Days of Debate in Parliament are Over, Prepare for Battle on the Streets

The budget session this year will not only be remembered for the deadlock in both houses of Parliament, it will also go down in the history as a singular session in which both the Railway Budget as well as the Union Budget were passed without any discussion at all. Of the total 55 days of the Budget Session, Parliament sat for only 16 days, and most of it was before the presentation of the budget. Then, it is said that in the name of avoiding a "financial crisis", all sections of the House came to an agreement at the Speaker's behest and the government was allowed to expend thousands of crores of rupees without any hitch. Question didn't arise of any cut motions. The finance bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha through a voice vote, of course several non-Congress Opposition parties did indulge in a theatrics of walk-out. One wonders whether all this drama was just to avoid the uneasy scenario of revealing the economic skeletons in the cupboards of these parties, mainly the BJP and the Congress, before the public through parliamentary debates that are supposed to go on for three long weeks; and therefore there was a mutually accepted, silent deal to let this "dream budget" go undebated and unrevised? The suspicion thickens when one witnesses the winding up of the exercise with a vehement altercation that ensued between the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition, not on any economic policy issue but centering personal accusations and counter-accusations invoking things past. Just an attempt to stretch a cheap comic shade over an otherwise tragic episode. A brawl meant just to cover up the utter lack of responsibility towards the people, while forcing the bitter economic pill down through their throats.

And then, probably for the first time in the history of parliamentary democracy in India, both the houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die a fortnight before the Parliament was scheduled to be formally prorogued. This is really intriguing. Most purturbing however is the role of the official Left parties, who made the demand for an adjournment, which BJP readily obliged as they were eager to dodge a discussion on Tehelka. Strangely enough, several NDA partners appeared to be critical of this adjournment.

Once again this has brought to the focus the question of so-called consensus on economic policy among the mainstream parties. Well, after the decade of "reform", masses, particularly working class taking to the streets every now and then, have already pronounced their verdict that there can be no consesus whatsoever on the policies of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation that the government is so ruthlessly steamrolling. In this situation, bourgeois opposition gets compelled to reflect them in a partial and superficial manner, even though it cannot do so on a principle basis. Such has been the case with Balco and Enron issues. Even Dattopant Thengdi of BMS, BJP's labour wing, had to pronounce unsavoury remarks against Vajpayee and Sinha. Disinvestment programme, confessed by Arun Shourie as a 'movement towards privatisation of public sector enterprises', has already generated a lot of controversy within the bourgeois camp. Now the anti-labour measures laid down by the Finance Minister under the euphemism of "labour reforms" in the current budget have caused uneasiness even among the allies of BJP.

Even before the budget was thus stealthily given a nod, working class have launched a sustained movement against the privatisation of BALCO and so far there is no sign of its abatement. And the movement against Enron, particularly the success of Maharashtra Bandh has not only forced the State and Central governments to reconsider their sell-out but even scared the mighty Enron to weigh the option of going out. Although an unyielding Sinha has only "revised" his budget proposals further to the benefit of moneybags, working class is determined to undo the wrongs done by him through his paperworks. The May Day of the new millennium holds all the promises of a resurgence in the working class movement against bourgeois bulldozing. Let the red flag crimson with the blood of their forefathers shine the path of their emancipation from the yoke of carnivorous capital.

OBITUARY
Red Salute to Com. Dipak Bose

Com. Dipak Bose, a veteran Party leader aged around 60, breathed his last on 27 April due to respiratory failure in Udham Singh Nagar of Uttarakhand.

Com. Dipak Bose, an engineer at Korba in Chhattisgarh, joined the Party in early 70s and working underground as a wholetimer, he took up the painstaking task of developing organisation in Madhya Pradesh. Then he was shifted to UP where he worked in many places. Lastly he was working as a member of Uttarakhand Leading Team. Despite his prolonged illness, he continued to pour his energies in whatever Party work he was entrusted to only because of his undaunted devotion to the cause of revolution.

While paying homage to the departed comrade and sharing the grief with all those who knew him, Party resolves to learn from his fine communist qualities. May his memory shine forever in our hearts.

