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The new Congress-led United Progressive Alliance has released its common minimum programme with the promise that it would propel the new government towards delivering a collective maximum performance. At the outset the CMP lists six basic principles of governance and then goes on to make a pledge "to provide a government that is corruption-free, transparent and accountable at all times, to provide an administration that is responsible and responsive at all times." Ironically, the new coalition government has begun its term with serious wrangling for ministries and decorating the cabinet are several scam-tainted and chargesheeted ministers. So much for transparency and accountability at all times!
Being a document of a 15-party coalition which enjoys assured 'outside' support of the Left, the CMP has understandably been written in a very cautious language and one has to do a lot of decoding to understand its real thrust and direction. But in P Chindambaram, the new Finance Minister, the man who had also held this post during the short-lived United Front Government period, we have our best guide to the new CMP. The Finance Minister has described the CMP as a bold declaration on reforms. He has categorically stated that the CMP "reaffirms every reform initiative" and that it gives him "enough room to be more creative and take more initiatives."
Chidambaram has strong reasons to make this claim. The CMP, for instance, reiterates the UPA government's "commitment to an increased role for private generation of power and more importantly power distribution." It also talks of deregulation and incentives to boost private investment in general, and especially with regard to foreign direct investment and foreign institutional investors. It recognises the need to change labour laws, especially the ones that create a so-called 'Inspector Raj'. What is the worth of any labour law without a system of effective monitoring and deterrent punishment for all violators and defaulters? The CMP also leaves ample room for privatisation of public sector units. And in the cases of the 'Navratna' PSUs where disinvestment is apparently discouraged, we have another door for private sector participation as the CMP wants these companies to raise their own capital.
As for measures to alleviate poverty and create employment, the CMP says nothing beyond enactment of a National Employment Guarantee Act to ensure employment for 100 days. How are the people supposed to survive during the remaining 265 days of the year? Even the minimum demand for assured employment for 180 days has been turned down. Also rejected is the Left demand for universalisation of the public distribution system, with the CMP only talking about "moving towards universal food security over time, if found feasible!"
The CMP does promise to repeal POTA and not to allow 'fake encounters'. Do we have the first admission that fake encounters were so far being staged as state policy? The decision to repeal POTA will of course not mean anything unless all existing POTA cases are ended and POTA prisoners given a general amnesty. We know that even though TADA has been allowed to lapse long back. TADA cases are still continuing and only recently 14 CPI(ML) activists and supporters in Jehanabad-Arwal have been sentenced to life imprisonment under TADA. Nothing short of a complete revocation of TADA and POTA and immediate release of all activists of people's movements will do.
The new government has assumed power in the name of secularism. But the CMP is conspicuously silent about punishing the perpetrators of the genocide in Gujarat. Similarly on the foreign policy front, the CMP says not a word against the US-led global war, not even in the context of the ongoing Anglo-American occupation of Iraq. What is the meaning of an 'independent' foreign policy if it cannot summon the courage to oppose US imperialism and its global war on the sovereignty and democracy of third world countries?
The initial drafts of the CMP had described the Left bloc as a component of the Congress-led UPA. The final version of the CMP however has kept the Left outside the ambit of the 15-party UPA. The CPI(M) says it is not a signatory to the CMP since it is a document of the UPA, but the party nevertheless endorses the CMP. Left ranks have also been advised to remember that the CMP after all is only a minimum programme, and not a maximum one. The CPI(M) leadership may find it absorbing to play with words, but words cannot hide the fact that the new government and its CMP are out to betray the basic aspirations of the Indian people for secularism, democracy and progress.
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Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed to media-persons after attending the two-day meeting of the Bihar State Committee in Patna and said that special grants for Bihar should be provided by the centre on the lines of those being given to the hill states instead of the old dated packages as expected to be announced by the new govt. The Common Minimum Programme, as far as Bihar in concerned, talks of special development package announced by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1989 and subsequently another package which was announced at the time of division of Bihar in 1999.
