>> >>Save Culture From Saffron Terrorism >> >>The ongoing saffron violence against the shooting of Deepa Mehta's Water is >>an alarming instance of cultural terrorism. Based on a script depicting the >>Varanasi of 1930s, the film portrays the pitiable plight of widows in Hindu >>society and exposes the hypocrisy hidden behind the celebrated religiosity >>of Varanasi. While dubious saffron outfits like Sanskar Bharati and Kashi >>Sanskriti Raksha Sangharsh Samiti have built up a vicious campaign against >>the film, RSS activists vandalised the shooting sets and now the state >>government has chipped in with an official ban on the film's shooting. >> >>There is nothing new in the Parivar's stubborn defence of every obnoxious >>aspect of the dominant Hindu religious and cultural tradition. The saffron >>brigade has always taken it upon itself to preserve and glorify >>obscurantist and inhuman practices like Brahminical caste system, sati and >>all other forms of oppression of widows in the name of religion and >>culture. Now the RSS zealots feel emboldened enough to suppress every >>critical view or voice. This brutal assault on the right to dissent and >>freedom of expression is a key feature of saffron fascism. >> >>Deepa Mehta's earlier film "Fire" had also experienced similar saffron >>attacks. Granting legitimacy to the vulgar demonstration of terror against >>the film, Vajpayee government had asked the Censor Board to re-examine the >>film, but the Board had once again okayed it without any cuts. This time >>round, the cultural gendarme of the Sangh Parivar is bent upon preventing >>the very production of the film. >> >>On her part, Deepa Mehta has so far displayed a conciliatory approach, >>avoiding every hint of confrontation with the saffron establishment. She >>even got her script approved by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry >>and agreed to the preposterous proposal of shooting being overseen by an I >>& B Ministry official. The same people who champion privatisation and >>advocate the government's absolute retreat from the economy are bent upon >>establishing total state control on the realm of information and culture. >> >>There can clearly be no 'reasonable' reconciliation with these forces of >>unreason. Compliance with the diktats of a fascist establishment is liable >>to be construed as cowardice and will only embolden the vandals and zealots >>of the Sangh Parivar. It is one thing to argue about the qualities of a >>cultural production; but when criticism discards the basic language of >>culture and wants to overpower the very realm of culture with an unabashed >>display of muscle power and state control, there can be only one answer to >>the enemies of civilisation and culture: RESISTANCE. >> >>Com. Dipankar Launches Party's Election Campaign in Bihar >> >>In Bihar, Party's campaign for the legislative assembly polls scheduled to >>be held on 12, 17 and 22 of February has acquired full momentum. Party >>General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya began his campaign tour on 3 >>February with a large mass meeting at Dhanwar in Giridih district of south >>Bihar. Then in the same region he addressed four public meetings in >>Hazaribagh district, including the significant ones in Mandu and Ramgarh. >>Reaching over to Palamu district, he addressed meetings at Panki and >>Vishrampur on 5 February. On 6 Feb. he reached Patna district and addressed >>meetings at Fulwari Shareif and Naubatpur. The meeting at Masaurhi held on >>7 was so massive that it became the talk of the town, especially because >>despite all the fanfare with his helicopter Laloo Prasad's meeting paled >>into insignificance before our Party's