The Peasants shall Continue Their Struggle for Price: Com Madan Ghosh

 

 

Paschimbanga Pradeshik Krishak Sabha along with the other left peasants' organisations has decided to go for civil disobedience movement with the demand of proper price for the food grains, supply of the fertiliser at reasonable price and against the anti-peasant agricultural policies of central and State Government. Comrade Madan Ghosh, Secretary of Krishak Sabha talked to the party website on various issues and problems of the farmers of West Bengal in the first six months of the TMC led Government.

Question: How will you distinguish between the agricultural policy of the current TMC led Government and the Left Front Government earlier?

Madan Ghosh: The most significant success of the Left Front Government was the Land Reforms. Land Reforms meant not only the distribution of the land but also the recording of barga (share-croppers). The peasants who got the land because of the land reforms got incentive for extra production. Additionally, with the expansion of irrigation and technical support, West Bengal became self-sufficient in production of food. In rice production we became top in the country. Another important thing that we have witnessed is that the farmers, who were been forced to sell the produced crops in lesser price and suffer the financial crisis and could not be self-sufficient earlier, began to get prices for their produces. Because of the land reforms the number of the small and marginal farmers had a significant growth. Currently, they constitute 84% of total number of peasants of West Bengal. Due to this changed scenario capital became a necessity to these farmers. With time, agriculture became more and more dependent on capital. However, the banks have always shown less interest to invest in agrarian sector. The situation remained unchanged even after bank nationalisation. So, the investment in agricultural sector was either by the rich farmers (In case of West Bengal) or the Jotdars (at all India level). This capital is primarily used to buy the tools and machine. One of the contributions of the Left Front Government was that it could ensure the supply of capital to the small and marginal farmers by the development of the cooperative system in the state. Out of the given loan, 4% of the interest amount used to be subsidised by the Government in cases of timely return of the loan amount. To prevent the distress sell of the crops the Government played vital role to open the rice purchase centre. Gradually these arrangements became strengthened with the involvement of self-help group, as the buyers of the crops. It is also important to note that the Central Government Agencies like FCI, JCI (in Jute) have been adequately used to ensure the selling of the crops. The Left Front Government had also paid adequate attention to provide assistance to price control and exporting the potatoes. All together these factors have created the incentives for the farmers to produce more at the time of Left Front Government.

But we have seen in the first six months of the Trinamool led Government that the Government has not played any positive role to consolidate these factors. Like in case of Jute it has failed to use the JCI, therefore the jute farmers have suffered a huge financial losses. Likewise in case of rice the payment of 50% bonus by the State Government has been stopped along with no attention to form the rice purchase centre at any of the districts. The policy to use self-help groups as the buyer of rice has been rejected by the new Government. None of the initiatives has been taken for proper distribution of the fertiliser. This situation is so gross that the peasants are not getting the Minimum Support Price for the crops (Lesser than the production cost) fixed by the Central Government. Hence the farmers are going towards a ruinous path. We are already receiving the news of farmer's suicides from some parts of West Bengal, which was not even imaginable during tenure of the Left Front Government. In Kerala we have seen such a situation earlier during the time of UDF Government, but during the LDF period there was no farmer suicide. Again of farmer's suicides are increasing in Kerala. Wayanad is a district from where large numbers of farmer's suicides have been reported within the 6months of new UDF Government. The problems of the farmers cannot be understood without mentioning the anti-peasant agricultural policy of the Central Government. That includes fertilisers and other necessities. Under this situation a section of farmers of our state are not willing to harvest Boro crop in this season. This was also an unprecedented picture at the time of LF. But unfortunately no initiatives have been noticed from the side of any ministers of TMC led State Government. If the farmers decide to continue with such decision then a large sections of farmers and field workers shall face a dangerous problem. Altogether such a situation will be ruinous at state and national level.

Question: What kind of role a State Government can play to control the price of fertiliser or to prevent black market?

Madan Ghosh: Firstly, The ruling party of the state is also a partner of the Central Government's decision to de-regulate the fertiliser business. Secondly, there has been a serious lack of initiative from the side of the State Government to ensure the supply by keeping regular contact with EFCO and other production agencies; thirdly the State Government has failed to direct the concerned district officers to ensure the supply and distribution of the fertiliser. Fourthly State Government has failed to take any enforcement measure to declare publicly the total quantity reserved to a dealer and agent and lastly to take preventive measure to transfer the license or permit of the traders. The price of the fertiliser is increasing because of these combined effects. These are also causing the rise of black market and speculation in agriculture. In this context it needs to be mentioned that most of these dishonest agents are acting as the allies of the ruling party in the state.

