In this Issue
Playing at ‘Austerity’
While Policies and Priorities Promote the Super-Rich
The Congress party and the UPA Government led by it find themselves embarrassed by the ostentatious flaunting of wealth by two of their Ministers in times of drought and recession. After media revelations that External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his junior Shashi Tharoor both spent the Government’s first 100 days at luxury suites in five-star hotels, a red-faced Congress rushed into damage control mode. Both the Ministers have shifted to more modest accommodation on request from their party leadership; Congress leaders from Sonia and Rahul Gandhi downwards are now competing to display conspicuous ‘austerity’ – wearing khadi, travelling by economy class flights and even by train.
The Congress is aware that Krishna’s and Tharoor’s protestations that the 5-star bills were paid out of their own pockets rather than the government exchequer might not reduce the political cost of the episode. The fact that Ministers can afford 5-star comfort even as the Government has been preaching ‘austerity’ and prescribing wage-cuts for workers in times of acute drought, price rise and hunger, smacks of double standards, no matter which way you look at it. The Congress correctly recognised it as an instance of the aam aadmi mask having slipped, and hastened to position the mask in place once again: carefully crafted to display the correct expressions of sincerity and sacrifice.
But once someone has recognised the Emperor to be naked, attempts to persuade people that he is magnificently clothed tend to be in vain. The fact that UPA Ministers have pockets deep enough to take 5-star luxury for granted was an unwitting reminder of actual class character of the Government. The Government’s awkward and unconvincing attempts to cover up this revelation of class with gestures of ‘austerity’ only serve to rub in the cosmetic and theatrical nature of such gestures. Recall that a couple of years ago, the Prime Minister had suggested that CEOs avoid conspicuous consumption, saying that “Such vulgarity insults the poverty of the less privileged.” That is precisely the hypocritical sentiment reflected in the Congress’ conspicuous austerity now: pursuing policies that promote the rich and punish the poor is fine – as long as this attitude is not ‘vulgarly’ displayed in a manner that might provoke the poor!
The ‘austerity’ measures only serve to reemphasise the fact that the Government’s priorities and policies are all tailored to serve the super-rich. The Union Budget’s ‘Statement of revenues foregone’ is revealing. It tells us that in 2008-09, Rs. 68,914 crore of revenue due from corporate taxation was “foregone” (due to special tax rates, exemptions, deductions, rebates, etc). And if we take a closer look at the corporate tax collected, we can see that bigger and more profitable companies get away with more exemptions while smaller companies pay more by way of corporate taxes. 67398 of the most profitable private companies, which had 44.60% of the share in total corporate profits, were taxed at an effective rate in the range of 0-20%, and therefore formed just 21.89% in the total tax payable. The smallest companies, those with profits less than Rs 10 Cr, had the largest effective tax rate.
It is also well known that indirect exemptions like concessions in excise and custom duties are also largely cornered by the corporate sector with little benefits being extended to actual consumers. Income foregone in 2007-08 on excise duty was Rs. 87,468 crore and on customs duty Rs. 1,53,593 crore. Even if we assume that 50% of these concessions are passed on to consumers, the total concession enjoyed by the corporate sector through direct tax exemptions and indirect duty cuts add up to more than Rs. 1.5 lakh crore. In other words, the corporate sector gets a concession of nearly Rs. 20 crore an hour – and this does not include the numerous tangible and intangible subsidies showered on the super-rich by way of cheap land, cheap power and so on and so forth.
Compare these enormous yearly handouts to the richest of the rich with the allocations for the poorest of the poor, struggling for survival: a mere Rs. 39,100 crore was allocated for the NREGS in the 2009-10 budget. The priorities are clear: the neo-royalty of this country, who earn obscene salaries several thousands of times larger than the wages of the poorest Indians, are the ones whom our Government favours with huge gifts and giveaways. The poor are given mere peanuts – and on top of it all being made to shoulder the burden of recession in the shape of back-breaking prices, retrenchment and wage cuts.
The hypocrisy of ‘austerity’ and the true priorities of the callous and cruel Congress-led Governments must be challenged and exposed by militant mass movements of the poor.
National convention of central trade unions held in Delhi
All major central trade unions held a National Convention at Constitution Club in Delhi on 14 September to protest against the steep rise in the prices of essential goods and commodities, retrenchment, disinvestment in PSUs and violation of labour laws.
The Convention was addressed by M K Pandhe, CITU President, Gurudas Dasgupta, AITUC General Secretary, Swapan Mukherjee, AICCTU General Secretary and Sanjeeva Reddy, INTUC
The National Convention will be followed by State level conventions at major state capitals and a dharna at Parliament on 28 October.
