ML Update A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine Vol.-3; No.-37; 20-9-2000 Editorial Indo-U.S. 'Partnership' and the Unmasking of 'the Mask' Vajpayee’s voyage to America has finally come to an end. Even though the visit had to be cut short by two days because of his troubled knees, this was probably the longest trip to the US by any Indian Prime Minister. This was also the first time an Indian Prime Minister had carried such a huge stock of expensive gifts for his hosts. But at the end of the day, the visit will probably be remembered more because of the Prime Minister’s all too evident knee troubles. He could barely walk or stand, and he delivered his address to the US Congress as he was seated. In the Sangh Parivar’s reckoning, however, the troubled knees of the PM perhaps only counted as an additional plus point. Here is an Indian PM who is prepared to stoically forget his knees, and also the fact that his host country is about to choose its next President, just to demonstrate his country’s unswerving commitment to America! Isolating Pakistan and securing a stronger American note of approval for India’s role in Kashmir and vis-a-vis Pakistan was the topmost political priority of the Vajpayee mission. The NDA government has been campaigning hard to get the US to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. On this score, Vajpayee is once again returning empty-handed. If anything, the knee-jerk reaction displayed by Vajpayee in spurning General Musharraf’s offer for an unconditional dialogue struck a jarring note in the UN General Assembly. America, however, cannot but savour the Indian insistence on American approval, which weakens India’s own initiative in the bilateral sphere of Indo-Pak relations and opens every possible door for ever greater American interference in the subcontinent. The economy was obviously the second most important concern. Vajpayee directly appealed to the bosses of corporate America: “Today, I invite you, captains of the US industry, to grab the many new opportunities India offers.” He reassured the US Congress about the NDA government’s unbridled commitment to throw open the entire Indian economy and trade for American penetration. Yet for all these concessions, the deals signed between the two countries during Vajpayee’s visit did not add up to more than $ 6 billion. The amount of course does not refer only to direct US investment in India - indeed, how many of these deals will actually materialise and how much US investment that will really involve is anybody’s guess - it also includes loans like $ 900 million sanctioned by the US Exim Bank for purchase of US goods and services. And for those die-hard gullibles who believe in the US propaganda of reciprocity and saffron illusions of a great future for India in America, the Washington Post carried a story while Vajpayee was in America. It described graphically the plight of the 4,20,000 H-1B visa-holders (visa of a temporary nature), 55 per cent of whom are Indians, who according to the paper are treated by the US government with an approach of “open arms but closed doors”. Beyond Vajpayee’s troubled knees, India’s troubled borders with Pakistan, and endless investment talks and e-commerce oratory, the voyage was of course also marked by distinct Hindutva overtones and signs of the controversial civilisational basis on which the US wants to secure India’s subservience. Away from the heat and dust of coalition politics, in America Vajpayee discovered the ideal ambience to shed his liberal masks and reveal his saffron soul. Vajpayee’s unmistakable swayamsevak-first statement and his avowed commitment to the India of his dreams on securing two-thirds majority were meant as much for his audience back home as for his hosts and friends on the American soil. And it invited a grand reciprocal gesture from the American custodians of Western civilisation. Vajpayee’s address to the US Congress was preceded by something unprecedented. A Hindu priest was called to offer the customary morning prayer, and he of course did it in English! If the saffron brigade offers its services as America’s most trusted Indian collaborator in the drive towards a US-dominated unipolar world, America is clearly more than willing to back the former in realising its dreams of project Hindutva. This is the political-ideological basis of ‘reciprocity’ on which Washington and New Delhi are manufacturing their vicious visions of partnership. Martyrs Memory Martyrs' Memorial at Lasarhi in Bhojpur Dedicated to People Fulfilling long-standing demands of the people, the CPI(ML) installed an impressive statue of the 12 villagers who had been martyred by the British police at Lasarhi (Agiaon PS) in Bhojpur of Bihar in 1942. The memorial was dedicated to the people by CPI(ML) General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya at a mass meeting held on 15 September. The meeting was presided over by veteran freedom fighter Rampret Singh and conducted by Vimal Singh. Veteran freedom fighter Com. Ramakant Dwivedi 'Ramata' was the chief guest. These martyrs belonging to Lasarhi, Chasi and Dhakani villages also included a woman, Akali Devi. Party had initiated a campaign to declare Lasarhi village a historical place and erect a memorial there in 1998. The same year on 15 September the foundation stone of statue was laid by Party's Politbureau member Com. Ram Naresh Ram, MLA from Sahar. The memorial was completed in two years by noted sculptor Chulhan Prasad. Speaking at the mass meeting Com. Dipankar said that when the people of Lasarhi sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom in 1942 movement, people like Atal Bihari were serving