From Balco to Tehelka : Glimpses of BJP's 'New Deal'

The month of March is generally dominated by post-budget tremors. And when the budget proposes a new deal for the market, complete with strategic privatisation and wholesale dismantling of labour laws, the reaction of the market and the media could only be expected to be euphoric. Indeed, on March 1, most newspapers went to town with screaming headlines eulogising Yashwant Sinha's bold commitment to the so-called second generation economic reforms. But once Balco workers went on strike and the Tehelka tapes became public, the euphoria quickly gave way to panic. The nation now knows with graphic details what Sinha's 'new deal' is really all about. Far from being aberrations, Balco and Tehelka provide two essential glimpses of the unfolding 'new deal'.

The new economic mantra of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation requires the state to beat a retreat from the economy. Actually, the state is asked to withdraw itself from all productive activities and hand over the entire notion of 'distributive justice' to the market. Away from production and distribution, the state is then left with the role of a trader. And the 'grand sale' being organised by the state ranges from the tangible world of public sector units to the mysterious universe of defence deals. From profit-making public sector units to strategic national interests, everything is on offer for people with the right connections and the right amounts! Balco and Tehelka have only brought home the ugly truth in a most telling manner. Following the immediate resignation and suspension of a few individuals, the BJP now appears to be more interested in using the Tehelka episode to further its own agenda. This is the real meaning of 'introspection' for Vajpayee and Advani. Vajpayee has virtually sought to condone corruption by identifying high poll expenses as the main culprit and suggesting state funding as the answer. With this convoluted argument, the Tehelka controversy is thus sought to be linked back to the BJP's ongoing campaign for a review of the Constitution and restructuring of the political system. State funding of political parties will only accentuate the inherent bias of the system in favour of bourgeois parties and marginalise the voice of the people in the sphere of politics. It is interesting to note that it is the same proponents of privatisation who are ardent advocates of state funding of political parties. This is yet another example of the organic link between free market and controlled politics!

If the ruling classes are desperate to tame the Tehelka tremors in their own class interest, the people should also make full use of the Balco and Tehelka controversies for the sake of raising the level of democratic consciousness and movement. For the Congress and other parties of the bourgeois opposition, the Balco controversy may be just a good fodder in the battle of political oneupmanship and centre-state bargaining. The working class must look at it as an inspiring watershed in the struggle against privatisation. Similarly, the Tehelka tapes are only another Bofors for the bourgeois opposition. Forces of the democratic movement must, however, look beyond the doubtful possibility of a quick change in government and instead train their sights on organising a mass upsurge to secure a reversal of the neo-liberal policies lying behind issues like the Balco and Tehelka controversies.

Vajpayee Government Must Resign

Reiterating its demand that the Vajpayee Govt. must resign in the wake of Tehelka revelations, the CPI(ML) said on 26 March, "Nothing short of resignation of Vajpayee Govt. can restore constitutional propriety and politcal normalcy in the country... Before sermonising the opposition Vajpyee and his party should have called for arrest of the culprits including Bangaru Laxman and PMO officials and Vajpayee himself should have tendered resignation". Party said that blaming high poll expenses in this connection is only another way of legitimising corruption. The real issue is burgeoning defence budget and absolute lack of transparency and accountability in defence purchase deals which must come to an end.

Countrywide 2-hour Strike on 16 April

Strongly denouncing the anti-people, anti-worker Union Budget for 2001-02, eight central trade unions, viz., AICCTU, AITUC, CITU, UTUC, UTUC (LS), HMS, TUCC and INTUC have issued an appeal on 24 March. Underlining the adverse impact of budgetary provisions on employment and industrial relations, the appeal called upon "the entire working class irrespective of affiliations to unite and protest against the budget through two hours countrywide strike/tool down in all industrial units, offices and establishment at the beginning of the shift/duty on 16 April, 2001 during the next course of Budget session of Parliament." Several industrywise federations have also endorsed the call for united action.

