From: "cpimllib" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 21:34:42 +0530
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;@tonto.eunet.fi>
Subject: [ INDIA] ML Update Vol: 4 ; No. 9; 28- 2- 2001.
ML Update
A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine
Vol.-4; No.-9; 28-2-2001
The Reformed Communists of West Bengal
Ten years after the collapse of the Soviet model of socialism and the
subsequent mushrooming of 'reformed' communist parties, West Bengal has just
got its first party of 'reformed' communism. On February 21, a group of
former CPI(M) leaders launched what they have christened as the Party of
Democratic Socialism (PDS).
The new party, however, does not signal an end to the growing malady of
dissidence in the West Bengal unit of CPI(M). Speculations are rife as to if
and when the sulking strong man of CPI(M), Subhas Chakraborty, would
formally decide to quit the party and what course he would adopt. The list
of candidates released by the Left Front reportedly contains the names of
more than a dozen dissidents known to be close to the PDS leadership or
Subhas Chakraborty. The PDS is of course not an exclusive club of CPI(M)
dissidents alone. Joining the new formation are dissidents and dropouts from
other Left Front partners like CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc.
On a programmatic level, the PDS rejects the very imperative of bringing
about a revolution through a violent structural overthrow of the hegemony of
capital. In place of an open confrontation between classes, it advocates
peaceful coexistence and competition between capital and labour, between the
exploiter and the exploited. In the realm of immediate tactics, it advocates
a consolidation of secular forces by allying with the Congress.
Interestingly, while the PDS has gone only as far as advocating an alliance
with the Congress, Subhas Chakraborty is reportedly ready to join hands with
the Trinamul Congress. In this, he is 'ideologically' in the same boat as
the renegade ML leader Ashim Chatterjee, who now finds the TMC an effective
potential ally against communalism!
Whether the PDS would be able to carve out a stable slot for itself beyond
the first flush of media glare is anybody's guess. Going by history, the
CPI(M) has suffered several minor splits since the 1967-69 rupture between
the CPI(M) and the CPI(ML). But from the point of view of the party's
electoral strength, the damage has been rather inconsequential. In fact, in
terms of their seniority in party hierarchy as well as mass influence and
organisational network, the PDS leadership may not really count for much.
But the party clearly finds itself much more helpless and handicapped in
tackling this split than any other rift in recent times.
The split comes at a time when the CPI(M) is facing its toughest election in
West Bengal in nearly three decades as popular resentment runs high against
the Left Front government and Jyoti Basu is no longer at the helm. Moreover,
over the period the CPI(M)'s official programme and tactical line have moved
steadily to the right. So much so that the dissidents only look like
forerunners of the current official position and the party's belated
ideological outbursts against them ring completely hollow. In fact, all this
time while the dissidents were questioning the party's 'conservative'
approach, the CPI(M) leadership were busy fighting the 'orthodox and
dogmatic' sections who had been opposed to the rightist revision of the
party's 1964 programme. Organisationally, the party can think of saving its
unity only by maintaining a delicate factional equilibrium. No wonder, the
dissidents appear to be more authentic products of the party machine except
that they are currently in a minority.
The formation of PDS and other related developments in West Bengal politics
cannot but mark a happy augury for rightwing forces, especially the forces
of anti-communist propaganda. All sincere activists and well-wishers of the
Left movement in the country will also have to draw their own lessons. While
rejecting the collaborationist line and defeatist theoretical positions of
the PDS leadership, we cannot ignore the conditions underlying the emergence
of this phenomenon. The PDS ideologues may have their own fancy theories
regarding globalisation and socialism, but if they are able to draw some
response it is because their clamour for democracy, transparency and change
strikes a responsive chord in a stifling climate of bureaucracy, terror and
corruption. In fact, the PDS leaders have started questioning the CPI(M)'s
bureaucratic culture and terror tactics only when they have found themselves
at the receiving end, and even now they are rather tightlipped about the
broader question of political democracy in West Bengal and the terror
unleashed by the CPI(M) on revolutionary communists. Just as the PDS
amplifies and accelerates the growing rightward tilt of the CPI(M)
leadership, it also articulates the mute anguish and rage within CPI(M)
against the party's steady degeneration.
CPI(ML) Opposes BALCO Disinvestment, Demands Its Rollback
Strongly opposing the Govt.'s decision of disinvesting Bharat Aluminimum
Ltd. Company, Party demanded immediate rollback of the decision and also
scrapping the Disinvestment Commission and Disinvestment Ministry. The Party
said that "Vajpayee Govt. is sqandering away all the vital national assets
built over the years with the toil and talent of the country for a song.
