CPIM Jammu-Kashmir State Conference

CPIM Jammu Kashmir State conference ahead of the 20th Party congress to be held at Kozhikode in April was held at Jammu from 24th to 26th March 2012.

A mass public rally was held at Press Club Jammu on the 24th March by the State Unit of CPI(M) as a part of its two-days 9th State Conference., which was presided by senior party leader, Sham Prasad Kesar. The participants carrying placards and banners were raising slogans against corruption, price rise and failure of central and state governments at all fronts.

Addressing the well-attended rally, Com Prakash Karat, General Secretary, CPI(M) called for strengthening of the CPI(M) and building a unity of the Left and Democratic forces in the country. “In the present situation in the country, the people are suffering from continuous price rise, massive corruption and shrinking job opportunities. It is necessary to have a left and democratic alternative” he said.

The UPA-II Government at the centre for last three years has pursued policies which are harmful for the people of the country. In the recent Union Budget proposals, there is a big cut in subsidies for fuel and fertilizers. This is going to lead to further price rise. Farmers are already facing difficulties to buy fertilizers in view of steep prices. More and more workers are hired on contract basis. Even government departments are hiring contract employees, thus, they are deprived of all the benefits.

As far as corruption is concerned there is no difference between Cong and BJP. Whereas the UPA has become notorious for one after another corruption scams, the record of the BJP is also bad. The corruption indulged in by Karnantaka State Government of the BJP is an example.

Only the CPI(M) and left parties have clean record as far as corruption is concerned. CPI(M) consistently fight against both the neo-liberal policies and the communal forces.

He appealed to the people of J&K not to be divided on communal lines. Such efforts are being made by communal forces on both sides. He criticized the central government for its failure to initiate a political dialogue to ensure a political solution for the problems in J&K. There are many measures that have to be taken now as militancy and violence has come down to instill confidence in the people of the state.

Addressing the rally, State Secretary CPI( M), M.Y.Tarigami urged India and Pakistan to give up the path of disastrous confrontation which has only resulted in pauperizing the people of both the countries and must draw the lessons as quickly as possible to live together. There are options and opportunities which if availed can result in initiation of credible consensus of resolving outstanding issues. The people of J&K can have a sigh of relief and our suffering substantially be reduced if such a process takes off in the region. People of J&K being on the cross-fire can only appeal to the leadership of both the countries to come out from their traditional rigidities.

Indo-Pak confrontations have not only threatened the peace in the sub-continent but have consumed lot of their resources and left the people of J&K across LOC in pathetic conditions.

He strongly urged upon the leadership of the country to come forward and seize the opportunity for entering into a credible process which can help in finding out constitutionally guaranteed political settlement of this long pending issue. The people of J&K have to be assured that any such solution must protect the unity of the state and preserve its diversities. Constitutional mechanisms need to be evolved which could guarantee that such settlement is not abused in future.

People of J&K have almost lost the trust on govt. assurances because whatever commitments have been made so far by the successive govts. have not been implemented. He also refereed to the recommendations of the Working Groups and recently submitted report of the interlocutors.

Cautioning the people of the state to be vigilant against the communal and divisive forces hell-bent to create a wedge among the different regions and communities ; he said that such designs should be fought tooth and nail.

Lamenting both the central and state governments for having failed to curb the menace of corruption, CPI(M) State Secretary said that State Accountability Commission and Vigilance Commission to be competent enough and resourceful to deal the corruption cases firmly and independently. For the purpose, he suggested for an internal and independent mechanism for anti-corruption institutions.

While speaking on the occasion Mohmmad Saleem, Member, Central Committee CPI(M) said that corruption at all levels has exposed UPA led government badly. Ridiculing the Union Govt. for its least concern over the plight of the farmers and working class people frequently subjected to untold economic crisis and natural calamities on the one hand and its constant efforts for bailing out Kingfisher airlines from the present mess is surprising, on the other hand, he said. Political solution of J&K problem lies in restoration of autonomy to the state with regional autonomy to its three distinct regions, he said. He lambasted the successive govts. for failing to implement their promises made from time to time for restoration of autonomy to the state.

Addressing the rally senior CPI(M) leader Gh.Nabi Malik demanded immediate relief to the affectees the recent storm which has devastated public property and horticulture. He regretted that delay is being made in providing relief to the affected families.The rally was also addressed by trade union leaders Om Prakash and Javaed Zargar who highlighted the demands of the different sections of the working people of the state.

Delegate session started at 4 P.M.which was inaugurated by Prakash Karat. CPI(M) State Secretary M Y Tarigami presented the political - organisational report in the conference highlighting the global consequences of "imperialistic liberalisation". It also pointed out the designs of imperialistic forces in South Asia and the Arab world for their ulterior motives. In the report the failures of the UPA government have been analysed and assessment of the present political and economic scenario of the country has also been underlined. It also expresses concern on rising prices, corruption, unemployment and the issues confronting the common man. The party shall unitedly fight against the designs of imperialistic forces in South Asia with other like-minded, progressive and democratic forces, the report suggested. The party shall mobilise the people against anti-people economic policies at every level, as per the report. After delibrations on the report, it was adopted by the conference.

On the conlcluding day of the conference a 17 member state committee was elected. The state committee later unanimously re elected com. MY Tarigami as the state secretary. The conference also elected four delegates for 20th Party Congress.

The conference also adopted resolutions regarding containing unemployment, transfer of powers to Panchayats, protection of human rights, universalisation of PDS, curbing corruption, promoting agriculture and horticulture, protection of trade union rights, removing gender discrimination, implementation of Ranga Rajan committee report, rehabilitation of migrants, refugees and providing relief to the affected families of the recent wind storm in the state.

CPI (M) Maharashtra State conference begins in Akole

The 20th State conference of the CPI (M) in Maharashtra got off to a rousing start at Akole in Ahmednagar district on the 25th of March 2012. The venue of Akole is historic as it was the birthplace and workplace of the legendary Comrade Buva Navale, who was the first President of the Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha; Comrade Navale was elected at its first State conference held at Titwala in 1945.

A large public meeting marked the beginning of the conference in the afternoon of the 25th of March. PB members Com Sitaram Yechury and Com K Varadharajan, along with many State leaders of the CPI(M), were on the stage. Speaking on the occasion, Com Yechury said that the UPA-2 government at the centre had reached an advanced stage of degeneration. It has reacched a stage where the cabinet meetings have to be scheduled in the Tihar Jail. The government has no money to invest in a food security system or employment guarantee, but it is ready to give tax concessions worth Rs 5 lakh crore to the Indian corporate classes.

A large number of people had gathered to hear the leaders. An important feature of the event was that women participated in large numbers. They greeted Com Yechury and Com Varadharajan by putting on traditional turbans on their head.

Stop Repression at Koodankulam

The CPI(M) condemns the police repression on the people protesting against the commissioning of the nuclear power plant at Koodankulam. Those arrested are being charged with sedition and for waging war against the State which is baseless and unwarranted. There are reports of water supply being cut off and other essential supplies being blocked to the Idinthakari village.

The CPI(M) calls upon the state administration not to resort to repression and force against  peaceful protesters. Since there are a number of issues still agitating the people regarding the nuclear plant, the concerned authorities should immediately begin talks to address these issues.

Why I am an Atheist

It is a matter of debate whether my lack of belief in the existence of an Omnipresent, Omniscient God is due to my arrogant pride and vanity. It never occurred to me that sometime in the future I would be involved in polemics of this kind. As a result of some discussions with my friends, (if my claim to friendship is not uncalled for) I have realised that after having known me for a little time only, some of them have reached a kind of hasty conclusion about me that my atheism is my foolishness and that it is the outcome of my vanity. Even then it is a serious problem. I do not boast of being above these human follies. I am, after all, a human being and nothing more. And no one can claim to be more than that. I have a weakness in my personality, for pride is one of the human traits that I do possess. I am known as a dictator among my friends. Sometimes I am called a boaster. Some have always been complaining that I am bossy and I force others to accept my opinion. Yes, it is true to some extent. I do not deny this charge. We can use the word ‘vainglory’ for it. As far as the contemptible, obsolete, rotten values of our society are concerned, I am an extreme sceptic. But this question does not concern my person alone. It is being proud of my ideas, my thoughts. It cannot be called empty pride. Pride, or you may use the word, vanity, both mean an exaggerated assessment of one’s personality. Is my atheism because of unnecessary pride, or have I ceased believing in God after thinking long and deep on the matter? I wish to put my ideas before you. First of all, let us differentiate between pride and vanity as these are two different things.