The special packages provided to the hill states include 90 percent subsidy and 10 percent loan.
He criticized Laloo for not doing any concrete talks with regard to employment generation and limiting himself to mere cosmetic measures like cleaning and security arrangements in railways.
On the Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s refusal to accept the Prime Ministership, he said by doing this it has become clear that Sonia did it under a well thought of plan for the sake of her party. Expressing doubt over the Manmohan Singh government completing its full five year term as clashes of vested interests have started coming up among various constituents of the UPA, Com. Dipankar added that UPA now stood exposed with induction of the tainted ministers with criminal background in the Union cabinet.
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The Bihar Police once again let loose its reign of terror and reportedly killed at least half a dozen people including school children in an unprovoked and indiscriminate firing in Shahar Telpa of district Jehanabad in Bihar on May 29. Police has also registered false cases against nearly one thousand people including several CPI(ML) leaders in the region and AIALA National Secretary Kunti Devi for leading protest against this heinous crime.
The CPI(ML) has demanded institution of cases for murder against the policemen, including the Deputy Police Superintendent, who were involved in the firing.
Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has described the firing as “unprovoked” and accused the police of trying to cover up the incident. Saying that the officer-in-charge of Telpa police station and the Arwal DSP were hand in gloves with the banned Ranvir sena he said the two must be booked for killing the youth.
People in the town strongly resented the brutal killing of a dalit youth, Lalan Paswan, a construction worker, who was severely beaten up to death by some upper caste teachers of a private school for the doubt of a theft of a bicycle on May 28 night. Relatives of the deceased and the general public tried to persuade the police to register an FIR but the police station Incharge, in order to save the culprits, tore the written application and ordered a lathicharge. He also beat up the aged father of the deceased. This infuriated the public and they decided to protest till the demand is met. They also foiled police's attempt to take away the dead body of Lalan Paswan.
Next day, police was again forced to retreat despite a heavy lathicharge and firing in the air. People continued to surround the dead body in protest and demanded arrest of the killers. But after a few hours police came back, well prepared, led by the DSP of Arwal, and contrary to the people's expectations of a dialogue, started firing indiscriminately over the crowd without any warning. This was exactly the time when a large number of schoolchildren were returning home and many of them caught amidst the ensuing mayhem. Twelve year old Ashok Kumar met a very painful end after a bullet hit into his head. He was in his school uniform. Two more sudents were also seriously injured, Roshan Kumar son of Bhola Ram received a bullet injury in his leg while seven year old Rajesh got a bullet right into his chest.
A bullet also hit Ramanand Yadav, 50, from the back into his waist while he was sitting with the barber for a shave. Two women from Lohar Bigaha were also injured by bullets while Anju Devi suffered a head injury when she was standing on the roof of her house.
Police broke open the closed doors of frightened people and beat them up during the incident. Mahboob Mian and his wife were beaten up inside their home while their son was picked up by the police. It fired upon the shutter of the house of Vikas Kumar and broke the gates of Anis Mian's house. Bullet marks are still prominently visible on the outer walls of Chandradeep Sao's home and Mahesh Sao's shop. Mahesh Prasad's house was attacked because he provided shelter to many people.
A CPI(ML) investigating team including Rameshwar Prasad, General Secretary, AIALA, Saroj Chaube, State Secretary, AIPWA, Kamlesh Sharma, General Secretary, RYA, and State Committee members Mithilesh Yadav and Mahanand visited the spot and released a detailed report to the media and the state administration.
Many persons told the investigating team that police had removed at least half a dozen bodies of the dead from the spot.
The CPI(ML) has demanded immediate dismissal of the thana Incharge and DSP of Arwal, suspension of DM and SP and arrest of all the killers of Lalal Paswan besides a compensation of Rs. five lakhs to all those killed in police firing and appropriate arrangement for the medical aid to the injured people.
The Party organised protest marches and mass meetings throughout Jehanabad and Arwal districts on May 30. It also gave a call for Bandh in Jehanabad and Arwal on May 31 which received an overwhelming and spontaneous response.
