Tribute to Karl Marx
CPI(ML) Pledges to Retrieve the Revolutionary Essence of Marxism

On May 5, it was the 184th birthday of Karl Marx, the great revolutionary teacher of world proletariat. Almost a decade back, our late General Secretary Comrade Vinod Mishra while issuing the call to "Retrieve the revolutionary essence of Marxism" asserted that "Marxism will have to be defended through its enrichment". To emphasise identifying and tackling new problems as the key to this enterprise he pointed out that "the revolutionary struggles in every country pass through different phases of advance and retreat and therefore the policies and tactics of the parties should be judged accordingly." See what Marx himself said: "Thus the resurrection of the dead in those revolutions served the purpose of glorifying the new struggles, not of parodying the old; of magnifying the given task in imagination, not of fleeing from its solution in reality; of finding once more the spirit of revolution, not of making its ghost walk about again."
"The social revolution of the nineteenth century cannot draw its poetry from the past, but only from the future. It cannot begin with itself before it has stripped off all superstition about the past." (18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte)

The Return of Mayawati:
Opportunism Unlimited

In Delhi, Vajpayee desperately needed a new ally to steady his increasingly insecure post-Gujarat third term. In Lucknow, Mayawati needed the Parivar's blessings to begin her third tenure. The situation was thus ripe for yet another marriage of convenience between Lucknow and Delhi. And defying dissenting voices here and there, the BJP-BSP reunion has already catapulted Mayawati in the Chief Minister's chair.

Political observers are of course aware that while the post-Gujarat cracks in the NDA and uncertainty over the availability of TDP support may have facilitated and quickened the BJP-BSP remarriage, but the script was long under discussion. Mayawati's entire poll strategy was crafted on the basis of this possibility.

The last elections have witnessed the best showing ever by BSP in UP in terms of both seats (98) and vote share (nearly 24%). But it came at a heavy price and the total burden of the price will be revealed as the show (Mayawati-III) progresses. The story of how dalit activists of BSP were taken for granted and thoroughly sidelined in the election to make way for powerful upper caste candidates, often with criminal antecedents, is now common knowledge in Uttar Pradesh. It is from this new found social support that Mayawati picked up the biggest chunk of her seats in the Assembly. And this was ideologically defined as a transition from 'bahujan-wad' to 'sarvjan-wad'.

Internally, the BSP has thus undergone considerable amount of metamorphosis from where it had started in the 1980s. Its alliance with the BJP is no longer a temporary external adjustment but something which has been sufficiently internalised and made part of the BSP's essential strategy. The BSP has never bothered about formulating and articulating any kind of economic programme. It is one party which has remained completely and conspicuously silent about the disastrous impact of the economic policies of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. It has also been conspicuously silent on issues of democracy whether we talk about POTA or about everyday atrocities on the working people and particularly on the oppressed rural poor. In the BSP's case we had therefore no other way but to deduce its programme on the basis of its silence. Silence, as the saying goes, is an expression of concurrence.

To be sure, with the internalisation of the BJP-BSP deal, the BSP's support for the BJP and its agenda cannot remain tacit and silent for long. We have already heard Mayawati condone the anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in much the same way as George Fernandes has sought to trivialise it. Her third term as Chief Minister has already begun with incidents of attacks on Muslims in Bahraich and arrest of SIMI activists and, come June, and we will all see how she allows the 'law to take its own course' on Ayodhya.

To be sure, the BSP-BJP bonhomie has also generated dissent in BSP circles. Arif Mohammad Khan's resignation is symptomatic of a much larger disillusionment of the Muslim community with the BSP's pro-saffron opportunism. We can also see signs of similar disillusionment among sections of the BSP's traditional dalit supporters over the party's growing equation with anti-dalit feudal forces. The need of the hour is a powerful and persuasive exposure campaign to deepen this disillusionment and transform it into a positive political quest beyond the opportunist confines of the BSP.

Incidentally, while the BSP renews its alliance with the BJP in UP, in neighbouring Bihar, the ruling RJD enjoys the support of the BSP's five MLAs. Speaking on the Gujarat debate in the Rajya Sabha Laloo Yadav rightly renamed the BJP as the Bharat Jalao Party (Burn India Party). Now that the BSP has once again revealed itself as the BJP Sevak Party, why is Laloo Yadav keeping quiet?

Remembering the Rebellion of 10 May, 1857
Red Salute to Mangal Pandey, Maulvi Ahmadulla, Begum Hazratmahal and Udabai and thousands of martyrs of First Great War of Independence!
Down with Sangh Parivar's riotous Nationalism!