Question: What kind of effect has been reflected on the production of Jute, Rice and Potato due to the absence of MSP?

Madan Ghosh: In case of Jute the Minimum Support Price is Rupees 1670 per Quintal whereas the production cost is Rupees 2400- 2800 per Quintal. The current Government has never demanded for the increment in MSP. The CM only sent a letter to provide a bonus per quintal. A pre-condition of such bonus is that the FCI has to open a JCI purchase Centre if Central Government gives its consent, which has not happened. It caused the distress sell of the crops. In some cases they have even got only Rupees 800- 1000 per quintal. At last, when the State decided to give Rupees 100 as bonus per quintal in Jute, nothing was actually done due to the existence of JCI purchase Centre in State. The State Government has not declared any bonus in rice it has also not arranged for adequate number of purchase centre as it failed to develop the infrastructure. So the farmers have suffered irreparable losses in some parts of the state and they are forced to move on the same path. The season of potato production has just started. Here the main problem has arisen because of the seeds and fertiliser. Since the state is not self-sufficient in potato seeds so it was necessary to bring in high quality seeds. But the agricultural department of the state has not taken any initiative to collect the seeds. On one hand the supply of the fertiliser has also become speculative and other hand due to distress sell 30% cold storages has no empty space. So because of the scarcity of the high quality seeds and the necessary fertiliser due to their high price, the total area and production of potato might decrease in near future.

Question: How will the Kishan Sabha and other left peasants' organisation combat the situation?

Madan Ghosh: We have decided to go for civil disobedience movement with other left agricultural organisations. The civil disobedience will be observed at district and sub division level till coming 25th November. On 28th November the Left Front has called for the civil disobedience, the peasants will take part in that programme also. The left peasant's organisations will sit together and decide their future plan. The movement will continue.

Left Front will Carry On Movements on Peoples' Issues : Biman Bose

Left Front has called for State-wide Civil Disobedience movement against the Price Hike, Corruption, and Curtailment of democratic rights, State-wide terror by TMC and in defence of Democracy. After Districts and Sub divisional level, Left Front will centrally conduct Civil disobedience on 28th November. Biman Basu, The Secretary, CPI(M) West Bengal State Committee and the Chairman of Left Front Committee West Bengal has talked to the party website before this programme.

Question: Why the Left Front is going for Civil Disobedience on 28th November?

Biman Basu: CPI(M) independently and state Left Front unitedly adopted a series of mass programme since new Government led by TMC has resorted to attack on different political parties and mass organisations including trade unions. In many parts of the state, TMC workers along with the hoodlums have attacked the party offices, mainly the CPI(M) offices. They killed 45 valuable leaders and activists of CPI(M) and other Left Parties. They have also forcefully occupied 77 democratically elected students union offices. Our Leader of Opposition has drawn the attention of the Government in number of occasions. Left Front has also drawn the attention through submitting memorandum to the Governor of West Bengal and the Prime Minister. Our Party has independently observed month long solidarity campaign in different state capitals and cities at the call of the Party's Central Committee. They have also collected funds for the terror victims of West Bengal. Left Front conducted the campaign in West Bengal. The campaign was conducted From 1st to 6th November. Trade Unions observed a successful 'Jail Bharo' on 8th November. Thereafter the campaign programmes have been continued at village level in District and at ward level in cities against high prices, corruption, curtailment of democratic rights and terror tactics of TMC and also in the defence of democracy from 11th to 20th November. Left Kishan organisations have also drawn a joint programme of campaign on the said issues and called for Civil Disobedience. The State Left Front has declared that the Civil Disobedience shall be conducted at subdivisional and District level from 21st to 25th November. The campaign and movement has successfully mobilised thousands and peoples' issues have come in the forefront. Left Front has decided centrally to observe civil disobedience on 28th November in Kolkata.

Question: What will be the next phase of campaign after the completion of the Civil Disobedience Movement on 28th November?

