CPI(ML) HOME Vol.7, No.37 14-20 September , 2004

The Weekly News Bulletin of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)(Liberation)

U-90, Shakarpur, Delhi 110092. Tel: (91)11-22521067. Fax(91)11-22518248


In this Issue:

Census 2001: Fact, Fiction and Mischievous Propaganda

The census operation held every ten years is supposed to reveal the latest picture of India’s population profile. This huge exercise reaching out to every household in the country can potentially yield a rich treasure of relevant facts and figures, mapping not only the growth pattern of our population but also the quality of life of the Indian people. But instead of documenting and highlighting the grim living and working conditions faced by the majority of the Indian people, the 2001 census, it now turns out, has taken an extraordinary interest in preparing a religion-based profile of our population. We are now being suddenly bombarded with comparative religion-based figures, some of which have already been questioned and exposed to be flawed and misleading.
The BJP has already swooped down on these figures with the alacrity of a vulture eyeing its target. The initial census claim showed the Muslim population of the country growing at a rate double that of its Hindu counterpart. This was naturally lapped up gleefully by the BJP leadership as a sure proof of the so-called grand Islamic design to swamp India. Now that the figure has been exposed to be patently inflated, the BJP national leadership has had to slightly lower its voice. But in Assam, both the BJP and the AGP are trying to outsmart each other in railing against the alleged influx from Bangladesh and re-invoking the anti-‘foreigner’ bogey.
The population growth pattern in the country varies from one region to another. While the southern states have achieved a lower growth rate thanks to higher literacy and relatively improved social indicators, the rate continues to be much higher in the Hindi belt, especially in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that are burdened with considerable socio-economic and educational backwardness. To obscure this basic context and link population growth to religion is a mischievous ploy aimed at reinforcing communal prejudices and vilifying the Muslim community as an obstacle to economic development and social progress. The absurd correlation suggested by Census 2001 between demography and religion bears a clear RSS imprint and exemplifies the kind of dangerous distortion that can result from communalised governance.
Incidentally, the census figures also show the sex ratio to be at its lowest in the Hindu community which should in turn provide some explanation for the community’s lower growth rate. Behind this significantly adverse sex ratio of 931:1000 operates a deeply entrenched patriarchal bias against women. Dowry deaths and female foeticide are still quite rampant; reports of female infanticide emanate from different corners at almost regular intervals; and even sati refuses to die out completely ages after its legal abolition. The census figures also show that within the Muslim community, the rate of population growth is declining and that in fact the decline is sharper than in most other communities. This longer-term trend should put paid to all the paranoid projections of a Muslim population explosion whether through births, influx or religious conversion.
But the moot point is: why should a growing Muslim population be at all treated as a subject of worry or concern in our media? The significant presence of Muslims has been an indelible feature of India’s historical evolution. The 1990s were the worst decade of communal violence since India’s partition in the 1940s and Muslims had to bear the brunt of this violence, which was often sponsored and almost always condoned by the Indian state. Despite these systematic attempts, the 2001 census figures have reaffirmed the multi-religious mosaic of India. The votaries of Hindu Rashtra, no matter how hard they may try, cannot destroy the religious and cultural plurality or diversity of India.
As secular Indians we must reject the Sangh Parivar’s campaign of anti-Muslim calumny and paranoia. With the growth in literacy and growing assertion of women against patriarchal oppression, the population growth rate has started declining all over the country and across all communities. The real source of worry lies not so much in the country’s demographic profile as in the economy. The figures that are really worrying belong to the domains of decelerating growth of agricultural and industrial production and growing regional and social disparity in income distribution, to the growing army of the jobless, the vast wasteland of sick and closed industries, and the never-ending spree of farmers’ suicides and starvation deaths. Census 2001 cannot be allowed to be used as a communal cover-up to camouflage this shocking reality.

