"Development" in Bihar: Hostage to Delhi-Patna Complicity

It seems the RJD government has suddenly become very sensitive about the "image" of Bihar. First, we had Rabri Devi walking out of the India Today sponsored conclave in Delhi protesting against the ranking of Bihar as India's worst state to live and work in. And now we have just seen the Bihar government to close down a national seminar in Patna. The seminar was meant to elicit comments on a special Bihar Development Report prepared by a Delhi-based institute at the behest of the Planning Commission.

In Delhi, Laloo Prasad and Rabri Devi were guests. So the most they could do was Rabri Devi staging a walkout and Laloo Prasad threatening to burn down copies of the India Today. In Patna, the RJD government was a co-host. So they have managed to send back all invitees who had gathered for the seminar and stop any open discussion on the report till it is sufficiently "revised".

The message the government wants to send is that it could not care more about the image of Bihar and that it would do everything possible to protect and promote the "image" of Bihar. Whether this new found obsession with "image-building" is actually helping improve Bihar's image is anybody's guess. If the government wants, it can also hire a whole new team of spin doctors to conjure up a new brand image for Bihar. But will such gloss enjoy any real credibility ?

The question will remain, because in the long run images have to correspond to the reality they are supposed to reflect. And no amount of theatrical anger or rhetoric and subterfuges can transform Bihar's reality or make it any more palatable.

Presenting his case as a guest columnist in the May 26 issue of India Today, Laloo Prasad has recalled Bihar's rich historical legacy starting from the era of Licchhavi rule, Nalanda University, Ashoka and Chandra Gupta Maurya to the achievements of Sher Shah Suri, Veer Kuer Singh and Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha. All these are chapters of history which would remain equally valid even if Bihar were to be ruled today by the Congress or for that matter the NDA. The point is whether thirteen years of uninterrupted Laloo raj has helped enrich that legacy and convert it into any tangible material improvement in the average quality of life in Bihar. And on this score, even for Laloo Prasad and his acolytes, mum's the word. Patna is Delhi's stepchild, complaints Laloo Prasad. Pray, what prevents the "empowered" stepchild from wresting justice through a battle against the stepparents? Once again, mum's the word.

The India Today rankings and several other studies clearly show that the new economic policies of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation have proved an absolute non-starter in Bihar. Laloo Prasad is of course quite right when he says that Bihar has been at the bottom since years and decades before 1991 and that the roots of this backwardness run deeper. Neither the so-called "administered" economy of yesteryears nor the "free" market of today has made any difference to this stubborn deep-rooted economic backwardness.

What according to Laloo Prasad are these causes? In his own words, and in his own ranking, these are "naxalism, floods, drought and poverty." A queer mix of history and geography, economics and political science. And what is the cure prescribed by Laloo Prasad and his School of Economics and Politics?

(i) More central grants.

That does not however answer why huge amounts of funds either remain routinely unspent or get routinely embezzled.

(ii) Promotion of social capital and knowledge-economy.

Can such bypass surgery ever improve the failing heart of Bihar's economy which is anyway already led by the service sector" After all, organised crime and networked corruption are the biggest miney-spinners in the state.

(iii) More decentralisation and retreat of the state.

How does that tally with our actual experience with the Bihar version of panchayati raj and the existing level of institutionalised and persistent anarchy?

(iv) Rise of Bihari sub-nationalism.

On what basis can sub-nationalism flourish in Bihar? And who among the following will have to serve as the engine of this "Bihari" pride: the oppressed rural poor, deprived women, migrant labourers, unpaid employees, deceived students, kidnapped professionals and/or harassed traders?

The truth is the roots of backwardness must first of all be located within the system in Bihar, a system that has been chronically inimical to labour and production. The feudal apathy to production and hostility to labour has found its perfect match in the "modern" and "post-modern" arts of swindling and speculation. Organised crime and institutionalised loot remains the surest and fastest way to accumulation of wealth and power in Bihar. And vulgar ostentation and unmitigated arrogance remain the hallmarks of the rich and the powerful. Development in Bihar therefore means turning the whole order upside down and bringing labour and production to the fore in a determined battle against the nexus of social parasites and unproductive swindlers. In other words, Bihar demands nothing short of a socio-economic and political upheaval.

Laloo Raj in Bihar is essentially a political insurance for the ruling classes, both in Patna and Delhi, to guard precisely against the risk of such a possible upheaval. And continued economic stagnation and all-pervasive anarchy is the daily payable premium for insuring the status quo. For the rest of Bihar, development can only presuppose deliverance from this historic complicity between Delhi and Patna.

21st May General Strike : Workers Say No to Disinvestment

The All India General Strike on 21 May, called by 7 central trade unions to protest the disinvestments, privatization and retrenchment policies of the government, was an unprecedented success, evoking a strong response across the country. AICCTU and CPI(ML) ensured militant participation and success of the bandh at several centers.

