In this Issue:
The Ides of March: Vajpayee Must Go!
Has the worst been averted, at least for the time being? As Gujarat continues to burn and VHP hooligans storm the Orissa Assembly, it is really difficult to say. On March 13, when a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled out any kind of religious ceremony, 'symbolic' or otherwise, on any part of the Ayodhya land currently acquired by the Central Government, the entire nation did heave a sigh of relief. After all, just a week ago, the same Supreme Court had sentenced Arundhati Roy to a day's imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 2,000 for on a most ridiculous charge. But for once the Court seemed to remember the humiliation that was heaped upon it by the Sangh Parivar on December 6, 1992 and it decided to take no chances this time around. This is however only an interim order and a full five-judge bench of the Supreme Court is slated to 'interpret' the Court's existing judgement within the next ten weeks.
While the Supreme Court has partially redeemed itself with the interim order of 13 March, what the government did on the same day, and equally crucially two days later, has left no room for any ambiguity on its role and intent. Attorney General Soli Sorabjee - he should now be renamed 'Shila' Sorabjee - virtually pleaded with the Supreme Court to allow a symbolic three-hour-long 'shila pujan' on the acquired land. And now the government would like us to believe that Mr. Sorabjee was only expressing his 'individual' opinion and not the considered view of the Government which he represents in the domain of law! Two days later, the Prime Minister sent his personal representative, who is also the incharge of the Ayodhya cell in the Prime Minister's Office, to receive the shilas from Mahant Ramchandra Das.
Is it not a most glaring violation of whatever meaning the term 'secular republic' mentioned in the Preamble to the Constitution supposed to convey? And what now remains of the government's claims that Ayodhya is part of only the VHP's agenda while the NDA government is guided exclusively by its own National Agenda of Governance which has nothing to do with the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya? Meanwhile, reports have it that the Faizabad Commissioner Mr. Anil Gupta has proceeded on indefinite leave after Ramchandra Das refused to hand over the shilas to him as being a 'bania' he was likely to sell off the shilas! The real content of the so-called 'religion' behind Ayodhya has thus also been laid bare once again.
What message do we take from last week's developments on Ayodhya? Once the Supreme Court chose to assert itself and once it was made clear that the Vajpayee government would have to uphold the letter of the Court's order (the spirit of the order has clearly been violated), there was not one sadhu or member of the VHP or Bajrang Dal who was prepared to die for the 'cause' of Ram Mandir. The limits of 'faith' have been exposed. The truth is now out that fanaticism flourishes not so much on the soil of faith as on the foundation of governmental inaction and connivance. It is also equally clear that however much the BJP and other outfits of the Sangh Parivar may detest the mini-mandate of the people announced in February, and however deep and real may be the communal fascist penetration of state institutions, an awakened public opinion still carries great weight and influence in India. The people still have the last word, and the bottomline about the people is: you cannot fool all the people for all the time!
The BJP is desperate to take the country back to the 'stone' age, with politics and governance literally revolving around shila pujan and shila daan and worship of all sorts of ossified ideas. But the country and the people clearly have other priorities and we must make politics reflect and articulate these real priorities. Defence of national unity and communal harmony, reversal of the neo-liberal economic policies which are ruining the country's economy and depriving the toiling masses of minimum access to livelihood, are the paramount priorities of the people. And these priorities converge at the compelling demand that the blood-stained tenure of the communal fascist and pro-imperialist Vajpayee government must be ended as soon as possible.
Party Welcomes SC Verdict on Ayodhya
CPI(ML) welcomed the Supreme Court verdict prohibiting any kind of religious ceremony in any part of the land held by the Central Government at Ayodhya and asked the Central Government to make sure that the SC verdict is not allowed to be violated on the ground.
Party Gen. Secy. Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said: it is instructive to note that the Vajpayee government which claims that construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya is not on its so-called national agenda had actually appealed to the Court to allow a 'symbolic puja' from 2-15 PM to 5-15 PM. The lie of the BJP has thus been completely exposed and if the non-BJP partners of NDA still continue to be part of the coalition they will do so only at their own peril.
The Sangh Parivar has an ugly track record of telling lies to the nation and shelving the Constitution and Court orders in pursuit of its sinister sectarian agenda. While welcoming the Supreme Court's order, democratic and secular citizens of the country must therefore never slacken their vigil.
On 15 March, Com. Dipankar expressed satisfaction over the fact that Sangh Parivar and the Central Govt. had to bow to the secular democratic opinion of the Indian people and abide by the SC's interim order. He said: "However, the involvement of the PMO representative in receiving the pillars of the proposed temple once again betrayed the Government's role as the real architect of the temple construction campaign of the VHP."