Solidarity with Balco Workers

Against selling majority shares of the public sector Balco, AICCTU and the newly-formed workers Solidarity Forum held programmes in Asansol. AICCTU leaders of Asansol-Durgapur belt including Com. Surinder Kumar and Kankar Majumdar met the striking workers of Asansol unit of Balco on 19 March and addressed their demonstration in front of factory Gate and attended a solidarity programme on 23 March before city office of Balco. Workers from various organised sectors participated in this programme. The meeting was addressed by Com. NN Bannerjee, Convenor of the Forum, Sujit Ghosh, D Kumar and others, who in their speech called for developing unity and mutual solidarity of organised and unorganised workers against anti-workers policy of selling the country by corrupt BJP govt. Party team Meets Balco Workers, Conveys Support A 3-member CPI(ML) delegation comprising Com. Rajaram, incharge of Chhattisgarh, Khomadas Sahu, Bhilai Secy. of AICCTU, and Lalan Ram of Bilaspur visited Balco Nagar on 17 March and met the struggling workers, who are on strike since 3 March, under the banner of Balco Bachao Samyukta Abhiyan Samiti. Com. Rajaram addressed a meeting of more than 2,000 workers, and expressed solidarity to their struggle on behalf of the Party.

Bandh in Three Districts against Police Atrocity

Demanding resignation of UP Chief Minister Rajnath Singh over Bhawanipur carnage perpetrated by police in league with local feudal and mafia elements, the Bandh called by CPI(ML) on 21 March in three districts of Mirzapur, Sonebhadra and Chandauli had a good impact. Initially CPI and CPI(M) too had supported the Bandh and the three left parties had jointly staged dharna before the Assembly in Lucknow on 14 March and sent a joint team to Bhawanipur. However, CPI(ML) had to go it alone with the Bandh because later CPI and CPI(M) withdrew from the call. Still, particularly in Chandauli the Bandh was impressive and people spontaneously participated in the bandh. In Mughalsarai and Chandauli headquarters work stopped completely. In Chakia, Shahabganj, Kamalpur, Sakaldiha, Dhanapur and Chahania, markets were closed and chakka jam was observed at many places. Thousands of CPI(ML) activists were arrested throughout the region. In Robertsganj, headquarters town of Sonebhadra district, all shops were closed. Around 1,500 people attended the meeting here called by CPI(ML). Even two CPI(M) district committee members joined bandh. Bandh was observed in Dudhi subdivision. In Wasliganj, the main market of Mirzapur, a procession was brought out appealing to the people to observe bandh, which was led by Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Secy. of UP State Committee. CPI(M) District Secy also participated in the procession. Similar processions were brought out at several places in the easeter UP, including Ballia, Sikandarpur, Ghazipur, Zamania and Sampoornanagar (Kheri), where effigies of BJP Govt were also burnt. Dharna was staged in front of Legislative Assembly in Lucknow. All this indicate growing influence of the Party in this region, and victory of CPI(ML) candidate on the post of Naugarh block pramukh.

It is to curtail this growing influence that Rajnath Singh has asked police to kill four naxalites for each policeman, which culminated in Bhawanipur carnage.

Martyrdom Day 'March to Parliament' in Delhi

Observing the martyrdom day of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh on March 23, CPI(ML) activists organised a "march to Parliament" in Delhi calling for ouster of corrupt, criminal and anti-national Vajpayee Govt. Addressing the gathering at Parliament Street, Party General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said that India of Bhagat Singh's dreams must be founded and our Party was committed to that task. Coming to Tehelka exposure and Vajpayee's "shameless defence" of kickbacks in defence deals, he said that this government must go even if we have to face a fresh elections.

This march, organised by Party's Delhi State Committee started from Mandi House and reaching Paliamentary Street Police Station turned into a mass meeting. It was also addressed by Delhi State Secy. Com. Rajendra Pratholi, Suneeta and Santosh Roy and others.

