CPI(ML) HOME Vol.4, No.36 September 5, 2001

 

In this Issue:

Editorial...

A Desperate Exercise in Face Saving

There are reshuffles and reshuffles. Though the recent one looks drastic, but something of this sort was not unlikely to happen, in fact due, in view of the critical situation faced by Mr. Vajpayee. In a recent review, it was found that half of the recommendations made in a dozen of reports submitted by the big business loaded 'Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry' could not at all implemented, and from among the rest, only one or a few recommendations were taken care of. The PM has to answer for this poor performance before his 'Council' on 7 September. A non-performing government can do at least one thing, save its face by reshuffling the pack and show that it is concerned about "kick-starting the economy". In the process some scapegoat heads may roll and some zealots may get rewarded. Like the proverbial monkey distributing the loaf, the fascist saffron bosses decided to put all the blame on erstwhile "centrist" allies. Thus a Sharad Yadav is shown the doors of prestigious civil aviation ministry for "hindering" disinvestment of Air India, an Arun Shouri is promoted to cabinet rank for his self-professed zeal in disinvestment. A Ramvilas is ousted from communication and despatched down the coalmines and a Pramod Mahajan is handed over both IT and communication ministries, supposedly for their "convergence". A George is kept waiting pending his clearance from Tehelka while Rajiv Pratap Rudy, an MP from Bihar also tainted in Tehelka, is handed over a berth. If during all this turmoil Nitish Kumar manages to keep his portfolio, it is only because of the shrewdness with which he has planned to milch in the name of providing "safety" even the marginal, most unsafe man riding a train. The only BJP man who has been really demoted in the reshuffle is Advani's man Jagmohan, because recently he had initiated a plan to reclaim the illegally occupied land even from temples and other religious sites causing considerable annoyance to RSS and builders mafia.

With this kind of reshuffle Vajpayee wants to suggest the big business that whereas the BJP in the main wants to implement the reform, the so-called "socialists" are creating nonsense. This has led him to snub the NDA allies. And not only Sharad Yadav and Ramvilas, Omar Abdullah too had to pay for National Conference outburst on PM and Advani's remarks on rigging elections in Kashmir. While Abdullah remained a deputy in foreign ministry, Chamanlal Gupta, another BJP MP from Jammu got an independent portfolio as state minister. Maneka Gandhi too was kept busy in an inconsequential ministry. Vajpayee has realised that these allies, who joined NDA peddling the daydream of "counterbalancing the saffron thrust in a coalition" have lost much of their spine and sting they cannot hit back even if whipped in the back. This was amply demonstrated when the BJP toppled the Samata-led Manipur ministry. Moreover, Samata today is itself a divided house. Saffron dictating power has reached a point where they can deny a berth to the surrendering Mamata Bannerjee and PMK in the reshuffle!

However, the basic problems are much deeper than the ones a reshuffle of this kind can get over with. It is the lack of investment that is the main reason behind the slump in industrial growth after October 1996. India is now dangerously vulnerable to consumer goods import from other countries and is in imminent danger of losing as many as five million jobs in the next two or three years. Foreign reserves boasted to be sufficient to pay for 9 months of import bill are most volatile -- 93% of the $ 43 billion worth of foreign currency reserves consists of "vulnerable liabilities"-- trade credits, NRI deposits, foreign portfolio investment and govt. short term borrowing. A sudden exodus on these will cause a crisis of outflow from the currency reserves. The economy is sitting on a powder-keg because of very policies of reform. How then implementing the same policies more zealously under the direction of IMF-WTO and the guidance of Indian big business by means of a reshuffled pack will rescue Vajpayee? It is your policies that are the true villain, Mr. Vajpayee, and not the ministers alone!

CPI(ML) Condoles Death of Palestine Leader Abu Ali

Abu Ali Mustafa, the 64 year-old leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was killed at his desk on 27 August when an Israeli helicopter gun-ship fired two missiles into his Romullah office. The killing, ordered by General Sharon, was supposedly a response to a Palestinian commando attack on an Israeli army camp inside the Gaza Strip on 25 August.