as informers for the British. Even today he is doing the same job for American masters. The struggle for freedom was a struggle of peasants and workers. It is on the basis of the ideals of these martyrs, by means of a democratic movement that Bihar can be brought back onto the path of development. Protest and Resistance Sangh Bid to Foment Communal Tension in AMU CPI(ML) strongly condemned Sangh Parivar affiliates VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP for their attempts to foment communal trouble in Aligarh Muslim University. Party has demanded high level enquiry into the incident of picking up of a student by plain clothes men. Party said that Sangh Parivar in alliance with communal sections of police and administration are set to vitiate the atmosphere in A.M.U. The saffron brigade has branded the whole academic community of A.M.U. as a bunch of anti-nationals and issuing statements to "kill them in encounters" or "hang for treason", and the police and administration is acting to suppress all democratc voices in the campus and justifying all its arbitrary activities as crackdown on I.S.I agents. An AISA delegation led by Kavita Krishnan, AISA national president and Tanveer Fazal of J.N.U. visited A.M.U. They expressed solidarity with the struggle of A.M.U. students against the communal ploy to demonize the institution of A.M.U. and called upon students of D.U., J.N.U. and Jamia as well as all democratic citizens to join hands with the struggling A.M.U. students. AISA Protest in Lucknow In continuation of their protest against fees hike in Lucknow University campus, AISA activists opposed the visit of Suraj Bhan, Governor of UP, on 12 Sept. Police lathicharged the protesting students and arrested state AISA secretary Ajit Singh Yadav and beat him in police custody. AISA has protested this police high-handedness under instruction from the saffron rulers in the state. Demonstration Against Padrauna Firing CPI(ML) has demanded resignation of BJP govt. in UP and judicial enquiry into Padrauna firing on sugar mill workers and peasants on 29 August. To press this demand, demonstrations were held on 15 September at district headquarters in Uttar Pradesh. Party activists from Kushinagar, Deoria and Gorakhpur districts, demonstrating at Gorakhpur divisional headquarters, were led by Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Secy. of UP State Committee. Thousands of people joined demonstrations held at Pilibhit, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Gonda, Robertsganj (Sonebhadra), Akbarpur (Ambedkar nagar) and Bijnor. In Lucknow, CPI(ML) and AICCTU held a dharna at GPO Park. In Basti Party activists brought out a bicycle procession. In Varanasi, dharna was held and memorandum was submitted to Divisional Commissioner. A day before a dharna was held to protest increasing feudal and police attacks on dalits in the eastern zone. In Lakhimpur Kheri the demonstration was held at Bankeganj block. Earlier, statewide protest day was observed on 2 Sept. and a protest meeting was held at Subhash Chowk in Padrauna on 9 Sept. addressed by Com. Lal Bahadur Singh, State Committee member and Gen. Secy. of RYA. Student Convention Uttar Pradesh Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti organised a convention at Sampoornanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi on 13 Sept. and decided to hold gherao of UP Assembly on the first day of its session in October in protest against fee hike, reduction of seats and age bar on candidates seeking election to students union. Around 200 students and youth associated with RYA participated in this convention. It was conducted by AISA general secretary Com. Sunil Yadav and concluded by Com. Lal Bahadur Singh, Gen. Secy. of RYA. The convention also decided to observe statewide protest day on 18 Sept. against police repression on student movement. Demonstration by Agrarian Labourers in Bihar More than 3000 agrarian labourers held a demonstration on 4 September breaking Sec.144 at Masaurhi sub-division office demanding arrest of Ranvir Sena chieftains and supply of free arms to agrarian labourers to defend themselves against Ranvir Sena. The demonstration was addressed by PB member Nand Kishor Prasad. The same day agrarian labourers also held demonstration at Fatuha and Fulwari block offices on the same demands. On the next day, more than 3000 agrarian labourers from the villages of Maner, Bihta and Naubatpur blocks came to demonstrate before Danapur sub divisional headquarters and held a meeting there. Effigy of CMs Burnt Effigies of chief ministers of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, U.P., M.P., Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were burnt in a demonstration participated by around 150 people in Gwalior on 11 Sept. Agitators shouted slogans against police repression and firing in first four states and surrender by the last two states to Virappan demands Initiatives Left Leaders Join CPI(ML) in Bhind of M.P. Three CPI(M) leaders in Gohad area of Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, namely Com. Mohammad Bharaiyya, Com. Dhuaram Mahor and Com. Rasheed Khan, along with 30 other members, joined the Party in a meeting held on 12 September. The meeting was attended by CPI(ML) state leader Com. Devendra Singh Chauhan. Party Convention in Araria A convention of more than 250 activists, most of them agrarian labourers and around 50 women, was held at Farbisganj in Araria district of Bihar on 10 Sept. The activists have recently come to our Party from CPI. It was decided to recruit 2,000 agrarian labourers in one week. The convention was addressed by Com. Prabhat Chaudhary, incharge of east Bihar