Anti-Globalisation Meet in Jaipur

The Rajasthan unit of People's Campaign Against Globalisation was launched in a seminar against globalisation held in Jaipur on 30 April. Addressing the meet, noted social scientist and former Finance Secretary SP Shukla, Convenor of the Campaign, said that a handful of powerful nations are reaping all benefits in the name of globalisation, and this new world order is only increasing disparities among the countries and within the countries. The liberalisation policies are ruining domestic industries in Third World countries like India and incresing unemployment. The process of globalisation is as old as capitalism but in its latest form it is once again bent on usurping the sovereignty of poor nations. Senior journalist Prabhash Joshi warned that the finance capital can suddenly cause collapse of our economy as and when it desires to do so. He said that the free market cannot decide the fate of citizens. CPI(ML) Central Committee member Com. Srilata Swaminathan emphasised the need of mobilising public opinion against the imperialist intervention that is going on in the name of globalisation. Ex-Speaker of Lok Sabha Rabi Ray and Sawai Singh of Sarva Sewa Sangh also spoke at the occasion.

CPI(ML) on the Path of Agitation Against Violence and Booth Capture in Panchayat Elections in Bihar

CPI(ML) State Committee in Bihar has strongly condemned the violence that has unfolded during the six phases of Panchayat elections and resolved to launch a militant movement against it. Party has said that this mockery of democratic rights of the common people has crossed all limits with not only feudal elements and criminals but bureaucracy under the RJD Govt. actively participating in manipulating the electoral exercise.

For example, the BDO of Mairwan in Siwan district, who is also the local election officer, changed the booth just one day before the polling without any advance information to the voters, and even set up a booth one k.m. away from the site decided by the state election commission. At several places, polling was stopped much before the scheduled time. Polling at such booths where ballot boxes had been snatched away and thrown into the river has not been countermanded and no repoll has been ordered. Against these irregularities on the part of the administration, Party MLA from Mairwan Com. Satyadev Ram, along with several other Party leaders, has taken up indefinite fast at Mairwan Block office in Siwan district. In other districts too such agitations are being taken up.

On the other hand, several mass meetings were held at Paliganj, Naubatpur, Dulhin Bazar, Dhanarua, Masaurhi, etc. during the election campaign from 20 to 28 April, where the demand of resignation of Vajpayee government for its involvement in corruption was also raised. Com. Nand Kishor Prasad, Party Polit Bureau member addressed these meetings.

Protest Day Observed Against Massacre in Kaimur

Even before the Panchayat elections were over, eight poor villagers belonging to dalit and backward castes were massacred by a criminal gang at Satauna village of Nuaon P.S. in Kaimur district on 23 April. To investigate into the killing a team led by Com. Ravishankar Ram, State Committee member, visited the site of massacre. Party observed protest day in Kaimur district on 25 April.

"Solidarity March" to Balco

Akhil Bharatiya Koyla Kamgar Sangharsh Samanway Samiti, affilated to CPI(ML)-Unity Initiative and Balco Sangharsh Samarthan Group will organise a "Solidarity March to BALCO" at Korba on 12 May. A public meeting will also be held there. The main slogan of the march is "Save Balco, Kick Out Sterlite". All the forces opposing sale of BALCO to Sterlite are invited to join the "Solidarity March" under their own banner.

Gonda Bandh Against Murder of Amit Shukla

Amit Shukla, son of a senior CPI(ML) leader and ex-president of Gonda bar association Com. Narainji Shukla, was killed by criminals on the night of 18-19 April. To protest against the ghastly killing Gonda bandh was called by Nagrik Suraksha Sangharsh Morcha on 23 April which was unprecedentedly successful. The morcha has been formed on the initiative of CPI(ML), taking other left and opposition parties and prominent personalities. A large procession was taken out on Bandh day on which police resorted to lathicharge. Leading the march, Com. Lal Bahadur Singh, Gen. Secy. of RYA and others suffered injuries. Addressing the indefinite dharna at Gonda district headquarters, under the banner of the Morcha, UP State Party Secy. Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh criticised the negligence of the administration. Whereas the police has failed to nab a single culprit, it has clamped Gangster Act on 11 RYA activists including Rajesh Dixit, Salman, Shambhu and Arvind Mishra, ex-president of students union. and 150 common people. Protesting against this, a CPI(ML) delegation met Principal Home Secretary Naresh Dayal in Lucknow and handed over to him a memorandum, demanding immediate arrest of the killers and withdrawal of Gangster Act etc. imposed over innocent people. The Sangharsh Morcha will intensify the agitation and RYA-AISA will observe statewide protest day on 2 May.