I have never been able to understand how unfounded, baseless pride or empty vanity can hinder a person from believing in God. I may refuse to acknowledge the greatness of a really great person only when I have got fame without doing any serious efforts or when I lack the superior mental powers necessary to become great. It is easy to understand but how is it possible that a believer can turn into a non-believer because of his vanity? Only two things are possible: either a man deems himself to be in possession of Godly qualities, or he goes a step further and declares himself to be a god. In both these states of mind he cannot be an atheist in the true sense of the word. In the first case, it is not an outright rejection of God’s existence; in the other, he is affirming the existence of some kind of supernatural power responsible for the working of universe. It does not harm our argument whether he claims to be a god or considers God to be a reality in existence above his own being. The real point, however, is that in both cases he is a theist, a believer. He is not an atheist. I want to bring home this point to you. I am not one of these two creeds. I totally reject the existence of an Omnipresent, all powerful, all knowing God. Why so? I will discuss it later in the essay. Here I wish to emphasise that I am not an atheist for the reason that I am arrogant or proud or vain; nor am I a demi-god, nor a prophet; no, nor am I God myself. At least one thing is true that I have not evolved this thought because of vanity or pride. In order to answer this question I relate the truth. My friends say that after Delhi bombing and Lahore Conspiracy Case, I rocketed to fame and that this fact has turned my head. Let us discuss why this allegation is incorrect. I did not give up my belief in God after these incidents. I was an atheist even when I was an unknown figure. At least a college student cannot cherish any sort of exaggerated notion of himself that may lead him to atheism. It is true that I was a favourite with some college teachers, but others did not like me. I was never a hardworking or studious boy. I never got an opportunity to be proud. I was very careful in my behaviour and somewhat pessimistic about my future career. I was not completely atheistic in my beliefs. I was brought up under the care and protection of my father. He was a staunch Arya Samaji. An Arya Samaji can be anything but never an atheist. After my elementary education, I was sent to D. A. V College, Lahore. I lived in the boarding house for one year. Besides prayers early in the morning and at dusk time, I sat for hours and chanted religious Mantras. At that time, I was a staunch believer. Then I lived with my father. He was a tolerant man in his religious views. It is due to his teachings that I devoted my life for the cause of liberating my country. But he was not an atheist. His God was an all-pervading Entity. He advised me to offer my prayers every day. In this way I was brought up. In the Non-cooperation days, I got admission to the National College. During my stay in this college, I began thinking over all the religious polemics such that I grew sceptical about the existence of God. In spite of this fact I can say that my belief in God was firm and strong. I grew a beard and ‘Kais’ (long head of hair as a Sikh religious custom). In spite of this I could not convince myself of the efficacy of Sikh religion or any religion at all, for that matter. But I had an unswerving, unwavering belief in God.

Then I joined the Revolutionary Party. The first leader I met had not the courage to openly declare himself an atheist. He was unable to reach any conclusion on this point. Whenever I asked him about the existence of God, he gave me this reply: “You may believe in him when you feel like it.” The second leader with whom I came in contact was a firm believer. I should mention his name. It was our respected Comrade Sachindara Nath Sanyal. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with Karachi conspiracy case. Right from the first page of his only book, ‘Bandi Jivan’ (Incarnated Life) he sings praises to the Glory of God. See the last page of the second part of this book and you find praises showered upon God in the way of a mystic. It is a clear reflection of his thoughts.

According to the prosecution, the ‘Revolutionary Leaflet’ which was distributed throughout India was the outcome of Sachindara Nath Sanyal’s intellectual labour. So often it happens that in revolutionary activities a leader expresses his own ideas which may be very dear to him, but in spite of having differences, the other workers have to acquiesce in them.

In that leaflet, one full paragraph was devoted to the praises of God and His doings which we, human beings, cannot understand. This is sheer mysticism. What I want to point out is that the idea of denying the existence of God did not even occur to the Revolutionary Party. The famous Kakory martyrs, all four of them, passed their last day in prayers. Ram Parshad Bismal was a staunch Arya Samaji. In spite of his vast studies in Socialism and Communism, Rajan Lahiri could not suppress his desire to recite hymns from Upanishads and Gita. There was but only one person among them who did not indulge in such activities. He used to say, “Religion is the outcome of human weakness or the limitation of human knowledge.” He is also in prison for life. But he also never dared to deny the existence of God.

Till that time I was only a romantic revolutionary, just a follower of our leaders. Then came the time to shoulder the whole responsibility. For some time, a strong opposition put the very existence of the party into danger. Many leaders as well as many enthusiastic comrades began to uphold the party to ridicule. They jeered at us. I had an apprehension that some day I will also consider it a futile and hopeless task. It was a turning point in my revolutionary career. An incessant desire to study filled my heart. ‘Study more and more’, said I to myself so that I might be able to face the arguments of my opponents. ‘Study’ to support your point of view with convincing arguments. And I began to study in a serious manner. My previous beliefs and convictions underwent a radical change. The romance of militancy dominated our predecessors; now serious ideas ousted this way of thinking. No more mysticism! No more blind faith! Now realism was our mode of thinking. At times of terrible necessity, we can resort to extreme methods, but violence produces opposite results in mass movements. I have talked much about our methods. The most important thing was a clear conception of our ideology for which we were waging a long struggle. As there was no election activity going on, I got ample opportunity to study various ideas propounded by various writers. I studied Bakunin, the anarchist leader. I read a few books of Marx, the father of Communism. I also read Lenin and Trotsky and many other writers who successfully carried out revolutions in their countries. All of them were atheists. The ideas contained in Bakunin’s ‘God and State’ seem inconclusive, but it is an interesting book. After that I came across a book ‘Common Sense’ by Nirlamba Swami. His point of view was a sort of mystical atheism. I developed more interest in this subject. By the end of 1926, I was convinced that the belief in an Almighty, Supreme Being who created, guided and controlled the universe had no sound foundations. I began discussions on this subject with my friends. I had openly declared myself an atheist. What it meant will be discussed in the following lines.

In May 1927, I was arrested in Lahore. This arrest came as a big surprise for me. I had not the least idea that I was wanted by the police. I was passing through a garden and all of a sudden the police surrounded me. To my own surprise, I was very calm at that time. I was in full control of myself. I was taken into police custody. The next day I was taken to the Railway Police lockup where I spent a whole month. After many days’ conversation with police personnel, I guessed that they had some information about my connection with the Kakori Party. I felt they had some intelligence of my other activities in the revolutionary movement. They told me that I was in Lucknow during the Kakori Party Trial so that I might devise a scheme to rescue the culprits. They also said that after the plan had been approved, we procured some bombs and by way of test, one of those bombs was thrown into a crowd on the occasion of Dussehra in 1926. They offered to release me on condition that I gave a statement on the activities of the Revolutionary Party. In this way I would be set free and even rewarded and I would not be produced as an approver in the court. I could not help laughing at their proposals. It was all humbug. People who have ideas like ours do not throw bombs at their own innocent people. One day, Mr. Newman, the then senior Superintendent of CID, came to me. After a long talk which was full of sympathetic words, he imparted to me what he considered to be sad news, that if I did not give any statement as demanded by them, they would be forced to send me up for trial for conspiracy to wage war in connection with Kakori Case and also for brutal killings in Dussehra gathering. After that he said that he had sufficient evidence to get me convicted and hanged.

I was completely innocent, but I believed that the police had sufficient power to do it if they desired it to be so. The same day some police officers persuaded me to offer my prayers to God two times regularly. I was an atheist. I thought that I would settle it to myself whether I could brag only in days of peace and happiness that I was an atheist, or in those hard times I could be steadfast in my convictions. After a long debate with myself, I reached the conclusion that I could not even pretend to be a believer nor could I offer my prayers to God. No, I never did it. It was time of trial and I would come out of it successful. These were my thoughts. Never for a moment did I desire to save my life. So I was a true atheist then and I am an atheist now. It was not an easy task to face that ordeal. Beliefs make it easier to go through hardships, even make them pleasant. Man can find a strong support in God and an encouraging consolation in His Name. If you have no belief in Him, then there is no alternative but to depend upon yourself. It is not child’s play to stand firm on your feet amid storms and strong winds. In difficult times, vanity, if it remains, evaporates and man cannot find the courage to defy beliefs held in common esteem by the people. If he really revolts against such beliefs, we must conclude that it is not sheer vanity; he has some kind of extraordinary strength. This is exactly the situation now. First of all we all know what the judgement will be. It is to be pronounced in a week or so. I am going to sacrifice my life for a cause. What more consolation can there be! A God-believing Hindu may expect to be reborn a king; a Muslim or a Christian might dream of the luxuries he hopes to enjoy in paradise as a reward for his sufferings and sacrifices. What hope should I entertain? I know that will be the end when the rope is tightened round my neck and the rafters move from under my feet. To use more precise religious terminology, that will be the moment of utter annihilation. My soul will come to nothing. If I take the courage to take the matter in the light of ‘Reward’, I see that a short life of struggle with no such magnificent end shall itself be my ‘Reward.’ That is all. Without any selfish motive of getting any reward here or in the hereafter, quite disinterestedly have I devoted my life to the cause of freedom. I could not act otherwise. The day shall usher in a new era of liberty when a large number of men and women, taking courage from the idea of serving humanity and liberating them from sufferings and distress, decide that there is no alternative before them except devoting their lives for this cause. They will wage a war against their oppressors, tyrants or exploiters, not to become kings, or to gain any reward here or in the next birth or after death in paradise; but to cast off the yoke of slavery, to establish liberty and peace they will tread this perilous, but glorious path. Can the pride they take in their noble cause be called vanity? Who is there rash enough to call it so? To him I say either he is foolish or wicked. Leave such a fellow alone for he cannot realise the depth, the emotions, the sentiment and the noble feelings that surge in that heart. His heart is dead, a mere lump of flesh, devoid of feelings. His convictions are infirm, his emotions feeble. His selfish interests have made him incapable of seeing the truth. The epithet ‘vanity’ is always hurled at the strength we get from our convictions.