large gathering there. Turnouts at >>Ghoshi and Jahanabad were equally large. On 8 Feb. Com. Dipankar addressed >>large gatherings at Arwal and Daudnagar. In these meetings Com. Dipankar >>pointed out that for the past ten years Laloo's regime has been treading >>the footsteps of Congress, and they have offered to the masses nothing but >>massacres and police repression. Both NDA and RJD have recruited criminals; >>they are equally anti-development and anti-social justice. One cannot thus >>be the positive alternative of the other. Only a united Left can lead Bihar >>onto the path of development, to its positive transformation. Moreover, >>only by doing away with the mafia rule can people acquire their genuine >>democratic rights, Com. Dipankar said. >> >>Protests Against Fascist Attack on 'Water' >> >>Jan Sanskriti Manch, AIPWA and RYA jointly held a demonstration in front of >>Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow on 3 February against the fascist attack on the >>shooting of Water at Varanasi. Progressive intellectuals, cultural >>activists and journalists participating in the demonstration included >>Ruprekha Verma, ex-VC of Lucknow University, journalist Akhilesh Mishra, >>PUCL State VP Chittaranjan Singh, IPTA GS Rakesh, Virendra Yadav of PLS, >>educationist Krishnavatar Pandey, cultural activists Dharmendra, Anil >>Sinha, Ashok Chandra, Shyam Ankuram, Daya Shankar, Adiyog and Alka >>Prabhakar, RYA General Secy. Lal Bahadur Singh, AIPWA activists Shobha >>Singh and Ajanta Lohit. It was presided over by Ajay Singh, Vice President >>of JSM. >> >>The memorandum submitted to Governor demanded that the shooting of Water be >>allowed in Varanasi without making any further cuts in the script. The >>attackers belonging to Sangh Parivar be arrested and the dubious role of >>Varanasi administration be probed. >> >>In Allahabad, activists of AISA, AIPWA and JSM staged a demonstration on 4 >>Feb. in which noted cultural personages of the city participated. A march >>was taken out by RYA and AISA in Varanasi on 3 February from Lahurabir to >>Assi (7 km) to protest the saffron attack. It was participated in by around >>100 activists. Condemning the attack AIPWA G.S. Kumudini Pati issued a >>statement from Delhi. >> >>Jan Panchayats in Muzaffarpur >> >>Acting on the call issued by Com. Dipankar at Badlo Bihar Rally held in >>Patna on 18 Dec. 1999, jan panchayats were held in various parts of >>Muzaffarpur districts, e.g., at Adigopal panchayat of Bochaha block on 15 >>January, at Maidapur and Bochaha panchayats on 15 Jan. and at Sharfuddinpur >>on 17 Jan. In Muzaffarpur town, jan panchayats were held at Bela-Kanhauli >>Khadi Bhandar on 16 Jan. and at Malighat on 23 Jan. Then in Mushahari and >>Paru blocks too the panchayats were held. Poor peasants and agrarian >>labourers participated in these panchayats in large numbers. >> >>Workers' Struggle in Andaman >> >>]Com. N. Gopal and 11 other active members of Plantation Crops Workers' >>Union, Central Agricultural Research Institute(CARI), Port Blair were >>arrested under Sec.308 IPC following a clash between the villagers of Bhatu >>Basti and the Security Officer of CARI and his goons on the night of 26 >>Jan. 2000. Bail was denied to them and all were remanded to judicial >>custody for 14 days. >> >>Nearly 25 years old, Plantation Crop Workers' Union enjoys support of >>majority of workers in CARI. The new Director of CARI threatened the >>workers, issuing memos in writing, asking them not to participate in any >>trade union and give it on an undertaking prepared by him. He also >>published the same in the newspapers as notification. Protesting against >>this, the AICCTU held a demonstration in