AISA held a protest march in Patna on May 31 to condemn the killings. This was led by Markandey Pathak, Abhyudaya and Dharmendra Sushant.
CPI(ML) has decided to continue the movement till demands are fulfilled and on June 7 it will organise a pledge-taking rally in Shahar Telpa.
In view of continuing spree of suicides by farmers which crossed one hundred mark since the new state govt. has assumed power, Andhra Pradesh Kisan Sabha and AIALA conducted a solidarity rally at Kakinada appealing to farmers to stop suicides and adopt a determined path of struggle against the havoc created by reforms being persuaded by the governments in the sphere of economy in general and agriculture in particular.
Hundreds of people participated in the rally which was culminated into a dharna at District Collectorate. This was led by Comrades B. Bangar Rao, member, Central Committee, CPI(ML) and AIALA National Secretary, Y. Arjunn Rao, B. Viplav Kumar, S. Prakash, CH. Nageswara Rao, R. Simhachalam, G. Satyanarayana and K. Kumari. A Memorandum was submitted to District Collector demanding an ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakhs each to the families of the deceased farmers. It also demanded from the new government to immediately waive the loans of small and medium farmers in view of the extraordinary situation and that they be provided with
fresh loans.
Andhra Pradesh has been witnessing a very acute agrarian crisis. Small and medium farmers are the worst affected lot. The number of farmers who have committed suicide since the Congress government led by Y S Rajashekar Reddy took office on May 14 has gone up to 104. The new government has formed a bureaucratic panel and announced only some token measures like free power to the agriculture sector. But it failed to address the core issue, i.e.
indebtedness.
Apart from drought and crop failures, increasing health expenditures, marriage expenses coupled with urban life-styles and consumerist pressures built up by corporate advertising have added to the sufferings of small and medium farmers leading to massive indebtedness.
CPI(ML) AP State unit has called upon the farmers: Struggle, Do not Self-Destruct - simultaneously asking the state government to take emergency measures on a war footing.
Thus continues the toll ...
In West Godavari district, Dongaveeti Veeravenkata Satyanarayana, 35, of Seetarampuram village of Tallarevu mandal committed suicide by consuming pesticide on Sunday. He had taken a three-acre land on lease from a landlord. As he was unable to get a good yield from his crop and had a debt of Rs 50,000, it had become difficult for him to maintain his family.
... a 50-year-old farmer Angirekula Pullaiah from Ratnalakunta village of Pedavegi mandal in the West Godavari district was found dead at his residence in the wee hours on Sunday. The deceased had a debt of about Rs 4 lakh and had been suffering crop failure for the last four years. It is learnt that he was unable to clear the loans taken from a co-operative society for the last six years. The society staff asked him to clear the loan on Saturday afternoon and told him that they would turn up again on Monday to collect the interest. Meanwhile, debt burden prompted three more farmers from the Anantapur and Kurnool districts to commit suicide on Sunday.
One Kamma Dhanunjaya, 50, a papaya farmer from Gangavaram village in Beluguppa mandal committed suicide, while Gundreddi Chinnapu Reddy, 40, of Bhimunipadu village in Kovelakuntla mandal of Kurnool district committed suicide by consuming pesticide. They had incurred losses due to the failure of crops.
Another farmer Gaje Pedda Chinna Reddy of Krishtapuram village in Veldurthi mandal of Kurnool district set himself ablaze on Sunday. The victim had incurred a huge debt while sinking a borewell in his land.
In Nalgonda district, one Gundu Narayana, 40, committed suicide by consuming pesticide in Keethavarigudem village of Garedepalli mandal on Saturday night.
(Deccan Chronicle 31 May 2004)
(Here we reproduce some excerpts from an interview by the FICCI’s secretary-general, Amit Mitra, published in the The Times of India, June 01, 2004 where he expressed his 'sanguinity' about the red flags and his views about “a seemingly Left-leaning government headed by the poster boys of reforms”)
Q: There is this anxiety over the Left’s stand on subsidies — they’ve said LPG prices can’t be raised, urea subsidies can’t be cut...