You go against popular feelings; you criticise a hero, a great man who is generally believed to be above criticism. What happens? No one will answer your arguments in a rational way; rather you will be considered vainglorious. Its reason is mental insipidity. Merciless criticism and independent thinking are the two necessary traits of revolutionary thinking. As Mahatmaji is great, he is above criticism; as he has risen above, all that he says in the field of politics, religion, Ethics is right. You agree or not, it is binding upon you to take it as truth. This is not constructive thinking. We do not take a leap forward; we go many steps back.

Our forefathers evolved faith in some kind of Supreme Being, therefore, one who ventures to challenge the validity of that faith or denies the existence of God, shall be called a Kafir (infidel), or a renegade. Even if his arguments are so strong that it is impossible to refute them, if his spirit is so strong that he cannot be bowed down by the threats of misfortune that may befall him through the wrath of the Almighty, he shall be decried as vainglorious. Then why should we waste our time in such discussions? This question has come before the people for the first time, hence the necessity and usefulness of such long discussions.

As far as the first question is concerned, I think I have made it clear that I did not turn atheist because of vanity. Only my readers, not I, can decide whether my arguments carry weight. If I were a believer, I know in the present circumstances my life would have been easier; the burden lighter. My disbelief in God has turned all the circumstances too harsh and this situation can deteriorate further. Being a little mystical can give the circumstances a poetic turn. But I need no opiate to meet my end. I am a realistic man. I want to overpower this tendency in me with the help of Reason. I am not always successful in such attempts. But it is man’s duty to try and make efforts. Success depends on chance and circumstances.

Now we come to the second question: if it is not vanity, there ought to be some sound reason for rejection of age-old belief in God. Yes, I come to this question. I think that any man who has some reasoning power always tries to understand the life and people around him with the help of this faculty. Where concrete proofs are lacking, [mystical] philosophy creeps in. As I have indicated, one of my revolutionary friends used to say that “philosophy is the outcome of human weakness.” Our ancestors had the leisure to solve the mysteries of the world, its past, its present and its future, its whys and its wherefores, but having been terribly short of direct proofs, every one of them tried to solve the problem in his own way. Hence we find wide differences in the fundamentals of various religious creeds. Sometimes they take very antagonistic and conflicting forms. We find differences in Oriental and Occidental philosophies. There are differences even amongst various schools of thoughts in each hemisphere. In Asian religions, the Muslim religion is completely incompatible with the Hindu faith. In India itself, Buddhism and Jainism are sometimes quite separate from Brahmanism. Then in Brahmanism itself, we find two conflicting sects: Aarya Samaj and Snatan Dheram. Charwak is yet another independent thinker of the past ages. He challenged the Authority of God. All these faiths differ on many fundamental questions, but each of them claims to be the only true religion. This is the root of the evil. Instead of developing the ideas and experiments of ancient thinkers, thus providing ourselves with the ideological weapon for the future struggle, – lethargic, idle, fanatical as we are – we cling to orthodox religion and in this way reduce human awakening to a stagnant pool.

It is necessary for every person who stands for progress to criticise every tenet of old beliefs. Item by item he has to challenge the efficacy of old faith. He has to analyse and understand all the details. If after rigorous reasoning, one is led to believe in any theory of philosophy, his faith is appreciated. His reasoning may be mistaken and even fallacious. But there is chance that he will be corrected because Reason is the guiding principle of his life. But belief, I should say blind belief is disastrous. It deprives a man of his understanding power and makes him reactionary.

Any person who claims to be a realist has to challenge the truth of old beliefs. If faith cannot withstand the onslaught of reason, it collapses. After that his task should be to do the groundwork for new philosophy. This is the negative side. After that comes in the positive work in which some material of the olden times can be used to construct the pillars of new philosophy. As far as I am concerned, I admit that I lack sufficient study in this field. I had a great desire to study the Oriental Philosophy, but I could get ample opportunity or sufficient time to do so. But so far as I reject the old time beliefs, it is not a matter of countering belief with belief, rather I can challenge the efficacy of old beliefs with sound arguments. We believe in nature and that human progress depends on the domination of man over nature. There is no conscious power behind it. This is our philosophy.

Being atheist, I ask a few questions from theists:

1. If, as you believe there is an Almighty, Omnipresent, Omniscient God, who created the earth or universe, please let me know, first of all, as to why he created this world. This world which is full of woe and grief, and countless miseries, where not even one person lives in peace.

2. Pray, don’t say it is His law. If He is bound by any law, He is not Omnipotent. Don’t say it is His pleasure. Nero burnt one Rome. He killed a very limited number of people. He caused only a few tragedies, all for his morbid enjoyment. But what is his place in history? By what names do we remember him? All the disparaging epithets are hurled at him. Pages are blackened with invective diatribes condemning Nero: the tyrant, the heartless, the wicked.

One Genghis Khan killed a few thousand people to seek pleasure in it and we hate the very name. Now, how will you justify your all powerful, eternal Nero, who every day, every moment continues his pastime of killing people? How can you support his doings which surpass those of Genghis Khan in cruelty and in misery inflicted upon people? I ask why the Almighty created this world which is nothing but a living hell, a place of constant and bitter unrest. Why did he create man when he had the power not to do so? Have you any answer to these questions? You will say that it is to reward the sufferer and punish the evildoer in the hereafter. Well, well, how far will you justify a man who first of all inflicts injuries on your body and then applies soft and soothing ointment on them? How far the supporters and organizers of Gladiator bouts were justified in throwing men before half starved lions, later to be cared for and looked after well if they escaped this horrible death. That is why I ask: Was the creation of man intended to derive this kind of pleasure?

Open your eyes and see millions of people dying of hunger in slums and huts dirtier than the grim dungeons of prisons; just see the labourers patiently or say apathetically while the rich vampires suck their blood; bring to mind the wastage of human energy that will make a man with a little common sense shiver in horror. Just observe rich nations throwing their surplus produce into the sea instead of distributing it among the needy and deprived. There are palaces of kings built upon the foundations laid with human bones. Let them see all this and say “All is well in God’s Kingdom.” Why so? This is my question. You are silent. All right. I proceed to my next point.

You, the Hindus, would say: Whosoever undergoes sufferings in this life, must have been a sinner in his previous birth. It is tantamount to saying that those who are oppressors now were Godly people then, in their previous births. For this reason alone they hold power in their hands. Let me say it plainly that your ancestors were shrewd people. They were always in search of petty hoaxes to play upon people and snatch from them the power of Reason. Let us analyse how much this argument carries weight!

Those who are well versed in the philosophy of Jurisprudence relate three of four justifications for the punishment that is to be inflicted upon a wrong-doer. These are: revenge, reform, and deterrence. The Retribution Theory is now condemned by all the thinkers. Deterrent theory is on the anvil for its flaws. Reformative theory is now widely accepted and considered to be necessary for human progress. It aims at reforming the culprit and converting him into a peace-loving citizen. But what in essence is God’s Punishment even if it is inflicted on a person who has really done some harm? For the sake of argument we agree for a moment that a person committed some crime in his previous birth and God punished him by changing his shape into a cow, cat, tree, or any other animal. You may enumerate the number of these variations in Godly Punishment to be at least eighty-four lack. Tell me, has this tomfoolery, perpetrated in the name of punishment, any reformative effect on human man? How many of them have you met who were donkeys in their previous births for having committed any sin? Absolutely no one of this sort! The so called theory of ‘Puranas’ (transmigration) is nothing but a fairy-tale. I do not have any intention to bring this unutterable trash under discussion. Do you really know the most cursed sin in this world is to be poor? Yes, poverty is a sin; it is a punishment! Cursed be the theoretician, jurist or legislator who proposes such measures as push man into the quagmire of more heinous sins. Did it not occur to your All Knowing God or he could learn the truth only after millions had undergone untold sufferings and hardships? What, according to your theory, is the fate of a person who, by no sin of his own, has been born into a family of low caste people? He is poor so he cannot go to a school. It is his fate to be shunned and hated by those who are born into a high caste. His ignorance, his poverty, and the contempt he receives from others will harden his heart towards society. Supposing that he commits a sin, who shall bear the consequences? God, or he, or the learned people of that society? What is your view about those punishments inflicted on the people who were deliberately kept ignorant by selfish and proud Brahmans? If by chance these poor creatures heard a few words of your sacred books, Vedas, these Brahmans poured melted lead into their ears. If they committed any sin, who was to be held responsible? Who was to bear the brunt? My dear friends, these theories have been coined by the privileged classes. They try to justify the power they have usurped and the riches they have robbed with the help of such theories. Perhaps it was the writer Upton Sinclair who wrote (Bhagat Singh is referring to Sinclair’s pamphlet ‘Profits of Religion’ – MIA transcriber) somewhere “only make a man firm believer in the immortality of soul, then rob him of all that he possesses. He will willingly help you in the process.” The dirty alliance between religious preachers and possessors of power brought the boon of prisons, gallows, knouts and above all such theories for the mankind.