May 10 this year will mark the 145th anniversary of the first Great War of Independence. The occasion bears special significance for the region of Awadh, the Ayodhya, had been the hotbed of that heroic struggle where thousands of Hindus and Muslims sacrificed their lives. Today Sangh Parivar, with its pro-imperialist Hindutwa theory, is spreading communal fascist hate campaign centering the same Ayodhya. This communal conflageration has of late engulfed the whole of Gujarat where Sangh is experimenting with communal cleansing strategy. This Mandir politics has inflicted a severe blow to our national unity.

Therefore, CPI(ML) has organised a Sadbhavana March (Communal Harmony March) at Ayodhya on the occassion of 10 May, and a Shaheed Mela will be held there. On 11 May an "Ayodhya Convention" will be held at Faizabad which is jointly sponsored by AISA, RYA and Jan Sanskriti Manch. The convention will stress on finding out a solution to the Ayodhya imbroglio by means of constituting a panel comprising religious leaders of both the communities, men of jurisprudence and historians, and citizens committed to separate religion from politics. Moreover, the convention will put forward a proposal to construct a national memorial of the martyrs of 1857 at Ayodhya representing the magnificent legacy of our composite culture opposed to imperialist domination.

Party Condemns Killings by Ranvir Sena

Demanding stern action against Ranvir Sena men who had fired indiscriminately upon the children playing near a Lodge in Arrah, killing two of them and injuring three more on 27 April, Party warned the administration of severe consequences in case of inaction in nabbing the culprits. The goons had taken shelter in the town to influence the municipal council elections to be held on 28 April. Party also observed Bhojpur bandh on 29 April to protest police inaction.

May Day Observed All Over the Country

A 500-strong May Day rally was held in Chennai and a public meeting was also held. In the run up, a gherao had been organised by the closed industry workers, which created an enthusiasm among the workers and this led to a successful mobilization for the rally. Com. Radhakrishnan, district President led the rally. The public meeting was presided over by Com. KR Palaniappan. Com. S Kumarasami, State President, AICCTU, was the main speaker.

In Bangalore, an impressive rally of workers was organised heralding the May Day campaign against communalism. The rally was addressed among others by Com. Govindarajan, Gopal and Divakar from PUCL. Speakers called upon the workers to march on the streets to overthrow communal forces from the seats of power and demanded resignation of Narendra Modi.

May Day was celebrated by CPI(ML) and AICCTU-led trade unions at Raiganj Party office and the office of Loading Uploading Union. After flag-hoisting, floral tributes to the martyrs and revolutionary chorus, a colourful procession was taken out, which went upto the union office where a May Day meeting was held. It was addressed by North Dinajpur Party Secretary Com. Ajit Das and other leaders.

In Haryana, a May Day meeting was held at Hali Park, Panipat. Apart from CPI(ML), Khet Mazdoor Sabha, Kisan Sabha and AICCTU members participated in it. Com. Prem Singh, Incharge, Haryana, Ramkumar Ramkishan and Mahendra Chopra were among the speakers. Com. Karmvir Rana conducted.

In Punjab, May Day march was taken out in Ludhiana from Fauzi Colony. Led by Com. BB Pandey and Com. Rajvinder Rana, Secy. of Punjab unit, the processionists covered several localities of the industrial area and held street corner meetings.

May Day Observed Jointly by Tus

May Day in 2002 was observed throughout the country in the background of successful 16 April public sector strike and the state sponsored massacre of Muslims in Gujarat. More than one crore workers had participated in the 16 April strike with West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra and Kerala the call received wide response from other sections of working people. Though all public sector enterprises enthusiastically responded to the call, the strike got most wide response in the coal, dock and electronics sectors. In Andhra, 75 per cent of the state transport workers went on strike.

In this background, the Sponsoring Committee of Trade Unions met in Delhi on May 1 in the morning. The meeting decided to follow up the 16 April strike with a call to observe a nation-wide protest day on 15 May against the carnage in Gujarat. A broad consensus emerged in the SCTU meeting on holding a massive rally during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, a massive "Jail Bharo" programme and launching a more than one day national strike. On that basis, discussions will also be held with BMS and INTUC, and after that the final planning of the future action will be taken up.