"Coming close on the heels of the plea made by the Attorney General Mr Soli Sorabjee before the Supreme Court, the PMO's direct involvement in the "Shiladaan" ceremony once again contradicted the ruling alliance NDA's claim that Ayodhya is not part of its agenda."
'Loktantra Bachao' Rally in Patna
Speaking at the mammoth mass meeting held at Gandhi Maidan, following the historical "Loktantra Bachao" (Save Democracy) rally in Patna on 14 March, Party General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the Vajpayee Govt. is a great danger to the national unity, democracy and secularism and so he called upon the people to overthrow the Vajpayee Govt. He also announced the Party's plan to launch a "National Unity Campaign" on 4-10 May, 2002. Coming to Bihar, Com. Dipankar termed Laloo Prasad as a great villain of economic wretchedness and criminalisation of politics in Bihar.
The rally was called against communal frenzy and violence as well as the mafia-police raj well-entrenched in Bihar. Attended by more than a lakh people, this was the most massive rally so far held by CPI(ML) attended by poor and toiling people of Bihar. The streets which the rally passed through turned into red sea fluttering With this well disciplined rally that seemed well capable of launching political resistance, CPI(ML) made known its growing strength.
Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said that lakhs of people with red flags in their hands participating in this historic "Loktantra Bachao" rally are giving a message to the whole country that they will hesitate to no sacrifice to ensure peace against frenzy and democracy against fascism. If Ram temple is to be built in Ayodhya on the pile of corpses, it would certainly hurt the sentiments of all religious people and in that case would become a symbol of shame, he said. He said that the country will never pardon these saffron traitors who have, acting as Bush's agent, waged war on Muslims. Terming the Gujarat massacre as "state-sponsored political violence" and demanding ouster of Narendra Modi Govt., he said that the people of the country should come forward to provide relief and arrange for rehabilitation of the riot-affected families. He announced Rs. 1 lakh to be sent by the rally to Gujarat victims.
Coming to Bihar he said that Laloo Prasad has made a retreat from his starting point, opposition to Congress and betrayed the trust of poor people. Banking as he is on the collaboration of feudal forces and on the muscles of mafia and criminals, he cannot wage a powerful struggle against saffron forces. The flag of social justice and secularism in Bihar is red, and not green, yellow or blue.
Com. Ashok Manohar, General Secretary of Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) also addressed the rally. Others who addressed the rally included Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Secy. UP State Committee, Mahendra Singh, MLA Jharkhand, Com. Ram Naresh Ram, leader of Party Legislature group in Bihar, Saroj Chaube, ex-M.P. Rameshwar Prasad, MLAs Com. Rajaram Singh and Mahboob Alam. It was presided over by Party's Bihar State Secy. Com. Ramjatan Sharma Com. Prabhat Kumar greeted the participants. Those who were in the van of the rally include PB members Com. Swadesh Bhattacharya, DP Buxi, Kartik Pal and Nand Kishor Prasad. A magnificent "Loktantra Bachao" rath was marching ahead of the rally, and the agitators were shouting "Stop Mandir politics!", "Stop killing in the name of Ram", "Down with the police-goonda raj", "We'll build a new Bihar", etc.
'Save Gujarat, Save India' Campaign in A.P.
Implementing the Party's call to protest the massacres perpetrated by saffron goons and demanding the sacking of Narendra Modi Govt. and resignation from Advani, a protest rally was held on 9 March at Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh, in which around 250 people participated. CPI(M) also joined the protest. The protest march was led by Party Central Committee members Com. N Murthy and B Bangara Rao, and Com. V Surya Rao of CPI(M). In Vissannapeta mandal of Krishna district, around 100 people participated in a march led by Com. D Harinath, and in Payakaraopeta, more than 100 people took part in the march led by Com. S Prakash and Com. Raju.
CPI(ML) Participates in Delhi Municipal Elections
Participating in the forthcoming municipal elections in Delhi, Party has pledged to the voters to struggle for a Delhi master plan that puts common man at the focus. It opposes shifting or closing down of industries without proper alternative arrangement, privatization of public transport and Delhi Vidyut Board, as well as Centre's attempts to close down Super Bazar. CPI(ML) candidates are : Sudha Gupta (w) from Mandawali, Surender Panchal from Narela, Shikha Bhardwaj (w) from Bhagwanpur Khera, VKS Gautam from Shakarpur and Madhunisha (w) from Kondali.
Political Resolutions adopted at the Rally
1. This meeting strongly condemns the advocacy by the Union Govt. in Supreme Court for allowing VHP to perform "bhumi puja" at the acquired land in Ayodhya. Even by its earlier records, the govt. stands accused for mortgaging national sovereignty to USA, pushing the country's economy to the brink of disaster, saffronising the education and strangulating democracy by imposing black laws like POTO. Due to all this, the BJP has suffered miserable defeat in the recently held elections in four states. However, far from drawing lessons from the disaster, the govt has gone ahead to introduce anti-people rail and general budgets, to preside over the genocide in Gujarat, to table POTO in Parliament and most of all, to mislead the public in siding with the VHP. The meeting pledges to intensify the mass movement to overthrow this regime that has become a grave danger to the independence, democracy and secularism of our country.
