Down with the Pro-US Policies of the UPA Government!

Left-led central trade unions in the country including AICCTU, CITU and AITUC have called for a countrywide industrial strike on September 29 to demand a reversal of the UPA government’s pro-privatisation and anti-labour policies. CPI(ML) activists all over the country will extend active and wholehearted support to this first major countrywide protest action by the Indian working class against the Congress-led UPA government’s destructive and disastrous design. While endorsing the united trade union charter opposing the neo-liberal economic policies, the CPI(ML) appeals to the Indian working class and every anti-imperialist Indian to rise simultaneously against the pro-US foreign and defence policy of the UPA government. Following India ’s questionable nuclear deal with the US , India has now openly sided with the US against Iran and thus isolated itself from the entire developing world and other countries opposed to US unilateralism.

On 24 September India shocked and shamed the entire developing world by voting in favour of the US-EU resolution referring Iran to the UN Security Council for alleged violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In spite of not being a signatory to the NPT, India chose to side with the US ostensibly to prove India ’s credential as a ‘responsible’ (read loyal) nuclear power to the US and the big three of the European Union – Germany , France and Britain . India ’s surrender stood in sharp contrast to the bold opposition put up by Venezuela or the strong reservation expressed by the twelve abstaining member countries including China , Russia and South Africa at the 35-member board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. No wonder, the US has thanked India for her support to the US-led move to isolate and coerce Iran .

The Indian sellout on the Iran-US confrontation comes in the wake of India ’s notoriously wavering and increasingly collusive pro-US posture on the issue of the Anglo-American invasion, occupation and destruction of Iraq . Iran has generally been friendly to India on every international platform. Apart from being a major supplier of India ’s petroleum needs, Iran has also been willing to supply natural gas to India through the proposed pipeline project involving Pakistan and India . The US has always been opposed to this idea of Iran-India-Pakistan cooperation in the crucial energy sector and it was to appease the US that Manmohan Singh had expressed doubts about the pipeline project during his earlier visit to the US . Now this Indian stand at the IAEA amounts to nothing short of a backstabbing sabotage against a long-standing friend.

The economic, defence and foreign policies of the UPA government are all marked by a pronounced pro-imperialist and especially pro-US tilt. Not a single month has passed since the UPA’s coming to power without the government announcing some major concession to foreign capital. From banking and insurance to aviation and telecommunication, FDI restrictions have been removed in every key sector of the economy. By reenacting Jalianwallabagh in Gurgaon, the government has also demonstrated the degree of its loyalty to the interests and dictates of foreign capital on the Indian soil. From Bhopal through Dabhol to Gurgaon, the Indian rulers have repeatedly allowed foreign MNCs to get away with every conceivable crime, be it a case of mass murder, mega robbery, or terrorization of workers.

Let September 29 make it clear to the Indian rulers and their imperialist bosses that India cannot be steamrolled into neo-colonial subjugation. The writing on the wall should be clear and bold enough for the UPA government which is following in the footsteps of the ousted NDA regime. And the Left rulers of West Bengal who have reversed and reduced land reforms to real estate business should also be made to understand that the workers and peasants of West Bengal are not here to be hoodwinked by the false mantras of market and ‘corporate communism’.

Long live the fighting spirit of the working class and the anti-imperialist tradition of the Indian people.

Bihar Polls: Political Assertion of the Poor Faces Police Crackdown and Atrocities

Spreading Police Terror

In the wee hours on Sep 21 the Special Task Force (STF) organised a brutal attack simultaneously in three villages, Kochra, Bera and Madarganj, in Islampur Assembly constituency in Nalanda district and let loose a reign of terror in nearly hundred houses where men, women and children were brutally beaten up, their houses ransacked and precious belongings looted. Police took away three persons who were later released on personal bonds. DSP Hasnain Khan and some goons of the area were directly involved in this attack and in-charge of Khudaganj PS Sanjay Kumar was leading this attack. Only fault of these villagers was that they openly support CPI(ML). This police brutality occurred within few hours of a meeting of CPI(ML)'s Islampur Assembly committee which was concluded in Kochra village on Sep 20.

These villages are considered as Party's strong holds and not a single person is wanted here by the police in any case. The panchayat representatives and mukhiyas of these villages are CPI(ML) members. Police's intention was to spread terror and to implicate leading people in false cases so that no one can dare to cast his or her vote in the coming elections.