I ask why your Omnipotent God does not hold a man back when he is about to commit a sin or offence. It is child’s play for God. Why did He not kill war lords? Why did He not obliterate the fury of war from their minds? In this way He could have saved humanity of many a great calamity and horror. Why does He not infuse humanistic sentiments into the minds of the Britishers so that they may willingly leave India? I ask why He does not fill the hearts of all capitalist classes with altruistic humanism that prompts them to give up personal possession of the means of production and this will free the whole labouring humanity from the shackles of money. You want to argue the practicability of Socialist theory, I leave it to your Almighty God to enforce it. Common people understand the merits of Socialist theory as far as general welfare is concerned but they oppose it under the pretext that it cannot be implemented. Let the Almighty step in and arrange things in a proper way. No more logic chopping! I tell you that the British rule is not there because God willed it but for the reason that we lack the will and courage to oppose it. Not that they are keeping us under subjugation with the consent of God, but it is with the force of guns and rifles, bombs and bullets, police and militia, and above all because of our apathy that they are successfully committing the most deplorable sin, that is, the exploitation of one nation by another. Where is God? What is He doing? Is He getting a diseased pleasure out of it? A Nero! A Genghis Khan! Down with Him!

Now another piece of manufactured logic! You ask me how I will explain the origin of this world and origin of man. Charles Darwin has tried to throw some light on this subject. Study his book. Also, have a look at Sohan Swami’s “Commonsense.” You will get a satisfactory answer. This topic is concerned with Biology and Natural History. This is a phenomenon of nature. The accidental mixture of different substances in the form of Nebulae gave birth to this earth. When? Study history to know this. The same process caused the evolution of animals and in the long run that of man. Read Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species.’ All the later progress is due to man’s constant conflict with nature and his efforts to utilise nature for his own benefit. This is the briefest sketch of this phenomenon.

Your next question will be why a child is born blind or lame even if he was not a sinner in his previous birth. This problem has been explained in a satisfactory manner by biologists as a mere biological phenomenon. According to them the whole burden rests upon the shoulders of parents whose conscious or unconscious deeds caused mutilation of the child prior to his birth.

You may thrust yet another question at me, though it is merely childish. The question is: If God does not really exist, why do people come to believe in Him? Brief and concise my answer will be. As they come to believe in ghosts, and evil spirits, so they also evolve a kind of belief in God: the only difference being that God is almost a universal phenomenon and well developed theological philosophy. However, I do disagree with radical philosophy. It attributes His origin to the ingenuity of exploiters who wanted to keep the people under their subjugation by preaching the existence of a Supreme Being; thus claimed an authority and sanction from Him for their privileged position. I do not differ on the essential point that all religions, faiths, theological philosophies, and religious creeds and all other such institutions in the long run become supporters of the tyrannical and exploiting institutions, men and classes. Rebellion against any king has always been a sin in every religion.

As regard the origin of God, my thought is that man created God in his imagination when he realized his weaknesses, limitations and shortcomings. In this way he got the courage to face all the trying circumstances and to meet all dangers that might occur in his life and also to restrain his outbursts in prosperity and affluence. God, with his whimsical laws and parental generosity was painted with variegated colours of imagination. He was used as a deterrent factor when his fury and his laws were repeatedly propagated so that man might not become a danger to society. He was the cry of the distressed soul for he was believed to stand as father and mother, sister and brother, brother and friend when in time of distress a man was left alone and helpless. He was Almighty and could do anything. The idea of God is helpful to a man in distress.

Society must fight against this belief in God as it fought against idol worship and other narrow conceptions of religion. In this way man will try to stand on his feet. Being realistic, he will have to throw his faith aside and face all adversaries with courage and valour. That is exactly my state of mind. My friends, it is not my vanity; it is my mode of thinking that has made me an atheist. I don’t think that by strengthening my belief in God and by offering prayers to Him every day, (this I consider to be the most degraded act on the part of man) I can bring improvement in my situation, nor can I further deteriorate it. I have read of many atheists facing all troubles boldly, so I am trying to stand like a man with the head high and erect to the last; even on the gallows.

Let us see how steadfast I am. One of my friends asked me to pray. When informed of my atheism, he said, “When your last days come, you will begin to believe.” I said, “No, dear sir, Never shall it happen. I consider it to be an act of degradation and demoralisation. For such petty selfish motives, I shall never pray.” Reader and friends, is it vanity? If it is, I stand for it.

On The Coal Scam

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

A draft CAG report has estimated a whopping Rs. 10.67 lakh crore loss to the exchequer on account of allocation of 155 coal blocks without competitive bidding by the UPA government between 2004 and 2009. Out of this, windfall gains of Rs. 4.79 lakh crore accrued to a number of private companies.

Coal, being a natural resource, cannot be gifted to private corporations at throwaway prices. The Supreme Court has reiterated this principle in the recent 2G judgement that the state as a custodian of the country’s natural resources cannot sell it off without transparent competitive bidding. While allocating coal blocks to public sector power utilities, which play a social role by providing electricity at reasonable rates, is understandable, such enormous largesse showered on profit-making private companies is nothing but a huge scam. It is disturbing that these coal blocks were allocated at a time when the Prime Minister was in charge of the coal ministry.

Coming after the 2G, CWG, KG gas and Air India scams, the coal scam is yet another misdeed of this scam-ridden UPA government. All these scams are outcomes of the big business-corrupt politician-bureaucrat nexus which has flourished under the neoliberal policy regime.

CPI (M) demands that the CAG report be tabled in parliament without delay and necessary actions initiated on an immediate basis to recoup the losses to the national exchequer.

Fraudulent Poverty Estimates of The Planning Commission

The Polit Bureau of the CPI (M) condemns the efforts of the Planning Commission to use fraudulent methods to deliberately underestimate the level of poverty in the country. In spite of the national outrage when the Planning Commission had given its earlier estimates to the Supreme Court, it has retained the same poverty measure suggested by the Tendulkar Committee. This has meant an absurdly low national poverty line of Rs. 22.40 per day for an adult in rural areas and Rs. 28.65 per day for an adult in urban areas, in 2009-10. Anyone spending more that this is being categorized as non-poor. On the basis of these flawed figures, the Planning Commission claims that the proportion of BPL persons has gone down by 7 per cent between 2004-05 to 2009-10.

This shows the huge gap between the members of the Planning Commission and the reality lived by crores of people in this country who have been burdened by relentless price rise amidst meager incomes. It hardly needs to be stated that these are destitution lines and it is a shame that an institution chaired by the Prime Minister should produce such absurd figures.

What is shocking is that even with these gross under-estimates, large proportions of our population are shown to continue living in destitution. The proportion ranges from 37-39% in states like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha to around 50% in Bihar and Chattisgarh. Shockingly, the North Eastern states of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland are showing an increase in destitution levels. This calls the bluff of “inclusive growth” under the UPA government.

Even the recently released Household Amenities and Assets Census of 2011 shows the extent of poverty in different spheres in India. Out of the 24.6 crore households in India only 29% have a house with concrete roof, only 32% have access to tapped drinking water and only 47% have a latrine facility within the premises. 49.8% of the households still have to defecate in the open; 49% of the households still use firewood as the fuel for cooking and another 17% use cowdung cake or crop residue. 39% of households do not have any kitchen.

The CPI (M) considers the Planning Commission’s poverty estimates to be a dishonest attempt to conceal the reality of glaring inequalities and increasing poverty in India. The CPI (M) demands that the Prime Minister should make a categorical statement that these fraudulent poverty measures will not be used to deny poor people of their right to BPL cards or be used as a benchmark for allocating funds to the states or for welfare programmes.