China strongly condemned the assassination of the PFLP leader. In Beijing a Foreign Ministry official expressed China's profound regret and grief at Abu Ali Mustafa's death and said that China always opposes Israel's policy of tracking and killing militants and its continual assassinations of Palestinian leaders.

In a condolence message sent by CPI(ML), Com. PV Srinivas said that the barbarian cool-blooded killing was more than an act of murderous state terrorism, it was a key component in a larger war strategy of genocide and occupation carried out by US and Israel jointly, in the ultimate geo-political interests of the US. "We cannot ignore the fact that just days before assassination, US administration had justified Israel's murder policy. The US media launched a campaign for calling NATO to occupy Palestine and run Palestine state; and after the assassination, large-scale political and diplomatic cover-up operation has been undertaken to divert the world attention from a most significant political murder in the recent time", the message says, while demanding withdrawal of Israel from Palestine territories forthwith. The letter extends "deep condolence and solidarity to the Palestine people, PFLP members and the family members of Comrade Abu Ali."

AISA Procession in Delhi

Around 100 students activists marched in a procession under AISA banner in Delhi University (DU) North Campus on 3 September in the course of the election campaign for DUSU (Delhi University Students' Union). Led by AISA National President Kavita Krishnan and AISA candidates Aditi Pandey, Srikant and Rohit, the procession started out from Vivekanand Statue in the Arts Faculty, and passing through several colleges and faculties, including Ramjas, KM College, Hindu College, etc. reached Law Faculty where it turned into a short meeting, addressed by Kavita Krishnan and Aditi Pandey, the AISA candidate for DUSU presidential post. On this occasion, AISA manifesto for DUSU elections was also released. The manifesto opposes the govt. attempts to saffronise and privatise the education, lays stress on ending discrimination against women and ensuring their free participation in socio-political life, arranging for cheaper accommodation facilities to the needy students and freeing the campus from hooliganism. It demands restoration of voting rights to students not properly enrolled because of administrative lacunae.

Bihar State Conference Concluded

CPI(ML)'s 6th Bihar State Conference concluded on 28 August with the pledge to transform the party into the centre of aspirations of development and reconstruction nurtured by poor and dalit toiling masses and progressive-democratic minded people of Bihar, to develop it into a leader of people's resistance, and a full-fledged alternative in the state. Com. Swadesh Bhattacharya, PB member and Com. Krishna Adhikari, Central observer addressed the concluding session.

In the organisational session, there were 358 delegates from 35 districts. As many as 298 among them were whole-timers. There were 42 women delegates; and class-origin wise there were 139 delegates from landless-poor peasants, 59 from lower-middle peasants, 100 from middle peasants and rest from rich peasant or petty bourgeoisie. While 54 delegates had come over to CPI(ML) from other left streams, there were 13 delegates who had earlier worked in RJD or other centrist formations. Around 150 delegates expressed their views on the report presented by the outgoing state committee and finally it was unanimously passed amidst standing ovation. The session was presided over by a 5-member presidium composed of Com. Pawan Sharma, KD Yadav, Saroj Chaube, Rameshwar Prasad and Shyam Chandra Chaudhary.

The conference elected a 35-member state committee. Com. Ramjatan Sharma was reelected its secretary. A 13-member standing committee was formed by the newly elected state committee.

The Conference resolved to press for declaring Bihar as a famine-struck state as it has been badly hit by floods and drought. The conference observed that both central and state governments were displaying utter apathy to the problems of the people and it condemned the political game being played by RJD and NDA while blaming each other but doing nothing to help the victims. While demanding implementation of 'food of work' programme throughout the state, the Conference announced the programme of staging dharna and demonstration at district headquarters.