front of the CARI main gate at >>Port Blair on 16 October last year. The Director assembled his goons inside >>the gate and the clash was averted only because Police intervened to save him. >> >>Agitating workers began a hunger strike at the CARI gate on 22 January >>2000. The Director threatened the workers with termination of service but >>the workers did not give any credence to it. Relay hunger strike continued >>up to 26 January, when at 10 p.m the director's hired goons along with the >>Security Officer came in a jeep to stop it. The villagers and supporters of >>AICCTU beat all the goons and Security Officer on the spot. Director >>connived with the police to get hunger strikers removed from the pandal by >>arresting them all. A protest rally was brought out on 4 February, and a >>mass procession and public meeting was organised at Main Bazar of Port >>Blair. The struggle is continuing and the workers are determined to teach >>the anti-worker Director a lesson. >> >>Party Candidates in Orissa >> >>1. Gunupur Tirupati Gomango >>2. Rayagada Manmatha Kasa >>3. Parlakhemundi Vidyadhar Patra >>4. Chilka Muralidhar Behara >>5. Brahmagiri Baikuntha Behara >>6. Balipatna Satya Priya Behara >>7. Pipli Ashok Pradhan >> >>AISA Protests Killing of Students in Tamil Nadu >> >>In a violent show of strength the supporters of Jayalalitha resorted to >>arson protesting her conviction in the Pleasant Stay Hotel case. In this >>arson, which caused damage to public property, 3 student of Tamil Nadu >>Agricultural University were burnt alive and many students were admitted to >>the hospital. Condemning this gruesome incident AISA undertook a poster >>campaign in Chennai. AISA called for a strike on February 7 in all colleges >>in the city against the DMK government, which failed to take precautionary >>measures against the possible eruption of violence on the part of AIADMK >>supporters. >> >>Tamil Nadu State Party School >> >>Tamil Nadu State Party School was held on 29- 30 January at Chennai. About >>75 comrades including 5 women various districts participated in it. Com. >>Pandian, member of State Committee presided over the school. Com. S. >>Kumarasamy and Com. S. Balasundaram presented papers on "Working Class >>Movement in the Background of Globalisation" and "New Trends in Tamil Nadu >>Agrarian Situation", respectively. >> >>Discussions were organised in three groups. The issues for discussion were >>identified as follows : How to face the ongoing offensive on collective >>bargaining in organised sector. What forms and approach can be adopted to >>face this? What are the problems we face in organising the workers in >>unorganised sector? How to organise them in large numbers? Can >>globalisation be reversed? How to develop the political consciousness of >>the working class? What problems we face in mobilising them politically? >>How to realise these? >> >>Attending the Party school as Central Observer, Party Polit Bureau member >>Com. B. Sivaraman intervened in discussions on both papers. Discussions >>made the participants realise that party should concentrate more on raising >>the theoretical level of the comrades. >> >>Party Candidates in Haryana >> >>1. Rohat Kanwar Singh Dahiya >>2. Gharonda Ram Singh Kashyap >> >>CPI(ML)'s Candidates in Bihar Assembly Elections, 2000 >> >>No. Constituency Name of the Candidate >>1. 3-Ramnagar Chandra Shekhar Dwivedi >>2. 4-Shikarpur (SC) Kedar Ram >>3. 5-Sikta Motiur Rahman >>4. 6-Lauriya Paras Chaudhary >>5. 10-Raxaul Mahendra Patel >>6. 12-Motihari Ram Bachan Tiwary >>7. 13-Adapur Vishnudev Yadav >>8. 21-Kataiya Ravindra Yadav >>9. 22-Bhore Ram Naresh Ram >>10. 23-Mirganj Lal Bahadur Singh Kushwaha >>11. 