Railway Budget 2012: Imposing Burdens on the People and Ruining Indian Railways

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

The CPI (M) strongly protests the across the board hike in passenger fares announced in the Railway Budget along with the increase in freight charges for most commodities like coal, fertilizers, foodgrains, steel, cement etc. which was notified on 6^th March 2012.

Fares for second class and sleeper class travel in express trains have been hiked by Rs.3 and Rs.5 per 100 kms, respectively. This will adversely impact millions of rural migrant workers, employees and small entrepreneurs who have to frequently travel thousands of kilometers away from their hometowns. The around 20% hike in freight charges will also have an inflationary impact. The anti-people nature of the Railway Budget is further exposed by the announcement of adding a ‘fuel adjustment component’ to passenger fares, which implies periodic increase in rail fares in tandem with the hike in fuel prices.

The Railway Minister is imposing these burdens on the people in order to cover up for his own inefficiencies, which has led to the bankruptcy of the Indian Railways. The railway budget making exercise has suffered from a steady erosion of credibility over the past few years, with budgetary targets going haywire in the course of the year. The Operating Ratio of the Railways (how much is spent in order to earn 100 rupees) for 2011-12 was budgeted at 91.1% last year. Now it has gone up to 95%, exposing the colossal inefficiency of the Railways.

Such a sharp deterioration of the financial situation of the Railways under the UPA-II, from a position of surplus attained under the previous government, demands an explanation from the Prime Minister. With such massive overshooting of budgetary targets, the claims made in the railway budget of improving the Operating Ratio to less than 85% in 2012-13 and to less than 75% by the end of 12^th five year plan (2017) cannot be taken seriously.

The glaring inefficiency of the Railways can be further seen from the fact that it has missed its freight loading target by 23 million tones this year. This under-achievement is a repeat of last year and is inexplicable at a time when the economy has been growing at 7-8%. There is a shortfall of over Rs. 2000 crore in gross traffic receipts from what was budgeted last year.

The credibility of the railway budget making exercise has further suffered under UPA-II because of the plethora of promises made in a budget one year, only to be forgotten next year. There are several examples since the 2010 budget: “50 world class stations”, “6 bottling plants for fresh water”, “5 sports academies”, “522 hospitals and diagnostic centres including 40 multi-speciality hospitals”, “50 Kendriya Vidyalayas”, 7 new coach and loco factories, 5 new wagon factories, rail axle factories and so on. The silence or obfuscation of the present Railway Minister on these promises confirm that these budget announcements made by the former Railway Minister (present Chief Minister of West Bengal) in 2010 and 2011 were all gimmicks and a fraud on the Indian people. These false promises are now being utilized by the present Railway Minister to go for large scale privatization of the Railways through projects like “Indian Railway Station Development Corporation”, “Logistics Corporation” etc. in the PPP mode.

On the crucial areas of railway safety and modernization, all that was offered were myriad committees and their recommendations, which never seem to take off the ground. The “feasibility” study of high-speed rail is going on for the past two years without any result. The Freight corridor project is also not making any progress. All this reflect poorly on the Indian Railways as an institution and shows that it has become incapable of project delivery. The Railway Minister in his speech was openly taking out his frustration by blaming the Finance Minister for inadequate funding provided to the Railways through Gross Budgetary Support.

The Railway Budget documents show a gradual reduction in the staff strength of the Railways from 13.66 lakh in March 2010 to 13.62 lakh in March 2011. The assertion made by the Railway Minister regarding fresh recruitment of 80,000 persons in 2011-12 cannot be verified in the absence of current employment figures in the budget documents.

The CPI (M) calls upon the people to protest against this anti-people railway budget which has imposed new burdens in the form of fare hikes and increase in freight charges. The CPI (M) also cautions the people against a gradual destruction of the Indian Railways under the present dispensation through false promises, gross mismanagement and inefficiencies.

On US Special Forces in India

The Commander of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Robert Willard had stated at a Congressional hearing that American Special forces assist teams are stationed in India along with Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Both the Ministry of External Affairs and the Defence Ministry have denied that any such force existed in India. This denial only raises further questions.

The statement made by the US Pacific Commander is categorical. He states: “We have currently special forces assist teams - Pacific assist teams is the term - laid down in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, as well as India". India falls within the purview of the Pacific Command within the US military command. The head of the Pacific Command has made an authoritative statement before a US Congressional committee.

There is no clarification from the US side that this statement is incorrect. The UPA government has not informed the country about the other arrangements which it has entered into with the US. For instance in the same testimony Admiral Willard has said: “We are working very closely with India with regard to their counter-terrorism capabilities and in particular on the maritime domain but also government to government, not necessarily DOD (department of defence) but other agencies assisting them in terms of their internal counter-terror and counterinsurgency challenges".

The government should come clean on the whole range of both the overt and covert military and security relations which exist with the United States.

Massive Response to Strike Call

 

The countrywide General Strike on 28th February 2012 will be recorded as a milestone in the history of the trade union movement in the country. The working class of the country responded magnificently to the call for the General Strike given by all the eleven central trade unions and all India industrial federations in almost all the sectors of the economy. For the first time in the history of our trade union movement, INTUC and BMS both joined the other central trade unions and industrial federations to give the call for an all India General Strike. This unprecedented unity evoked massive response from the workers. As per initial estimates, more than ten crore workers all over the country - from Jammu & Kashmir in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south, from Assam in the east to Gujarat in the west participated in the strike opposing the anti worker and anti people policies of the government.

This General Strike, the fourteenth after the advent of the neoliberal economic policies in our country is significant because of the unprecedented unity of all the central trade unions and the demands raised by them that reflected the concerns not only of the workers but also of all sections of the toiling people. Besides, joint campaigns at the state and lower levels were also conducted this time on a wider scale. The joint campaign undertaken by the central leadership of the trade unions inspired many independent and state level trade unions to join the strike. Thus the 28th February strike will be etched in the annals of our trade union movement as the biggest ever strike action by the working class till date.

The major demands included concrete measures to curb price rise and provide some relief to the people, effective implementation of all labour laws and stringent punishment to those who flout them, universal social security for all unorganised workers by creating a National Social Security Fund with adequate financial allocations, stopping contractual labour in permanent jobs and equal wages and benefits to the contract workers as the permanent workers of the establishment, universal coverage by minimum wages Act and statutory minimum wage of not less than Rs 10000, pension for all, removal of all ceiling on eligibility for bonus, provident fund etc, and compulsory registration of the trade unions within a time frame of 45 days.

The expectations of the ruling classes that the defeat of the Left Front in West Bengal and the threats of the present chief minister to instil terror among the workers in the state would dampen the strike were totally belied by the workers of West Bengal who participated in the strike in a big way, facing brutal repression and ignoring all threats and intimidation. The impact of the strike was such that the corporate media, which usually chooses to ignore such actions by the working class, was forced to report about it and highlight the fact that West Bengal along with Kerala was the worst hit by the strike.

However, not only in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura but in several other states like Assam, Manipur, most parts of Karnataka, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh etc a bandh like situation prevailed with public transport coming to a grinding halt and shops and markets being completely closed. In many places in West Bengal, police resorted to brutal lathi charge and arrests. Workers peacefully demonstrating in Srinagar in J&K, Bhiwani in Haryana and Guwahati and Numaligarh in Assam were beaten up and arrested by the police. In addition, the striking workers in West Bengal were physically assaulted and injured by the hoodlums let loose by the ruling party to break the strike. Normal activities in many of the industrial areas in the national capital Delhi and the National Capital Region of Faridabad and Gurgaon were hit due to the massive strike action by the workers.

The CITU congratulated the working class of the country for the massive response to the strike all over the country and across the sectors. CITU saluted the heroic resistance by the striking workers to threats and intimidating tactics of the state government and the hoodlums of the ruling party to break the strike in West Bengal and extended all solidarity to them.

The strike encompassed workers and employees from almost all the sectors including the strategic sectors as well as the unorganised sector, as the following reports indicate. 

* Strike was almost total in the entire financial sector in the country including banks and insurance involving around 20 lakh workers and employees.

* All the central public sector units and major industrial units in the private sector in Bangalore and Mysore were completely paralysed

* Strike was total in all the ports in the country; even in Haldia port, in West Bengal which witnessed the terror unleashed by the ruling party in the state, the strike had visible impact

* Around 6 million state government employees, teachers, employees of state public sector units, boards and corporations covering almost all the states except a few, participated in the strike; even in West Bengal where the government issued threats of break in service and other measures of victimisation for participating in strike, the state government employees responded in a magnificent way.

* More than 2000 workers including CITU leaders Manik Sanyal and Zia ul Alam were arrested.

* Central government employees all over the country participated in the strike in a big way; in the defence production sector, participation in the strike was around 80%

* In the Major Defence PSUs viz., BEL and HAL, strike was almost total in all the units throughout the country. Workers in four plants of BHEL in Trichy, Ranipet and Bangalore were on total strike.