The delegates underlined the need of effectively countering the mass killings of the rural poor and dalits in various parts of the state, as Laloo-Rabri govt. has proved incapable of checking the activities of Ranvir Sena, Shahabuddin or other criminal gangs including MCC and People's War Group. Taking up the task of mass movement against the anti-people forces responsible for such killings, the Conference decided to observe a protest week from 7-13 September. Dhanarua has been the scene of the recent such killing. Therefore the conference gave a call Dhanarua Chalo to be observed on 14 September. People from nearby blocks and districts would be mobilised to participate in this programme.

The conference emphasised the need to expand peasant movement and strengthen Khet Mazdoor Sabha. With this objective the conference demanded disarming of Ranvir Sena and other feudal criminal gangs and supplying free arms with license to the rural poor and dalits. The conference reiterated its commitment to build broadbased resistance movement in the villages to fight these feudal-criminal gangs till their end.

The Conference decided to hold state-level working class conference by the end of September. It appealed to the working class leaders and activists to participate in the conference in broadest possible number and make it a success so that this organisation becomes the main centre of working class movement in the state.

The Conference pledged to fulfill the target set for recruitment of mass organisation membership and also adopted a resolution to expand the Party membership by 150% till the Party Congress next year. The Conference resolved to build State Party office at the earliest. A resolution to raise Party fund seriously was also adopted.

All these days the historic town of Rajgir was overlaid with red flags, festoons and banners stuck out on lamp-posts; it seemed all of a sudden Rajgir surrounded by hills acquired a new life. Cadres from Nalanda and nearby districts worked overtime to make the conference a success. With its widely acclaimed performances throughout this period, Hirawal team of Jan Sanskriti Manch portrayed revolutionary culture in safeguarding the integration of creativity and struggle.

Tea Workers' Association Holds Convention

On 11 July, Struggling Tea Workers Association held a convention at Parvatipur tea garden in Assam. It was presided over by Ruplal Nagavanshi and the basic agenda was presented by Debaru Murai. In the convention, discussion was held on problems of workers. A new executive was formed with Ruplal Nagvanshi as president and Debaru Murai as secretary. Com. Kanak Saikia, secretary of Tingkhang local committee of CPI(ML), circle president and secretary of Tea Workers Association Karan Murabi and Suraj Garait, Nari Santha leader Bilasi Bhumij and many others addressed the convention. The convention resolved to conduct membership recruitment campaign and it adopted several resolutions concerning major problems being faced by tea-workers.

Oil Workers Oppose Conspiracy to hand over Oil Refinery to Reliance

Northeast Oil Workers Coordination Committee organised an emergency meeting at Bangaigaon Refinery Employees Association office on 12 August where they strongly protested the central governments conspiracy to hand over oil exploration in north Brahmaputra valley to Reliance. President Anant Mohan Barman and Gen. Secy. Biren Kalita have said in a press note that this step by the government on the basis of new economic policy is detrimental to the cause of Rajhuwa section of Oil India Corporation and ONGC. The Oil Workers Coordination Committee resolved to organise gate meetings, dharna etc. to demand from the central government withdrawal of this decision, removal of custom tax on refineries in Assam, establishment of gas-based industries in Cachar and Tripura, withdrawal of vindictive suspension of Anil Das, General Secretary of Bangaigaon refinery employees association by the management and send a memorandum to the Petroleum Minister. As a preparation to this, coordination committee called for holding a convention jointly with several politcal parties, trade unions and mass organisations in Noonmati on 26 August.

Killing of Jagannath Mandal : Statewide Protest Day in West Bengal

Assassins patronised by CPI(M) ambushed and killed Com. Jagannath Mandal (46), Secretary of Kalna Subdivision Committee of CPI(ML), in the night of 24 August at Tamashapur village in Kalna block of Bardhaman district. In protest, Party called a bandh in Kalna subdivision on 27 August, which was completely successful. Bandh was also observed in nearby Nabadwip. Overwhelming majority of people, who spontaneously joining the bandh, condemned this heinous, cowardly act.

