Rajasthan: Alternate Policy Platform : Rajasthan Loktantric Morcha Convention

 

A convention of the recently formed Rajasthan Loktantric Morcha consisting of the CPI(M), CPI, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (Secular) and Janata Da (United) was held on July 21,2013 in Jaipur.

The Alternative Policy Resolution adopted at the convention demands land-reforms, granting of special status to the state, new mining policy to protect the interests of the tribals, sub-plan for the SC-ST, protection of minorities, prevention of atrocities on women, extending social security to peasants, agricultural labourers and artisans, improving the provision of irrigation, drinking water and electricity, protecting the pastoral communities and rights of workers, expansion of MNREGA and putting a stop to increasing privatisation of education and health.

 

The convention also called for strengthening the Rajsthan Loktantric Morcha, for the ouster of the Congress from power and to keep the BJP away from power.

 

The resolution presented by Samajwadi Party leader Pt. Ram Kishan Sharma was jointly prepared by the CPI(M), CPI, SP and the JD(S). The JD(U) gave its consent to the resolution by participating in the convention. Prior to this convention, state level activists of the four parties had already held a meeting in which the decision to build an anti-Congress, anti-BJP front of the Left, democratic and secular forces was taken.

 

This convention was the next step towards building a non-Congress, non-BJP front based on alternative policies. It was also decided to expand the front by including other parties and prominent intellectuals who agree with the Alternate Policy Resolution.

 

800 activists from various districts  of the state participated in the convention, by CPI(M) Central Committee member and MLA Amra Ram, CPI's state secretary Tara Singh Siddu, SP president Pt. Ram Kishan Sharma and JD(U) President Arjun Detha.

 

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, CPI leader A.B.Bardhan, JD(S) General Secretary Danish Ali, minister in UP government and SP leader Ram Sakal Gujar, JD(U) General Secretary Javed Raza, CPI(M) Central Committee Member, Hannan Mollah and CPI Central Secretariat member Atul Kumar Anjan addressed the convention.

 

Speaking at the convention CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat slammed the Congress government in the state led by Ashok Gehlot for not doing anything to prevent the incidents of communal violence in the state during the last five years. She said, “There have been 55, big and small, incidents of communal violence during the  Congress rule. We know that the RSS and the BJP had a hand in these incidents…it is their politics…they want to divide people to promote their politics…but what was the Chief Minister doing? What was Congress doing?”

 

Brinda also castigated BJP state president Vasundhara Raje for staying out of the state for the last four and half years and resurfacing recently only to seek votes.  “Being in the opposition, Ms.Vasundhara Raje did not raise a single issue in the assembly…now she has woken up at the time of elections and claims to bring Suraaj.” But during her Suraaj, there were not one, not two but a 100 instances of lathicharge and firing at farmers and workers of Rajsthan,” she said.

 

CPI(M) State Secretary and Central Committee Member, Vasudev deliverd the concluding speech.

 

Bengal Panchayat Elections Rigged

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

 

 

Rigged Panchayat Elections in West Bengal

 

The three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal which have just concluded, has led to an unprecedented situation. The entire election has been marred by widespread attacks, intimidation and rigging. Thousands of candidates were prevented from filing nominations. In many places opposition candidates were prevented from conducting their election campaign among the people; the polling process was vitiated by widespread rigging, prevention of people casting their votes and violence against opposition candidates, their polling agents and supporters.

 

The run-up to the panchayat election saw determined efforts by the Trinamool Congress government to subvert the polling process itself. It required the State Election Commission going to the High Court and eventually the Supreme Court to get a decision to have a five-phase polling (against the wishes of the state government) and the direction to deploy central police forces along with the state police.

 

Despite these verdicts, the TMC government did everything to undermine these decisions. The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself declared that central police forces need not be deployed. Shockingly, ministers in the government publicly threatened the State Election Commissioner and warned her of dire consequences. Defying the court order, the central police forces were not deployed at the polling stations with a few exceptions.

 

In the run-up to the elections, there were widespread attacks on the Left Front and the opposition. Around six thousand CPI(M) and Left Front candidates were physically prevented from filing their nominations. This led to a situation wherein for the Zilla Parishads in Hooghly, out of the total of 50 seats, the Left Front could not file candidates in 10 seats. In 6191 seats in the three-tier panchayats, TMC candidates were declared elected unopposed.