In the evening of May Day, a joint rally comprising AITUC, CITU, UTUC(LS), UTUC, TUCC and AICCTU was held in Delhi. More than 2,000 workers participating in the rally started from Ramlila Ground and covering a distance of 3 km. through the lanes of the old city of Delhi reached the Town Hall at Chandni Chowk. The main slogans in the rally were focussed on condemning Sangh Parivar's attack on the minorities, demanding resignation of Modi and Vajpayee, opposing Vajpayee government's design to sell the nation to the US imperialists. The rally attracted wide attention from the general people, particularly in the minority dominated areas. At the Town Hall, a public meeting was held which was addressed by Com. MK Pandhe, GS of CITU, Gurudas Das Gupta, GS of AITUC and Swapan Mukherjee, GS of AICCTU, among others. All the main speakers focussed on the death dance of communal fascist forces in Gujarat and the duty of Indian working class to stand resolutely with the suffering people of Gujarat. The speakers also called upon the working class to put up united resistance against the Vajpayee-led government's conspiracy to derail the ongoing movement against imperialist-dictated neo-liberal policies by engineering communal holocaust. The meeting paid condolences to the martyrs of the international working class movement and vowed to carry on the struggle against communal fascist offensive.

16 April PSU Strike in Andaman

As part of the national strike called by the central trade unions on 16 April against the anti-working class policies, AICCTU unit of Andaman held a massive demonstration in front of the Secretariat Gate, Port Blair. All the nationalised bank employees in the island participated in the strike. Thereafter a procession was taken out via Clock Tower and Light House which culminated in front of the Chief Engineer's office. Demonstrators shouted slogans demanding release of overtime arrears to the work-charge employees right from 1996. It has been decided that the PWD employees will continue their agitation till the demand for overtime wages is settled.

Movement against Red Card Scam Picks up: Bagaha March on May 4

Following the state-wide dharna on 24 April demanding CBI enquiry into the whole scam related to the Red Card (issued to the people living below poverty line through the Public Distribution System) scheme, removal and arrest of the state food minister Purnamasi Ram, immediate release of CPI(ML) leader Dayanand Dwivedi and withdrawal of false cases against him, in which tens of thousands of agrarian labourers, poor peasants and women who are holders of Red Card participated, a massive Bagaha March was held on May 4. Since eight days massive propaganda was conducted in the villages of West Champaran. The minister Purnamasi Ram had conducted a threat propaganda that the rally will not be allowed to take place. However, around 10,000 dalits, adivasis, poor landless workers and particularly poor women who hold Red Cards assembled in the rally at Bagaha, defying Purnamasi Ram's terror.

Addressing the rally Party General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the Red Card scam is the biggest issue before the people of Bihar today. He said that in West Champaran even to this date thousands of acres of land is lying under the possession of big landlords, the district has maximum number of landless workers, the majority of whom are dalits who get the lowest rate of wages in Bihar, but Purnamasi Ram has never raised the issue of land reform, minimum wages or dalit oppression. Actually he belongs to the category of neo-Brahmins emerging through the scams and repression of dalits. Com. Ram Naresh Ram, leader of CPI(ML) legislature party said that the Party will continue the movement till the minister is sacked. Com. Dayanand Dwivedi cannot be illegally kept behind the bars for long. Other leaders who addressed the rally include Party incharge of Champaran Com. Virendra Gupta, Satyadev Ram, MLA and president of Bihar Pradesh Khet Mazdoor Sabha, vice president Nandji Ram, Sunil Rao and Dawood Quraishi.

In the next phase of the movement, people's courts will be held by Red Card holders from 20 May to 1 June.

Jan Ekta Abhiyan Observed in Delhi

Under the nationwide Jan Ekta Abhiyan, Party brought out a "Sadbhawana March" on 5 May in Mandawali and held a meeting at Sabji Mandi, addressed by State Secy. Com. Rajendra Pratholi, Com. Suneeta and others.

In NOIDA, a march was taken out from Sector 10 to Sector 8 and a meeting was held there. The meeting was addressed by Party CC member Com. Kumudini Pati and Com. Ranjan Ganguli, Party incharge of Gujarat. It was conducted by AICCTU Office Secu. Com. Himmat Singh. A meeting was also held in Badarpur.

May 4-10 Jan Ekta Abhiyan Observed Throughout the Country

Jan Ekta Abhiyan against communal fascism was observed throughout the country by holding communal harmony marches, seminars and other programmes.

In Bettia and Muzaffarpur of Bihar, seminars were held on 5 and 6 May respectively. Whereas in Bettiah the topic was "Challenges of Gujarat, secularism and national unity", in Muzaffarpur it was "Communalism in new frenzy and Indian democracy". Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya attended both these seminars and said that saffron goons must be outsted from power to save the country. He said that nationalism has to be defined on the basis of the legacy of martyrs and nationalism means friendship with neighbours including Pakistan. Emphasising the need of democratic revolution to resolve problems like Gujarat, he said that people will have to come out on the streets against communal fascists as people in France have taken on fascists led by Le Pen.