People's War Group Raids Dalit Villagers in an Attempt To Help RJD Goons Gain an Upper Hand

An armed gang, calling themselves People's War Group, raided the predominantly dalit inhabited Kankaria village in Jehanabad in the evening of Sep 7 and looted even their petty little posessions earned through a very hard living. Attackers, nearly 100-150 in number, came from nearby RJD dominated villages like Brahmachak, Mahuabagh, Mathia, etc, and encircled the poor villagers' hutments. Their reign of terror continued for four hours. Even though two youth of the village had immediately informed the nearest police post, which is situated only 2.5 km away at Kalpa, police reached the spot only next day at 10.30 A.M. merely to pay a simple visit, and took no action.
This village comes in the region which is represented in the Zila Parishad by CPI(ML) leader and Khet Mazdoor Sabha National Secretary Kunti Devi, who is receiving regular threats to her life by PWG, Ranvir Sena as well as local RJD leaders. Dalits and poor toiling rural masses in this region have shown an exemplary unity against all kinds of feudal and state repression under the banner of CPI(ML). The unprecedented mobilisation of the toiling oppressed poor behind Kunti Devi during the Zila Parishad elections had been an eyesore to RJD and since then, the latter is desperate to break the unity of the people. And the PWG is systematically acting on RJD game-plan engineered by local RJD MLA Munnilal Yadav.
PWG, though pretending to follow a line of election boycott, had in effect openly accomplished booth capturing in favour of RJD candidates during last elections. It captured booths for RJD at Brahmachak, Bhusainchak, Anjani and many more villages, terrorised and stopped the rural poor and agricultural labourers from voting in favour of CPI(ML).
In pre-election months, RJD-PWG combine attacked several villages in this area killing a number of poor people. It blew up many hutments with dynamite at that time and despite heavy opposition from the people and the CPI(ML) no action was taken to arrest the killers and looters. The administration even refused to provide compensation to the victim families.
Now also similar attacks are being engineered by RJD targetting those dalit tolas where CPI(ML)'s elected representatives have succeeded to initiate some development work after long and protracted struggles.
Not a month has passed since five of CPI(ML) leading comrades embraced martyrdom in a massacre plotted by RJD-PWG at Paliganj in Patna district. One of the killers was arrested from the Patna flat of Paliganj RJD MLA Deenanath Yadav. Laloo Yadav did admit his MLA's involvement in the massacre. So did PWG. But the MLA still enjoys freedom as no criminal case has been registered against him till now. This incident clearly demonstrated the systematic nexus between RJD and PWG.
The CPI(ML) will hold a massive Pledge-taking Rally on Sept. 25 in Paliganj to reiterate its demand for an immediate arrest of Deenanath Yadav and ordering of a CBI inquiry into the whole incident. CPI(ML) also condemns and opposes the harassment and repression of its cadres and supporters in Paliganj by the police in the name of inquiry.
The CPI(ML), Bihar Pradesh Khet Mazdoor Sabha and Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha will also organise a statewide 'Protest Day' on Sep 18 on above demands.

This is How They Conduct Their 'War' Against People

Details of the belongings looted by 'People's War' goons at Kankaria, Jehanabad on Sep 7:

Total cash looted: 65,050
Buffaloes: 6
Goats: 23
Poultry: 8
Clothings:
Dhoti: 47
Saree: 195
Shirts and Pants: 20
Shawls: 4
Children's clothings: 100
Bicycles: 5
Radio: 1
TV: 3
Solar lights: 1
Wrist watch: 4
Blankets: 6
Quilts: 2
Boxes: 29
Torches: 4
Sewing machine: 1
Mike set: 1
Payal (ornament): 26
Necklaces (ornament): 14
Total no. of families looted: 48

(All are dalits and poor living below poverty line. All the utensils from the homes of Sahvir Paswan, Saryu Paswan, Udas Paswan, Brijlal Paswan and Rampravesh Paswan were taken away by the looters, while Saryu Paswan, Rita Devi and Arvind Paswan were seriously injured by the goons.)

