The Communist Party of Israel strongly condemns Israeli aggression in Gaza and rejects any attack on civilians

The Communist Party of Israel (CPI) expresses its strong resentment and condemnation to the vicious and murderous terrorist war that the government of Israel has been waging on the people of Gaza and on the Arab-Palestinian People at large in the last few days. Similarly, the CPI clearly and unequivocally rebukes the bombarding of Israeli civilians by Hamas and other organizations in Gaza Strip. In our view, such attacks are not only reprehensible but also counterproductive to the Palestinian cause itself, namely its just and legitimate aspiration to establish an independent state alongside the state of Israel, whose capital is East Jerusalem, on the borders of June 4^th, 1967.

Despite our denunciation of any assault on population, the CPI emphasizes that the responsible for the current escalation and bloodshed is the government of Israel – its continuous rejection of any prospect for just peace, the massive killings and destruction it inflicts on Gaza, its total indifference for Palestinian life and wellbeing, and, above all, its everlasting deepening of Israeli occupation and colonization of the West Bank and East Jerusalem together with the inhuman blockade of Gaza.

As the CPI warned already a month ago, the real motivation of Netanyahu’s administration was never to achieve security for the people of Israel but solely to obstruct the Palestinian unity government and absolve itself from responsibility for the failure of the peace negotiations. We should now add that the present assault on Gaza also serves the Israeli government in yet another two ways: (1) it reconsolidates Netanyahu’s coalition in times of domestic unrest, hence helps Netanyahu in keeping his criminal government intact, and (2) it puts all questions of poverty, inequality, racism, sexism, and discrimination off the table, and marginalizes all struggles for social justice and democracy.

Everybody knows now that Netanyahu and his co-bullies in the government and the military were aware that the three young settlers were murdered on the very first day they were kidnapped. What was the cause of Israeli invasion and mass arrests in the West Bank if not to set the whole region in fire and promote the said goals?

The CPI reaffirms its last message and reemphasizes that the larger and most dangerous terrorism is the Israeli Occupation and all of its consequences and accompanying war crimes, including the separation wall, the siege and the colonial Settlements complex. History teaches us that every occupation begets the resistance of the occupied people. The international law guarantees the occupied people the right to resist the occupation by using legitimate means in its rightful struggle. The CPI reemphasizes its principled position against attacking civilians, and especially minors.

The CPI calls on progressive movements, human rights organizations, and all states worldwide, to organize events in solidarity with the Palestinian people, calling on the Israeli government to immediately cease the aggression against Gaza Strip and to halt its war crimes, and on Israeli government and Palestinian organizations alike to refrain from any attack on civilians.

No to War Crimes! No to Attack on Civilians! Lift Gaza Blockade! Down with the Occupation!

Leaders Pledge to Foster Left Unity while Commemorating Birth Centenary of Communist Legend Jyoti Basu

In this present prevailing condition when rightists groups are clamouring to carry forward the interest of corporates, only the Leftists are an alternative who can fight to establish the wellbeing of the poor toiling down trodden classes. To ensure the security and safety of the working class the leftists have to foster unity for which Jyoti Basu had devoted his life. This was the essence of the speech delivered on the occasion of the birth centenary celebration of the undaunted communist leader Jyoti Basu. Jyoti Basu Birth Centenary Celebration Committee had organized this solemn gathering on Tuesday, the 8th of July, 2014 at Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata. The occasion was enriched with the deliberations of eminent personalities from different spheres. Noted among them were political leaders Biman Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, veteran leader Ashok Ghosh, Manju Kumar Mazumder, Kshiti Goswami, Ajizul Haque, eminent economist Prabhat Pattanaik, Ashok Mitra, former Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Hasim Abdul Halim.

Left Front Chairman Biman Basu recollected in details how Jyoti Basu in spite of being brought up in an affluent family sacrificed his life and chose the thorny path to organize the working class and oppressed people. Had never craved for earthly belongings and had craved all through his life for the upliftment of the masses specially those who were subjected to the tyranny of the dominant classes. Nothing could deter him from the path of a worthy deserving communist and had always adhered to the dictates of the party as a true soldier. One has lots to learn from his life specially the young generation who are unaware of the times when leaders like Jyoti Basu held the banner in their hands to foster the Left Unity to give a worthy leadership in every critical political situation in India. He believed that implementation of true democracy could only bring respite to the poor working classes. For this to ensure empowerment at the grass root level he was the first to establish the three-tier panchayat system.

Biman Basu in this context stated that 'discipline is the very political aspect which Jyoti Basu walked through in his life. As a matter of fact it is a lesson for all of us how he restrained himself from any unwanted comment that could destabilise his party or the Left unity. One should pay true homage to such a leader of immense personality by pledging to carry the baton of left unity forward for which he had craved all his life. Biman Basu also mentioned the names of Snehangshu Acharya and Bhupesh Gupta – close associates of Jyoti Basu whose birth centenary are also in the offing.