A: One has to realise that the Left was in the government in the past — and was not just supporting the government — and that the government went ahead on economic reforms. ... In West Bengal , it has talked of privatising 50 loss-making companies. That state was also number two in terms of investment received in 2003-04, which has come from multinationals including Pepsi, as well as from IT biggies like Wipro.
They (Left) have said profit-making PSUs should not be privatised and this has been reflected in the CMP. If one follows their division into strategic and non-strategic areas, our position is that all loss-making PSUs be privatised and in all non-strategic profitable companies, disinvestment should be up to 74 per cent, while in all strategic profitable companies, disinvestment should be up to 49 per cent with adequate provisions for retail investors, etc. This is not remarkably different from the Left’s position. ..
Q: But with 60 plus seats in Parliament, don’t you see a hardening on these matters by the Left parties? ...
A: They (Left) might take a strident view in Parliament but are realistic in the states. So there would be an optimum level of stridency, not a maximum level of stridency, because after all, political parties have to support their cadres. So the Left will have to find the right mixture between noise which is cacophony and sound which is substance, which serves their cadres and doesn’t destabilise the coalition. The Left is in a unique position today and it will itself have to undergo an internal process of sound/noise balancing and find an optimum level within this. And the Congress will have to come to terms with dealing with this.
(emphasis ours -Ed.)
There has never been a more urgent time than now to join together and let the whole world know that George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and other high officials who have carried out unspeakable war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace do not speak for us, the people. The world, and especially the people of the Middle East, are seething over the daily experiences and exposes of torture and humiliation imposed by U.S. military forces on Iraqi prisoners. It is not enough to demand the firing of Donald Rumsfeld. He is, of course, a criminal who should be held accountable. But the war itself is a crime. Tens of thousands of men, women and children in Iraq have been killed, their lives destroyed, their homes broken into, their loved ones taken prisoner.
And these horrendous abuses are being carried out every single day by U.S. and other foreign occupying forces without let up. The social fabric of Iraqi society has been deliberately and systematically ripped apart as Bush pursues the impossible fantasy of returning a proud and patriotic people into an earlier stage of colonial or neo-colonial enslavement. U.S. soldiers, too, used as cannon fodder by Bush and the top brass, are being killed and maimed in growing numbers.
On June 5, A.N.S.W.E.R. will be holding a massive march from the White House to the Pentagon and demanding that the $300 million spent each day for death and destruction in Iraq be used to fund education, housing, healthcare and jobs.
The outcome of Bush’s war and occupation of Iraq will have a significance that will span the globe and last a generation. Bush and Cheney know that their “vision” of endless war - aimed at destroying any government anywhere on the planet that refuses to obey the dictates of Washington - turns on the increasingly bloody battle being waged against the Iraqi resistance. From occupied Haiti to occupied Palestine and everywhere else, people recognize the global importance of the confrontation in Iraq. There will also be large antiwar protests that day in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities.
(Excerpts taken from an A.N.S.W.E.R. pamphlet)
Comrade Tarkeshwar Mandal succumbed to heart attack on April 2 in his native place Nathnagar in Bhagalpur district. He was 70. He was a leader of Bihar Non-gazetted Govt. Employees' Organisation and had led many struggles of employees in Munger and Bhagalpur regions. He was also associated with the weavers' organisation in Nathnagar besides taking an active role in various struggles on local issues. He was also the CPI(ML) candidate from Bhagalpur in last Assembly elections in Bihar. He joined communist party in 1960 and remained committed to the cause of the masses till his last breath.
CPI(ML) organised a memorial meeting in Nathnagar on April 13 which was attended by leaders of almost all Left and democratic organisations in the district including AICCTU leader S K Sharma, CPI(ML) district Secretary Bindeshwari Mandal and CPI(M) leader and candidate from Bhagalpur Parliamentary constituency Subodh Roy.
We pay our sincere tributes to Comrade Tarkeshwar Mandal.
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