2. While welcoming the interim decision of the Supreme Court on Ayodhya, this meeting strongly condemns the comments by Sangh Parivar and Shiv Sena disdaining the decision from a communal fascist angle. It calls upon the people of the country to remain vigilant of attempts to fan up frenzy on the part of these communal gangs on 15 March or thereafter and to foil these attempts at all costs and maintain peace and harmony.
3. This meeting holds Modi Govt. of Gujarat directly responsible for the Sabarmati Express massacre in Godhra and subsequent murder and loot campaign perpetrated in Gujarat on the pretext of Godhra; and demands immediate removal of this government for the sake of restoring peace and harmony in Gujarat. The VHP and the Bajrang Dal must be banned forthwith and their leaders be severely punished.
Apart from putting pressure on the Centre and the Gujarat State governments to provide relief to tens of thousands of people who have been rendered homeless by the riots and are sheltered in the camps, and to make arrangements for their rehabilitation, the meeting appeals to all to come forward to extend the victims all sorts of support.
4. In Bihar, incidents of abduction, murder, rape and massacre are on a steady increase. Massacres from Miyapur to Sheikhpura, murders like that of the CPI(M) leader Ramnath Mahato to that of DFO of Shahabad Range Sanjay Singh, abduction and killing of Golu in Muzaffarpur, are a few evidences to this phenomenon. Not only that the govt. is utterly callous towards these incidents, even a number of its ministers and leaders are themselves involved in these evil deeds. The state police is neck-deep in connivance with the criminals and gangleaders who have perpetrated these incidents, and it opts to fire indiscriminately on the agitators and kill political activists in false encounters. The killing of students during the firing on agitators protesting increase in tuition fee in Bhagalpur and the killing of five persons at Bara village in Arwal PS of Jahanabad bear testimony to this. This meeting renews its pledge to do away with this precarious situation and build a new Bihar and calls upon all the genuine forces involved in the struggle for building a new left democratic alternative to get united and intensify the movement.
5. So much time has lapsed since the panchayat elections, yet till date no due powers have been transferred to the panchayats. On the contrary, the nexus of bureaucracy, corrupt leaders and mafia is bent on rendering all their powers ineffective. Village pradhans and block pramukhs are being humiliated by the govt. officials and even being killed in some cases. In order to ensure effective decentralisation of power and stop the loot of development fund by the nexus of bureaucracy, corrupt leaders and mafia, this meeting demands allocation of due power to the village panchayats, ensuring supervision, participation and control of the people over the planning and implementation of rural development. The meeting calls upon the people to turn village panchayats into a platform of mass struggles aimed at securing their due constitutional right. This apart, the meeting also calls upon the people to intensify movement for minimum wages, introducing thoroughgoing land reforms, effective check on the private armies and to ensure the assertion of the poor and betterment of the overall situation in Bihar.
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Protest Day Observed in West Bengal
Against communal violence in Gujarat and Sangha Parivar's sinister design on Ayodhya, under the patronage of Vajpayee Govt., protest day was observed on March 9 throughout West Bengal. The main programme "Anti Riot Meeting" was performed at Barasat on the eve of RYA state conference participated by 500 party activist and sympathisers from Kolkata, North and South 24-Paraganas, Howrah, Hooghly. It was addressed by Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, State Secretary Kartick Par, National President Lal Bahadur Singh and WB President Jayatu Deshmukh of RYA.
Rallies were taken out at Siliguri, Mainaguri, Coochbehar, Nabadwip, Ranaghat, Dhubulia, Bethuadahari, Raiganj, Chopran, Bahrampur, Purbasthali, Rampurhat, Bolpur and Mahisadal. Effigy of Vajpayee, Advani and Modi were burnt. Protest demonstrations were held at Jadavpur, Behala and Hazra areas of Kolkata.
A worker rally was organised at Bhadreswar in Hooghly district, participated in by workers from jute and engineering factories. It covered a long route in the industrial area and appealed for communal harmony.
On March 12, a 500-strong rally started from Subodh Mallick Sq., Esplanade, which after covering many sensitive areas, finally ended at Park Circus ground. Our party and seven other left organisations had called the rally jointly.
On March 15, a sit in demonstration was held at College Square. It was organised by RYA, AISA and Gana Sanskriti Parisad, in which a number of eminent left intellectuals took part.
Women's Day Observed in W.B.