Biman Basu: We will take stock of the campaign movement of November and plan the further programme. It will do after 28th November. TMC led Government is moving to curtail the democratic rights of the three tiers elected Panchayat functionaries. The Government is also trying to create anarchy in the field of education by issuing Ordinance for Universities and certain other decisions related to the management of different educational boards or councils. Therefore in the month of December, we are to pin point the demands, which are linked to the day-to-day life of the common people and announce the programmes in an appropriate manner.

West Bengal Left Front Organizes Mass Civil Disobedience

Left Front of West bengal has organised Mass civil disobedience, protesting against spiralling price hike and food inflation, unprecedented corruption and unleashing violence against left workers and common people of the state of West Bengal. It is now being observed across districts. The State Left Front Committee would organize a central disobedience programme on 28th of this month. From 9th of this month continuous mass campaign was held in almost every para, mahalla, village, sub-division and districts that became a full-blown effort on the consecutive disobedience programme from 21st to 25th of this month in all districts.

The mass civil obedience programmes raise voice against the double folded crisis: unprecedented price hike along with food inflation and volatility of growth market on the one side and deliberate political violence against the left workers and common people in the state of West Bengal on the other have been leading the situation toward absolute anarchy. Already 45 left workers and innocent people have been killed in the state. Left parties are being denied to organize meetings and conferences in different localities and areas. Farmers are constantly being evicted from their lands and share-croppers are denied their Burga and Putta rights in many villages. Industrial workers and labourers are not even spared. Severe retrenchment along with the ousting of regular workers in factories like Kanoria Jute Mill and many other places has become a regular event where local TMC goons along with promoters are recruiting TMC people replacing even skilled and experienced workers.

Left front in this series of civil disobedience movements has already placed five point demands:

(i) Curbing down the price rise;

(ii) Immediate withdrawal of education ordinance;

(iii) Regulating fertilizer prices and incentive measure to give farmers enough relief;

(iv) Stop FDI in retail market;

(v) Stop political violence against left party workers;

CPI(M) Kerala State Conference logo released

Jnanpith-winning poet O.N.V. Kurup on Saturday released the logo of the 20th  Kerala State conference of the Communist party of India (Marxist) to be held at the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram from February 7 to 10, 2012.

Speaking on the occasion, Sri. ONV Kurup said only politicians who did not have a national perspective could oppose the proposal for a new dam at Mullaperiyar.

Only a person who could understand the pains, sorrows and anxieties of others could see the rationale behind Kerala's demand for a new dam. Several of the politicians at the national level had either regional or family interests uppermost in their minds.The only exception to this contemporary trend was the Left parties which stood and fought for the greater common good, the poet said.

CPIM State Committee member and reception committee Chariman Com. M. Vijayakumar chaired the meeting, which was attended by poet Neelamperoor Madhusoodanan Nair, film-maker Lenin Rajendran and V. Sivan Kutty and Koliyakode N. Krishnan Nair, MLAs, among others.

Welcoming the gathering, CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran said the logo, designed by U.M. Binny of the Neeravil Prakash Kala Kendram, Kollam, was selected from among 54 entries.

CPI(M) Supports Traders Bandh Call

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

 

The Confederation of All India Traders has given a call for a nationwide bandh on 1^st December to protest against the Union Cabinet’s decision to allow FDI in retail trade.  The CPI(M) calls upon all its units and all sections of the people to support the call for a nationwide bandh on 1^st December.

 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) has already given a call to all its units to organise protest actions against this anti-people step and to defend the crores of small retailers and their families whose livelihood is under threat.

 

Unitedly Resist FDI In Retail

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

The CPI (M) strongly opposes the cabinet decision to allow FDI in multibrand retail. It will destroy the livelihoods of crores of small retailers and lead to monopolization of the retail sector by the MNCs. Coming in the backdrop of persistent high inflation, growing joblessness and agrarian distress, this decision shows the utterly callous and anti-people character of the UPA Government. The Government seems to be more eager to meet the demands of the US and other Western governments and serve the interests of the MNCs like Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour, rather than protect those of its own people.

The conditions imposed by the government are insignificant and will not provide any effective safeguard to any section. The investment floor of Rs. 520 crore (100 million USD) is insignificant for giant retailers like the Walmart, Tesco, Carrefour etc. which are multibillion dollar companies. The restriction of foreign retail outlets to cities of over 10 lakh population is also meaningless because those are precisely the places where the MNCs want to go, to tap the lucrative segment of the market. The big cities are also where small retailers are mostly concentrated.