28-Gauraiyakothi Dhruv Bhagat >>12. 29-Siwan Kaushalya Devi (F) >>13. 30-Mairwa (SC) Satyadev Ram >>14. 31-Darauli Amarnath Yadav >>15. 32-Jeeradei Brigurashan Patel >>16. 34-Raghunathpur Jaynath Yadav >>17. 35-Manjhi Rampukar Sahu >>18. 48-Jandaha Yogendra Rai >>19. 49-Patepur (SC) Umesh Baitha >>20. 53-Paru Manoj Yadav >>21. 59-Muzaffarpur Zanbaz Ali >>22. 60-Bochaha (SC) Ram Nandan Paswan >>23. 72-Pupri Sadhu Sharan Das >>24. 79-Pandaul Uttam Paswan >>25. 80-Jhanjharpur Laxman Rai >>26. 87-Baheri Satya Narain Mukhiya >>27. 88-Darbhanga-R (SC) Hare Ram Paswan >>28. 89-Darbhanga-T Neyaz Ahmad >>29. 90-Kewati Ram Nandan Bhagat >>30. 93-Kalyanpur Sukhlal Yadav >>31. 94-Warisnagar (SC) Jeevach Paswan >>32. 95-Samastipur Khursheed Khair >>33. 96-Sarai Ranjan Vinod Chaudhary >>34. 110-Raghopur Virendra Kumar Singh >>35. 111-Kishunpur Swarnima Kumari (F) >>36. 117-Saharsa Ramchandra Das >>37. 125-Dhamdaha Sitaram Rishi >>38. 141-Barari Bimal Kumar Mandal >>39. 144-Barsoi Mahboob Alam >>40. 147-Rajmahal Shachindra Kumar Rai >>41. 154-Nala Shibudas Soren >>42. 163-Godda Haldhar Mandal >>43. 168-Bhagalpur Tarkeshwar Mandal >>44. 176-Katoria Umesh Mahamarik >>45. 180-Kharagpur Dashrath Singh >>46. 188-Jamui Shambhu Sharan Singh >>47. 192-Barbigha (SC) Ganauri Manjhi >>48. 196-Nalanda Umesh Paswan >>49. 197-Islampur Khursheed Alam >>50. 198-Hilsa Shashi Yadav (F) >>51. 199-Chandi Munilal Prasad Yadav >>52. 204-Fatuha (SC) Nageshwar Paswan >>53. 205-Masaurhi Shivpujan Yadav >>54. 206-Patna West Anita Kumari (F) >>55. 208-Patna East Lalan Yadav >>No. Constituency Name of the Candidate >>56. 209-Danapur Rajnarain Singh Yadav >>57. 210-Maner Nand Kumar Rai >>58. 211-Fulwari (ST) Vidyanand Vikal >>59. 213-Paliganj Krishnadev Yadav >>60. 214-Sandesh Rameshwar Prasad >>61. 215-Barahara Bhagirathi Yadav >>62. 216-Arrah Latafat Hussain >>63. 219-Baxar Hira Lal Ram >>64. 220-Rajpur (SC) Ramakant Ram >>65. 221-Dumraon Vyasmuni Singh Yadav >>66. 222-Jagdishpur Mitranand Singh >>67. 223-Piro Chandradeep Singh >>68. 224-Sahar (SC) Ram Naresh Ram (Parasnath) >>69. 225-Karakat Arun Singh >>70. 226-Bikramganj Ram Nagina Ram >>71. 227-Dinara Brij Kishor Singh >>72. 228-Ramgarh Baliram Prasad >>73. 229-Mohania (ST) Dukhi Ram >>74. 231-Chainpur Purnamasi Ram >>75. 233-Chenari Shiv Shankar Ram >>76. 235-Dihri Ashok Kumar Singh >>77. 236-Nabinagar Ganauri Singh >>78. 237-Dev (ST) Narain Ram >>79. 240-Obra Rajaram Singh >>80. 242-Arwal Shah Chand >>81. 243-Kurtha Ramadhar Singh >>82. 244-Makhdumpur Kunti Devi (F) >>83. 245-Jahanabad Wasi Ahmad >>84. 246-Ghoshi Mithilesh Yadav >>85. 247-Belaganj Vijay Kumar Singh >>86. 248-Konch Kewal Singh >>87. 249-Gaya Mufassil Rajendra Manjhi >>88. 252-Gurua Khursheed Ahmad >>89. 254-Barachatti (SC) Baleshwar Manjhi >>90. 256-Atari Niranjan Kumar >>91. 258-Rajauli (SC) Ram Vilas Turia >>92. 259-Govindpur Savitri Devi (F) >>93. 266-Barkagaon Guni Oraon (F) >>94. 267-Ramgarh Devki Nandan Bedia >>95. 267-Mandu Sohrai Kisku >>96. 271-Dhanwar Rajkumar Yadav >>97. 272-Bagodar Mahendra Prasad Singh >>98. 278-Bermo Parmeshwar Mahto >>99. 279-Bokaro J.N. Singh >>100. 283-Nirsa Dilip Mandal >>101. 301-Tamar (ST) Kauleshwar Munda >>102. 304-Silli Santosh Munda >>103. 314-Vishnupur (ST) Laxman Munda >>104. 315-Lohardaga (ST) Jagdip Oraon >>105. 317-Manika (ST) Jaiprakash Minz >>106. 318-Panki B.N. Singh >>107. 321-Bhavanathpur Laxman Singh >>108. 