6th CPI(ML) Assam State Conference Concluded Successfully

The 6th CPI(ML) Assam State Conference was successfully concluded on 12 September at Bragaon in Sonitpur district with a call of intensifying mass movement in the state. The three-day Conference started at 4 pm on 10 Sept and at the beginning Party flag was hoisted by Com Harendranath Barthakur, member of CPI(ML) central control commission and after that Delegate session started which was presided over by a presidium comprising of Subhas Sen, Bhadrawati Gogoi, Robin Goswami and Halan Purty. Draft document was placed by State Secretary Rubul Sarma. Party central committee member Swapan Mukharjee attended the Conference as the Central Observer.
A mass meeting was organized at Bishnu-Jyoti grounds where CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar delivered his speech. Swapan Mukharjee, Rubul Sarma and Bibek Das also addressed the meeting. Com Dipankar called upon the people to carry forward the movement of the workers, peasants, labouring people, students and youth and women against anti-people policies and plunder of the Governments  both  at the Centre and the state and fulfil the revolutionary dreams of the martyrs. He severely criticized the UPA Government, which is betraying people by neglecting burning problems of rural poor,  tea workers, peasants, unemployed youth and labouring people  and  continuing  pro-WB, pro-imperialist and anti- people reactionary policies of the former NDA Govt.
While condemning the severe state repression in Manipur, he said that the Central Govt. is neglecting the militant popular mass upsurge centred on the demand of withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. He said, "even the Prime Minister did not dare hold discussion with the leaders of the movement." Referring to the flood problem of Assam he said that the govt. has refused to recognize this problem as a national problem. He severely criticized the RSS-BJP for creating division among the people, among the workers  in the name of religion and community, in the mane of Hindu and Muslim and called upon the people to unite and fight against real problems of the people. He emphasized that three  fronts, viz. culture, organized workers and women along with  tea workers and rural workers would confront this challenge in the coming days.
104 delegates from Tinsukia. Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Barpeta and Guwahati and sectors like ASEB, culture, women along with a number of guests attended the Conference. Delegates from Cachar district, Rail and Oil could not attend the conference. With detailed discussion and debate the conference accepted the document and decided to expand and strengthen the Party in the state.
Conference elected a 17-member new Assam State Committee  comprising of Rubul Sarma, Subhas Sen, Bibek Das, Naren Borah, Pankaj Das, Robin Goswami, Lila Sarma, Kanaklata Dutta, Arup Mahanta, Partha Dey, Rajib Dutta, Mrinali Devi, Sripad Dhar, Balindra Saikia, Subhrajyoti Bardhan, Suraj Garait, Biren Das. The Conference resolved to strengthen movement of different classes and sectional organizations with a view to develop party as the biggest Communist Party in the state. Conference resolved to fight against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and decided to send a  delegation to Manipur. CPI(ML) will hold a protest dharna at all district HQs on the demand of withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act on 18 Sept.

CPI(ML)-AIPWA Protest against Govt's Attitudes towards Manipur

The CPI(ML) and its women’s organisation, AIPWA, have severely criticised the statement of the Chief of the Army Staff, NC Vij claiming that the dilution or withdrawal of the AFSPA from Manipur would lead to counter-insurgency operations in Manipur being compromised and that this could give rise to such demands from other parts of North East and from Jammu and Kashmir.
CPI(ML) and AIPWA said that this was brazen excuse to keep the rape, torture, loot and killing going on in Manipur indefinitely. "Ever since AFSPA has been imposed in Manipur, there has been a one-sided offensive on innocent women and people all over the state leading to the formation of about a dozen insurgent groups. But prior to the AFSPA, there was hardly any insurgence in the state, proving that the draconian Act has proved counterproductive," the organisations said.
They said that the Assam Rifles has refused to depose before the Commission of inquiry set up to investigate the killing of Thangjam Manorama Devi, who had been shot at several times at close range in her genitals with the objective of covering up the rape of the 32-yr. old girl.The organisations said that the Union Minister for Home Affairs must take a serious view of the adverse sentiments of thousands of common people regarding the conduct of the Armed Forces. CPI(ML) and AIPWA warned that trying to curb the democratic movement could lead to a peoples’ insurrection and a complete lack of faith on the Indian State.