A seminar was held in Jahanabad on 5 May on "Changing face of communalism and the question of national unity". It was addressed by Bihar State Secy. Com. Ramjatan Sharma.

May Day Vigorously Observed Throughout the Globe

France: 1.5 million march against neo-fascist Le Pen
In one of the largest demonstrations seen in Paris in decades, lakhs of trade unionists, students, immigrants and professional workers marched on May 1 to oppose the extreme right in France, represented by Jean-Marie Le Pen and his National Front. Across France an estimated 15 lakh took these protests. In addition to the Paris, some 400 regional protests were staged, the largest in Lyon (50,000), Bordeaux, Toulouse and Grenoble (40,000), Marseille, Lille and Nantes (30,000) and Strasbourg (15,000). Even smaller communities, such as Saint-Nazaire (14,000) and Rouen (13,000), had sizable marches. The crowd was representative of the French working population, as well as other strata.

Germany: The German trade union federation organised a total of 500 demonstrations across the country on May Day. Police used water cannons to break up an anti-Nazi demonstration in which several people were injured. Encouraged by the upswing of Le Pen in France, the German neo-fascist NPD sought to carry out its own May Day marches in a number of German cities, shouting, "We are the people". They were met with a host of counter-demonstrations and were forced to abandon their marches in a number of cities. In the eastern German city of Dresden 10,000 marched in a demonstration against the NPD.

Cuba: More than one million Cubans jammed Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion on May Day. Following a brief cultural presentation and speeches by Pedro Ross Leal, Gen. Secy. of the Confederation of Cuban Workers and Gloria La Riva, President of the Committee to Free the Five Cuban Political Prisoners in the US, Cuban President Fidel Castro addressed the crowd. Asserting that there were no illiterates in the crowd of over one million and that nearly all those present had at least a ninth grade education, he refuted some Latin American regimes' charges of human rights violation in Cuba. Comparing Cuban situation with that in other Latin American countries, he said that Cuba's infant mortality rate is 6.2 for every 1000 live births, (average of 32 in the rest of Latin America), there were 590 doctors for every 100,000 inhabitants in Cuba, (160 doctors in the rest). He said that Cuba has almost three times more teachers than the rest of the region and that all primary school children attend classes in Cuba -- something that no other country in Latin America can claim. In all, seven million people participated in May Day marches across Cuba.

Australia: Police attack May Day protests
In the most recent example of state violence against political protest in Australia, May Day demonstrations in two cities were subjected to police attack. In Sydney, at least 100 demonstrators required medical attention and 31 were arrested. On May Day morning, over 500 police, including a mounted detachment, were mobilised to break-up a peaceful sit-down protest by approximately 700 supporters of various middle class radical and refugee defence organisations. The protesters were blocking access to the central Sydney HQ of Australasian Correctional Management (ACM), the company contracted by the federal government to operate its refugee detention centres, where hundreds of so-called illegal refugees are being held in inhumane conditions.

Police were equally provocative against the May Day protest of some 200 people outside the Department of Immigration building in Brisbane. Police violently seized a teenager who had painted slogans on the road. When protesters attempted to prevent a police van taking him away, they were also attacked.

Britain: Thousands converged on the U.S. embassy in London, blocking traffic at the start of demonstrations there. Environmental activists and demonstrators protesting capitalist, neo-liberal economic policies took over the streets of London.

Moscow: Thousands held a rally near Red Square, demanding that Russian authorities grant the same guarantees that were offered to the country's workers during the Soviet socialist republic. Protesters pointed to increasing unemployment and deteriorating living and working conditions in present-day Russia. In the final meeting which was held in Revolution Square in front of the statue of Karl Marx, with the Bolshoi Theatre at the opposite end of the square, around one lakh people participated.

Indonesia: Workers and pro-democratic elements all over Indonesia had to organise mass action on May Day because the Govt. does not recognise May Day since Suharto Regime and Megawati has continued this anti-worker stand. Workers demanded legalization of May Day as a labor national day and protested Neoliberal policy implemented by Megawati government. Around 10,000 workers led by PRD and various trade unions took part in these programmes. Working class solidarity with the Palestinian cause was a recurrent theme throughout most of the demonstrations held to commemorate International Worker's Day.