SFI 14th National Conference Delegate Session

SFI 14th National Conference Delegate Session began on 5th of September at the Com. Somu - Sembu Nagar. The delegate session was inaugurated by noted scholar Prof. C P Chandrasekhar. He spoke on the various aspects of Education sector, during the era of globalisation. Earlier SFI All India President Com. P K Biju MP hoisted the flag to formally open the delegate session. After that delegates paid floral tribute to the martyrs. Com. P K Biju presided over the inaugural function. CPIM P B Members Com. Sitharam Yechury and Com. K Varadarajan greeted the delegates. Com. R Vaigai, Com. N Sakarayya also spoke on the ocassion. Later SFI All India Secretary Com. Ritabrata Banarjee palcced the organisational report for discussion. 750 delegates from various parts of the country is participating in the conference. 

On the second day of the conference CPIM General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat greeted the delegates. On Thursday evening former office bearers of the organisation were felicitated. Com Prakash Karat, Com. Sitaram Yechury, Com. Biman Basu, Com. Nilolpal Basu, Com P Krishna Prasad, Com. M A Baby were present during the function.

Com. P Sundarayya Birth Centenary Celebrations begins in Kerala

One year long Birth Centenary Celebrations of the stalwart of the Communist Movement in India, Com. P Sundarayya began with a One day seminar organised by the AKG Centre for Research and Studies in Trivandrum. 1400 Delegates participated in the seminar. The seminar was inaugurated by CPIM General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat. He said that popular criticism notwithstanding, the strength of his party was the system of democratic centralism under which it functioned.

He said even intellectuals close to the party had started suggesting that it should review the system. The criticism was that democratic centralism could lead to an authoritarian kind of functioning. Com Karat said the party workers should make sure that, in implementing democratic centralism, they upheld the basic principles governing it. This could be achieved only by heightening the ideological and organisational awareness about the system. Above all, the party workers should learn from the model set by Sundarayya, he added, describing the life and work of the leader, who was among those responsible for organising a national communist party in the country.

He said the CPI(M)’s ability to mobilise the people for effective political and ideological battles was mainly because of its system of functioning. This was the reason why its political opponents chose to criticise the style and manner of functioning that militated against the basic principles of democratic centralism. On the one side, they were wont to attack the party by using the term ‘Stalinism’ to describe democratic centralism. And, on the other side, they would dub the debates happening in the party’s centralised democratic system as a sign of conflict. He said the system in the party permitted party committees at all levels to discuss any issue before coming to a decision. While ensuring this democratic freedom, they should also obey the decisions of the committees at the higher level. The party derived its strength from criticism and self-criticism, he said.

CPIM Kerala State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan presided over the seminar and spoke on the role played by Com Sundarayya in the formation of Communist party in Kerala. CPIM P B Member and Andhra Pradesh State Secretary Com B V Raghavulu presented a paper on the work of Com Sundarayya . Com V.S. Achuthanandan placed a paper named " Com Sundarayya and the Kisan Movement, CPIM P B member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan spoke about the role played by Com Sundarayya in protecting the party from Left and Right deviations.  On the second session noted scholar from ISI Kolkota Prof. V K Ramachandran placed a paper on the "Agrarian Relations in India". PB Member Com. M A Baby spoke on the work of Com Sundarayya in the formation of Students federation.

Sivakasi Tragedy

CPIM PB Member Com. Sitharam Yechury visiting the injured people in hospital

CPIM State Secretary Com. Ramakrishanan visiting the injured people

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

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its grief and concern over the huge loss of lives in the fire accident on September 5 in Sivakasi. More than 55 deaths have been reported and hundreds have been hospitalized with complaints of severe burns.

These types of accidents have been recurring in Sivakasi. During the last twelve years 237 persons have lost their lives owing to fires in 88 firecracker manufacturing units in Sivakasi. The callous attitude of the government and the enforcement authorities are to blame for these accidents.

The CPI(M) demands that there should be strict enforcement of safety norms and violators should be dealt with firmly.

It also demands immediate announcement of adequate compensation for the families of those killed and injured alongwith measures for rehabilitation of those affected. The Polit Bureau also demands that all necessary measures should be taken by the government to ensure that such tragedies do not recur.