Such decision of the government amounts to national self-destruction." Party
said that "experience has proved that disivestment is yet another means of
promoting corruption in economy and politics"..
It is to be noted that the government has announced to transfer 51% of its
shares in BALCO to Sterlite for a little over Rs.550 crores, whereas the
establishment cost of the company was estimated to be Rs.3,600 crores. The
opposition has alleged opaqueness in methodology of the transfer and
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi has alleged that Rs.100 crores have
been paid in kickbacks. The BALCO deal has raised a storm in Parliament as
well.
Commenting on the Rail budget, CPI(ML) said that "nothing concrete is there
for the upgradation of tracks and other safety and security measures, nor
plan to meet the ever-increasing pressure of the passengers.. It is just an
eye-wash because only after a few months the fares will be revised upwards."
Anti-Globalisation Forum Launched in Rajasthan
A meeting of CPI(ML), CPI(M), Samajwadi Party, Samajwadi Jan Kranti Manch,
Sarvodaya Party, Bandhuwa Mukti Morcha, etc. was held in Jaipur on 25
February. All the participants decided to launch movement against Centre's
agricultural policy. The meeting held that the movement will target the
policies of both central and state governments which have resulted in the
paradox that on the one hand all FCI godowns are full and on the other
people are dying of hunger in this famine-strricken state. The meeting
decided to form a coordination committee to carry forward the movement
against globalisation, targeting the entry of multinationals. It will
mobilise peasants, workers, students and unemployed youth to gherao
production centres of MNCs and organise boycott of their products. The
committee included Com. Srilata Swaminathan, Than Singh Jatav, ex-MP, Sawai
Singh, and others.
Fast Against Police Brutality in U.P.
CPI(ML) State Secretary Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh began his 72-hour fast
at Robertsganj on 26 February to protest the killing of Gulab, a popular
left leader in the dalit-tribal dominated region of
Sonebhadra-Mirzapur-Chandauli districts, on 8 February in a fake encounter.
Meanwhile, a Party State Committee delegation met the Principal Home
Secretary and handed over a memorandum, demanding judicial probe into the
fake encounter and also unconditional release of AISA state president Rakesh
Singh, who was arrested in Lucknow University campus 13 days back while
protesting against fee hike and other undemocratic decisions of the
administration.
'Kamdhenu' staged by Hirawal in Patna
Hirawal, Patna-based performance team of Jan Sanskriti Manch, staged
"Kamdhenu" at Safdar Rangbhumi, Gandhi Maidan in Patna on 25-26 February to
collect relief for Gujarat earthquake victims. The play portrays the
miseries of people under the deadweight of nexus of corrupt political class
and bureaucracy.
AICCTU Wins President Post in ITC Union
Com. Yogeshwar Gope, veteran Party and AICCTU leader, won the post of
president in ITC workers union elections held on 19 February in Munger of
Bihar. Com. Gope defeated his nearest rival, Subodh Roy, M.P. of CPI(M) from
Bhagalpur, by a margin of more than 600 votes. Other defeated contestants
include Ramdev Singh, ex-minister of RJD, ant it is significant that the
notorious criminal MP of RJD, Md. Shahabuddin had also come to propagate for
the RJD candidate.
Initiatives in Patna-Jahanabad Belt
Demanding registration of case under Sec.302 against the killers belonging
to Virendra Singh gang for murdering a woman, hundreds of Party activists
and sympathisers held a demonstration before Jahanabad Police Station and
held street corner meetings at various points in the town. Following this
demonstration, police was compelled to start taking action on the FIR.
People encirled the police contingent that had arrested two dalit Party
activists near Sorangpur in Pali Police Station of Patna, and freed the
activists.
JNU AISA Conference
Held on 25 February, the 7th Unit Conference of AISA discussed the scope of
revival of JNU as an ideological-political centre of the student movement
with live links with the movements of worker, peasants and other oppressed
strata. The conference noted that the AISA will have to redouble its effort
to fulfil the expectations of common students of the campus that they have
on AISA.
The conference elected Manisha Sethi as President, Anurag Ranjan and
Inteshar Ahmed as Vice Presidents, Dhrub as Secretary, Mahendra, Vetrivel
and Komalika as Joint Secretaries.
]
AICCTU March in Delhi
Under the month-long AICCTU campaign from 15 Feb.-15 Mar., a march was taken
out and mass meeting was held at Viswas nagar area of Shahdara in Delhi
against closure of industries. The march was led by Com. BKS Gautam, Himmat
Singh, Shashi Bhushan and Ram Abhilash.
