In this Issue
Red Salute to the Brave and Fighting People of Nepal
The people of Nepal are once again making history. The surging waves of people's movement in this Himalayan ‘kingdom' have already forced the thoroughly isolated and infamous king on the backfoot. The autocratic king who had first usurped the royal throne through a gory palace massacre and then gone on to steal absolute power by hijacking the fledgling system of multi-party democracy has now been compelled to promise to ‘return' sovereignty to the people. Many leaders of the movement including CPN(UML) General Secretary Madhav Nepal who had been illegally detained have had to be released in the face of mounting popular opposition. It is now crystal clear that with all his American backing and military might, Gyanendra can no longer rule in his old autocratic way.
This new turning point, which hopefully marks the beginning of a decisive advance for the people of Nepal , demonstrates the great power of a united and determined popular movement. Backing the present upsurge of the people is a very broad alliance of political forces that includes virtually all shades of political streams barring perhaps only the die-hard royalists. This grand political alliance, however loose, has facilitated an unprecedented social polarisation and even soldiers and officers of theRoyal Nepalese Army have to face growing opposition from their own family members. This massive unity of the people is led predominantly by the Nepali Left, comprising both the CPN(UML) and the Maoists and it is powered by a growing republican resolve of the Nepali people that appears to be in no mood to stop with another halfway compromise.
This is where the present juncture marks a distinct step forward from that in 1990. The 1990 movement was inspired more by a desire to end the partyless panchayat system and establish an elected multi-party democracy. This time round, the movement is pitted directly against the king and the key demand goes beyond a restoration of the old arrangement to the establishment of a constituent assembly and thus possibly to the point of heralding a republican future for the country. The people's anger against Gyanendra the autocratic king has clearly begun to grow into a desire and demand for an end to the very system of monarchy. If foreign powers now try to intervene with the agenda of saving the discredited and beleaguered king, the mounting mass anger in Nepal may well explode against these foreign powers as well.
The king's current offer to cede power to an interim government headed by a prime minister nominated by the seven-party alliance to be followed by elections at an unspecified date under the 1990 constitution evades this key question of formation of a new constituent assembly. The people of Nepal do not want another elections just to have another government that the king may again happily dismiss whenever he chooses. They want a new constitution to be drafted by an elected constituent assembly. Instead of the king deciding the future of Nepal , they want the new constitution to decide the fate of the king. The leaders of the movement have therefore rightly snubbed the king's current offer and Comrade Madhav Nepal has rightly pointed out that nothing short of an elected constituent assembly could end the present imbroglio.
What is the Indian response to the present juncture in Nepal ? The Indian state continues to repeat its old twin-pillar policy for Nepal – “constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy”. The US has clearly expressed its displeasure over the growing coordination between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists. The king's current offer to the seven-party alliance to nominate an interim prime minister and elections under the 1990 constitution is clearly in accordance with the US gameplan of ‘restoration of democracy' in Nepal. Did the Indian Prime Minister's ‘message' to the king of Nepal differ in any respect from this American agenda? Given India 's strategic partnership with the US and the growing Congress-BJP consensus on the question of foreign policy, the answer is only likely to be in the negative.
If the Indian state seeks to save the beleaguered monarchy and prevent Nepal from making its possible transition towards a leftwing republican future, the democratic people of India must oppose such an Indian intervention and stand unambiguously by the fighting people of Nepal and their republican resolve. Quite significantly, the UPA government has chosen a former Indian prince like Karan Singh as its special envoy for Nepal . There are speculations that some Left leaders may also be pressed into this act of mediation. No matter who is chosen as the messenger or mediator, the message from India must be one of emphatic and total solidarity with the people of Nepal . Victory to the brave and fighting people of Nepal !
Party Foundation Day Observed
April 22, the Party Foundation Day was observed by Party Units all over the country. In Bihar , April 22 marked the end of the Nyay Yatra, and the 2-day hunger strike to protest the disbanding of the Amir Das Commission was lifted on this occasion. Cadre Conventions and mass meetings were held at all District HQs and some prominent Block HQs in the State. In Jharkhand, cadre meetings were held at several District and Block HQs. At Bokaro, a big cadre meeting was held a day later, on April 23, while activists at Ranchi announced that they would burn an effigy of King Gyanendra at Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi on April 24 in solidarity with the pro-democracy movement in Nepal .