Maharashtra Bandh Largely Successful

Maharashtra Bandh called by Anti-Liberalisation Action Committee, a forum of Left trade unions in the state, on the demand of scrapping Dabhol power project paralysed the life in Mumbai and neighbouring areas, it was also successful in Vidarbha and Western Maharashtra and received a mixed response in Marathawada region. All shops and establishments in Mumbai were closed. Buses were completely off the roads. Railway services on Central Railway were suspended and on Western Railway these were partially disturbed.

Dharna at U.P. Assembly

CPI(ML) and All India Muslim Forum (AIMF) staged a joint dharna at U.P. Assembly in Lucknow on 25 April to demand resignation of the UP Chief Minister Rajnath Singh for the massacre of minorities by police and PAC in Kanpur and massacre of common people at Bhawanipur (Mirzapur). The dharna was led by Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh, UP State Secy and Nihaluddin, President of AIMF. Senior peasant leader Pratap Kumar Tandon, RYA Gen. Secy. Lal Bahadur Singh, MK Sherwani, Gen. Secy. of AIMF, Hiralal of RPI, Suman Raj of Anti-communal Campaign, AICCTU State Secy. Ramesh Sengar, AIPWA State President Shivani Verma and other leaders addressed the dharna. It was presided over by senior Party leader Com. Ishwar Chandra and conducted by Com. Ajanta Lohit, Lucknow distt. Party secy. Jan Sanskriti Manch, PUHR, Vikalpa etc. also participated in the dharna, while hundreds of Party activists came from nearby districts. It was culmination of the continuous dharna staged at Ramswaroop Park in Kanpur since 31 March as well as the 30 hour fast undertaken by Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh. Rajnath Singh Govt. is shying away from holding judicial inquiry into Kanpur violence and has accededed only to the inquiry by a member of Revenue Board. CPI(ML) has been conducting a prolonged agitation on this issue.

AIPWA Seminar Against Globalisation and Communal Fascism

East Delhi unit of AIPWA held a seminar on "Onslaught of globalisation and communal fascism on women" on 29 April. A paper was read out by Vibha Gupta introducing the topic of the seminar and then opinions were expressed by AIPWA State Secy. Jita Kaur, Vice President Aparna Bharadwaj, Anita Joshi, Kranti Bhat and others. The main speaker was AIPWA Gen. Secy. Kumudini Pati, who emphasised on the need to launch an awakening campaign against globalisation and communal fascism with a view to increasing attacks on women. Sumitra Sinha conducted the meet and Sunaina moved the vote of thanks.

Getting Rid of the Poor in Naidu's Cyber State

Farmers' suicide, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, is no more an obscure issue. However, not many people know how widespread this malady has become. Recently in article in The Hindu, P Sainath has revealed that figures in data of crime record bureau in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh show that between 1997 and 2000, 868 people, most of them farmers, took their lives using poison, mainly pesticides. Over 900 hanged or drowned themselves or used other means to kill themselves. The total number of suicides was 1,826. Last year was the worst, with 577 people ending their lives. As many as 45 per cent of those committing suicide across this whole period were women. There are a lot of women-headed households in this high-migraion area.

Even the police admitted that most of those consuming poison committed suicide due to economic reasons. On record, however, "poverty" claimed no more than 42 of these suicides. But those committing suicide because of "sickness" (read stomach-ache) numbered 1,061. That is over 58% of the total. And those taking their lives due to "other" (unspecified) causes were 438 or almost 24 per cent. These two catagories account for 82% of the suicides.

On the other hand, children are being sold out by their parents for a paltry sum of Rs. 1000-3000. Raids conducted in Hyderabad and Tandur revealed that hundreds of children are being sold at a price of Rs. 2-3 lakh. Last year, 706 children were brought to 7 placement organisations in Andhra Pradesh. Of these, 302 were successfully placed for adoption with Indian families and 153 with overseas foster parents. Actually in US and Denmark, the number of Indian children being adopted has grown in the past few years. In 1999-2000, the traffic to the US more than doubled and increased by a third to Denmark. Thus in the cyber state of Chandrababu Naidu, on the one hand poor pesants are committing suicides and on the other, their children are being sold to relatively well off people. Indeed this is Naidu's hi-tech way of getting rid of the "poor", if not poverty.