CPIM protest dharna against Coal block allocation scandal

Hundreds of  CPI(M) activists from Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida gathered  on Jantar Mantar to protest against coal blocks allocation scandals. A dharna was organised which was later on converted in a public meeting.

The meeting was addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Com. Brinda Karat, CC member and Delhi State Committee Secretary Com. PMS Grewal and from Secretariat  K M Tiwari, Com. Asha Sharma and Com. Anurag Saxena.  The public meeting was later on joined upon by 4 members of Parliament.  The meeting was chaired and conducted by Delhi State Committee Secretariat member Com. Vijender Sharma.

Speaking on the occasion Com. Brinda Karat said that out of 142 allocations, 70 to 76 were made to private companies without following proper procedures. Most of the private companies captured the land and assets to increase their value in the share market. However none of them have mined the allocated areas.  Both Congress and BJP have helped private parties like Jindal and Reddy Brothers. She also pointed out that coal is a national natural resource which should not be opened for private parties to destroy it. Com. PMS Grewal in his address said that in most of the scandals Congress has blamed the allies or the other ministers keeping Manmohan Singh clean. Now it is very much clear that Manmohan Singh himself is involved in this. Com. Ramchander Dom stressed the need to fight corruption both inside and outside the parliament. In the end, an effigy of the Prime Minister was burnt.

SFI All India Conference Begins with a Massive Students Rally in Madurai

The four-day 14th All India Conference of the Students Federation of India (SFI) began with a huge students rally, which painted the Madurai city in white.  The torch relay taken out from Kumbakonam, in memory of children who lost their lives in a school fire, and the flag taken out from the house of immortal martyr Com. KV Sudheesh, who was brutally murdered by RSS fundamentalists reached Madurai on Monday. 

The conference began with students’ rally and a public meeting. CPIM PB Member and former SFI president Com. Sitaram Yechury inaugurated the public meeting. SFI national general secretary Ritabrata Banerjee said that the conference would discuss ways to prevent various attempts of the government towards commercialisation of education. SFI would launch a struggle demanding conduct of election to students’ union in the educational institutions of Tamil Nadu. CPI(M) veteran leader N. Sankaraiah, party MP T.K. Rengarajan, SFI national president P.K. Biju, and MLA Bala Bharathi were among those who spoke.

The conference will focus on key issues that confront the education scenario in the country -- commercialisation and centralisation. It will come out with documents spelling out its stand on the various initiatives of the Union Government to commercialise education, along with an agenda of action.

Addressing a press conference SFI’s general secretary, Ritabrata Banerjee, said that the government was keen on opening up the Indian education sector to foreign universities. This should not happen in a country where only about 10 per cent of people in the 17-25 age group had access to higher education. In developing nations, it was about 24 per cent.

The government, he said, was not inclined to increase budgetary allocation for education but claimed that the entry of foreign universities would improve the quality of education. Mr. Banerjee pointed out that a list of 144 probable institutions entering India did not contain any premier university like Oxford, Cambridge or Harvard. Among the list, 44 institutions were declared illegal in their country of origin. Eminent educationists opposed the entry of foreign universities in India.

The SFI, Mr. Banerjee said, was opposed to the move to centralise educational institutions and wanted education to be in the State List.

The conference would also discuss democratisation of educational institutions and equitable access to education. Though the country, which had the highest number of child workers in the world, had a Right to Education Act, the government did not provide monetary allocation for its implementation, he said.

SFI’s president, P. K. Biju, MP, said that the organisation strongly opposed nine Bills on education waiting for ratification by Parliament. The government’s move to privatise education would affect children belonging to rural areas and backward sections of society.

SFI’s State president, K. S. Kanakaraj, accused the Tamil Nadu government of diluting the Right to Education Act by not taking any steps to enforce it. Both the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam did not oppose the legislations sought to be implemented for privatisation of education in the country.

Maintain Friendly Relations with Sri Lankan People

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

 

The CPI(M) expresses its concern at the hostility displayed towards the people from Sri Lanka who are visiting Tamil Nadu. It is very unfortunate that two football teams of schoolboys from Sri Lanka who went to play in Tamil Nadu have been sent back at the instance of the state government. Some pilgrims from Sri Lanka visiting a church in Tiruvavur were harassed and they had to return. The CPI(M) condemns this incident.