AIPWA State Conference In TN
TN AIPWA held its First State Conference in Madurai on September 12. A rally was held before the conference which was flagged off by AIPWA National President Com. Srilatha Swaminathan. The rally raised slogans against the DMK government’s betrayal of women, especially working women.
AIPWA flag was hoisted by veteran comrade Comrade Kuppabai, State Vice-President of AIPWA. Comrade Meena Tiwari, General Secretary, AIPWA inaugurated the conference. She called for the participants to develop AIPWA as the biggest women organisation in TN.
The conference focussed on Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities and a document was placed by Comrade Thenmozhi. After discussion, the conference adopted the document. Over 500 women from 14 districts participated in the conference.
A 21-member State council was elected and Comrade Thenmozhi was elected as State President and Comrade Usha as State General Secretary.
Com. Srilatha Swaminathan, National President AIPWA, called for intensified struggles by women on implementation of NREGA and expansion of BPL.
Comrade Balasundaram, State Secretary, CPIML, Com S Janakiraman, State GS, AIALA, Comrade Bhuvana, State Dy.GS, AICCTU and Comrade Nirmala of VHN Association also addressed the conference.
AISA, AIPWA Burn Effigy of Sibal, Shiela, Hooda
On September 11, women and students under the banner of AISA and AIPWA gathered at Jantar Mantar to protest against schoolgirls' deaths in stampede in a Govt Girls' School in Delhi and diktats and death sentences meted out to young couples by khaap panchayats in Haryana. An effigy representing Kapil Sibal, Shiela Dixit and Bhupinder Hooda was burnt.
In their posters and slogans, protesters expressed outrage at the abysmal state of affairs in Govt girls' schools in the Congress-ruled national capital. Schoolgirls died due to overcrowding in a narrow, dingy school without electricity, as well as because they were subjected to large scale sexual harassment on school premises. Protesters also raised slogans against offensive anti-woman statements by khaap leaders.
Protestors held the Shiela Govt as well as Kapil Sibal's HRD Ministry directly and criminally guilty of the schoolgirls' deaths, and demanded why the UPA’s Home Ministry and the Congress Govt of Haryana is taking no action against khaap panchayats that are openly issuing death sentences against couples marrying in defiance of caste-based diktats. In fact Congress leaders of Haryana, like CM Bhupinder Hooda and his son Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, are expressing sympathy for the anti-woman “sentiments” of khaap panchayats. These instances expose the real face of the Congress-UPA Govt's empty claims of 'women's empowerment' and 'right to education.'
Protesting Mahendra Singh Tikait’s statement hailing the killings of ‘educated’ couples by caste panchayats and branding women who choose their own partners as ‘whores,’ participants in the march declared, “We are proud to say that we will exercise choice in love and marriage – if that makes us ‘whores’, so be it. We think that love is a matter of pride, while female foeticide and 'honour' killings are a matter of shame; unfortunately for Mr. Tikait, it is the other way around.”
In a memorandum addressed to the Home Minister P Chidambaram, AIPWA said:
“The Home Minister has rejected the need for a special law to deal with the Haryana killings, saying they should be dealt with as murders. Sati and dowry killings are also murders, but we have specific laws to recognise them. Can murders which are openly justified – even by leaders from your own party which rules in Haryana – in the name of social tradition be dealt with in the same way as ordinary murders?”
The memorandum pointed out that existing laws do not even allow the National Crime Records Bureau to document or assess the actual numbers of killings by khaap panchayats (since they’re all lumped together as murders). The AIPWA demanded that the UPA Government draft a specific law that
• declares it illegal for any group or individual, be they khaap panchayats or Sangh outfits or parents like D P Yadav or Ashok Todi to coerce adults in matters of marriage;
• spells out punishments for diktats and death sentences issued by khaap panchayats, and also for justifications of such ‘executions’;
• that spells out punishments for concerned police and administration authorities who fail to protect couples and take preventive action against those who issue death sentences
• that spells out punishments for parents who falsely accuse women of being ‘minors’ so as to separate them from husbands and have them locked up in remand homes
AICCTU Campaign in West Bengal
In response to AICCTU’s call for a nationwide campaign against the UPA Government’s anti-worker policies, from 9-31 August 2009 the WB State Working Committee met on 22 July at Kolkata to plan the campaign in WB. District committee and district general body meetings were held, and 15,000 Bengali and 10,000 Hindi leaflets based on the central campaign folder were distributed throughout the state. This campaign also triggered off membership campaign for the year 2009.