On 8 March, International Women's Day was observed in Kolkata at Bowbazar, where AIPWA organised a meeting. Speakers including Mina Pal, AIPWA state secretary Chaitali Sen and leaders like Malina Bakshi, Archana Ghatak attacked communal violence and central Budget. It was presided by AIPWA state president Gita Das. Similar meeting took place Bardhaman town.
AIPWA Seminar in Tamil Nadu
A state-level convention was organised by Tamil Nadu unit of AIPWA at Madurai on March 8. Around 150 members participated in the convention. The theme of the convention was "Women's opposition to globalisation and communal fascism". Com. Porkody, AIPWA organiser of Madurai presided over the programme. Com. Kaliyammal, an elected member of block panchayat and wife of martyr Com. Subbu also participated. Com. Balasundaram, State Party Secretary addressed to the convention as a guest. Com. Nirmala, president of Tamil Nadu Govt. Village Nurse Association, Rani, State Secy. of NFTE, Rajani, a Dalit Women's Movement, Thulasi of AIPWA and Com. Mani Raj, Madurai Distt. Secy of AICCTU, also participated in the seminar. Mary, State Organiser of AIPWA concluded that the women must launch the struggle for their equal rights, dignity and employment and thus counter globalisation and communal fascism. A 12-point demand charter including 33% reservation, opposition to POTO, ban on VHP and Bajrang Dal etc. was also adopted.
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Asians Protest Gujarat Massacres in London
Nearly 100 people participated in a protest outside the Indian High Commission in London on 11 March, demanding dismissal of Narendra Modi Govt.' and ousting VHP from Ayodhya. The picket was organised by South Asia Solidarity Group and 'Asian Women Unite!' (an umbrella group of Asian women's organisations in Britain) and attended by members and supporters of SASG, Newham Asian Women's Project, Southall Black Sisters, Newham Monitoring Project, the Asha Project, National Civil Rights Movement, and students and teachers from SOAS, LSE and University College London.
Despite police attempts to keep the agitators penned in well away from the High Commission, they moved up to the main entrance of India House and remained there for about an hour. The demonstrators shouted slogans and held placards including 'Narendra Modi - Resign!' 'BJP-VHP-Bajrang Dal -RSS Murderers' 'Murderers off the Streets, Fascists, out of Government'. The picket continued for more than 2 hours despite pouring rain. A petition from nine organisations working with Asian communities in Britain including Indians of all faiths has been sent to the President of India. Those who signed it included Prafula Vadgama, Simi Woodwal, Suresh Grover, Anjum Mouj, Asad Rehman, Mukhtar Rana, Iqbal Singh, Amrit Wilson, Hanana Siddiqui.
Largest European Workers' Demonstration against EU Summit
Preceding the EU summit in Barcelona of Spain, around 100,000 European workers marched through the streets of the city on March 14. Workers from Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Britain and elsewhere called for a Europe with full employment and greater labour and social rights -- a "Social Europe". Some twenty street demonstrations took place during the summit, and this was the first. The protest was called by the Confederation of European Trade Unions, with representatives from across the 15-member body, but apart from trade unions it was also participated in by organisations belonging to Social Forum and Campaign against Europe of Capital. Along with communists, Greens and the opponents of globalisation, there were Catalan (northwestern Spain, the region in which Barcelona lies) and Basque nationalists as well. Nevertheless the march was dominated by the red flags of Spanish and French left-wing trade unions. Prior to the summit, several thousand people also joined a demonstration called by the Barcelona Social Forum, which has united around 50 political parties, trade unions and protest groups.
The final march that took place on 16 March, the day the EU summit ended, surpassed all the past records and all expectations of anti-globalisation demonstrations. Joined by around 5 lakh people (300,000 according to BBC), it surpassed the Genoa demonstration in strength. However, more than the number its composition was of particular significance, as it was dominated by working class. This historic assertion of the European working class was indeed a fitting rebuff to the post-September offensive of imperialist bourgeoisie.
The marchers denounce the EU summit as a sell-out to U.S.-run global capitalism. In order to compete with USA, European Union leaders agreed to liberalise electricity and gas markets, to raise the retirement age and to increase job mobility. Speakers at the rally said that the European leaders put business interests ahead of concern for the millions of the world's poor who die of starvation each year.
On 16 March, the Police used rubber bullets, tear gas and baton charges to disperse the protesters. There were injuries and arrests as well. There were also skirmishes with protesters. Authorities had also rounded up busloads of would-be demonstrators from around Europe and the Basque region of northern Spain to deter them from entering Barcelona, and thousands of people had been barred from crossing the border from France. It goes to the credit of workers' determination that braving all these barriers the largest mobilisation could be made possible.
Vapayee Govt. is a great danger to national unity, democracy
and secularism!
Overthrow this Regime!
National Unity Campaign
4-10 May, 2002
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