>Date: Fri, 01 Jan 1999 00:42:07 +0530 >From: "CPI(ML) LIberation" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >ML Update >A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine >Vol.-3; No.-38; 27-9-2000 > > > >Editorial > >Gear Up for the Gasoline Protest ! > >Preparing the public opinion to accept the price shocks — in this >instance, of petroleum products — has been developed into an art form by >the Vajpayee government. First, they keep the media abuzz about the >imminent oil price hike. A whole lot of apologetic columnists then crop >up dishing out ‘inevitability’ analyses to convey a single message: damn >the volatility in the international market but not the government of the >day. The government itself delays the move deliberately for a while only >to pretend that the delay is solely for considering alternative measures >to mitigate the impact of the price hike. The idea probably is that a >prolonged anticipation by expectant consumers would make them resign to >the hike. >Beyond such manipulative acts, the government has excelled itself this >time with a so-called package, which is more of a PR exercise. According >to this package, the government commits to repay Rs.4,429 crore to the >burgeoning oil pool account, which it had siphoned off in the past to >spruce up its fiscal imbalance. This partly gives away the truth as to >why the oil pool deficit has become so huge. When the international >crude oil prices reach their nadir, the benefit is not passed on to the >consumers through price cuts, nor the oil pool surplus maintained as >such to cushion the consumers when the prices rule high; instead the >government dips into the oil pool surplus reserves to bridge its yawning >fiscal gap. In any case, since the government is bound to return the >money to the oil pool at some time or the other, why pass it off now as >a measure to ease the consumers’ burden? The decision to float oil >bonds, likewise, only amounts to postponing part of the burden to a >latter date. >But the government is playing its cards close to its chest revealing >neither the level of cuts it is willing to make in excise and customs >duties on petroleum products nor the extent of across-the-board increase >in prices it is threatening to effect. A substantial cut in the duties >would be more than enough to absorb the entire impact of the increase in >market prices. Yet the government is not ready to rule out another price >hike within months after a savage hike earlier this year. If the rise in >international prices is a stark reality, why not impose a hefty fuel >surcharge on dozens of new models of luxury cars rolling out on to the >Indian market? Why not slap a special duty on families owning more than >one automobile? >It is almost a decade since the Indian big bourgeoisie went into frenzy >over free markets and started gloating over globalisation. Now, here is >a bitter sample of globalised markets. The prices have shot up due to >increasing scarcity brought about by several factors. The unseen threads >of the market bind together all sorts of strange forces. The greedy OPEC >members, who have tightened supplies anticipating higher revenues >through increased prices. The western oil companies who have made common >cause with the very same OPEC to break whose monopoly they enjoyed all >the support of their governments in the last two decades and a half. The >aristocracy of high finance who have rolled big money into oil futures >and options only to fuel speculation. The panicky but cash-rich >consumers in the West who rushed to hoard heating oil to meet the harsh >winter. And, above all, the poor Indian slum dwellers who have already >started paying 30-40% more for their kerosene to meet their fuel and >lighting needs. Market may be a zero-sum game but it is certainly no >level-playing field. >The government is also bracing itself up for facing gasoline protests. >We may recall the experience of the last price hike when it adamantly >refused to discuss rollback of the oil price hike with the All India >Motor Transporters’ Organisation and instead threatened to invoke ESMA >and other draconian acts to break the truckers’ strike. Encountering >popular protests with bullets has become a norm of late. No matter how >many manipulations the government resorts to, the impending oil price >hike is bound to fuel the flames of popular protest. It is now high time >to gear up. The Vajpayee government should be made to face the scorching >heat of popular wrath during what promises to be a winter of >discontent. > > >Investigation >Booklet Released > >"Uttar Pradesh mein Bhagawa Raj: Barhta daman uthta pratirodh" (Saffron >rule in UP: Increasing repression, rising resistance), a booklet >published by UP State Committee of CPI(ML) from Sabad Prakashan, was >released on 20 Sept. at Lucknow by Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Party >UP State Secy. and Com. Pranay Krishna, in charge of the investigation >team that conducted a widespread tour of eastern U.P. to compile the >facts. The 90-page booklet is based on inferences drawn by the team; it >is divided into three sections, reports of repression, instances of >Hindutwa misdeed and the recent outburst of student-youth resentment. >The booklet not only registers cases of state repression, it also points >to the ray of hope-- the rising phenomenon of people's resistance. > > > >Protest & Resistance > >Bihar Bandh ( General Strike) Against Increasing Police