At the call of Party State Committee, 27 August was observed as a protest day throughout West Bengal. In North Dinajpur district, around 200 peasants participated in a protest meeting held at Raiganj. Earlier, Raiganj local committee as well as North Dinajpur district committee had organised a condolence meeting on 26 August. The district committee also observed black day on 28 August and wore black badges.

Operation Washout by CPI(M)

As people quickly understood who is behind the killing of Com. Jagannath, CPI(M)'s Kalna zonal secretary Biren Ghosh in a hurry issued a statement on 26 August that his party had no role in the killing and demanded that killers must be apprehended. However, with the overwhelming success of Kalna bandh on 27 August at the call of CPI(ML), CPI(M) leaders right from Kalna level to the state became panicky. Now Ganashakti, the State Organ of CPI(M), has initiated a maliciously false propaganda campaign. On 28 August, Ganashakti concocted a story: "Naxalite activist killed in Kalna by his own partymen on the charge of hobnobbing with BJP". The CPI(M) itself knows quite well that both Abdul Halim and Jagannath were good, hard-working cadres when they were in CPI(M). They became targets only when they left CPI(M) and joined the revolutionary alternative. Countering this malicious propaganda on the same day, CPI(ML) has issued a statement to the press (including Ganashakti) exposing this Goebbelsian propaganda as a brainwork of Alimuddin street pen-pushers. If they do not mend their ways, they too would meet the same fate, it said.

Bicycle March in Delhi by Construction Workers

Under the banner of Nirman Mazdoor Union (NMU) and All-India General Kamgar Union (AIGKU), a bicycle march was taken out to demand implementation of central legislation for construction workers in national capital region and oppose the conspiracy of introducing anti-worker amendments in labour laws through second labour commission. The union declared that a human chain will be formed around the Viswas Nagar labour office on 25 September and a memorandum with thousands of signatures will be handed over to the Prime Minister. The bicycle march started out from Jagatpuri and passed through several localities of East Delhi including Karkardooma court, Krishnanagar, Laxminagar, Shakarpur etc. ended at Shashi Garden in Mayur Vihar Phase I. Apart from construction workers, unorganised labour from garment factories and other small-scale units also took part in the procession. The rally was addressed by AICCTU East Delhi Secy. Com. VKS Gautam, Central Office Secy. Himmat Singh, Mahant Rai, Secy of NMU and Shashikant, Secy. of AIGKU.

Kisan Rally and Meeting in Mansa

Consequent to entering the World Trade Organisation in the decade of 1990 and particularly as a result of anti-peasant agrarian policies of the BJP-led central government, Indian agriculture is today writhing under the grip of all-round and unprecedented crises...

To meet this situation, united struggle of peasants on a nation-wide scale has come to the fore as an immediate and imperative task. Therefore ... coming together of all peasant organisations and leaders opposed to new agricultural policy and World Trade Organisation in a common struggle is the need of the hour.

In this context, and to accomplish the abovesaid objective, the Mansa unit of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta), Punjab is going to hold a peasant rally on 10 September 2001 and host a meeting of representatives of peasant organisations.
Reach Mansa to Strengthen Anti-WTO Peasant Struggle!

Need to Diversify Theatre

The Lucknow unit of Jan Sanskriti Manch organised a cultural seminar on 22 July at Lenin Pustak Kendra. The basis of discussion was an article on theatre, "Have we lost the ambition" by noted dramatist Prasanna, appearing in Samkalin Lokyudh. This seminar was presided over by director Surya Mohan Kulshrestha and participated in by well-known theatrical personalities of Lucknow.

Initiating the discussion Ajay Singh, General Secretary of JSM said that the basic concern of Prasanna is to make drama a medium of culture of resistance in opposing the assault of imperialism and communal fascism. The centralised system developed by the ruling culture has undermined the broadness of theatre and weakened its social sense. In the last few decades, new social forces have developed. The crisis of theatre can be overcome only by accepting the challnege of leading them in the field of culture.