* Majority of the 6 lakhs coal mine workers in nine companies – ECL, BCCL, CCL, SECL, NCL, CMPDIL etc joined the strike; strike was partial in Singareni Collieries; strike was near total in the non coal mining belt spread over Jharkhand, Odisha, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh

* More than 70% of the telecom workers and employees in BSNL participated in the strike

* The strike in the petroleum sector- in the upstream, refineries and marketing, was total in the eastern, north eastern and southern parts of the country while more than 70% workers in this sector in the western and northern India participated in the strike

* In the steel industry, contract workers in eight steel plants participated in the strike en masse; 90% of regular workers in Vizag steel plant, 85% of them in Salem steel plant, and 70% of Alloy steel plant workers in Durgapur participated in the strike. In Durgapur steel plant and IISCO strike was 50% and in Rourkela steel plant it was 40%; strike among regular workers in Bokaro and Bhilai steel plants was however partial.

* The participation of transport workers, particularly of the state road transport corporations in the strike was massive in many states, like Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, etc completely paralysing the public transport; in several states private transport workers too responded to the strike magnificently

* Electricity workers including the contract workers and daily wage workers participated in the strike in large numbers in many states

* Plantation workers in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala participated in the strike en masse; in Tamil Nadu, Assam and Karnataka too strike was massive among the plantation workers

* In all the states the unorganised sector workers in brick kiln, construction, head load workers, loading and unloading workers, beedi workers, mandi workers, auto rickshaw drivers, etc participated in the strike in a massive way and also in the rallies, demonstrations, rail and rasta rokos in huge numbers.

* Strike was total among the construction workers in the organised sector including in all the Hydel projects in Himachal Pradesh

* Around 15 lakhs anganwadi employees and lakhs of ASHAs and mid day meal workers participated in the strike; in several states they held demonstrations and burnt the effigies of the government

* Overwhelming majority of the 1.5 lakhs medical and sales representatives all over the country joined the strike

* Lakhs of fishers and fisheries workers all over the country joined the strike

The massive participation of workers of all affiliations and irrespective of any affiliations in the strike indicates their anger and resentment at the attacks on their working and living conditions and the determination to resist them. This was also reflected in the wide support the strike received from the common people. While the Left parties firmly supported the strike, in some states some local political parties also extended their support. The reports received from different states illustrate the area and the spread of the strike.

Some state wise details of the strike, in addition to the impact on the banking and insurance sectors, and state and central government offices, which were severely affected all over the country, are given below:

Andhra Pradesh

A highly successful strike was observed all over the state, its impact visible even at the mandal level. Workers in 1072 mandals and 138 municipal towns in all the 23 districts in the state participated in the strike. The strike in most of the public sector units in Vizag and Hyderabad was total. It was total in Vizag Steel, Shipyard, BSNL, ECIL, BEL, HCL, and BHEL (R&D). In Singareni Collieries 80% contract workers and 20% permanent workers went on strike. It was significant that the strike was total in the SEZs in Visakhapatnam and in the Apachi SEZ in Kadapa where thousands of workers in Brandix and other units participated. 240 workers were arrested and non bailable cases were foisted on them in Kadapa. While all the contract workers in HPCL and Defence participated in the strike, participation of permanent workers was 50% in HPCL and 75% in Defence. In BHPV 75% of employees went on strike. In Hyderabad 1800 units in private sector with more than 2 lakhs workers were closed; in Srikakulam strike was 100% in Aurobindo Pharma and workers in 16 private industrial units went on strike. Auto rickshaw drivers in 120 stands in Hyderabad were off the roads. Private transport in several major cities like Visakhapatnam, Adilabad etc went off the road. Hundreds of railway workers demonstrated in support of the strike in Visakhapatnam and some other cities. Strike was also massive in the industrial areas in Medak and Ranga Reddy districts. 11 workers were arrested in Medak. Strike was 100% among the anganwadi employees, mid day meal workers, ASHAs, etc; lakhs of beedi workers, construction workers, loading and unloading workers, shop employees, small vendors etc participated in the strike and in the demonstrations that were held at the mandal level. As per initial reports around 414709 workers participated in the demonstrations.

Assam

The strike resulted in a virtual ‘bandh’ like situation in the state. Road transport, both private and public, was totally off the road. In Oil India, Numaligarh refineries, Coal India, Powergrid Corporation, the strike was almost total; it was partial among the regular workers in BRPL and Digboi while all the contract workers were on strike. It was highly successful in the paper mills. The tea plantations, the major industry of the state, witnessed unprecedented massive strike due to the joint initiative of CITU and INTUC. The strike was also massive in BSNL, postal, defence and other central government establishments. However, it was partial among the state government employees. More than 2000 workers were arrested throughout the state including Asit Dutta and Tapan Sharma president and secretary of Assam state committee of CITU and Ananta Deka, MLA.

Bihar

Most of the industrial units in Hazipur, Patna, Begusarai remained closed due to the strike. Auto rickshaws remained off the road in Patna, Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur. Beedi workers in Jamui participated in the strike; Jute mills in Samastipur were paralysed. Unorganised workers joined the strike in all the districts and participated in massive rallies 

Chattisgarh

Strike was successful in the coal mines and other industries in the states. In Rajhara and Nandini Iron ore mines, strike was 100%. State Govt Power Plant at Korba and also the Power Plants of LANKO and BCCP in the adjoining area were closed due to strike. A most successful strike was witnessed in BALCO. In the 2nd shift, the striking workers were attacked by the security guards and local goons injuring many workers; three workers including President of CITU union in BALCO were severely injured and hospitalised. 15 workers including Lalji Kurre, the president of the BALCO workers’ union were injured. Strike among Beedi workers, Anganwadi workers, head-load workers in mandis and construction workers throughout the state was almost total.

Delhi

Workers in most of the industrial areas in the capital struck work and took out massive joint processions and demonstrations voicing the demands. Rasta roko was held in several places. In some industrial areas, the employers themselves closed the units for the day in view of the strike. Wazirpur industrial area in North Delhi was totally shut down, while most of the factories in Jahangirpuri, GT Karnal Road and Bhorgarh in the same area were closed with thousands of workers joining the processions. Half of all the factories in Okhla Phase I industrial area in South Delhi were closed due to the strike; around 10000 workers marched on the streets; the street vendors also participated in the strike. Around 200 factories in Mayapuri industrial area in South West Delhi were closed; workers conducted rasta roko blocking traffic for around one hour and burnt the effigy of the government. In the Mongolpuri Phase I and Phase II industrial areas in North West Delhi, workers went on strike and around 7000 participated in the procession. Udyog nagar was closed. 4000 workers joined the demonstrations in Kirti nagar industrial area. The loading and unloading workers in several markets joined the strike. Strike was total in Jal Board. Medial and sales representatives were on strike. The airport cargo workers went on strike for 2 hours. Anganwadi employees also participated in the strike and demonstrations.

Gujarat

In Gujarat, for the first time, more than 5 lakhs workers participated in the strike. Big processions and demonstrations were held in many cities and district headquarters. The strike was total in Kandla and Bhavnagar ports; it was 60% in the Naulaki port; around 20000 loading and unloading workers participated in the strike. Medical representatives, beedi workers, hawkers, auto rickshaw drivers, in their thousands joined the strike. Strike was total among the 92000 anganwadi employees in the state; they participated in large numbers in the joint trade union demonstrations, in 4-5 districts outnumbering the other sections of workers. Around 15000 ASHAs too joined the strike. 70% of workers of Ahmedabad bus service participated in the strike while the state road transport workers and postal employees withdrew the strike. Strike was total in Baroda engineering, chemical, Makerpura GIDC and Nandesari GIDC; industrial workers, mostly in the engineering, foundries, ceramics, plastics etc in Junagarh, Rajkot, Bharuch, Surendranagar, Ahmedabad, Vallabh Vidya nagar joined the strike, as also the municipal corporation workers in Bhavnagar. The power loom workers and a section of diamond workers and the chemical workers in Surat also participated in the strike. Around 50000 workers participated in the demonstrations held in different places in the state.

Haryana

The strike was total in Haryana Roadways, tourism, non teaching staff of universities, educational board and municipal corporations all over the state; effective strike was observed in the health, PWD and power sectors; workers affiliated to CITU, HMS, BMS and other unions in the industrial area of Faridabad went on strike; many workers not affiliated to any union also joined the strike. The national highway was blocked for one hour. Demonstrations were held by CITU in all the district headquarters and at the division level also; in Panipat, around 2000 participated in rasta roko for 1 hour and rail roko for 30 minutes; in Jind and Narwana around 1100 and 1400 workers conducted rasta roko; in Bhiwani around 160 workers were arrested; police also resorted to lathi charge;

Around 30000 workers in dozens of units in Gurgaon went on strike; RDC, Xerox India, Hema engineering, Suzuki motorcycles, IMT Manesar, Munjal Soha, Satyam Auto, Hylex, Lumex, MESL, IFB, GKN, Rico Auto and several other units participated in the strike; anganwadi employees, ASHAs, mid day meal workers, village chowkidars, sweepers, forest workers, construction workers etc in the unorganised sector also participated in the strike in large numbers.