RYA-AISA March

AISA and RYA staged "Aakrosh March" (discontent rally) in Patna on 23 March observing the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh. They also demanded resignation of Vajpayee govt. in relation to Tehelka case. On 25 March, the effigy of Prime Minister Vajpayee was burnt in several districts of Bihar including Patna. Participants shouted slogans "Anti-national, corrupt Vajapyee Govt, Step down!"

Demonstration in Raipur

Various unions related to CPI(ML)-led AICCTU among contract labours, stone quarry workers, slum-dwellers, spinning millwokers etc. and agraian labour and peasant organisations jointly organised a demonstration before the Assembly at Raipur on 14 March. The demonstrators were addressed by Com. Rajaram, and others. A memorandum containing various demands including extensive implementation of food for work programme, irrigation, etc. was also submtted to the Chief Minister.

In the meeting a resolution was adopted to support Chhattisgarh Bandh on Balco issue on 16 March. Speakers proclaimed to launch resistance movement against lifting quantitative restrictions on 715 items from 1 April.

People's Conference against Globalisation in Delhi

The people's conference against globalisation was held at Speaker's Hall, Costitution Club, New Delhi on 21-23 March. It was attended by around 250 participants, political and social activists belonging to left and socialist parties, new social movements, Gandhians, academicians, literary personalities, scientists and people from various other pursuits. They included Dipankar Bhattacharya, Gen. Secy. of CPI(ML), Arundhati Roy, KN Ramchandran of CPI(ML)-Red Flag, PUCL Karnataka President Dr. Laxminarayana, noted literateur Arijit Mitra, AICCTU president Yogeshwar Gope, Deepak Nayyar, Ashish Nandy, Kamal Mitra Chenoy, KN Kabra, Ishwari Prasad, Jai Sen, MS Randhawa, convenor of Jan Chetna Manch, Chabag, and others. SP Shukla, who had been coordinating the preparatory process to hold this conference, greeted the speakers and the audience in his introductory speech. The inaugural speech was made by Prof. Walden Bello, an eminent economist from Philippines who is internationally active in anti-globalisation movements. He challenged the legitimacy of World Bank, IMF and WTO working under US hegemony and underlined the need for action to remodel them. He forcefully presented the concept of deglobalisation in favour of a plualist political economic world order and advanced a counter strategy to oppose the soft strategy of imperialism. Justice V Krishna Iyer presided over the session and fervently appealed to all the forces opposed to imperialist globalisation to launch a united and determined action against the powers that be. Then, in the 'perspectives' session, Prabhat Patnaik spoke on resisting imperialism. Analysing the menace of finance capital and shackles with which countries like India are tied, he called upon the radical forces to take up the task of effecting a rupture from the logic of globnalisation. The session was presided over by Dr. Manoranjan Mohanti. In continuation of the session on 'perspectives', in the afternoon, Aijaz Ahmed spoke on 'globalisation and culture' and Ashok Mitra was in the chair. In the evening, Jayati Ghosh, CP Chandrashekhar, Probir Purkayastha and Dinesh Abrol spoke on "infrastructure and industry in the age of globalisation", covering aspects of 'external sector & finance', 'industry', 'power' and 'research & technology', in a session presided over by K Ashok Rao, who also spoke on 'disinvestment and public sector'.

Next day, on 22 March, the morning session on 'food & agriculture in the age of globalisation' was presided over by Vandana Shiva, who spoke on corporatisation of agriculture. In this session, Utsa Patnaik delivered on challenges in agriculture and food security, Prof. Ghumman (jointly with Sucha Singh Gill) on 'peasantry in green revolution areas' and Kalpana Wilson on 'agricultural labour'. Then in the session on 'basic needs & employment in the age of globalisation', P Sainath, Abhijit Sen, Devendra Sharma, Sunil and Imrana Qadeer delivered on various aspects of the problem. The session was presided over by BD Sharma, who spoke on 'right to resources'.