Prabhat Pattanaik quantified Jyoti Basu as a man of varied qualities who always delivered himself to be a true communist. He was undoubtedly the most popular leader of this century. He said it is a matter of fact to reckon how not being a son of a farmer or not belonging to the village he could analyse their sufferings and proved himself to be a worthy leader to raise to such height of popularity. Trust was the very basis of the immense popularity. There was no delicacy in his behaviour. He cast a warning about the gospel of neoliberalism under whose ageist is on the rise the phenomenon of lumpen proletariats who are creating rackets endangering the essence of life. He spoke about the rise of fascist forces that are a threat to this country and emphasized the need for a Left consistent force who can only offer an alternative.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee spoke on the qualities of Jyoti Basu that made him an universal leader. He could culminate the struggle for existence of the farmers and the peasants amidst parliamentarian democracy. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee stressed the need to unite the left and the secular forces otherwise it shall be difficult for the party to leap forward.

CPIM PB on Union Budget

The debut budget of the BJP government expresses deep commitment to continue the trajectory of reforms of benefiting foreign and domestic capital by emphasizing on larger FDI flows and enlarged avenues for PPP projects. Fiscal consolidation is sought to be effected through contraction of public expenditures and not by increasing revenues through taxing the rich. Thus it is a recipe for further enriching the rich and impoverishing the poor.  

Given the backdrop of slow recovery in the global economy the budget was supposed to reflect initiatives that gear up domestic demand through planned investment on the one hand and check food inflation to increase purchasing power of the majority working people. The advanced estimates for the last quarter of 2013-14 released by Central Statistical Organisation reflects a bleak picture of overall growth rate (at constant 2004-05 prices) of 4.6 % and negative growth in manufacturing as well as in mining and quarrying and a massive decline in growth of construction and trade, hotel and restaurant sector. Despite the fact that there has been considerable decline in the ratio of investment to GDP since 2010-11 both in the public and private sectors this budget with its overriding concern to keep fiscal deficit in check and keeping revenue expenditure to GDP ratio more or less same has failed to address the required increase in total plan expenditure in real terms. Total of budgetary support for central plan and central assistance to states and UT declined in real terms comparing budget estimates. The figures on central assistance for state and UTs although increased but the states are left with very little authority to decide on central schemes and that goes against the federal structure of the country. The budget proposal heavily relies on public private partnership and FDI to gear up investment which is hardly going to happen going by past experience.

The budget proposes to reduce direct tax incurring a revenue loss of Rs. 22,200 crores while increases indirect taxes by Rs. 7525 crores which would obviously have regressive impact on the common people. The revenue generation proposed in the budget is high on expectations since there is no significant increase in tax rates and the revised estimates in revenues for the last two years fell short of the budget estimates which eventually prompted further cut in expenditures. The government depends on disinvestment tuned to Rs. 43425 crores which is higher than last year’s budgeted figure but the actual figures last year was much less than what was estimated.

The budget proposes drastic cut in central plan outlay in agriculture and allied sectors, rural development and social services and women and child development. There is no increase in allocation in MGNREGA, Indira Awas Yojna rather in real terms it has declined. The total plan allocation also declined in real terms roughly by 4 %. Moreover the share of SCs and STs in total plan expenditure is falling short by Rs. 47000 crores and Rs. 14000 crores according to planning commission guidelines based on proportion of population.

The budget also proposes a decline in subsidies to petroleum by Rs. 22054 crores which would impose more burdens on the people and further increase the inflationary pressure. Moreover the budget has no concrete proposal to check the double digit food inflation especially when there is a possibility of mounting pressure on food prices given the projections of bad monsoon.

The budget also fails to propose measures to increase employment growth through revamping manufacturing growth. Investments are low and there is no attempt to raise domestic demand rather the budget essentially relies on incentives to private investment through investment linked deductions that grossly failed to raise investment in the earlier years. Moreover the government announces to raise the cap of foreign investment in insurance, defence and real estate that the earlier government could not implement because of stiff opposition.

 

Therefore the budget essentially fails to chart a trajectory to increase growth and investment, create employment and check inflation that was needed in the current scenario. It is a budget relying more on privatisation and foreign investment and short on innovative ideas to increase revenue. The budget is grossly regressive and anti-people and would increase the burden on the common people

RAILWAY BUDGET 2014-15: A ROADMAP FOR PRIVATISATION : CITU

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions(CITU) expressed serious concern at the BJP Govt’s first Railway Budget, 2014-15 which declares its dependence on so called public private partnership, private investment including FDI for funding its infrastructural and capacity augmentation projects. It reflects nothing but continuity of the same pro-corporate policy of the much discredited Congress Regime, rather in more aggressive form. 