Atrocities, >Police-Criminal Nexus > >Implementing the CPI(ML) call to observe Bihar Bandh on 23 Sept. against >increasing police atrocities, police-criminal nexus, government >autocracy and continuing massacres, thousands of Party activists and >supporters were arrested and around a hundred sustained injuries in >police lathicharge. Com. Kishor Sahni embraced martyrdom in an >unprovoked police firing at Bochaha in Muzaffarpur. Senior leaders >including Party State Committee Secretary Com. Ramjatan Sharma were also >among the injured and CC members Com. KD Yadav, Saroj Chaube, AICCTU >leader RN Thakur, RYA leader Paramhans, and other Party leaders were >among those arrested in Patna. Road transport came to standstill at many >places in the state and trains like Vaishali Exp., Kurla Exp., Shaheed >Exp. were stopped for hours. MCPI too supported the Bandh call. While >condemning the police firing and lathicharge, State Committee called >upon the people to observe protest day on 24 Sept. throughout the state. > >The repressive attitude of state administration in dealing with the >popular protest on the Bandh day was a clear indication that the >government has refused to shoulder the responsibility of breaking the >nexus of police with criminals and private feudal armies, to act against >mafia and punish the guilty police-administrative officials responsible >for a number of recent incidents of firing in which innocent people have >been killed. But repression cannot silence the overwhelming majority of >struggling people. CPI(ML) has reiterated its pledge to continue the >fight for democracy in the state because it is this struggle that can >pave the way for development of Bihar. > > >Party is Fighting Communal Forces in Gujarat > >In the recently held municipal elections in Gujarat, BJP-Shiv Sena >unleashed a reign of terror on dalits and minorities, particularly >harassing Muslim women, to prevent them from casting their votes and >resorted to massive rigging. When tension brew up the police taking side >of the communal forces opened fired killing 8 persons. Curfew was >imposed and elections were postponed in Dariyapur-Kallupur. Our Party >has put up candidates from two wards, Amraiwadi and Dudheswar, and >mobilised broad sections of workers, student-youth and poor in a >campaign against communal fascist forces to expose their design aimed at >dividing the working class and suppressing dalits and minorities. > > > >Jute Workers on Warpath > >At the call of BCMF/AICCTU, 500 jute workers form various jute mills, >including North Shyamnagar and Angus Jute Mills, blocked GT Road at >Bhadreswar, Hoogly on 22 Sept. for more than one hour. They demanded >payment of bonus within September and legal steps against the mill >owners who had misappropriated the PF and Gratuity money. Police >intervened but failed to clear the blockade, which was withdrawn only >after the officials promised to arrange a meeting of owners with union >representatives. AICCTU State Secy. Com. Basudev Bose and Hoogly Secy. >Com. Prabir Halder led the road block. >Around 2000 workers of Angus Jute Mill, Hoogly staged a >sit-in-demonstration before the factory gate at the call of factory >union demanding bonus and job security for temporary workers. Worker >representatives from other factories of the locality joined the >programme to express their solidarity to the movement. AICCTU leaders >Basudev Bose, Atanu Chakraborty and Prabir addressed to the gathering. > > >Against Women's Oppression in W. Bengal > >More than 500 people including adivasis coming from distant villages >with their traditional weapons attended a mass meeting held in Pardha >Poalter village of Raiganj PS in North Dinajpur district of West Bengal >on 12 Sept. against oppression on women, demanding arrest of a rapist >lumpen. The meeting was addressed by Com. Ajit Das, Distt. Secy., and >Comrades Sushanta Sarkar, Tasleem Ali, Sivani Mandal, Suleman, Ganesh >Chhetri. A procession was taken out following the meeting. > > >MTNL Employees Dharna > >MTNL employees staged dharnas ( Passive picketing)and demonstrations at >around 40 places throughout Delhi on 19 Sept. in which around 6,000 >employees participated. The agitation was against cut in trade union >rights. Demonstrators demanded a stop on disinvestment and >privatisation, security of employment, resolution of wage discrepancy, >five-day week, right to strike and other demands. Were these demands not >accepted, the employees will hold dharna and demonstration before all GM >offices on 26 Sept. and hold a massive rally before Chief General >Manager's office on 11 October. > > >Protest Against Hut Demolition in Dindigul > >In Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, Peasant Association organised the >agrarian labourers to build huts on the homestead land for 354 landless >families. With the Association president Com. Kulandaivelu hoisting the >Red Flag, the colony was named as Nagabushan Patnaik Nagar. But later, >yielding to the pressure of local vested interests, police demolished >the huts and destroyed the belongings of the poor. While leading >people's protest, a dist.Party leader Com. Sugandan was arrested under >false, non-bailable charges and taken to Trichi Central Jail. Hundreds >of peasants gathered in a protest demonstration held in front of the SP >office. Strongly protesting the arrest, Party in a telegram to the >Dindigul SP demanded immediate release of Com. Sugandan and justice to >the people whose huts