Romila Thapar Lambasts Govt. on Education
BJP and Congress hooligans tried to disturb and sabotage the 78th Annual
Convocation of Delhi University on 24 February, which was then being
addressed by noted historian Prof. Romila Thapar as chief guest. Members of
BJP's teachers' front NDTF and its student wing ABVP also joined the
vandals, and later even Congress-led NSUI Union office bearers joined in.
They were "protesting" against Prof. Romila Thapar's speech, in which she
had stressed the need to forge a link between democracy, education and
acquisition of knowledge. She called for bridging the growing divide between
the literates and non-literates, that has been accelerated by the technical
requirements of education. Unless these disparities are removed, making
Indian society democratic would remain a utopian dream, she said. She also
denounced the claim of authorities that the education sector was facing aa
financial crunch. "We have donated a vast sum of money to Oxford University
for establishing a chair on Indian History; we have ample funds for
financing nuclear bombs, then why don't we have for setting up schools?",
she asked". Putting the blame squarely on the government she said that the
govt. is reluctant to finance education because it fears an educated and
conscious electorate, which would expect accountability from the rulers. She
also criticised the advocates of saffron school who are trying to
reconstruct history without looking into the more relevant questions.
Almost all the sections of democratic academic community in Delhi have
condemned the vandalism by Cong-BJP elements. Party, AISA and Left and
Democratic Teachers' Forum (LDTF) deplored the incident terming it an "act
of sabotaging academic independence and intellectual freedom."
Party Unit in Pondicherry
A cadre convention was held in Pondicherry on 15 February. It was attended
by Polit Bureau member Com. B. Sivaraman, incharge of the state. The
convention discussed the tasks in the light of the current political
situation and elected a 7-member Leading Team, with Com. Balasubramaniam as
its secretary.
District Party Conference in Hooghly and Howrah
7th Hoogly District Conference of CPI(ML) in West Bengal was held on
24th-25th Feb. at Guptipara, Hooghly. Before the conference a well-decorated
procession was organised from Behula to Guptipara where it culminated in a
mass meeting addressed by com. Animesh Chakraborty, state committee member,
Prabir Halder, district secretary, and others. The conference hall was named
after Ramshankar Bannerjee, a martyr of 70's in the locality. The conference
stressed on three tasks of revitalising the mass work, increasing party
intervention in the changing political situation of the district and
strengthening the leading role of the party. It also adopted a set of
programmes and targets for the coming year and elected a 7 member committee,
which re-elected Com. Prabir Halder as secretary.
4th Howrah District Cadre Convention was held at IMA Hall in Howrah town.
The conference was inagurated by Com. Kartick Pal, state secretary, SC
member and district in-charge Com. Sudarshan Bose was present in the
conference. While discussing the draft document placed by the outgoing
committee, delegates came up with various problems on developing mass
organisations and mass movements in Workers, Women and Youth front and put
forward a number of suggestions. The conference took resolutions to launch a
wider propaganda campaign against TMC-BJP combine and the ruling L.F. govt.
The convention elected a 7-member leading team with Com. Debabrata Bhakta as
Secretary.
Party Workshop in Mansa
A district-level Party cadre workshop was held in Mansa of Punjab on 24-25
February. It was attended by 42 cadres from among peasants, agrarian and
urban unorganised labourers and students-youth. Main speaker Com. BB Pandey
dealt on Basic tenets of Marxism, Party history, Party line and policies,
and present political situation and our tasks. A lively discussion took
place after presentation of the ideas. The workshop was conducted by Com.
Sukhdarshan Natt.
Political Campaign in Necessary for People's Autonomy and Prosperity
Party has been working in the island territory of Andaman for the past
decade among employees and other toiling people. AICCTU has been taking up
significant initiatives, particularly in the employees struggle against
Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) administration and its
autocratic director. Andaman Sanskritik Manch has linked cultural activities
to people's struggle through its creative endeavours. Now the Party has
taken up a campaign to impart these initiatives a clear political
orientation. In this course Com. Swadesh Bhattacharya, who visited Andaman
last week, addressed meetings with Party activists and sympathisers on 15-17
February and also addressed a public meeting on 17 February at Port Blair.
He emphasised that even after 50 years of freedom, people's autonomy and
prosperity is still evading Andaman and Nikobar islands, which continue to
remain isolated from the mainland till date in this era of globalisation.