Just weeks before the Railway Budget, steep hike in passenger fares and freight charges to the tune of 14.2% and 6.5 % respectively exposed the brazen undemocratic as well as anti-people modus operandi of the BJP Govt. Added to this is the budgetary announcement of linking the future prices of travel with fuel adjustment factor which will result in virtual deregulation of railway fares providing for automatic increase in railway fares with the increase in price of fuel. This is nothing but an arrangement for perpetual increase of burden on common people.

Further, the thrust on PPP, FDI and outsourcing in various segments of railway operation and services as outlined in the current Railway Budget, is going to make the situation worse. Despite abject failure of the same exercise on depending on PPP route for infrastructural expansion and services during the UPA regime as reflected in plan expenditure in 2013-14 falling short by a whopping “Rs 59,359 crore from the target due to non-materialisation of PPP targets”, the Modi Govt also preferred to stick to the same provenly failed route. This means, either the expansion work will suffer or the private investors’ lobby will extract more undue concessions from the Govt in the process of their response, finally increasing the burden on the common people. Precisely, that had been the past experience of all PPP projects in sea-ports, airports, roads etc during the UPA’s tenure which increased the burden on the consumers and the people in a big way. 

Despite admitting in the budget the abject failure of the Railways to implement the declared and sanctioned projects even to an insignificant extent, resulting in huge accumulation of unfulfilled projects announced in successive budgets, the current Budget failed to present any concrete roadmap for their execution except giving sound bites on prioritization, time frame etc. Even the new announcements made in the current budget do not have appropriate budgetary back-up, rendering them to be deceptive in real sense.

The Budget sounded high on Govt’s commitment to safety, but kept absolute silence about filling up around 3 lakh vacancies in the Railways, majority of which are related to management and maintenance of safety standards in railway operation.  

CITU records its condemnation to this anti-people and privatization oriented Railway Budget and calls upon the working people to voice their protest against such retrograde exercise of the Modi Govt.

Railway Budget: More Burdens on People

The first railway budget of this BJP-led NDA government is a cosmetic exercise, high on rhetoric and low in substance.  The emphasis had been in high-sounding bullet trains and commercial freight corridors with no budgetary calculations to back up.  The entire emphasis is to attract FDI and to undertake all further expansion and modernization through the ignominious PPP route. 
The sub-text of the budget is designed to impose greater burdens on the common people  who need the railways the most and who use it the most.  Apart from the pre-budget hikes, which bring in a revenue of Rs. 8,000 crores, this budget has linked the future prices for travel with the fuel adjustment factor.  This means that with every increase in the price of fuel, the cost of travel will automatically go up.  Therefore, there will be a continuous increasing burden on the people. 
Further, experience of FDI and PPP in other infrastructure sectors like airports and seaports has shown how the costs to the consumer have grown exponentially.  This is now bound to happen with the railways imposing further burdens on the people. Even these calculations of PPP are completely unrealistic as the budget itself informs that the last year’s target of Rs. 6,000 crore through the PPP route has not been realised.  The budget, therefore, is a blueprint for the privatization of Indian railways at the cost of the Indian people who will bear the brunt of the profit maximization by the private sector and  FDI. 
As a result, the social responsibility  of the Indian Railways, of catering to the common people and making backward areas accessible is being given the go-by. 

Far from addressing the question of improving the health of the Indian Railways, the budget has shown that the operating ratio is now 95 per cent, i.e., 95 out of every 100 rupees earned is being spent.  This has come down by 2.7 per cent from an earlier operating ratio of around 90 per cent. In spite of this, the Railway Minister has announced that the market borrowing will be lower despite the target of internal resource generation being short by over Rs. 2,000 crores.  

Though the Railway Minister mentioned that of the 99 new projects sanctioned during the last decade, only one has been completed, he failed to inform any roadmap for many of the important new projects that were designed to perform the most important role of the Indian Railways in discharging its social responsibility towards the country and the people.   Clearly, the future expansion of the railways has been halted. 
Though there has been a lot of talk on improving the safety standards, nothing substantial has been suggested.  Further, there is  no indication that the close to 3 lakh vacant posts, mainly concerning the maintenance of safety standards, will be filled.  
In sum, it is clear that this government is relying entirely on attracting FDI in the railways and large-scale privatization rather than discharging the government’s responsibility towards improving the health of the Indian Railways so vital to our economy and the people.    The net result would be increasing burdens on the people and the unfortunate further lowering of the safety standards.

