had denied Dalits in the area access to the main road. The demolition of the “untouchability wall” along two stretches of 30 ft and 23 ft has now provided residents of the Dalit colony an easier access to the main road that stretches from Thadagam Road to Thondamuthur Road.

A real estate promoter had built the wall along his layout, measuring seven feet in height and two metre in width. The residents of the Dalit colony objected to this alleged discrimination.

They contended that the real estate promoter had built the wall fearing that the sites may not fetch a good price if Dalits had access to the approach roads at the layout. The wall had forced the Dalit colony residents to take a detour of more than a km to reach the main road.

The issue was brought to the fore by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF). The approved layout plan had a reserve site on the other side of the compound wall which was shown as earmarked for a park. The approach road inside the layout from the main road ended just ahead of the park.

District convener of the TNUEF U.K. Sivagnanam was present when Tahsildars Lakshmikanthan (South) and S. Sundarrajan (North) inspected the wall. The officials first deputed a surveyor to measure the lands to ascertain the exact boundaries. The officials also checked with the local body on whether the reserve site and the approach roads in the layout had been handed over to the local body concerned.

On confirming that the layout was approved and the reserve site and approach roads had been handed over to the local body, the officials carried out the demolition on Saturday.

Using an earthmover, 30 ft length of the old compound wall at one place and another 23 ft of the new at the other end of the Dalit colony was demolished.

CPIM pay homage to Keezhvenmani victims

CPIM on Saturday paid homage to 44 Dalits of Keezhvenmani who were burnt to death on December 25, 1968, after a protracted agitation for higher wages for agricultural labour. The CPI (M), which observes the day as 'Venmani Martyrs Day', arranged for several events at the village today.CPI(M) and CPI leaders and cadre paid tribute at the place where the 44 persons were burnt alive

G. Ramakrishnan, State Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Soundarajan, State president, CITU, were among those who paid homage to the victims. People visited the pillar and ‘stupa' erected in memory of the women, children and men killed.

26 percent rise in onion exports

Speaking on the sidelines of the 42nd anniversary of the carnage, Mr. Ramakrishnan said there had been a 26 per cent rise in onion exports since September and the Centre was slumbering over it till it went uncontainable.

Evoking the ‘undying spirit' of the Dalits killed in the incident in the context of displacement caused by the current floods in the district, Mr. Ramakrishnan called for a “master plan' to prevent such disasters.

He reiterated the party's oft-stated demand for a hike in the compensation to Rs.15,000 per acre and to include the dilapidated colony houses under the Kalaignar's Housing Scheme.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Home Minister's Letter: Partisan Approach

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

The media has reported in detail the contents of a letter sent by the Union Home Minister to the Chief Minister of West Bengal regarding the alleged role of armed cadres of the CPI(M). These reports appeared in the media on December 25, after being briefed about its contents on the 24^th.

However, such a letter was not received by the Chief Minister till three days later on December 27.

This is a strange way of communication between the Union Home Minister and the Chief Minister of a state. The media is fully briefed about the letter even before the Chief Minister gets it. This shows that the purpose of the letter is to serve the political interests of the Trinamul Congress which is part of the Union Government.

The Union Home Minister owes an explanation for this partisan approach.

Unberable Price Rise

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

The UPA-2 regime has been marked by its utter failure to control price rise of essential commodities from foodgrains to sugar and now to onions and other vegetables. There are contradictory statements of different ministries regarding the steps required to control the price of onions, as for example whether official agencies should import onions or not. It is precisely such policies to benefit big market players, being followed by the Central Government which have led to the record food inflation which has marked its rule. Similar to the indefensible subsidies given earlier to exporting companies for the export of sugar when it was known that a shortage was looming and then subsidizing imports by helping big sugar companies to make huge profits, the UPA Government has given subsidies to onion exporting trading companies to export onions from September 2010 thus deliberately causing a shortage and is now subsidizing imports by private traders by removal of all duties. The value of onions exported was up by 26 per cent over the previous year. As a result some big trading companies as well as hoarders are making huge profits while the income of common people is being looted through high prices.

The Government has deregulated the prices of petrol leading to price hikes which have a cascading impact on the prices of other commodities. It has still refused to ban futures in essential commodities including wheat and potatoes and is now reportedly considering lifting the ban on future trade in sugar.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) condemns these policies of the Government which has led to unbearable burdens on the people. It calls for protests against this price rise.

Untouchability Eradication Front warns of direct action

The Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), will get into direct action to open the pathway leading to the agricultural lands of Dalits, which was allegedly closed by a caste-Hindu family at Kalkeri village in Denkanikottai taluk in Krishnagiri District, P. Sampath, State President of the Front, said on Thursday.