Himachal Pradesh

Strike was total in all the Hydel power plants in the state. It was also observed all over the state by the anganwadi employees and mid day meal workers; hotel workers and construction workers also joined the strike. In the industrial areas in Solan, Parawanoo and Una districts industrial workers joined the strike action in a big way.

Jammu and Kashmir

There was a complete strike in the central PSUs like NHPC, Power Grid, etc and in state PSUs like SRTC, JK Minerals, Kalakot Mines and Baglihar Hydle Project. Besides, construction workers, Four Lane Road and Tunnel Workers, Sangaldan Railway Project workers, ASHAs, anganwadi employees, railway loading and unloading workers, medical sales and representatives, daily wagers of PDD were on strike in Jammu Region. 

For the first time a joint demonstration of workers led by CITU, AITUC, BMS and INTUC was held in Jammu in which around 3000 – 4000 workers participated. In the Kashmir valley too there was complete strike in the central and state public sector undertakings including NHPC. ASHAs and anganwadi employees also participated in the strike. A rally was organised by CITU in Sher e Kashmir Park in Srinagar in which around 2000 workers from different unions participated. Police resorted to brutal lathi charge and used tear gas shells on the workers when they tried to march towards the Divisional Commissioner’s office after the public meeting. The workers including anganwadi employees and ASHAs put up stiff resistance against the highhandedness of the police force. Dozens of workers including Abdul Rashid Najar, secretary of J&K state committee of CITU were injured; 2 workers became unconscious; more than 20 were arrested 

Jharkhand

The strike was successful in the state; 80% of coal workers including the contract workers in all the coal companies in the state - CCL, BCCL, ECL, CMPDI and IICM participated in the strike; around 1.5 lakh coal workers in the coal fields in Dhanbad, Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Latehar, Bokaro, Godda and Deogarh districts participated in the strike; strike was total among state government, postal, BSNL, telecom, central water board, GSI, Income Tax and other central government employees; 90% of electricity employees were on strike; it was 100% in Mython thermal power plant; contract and casual workers of DVC joined the strike; around 1 lakh beedi workers and 15000 stone quarry workers in Sahebganj and Pakur districts of Santal Paragana; strike was total in state transport; in private transport strike was effective in Dumka, Pakur and Sahebganj while it was partial in Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, and Jamshedpur; loading and unloading workers of MGR working for NTPC were totally on strike; more than 5 lakh construction workers went on strike; workers of 800 small industrial units in Adityapur industrial area of Saraikela - Kharsanwa participated in the strike and conducted a dharna; 300 workers were arrested; strike was total in Hindusthan Copper Limited, in Barud factory; more than 5000 medical representatives participated in the strike; in IFICO sales wing around 80% were on strike; work in mines came to a total halt; rice mills in Dalbhumgarh and Chukulia were closed; strike was observed in the engineering units in Dhanbad and Ramgarh districts; 20% regular workers and 80% contract workers in Bokaro steel went on strike; in HEC in Hatia in Ranchi around 30% workers including contract workers participated in strike; anganwadi employees went on strike and around 1500 held demonstration in Godda; however strike had no impact on Tata industrial area except for a few contract workers; a massive rally was organised in Ranchi by CITU and courted arrest; several CITU leaders including the president and general secretary of the state committee, Sudhir Das and DD Ramanandan were arrested. 

Karnataka

The strike call evoked spontaneous response from the workers in different sectors in the state. In many districts, a complete bandh like situation prevailed with markets closed, transport paralysed and streets deserted. It was reported that in around 41 taluks out of the total 175 there was total bandh while in another 15, there was partial bandh.

Strike was total in the public sector enterprises of BEL, BHEL, HAL, ITI, BEML and Hatti Gold mines, with the contract workers participating in their full strength. Strike was also total in the private sector – in Bosch, Volvo, Toyota, Federal Mogul, Kennametal, L&T, ITC, WIPRO, Coca Cola, Pepsicola, Vikrant, Harihara Polyfibres, Kirloskar Electricals, Rajashree Cements, INDALCO, Jindal and other big industries. 

In Bangalore the industrial strike was total and all the industries closed their operations. Auto drivers also kept away from roads and participated in the strike. Thousands of workers took out protest marches in all industrial areas and blocked highways. The workers took a largest protest march in the central part of the City and blocked road for more than 4 hours at KG Road in Bangalore. Road block was also organised in Mysore. 

Anganwadi employees in 98 taluks participated in the strike; around 300 – 900 anganwadi employees joined the demonstrations in each of these taluks. Mid day meal workers, auto rickshaw drivers, head load workers, beedi, gram panchayat and construction workers etc all over the state joined the strike and participated in large numbers in the protest actions.

The Pre University examinations scheduled on 28th February have been postponed. Several Colleges and Schools in the limits of 23 districts were closed down on the call of Students Federation of India in support of workers strike.

Kerala

The strike is total in the state. 18 trade unions including all the central trade unions and several local trade unions like STU, KTUC participated in the strike. Workers in the two industrial centres of Kerala viz. Kochi and Alwaye in Ernakuklam district and Kanchikode in Palakkad district participated in the strike totally. Strike in the Kochi port was almost total. The industries under the state and central public sector as well as private sector did not function. 

As per preliminary assessment, a total of 75 lakh workers struck work in the state. Shops were closed even in the remotest villages. Vehicular traffic was almost absent. Motor transport workers totally took part in the strike. Unorganised sector workers totally participated in the strike. Agriculture workers, Plantation workers, cashew workers, fisheries workers, coir workers, construction workers, artisans, hand loom, khadi, beedi workers etc. went on strike. Strike in the electricity sector and BSNL was total.

State government employees totally struck work ignoring the dais non declared by the state government. Joint rallies were organised all over the state in district head quarters, industrial centres and panchayat head quarters and towns. Thousands of workers participated in rallies.

Madhya Pradesh

The impact of strike was widely felt in the state. In Gwalior, there was a total bandh and workers and other sections of working people resorted to rail roko. Strike was total in BSNL and Defence industry. Medical representatives all over the state joined the strike and held demonstratins. The functioning of the state and central government offices was badly affected due to the strike. In coal industry, the strike was near complete in different areas of WCL; it was 95% in Pathkhera, 75% in Pench kanhan, 60% in SECL’s Kotama, 40% in Hasdev and Pali 40. However, in BHEL in Bhopal, only 20 – 25% permanent workers participated in the strike. All the contract workers in NFL, Guna, in Sanjay Gandhi Power House in Pali participated in the strike. 

It was total among the anganwadi employees, ASHAs and USHAs, while 80% loading and unloading workers in the mandis participated in the strike. Industrial workers held massive demonstrations and rallies in the different places in the state. In all the district headquarters big joint rallies and demonstrations were organised.

Maharashtra

The working class of Maharashtra joined the all India strike in a big way. It is estimated that more than 20 lakh workers from the organised and unorganised sectors participated in the strike. Mumbai and JNPT Ports were paralysed. Massive strike was reported from industrial areas of Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Thane, Nasik, Ichhalkaranji, Nagpur and other areas. Strike in HAL, Nasik was total. All the 35 district head quarters witnessed big processions of striking workers and employees. A huge rally was held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Bharatiya Kamgar Maha Sangh also joined the strike.

 

Manipur

Strike was effective in the state with the attendance in state government offices being badly affected; central government offices like post offices, BSNL, telecom and telegraph offices, AG office and insurance offices were closed; passenger vehicles, petrol tankers, goods trucks etc were off the road; shops and markets in Imphal and other towns in the state were closed; educational institutions, both government and private were also closed

Odisha

There was bandh like situation in the state on 28th February. Transport came to a complete halt; auto rickshaws did not ply and shops were closed. In Rourkela steel plant around 40% regular workers and 100% contract workers participated in the strike. Adhunik Metalics, OCL Steel, Iron ore mines and sponge iron factories and other industrial units in Sundergarh district were completely closed. Small scale units were also totally closed. Mines and industries in and around Badbil could not function. Work in Paradeep port and other industries in Paradeep came to a standstill due to the strike. The headquarters of Mahanadi coalmines was closed. 

Contract workers in NTPC in Talcher thermal plant totally joined the strike. In NALCO in Angul and Damanjodi, the strike was partial; the regular workers held dharna near the factory gates while the contract workers joined the strike. Workers in the industrial estates of Balasore, Bhadrak, Sambalpur, Khurda, and Jajpur Road joined the strike paralysing production.