322-Vishrampur Jagdev Sharma >> >>Apart from having a seat adjustment with CPI, our Party has also extended >>support to Forward Bloc in Ichagarh. >> >>Asian Day of protest on 17 February >> >>Protesting the kidnapping of a Cuban child by the US Govt. and demanding >>that the 6 years old Elian Gonzalez be returned to his parents in Cuba, the >>DSP of Australia proposed to organise a coordinated protest day throughout >>the Asian region, by demonstrating outside the US embassies and consulates >>or outside the offices of the multinational companies symbolic of the US. >>This was the follow up of the Marxism-2000 conference of Asia-Pacific >>region held last month in Sydney. Condemning the US for playing an inhuman >>game by using a child to take political revenge against Cuba, the >>conference adopted the slogan: "Return Elian Gonzalez to his home! End the >>US imperialist blockade of Cuba! >> >>Our Party CPI(ML) Liberation sent a letter to the US President on 17 >>December 1999 strongly urging him to return the child to his parents and >>respect international human rights of a child to live with his parents. >> >>In the meantime more than one lakh people marched in Cuba demanding US to >>initiate return of the child Elian. Other countries too condemned the abuse >>of the child. In US the most recent polls indicate that 55% of people >>favoured Elian's repatriation. >> >>Now the 6 year old child Elian is at the centre of what has become the >>bitterest of disputes between the Socialist Cuba and the imperialist America. >> >>Our party would join the protest day in solidarity with Cuba on February >>17, 2000. Apart from organising demonstration and dharna, petitions, press >>releases can be sent by party and mass organisations in various cities. >> >>Demonstration and Dharna in Muzaffarpur >> >>The CPI(ML) District Committee of Muzaffarpur is quite regular in bringing >>out a fortnightly "Maley Gatividhi" (CPI-ML Activities), in which >>grassroots activities are reported in detail. In its latest issue of 31 >>Jan., it has been reported that a demonstration was held at Sakra block on >>17 Jan. under the banner of CPI(ML) which was participated in by more than >>500 rural poor and agrarian labourers. The procession marched over 10 km >>route and ended in a mass meeting at the block office. Party leaders Meena >>Tiwary, Zabanz Ali and others addressed it. Another report says that a >>dharna was held at Mushahari block on 3 January demanding pucca houses, >>parcha of homestead land, etc. A torchlight procession was taken out and >>dharna held at Bochaha on 5 Jan. against false police cases imposed on our >>cadres and leaders. >> >>All-India Public Sector Strike Successful >> >>One day nation-wide strike of public sector workers called by Committee of >>Public Sector Trade Unions (CPSTU) on 2 February seeking five-yearly wage >>agreement as against the Department of Public Enterprises guideline for >>10-year wage agreement was a complete success. AICCTU had supported the >>strike and asked its units to ensure it a resounding success. CITU, AITUC, >>HMS and other central trade unions had also supported it. >> >>CPSTU leaders said that all the five federations of the port and dock >>workers who had been called for talks were boycotting them since the >>government had invited a trade union which had opposed the workers' recent >>strike. The unions will observe 16 February as a protest day for this. The >>unions opposed privatisation bid and said that it was ridiculous to sell >>off the units to raise funds to meet the government's financial deficits. >>The unions also demanded payment of wages to over one lakh workers who have >>not been paid ranging from 4 to 18 months. >> >>The officers' associations in most of the public sector undertakings >>supported the strike call. On the whole around 15 lakh workers participated >>in the strike. It was most successful in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra >>Pradesh and Karnataka. __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