 

During the campaign, TMC ministers and leaders made the most provocative speeches inciting violence against all opponents. No action was taken against them. All through the campaign Left Front and Congress candidates were attacked, their campaigners including women beaten up and injured.

 

During the polling which began on July 11 and concluded on July 25 what was witnessed was a state-sponsored rigging of the elections by the TMC. In all the districts put together, a total of 4470 booths were completely or partially captured. For instance, in Burdwan district 909 booths, 750 in West Midnapur, 429 in South 24 Parganas and 400 booths in Coochbehar were captured. (See Annexure I).

 

In many booths, polling agents of the CPI(M) and the Left Front were driven out after which stamping of ballot papers took place. In fact all opponents of the ruling party faced a similar situation in many areas. In many areas from the morning itself people were not allowed to leave their homes in the villages to go to the polling booths to vote. Hundreds of Left Front supporters and workers of other opposition parties were injured in attacks when they attempted to go for polling. Many of them have suffered serious injuries and have been hospitalized. Even some candidates to the three tier Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat were not allowed to vote in many places. Even two Members of Parliament, Mahendra Roy in Jalpaiguri district and Nripen Roy in Coochbehar district were prevented from voting.

 

The state police which was stationed at the polling booths refused to intervene when attacks took place of workers and voters of the Left Front. In many instances, the police lathicharged or arrested those who were resisting the attacks or asserted their right to vote. In a planned manner, the central police forces were not deployed in many of the hypersensitive and sensitive booths.

 

Despite the orders of the State Election Commission and the High Court directive motorcycle gangs were not stopped and were allowed to move freely to terrorise the opposition and the voters. Even on the day of polling these gangs threatened people from going to polling booths.

 

The violence during the election campaign and during the polling has led to the deaths of 24 CPI(M) workers and supporters. (See Annexure II).

 

At no time has such a brazen attack and perversion of the democratic process of elections taken place in West Bengal or in the entire country.

 

The results of such a rigged election can only be a distorted one.

 

 

Annexure – I

 

 

Booths Captured
Phase	District	No. of Booths
I	Paschim Medinipur	750
	Purulia	0
	Bankura	34
II	Hooghly	731
	Purba Medinipur	241
	Bardhaman	909
III	North 24 Parganas	311
	South 24 Parganas	429
	Howrah	291
IV	Malda	99
	Murshidabad	19
	Nadia	97
	Birbhum	140
V	Coochbehar	400
	Jalpaiguri	0
	Uttar Dinajpur	0
	Dakshin Dinajpur	19
	Total	4470

 

N.B.: Over and above the figure of captured booths mentioned in the list, a good number of booths were partially captured.

 

In some cases, voters were not allowed to enter the booth or after two/three hours of polling the Left parties’ polling agents were driven out from the polling station and TMC people stamped on the ballot paper indiscriminately.

 

In certain centres, after complaints were lodged with the State Election Commission or District Panchayat Election Officer, police intervention took place and polling resumed at the polling Centre.

 

 

Annexure – II

 

List of Left Front Workers Killed Between June 3 and July 25, 2013

Sl. No	Date	Name	District	Party
	3-Jun-13	Golam Mostafa	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	7-Jun-13	Subhas Mondal (55)	Dakshin 24 Pargana	CPI(M)
	9-Jun-13	Dilip Sarkar	Bardhaman	CPI(M)
	9-Jun-13	Madan Saren (48)	Bardhaman	CPI(M)
	13-Jun-13	Kalimuddin Sarkar	Maldaha	CPI(M)
	14-Jun-13	Bhaskar Majumder (53)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	21-Jun-13	Debsaran Ghosh (44)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	21-Jun-13	Amar Ghosh  (44)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	25-Jun-13	Ramjiban Khamri (65)	Paschim Medinipur	CPI(M)
	28-Jun-13	Akbar Ali (23)	Maldaha	CPI(M)
	1-Jul-13	Ankhiranjan Mondal	Uttar 24 Pgs.	CPI(M)
	3-Jul-13	Siatul Sardar (37)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	4-Jul-13	Md Eklakh	Hooghly	CPI(M)
	13-Jul-13	Naosad Sekh (33)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	15-Jul-13	Sk. Hasmat (40)	Bardhaman	CPI(M)
	19-Jul-13	Motherbox Malllick	Uttar 24 Pgs.	CPI(M)
	22-Jul-13	Khabiruddin Sekh	Nadia	CPI(M)
	22-Jul-13	Ashim Bagdi (25)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	22-Jul-13	Jamir Sekh (40)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	22-Jul-13	Kafiulla Sekh (45)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	23-Jul-13	Billal Mondal (35)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	23-Jul-13	Fatik Sekh  (36)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	24-Jul-13	Humaun Mir (32)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	25-Jul-13	Ajiz Ahmed (60)	Uttar Dinajpur	CPI(M)