When an investigation team of Party comprising State Secretary Ramjatan Sharma, CCM Rajaram and State Committee member Anita Sinha reached in these villages, they found that not even handicapped persons and old aged were spared by the police.

Brutality in Bhojpur

In another incident in Brkagaon under Terari PS in Bhojpur district the police let loose terror after the killing of a police sub-inspector in an encounter with the criminals, but instead of following actual murderers the police used this incident to suppress the villagers. The police was aware of flourishing nexus of RJD supported goons and administration in the region but remained mute spectator due to political influences. This attitude set the morale of criminals so high that they killed a sub-inspector. But even now police has learnt no lesson and is trying to suppress the poor and spread terror as usual. The Party expressed concern over this killing and demanded an inquiry terming it a high-level conspiracy to suppress the downtrodden people in order to prevent them from participating in the elections.

CPI(ML) MLA and President of AIALA Ramnaresh Ram has condemned the recent outbreak of police atrocities on poor and termed it a deliberate attempt to spread terror among poor villagers in view of ensuing elections to favour the ruling RJD.

While most of the criminals with pending NBWs are roaming freely in a direct nexus with police and officials and preparing to secure votes for ruling class parties in the coming elections, police in Bihar has let loose its reign of terror in the name of searching and conducting raids on the pretext of arresting those with non-bailable warrants in villages and tolas where CPI(ML) has its hold. Police and administration intends to send behind bars those who fight for the rights of the poor and downtrodden and who were implicated in false cases during various mass struggles. This exposes the hollowness of Election Commission's claims of conducting free, fair and fearless elections in Bihar on the one hand and paves the way for electoral malpractices in favour of ruling party on the other.

Manipulating Voters' Lists

Besides these terror tactics, names of a large number of voters from weaker sections have been deleted from the voters' lists and in spite of repeated complaints no action has been taken by the Election Commission so far. District administration in Siwan has violated EC's orders with respect to issuing I-cards and including names in the voters' list. A large number of dalits and poor have been left. While poor get victimised by using EC's order of arresting those with pending NBWs, another EC order for removing fake voters is used to delete votes of the poor from the voter lists. This is making a mockery of the EC's claim of fair elections much before the votes are cast.

NBW Double-dealing

Criminals like Shahabuddin are enjoying full state protection in Bihar, the sitting MLA from Sandesh Comrade Rameshwar Prasad is in jail - arrested as an 'absconder' in a 24-year old case of a militant demonstration of rural poor! The CPI(ML) candidate from Ara too has been jailed on flimsy charges, while the secretaries of two major blocks in bhojpur - Sahar and Terari - have also been arrested on false charges. The name of CPI(ML)'s long-standing MLA from Barsoi, Mahboob Alam has actually been deleted from the rolls, on the specious presumption that he no longer ordinarily resides in his own constituency and area. In Paliganj, Masaurhi and Punpun police conducted raids to search party activists warranted under meaningless sections like 144.

There are many assembly segments in Bihar where almost all the CPI(ML) activists have warrants pending against them as they were implicated in false cases during various struggles. Police is now using these cases to send CPI(ML) leaders and cadres behind bars before the elections. In Barsoi, West Champaran, East Champaran, all of Bhojpur region, Patna rural and Jehanabad - everywhere police and administration are trying to conduct raids and terrorise masses on the pretext of conducting searches. Wherever poor people are asserting themselves under CPI(ML)'s banner, police is selectively conducting intensive raids. Police, CRPF and BSF conduct flag marches in poor tolas even during nights in Bihar these days.

Manmohan Government has made India a stooge of America on Iran issue by standing against the interests of the Third World

Nation-wide Protest Day on 29 September

Manmohan Singh Government left no doubt about its being American stooge by submitting to America 's diktat on Iran . The Manmohan Govt. betrayed India 's friend Iran by openly taking sides with imperialist powers, although China , Russia and many other third world countries have kept themselves aloof from a stand that benefits America 's designs.

Accusing the UPA Govt. the CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has said that it is not sudden and this incident makes it amply clear that the UPA Govt. has tied itself completely to the strategic interests of the American foreign policy, and has sacrificed independent foreign policy as a sovereign state. Mr. Bhattacharya warned that this step will bear grave consequences for India 's sovereignty and national interests. The CPI(ML) has called for a country-wide protest day on 29 September against what it called shameless surrender.