were demolished by the police. > > >Protest Demonstration by Agri. women Labourers > >Hundreds of women workers thronged the Tahsildar's chamber at Sirkazhi >on 15 Sept. and angrily questioned about the non -implementation of >statuory wages for women agricultural labourers. Rattled by the angry >workers, the Tahsildar pleaded for peace but workers relented only after >the Tahsildar announced over the public audio system that their demands >would be soon implemented and he called for a meeting of the >representatives. Earlier 500 workers, 2/3 of them woman, led by Com. N. >Gunasekaran, organizer of the Sangham (Union) of Sirkazhi block, marched >in a procession from Sirkazhi Railway Station. The demonstrators were >addressed by Com. Balasunderam, State Secretary and Com. PA Arugumam. > > >CPI(ML) Dharna Against Police Atrocities > >Against increasing police atrocities in U.P., CPI(ML) held a >demonstration at Chunar sub divisional office on 16 Sep. Braving >torrential rain, hundreds of agrarian labours, small peasants, dalit and >poor people led by Dist. Party Secy. Com. Md. Salim, Com. Nandlal, >Kavindra and others assembled in a mass meeting presided over by Com. >Ramkirat Bind and conducted by Com. Sharad Mehrotra. A memorandum was >submitted to the SDO on various local demands. > > >Typical Experiences From the States > >Punjab Diary > >The two day session of Punjab Assembly on 5-6 Sept. faced mighty >movements of peasants and workers. Six peasant organisations gheraoed >(encircled ) the Assembly in Chandigarh on 5 Sept. protesting against >cut in govt. procurement of paddy. In fact the govt. has made no >arrangements even for its own share of procurement, 40% of paddy >production. Peasants are also opposing import of cheaper milk, which >will ruin Punjab milk producers. The government resorted to teargas and >lathicharge ( baton charge) the protestors. The next day on 6 Sept. it >was the turn of state govt. employees and brick-kiln workers to hold >demonstration against the government. Police again resorted to >lathicharge and water cannon. >Last week, a delegation of CPI, BSP and CPI(ML) met the Governor to >demand action against police who had committed atrocities on women in >Rajewana village of Faridkot. >On 19 Sept., the DC was gheroaed at Mansa by over 1000 peasants led by >BKU (Ekta) demanding paddy procurement by the govt. Significantly, more >than 50% of them were women. Expressing solidarity on behalf of Party >and Agrarian Labour Organisation, Com. Rajvinder Rana addressed the >gathering. >During the telecom strike, all the 80 exchanges in Mansa, where we have >a significant presence, went dead and even authorities admitted that >strike was almost total in Mansa. Party expressed solidarity with the >struggling telecom workers. >On 16 Sep. a seminar was organised by Jan Chetna Manch (people’s >conscious forum) in Chandigarh on "Bhagat Singh's relevance in today's >India". Prof. Randhir Singh, veteran dramatist Gurusharan Singh, Prof. >Jagmohan Singh, Dr. Gopal Ayer, Harjinder Singh Laltoo, Sukhdarshan Natt >etc. spoke at this well-attended seminar. It was presided over by Com. >Prem Singh, editor of Deshsewak and conducted by MS Randhawa, convenor >of JCM. Speakers repudiated the recent claims by some pro-US Sikh >fundamentalists that Bhagat Singh (and Lajpat Rai) opposed Simon >Commission from a Hindu (Arya Samajist) position to subvert Simon >commission's bid to negotiate power transfer to religious communities in >India. This communal view advocating collaboration with imperialism was >convincingly rebutted at the seminar. > > >Initiatives > >5th ASDC Conference > >5th Conference of Autonomous State Demand Committee was held at Diphu >from 13-15 Sept. It was attended by about 2,500 delegates from the >branches covering the remotest villages of Karbi Anglong and NC Hills. >The Conference assumed tremendous significance not only for evolving a >comprehensive strategy and tactics to counter the desperate attack >unleashed by the outside enemy, but also for its success in exposing, >isolating and discarding the capitulationists from within led by >Holiram-Jotson renegade clique, who have openly joined hands with the >'grand alliance' of Cong(I), BJP and UPDS. It reaffirmed the united >banner of ASDC-CPI(ML) and reasserted ASDC's revolutionary-democratic >credentials in opposition to Cong(I)-BJP and AGP. It noted that right >from Elvin Teron to Holiram Terang, all those conspired to delink ASDC >from CPI(ML), in fact advocated liquidation of the very essence of the >autonomous movement and role of the masses, and finally surrendered >before the reactionaries and their parties-- Cong(I) and BJP. The >Conference resolved to smash Cong-BJP-renegade Holiram nexus; to beat >back terrorist UPDS attacks with waves of mass resistance. It resolved >to uphold the struggling unity of people of all nationalities, ethnic >groups and communities and uphold the united struggling banner of >ASDC-CPI(ML), and reiterated the slogan : No autonomous state, no rest. >Com. Chandrakanta Terang and Com. Hemsing Tisso were elected as >President and General Secretary respectively of ASDC. > > >RYA National Meet in Delhi > >RYA National Executive met on 20-21 Sept. in Delhi. It took stock of the >national political situation and chalked out a comprehensive plan of >organisational revamping and movemental resurgence. RYA has called upon >all its units to observe 'anti-price rise, anti-repression day' on Sept. >29, focusing