AIAWU Opposing roping-in of MNREGA workers for Railway Works

The All India Agricultural Workers Union notes with grave concern the attempt of the UPA-II government to truncate and render the MNREGA legislation irrelevant and tailor it to the anti-worker policies of the Manmohan Singh government which relies extensively on contractors to loot workers and machines to render them unemployed.  Already attempts have been made to obscure the public property creating character of the legislation by allowing MNREGA workers to work for individual landowners in “public interest.” Later there was an attempt to confound the MNREGA workers with the construction workers’ contributory fund. Now there is an attempt to dilute the contractor and machine exclusion from MNREGA by using its workers in Nandurbar in Maharashtra for Railway work, which is specialized and non-manual work and utilizes both contractors and machines.

We demand the government stop playing with the MNREGA, increase the daily wage rate to Rs 300/- per day to meet the government fueled price rise, give a minimum of 250 days work a year to make this legislation meaningful and honour its commitment to pay wages on time and unemployment relief as demanded by law if work is not given. Nothing less will do. The AIAWU is determined to ensure the implementation of the law without dilution or hindrance . And it will resist all attempts to do so.

CPIM Press Communiqué

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held a meeting on July 20, 2013 at New Delhi. It has issued the following statement:

Food Security Ordinance

By using the most undemocratic route of an ordinance for the Food Security Bill, the UPA Government wants to impose its writ on Parliament.

The ordinance, as the Bill before it, legalises the targeted system by automatically excluding 50 per cent of urban population and 25 per cent of rural population from its ambit at a time when in many States the coverage of the population is near universal. The present 35kgs entitlement to BPL families will now be cut down by 10 kgs to just 25 kgs for a five member family and even less if the family is smaller. This is punishment for a State like Kerala, where the family size may be three or four and therefore the entitlement will be only 15 kgs to 20 kgs. The CPI(M) had demanded that the minimum should be 35 kgs per household and increased if there are more members but the Government has preferred to cut down on existing entitlements. This is food insecurity not security.

The Bill is highly centralized and gives all powers to the Centre and all responsibilities including a substantial share of the financial responsibility to the States. The ordinance ordains that the entire process of identification of beneficiaries according to guidelines yet to be issued by the Central Government has to be completed within 180 days. This has been done without any consultation with the States. The ordinance, in a mischievous addition, gives the Central Government the right to introduce cash schemes instead of food in the Rules as and when it decides, in other words to impose its anti-people scheme even if the State Governments oppose it.

The CPI(M) will move concrete amendments to the Bill to make it universal  with a  minimum entitlement of 35 kgs at maximum two rupees a kg (rice and wheat) and move for deletion of all the centralizing clauses and make it mandatory to consult State Governments on all issues of cost sharing. It will also move for deletion of the clauses in relation to cash transfers and linkages with AADHAR.

Harmful Economic Measures

The Polit Bureau sharply criticized the measures being adopted by the UPA government in order to tackle the deteriorating economic situation in the country. The UPA government is bent upon increasing the reliance on foreign capital as shown by the recent announcement to increase the FDI level in various sectors.

The decision to double the price of natural gas from April 2014 is a blatant move to enrich the Reliance company. This price increase should be rescinded.

The Polit Bureau condemned the repeated increase in the price of petrol. In the last six weeks, petrol prices have been increased four times totaling Rs. 6.50 per litre. This has only further fuelled price rise and hiked up the retail inflation rate.

Modi’s Vitriolic Campaign

The Polit Bureau condemned the communal overtones in the speeches and remarks made by BJP leader Narendra Modi. This has exposed the pretence that his “development agenda” is the main plank for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election campaign.