In Bihar, government offices remained shut under the impact of the bandh, at Patna, Rohtas, Aurangabad, Gaya, Bhojpur, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Champaran, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura, Darbhanga and other centers. Organisations of employees and unorganized sector workers held picketing for hours at various offices. At Patna, several offices spontaneously remained shut, and the Secretariat was seriously affected by the bandh. Apart from this, bank and insurance sector, road transport, Pataliputra industrial area and even private sector companies were fully on strike, while bank and insurance employees held protest dharnas and mass meetings at their banks. At Samastipur station, railway workers held a dharna In Patna, activists of AICCTU, AIPWA, AISA, Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha and Khet Mazdoor Sabha marched on the streets to implement the bandh. The Bihar Pradesh Khet Mazdoor Sabha held dharnas at all block headquarters across the state.

In Jharkhand, the State-wide Bandh which had been called by CPI(ML). In particular, the Bandh focused on the sell-out of the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC), and in addition to opposing disinvestments, demanded panchayat polls in Jharkhand. At Ranchi, thousands of bandh supporters led by CPI(ML) State Secretary Comrade Subhendu Sen, CPI(ML) MLA Mahendra Singh and AICCTU State Secretary Tarun Sarkar were arrested. In the coal sector, the strike was total, paralyzing all operations of collieries. At Lohardaga, production and transport was totally paralysed at the bauxite mines. The Grand Chord Railway Line passing through Jharkhand was blocked at several places, notably at Mugma station in Dhanbad district and Hazaribagh Road Station in Giridih district, for as long as five hours. The GT Road and other national highways were also blocked. The GT Road was blocked at Bagodar in Giridih district and at Nirsa in Dhanbad. The Ranchi-Patna Highway and Ranchi-Tata Highway were also blocked. In addition, bank and insurance institutions as well as schools and colleges remained closed. The leaders and activists of CPM and CPI too participated along with us in implementing the call of bandh.

In Giridih, thousands of activists hit the streets led by CPI(ML) Central Committee member Ibnul Hasan Basru. Coal workers of BCCL and ECL came on the streets under the banner of Coal Miner Workers Union (CMWU) and those in other industrial areas under the banner of Jharkhand General Mazdoor Union.

In Tamil Nadu, the bandh evoked a powerful response amongst the workers of the unorganized sector " especially powerloom and beedi workers, as well as employees of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, and workers of most industrial estates. In Ambattur industrial estate of Chennai our comrade went to close factories. Our comrades in Trichy successfully organized strike in Ordinance Factory. Here AICCTU affiliated union independently implemented the strike call and over forty percent of the workers stayed out. AICCTU took part in the strike with its full strength. Although INTUC affiliated union tried to obstruct us which ended in an altercation and one of our comrade was illegally arrested by the police in support of the rival union.

In Assam, strike was almost total including Guwahati. AICCTU led the bandh mobilizations in many places. Bandh was total in industrial areas like Noonmati due to our systematic and conscious efforts. Campaign for the bandh was well organized in the city and week-long campaign was organized to call upon the people to observe the bandh which included walling, postering, leafleting, street meetings, gate meetings in different areas of the city. It was for the first time in Assam that all oil establishments including four refineries remained closed. Apart from industrial units like bank, insurance, refinery etc. the strike effected normal public life of the state. Road transport was off. In Guwahati no city bus could run and most of the shops and other business establishments were closed. Train services were stopped and several trains were rescheduled or cancelled. At Guwahati station Left-led organisations arrived in large numbers to stall movement of trains during the general strike.

In Rajasthan, roads were blocked by our trade union activists in both Udaipur and Jhunjhunu, and in Jaipur and Banswara along with other trade unions. Construction labourers participated in pro-bandh demonstration in sizeable numbers.

At Delhi, the AICCTU-affiliated DTC Workers Unity Centre held a massive day-long dharna at the DTC headquarters. Workers held processions in industrial areas in support of the strike. In Uttaranchal, a demonstration was held by the Party in Rudrapur in support of the nationwide strike call which was participated by student as well as the agricultural and industrial workers. A gate meeting was also organised at Century paper mill in Lalkuan. At Ludhiana, in Punjab, activists of CPI(ML) and Mazdoor Mukti Morcha held a dharna at the DC office. There are reports of widespread participation from UP, West Bengal, Pondicherry and Andamans too.

In a statement congratulating the working class on the success of the strike, CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya said, "the success of the strike is an effective pre-election warning to the government. The wide response evoked by the strike must open the government's eyes to the growing opposition to its anti-people, pro-imperialist policies of liberalization, privatization and globalisation." He further said that "the least that the government must do is to halt the disinvestments and privatization moves and wind up the Disinvestments Ministry."

Weavers" Struggle in Varansi

Weavers in Eastern U. P. erupted in protest against the implementation of 11.1% excise duty on the powerloom sector, declaring a "Looms general strike'. The world-famous Banarasi sari industry generates the maximum employment in the entire Poorvanchal (Eastern UP) region. Therefore, the protest has drawn in workers and weavers from Mau, Tanda, Khalilabad as well as Benaras. AICCTU-affiliated Bunkar Mahasabha began an indefinite relay hunger strike at the district HQ on 2 April with the slogan "Save Benaras, Save the Weaving Industry". Together with other weavers and a section of loom-owner-weavers held a massive rally of over 10,000 at the district headquarters on 16 April.