At Kolkata, a major demonstration was held before the HQ of C.T.C. on 27 August; among hosiery workers on 28 August and among street hawkers on 29 August. Campaigns were also organized in Kosba Industrial Estate, AK Steel, among Jadavpur-Dhakuria Rickshaw-pullers and building workers in North Kolkata and in some unorganized sectors in Behala.
At Hooghly, the campaign took place mainly in Angus Jute Mills, North Shyamnagar Jute Mills, Keshoram-Rayon, Jayashree Textiles, as well as among building workers and railway hawkers. A huge rally was organised at the factory gate of Dolon Food Products Company against retrenchment of permanent workers on 8 August. On 28 August a dharna was organised at Chinsura.
At North 24 Parganas, a conference of transport workers was held at Bongaon on 14 August. On 15 August a joint rally was held at Gouripur Jute Mill demanding P/F dues and Pension. Gate campaigns were undertaken at several other jute mills of this district, and also among brick kiln workers and rickshaw pullers demanding social security measures.
At Nadia, a campaign was organized towards Union formation at the state-run Kalyani Spinning Mill on 17 August. On 25 August a rally was held at Nabadwip Station demanding license for rail-hawkers. On 27 August, the campaign took place among transport workers at Krishnanagar and among Beedi, building, loading-unloading workers and weavers.
At South 24-Parganas the campaign took place at New Central Jute Mill at Budgebudge and among Beedi and building workers.
At Howrah, a gate meeting was held at Bauria Jute Mill, and leaflets were distributed at Ladlo and Kanoria Jute Mills. Also among Beedi, building, and khadi workers in Murshidabad.
At Birbhum, membership campaign took place among beedi and building workers at Rampurhat and at West Midnapore among municipal workers, where preparation is underway for the formation of a new trade union.
At Darjeeling, leaflets were distributed among tea-garden and loading-unloading workers. A building workers rally against price rise was held at Siliguri with CPI(ML) Liberation on 31 August.
A gate meeting was held at Kanchrapara railway workshop by Eastern Railway Employees’ union on 17 August. A campaign meeting took place at Santhaldih among Power-grid workers.
Demonstration on 2 September at Assam
In response to the CC Call, the Assam State Committee of the party staged dharnas on September 2 in different districts of the state demanding ‘work for all and food for all’. District committees held protest processions and staged dharnas in Guwahati, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Bargang and Barpeta. All the programmes were inspiring and well participated and participation of rural workers and tea garden workers was encouraging. State Secretary Comrade Rubul Sarma led the Guwahati dharna, while other state committee members Comrades Subhas Sen, Partha Dey, Arup Mahanta, Rajiv Dutta, Bibek Das and Naren Borah led the demonstrations in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Jorhat, Bargaon and Barpeta respectively. Leaders of Trade Unions, Gramin Sramik, Tea Workers Union, AIPWA, AISA also took part in the demonstration. Memorandum was sent from all the places through concern Deputy Commissioners, except Bargang, where memorandum was sent through Block Development Officer and dharna was staged before BDO office.
Initiatives in Uttarakhand
District and tehsil level protest dharnas and mass meetings were organized at Uttarakhand as part of the national campaign against price rise. Livelihood, right to food and measures against price rise were demanded. On 2 September, dharnas took place at Lalkuan in Nainital, Bhikyasen in Almora and the district headquarters in Pithoragarh. Memoranda to the prime minister were sent from the various district HQs following to the dharna.
The mass meeting at Lalkuan was addressed by party CCM Comrade Rajendra Pratholi and Uttarakhand in-charge Comrade Raja Bahuguna.
At Srinagar, CPI(ML) and AISA activists burnt the effigy of the BJP-led State Government and UPA Government at the centre, raising slogans against “100 days of broken promises.” The mass meeting on the occasion was addressed by the party’s Garhwal in-charge Kailash Pande, who alleged that State and Central Governments were doing nothing to bring relief to the drought-affected in the State, instead they were merely pointing fingers at each other. AISA National President Indresh Maikhuri and AISA State president Malti Haldar, as well as several other activists also addressed the protest.
At Pithoragarh, the party and mass organsiations have been raising the issues of the calamity-affected. When 43 people were killed in a natural calamity on August 8 at Talla Johar in Munsyari, the district committee sent a fact-finding team led by district in-charge Comrade Govind Kafliya, along with district committee member Jagat Martoliya and Pithoragarh town in-charge Sushil Khatri. On September 3, a meeting of the affected people of this area was organized by the Parvatiya Kisan Sabha (Hill Peasants’ Association), which criticized the approach of both the BJP-ruled state government as well as Congress-ruled Centre towards the calamity-affected.