The CPI(M) demands that the role of Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat during the communal violence against the minorities in 2002 be properly investigated including the false encounters and necessary action be initiated.

J & K Atrocity

The Polit Bureau expressed its deep concern at the recurring incidents of excesses by security forces in Jammu & Kashmir. The latest instance is the firing by BSF personnel on protesters in Ramban district in which four people were killed and many injured.

The Central government has failed to implement the measures which are required to remove the repressive security apparatus affecting the people, which include a reduction in the deployment of the army and security forces and the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from most parts of the state.  

Brazen Attack in West Bengal

The panchayat elections in West Bengal is witnessing a brazen and massive attack on democracy. Till now three phases of the panchayat elections have been held. These polls have been marred by large-scale booth capturing, false voting, blockade of villages and violent attacks on opposition candidates and their polling agents. Hundreds of booths were captured in West Midnapore, Bankura, Burdwan, Hooghly, East Midnapore and North & South 24 Parganas. In Burdwan district alone 890 booths were fully or partially captured and the polling rigged. The state police have remained bystanders or connived in the rigging efforts. The central police forces were not deployed at the polling stations in violation of the High Court and Supreme Court orders.

Even before the polling, around six thousand Left Front candidates were not allowed to file nominations. So far 19 CPI(M) and Left Front members and supporters have been killed.

What is being witnessed in West Bengal is an outright attack on democracy and democratic rights. The ruling Trinamul Congress is threatening the State Election Commission and making open calls to incite violence against the opposition.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns this violence and terror campaign launched by the Trinamul Congress.

Save Democracy Campaign

The Polit Bureau decided to call for a countrywide campaign to “Save Democracy and to Defeat the Violence and Terror in West Bengal”. All Party units will conduct this campaign on August 7, 2013. This campaign will inform the people about the murder of democracy in West Bengal and mobilize support to demand a halt to the violence and terror. The Polit Bureau appealed to all democratic forces in the country to condemn the TMC’s violent campaign to suppress the Left Front and the opposition in West Bengal.

Kerala CM Should Resign

The solar panel scam in Kerala is not an ordinary case of fraud and cheating.  The involvement of some of the staff in the Chief Minister’s office with the scamsters has come out; one of whom has been arrested.  The links of the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with this affair have also surfaced.  The LDF has demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister and holding of a judicial enquiry in the light of this exposure. 

The Polit Bureau condemned the brutal police repression unleashed against the protests.  It endorsed the demand for Chief Minister’s resignation and supported the call for an indefinite struggle to achieve this demand.  

Successful Strike

The Polit Bureau congratulated the workers of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation in Tamilnadu for their successful 13-day united strike.  As a result of this struggle and the stand taken by the AIADMK government, the 5 per cent disinvestment of shares will not take place and the shares will be transferred to public sector undertakings of the state government.

CC Meeting

The Polit Bureau decided to hold the next meeting of the Central Committee on August 17 and 18, 2013 at New Delhi.

Farewell to Samar Mukherjee

Thousands of people bid farewell to legendary Communist leader Comrade Samar Mukherjee in Kolkata. He was the oldest member of CPI(M) in the whole country. His hundredth birthday was celebrated in November, 2012.

Comrade Samar Mukherjee breathed his last in a private hospital in Kolkata where he was admitted. He used to stay in Party commune.

Comrade Mukherjee’s body was taken to Howrah, his native place and principal area of his political activity for decades. He also represented Howrah loksabha constituency for three terms. From the district Party office, Comrade Mukherjee’s body was brought to UCRC ( the organization for refugees which he was the foremost leader for seven decades) office in Kolkata and then to CITU West Bengal state office.

Comrade Samarda’s body was brought to CPI(M) state office at around 5-15PM. Thousands of people already stood in line outside the Party office to pay homage to him. Polit Bureau members Biman Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Nirupam Sen, Brinda Karat, MA Baby, veteran leaders Benoy Konar, Md. Amin  paid floral tributes to him. CPI(M) central committee members, state committee members and leaders of mass organizations paid their respect. Left Front leaders, including Forward Block leader Ashoke Ghosh, CPI state secretary Manjukumar Majumdar paid their last respect.