 

We have to maintain people to people relations and foster friendly relations between the peoples of the two countries. Whatever the differences and opposition that exists regarding the Sri Lankan government’s approach to the Tamil question in Sri Lanka, nothing should be done to disturb people to people relations.

 

The CPI(M) appeals to all sections of the people and the political forces in Tamil Nadu to ensure that friendly and harmonious relations are maintained with the people of Sri Lanka.

Com. P Sundarayya Birth Centenary Seminar in Trivandrum on 5th September

A One day Seminar is organised in Trivandrum on the 5th September, by A K G Centre for Research and Studies on the occasion of Com. P Sundarayya Birth Centenary. The venue of the seminar will be AKG Hall. CPIM General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat will inaugurate the Seminar. Com. Pinarayi Vijayan will preside over the inaugural function. CPIM P B members Com. B V Ragahavulu, Com. M A Baby, Com. Kodiyeri Balakrishanan, Eminent scholar Dr. V K Ramachandran will speak on the ocassion.

CPI (M) condemns order of ‘no work no pay’ imposed by the Maruti Management

The Haryana unit of the CPI (M) condemned the summary dismissal of over 500 workers & order of  ‘no work no pay’ imposed by the Management of the Manesar-based Maruti plant.

CPI (M) Secretary Inderjit Singh told that “such highhandedness and dictatorial conduct of the Maruti management had been mainly responsible for the July 18 happenings in the plant”.

Criticising the “continued reign of terror let loose jointly by the management and by the Haryana Police against the workers and their family members”, he said that the arrest of some “innocent” workers who were returning from the Rohtak-based Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) office on Saturday by the Gurgaon police was condemnable.

Mr. Inderjit Singh said: “It is astonishing that the same Haryana Police which was reportedly shielding a person like ex-Minister Gopal Kanda accused of a serious crime had displayed extra interest in making indiscriminate arrests of more than 60 workers without any credible inquiry.”

“We demand that the Haryana Government intervene immediately in getting the dismissal orders withdrawn, scrap the order of ‘no work no pay’ &  stopping police repression” he added.

Com. P Sundaraya Birth Centenary observed in Tripura

The Birth Centenary function of Com. P Sundarayya, was held in Agartala. The 20th Congress of the CPI-M, held in Kozhikode in Kerala, had decided to hold a year-long observance of the birth centenary of the party's first general secretary P. Sundarayya from May 2012. Com. P Sundarayya was the general secretary of the CPI-M from its inception in 1964 and played a major role in establishing the party as a leading force in the Left movement in the country.

The function was organised by CPIM Tripura State Committee. Three day seminar from 31st August to 2nd September was held in Agartala Town Hall. Book release, cultural fuction and poster exhibition on the life and deeds of Sundarayya was also organised as part of the function. Com. Prakash Karat, General Secretary CPIM Inaugurated the function. He said that the UPA government has been giving opportunities to multi-national and private companies to loot India's natural resources, including coal while inaugurating the function. 

Demanding probe into the coal block allocations, Karat said: "The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government is providing scope to multi-national and private companies to ransack country's resources." He said that coal industry and coal mines had been nationalised in 1973. "India has the fourth largest coal reserves in the world. Without proper auction and bidding, coal reserves cannot be allocated. Both previous BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Congress-led governments have been trying to distribute the precious natural resources illegally."

Criticising the UPA government's foreign policy, Karat said that the US has been dictating who should be India's friend and with whom India should maintain diplomacy."Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Tehran to attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit, but India, on US pressure, reduced 40 percent oil import from Iran. India-Iran ties were excellent in the past, but have fallen now," he said.

"Communist movement must be in the Indian context. We must organise rural proletariat. That was the vital agenda of the builder of the communist movement in India (Sundarayya)," he said. 

On the First Day of the seminar CPIM Politburo Member and Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said," In order to protect people from hurdles, we need to strengthen our party”, he urged the workers. “There were attempts to weaken the party in the state. There were similar attempts in West Bengal and Kerala”. “Anti-Left forces like wild animals had plunged upon the then Left Front government in West Bengal. A larger such assault is being formulated against Tripura’s Left Front government”, Sarkar added. The Chief Minister alleged that some anti-progressive forces kept alive terrorists to use them against the Left Front government in the coming days. He had a word of appeal to the supporters. “The communists have to maintain discipline”. A plea for self-rectification, a call to consolidate the party’s vote bank, a cry to give a fight to reckon with the CPM leader has sounded off the poll bugle. Coming down upon the Congress controlled UPA II government, he asserted that with the weakened strength of the Left Front, the union government is now adopting anti-people policies and surrendering to imperialist forces. Sarkar claimed that Left parties are emerging as alternative during this crisis period. He further said that the state would continue to be a bastion of the red flag, the banner of the CPM -led Left Front. 