At the district cadre convention organized on 23 August (attended by Comrade Raja Bahuguna), targets were taken up for Kisan Sabha membership and it was decided to hold padyatras to mobilize the common people of Dharchula and Munsyari.
On September 6, an ‘Aakrosh rally’ expressing the anger of the calamity-affected was held at Dharchula. On September 7, a fact-finding team of the party and Parvatiya kisan Sabha led by Jagat Martoliya and Surendra Singh Vrijval went to the calamity-affected Khumti village, where 220 people are living in a situation of acute danger.
Initiatives in Chhattisgarh
On 6 August, a Chhattisgarh-level cadre convention was organized at Bhilai, in which 60 activists from Durg, Raipur, Bilaspur and Bastar took part. The main speaker at the Convention was PB member Comrade D P Buxi; the Convention was inaugurated by CCM Comrade Rajaram and conducted by State Secretary Comrade Brijendra Tiwari. Many comrades such as Gopaldhar Yadav, Narottam Sharma, Lalan Ram, Rajendra Pargania, Tukaram Deshlehra, A G Qureshi, J P Nair addressed the Convention. The Convention resolved to increase circulation of party literature; conduct a deeper investigation of some panchayats; develop some pockets of work among cleaning workers in Bhilai, and centre around unorganized workers in BSP to develop some pockets of rural work as well.
An AIALA unit was formed on 16 August at the gram panchayat Hanauda in Durg district of Chhattisgarh. A memorandum to the Sarpanch (submitted to panchayat secretary in the absence of sarpanch), demanded a stop to the sale of illegal liquor, ensuring names of all the poor on the BPL list, clearing NREGA wage dues, and compensation for homes washed away during rains. A Rally and mass meeting were held in which women labourers also participated in a big way. The meeting was addressed by Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha president Bhimrao Bagade, AICCTU leaders J P Nair, Tukaram Deshlehra, and Prasad Rao.
The All India campaign of AICCTU from 9-31 August was undertaken in Chhattisgarh and it concluded with a Rally and Dharna of cleaning workers at the State capital of Raipur on September 1. The Rally, under the banner of the Chhattisgarh Safai Kamgar Union submitted a 12-point charter of demands to the Chief Minister. Around 1000 workers from Durg, bemetara, Kavardha, Bhilai, Kumhari, Charoda and Raipur participated in the Rally. During the Rally, cleaning services in the Bhilai Nagar Nigam and BSP township came to a total halt. The Rally was held by party CCM Comrade Rajaram, AICCTU National Secretary Comrade Shubhendu Sen, party state secretary Brijendra Tiwari, Bhimrao Bagade, National VP, AICCTU, various other AICCTu leaders and a range of activists of the Safai Mazdoor union.
Gherao Demanding Drought Relief in Garhwa
After the 2 September gherao of the Garhwa district HQ by women, the party conducted a week-long ‘Ghera Dalo, Dera Dalo’ (sit-in) protest in Garhwa Block from 1-5 September. The main issue was apathy towards drought relief even after the area has been declared drought-affected, and the widespread corruption and loot in the name of relief. In spite of specific complaints against dealers, the administration protects the corrupt dealers, who are close to the local RJD MLA. Throughout the protest, thousands of people kept taking turns to come and camp at the block office day and night, paralyzing its functioning. One night, the police, seeing fewer people there, tried to chase people away, but very soon hundreds gathered and gheraoed the SDO. On the 5th, around 4000 rural poor flooded Garhwa and forced the BDO and SDO to come and answer questions at the gathering and assure of action.
Jharkhand Police assault Comrade Bahadur Oraon
On 31 August, a rail and street blockade raiaing a 15-point charter of demands had been organized by the party at Chakradharpur, Jharkhand. The demands being raised included appointments to 4735 posts that are lying vacant; completing the half-constructed overbridge; ending contract labour in the railways and recruitment of local youth as gangmen; declaring the state as drought-affected; and so on.
The blockade spot was the Railway Gate of National Highway 75. The blockade was led by party CCM, former MLA and popular leader Comrade Bahadur Oraon. The local SHO assaulted and abused him. This was met with spirited resistance, and eventually 4 leading comrades including Comrade Bahadur Oraon, Omprakash Singh, Dibru Donge and Lakhan Jamuda were arrested. It is to be noted that on 29 August when former CM Madhu Koda blockaded railways in this very district for an hour and a half, no action was taken. The biased and targeted assault on Bahadur Oraon who has been a popular and respected leader from the days of the Jharkhand struggle for separate statehood sparked off anger among the people. Most parties condemned the police highhandedness.
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