Initiating the debate, director Urmil Kumar Thapaliyal said that theatre has worked with a commitment to society but in he past two-three decades no important drama has come up. Rakesh, UP secretary of IPTA said that if our ambitions do not match with the ambitions of the society we have to face problems. Amongst us, there is a vast gap of communication. An artist in UP or Bihar does not know about ongoing experiments in Bengal or activities in Karnataka. Street theatre had played a great role in taking drama to the common man. However there is a paucity of drama with a new theme.

Actor Jugal Kishor, who teaches at Bharatendu Natya Vidyalaya, Lucknow, said that recently some new work has been there in the field of theatre. A big reason of crisis in the field of theatre is in the system as a whole. Until the policies of the system are hit, nothing will be accomplished. Mridula Garg said that despite all the financial crisis, television can create a crisis for us but it cannot do away with theatre. Theatre is a medium linked with ideas and social commitment and till this is necessary, theatre will be there. We have seen that whenever theatre has accepted challenges, and shown the courage to show the social reality, it has become popular in the society. Shaqil Siddiqi and Shyam Ankuram also participated in the discussion. Summing it up, Surya Mohan Kulshrestha said that the problem raised by Prasanna is basic. The centralised system centred in Delhi has appropriated the role of assessing all activity throughout India. NSD gets money for developing drama, it is working to fashion raw materials for films and TV. In this situation, a national debate is needed how to make NSD useful for drama.

Again it is the consequence of the concept of centralisation that everything depends on director. In other countries as well, TV produced crisis for theatre and against this centralisation, decentralising it saved theatre. Community theatre, city theatre, etc. were established. The new social forces coming up in our society can only have theatre as their medium of expression and not TV. Theatre is a community act. So today theatre needs to go to even smallest of places.

Shramik ki Ghazalein Released in Kanpur

Kanpur unit of Jan Sanskriti Manch and Yugprabha jointly organised a ceremony to release Kamal Kishor 'Shramik' s poetry collection "Shramik ki Ghazalein" on 26 August at Press Club. The collection was released by veteran poet Sudarshan Chakra, while the ceremony was presided over by renowned poet and educationist Madhavi Lata Shukla. Introducing the discussion Dr. Prabha Dixit, national councillor of JSM, said that the voice of democracy does not come out as mere slogan or fashion in Shramik's poetry, it is an honest manifestation of his ideology and real life, so with the simplicity in language the poetry gives new dimensions to Marxist aesthetics. Dr. Madhavi Lata pointed out that apart from ghazals, Shramik has also mastered the art of expressing himself in songs. Noted intellectuals and cultural activists Dr. Premila, Neelima Chaturvedi, Yatindra Tiwari, Ramkrishna Tailang, Arvind Mishra, Dharmendra Katiyar, Kamta Prasad Tiwari, CPI(ML) leader Com. Vijay and AIPWA leader Shivani Verma spoke on the occasion. Poet Kamal Kishor said about his creative process that he became influenced with Marxism at a very early stage of life and he also recited some of his poems. The second phase of the programme witnessed a poetry recital programme presided over by Niresh Katyayan. It was participated in by Devendra Safal, Dharmendra Katiyar, RD Singh, Ashok Shastri, Satyaprakash Shirish, Akhilesh Tiwari, Azad Kanpuri, Ramkrishna Premi, Narain Das Verma "Manav", Uma Shunya, Satryendra Tiwari, Surendra Shashi, Chetna Sharma and others. It was conducted by Prabha Dixit.

"Nila Charai" Drama Staged in Guwahati

The Noonmati branch of Sadau Asom Jansanskritik Parishad staged a drama "Nila Charai" (Blue Bird) at CD Hall of Guwahati Refinery Sector-II on 30 and 31 July. The Assamese script of this progressive drama was written by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala on the basis of a child story written by Maurice Metarlink. Significantly, the drama was staged after little rehersal in a workshop taking novice child artists but the people very much appreciated the performance.

 

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