In the afternoon, Randhir Singh presided over the session on democracy and globalisation. He stressed on placing the stage of globalisation in the context of imperialism and noting down the collapse of national project in 1991, called for a new strategy based on socialist perspective to counter the capitalist globalisation. Kishan Patnaik, Aruna Roy, and B Sivaraman also spoke in this session. Sivaraman in his paper noted the decline of the usual bourgeois democratic institutions in the era of globalisation and elaborated the concept 'new democracy' which will be the basis for a broad rainbow alliance of forces against globalisation forces.

The last session held in the evening was on 'people's struggle against globalisation', in which Srilata Swaminathan, Prabhash Joshi and MP Parameshwaran spoke covering multiferious experiences of struggles. Surendra Mohan presided over the session. It was in this session that Pierre Beaudet, Ex. Director of Alternatives, Canada, addressed the conference. On 23 March, the final session was presided over by Medha Patkar and SP Shukla. It was addressed by Linda Waldron of DSP, Australia, Abdul Majeed Kanjoo of Saraiki National Party (Pakistan) and Risto Isomaki from Finland and Roshan from Green Party, Germany, JNKhanal of CPN(UML) and a comrade from CPN(ML). Other speakers include Ashok Manohar of Lal Nishan Party, Jagjit Singh Layalpuri of MCPI, Arvind Sinha of CPI(ML)-Unity Initiative, Dr. Sunilam, and others.

The conference resolved to carry ahead the campaign against globalisation and go for a much larger mobilisation and consolidation of forces against globalisation and for this purpose appointed a 17-member convening body with SP Shukla as the chairperson, including Medha Patkar, BD Sharma, B Sivaraman, Vandana Shiva, Ashok Manohar, Jagjit Singh Layalpuri, Arvind Sinha, Binod Prasad Singh, Surendra Mohan, Dr. Sunilam, Vijay Pratap, Dinesh Abrol, Probir Purkayastha, KN Kabra, Ashok Rao, Sawai Singh. Later, Aruna Roy and Ram Dhiraj have also been coopted. The conference would release 'Delhi Declaration' and an 'Action Plan'. As a follow-up similar conferences will be held at regional level. Referring to the successful conclusion of the conference, Medha Patkar appealed to all the democratic forces to associate and cooperate with the endeavour and intensify struggle against globalisation.

Road Blocked against Arsoning Mushahar Toli

Consequent to some minor clash between mushahars and upper caste landlords, local landlords in Tilath village of Piro PS (Bhojpur) set the mushahar toli on fire. In protest dalits and other rural poor blocked the road for more than four hours demanding arrest of culprits and local tyrants as well as reconstruction of their houses under Indira Awas Yojana.

Zonal Bureau to Observe 30 March and 1 April

Zonal Bureau in its 24 March meeting resolved to hold a centralised student-youth demonstration before CBI HQ in Delhi on 30 March demanding concrete information regarding progress of investigation into the murder of Com. Chandrashekhar and Shyamnarain Yadav by Shahabuddin gang. The agitation assumes still more political importance particularly when Shahabuddin is absconding in a case of killing police personnel in Siwan district of Bihar, as it exposes both BJP-led Union govt. and RJD-Congress govt. of Bihar in patronising Shahabudin.

On 1 April, protest programmes will be taken at district level throughout the region to oppose lifting of quantitative restrictions on import of 715 items which will particularly affect the peasantry, apart from compromising self-reliance on food and also interests of the poor in rural and urban India.

Khet Mazdoor Sabha Conference

First conference of Khet Mazdoor Sabha in Bhojpur district was held on 26 March at Agiaon. The conference was inaugurated by PB member Com. Swadesh Bhattacharya. It was also addressed by Com. Ramjatan Sharma, State Secy., Rameshwar Prasad, state convenor of Khet Mazdoor Sabha, Chandradeep Singh, district convenor of BPKS. The conference was presided over by Com. Sidhnath Ram and conducted by Com. Kamta Singh. A 23-member District Committee was elected at the conference.