Moldava Opts for Communist-led Rule

A new history was written when Vladimir Voronin, Chairperson of Moldavan Communist Party was elected President of Moldava, an erstwhile constituent republic of Soviet Union, on April 4. He won 71 votes in the 101-seat parliament. Voronin's election made Moldova the first former Soviet republic to return a communist to the post of head of state since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Later, Moldovan Parliament voted for a new government headed by Vasily Tarlev and their Work Program. The new team was supported by 75 MPs of the Communist Party and Braghis Alliance, and also received unanimous 11 'contra' votes from the Christian Democratic People's Party (CDPP) deputies. Ten days after assuming power the new Communist President ruled out the possibility of his republic joining NATO, in striking contrast to Romania which has shown eagerness to become a NATO "bastion" in southeast Europe from 2002. Moldova, a largely Romanian-speaking nation, had joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program, a loose contact group reaching out to former Warsaw Pact states and often seen as a waiting-room for full alliance membership, in 1994 under the rightist pro-western regime. Speaking at a rally on 22 April while celebrating Lenin's 132 birth anniversary, Voronin said that Moldova must hold out in Europe as Cuba has held out among imperialist predators - meaning USA.

Moldova Communist Party (MCP) held its 4th (21st) Congress on 21-22 April, which was attended by over 400delegates and about 800 guests. The Congress re-elected Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin as MCP Chairperson, and parliamentary MCP faction leader Victor Stepaniuk as Secretary of the MCP Political Executive Committee. The Congress was attended by communist party delegations from Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, from a number of CIS countries including Russia and other European states.

Rightist govt. in Moldava has been responsible for a fall in GDP by 3-fold, a complete de-industrialization of the national economy, a $1.5 billion external debt, 75% of the population living below the subsistence level, lakhs of Moldovans earning their living abroad. They deliberately ruined Moldova's traditional ties with Russia and the CIS. The MCP's historic mission is to prove to the world: "the Communist idea, the Communist movement have most favorable historic perspectives", Voronin said.

5th Annual Crafft Festival in Varanasi

For the past 5 years 'Crafft' (Centre for Research and Application in Folk arts, Films and Theatre), has been involved in a broader cultural movement, experimenting with creation of new folk expressions in response to today's context while adopting and transgressing the whole gamut of old folk tales, stories, gossips. The Crafft Festival that was held in Varanasi from 10 to 14 April was an arena of imaginative display of this endeavour, in which subjects had a distinctly popular orientation. The film festival was devoted to the legend of accomplished actor Raghuvir Yadav. Distinguished films like Messy Sahab, Salam Bombay, Damu, Samar were screened at Assi Ghat as well as in Vijaya Talkies, giving the presentation a varied local touch. This apart, on each evening folk presentations involved everyone. Local people and oustsiders danced together to the beats of rich folk musical legacy of Biraha, Kaharwa, Kajri, and also occasionally with dances of Ahir, Kahar or Dhobi styles.

Last two days of the festival were devoted to cultural seminar on "new challenges of creativity". Com. Ramji Rai, Editor of Lokyudh and a senior cultural activist, Ajay Singh, General Secretary of Jan Sanskriti Manch, Zahoor Alam from Yug Manch, Prafulla Rai of Art Gallary 'Indus', Nihar Bhattacharya, renouwned sculptor, and cultural activists from Arrah, Patna, Ranchi, Allahabad, Delhi, Mumbai and other places were there to attend the seminar. The discussion was centred on the paper presented by Crafft President, Com. V.K. Singh. Com. Uday shed light on its practical aspects and called on the speakers to express their views to enrich it. Renowned intellectuals of Varanasi as well as presspersons were also present in good numbers.

The Crafft festival of concluded in a magnificent way with the colourful evening of songs, geetika and gazal, presented in a concert of Kala Kammune and local artists. The new Executive of Crafft was elected, which reelected VK Singh as president, and Uday as General Secretary.

Protesting Saffronisation of Film Awards

The Delhi unit of Jan Sanskriti Manch organised a protest against the saffronisation of the National Film Awards on 29 April, singing a song writted by Com. Rashid for the protest. The cultural activists stood with placards outside Siri Fort, where the film "Pukar" was being screened. The activists distributed leaflets and interacted with the audience. Filmmakers Surojit Sarkar, Desmond Roberts were also present at the protest. Many other Delhi based filmmakers extended support to the protest against saffronisation of yet another institution, film awards.