against recent hikes in the prices of essential commodities >and petroleum items and the police repression on students and youth in >various parts of the country. The Executive congratulated K. Malleshwari >for winning the Olympic medal in Sydney and noted with concern the >dismal performance by most of our athletes that reflected the faulty >sport policy of the govt. > > >Cultural Performances > >Film Festival by JSM & AISA > >Jan Sanskriti Manch and AISA jointly organised a 3-day film festival >"Vismriti ke khilaf" (Against culture of siilence, towards culture of >resistance) in Delhi. It was inaugurated on 24 Sep. at Gandhi Shanti >Pratisthan and on 24th and 25th shows were held at JNU and Shankarlal >Hall in Delhi University respectively. The shows drew overwhelming >response everywhere and spectators ranging from journalist to students >watched films Battleship Potemkin, The great dictotor, Modern times, >Night and fog, Zulmaton ke daur mein (In dark times), Neighbours, >Incident at Owl Creek Bridge, Hunger and The other side with rapt >attention. > >'Return of Buddha' by JSM > >South Delhi unit of Jan Sanskriti Manch (people’s cultural forum)staged >the play "Buddha ki wapsi" (Return of Buddha) at JNU on 19 Sept. The >play presents a satirical commentary on the contemporary situation, >saffronisation and commercialisation of education in particular. >Directed by Hadi Sarmadi, the play in which main roles of Buddha and >Anand were played by Navin and Ashwini respectively, drew warm applause >from hundreds of spectators, mostly students of JNU and Institute of >Mass Communication. > > >7th Conference of Jan Sanskriti Manch ( people’s Cultural Forum) > >Jan Sanskriti Manch will be holding its 7th national conference on 14-15 >October in Varanasi. The main theme of the conference is "Culture of >resistance against comunal fascism and imperialism". It will be >inaugurated by noted revolutionary Telugu poet Jwalamukhi. > > >>From 6th Party Congress Documents > > >Globalisation and our Tasks > >For small and weak countries, therefore, the national question continues >to be of paramount importance in the age of globalisation... >Contradictions between third world countries and imperialism remain >quite relevant in the era of globalisation and are seeking new >expressions in expanding mass initiatives, even though third world >rulers are increasingly being co-opted into the global economic >political system... The increasing contradiction between globalisation >and national identity will give rise to a renewed assertion of >nationalism. >We must persist with our efforts to build a united front of broad >cross-sections of democratic forces. And for that , in the first place, >we must champion progressive nationalism against imperialism and >national chauvinism and put greater emphasis on anti-imperialist tasks. > > >Strengthen the Party Campaign > >Political Agitation and >"The Class Point of View" > >There are periods when every conflict with the government arising out of >progressive social interests, however small, may under certain >conditions (of which our support is one) flare up into a general >conflagration. Suffice to recall the great social movement which >developed in Russia out of the struggle between the students and the >government over academic demands... All-sided political education of the >proletariat coincide with the vital interests of social development as a >whole, of the entire people, that is, of all its democratic elements. It >is our direct duty to concern ourselves with every liberal question, to >determine our Communist attitude towards it, to help the proletariat to >take an active part in its solution in its own, proletarian way. Those >who refrain from concerning themselves in this way (whatever their >intentions) in actuality leave the liberals in command, place in their >hands the political education of the workers, and concede the hegemony >in the political struggle to elements which, in the final analysis, are >leaders of bourgeois democracy. > >The class character of the Communist movement must not be expressed in >the restriction of our tasks to the direct and immediate needs of the >"labour movement pure and simple". It must be expressed in our >leadership of every aspect and every manifestation of the great struggle >for liberation that is being waged by the proletariat, the only truly >revolutionary class in modern society. > > It is particularly in regard to political struggle that the >"class point of view" demands that the proletariat give an impetus to >every democratic movement... In the struggle for political liberation, >however, we have many allies, towards whom we must not remain >indifferent. But while our allies in the bourgeois-democratic camp, in >struggling for liberal reforms, will always glance back and seek to >adjust matters so that they will be able, as before, "to eat well, sleep >peacefully, and live merrily" at other people's expense, the proletariat >will march forward to the end, without looking back. We will not forget, >however, that if we want to push someone forward, we must continuously >keep our hands on that someone's shoulders. The Party of the proletariat >must learn to catch every liberal just at the moment when he is prepared >to move forward an inch, and make him move forward a yard. If he is >obdurate, we will go forward without him and over him. --( Lenin , CW. >Vol:5, pp.337-343 ) > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