Favouring American policies, foreign MNCs and big industrialists, the Vajpayee government has launched an assault on industries like hosiery, readymade garments and weaving. The finance minister, in his budget has slapped an excise duty on all these small industries. India is likely to get a share in the world market of the textile sector. And about 70% of our textile exports come from powerloom-handloom, readymade and hosiery garment. Now, big industry and MNCs have their eye on this sector too. First the BJP government removed the ceiling for investment which had hitherto protected the small-scale sector, and now it is paving the way for its devastation by introducing excise duty. As part of this scheme, the Mayawati government in UP has announced the formation of four economic zones, where labour laws and taxes are being relaxed to attract big capital!

The ongoing strike pushed weavers' families on the brink of starvation, and there were reports of attempted suicide. The Bunkar Mahasabha( Weavers' Organisation)and Khet Mazdoor Sabha ( Agricultural Workers' Union) together launched a massive agitation on 21 April, placing the onus of preventing such suicides on Central and State governments, and demanding immediate relief measures for the starving weavers. The Bunkar Mahasabha took the initiative of forming a Sangharsh Samiti (Weavers struggle Committee) which organized a conference and dharna on 26 April. The struggle of weavers in Banaras as well as all over India forced the government to roll back the excise duty.

Convention Against Privatisation of Oil PSUs

AICCTU organised a state level Convention against Privatisation of Oil PSUs at Guwahati Refinery, Noonmati on May 25. Representatives from different trade union organizations in oil sector as well as others like bank, fertilizer and contract workers participated in it. The convention was addressed by trade union leaders from Bongaigaon Refinery, Oil India Limited, Pipline, Guwahati Refinery, Assam Provincial Bank Employees'Association, North Eastern Region Oil Workers Co-Ordination Committee and Guwahati Refinery. Deben Bhattacharya, State Secretary of CITU, and Naren Bora of CPI(ML) also addressed the Convention.

Speakers condemned the government's move for privatizing the oil PSUs through disinvestments and other ways like bifurcation and called upon the oil industry workers to come forward to expose the government's conspiracy and to increase awareness among the masses.

Cut in Interest Rate of EPF Opposed

The All India Central Council of Trade Unions has condemned the proposed cut in interest rate of the Employees Provident Fund and has decided to hold all India protests on May 31 against this decision of the EPF Board. AICCTU has also criticized the INTUC and the BMS for their tacit approval as they are the members of the committee which has taken this anti-working class decision. It may be recalled that the restoration of 12% interest on EPF was one of the main demands of 21 May General Strike, but by ignoring massive people's mandate the BJP-led govt. has taken this step to appease multinationals and capitalists.

Cultural Meet in Chennai

Thamizhaga Panpattuk Kazhagam (Tamilnadu People's Cultural Association) organised an interactive cultural meet in Chennai on May 10. Comrade Sivasegaram of Colombo University of Sri Lanka, an eminent Poet and Literary critic, delivered the Keynote address on "Imperialism and Culture", which was followed by serious discussions. The meeting was attended by good number of intellectuals including progressive artists, writers, journalists, students and Youth.

Over Million Workers Demonstrate in France Against Pension Reforms

The working class in France retaliated on May 25 by organising demonstration in Paris, biggest ever in over 20 years, against an attack on their social security system in the form of Pension Reforms. It was reported that over a million people from all over France took part in the protest. Massive demonstrations were also held at other cities like Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, etc on same day. Earlier, more than one million people choked the streets of Paris on May 13. The Pension reform bill would force the workers to "work more years to get existing pension", which will be placed before the cabinet for approval on May 28 but the unions have vowed to hit back with a fresh wave of strikes.

According to the reform bill, by 2008, the contribution period to receive a full pension for the state sector will be increased from 37.5 to 40 years, matching the private sector. After that, the contribution period for all workers would eventually be extended to 42 years by 2020. Ministers say that without reform, the system will have an annual deficit of 50 billion Euro (58.9 billion dollars) by 2020, but unions say the government's plan place an undue burden on the workforce. Majority of French people want the government to renegotiate with the unions to resolve the dispute. But the social affairs minister Francois Fillon adamantly rejected it.

While education worker's, that includes teachers and other staff, are already on strike for last many days, workers' unions have planned a series of strikes for coming weeks. On May 26, transport and other services will be disrupted when air traffic controllers are expected to force cancellation of up to 80 percent of flights in and out of France. Post office employees, telecommunications workers and teachers will also stop work. Rail and Paris metro travel is under threat from June 3, when workers will launch an open-ended strike, though as beneficiaries of special pension regimes, they are unaffected by the government's bill.

The issue raised by the French workers is an important pillar of the social security system in existence since second World War. Now capitalists and their governments try to bulldoze the entire system of social security in Europe as well as in the world. The battle against the planned Pension reform is a political battle and would be fought in the political terrain of France and is bound to cross French borders.