zone. A cadre convention was organised at Bhagalpur on 17 Sept. in the course of preparations for the success of Bihar Bandh on 23 September. Panchayat Fray in Kerala Party organisation in Palghat district of Kerala has decided to contest from a district panchayat seat in Koduvayur division, on a block panchayat seat from Pallavur division and in a village panchayat seat of Peruvemba. Seminar on Development of Bihar Party organised a seminar on the question of development of Bihar on 11 September in Muzaffarpur. It was attended by over 500 persons, among whom more than 150 were from intelligentsia, journalists and teachers. Notable among them was Prof. Nawal Kishor Chaudhary of Patna University. Speakers appreciated the fact that CPI(ML) has brought the agenda of Bihar's development on the main focus and given it a shape of mass movement. This apart, the Party has come up with a concrete package in this regard in place of empty rhetorics. Addressing the seminar Com. Dipankar said that contrary to the apprehension that land reform will destabilize the social balance, it is the existing social balance that is responsible for backwardness of Bihar and this social balance must be upturned. If Bihar has remained backward it is because mafia and scamsters have made fortune out of this backwardness. Paraphrasing Rahul Sankrityayan, he coined the phrase: "Bhago nahin, Bihar ko badlo" (Don't escape, transform Bihar). Farmers to Encircle Rajasthan Assembly CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M) have decided to intensify the ongoing agitation against power reform in Rajasthan. While observing protest day on October 7, the Vijayadashami Day, they will burn the copies of the Government order breaking the State Electricity Board into five different companies along with the effigies of Ravana. Addressing the joint press conference on 16 Sept., Comrades Mahendra Chowdhary, Tara Singh Siddu and Hariram Chouhan, State Secretaries of CPI(ML)-Liberation, CPI and CPI(M) respectively said that the struggle against power reform will be intensified. Thousands of farmers will surround the assembly on November 1 in protest against power reforms, while 50 lakh signatures are being collected to submit a mass petition to the Governor. Com. Mahendra Choudhury along with other Left party leaders accused the Govt. for raiding the farms and disconnecting the power lines. State Govt. talked about providing 8 hrs power supply for farmers but the real power supply was limited to 4-5 hrs, they charged. Thousands of connections had been snapped within a fortnight under the pretext of pending arrears, when the farmers had suffered heavy losses due to erratic power supply resulting damages of pump sets. Exposing the hypocrisy of the Congress Govt. in Rajasthan , the leaders said that whereas the Congress is agitating against power reform in Andhra, its government in Rajasthan is going the Andhra way. Typical Experiences Nationwide Telecom Strike: Workers' Independent initiative in Tamil Nadu Glorious three days reminiscing 1968 P&T General strike. Displaying exemplary solidarity, firmness and vigour, workers succeeded in paralyzing the telecommunication, the most 'dynamic' sector of the economy. It was an indefinite strike from Sept. 6 jointly called by the federations led by the Left, Congress and BJP. Though the strike was against privatization, main demands included job security for women workers and financial viability of the proposed corporations. Workers rejected the monetary offer by the Communication minister. Thanks to the workers' pressure, BJP leaders were exposed in a day as no.1 renegade of the working class. But the workers persisted. Madras circle witnessed the concentrated expression of militancy, solidarity, high spirit and firm determination. Here, contrary to BJP's speculation, telephone, cellular, pager, even internet operations were totally paralyzed on the second day. The state was virtually disconnected from the rest of the world. Strike forced the management to close the offices and lock the tool room for first time after the 1968 general strike. Soon after BJP back-out, CPI(M) leadership started propagating pessimism and secretly mobilized their supporters to go back to work at Flower Bazaar Exchange. But the overwhelming majority of workers assembled at the gate opposing this, and the exchange was handed over to the police. Workers resorted to road blockade and picketing against police interference. More than 1000 workers were arrested including large number of our supporters. Consequent protest against the arrest spread all-over the city. During preparations for the strike, Spark, a forum of vanguards, had actively involved workers through intensive propaganda, agitation and demonstration at grass root level exposing the BJP Govt. sellout of the telecom sector to the US imperialists. Thus broadest possible mobilization of workers to make the strike complete success could be possible. After a period of stagnation, this time we achieved a breakthrough in mobilizing a large number of agitators. This calls for consolidation of the forces emerged in the struggle and expansion of mass work. Culture Hirawal Performs in Patna Hirawal, a performing team of Jan Sanskriti Manch,( cultural forum)presented three songs, 'Ek din Raja marle aasmaan mein urat maina na' written by Gorakh Pandey, 'Pahle daal mein kaala tha, ab kaale mein daal hai' by Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena and 'Rahne ko ghar nahin hai Hindostan hamara' by Ram Kumar Krishak, in drama form at Shakuntala theatre of Kalidas Rangalaya in Patna on 8 September. Santosh Jha sang the songs and directed the dramatic presentation. The