A funeral rally started from Party office with leaders in the front. Thousands followed , chanting the Internationale.  Comrade Mukherjee’s body was donated to NRS Medical College and Hospital for scientific research. - See more at: http://www.cpimwb.org.in/current_topic_details.php?topic_id=433#sthash.WEUNa6ge.dpuf

Samar Mukherjee exemplified what a Communist should be : Marcus Dam

 (Article From The Hindu Newspaper)

He was born before the October Revolution in Russia, saw the rise and fall of the world’s first socialist State and others that followed, was witness to subsequent changes in the global political order. But Samar Mukherjee’s faith in Marxism was unwavering, his dedication to the cause remaining steadfast even in the face of all the odds.

 Described once by another Marxist great, Jyoti Basu, as “God’s Own Man” Samar Mukherjee, a veteran of the Communist movement in the country, was the epitome of sincerity to the cause.

 On the occasion of his centenary birthday on November 7 last year Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat recalled that much of Samar Mukherjee’s salary and allowances when he was MP would be taken over by the party, yet be would deposit every year a cheque for the party fund. He exemplified what the life of a Communist should be.

 He lived a spartan life, long years of it in a commune, in Howrah and then in Kolkata; he was dedicated to the party, contributing all his energies to whatever task it assigned him. One who never “overate” or “overslept”, some in the party remember. Such was his commitment to the cause that the CPI (M) leadership had decided to do what it had done only once before in its history: officially celebrating the birthday of a leader. The first was that of another pioneer in the Communist movement, Muzzaffar Ahmad who died in 1973. When it was Samar Mukherjee’s turn to be felicitated he had turned 100.

 Considered the “living history of the Communism in India” Samar Mukherjee will be remembered for his dedication to the cause of workers and peasants, that of the deprived people as a whole. From freedom fighter to a stalwart of the Left movement in the country, the journey was a long one indeed.

 Samar Mukherjee who joined India’s struggle for Independence as a student — once thrown out of school for protesting against the Simon Commission — became a member of the Communist Party of India in 1940. When the party split in 1964 he joined the CPI (M) and was actively involved in its State and national organisational matters. He was a member of the party’s Polit Bureau for 14 years till 1992 and was also the first chairman of its disciplinary body, the Central Control Commission.

He was a key personality in the trade union movement in the country and one of the architects of the historical railway strike in 1974. He was at the vanguard of the struggle for the protection of civil liberties and democratic rights during the Emergency.

Soft-spoken, he was seldom heard to have raised his voice, not even when making a strong assertion or putting forth a forceful argument in the Lok Sabha, recalls CPI (M) central committee member Mohd Salim who describes Samar Mukherjee as one of another generation.

A kind-hearted person, he encouraged newcomers to Parliament who looked up to him as leader of the party there; one who took up national issues with the same fervour as he did those more specific to his constituency, Howrah or State, West Bengal.

Samar Mukherjee belonged to that generation of Communist leaders who renounced comforts and had a singularity of purpose. As much as is his life was an inspiration to his younger comrades it is a lesson for them in discipline and commitment as the movement to which he belonged negotiates the twists and turns of changing times.

Comrade Samarda : CITU CONDOLENCE Message

Comrade Samar Mukherjee is no more. After his long journey of 100 years, through many ups and downs, stress and strains, always with the people and the toiling class in the frontline of their struggles, he passed away on 18th July 2013 after a prolonged illness. He leaves behind a indelible imprint of the eventful life of a revolutionary leader, a leader of the working class movement with a vision and determination to work for ending the exploitative system and for establishment of a new society. CITU is proud of having a leader like Com Samar Mukherjee who led the organization in various capacities including as General Secretary and contributed immensely in building the organization and movement brick by brick. With a deep sense of grief, CITU pays homage to the departed leader with the pledge of carrying forward his ideals and vision and the dream he cherished throughout his life. 

Comrade Samar Mukherjee had joined the freedom movement in his early youth and had been a member of the Pradesh Congress Committee. He joined the Communist Party in 1940 and served the Communist movement in various capacities till his death, including as a member of the Central Committee and also Polit Bureau of Communist Party of India (Marxist). Throughout his active political life he remained a valiant fighter against all kinds of deviations like revisionism, sectarianism and opportunism. He was a strong proponent for strict adherence to ideals of Marxism Leninism. He earned immense popularity and distinction as a Parliamentarian, championing the cause of the people and the toiling class in Parliament during the period from 1971 to 1984.