India has the highest shopping density in the world, with 11 shops per 1000 persons. There are over 1.2 crore shops in India employing over 4 crore persons. 95% of these shops are run by self-employed persons in less than 500 sq.ft. area. These small shopkeepers in the urban areas are going to be hit the hardest with the entry of the MNC retailers. International experience shows that supermarkets everywhere invariably displace small retailers. Small retail has been virtually wiped out in the developed countries like the US and Europe. South East Asian countries had to also impose stringent zoning and licensing regulations in order to restrict the growth of supermarkets, after small retailers were getting displaced.

The condition for making at least 50 per cent of the investment in ‘backend’ infrastructure is being cited to argue that this would lead to more cold chains and other logistics, benefiting the farmers. International experience has, however, shown that procurement by MNC retailers do not benefit the small farmers. Over time, they receive depressed prices and find it difficult to meet the arbitrary quality standards. Allowing procurement by MNCs is basically an attempt by the Government to whittle down its own procurement responsibilities. This will have an adverse impact on food security.

The small manufacturers will also get squeezed. Predatory pricing by the MNCs will eliminate competition and establish their control over the supply of a range of commodities, including essentials like food. The domestic market will get flooded with goods procured from foreign countries. The claim that this will bring down retail prices for consumers is utterly bogus. Greater monopoly power and storage capacity for the big corporates will rather promote hoarding and profiteering.

Over the last several years the MNCs involved in cash and carry trade in India, which had been permitted earlier by the Government, have routinely violated the prohibition of directly selling to consumers, but the Government did nothing to stop them. Similarly, the so-called regulatory measures based on a system of self-regulation will also be inconsequential, especially since there is no mechanism to ensure the enforcement of the conditions.

The MNC retailers and foreign governments have been pressurizing the Centre for opening up this sector since long. It was the opposition from the Left Parties, which had prevented the UPA-I government from taking this move. The UPA-II government has now fully succumbed to those pressures from vested interests.

The CPI (M) calls upon all sections of the people and political parties to jointly oppose this move. The Polit Bureau of the CPI (M) calls upon all its Party units to organize protests against this anti-people step and defend the crores of small retailers and their families, whose livelihood is under threat.

CPI-M to picket government offices in Tamil Nadu against bus fare, milk price hike

CPI-M Tamil Nadu State Committe announced it would picket Tamil Nadu Government offices on November 28, demanding rollback of the recent hike in milk price and bus fares and oppose the proposed increase in power tariff in the state. 

CPI-M state  Secretary G Ramakrishnan, in a statement, said the AIADMK Government's 'neglect' of the protests by the opposition parties and public over the price hike was highly condemnable. He denied Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's recent remarks that the CPI-M had wanted her to take hard decisions to save the public sector units. Citing the precarious financial health of the public sector units, including the transport corporations, the Jayalalithaa cabinet has last week increased the price of milk sold by state-owned Aavin and bus fares and proposed hiking the power tariff. Ramakrishnan said CPI-M had an electoral tie up with AIADMK for the April 13 assembly polls only to remove the 'corrupt' DMK Government from power and had declared after the results that it would function as a 'constructive opposition'. "People thought that a change of government would bring them relief. But the AIADMK Government, by hiking the bus fares and milk prices, had caused a heavy burden on the people', he said. 

Mean while various protest programmes are being conducted across the state by various organisations including DYFI, SFI, AIDWA demanding immediate rollback of increased price for bus and milk. Police on Monday arrested the members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students Federation of India (SFI) and All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) when they organised a picketing near the Central Railway station to protest .Raising slogans against the hike, they proceeded towards the railway station. They were stopped by the police near the signal, but still a section of them sat on the road and continue to raise slogans.

Many women participated, but only a few women police were present. The protesters and the police had heated arguments over the policemen arresting women protesters. They were released in the evening. The south Chennai district unit of CPI(M) held a demonstration in Pushpa Nagar in Nungambakkam highlighting similar issues. Around 140 members belonging to the DYFI and Students' Federation of India - 66 members in Dindigul, 28 in Palani and 46 in Gujiliamparai - were arrested as they picketed the A.M.C. Road near central bus stand in Dindigul and prime roads in Palani and Gujiliamparai in the district on Monday condemning the sharp hike in bus fare and milk prices.
(Photo : Gavaskar Theekathir)

Ishrat Jahan Case: Bring All Guilty to Book

 

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

 

The report of the High Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) that the so-called encounter killing of Ishrat Jahan and three others by the Gujarat police in June 2004 was nothing but a cold blooded murder constitutes a severe indictment of the Narendra Modi Government which has done everything in its power to shield the criminals in uniform and to assassinate the character of the young 19 year old student.