CPI(ML) strongly condemns and protests the unlawful handcuffing of its leaders during filing nomination papers in Bihar

CPI(ML) strongly condemns and protests the illegal and unlawful handcuffing of ex-MP and sitting MLA Comrade Rameshwar Prasad, Central Committee member of CPI(ML) and General Secretary of All India Agricultural Labour association ( AIALA) and Sudama Prasad another senior leader of the Party while they were taken from jail to the office of the Returning Officer for filing their nomination papers for the Assembly elections from Sandesh and Ara constituencies respectively. Both the leaders filed their nomination papers and took oath in handcuffs which is a clear-cut human rights violation even as per the Supreme Court ruling in this regard.

Such a conduct of the police and administration in Bihar is highly condemnable as it explicitly involved political bias and intended to send a message to the electorate that crusaders for peace and democracy and leaders of the struggles for an equitable society will meet a similar fate in the hands of those running administration at the behest of the nexus of corrupt politicians, criminals and bureaucracy. CPI(ML) condemns such acts and declares to intensify its campaign against the anti-people forces and pledges to defeat them in due course. Party also calls upon the masses to launch vigorous election campaign against the forces of darkness in Bihar and defeat the candidates of ruling RJD-Congress alliance as well as those of the NDA.

Party demands to immediately suspend the involved officers of the local police and the administration, set up enquiry and disciplinary proceedings against them. It is also demanded that the local police and administration be directed to ensure that Comrades Rameshwar Prasad and Sudama Prasad must not be deprived of the opportunity to conduct their election campaigns in order to ensure a free and fair election.

Appeal

Contribute Generously to the CPI(ML) Bihar Election Fund

Your valued cooperation and financial support can only ensure a powerful election campaign and strengthen Bihar 's battle for democracy and social transformation.

While the ruling classes want to reduce the agenda of the forthcoming elections to Bihar Assembly to nothing more than an aggressive bidding among rival claimants for the chief minister’s ‘throne’, the progressive democratic people of India want to see a stronger Left at the head of a more powerful battle for a new Bihar where words like democracy, dignity and development could acquire some real meaning for the deprived and oppressed people of the state. In order to realize this objective, progressive people all over the country must stand by the fighting people of Bihar in every possible way.

Please send your Bank Draft/ Local Cheque in favour of 'CPI(ML)', payable at Delhi , at U-90 Shakarpur, Delhi - 110092.  

First List of CPI(ML) Candidates for Assembly Elections in Bihar

(First phase of elections due on 18 October)

Khushroopur Cracker Factory Blasts Exposes Nexus of Criminals and Ruling Parties' Politicians

CPI(ML) has strongly condemned the Khushroopur cracker factory blasts near Patna and demanded strong punishment to the network of criminals, officials and politicians responsible for the manufacture of bombs and other explosives in the name of crackers in these factories. An investigation team of CPI(ML) comprising of Party Central Committee members Rajaram and Saroj Chaube and RYA General Secretary Kamlesh Sharma has demanded an inquiry into the incident of blast that claimed more than 36 lives in a factory in Khushroopur after visiting the spot of the incident.

The team disclosed that out of those killed in this heart rending accident more than two dozen were children between the age of 10 and 12 years belonging to the families of neighbouring dalit basti. These children were employed in the name of making incense sticks, but were really thrown into making explosives at very nominal wages. More troublesome fact is that this factory, and many others, were running at only 30 kilometers distance from capital Patna apperantly under the knowledge of higher officials but no action was ever taken despite many such accidents in the past. Local people had protested against these illegal factories many times in the past.

This incident actually exposes a much bigger network of state sponsored crime in connivance with corrupt politicians and criminals as the former openly sponsor criminal gangs in Bihar for terrorising people and capturing booths as well as organise killings and massacres of those who dare to stand up for the struggles to build a democratic society.

OBITUARY

CPI(ML) mourns the sudden and unexpected demise of Comrade Pramod Singh Gahlawat who succumbed to a heart stroke on 16 September '05 . He was in the prime of his youth at 38 years of age. Comrade Pramod associated himself with the Party at an early age and actively took part in various programmes and rallies in Delhi .

Edited, published and printed by S. Bhattacharya for CPI(ML) Liberation from U-90, Shakarpur, Delhi-92; printed at Bol Publication, R-18/2, Ramesh Park, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi-92; Phone:22521067; fax: 22518248, e-mail: mlupdate@cpiml.org, website: www.cpiml.org

 Please offer your comments at : mlupdate@cpiml.org