Bhagat Singh's Martyrdom Day Observed

Observing Bhagat Singh's martyrdom Day on 23 March in different parts of West Bengal, RYA erected martyr's column at Gopalnagar, Kalighat of Calcutta, Naihati and Ashoknagar of N. 24-Parganas, and Konnagar, Bhadreshwar, Pandua, Balagarh, Dhaniakhali of Hooghly. A campaign of collecting signatures on a memorandum to Chief Minister of West Bengal is going on, demanding employment, expanding self-employment scheme to cover majority of the unemployed, unemployment allowances of Rs.1000 and publishing a white paper on employment generation in 24 years of rule of Left Front.

Resignation of Vajpayee Govt. Demanded

As a part of the national programme, mass campaign demanding resignation of the corrupt Vajpayee Govt. is going on in several districts of W.B. Protest meeting, procession, effigy burning are being carried out. In Calcutta, protest meetings were held at Moulali and Hazra; and at Jadavpur and Chetla, effigy of Vajpayee was also burnt by processionists. A protest meeting was organised before Nandan Hall jointly by RYA, Gana Sanskriti Parishad and Bhasha Chetna Samiti. It was addressed by Ajijul Haq, Jiad Ali, Imanul Haq, Arijit Mitra and others. Protest meeting and procession was also organised in Barasat of N. 24-Parganas, Konnagar, Bhadreshwar, Pandua, Balagarh and Dhaniakhali of Hooghly district; Moynaguri of Jalpaigudi district; and at Bardhaman and Raiganj (North Dinajpur). The protest meeting held at Dhubulia in Nadia was addressed by State Secy. Com. Kartik Pal.

Protest against Killing of Party Activist

Com. Lal Prasad Mukhiya, Secretary of Motihari Block Committee of CPI(ML) in East Champaran district of Bihar, was recently killed by criminals. Com. Lal Prasad was ex-mukhiya of Ramsingh Chatauni panchayat and was a candidate for the post in the forthcoming elections. Roads were blocked in protest to his murder and a Sankalp Sabha will be held on 1 April.

Military Crackdown on Opposition in Pakistan

The military dictatorship of Gen. Parvaiz Musharraf has launched a fierce crackdwon against its opponents on 21 March, arresting 20 leaders of political parties belonging to the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, including the General Secretary of the Labour Party of Pakistan, Com. Farooq Tariq. The Alliance unites18 parties opposing Musharraf, including Pakistani Muslim League and Pakistan People's Party, the two former ruling parties, and left-wing forces like LPP. The military quickly swooped on the activists who had gathered at Mochi Gate, arresting another 50 there. There are six leaders of LPP among them. The Alliance had planned a mass rally in Lahore on 23 March, Pakistan Day, to demand return of democracy. In the night of 22 March the military further rounded up more than 2000 activists. And on 23 March the crackdown continued. Com. Tariq and others have been charged under a notorious "anti-state" activities act. It should be mentioned here that a 10-member delegation of LPP was supposed to reach India to attend the conference against globalisation on 21-23 March in New Delhi, but they were denied visa by the India authorities.

Left Candidate Wins Mayorship in Paris

For the first time in more than 130 years after the historic Paris Commune, a socialist mayor took over in Paris following the victory of an alliance headed by Beertrand Delanok, which includes Communists, Socialist Party, leftwing radicals and Greens. The alliance won 88 out of 163 seats in the Paris Council. Tens of thousands of supporters converged the town hall to celebrate the victory. The French capital has not been run by a leftwing administration since the popular uprising of 1871 Paris Commune and throughout the 80s it was completely dominated by Chirac's Gaulist RPR Party. Ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections in 2002, the capture of Paris by the left is bound to deal a blow to the president who is struggling to defend himself against an array of corruption scandals dating from his 18 years as the City's mayor. The Left scored another impressive victory when it won the post of mayor in the country's second biggest city, Lyon.

Just as this issue of MLUpdate goes to press, there is a news that extreme right Freedom Party has been defeated in municipal elections in Vienna (Austria) to the gain of Social Democratic and Green party. In Germany too, rightwing Republikaners were rejected by the people who failed to win even a single seat after getting 14 seats in the 1996 state elections.