CPI(ML) HOME Vol.7, No.52 28 Dec, 2004 – 3 Jan, 2005

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:

AN APPEAL

The CPI(ML) shares the concern and agony with the nation on the Tidal tragedy and expresses heartfelt condolences to the families of thousands of people in India and neighbouring south-east Asian countries who lost their lives on Dec 26 in a sudden eruption of the violent tsunami waves triggered by an earthquake and asks the government of India to declare this devastation as national calamity. The party called upon the government to take appropriate measures for rescue, rehabilitation and relief on a war footing to the millions of people fallen victim to the tragedy. The Party also advised the govt. to extend every possible help to the affected people in neighbouring countries in this hour of need.

This immense devastation has not only claimed lives of thousands and caused innumerable casualties but also rendered millions of people homeless with every belonging of them swept away by the flooding waters. CPI(ML) calls upon to all its units, members, supporters, sympathisers and readers of ML Update to share the griefs of those who have to bear the direct impact of this calamity with every possible help. CPI(ML) units in the affected states, including Andamans, Kerala, AP, Tamil Nadu and Orissa, have rushed to the most affected areas for conducting relief operations, shoulder-to-shoulder with various benevolent organisations, groups and individuals.

We appeal to you all to come forward with every possible help and support to our brethren facing this calamity. We also appeal to you to send monetary help, in cash or in kind, to conduct the relief operations. You can send your local cheques/ Bank Drafts/ Money Orders in favour of 'CPI(ML)'. Please mention in your covering letter "Contribution for Relief Fund" and send your valuable contribution to our Central Office at U-90, Shakarpur, Delhi - 110092.

Welcome 2005!

Like the last few years, 2004 too would be remembered worldwide as a year of growing popular resistance to American imperialism. If Iraq remained the hottest theatre of protracted armed confrontation between a freedom-seeking people and the nexus of a US-imposed puppet regime and Anglo-American occupation forces, capital after capital and city after city continued to witness huge mass protests around the world against imperialist globalization and the US-led global war on freedom.

In Spain and Britain, the ruling governments and parties had to pay a major political price for their involvement in the imperialist war. But in the imperialist headquarters of America, Bush managed to win a clear victory for a second term. With Arafat gone, Saddam Hussein in captivity and the noose tightened around Afghanistan, American attempts to dictate terms to the Arab world and other Islamic countries are bound to intensify in the coming days. The weak nations and oppressed peoples of the world have no other option but to strengthen their solidarity and sharpen anti-imperialist resistance to defeat the US war-campaign.

The Indian people have of course won a welcome relief from the arch reactionary and communal tyranny of the BJP in the 14th Lok Sabha elections. The aftermath of this ‘shock’ defeat is proving to be a really difficult trial for the BJP. The so-called tall and towering leadership of the Hindutva brigade is now being dwarfed everyday on its own home turf. With its organization in serious disarray, and roti having overtaken Ram in the popular mind, the BJP does not yet have a clue as to how to arrest its continuing decline.

In its bid to return to power, the Congress too finally embraced the BJP’s ‘coalition dharma’. The result has been another post-poll alliance, the so-called United Progressive Alliance, with yet another Common Minimum Programme. But beyond this change in name and complexion, the new government presents a perfect picture of continuity, with only limited cosmetic change, on almost every major policy question. POTA has been rehabilitated as UAPA, Employment Guarantee Act has been reduced to Employment Lottery Scheme, and a marauding market has been let loose on the toiling millions to drive more and more people to unmitigated misery, starvation and suicides.

Like the TDP supporting the NDA from without, the UPA too has evolved its own support system. Crucial support for the UPA’s survival in power comes from the CPI(M)-led Left Front with a combined strength of sixty. In terms of parliamentary arithmetic, the Left has never enjoyed a more advantageous position. But in real life, the opportunist Left is only managing to plumb new depths of bankruptcy and betrayal in both theory and practice.

While Team Manmohan is systematically stepping up the neo-liberal policy offensive in every conceivable sphere, the CPI(M) is busy fine-tuning its measured barks, and the chief of the CPI’s labour wing is worried that the spat between the two Ambani brothers would adversely affect the country’s image, the flow of FDI and the ‘sentiment’ of the share market. This is perhaps the CPI’s way of doing penance for the ‘sin’ it committed earlier by making some noise against the disinvestment policies of the government. Social democracy can never abandon on its habitual and historical role as capital’s labour lieutenants.