In his address at a demonstration organised by the Front before the Taluk Office in Denkanikottai, he said that in spite of several rounds of peace talks conducted by the revenue authorities, the atrocities on Dalits continued in the village.

Mr. Sampath accused the police of failing to take action against those indulging in the atrocities and those who blocked the pathway. If the authorities failed to remove the block within a month, the Front will launch direct action.

Temple entry stir

He said due to the temple entry agitation of the CPI (M), the police escorted the Dalits into the temples in the village on January 1, 2009. Angered over this, caste-Hindus blocked the pathway.

Peace talks were conducted by the District Revenue Officer and subsequently by the Sub-Collector, Hosur on June 4 this year after which the pathway was opened in the presence of the Tahsildhar of Denkanikottai the next day. But it was closed again.

(Source : The Hindu)

Centre's policies causing inflation: Prakash Karat

Communist Party of India (Marxist) General secretary Com Prakash Karat has said that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's policies that encourage speculative pricing are causing the rise in prices of essential commodities in the country.

Addressing a party meeting at Pinarayi in Kannur District on Thursday to commemorate the 71 anniversary of the meeting of party leaders at Parapram here that marked the formation of the Communist Party in the State, Mr. Karat said that since the UPA government came to power in May 2009, the people in the country had been suffering from price rise.

He said that food prices inflation had now crossed 12 per cent. The price increase was not due to shortage of food items, he said adding that ever since the introduction of liberalisation, the government had been allowing big companies to indulge in futures trading in essential commodities.

Referring to the scandal over the 2G spectrum allocation, Mr. Karat said that from January 2008 to October 2010, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had not taken any action on the allegation against the then Telecom Minister, A. Raja. Mr. Raja had been compelled to resign only after the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General was out, he said. It was natural for the Opposition to demand a JPC investigation.

Com Prakash Karat also inaugurated a building in memory of the Parapram Meeting which will house the CPIM Pinarayi Area Committee office. The building too have an auditorium, library and conference room. CPIM State Secretary com Pinarayi Vijayan presided over the meeting which was attended by state committee members and district committee members. Earlier a huge mass rally of around 10000 people and Red Volunteers march were held.

Left Front election campaign from February: Biman Bose

The campaign for the 2011 elections to the West Bengal Assembly will begin with a massive rally planned in Kolkata on February 13, it was announced by Biman Bose, chairman of the State Left Front Committee, here on Tuesday.

“The February 13 rally will be culmination of a 40-day State-wide programme highlighting issues such as price rise, mismanagement of public funds that has been revealed in various scams, and the anarchy and terror tactics being indulged in by the main Opposition party in West Bengal,” Mr. Bose told journalists after a State Left Front meeting.

The campaign will be carried out at the block level in all districts. Simultaneously preliminary preparations for the elections, including strengthening the organisation at the booth level, will be done in this period, he added.

On the incidents of campus violence being witnessed recently in the State, Mr. Bose said: “Student politics should be run by students, but these incidents of campus violence have not been caused by students.”

Claiming that outsiders, particularly senior leaders of the Trinamool Congress, had become involved in student politics, he said the Left Front had undertaken a programme against the anarchy and chaos being unleashed in campuses.

‘More police needed'

Mr. Bose was also critical of the police over the handling of certain law and order situations, saying that they should have been more alert.

Mentioning the incident outside a college at Andul in Howrah district where Swapan Koley, a member of the Student Federation of India, was killed, he said: “On the last day for filing of nomination papers, why were only four policemen present at the spot?”

He also cited the example of the recent killing of seven supporters of the All-India Forward Bloc in separate incidents in Purulia district. ‘Some of the hamlets in which the killings took place are very scattered. More police could have been rushed to the spot,” he said.

(source : The Hindu)

Semi-Fascist TMC Terror on Academic Institutions and education system

Transcending even the semi fascist terror of seventies the education environment of West Bengal is under serious threat of TMC goons. After a long and smooth democratic functioning of almost two decades, schools and colleges have been facing the semi-fascist terror from TMC-Maoist combined force. During filing nominations for students’ election in Jagabandhu College, Andul, Howrah, on 16th December, 2010 TMCP-guided outsiders and local criminals killed Comrade Swapan Kole, a second year commerce student in a series of unprecedented brutal attacks. The killing was so atrocious in nature that has quavered the conscience of mass psyche in the state. 

TMCP hooligans nakedly guided by their state leaders Madan Mitra, Bobby Hakim unleashed attack on SFI workers and common students in Ashutosh College on 16th December. The incident started with a physical assault on SFI candidates and common students while they were filing nominations. They were driven outside the college premises where TMC leaders guided the whole operation. Souvik Hajra, a SFI supporter got a severe injury in his left eye. Doctors expressed little hope for any recovery of the eye.