Comrade Samar Mukherjee was associated with the trade union movement of the country since the early days of his political life and played a frontline role in building and expanding the working class movement in the country. He was one of founding figures of CITU and had steered CITU as General Secretary during 1983-1987 and thereafter as a central office-bearer till 2007. He was popular and highly respected in the entire trade union movement, irrespective of affiliation. He played a leading role in the historic railway workers’ strike in 1974 as a leading figure in NCCRS. 

Comrade Samar Mukherjee’s life has been a living history of the Left and working class movement in India. It has also been a commentary of dedication and commitment to the revolutionary cause. He spent major part of his life in Party-Commune. His simplicity, accessibility to all and love for the working class will be remembered ever, by all.

CITU expresses heartfelt grief at the passing away of this great leader and stalwart of the working class movement and dips its flag in respect to the departed leader.

Homage to Comrade Samar Mukherjee

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

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its deep sorrow at the death of Comrade Samar Mukherjee, a most exceptional, outstanding and dedicated leader of the communist movement in India. A valiant freedom fighter, able parliamentarian and leader of the trade union movement, Samarda passed away at the age of 100 in Kolkata today. He was the oldest living member of the CPI(M), having joined the Party in 1940. He dedicated his entire life as a communist to the cause of the working class and to the exploited people of India. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Party from 1966 and was elected to the Polit Bureau in 1978 and continued in that capacity till he was elected as the Chairman of the Party’s Central Control Commission at the 14^th Congress of the Party in 1992. At the time of his death he was a Special Invitee to the Central Committee.

Samar Mukherjee began his political activities as a young student and joined the freedom struggle. He was deeply inspired by Marxist ideology and the work of the Party. Immediately after he got his membership in 1940, he became a fulltime worker of the Party. He was one of the founders of the communist movement in Howrah district. In 1942 he became the organizing secretary of Howrah district of the undivided Communist Party. He became a member of the West Bengal State Council of the party in 1953. It was under his leadership that the movement for the rights of refugees from the erstwhile East Bengal was built up in Bengal which played a significant role in expanding the influence of the communist party.

Com. Samar Mukherjee played an outstanding role as a leading communist parliamentarian. In 1957 he was elected as an MLA from the North Howrah constituency. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Howrah constituency for three consecutive terms from 1971 onwards. He also elected to the Rajya Sabha for two terms. As the leader of the CPI(M) group in Parliament he most effectively put across the Party”s line on all major issues, raising the voice of the working people and their struggles. He won the admiration of leaders cutting across party lines because of his unambiguous commitment to the cause of the exploited masses.

Com. Samar Mukherjee led the CITU as its General Secretary from 1983 to 1991, having earlier served as its working committee member from the inception of the CITU. He had played a leading role in the historic railway workers strike in 1974. Following the emergency he fought against the attacks on workers.

He made a multidimensional contribution as Party organizer, as writer, as trade unionist and as a Parliamentarian.

Rarely have we seen such an individual who sacrificed all personal interests, living a spartan life in a Party commune in the service of the Party. He was affable, easily accessible and loved by the people.

The Polit Bureau pays its respectful homage to his memory.

Stop Mortgaging the Economy

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

The UPA government is out to mortgage the economy to foreign capital. The raising of the FDI cap in certain sectors and allowing FDI through the automatic route in some others are desperate measures being adopted by the government faced with mounting economic difficulties.

The CPI(M) is opposed to the 100 per cent FDI in the basic and cellular services in the telecom sector. The decision to allow foreign capital beyond 26 per cent in defence production is fraught with serious implications. This will open the way for foreign control of the vital defence production sector.

This bankrupt policy of the government is motivated by the need to attract more foreign capital flows to meet the widening current account deficit. But the supine attitude of the government to foreign capital is only going to lead to further flow of profits and resources out of the country. Already the government has given up the claim on the capital gains tax which the Vodafone has to pay. The government is proposing to dilute the norms for investment in multi-brand retail which is going to adversely affect domestic industry.

The proposal to increase FDI in the insurance sector has to be adopted through a legislation in parliament. The CPI(M) and other opposition parties should thwart this move in parliament.

The Polit Bureau demands that the government not proceed with these FDI proposals.