A Tribute to Comrade Jyoti Basu on his Birth Centenary

Jyoti Basu  the doyen of Indian Communist movement  was today remembered in his state  of West Bengal with elan The Central Programme   which was organized at Najrul Mancha  in Kolkata saw over pouring of emotions from the mass who gathered there despite  inclement weather .  Noted Economist Prabhat Pattanayak  delivered his address as the key note speaker  in the programme alongside of the Left Leaders of the state including former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattachary and  Left Front Chairman Biman Basu . Notable speakers in the programme included Jyoti Basu’s press Secretary  Sarit Bandhyapadhya and   Naxal leader  Ajijul Haque, CPI leader Manjukumar Majumdar , Rsp leader Khiti Goswami   .  The programme was presided over  by nonagenarian  Forward Block leader Ashok Ghosh .

In his keynote address eminent economist  Prabhat Pattanayak said that after the Castro brothers  Jyoti Basu is the only communist leader in the world with maximum popularity .While Party leaders like P Sundaraiya  M Basabpunanaiah came from a humble background Jyoti Basu who belonged from a well to do background had been endeared to the mass as he had no duplicity  and had earned the trust of the masses  as an outstanding communist leader . 

In his speech he traced  the origin of Bengals Social and economic crisis  and he said that after Ireland ,Bengal was the next colony of the raj era  which was exploited to the core by the colonial rule  by lieu of permanent settlement . The Agararian crisis which stared at the state  was due to no capital intake in irrigation   and per capita agrarian growth was the lowest in  the state . Along with that  there was crisis in the Jute and other capital industry in the state and said that  real revival of the states economy occurred in the 80’s decade  and it was the  2nd renaissance of Bengal courtesy the communist party . Accusing that it has been the Union Government which has led the state Governments to a Debt trap he said that now industrial growth is at 0 % and inflation stands at 10%. The Neo liberalization has thrown   a fascist face as the corporate lobby has brought to the power in the country  Narendra mOdi . Now we are in the face of rampant Privatistation with  employment growth at 0.8%  we are now faced  with the growth of lumpen capitalism which is happening  in the state of west Bengal.Infact the nature of criminal activities which are taking place in the state can be explained with this  and the Left Is the only consistent force against this .  HE also called for throwing up of new programme alongside the old ones like the land reforms  or smashing the caste basis in agriculture  and  he called on to the Left  to campaign for movement based on giving universal rights to people like that of right to free heathcare , right to food and   Right to free quality education and so on .

 Former Chief Minister of the state Buddhadeb Bhattacharya described The communist leader  as a multifaceted persona and harped on the three main attributes of Jyoti Basu as champion of democratic rights , as   a   champion of  secular credentials  and his credit in bringing the voice of the working class and the agrarian section to the  corridors of power.  He also said that currently we are in a difficult situation where the country’s politics has taken a rightist turn  and the Corporate RSS lobby has brought the   Narendra Modi to the power.

Left Front Chairman Biman Basu in his speech  highlighted that attribute of Jyoti Basu and his zeal to work for the common people  and to work without any personal gain  and called on to people  for following that ideals .  In his Speech Press Secretary to Jyoti Basu pointed out his qualities as a human being - one who worked with rational mind and scientific attitude .  In His speech Naxal leader Ajijul Haque pointed out  that Jyoti Basu was  during the times of ideological struggle was  the emblem of change .   The Longest Serving speaker of any assembly of the country , Former West Bengal speaker Hasim Abdul Halim in his speech  told that  Comrade Jyoti Basu is an emblem of movement . 

 The programme where  Cultural rendition’s were made was organized by Jyoti Basu Birth centenary observance Committee which consisted of wHo’s who of the cultural literary political  and sports world .  The Committee has also taken up programme of organizing Symposiums seminars and other programmes to observe the birth centenary of the ace statesman.  Apart from the Central programme throughout the state  Blood donation camp  and cultural programmes were held  in memory of the Communist leader.

Women activists arrested for demanding action against Tapas Pal

 Acting on the call of women's organisations to hold nationwide protests against the outrageous comments made by TMC MP Tapas Pal, women activists raised their voice outside the Parliament today, demanding his expulsion. 

The activists including AIDWA General Secretary Jagmati Sangwan, AIDWA Vice President Sudha Sundararaman, Delhi AIDWA Vice-President Maimoona Mollah, Delhi AIDWA Joint Secretary Kavita Sharma and several other activists of women's organizations. They were arrested and detained at Parliament House Police Station for the day.

They condemned the injustice embedded in their arrest , when a law breaker like Tapas Pal  was being allowed to sit in the parliament. 

A delegation of MPs comprising of P.K. Sreemathi(Lok Sabha),  T.N.Seema, Rajya Sabha and Jharna Das Baidya (Rajya Sabha)  also visited the detained activists in the police station demanding that they be released at the earliest.