Beyond this familiar social-democratic script of opportunism, the year 2004 has of course been full of glimpses of a people in motion. The popular yearning for real democracy and progress has often found expression in powerful outbursts and also sustained movements. With their valiant struggle against the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act, the people of Manipur have scripted a glorious chapter in the battle for democracy. While the rural poor are increasingly refusing to accept starvation, unemployment and indignity as their destiny, Rajasthan has shown that farmers too are now taking to the path of struggles in a bigger and more resolute way. And by rejecting the Sangh’s disgusting attempt to politicize the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya, the people of India have issued an unequivocal statement for separation of religion and politics.

Let 2005 consolidate and translate all these gains of 2004 into more decisive struggles and inspiring victories for the people of India and the world.

Fast Unto Death against Police-Feudal Army Shriram Sena Criminal Connivance in Eastern UP

The fast-unto-death by UP State Secretary of CPI(ML) Comrade Akhilendra Pratap Singh continued for seven days at Naugarh of Chandauli district, untill the administration, in presence of CPI(ML) Polit Bureau member Ramnaresh Ram and others, agreed to address the issues raised. He sat on a fast, along with hundreds of supporters on Dec 20 to press upon the demand to immediately stop police repression of innocent people and CPI(ML) activists and disband feudal criminal army Shriram Sena which is openly being used by police as 'help' in the name of combating extremism with explicit intentions of suppressing the movement of rural poor under the banner of CPI(ML) and AIALA.

Mirzapur-Sonbhadra-Chandauli region is brewing with anger against the police's act of using a criminal gang of feudals and landlords which is terrorising local people with an open protection of the former.

Police is deliberately targeting CPI(ML) activists the Naugarh blast. Police forcibly picked up Khet Mazdoor Sabha's district President Shankar Kol and tortured him when he was sitting on a mass dharna against starvation deaths in the region.

Shriram Sena, having close links with Ranvir Sena of Bihar, was 'called' by the UP police to target the left activists and terrorise the innocents to suppress the growing left movement. Since CPI(ML)'s movement is spreading in the area police is especially targeting its leaders and implicating them in various false cases. Though such repressive tactics on democratic movements is not new for the UP government and it always took sides with land-mafia and criminals in case of struggles of rural poor and agricultural labourers, this time it has brazenly opened the attack in association with the feudal-criminal gang which calls itself an 'army'.

All India Agricultural Labour Association President and leader of the CPI(ML) legislative group in Bihar Comrade Ramnaresh Ram along with human rights activists and a number of party sympathisers have visited Comrade Akhilendra Pratap Singh on Dec 26 and called upon the people to rise to oppose this criminal act of police and intensify the movement against such state sponsored barbarism.

The Party is determined to continue statewide struggles against this criminal violation of all democratic and legal norms by Mulayam Singh government, particularly in districts of eastern UP and Lakhimpur and Pilibhit regions.

CPI(ML) Central Education Camp at Bhuvaneshwar

A Central Education camp of CPI(ML) was held on 22-26 December at Nagbhushan Bhavan, Bhubvaneshwar. The camp was inaugurated by the CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, who warned that Marxism was often been used against revolutionary struggles, and called for a systematic study of Marxist classics as a guide for revolutionary praxis.

84 activists from various states - Delhi, Punjab, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Andamans, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala participated in the camp. At the camp, activists attended sessions on Leninist texts : 'What Is To Be Done', presented by Comrade Shankar, 'One Step Forward, Two Steps Back', presented by Comrade DP Bakshi and 'Two Tactics of Social Democracy in the Democratic Revolution', presented by Comrade Kavita. Comrade Arindam Sen took a class on 'Lenin's Approach to Parliamentary Struggles' and Lenin's text : 'Left Wing Communism - An Infantile Disorder' was explained by Comrade Lal Bahadur Singh. Classes on 'State and Revolution' and 'Imperialism : The Highest Stage of Capitalism', were taught by Comrade Shankar Mitra and Comrade BB Pandey respectively.

Lively discussions on our political practice and theoretical issues, based on Leninist classics, have marked the education camp. The camp concluded on 26 December with a Plenary Session.

STF and CRPF's Brutal Attack on a Village in Siwan:
Target Innocent Women and Ransack Property

On Dec 14, Special Task Force personnel led by Siwan SDPO attacked the house of Comrade Naimuddin and misbehaved with his family. Villagers put up a stiff resistance to this illegal act of the STF and forced the latter to retreat. But police returned, a week later on Dec 20, with a heavy contingent of STF and SRPF force in nine trucks to Narainpur and indiscriminately attacked and beat up every person, mostly women, it found in the village. 21 women and 4 men have been injured, many of them seriously, and five women and one men were arrested by the police. Police looted the property of Comrade Naimuddin and also took away a cash of 11,250 along with jewellery.