On the Second day of the function, CPIM P B Members Sitharam Yechury and Com. B V Raghavulu spoke on the contributions made by Com. Sundarayya to the communist movement in India. 

West Bengal Observed Historic Anti-Imperialist Day: Lakhs Protest Against US Imperialism

Kolkata witnessed another historic rally of hundred thousands people that roared against imperialist aggression over third world nations. Peoples mostly from the districts of South Bengal participated with full of enthusiasm to mark their protest against US aggression and to commemorate the Anti Imperialist Day of 1st September. Left Front like every previous year organized the anti-imperialist rally this year too. All state leaderships of Left Front led the rally from the front. The rally, as was scheduled, started sharp 1pm from Rani Rashmoni Road. The face of the rally took more than 2-30 hours to reach Deshbandhu Park when the tail was waiting at Rani Rashmoni Road. The rally was fully decorated with flags, festoons, and most importantly the mobile tableaus that remained most attractive part of the rally this year too. It was exactly 4-30 when the last tableau along with people reached Deshbandhu Park. Like the city of Kolkata, another urban hub of West Bengal Siliguri too witnessed an equally big anti imperialist rally where people from different corners of North Bengal made that a grand success. 

The prime slogans pronounced by the historic rally were:

(i) US Militarization over developing countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and countries of Latin America;

(ii) Financial Imperialism through FDI in retail sector, privatization of Insurance sector, Pension funds etc. over countries like India that causes intrusion in the internal economy of these developing countries;

(iii) Deaths of millions of people and huge loss of property in sponsored terrorist activities by ally powers like Israel etc.

(iv) So the final slogan was to safeguard political, financial and social sovereignty across nations.

While addressing the crowd at the end of the rally the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee drew a whole backdrop of Imperialism primarily led by USA to correlate the magnitude of the contemporary imperialist aggression in the world. Having mentioned the Atom Bomb attack over Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a birth of today’s US led imperialism, Bhattacharjee explained that the nuclear attack against Japan was to throttle the battle for freedom in different countries after the Second World War, primarily either against the colonial rulings or the nationalist struggles. The subsequent attack against Vietnam and Korea were among the deadliest invasions of US and allied forces. US imperialism killed progressive African icons like Patrice Lumumba and many others. In Latin America US time and again attacked countries like Chile, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama etc.

They devastated Afghanistan; brutally killing Saddam Hussein they demolished Iraq but could not find the mass destructive weapons; they sponsored internal terrorism in Libya, Syria etc in the name of founding democracy in these countries. Basically they want global OIL control, so they terrorize oil rich countries, said Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Now the danger of imperialism comes in a different direction when US and allied countries target China and trying to set base in India. We won’t tolerate US base in India to blockade India and would launch bigger protest.

Like Militant terrorism the USA is now promoting financial imperialism in countries like India and other third world nations. US imperialism is now intruding in every internal economic sector of the third world or developing nations. Bank, Insurance, Pension Funds, Food Security are nowadays facing US policy controlling and the Central Government of India is trying to promote such intrusion. Who will control agriculture? If shopping malls are going to sell food and agricultural products our farmers will lose control over its own market forever. They are already facing such intimidation, averred Bhattacharjee.

India is trying to set up a strategic partnership or alliance with USA. What strategic alliance is this? We will protest against any of such alliance. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had made her visit in this state. It was unprecedented for any Indian state that nobody since independence had faced such a situation. Why did she visit Writers’ Buildings? This is a very alarming situation. We need to be more cautious, said Bhattacharjee.

Left Front Chairman Biman Basu while congratulating the people for making the rally a great success said that US led force are using our markets to meet their internal crisis. They are trying to control our economy. So we must keep our struggle on against such imperialist aggression. If any of US official comes to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of great Indian Philosopher Swami Vivekananda on 12th January next year, the state will definitely revolt.