Thirty thousand auto drivers along with the state road transport workers joined the strike totally paralysing public transport. Train services were disrupted by the picketing by the workers in all the major railway stations in the state. Anganwadi employees, ASHAs and mid day meal workers participated in the strike almost totally. More than 1 lakh workers all over the state participated in the rallies and demonstrations. Around 1000 including Bishnu Mohanty were arrested and detained in Rourkela.

Punjab

The strike evoked massive response from the working class in Punjab and Chandigarh. Around 80000 industrial workers in Ludhiana, Bathinda, Sangrur, Nawahshahr, Ropar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Rajkot, Patiala, Derabassi, Mohali, Batala, Malekotla, Ahmedgarh, Mandigobindpur, Jagraon, Rajpura, Patran etc in around 120 big and medium and around 400 small scale industrial units participated in the strike. 

Thousands of brick kiln workers, anganwadi employees, ASHAs, mid day meal workers, forest workers, workers of Food Corporation of India, construction workers, private transport workers, loading and unloading workers, state transport corporation workers, medical representatives went on strike. Around 8000 Punjab Roadways workers observed strike for two hours and held rallies and demonstrations near the bus depots. 65% of the electricity workers in Punjab and around 70% in Chandigarh joined the strike. Strike was total in the defence sector, 70% in BSNL. Rallies and demonstrations were held in 110 places; road blocks in 50 places. In many places where no joint trade union rally was held anganwadi employees organised rallies on their own.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan was one of the states where the strike had a big and visible impact. All the offices of central government in the state were closed due to the strike; no bus of state transport plied; all the 48 state road transport corporation depots were closed; autos were off the street; in Jodhpur, the entire public transport was affected. 85% of the textile units in the Bhilwara industrial hub were closed; auto rickshaws were off the road in Sikar, Hanumangarh, Jhunjhunu and Sri Ganga nagar. Factories and industrial establishments in Bhilwara, Rajsamund, Jodhpur, Kota, Sri Ganganagar, Jaipur, and Khetri etc were closed due to the strike; big industrial establishments like J& K Tyres, NBC Bearings, Anil Steel, Hindusthan Zinc, Khetri Copper etc were totally closed. Strike was total in Atomic Power Plant in Rawatbhata. State government employees and teachers took mass casual leave.

Tamil Nadu

Strike was massive in the state. The strike was total in banks, insurance, BSNL, state and central government offices, district collectorates, block development offices, income tax offices, and medical department in the entire state. Participation was impressive in the units of state public sector units in electricity, transport, civil supplies, Tamil Nadu Minerals, Poompuhar shipping, Tamil Nadu Magnesite, Dalmia Magnesite, TWAD Board. Strike was total at BHEL Ranipet, IOC, Chennai Port, New and Old Ports at Tuticorin. 90% participation was reported at BHEL Trichy, SAIL Salem, Defence units at Avadi. It was near total in the manufacturing units in and around Chennai which include TVS Group, Simpson, Ashok Leyland, MRF, Eveready, TI Group, Audco Valves, Rane Engine Valves, Rane Motors, L & T, Corborandum, Ennore Foundry, Areva, KCP, Kaparo, Asian Paints, SSL-TTK, HM Lancer, Indian Furniture, TCL, Bharat Aluminium, etc. Strike was 100% in BHEL, Ranipet. Workers of Mettur Power plant, state transport, electricity, cooperatives, road transport, sanitary workers in the local bodies etc went on strike all over the state. 

The participation of the workers as well as some of the employers in the small and tiny industries was noteworthy. Coimbatore witnessed a bandh like situation with almost all textiles and industrial units being shut. Autos did not ply. More than 50% of the traders also participated in the call by closing down their shutters. More than three lakh workers have reportedly participated in the district. In Tiruppur, around five lakh workers belonging to hosiery industry, power loom, and metal utensil manufacturing industry have effectively responded to the call. More than 2000 hosiery and their subsidiary units remained closed. In Hosur, strike was total in the strategic automobile industry including the main manufacturing units of TVS and Leyland. In Dindigul strike was total in more than 50 tanneries; 60% of autos did not ply. Strike was total in Suzlon industry in Puducherry, where a rasta roko was also held. 

Lakhs of workers in the unorganised sector – the plantation workers in Salem, Nilgiris, Dindigul and other districts, beedi workers in Tirunelveli and Vellore, the salt pan workers including the government salt pan workers in Tuticorin, construction workers, loading and unloading workers, auto drivers, small vendors, tailoring workers, road transport workers, hand loom workers, anganwadi employees, etc - all over the state participated in large numbers in the strike and the demonstrations. Around one lakh workers participated in the demonstrations held all over the state on the occasion.

Tripura

Strike was total in all sectors in the state resulting in a bandh like situation. Transport was completely paralysed. Workers in different sectors like plantation, electricity, construction, beedi, anganwadi employees, mid day meal workers, ASHAs etc went on strike and held massive demonstrations.

 

Uttar Pradesh

Despite the ongoing elections to the state assembly, the 28th February strike evoked good response from the employees and workers in the state. All the offices of public sector banks and insurance companies remained closed. Medical and sales representatives were on strike. The employees of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) expressed their anger by wearing black badges. The glass bangle workers in Firozabad were on strike and participated in a big rally along with construction workers, hotel workers and bank and insurance employees.

West Bengal

The 28th February strike was highly successful in the state despite the severe repression let loose by the administration and the hooligans of the ruling party in the state with the chief minister herself issuing threats of victimisation and suppression. 

90% of the tea garden workers in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and North Dinajpur participated in the strike; the Adivasi Vikas Parishad also joined the strike. In Jute industry, strike was 85%; in coal 82%; in steel it was 65%. Hosiery industry witnessed total strike. Except very few, all the engineering units in Hooghly, Howrah, North and South 24 Paraganas and Kolkata were closed. Significantly 85% IT sector workers in Salt Lake participated in the strike. All the workers and employees of state electricity board, CESC, DVC, NTPC and Power Grid went on strike, except for emergency duties. The electricity consumption was 600 megawatt less than on an ordinary working day. 

Transport service was severely affected due to the strike. The train services were irregular; the local trains were deserted; the few taxis that ran in the morning went off the roads by the afternoon; 80% auto rickshaws were off the road. Private bus operators were threatened to run the buses but there were very few passengers. In different districts, NBSTC, SBSTC, Surface transport authorities failed to run the buses; people did not board the buses that were forcibly put into service. The launch services were totally stopped. Unorganised workers participated in the strike in a massive way. Except in a few towns, where the workers were threatened by the TMC hooligans, municipal workers all over the state participated in the strike. Most of the establishments in the Bantala leather complex were closed. Workers of IOC, ONGC, BPCL, HPCL participated in the strike; Budge Budge terminal was closed. Around 50% of the workers in the Haldia industrial area took part in the strike, despite the threat by the TMC. 90% of BSNL employees and 75% of Defence employees were on strike. 

More than 2000 leaders and workers including Manik Sanyal and Zia ul Alam, leaders of the plantation workers and working committee members of CITU were arrested. Police resorted to severe lathi charge and arrests in many places. Srikumar Mukherjee, former minister and leader of IOC union, journalists of Star Anand and 24 Ghanta were attacked. In West Midnapore, anganwadi employees and school teachers were threatened of dire consequences. In Uttarpara, insurance employees and officers were physically assaulted.

Reports of strike by workers of some industrial units and establishments were received from Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. In Goa also port workers and workers of some industrial units joined the strike. In Port Blair of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Govt employees took staged day-long mass dharna in support of the General Strike. 

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

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) congratulates the millions of workers and employees throughout the country who have struck work and registered a strong protest against the neo-liberal economic policies being pursued by the UPA government.

 

The call for the strike was given by the united platform of all Central trade unions.  This is the first joint strike call by all the Central trade unions and the all India Federations of employees in various sectors. Reports indicate that over ten crore workers and employees participated in the strike.

 

The general strike was a huge success in the banking, telecom, defence, insurance, mining, transport, insurance, various public sector units, central and state government offices and departments. Shops and markets remained closed in various places. In many places in West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, the striking workers had to brave brutal attacks by the police and also large scale arrests. Besides police attacks, the striking workers in West Bengal had to face severe physical attacks by hoodlums let loose by the ruling TMC.

 

The strike call was given to demand among other things concrete measures to contain price rise; strict enforcement of labour laws; universal social security cover for the unorganized sector workers; against disinvestment of PSUs etc.

 

The massive response to the strike should serve as a warning to the government that the working people and their unions would not accept such indifference and neglect lying down and they will further intensify their struggle if their basic demands are not addressed. The unity and militancy displayed during this strike should be carried forward for bringing in alternative policies.