Students of Ashutosh College on protest blockaded the Hazra crossing and organized a huge rally in the adjacent area. To shift however the media spot away from such open attacks and intimidations, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee made a false allegation on SFI workers to have rallied toward her Kalighat residence. Party Secretary Biman Basu in a press conference on 17th December slammed Mamata for making such false allegation against common students. SFI state leadership also reiterated that they had no programme to go to TMC chief’s residence.

The carpet assault however continues when five students of St. Paul’s College, Kolkata were attacked in Salkia Howrah on 17th December. FIR has been lodged against three TMCP goons in Golabari Police Station. SFI state committee has called all students of the state schools and colleges to observe Black Day on Saturday 18th December and a general strike on 20th December.

On the other side, TMC-ally Maoists have killed 7 Forward Block workers in Jhalda block, Purulia. The brutal attack was probably in reply to a recently organized mass meeting by the district Forward Block. Left Front chairman Biman Basu condemned the assault unequivocally and urged people to identify the true ‘enemy’ of the state.

An unprecedented series of attacks on left workers specially CPI(M) leaders and workers unleashed in West Bengal that already have taken huge death toll of more than 300 martyrs of Bengal. The attacks are so planned and motivated that kill not only the party workers but hit class identities also to curb down organized movements in the state. The situation has got worsen when, in last one year or more, teachers, students, non-teaching staffs of schools, colleges have been under serious threat of lives. More than 10 teachers have been killed only in Jangal Mahol last year.

On 4th September Maoists in Salboni, West Midnapore, dragged Headmaster Dibakar Mahato out of the school and killed in front of the students. He was teaching mathematics to class-III students. Rabindranath Mahato was killed by Maoists as he motivated his students not to rally with Maoist organization PCPA. Subimal Mahato of Ranga High School, Purulia, was also brutally killed by Maoists.

7 Forward Bloc members shot dead by Maoist Terrorists

In one of the most brutal killing in recent past, seven local leaders and workers of Forward Block including an woman Panchayat Pradhan were murdered by Maoists at Jhalda, Purulia district of West Bengal on 17^th December night.

 

The name of the victims are Ms. Chapla Garhiat (Panchayat Pradhan), Tapan Singh Sardar, Kinker Singh, Bhupeshwar Mahato, Ananta Mahato, Aju Singh Moora, Govardhan Singh. All are workers of All India Forward Bloc and Agragami Aadivasi Samity, the adivasi organization of Forward Bloc.

 

On Thursday night, a group of Maoists attacked with deadly weapons and kidnapped them to some unknown destination. On Friday morning the local people found brutally defaced dead bodies of them. The Maoists have killed many CPI(M) cadres and leaders in Purulia in last six years. They had killed mainly the poor peasants, agricultural workers and tribals. In sheer nature of brutality yesterday’s attack was unprecedented.

 

Forward leaders in Kolkata have alleged that in the face of growing resistance against the Maoists among the tribals , they have retaliated in such a barbaric nature. Left Front Chairman Biman Basu, in a press conference has strongly condemned the attack. Left Front has called for a 12hour Bandh in Purulia district on 18^th December. Protest Day will be observed in the whole state as well.

 

Biman Basu has alleged that 221 Left activists have been killed in three districts of Jangal Mahal alone after 2009 LokSabha elections. In the whole state, 337 Left activists have been murdered during the same period. The Maoists are acting in tandem with Trinamool Congress. This is evident in many such attacks in Purulia district also.

Wikileaks Exposes US Interference

 

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

 

The cables from the US Embassy in India released so far by Wikileaks provide a revealing picture of Indo-US relations and the extent of US interference in India’s domestic political affairs.

 

The manner in which the US Embassy intervened to influence Indian political parties and opinion-makers on the Nuclear Deal, the pressures on foreign policy matters such as the attitude towards Iran, are all laid out. One cable reports that Indian officials are ‘loathe to admit publicly that India and the US have begun coordinating foreign policies.’ 

 

The cables set out how relations have improved to make ‘Delhi much more amenable to co-operating’. These show the actual state of India-US relations after the signing of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal.

 

One cable states that they have a ‘true partner in the current Indian Government led by Manmohan Singh’. In contrast, in another cable the US diplomat has made objectionable remarks about the CPI(M) General Secretary who is not amenable to their interests.

 

As the Wikileaks cables from around the world have shown, the United States pursues single-mindedly its imperialist interests. The unfortunate part is the complicity of the Manmohan Singh government in furthering some of these interests.