In the backdrop of this lies an incident of kidnapping and murder of Suryabali Mahato of Baraipatti village in Siwan on Dec 8. Seeing the continued police inaction, enraged villagers, in an spontaneous reaction, attacked the houses of two accused, Munna Ansari and Shamshad Ansari, who are trusted henchmen of notorious Shahabuddin. Two relatives of the accused criminals died in these skirmishes when they came to attack and intimidate the crowd. As CPI(ML) holds strong mass base in this area and continues to pose a strong political challenge to the crime-rule of Shahabuddin, the police, true to its character, implicated CPI(ML) leaders - Amarnath Yadav, ex-MLA, Satyadev Ram, MLA and Naimuddin Ansari, Mukhiya of Gambhirpur panchayat - into false cases. Although Police has still not taken any action against kidnappers and murderers of Suryabali Mahato. Government had declared that the deployment of STF and CRPF is meant to control crime. But these forces have never been used against Shahabuddin, or any other criminal gang for that matter, in the region. In fact, now crimes are on the rise and Shahabuddin more protected.

Implication of CPI(ML) leaders and attack on the house of Naimuddin, a popular elected representative, is a part of bigger political conspiracy designed by the ruling RJD govt. to quell the people's pressure continuously increasing on the criminal gangs in order to secure seat of power for the RJD with the help of criminals. Naimuddin is a popular leader and fearlessly vocal against crimes of Shahabuddin. As he also hails from the minority community, Shahabuddin sees in him a serious democratic political challenge that can counter his criminal maneuvering and isolate him from his own community. This is the reason behind police atrocities and attacks on Naimuddin, especially when he became an elected mukhiya. He had faced similar atrocities earlier and sent to jail when he was first time elected as mukhiya.

When innocent women tried to oppose police brutality, they had to face arrests and severe beatings by rifle-buts and batons. But Laloo's 'social justice' and a woman Chief Minister's rule never sees it as an attack on lives and dignity of dalits and women, on the contrary, for them it symbolises police's 'loyalty' and 'bravity'.

CPI(ML) has demanded strong punishment for SP and SDO of Siwan and an immediate stop to police atrocities, withdrawal of all fake cases from its leaders, and return of the property looted from Comrade Naimuddin's house.

Election Commission's Effective Intervention is Needed in Biha

CPI(ML) Bihar unit has welcomed the measures taken by the Election Commission to implement Model Code of Conduct which forced Laloo Yadav to withdraw RJD's proposed rally to be held on Dec 23 in Patna. There were confirmed reports that state machinery and resources were being used to organised this rally at the cost of relief measures for the lakhs of poor facing starvation and miserable living conditions amidst the near-famine situation of the state.

It is a cruel joke on the poor of the state that elected representatives act as erstwhile feudal kings and distribute money, as Laloo was doing to attract people for his rally and George Fernandes distributed money in a hospital. Rabri Devi's state govt. never did anything for the drought and flood affected people, nor he tried to solve the problems of peasants facing crisis of fertilizers, seeds, electricity, and water. It's a pity that representatives of ruling parties, once elected to power, start functioning in a princely manner. Such a degenerated culture could be fought only by strengthening the left democratic movement.

8-Party Meet in Bihar

In a meeting recently concluded in Patna, eight political parties, viz. CPI(ML), Samajwadi Party, Samta Party, Samajwadi Janta Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Shoshit Samaj Dal, Bharatiya Momin Front and Krantikari Samyawadi Party, discussed on the question of comprehensive development of Bihar and issues of famine, crime, unemployment, lack of electricity and irrigation facilities, etc. to be focussed as a common agenda for the coming assembly elections and to intensify struggle on these issues. It was also decided to bring along other anti-RJD-Congress and anti-BJP forces like RSP, FB, SUCI, MCPI, etc.

Rally by RYA in Ahmedabad

Hundreds of youth held an impressive rally in Ahmedabad on Dec 19 to demand right to work as fundamental right, employment guarantee and unemployment allowance. Most of the participants came from Maninagar Assembly constituency, a bastion of saffron brigade from where the main culprit of Gujarat carnage Narendra Modi was elected to the assembly. This rally and demonstration evoked a refreshing response among the democratic circles of the city.

The rally condemned the communal fascist designs of Modi govt and betrayal by the centre's UPA govt. of the mandate. Speakers said that soft hindutva tactics of Congress and eluding the path of struggles by the opportunist left both proved hapless in front of the attacks of the saffron brigade. Only the revolutionary left can provide alternative and defeat the fascist forces.

CPI(ML) incharge of Gujarat Ranjan Ganguly addressed the rally and main speaker.

Condolence Message

CPI(ML) expresses its grief at the demise of CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, ex-Chief Minister of Tripura and veteran communist leader Nripen Chakraborty who passed away on December 25 in Kolkata.

 

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