presentation was so live that it was received standing ovation from the spectators. On the whole, it highlighted the crisis of culture due to the infiltration by multinational companies. International The International Oil Crisis and India The current skyrocketing oil prices have hit around $36 a barrel on the international market, compared to less than $10 just a few years ago. Opec assurance to increase oil supply failed to calm panic at petrol pumps and angry fuel protests numbling across Europe. Truckers, protesting against diesel prices blockaded highways across Western Europe, with Britain set to invoke emergency powers to prevent shortages turning a national crisis. In London, petrol pumps ran dry after panic buying swept Britain. In worst hit areas, rubbish went uncollected and hospitals cancelled non-emergency services. Dutch truckers stages wildcat blockades to stop traffic on motorways around Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Striking French truckers have rejected the government’s latest offer to end a dispute which has brought much of France to a standstill. Lorry drivers and militant farmers are blockading nearly all the oil refineries and fuel depots in the country as part of their campaign for cheaper fuel. Over 80% of petrol stations have run dry and rationing has already been imposed in some regions. Fuel demand is high in developed nations, where it is essential to the functioning of big industry. However, those countries have the resources to face the costs. But the problem has caused consternation, particularly in Asia, where there is a growing concern that the rise in oil prices will bring about galloping inflation, leading to another economic crisis. The gravity of the problem in India is evident from the expanding oil pool deficit which rose from Rs.6000 cr. on March 31 to Rs.7,500 cr. by the end of July. The deficit is now estimated at Rs.9000 cr. and it may double before the end of this fiscal if prices continue to stay where they are. The oil import bill for 2000-01 had earlier been estimated at $17 bn. based on $28 a barrel. With prices ruling above $33, the oil bill will exceed $20 bn. against last year's $10 bn. The consequent burgeoning subsidy on diesel, kerosene and LPG will become nearly impossible to sustain. Ram Naik is just waiting for PM to return to announce a price hike. However, it is dismaying that contrary to the belief that India would become self-sufficient in oil, or even an oil exporting country following the discovery of oil in Bombay High in the 70s, the entire oil production by both ONGC and OIL, came down from 34.63 mn. tonnes in 95-96 to 27 mn. tonnes in 1999-2000. Within one year, between 98-99 to 99-2000, there was a sharp decline in indigenous production from 43.1% to 33.5% while imports went up during the same period from 56.9% to 66.5% of domestic requirements. And the saffron "Swadeshi" govt. is coolly presiding over the disaster consequent to this decline in self-sufficiency. Thus the only hope to balance the ill effect of international petroleum price hike has been belied. Strengthen the Party Campaign Combat Individualism and Liberalism, Strengthen Party Unity and Discipline "Whenever there are party members who swell with pride and whose individualism is not resolutely checked by the party, these members will contend for position, power and profit, traffic in flattery and favours, engage in small-group activities and even commit the crime of helping the enemy to disrupt and split the party ... Under the cloak of the party's correct line, they seek to attain their personal ends by taking advantage of the shortcomings or mistakes of some leading comrades and differing opinions within the party, fomenting dissension, spreading rumours and sometimes carrying illegal activities under false pretences. If we are not politically sharp enough we are likely to be fooled... No matter in what form and to what extent individualism manifests itself, it goes against collectivism. Both bourgeois and petty bourgeois individualism stem from bourgeois ideology. We should make a distinction between activities that violate party discipline and damage party unity and ordinary liberalism. Of course, liberalism is a bad thing and it stems from bourgeois mentality, but it is relatively mild failing. Many manifestations of liberalism mentioned by Mao Zedong in his essay "Combat Liberalism" are of this ordinary category. We should also make a distinction between a serious degree of individualism and ordinary complacency... It is not unusual for people in our party to become conceited when they have achieved a little in their work. We should draw a distinction between that sort of self-satisfaction and a serious degree of individualism. Of course, ordinary liberalism and complacency can be made use of by individualists who are engaged in activities that violate party discipline, and they can develop into a serious degree of individualism. Then, is there any difference between liberalism and complacency on the one hand and individualism on the other? Yes, there is. The criterion is whether or not the party member has personal ambition, jockeys for leadership, damages party discipline and carries out anti party activities. If this criterion is made clear to all, the political consciousness, vigilance and combat effectiveness of the entire party membership, especially of high ranking cadres will be greatly enhanced. All party members, especially high-ranking cadres, should therefore combat and overcome not only individualism, but also liberalism and complacency ”. ---(Selected Works of Zhou Enlai, Vol. lI, pp.129-138 _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