Solidarity Message from South Asia Solidarity Group, London

Dear Comrades,
We are writing to convey our warm solidarity greetings to the participants in the padayatra and the people’s convention against TADA. We in SASG recognise the vital importance of your fight against the continuing use by the Indian state of the notorious and long defunct TADA legislation to destroy the lives of innocent people, in an attempt to crush the democratic struggles of the toiling masses of Bihar. We have committed ourselves to publicising this struggle internationally and are currently urging Amnesty International to take up the issue of the use of TADA in Bihar and examine the cases of CPI(ML) activists and supporters wrongfully imprisoned under TADA.
The continuing use of TADA, POTA and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act by the Indian state is part of a global initiative led by the imperialist US and Britain, in which so called ‘anti-terrorist’ legislation is used to deprive people of basic civil liberties and human rights and crush popular resistance.
We share your grief and anger at the shocking political murders of five leading CPI(ML) activists in the party office in Paliganj. We salute the memory of these five martyred comrades. We have written to the President of India condemning this horrific incident and adding our voice to the demands for a full CBI inquiry to expose the role of the RJD and the police in this crime, and for the immediate arrest of RJD MLA Dinanath Yadav along with others named in the FIR.

With warm revolutionary greetings,
Ayesha Kaur
South Asia Solidarity Group, London

Struggle against Famine and Starvation Deaths in Jharkhand

The Palamu region in Jharkhand has seen more than a dozen starvation deaths in recent days and more than one hundred have been died of diarrhea in Mahuatand only.
Malaria and TB continue to be the deadliest for the deprived sections of the society. While food scarcity and famine is evident by large scale out-migration, starvation deaths and spread of epidemics, the state govt is busy in proving that cause of these deaths is various illnesses and not the hunger and starvation. Although they agree with the fact that drought in the state has aggravated the situation.
When Kanvalpatia died of starvation in Lesliganj, the Dy. Commissioner of Palamu tried to prove that the death occurred of 'natural' reasons by granting (in back date) a sum of Rs. three thousand and some food grains to the father of the deceased. But CPI(ML) exposed this whole affair and organised wide spread propaganda campaign and a Lesliganj Bandh on Sep 11. The CPI(ML) has been conducting a campaign against hunger and starvation and to demand immediate relief measures. Various protest programs at block and district headquarters have also been held. A Bandh was also organised against one starvation death at Patan which received a good response and many people joined the campaign against govt.'s apathy.
Protests were also held at Ramuna and Kharaundhi when two such deaths came to light.
The Palamu region remains one of the most backward regions in the country. Although various ruling parties have started taking initiatives on the question of drought and famine in Jharkhand, the facts that now ruling BJP is trying to hide the hard facts and nothing substantial was done by earlier RJD and Congress regimes in this regard, raise questions about seriousness of these political combines. Their initiatives are nothing more than shedding crocodile tears to be fool the masses. Moreover, these parties refuse to see this man-made famine as an inevitable outcome of policies of liberalisation that has aggravated the crisis in agriculture.
CPI(ML) has launched a statewide campaign against starvation deaths and famine as well as against persistent backwardness of Palamu and other regions in Jharkhand demanding to lodge criminal cases against the Dy. Commissioner of Palamu for his criminal negligence, compensation of Rs. two lakhs to each family of the deceased victims of starvation, to initiate steps on a Master plan for the permanent solution to the famine problem, for immediate jobs to poor and unemployed to check out-migration, to arrange at least two meals a day for the helpless and destitute, to bring every poor under the cover of "Antyoday" and "Annpoorna" food guarantee plans, free adequate medical care, etc. on a war footing, and to check corruption prevalent at several levels.
The CPI(ML) has also demanded to cancel the Field Firing Range Project and to guarantee the safety of rural people coming under the purview of this Tiger Project.

 

 

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