 

The order of the High Court to file a fresh FIR and charges of murder against the police officers must be immediately complied with. The accused must be arrested without any delay.

 

There is another crucial question which needs to be investigated. Could such a cover-up take place without the acquiescence of the Chief Minister and top officials in the Government? It is on record that at every stage of the case the Government tried to subvert the processes of justice, just as it had done in the nine cases pending before the courts on the genocide of 2002. The investigation must cover the role of the Chief Minister in the cover-up and this will not be possible as long as Modi remains in power. Justice for the victims demands that Modi quit office.

 

The SIT report also brings into question the role of certain senior officers of central agencies who were complicit in the faking of evidence. Their role must also be investigated. The Central Government must immediately take appropriate action on this count.

CPIM State Conferences ahead of 20th Party Congress begins

Ahead of the 20th Party congress to be held in Kozhikode, later in 2012 April, the State conferences began with the CPIM Orissa State conference. The two-day State conference of the party started with a mass rally on Friday at Paralakhemundi of Gajapati district of south Odisha. The delegate session will continue till Saturday. Around 250 delegations of the party from different parts of the State are attending this conference.

The Mass rally was inaugurated by CPIM PB member Com. Sitharam Yechury. Rampant corruption in high places is adding to inflation and non-implementation of pro-poor measures in the country, said Sitaram Yechury. Com. Yechury cited example of the 2G scam and reluctance of Central government to introduce universal public distribution system. According to him with an expenditure of Rs. 92,000 crore government can provide 35 kilograms of rice to 80 per cent of the population of the country at Rs. 2-a-kg. But the government is taking plea of paucity of funds for not implementing such a scheme. But the extent of misappropriation in a single scam like 2G scam amounts to Rs. 1,76,000 crore , he added. According to him price rise has made day-to-day survival of people of lower economic strata extreme difficult while government is silent about it. In his speech in Telugu he called upon the common mass to get united and stand up for their genuine rights.

This meeting was also addressed by leader of opposition of West Bengal Assembly Suryakant Mishra, Odisha State secretary of the party Janardan Pati, State secretariat members Ali Kishore Patnaik, Jagananth Mishra, district secretary of Srikakulam C.Tejeswar Rao. This meeting was presided by Gajapati district secretary of the party L.Ramgopal Rao.

Com. Janardhan Pati said situation was no different in Odisha where government is silent towards drought and flood-hit farmers. According to him there was need for a political alternative in Odisha as the major political parties including the ruling BJD, the Congress and the BJP were faces of same exploitive capitalistic intentions having no thought for the poor. He said CPI (M) was trying to build such a political alternative in Odisha.

Later in the Delegate session, Com Janardhan Pati placed the Political Organisation report and the same will be discussed by the delegates in the session. During this conference discussion would be held regarding future activities of the party in Odisha and preparations for coming panchayat polls next year.

CPI(M) urges Tamil Nadu State Government to eradicate untouchability

The Tamil Nadu State committee of the CPI(M) on Wednesday called upon the State government to take legal and administrative initiatives to put an end to untouchability in various forms.

Recalling how the consistent efforts of the party and the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front had resulted in bringing together the Dalits and other communities in Uthapuram and the entry of Dalits into the local temple, State secretary G. Ramakrishnan urged the government to take a cue from Uthapuram and eradicate it at other parts.

A resolution in this regard was adopted in the two day state committee meeting of the party that began on Wednesday.

The party thanked the Madurai district administration and police for their efforts to bring unity among Dalits and other communities in Uthapuram.

“But untouchability is prevailing in other parts of the State and there was a need to address the issues to eradicate the social evil. It is manifesting itself in the form of two-tumbler system, denial of the right to use common paths, wells, burial grounds in villages and denial of temple entry. These practices are against social justice and democracy,” the resolution said.]

(source : the hindu)