Consequently it is the rulers in Delhi who decide the fate of people
dwelling in Andaman, and the people here have not been given the right to
elect their council. He therefore called for a vigorous political battle for
genuine autonomy. It was also necessary to develop a self-sustaining economy
in Andaman by making efficient use of natural resources. Industries based on
marine and forest resources as well as tourism could flourish here and
consequently big number of casual workers can be given regular employment.
But to do that a pro-people planning and establishment is necessary. He
asserted that CPI(ML) is prepared to lead this political campaign and asked
people to unite under its banner. The meetings were also addressed by local
Party leaders Com. M Sadasivan, Com. NKP Nair, Com. N. Gopal, and P.R.
Karuppaiah and others.
CSW Signature Campaign
Centre of Steel workers in Bhilai has launched a signature campaign against
anti-worker wage related policies of NJCS. The charter of demand with
signatures will be submitted to Chairman of NJCS and strike will be launched
if the management does not meet the demands.
AISA National Executive Meet
The National Executive of All India Students Association (AISA) met on 21-22
February at Delhi in which AISA leaders from Assam, UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand,
Rajasthan, Punjab, Tamilnadu and Delhi, as well as Dimasa Students Union, a
federal constituent of AISA, took part. It was also attended by members of
the Advisory Board of AISA, comrades Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Dhirendra Jha,
Kumudini Pati and Pranay. The Executive decided to hold AISA's fourth
national conference at Allahabad in August 2001. Towards the conference,
AISA will intensify its agitation against fee hikes, privatisation and
saffronisation,and will aim to achieve a membership target of 1,00,000.
In order to equip the organisation to prepare for the conference the
Executive reorganised AISA's National Council and Executive, and elected
Com. Yogesh Pandey, President of Uttarakhand Unit of AISA, as All-India Vice
President. A resolution was passed in the meeting demanding that the CBI
declare its progress and findings of the enquiry into the killing of Com.
Chandrashekhar. A decision waas taken that on 31 March this year protests
will be organised all over the country and students from Delhi and
neighboring states will protest before the CBI headquarters in Delhi. It was
also decided to mobilise students to participate in People's Conference
Against Globalisation being held in Delhi on 21-23 March.
State-Level Cadre Meet of AIPWA
A state-level cadre meet was organised by AIPWA at Chennai on 25 February in
which 54 cadres from 7 districts participated. Com. Bhuvana presented a
paper titled "Onslaught of globalisation and communal fascism on women:
challenges ahead" and Com. Mary on "Organising working women". In the course
of preparation towards AIPWA's national conference to be held in Patna on
17-18 March, a convention against liquor will be held at Thiruvalluvar and
conventions against violence on women will be held at Madaurai, Sivagangai
and Pudukottai, conventions on working women will be held in Chennai and
Salem. q
In Rajasthan, AIPWA state body met on 27 February and discussed the main
issue before the conference "Onslaughts of globalisation and communal
fascism on women: challenges ahead" and decided to continue its fight
against oppression on women and for safeguarding their rights in association
with other democratic women's organisations.
Gujarat Earthquake Relief Fund
Raised by CPI(ML) and its Mass Organisations.
State Money(Rs.) Particulars
Bihar 1,38,336 Handed over to
Red Cross Society at Patna
Tamilnadu 20,355 To Relief Agencies at local
level
U.P. 11,000 To Red Cross Society at
Lucknow
Delhi 2,200 For Sending Team to Bhuj
Central 1,35,092
West Bengal 36,000
Bihar 44,510 (includes one month's salary
of our Party MLAs)
Delhi 27,470
Andhra 19,722
U.P. 7,390
These apart, our Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) have
asked for diversion of Rs.10,00,000 each from their development funds
towards the relief operations in Gujarat.
CPI(ML) Paid Homage to Quake victims, Criticised Govt. Callousness and
Demanded CM's Resignation
Paying homage to the memory of people killed in the enormous disaster in the
wake of earthquake in Gujarat, CPI(ML) held a condolence meeting in front of
District Panchayat Bhawan, Ahmedabad on 26 February. Party Polit Bureau
member Com. Swadesh Bhattacharya, Com. Ranjan Ganguli, HJ Pagare, veteran
communist Dr. J.D. Vora, Kantilal Dabhi and AISA leader Srikant addressed
the condolence meeting. The meeting also expressed anguish over the
callousness displayed by the Government in relief and rehabilitation work
and demanded resignation of the chief minister of Gujarat. Speakers also
demanded a white paper from the government on the relief and rehabilitation
work carried out till date and asked the government to institute cases
against the notorious builders under Sec.304. In this meeting the Party
announced to donate Rs.1,34,094 towards treatment of quake victims in Bhuj
and elsewhere in Gujarat.
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