In UP, collective study of the Party Programme was organised in various districts. The Programme was studied in the light of remarks by Party General Secretary in Bhubaneshwar Central Education Camp
In Orissa, Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed a huge rally, organised to commemorate the occasion. At Delhi , the Day was observed with a two-day Party Class where Party members discussed papers on Mao Thought, the history of the Indian Communist Movement, the Party Programme and some aspects of work among unorganized labourers in Delhi .
22nd April was observed by all ranks of the party in Rajasthan with great enthusiasm and a renewed commitment to the revolutionary work ahead. Functions were organised in three places. in Buhana, Jhunjhunu, party cadres held a meeting which was addressed by Central Committee Member, Com. Srilata Swaminathan and State Secretary, Com. Mahendra Chaudhary. Many fundamental issues on ideology, party building and the present stage of revolution and our tasks were raised.
In Udaipur party cadres held a meeting under the leadership of District Secretary, Com. Pooranmal and Office Secretary Com. Cahandradev Ola celebrating the successful rehabilitation of tribals in Morela village, the struggle to orgainse the rural poor in implementing the NREGA, in spite of government inertia and corruption and to carry forward the programme of the New Democratic Revolution.
In Ajmer , party cadres and AIPWA joined together under the leadership of District-in-charge Com. Bhavri Bai, to read Com Vinod Mishra's tract on the formation and development of our party and to renew their commitment to taking the party and work forward so that, through class struggle, the toiling men and women could be freed from exploitation
A class was held at Mansa, Punjab , and a Cadre Convention at Ludhiana , where a Party Leading Team was formed to revive the Party work there.
.In Haryana, Party foundation day was observed in Nehru Park , Gurgaon. On this occasion, Com Prem Singh Gehlawat shed light on the Party policies. He held both Congress and BJP responsible for the ongoing assault on the life of the workers and peasants . Tamil Nadu unit of CPI(ML) organized Party Foundation Day as a part of the election campaign and remembered the legacy of sacrifice of the ML movement in contrast to the parties that vie for loot and money. The police administration in Dharmapuri district tried all its best to stop April 22 party foundation day programme cum campaign meeting to be addressed by the party state secretary Com. Balasundaram. Finally, the party had to seek the intervention of District Collector cum Electoral Officer to ensure our democratic right of holding a public meeting as a part of the election campaign. Still, after all harassment, the written permission for the public meeting was granted only at 6 pm on April 22, when the public meeting was about to start. But, the police administration denied permission for garlanding the statues of Comrades Appu and Balan, the founders of the ML movement in TN. Against all odds, the public meeting was finally held. It was addressed by the state secretary Comrade Balasundaram, candidate Govindarajau and the SCMs A.G and Chnadra Mohan.
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CPI(ML) Team Investigates Aligarh Violence
A CPI(ML) investigation team comprising the Party In-charge for Western UP Comrade Afroz Alam, Party State Committee member Comrade Rohitash Rajput, and youth leader Mohd. Alam, visited Aligarh and found that the recent violence in Aligarh was an unprovoked killing of Muslims by the police and not a communal riot as portrayed by the Administration. The Party has demanded a high-level judicial enquiry into the violence, as well as arrest of the SP of Aligarh City, S K Verma, responsible for the police firing, and stern action against a former BJP MLA responsible for instigating communal violence.
The investigation team found that on April 6, traders led by a former MLA of the BJP, K K Nawaman, marched towards Sabzi Mandi Chauraha in a provocative procession. Agitated Muslims came out in retaliation, and there was brickbatting on both sides. The police and PAC did nothing to control the situation, and later, the SP, City gave written firing orders to PAC havildar Santosh Kumar. Police and PAC opened fire in the direction where the Muslim crowds were gathered, killing four persons.
The Administration imposed curfew in the city for 12 days to cover up its criminal act, causing immense hardship to city dwellers. However, the citizens of Aligarh foiled the conspiracy to instigate communal riots.
A C T I V I T I E S
CPI(ML) and Nepali Jan Adhikar Manch March against Monrchy
On April 24, activists of CPI(ML) and Nepali Jan Adhikar Manch marched to the Albert Ekka Chauk in Ranchi and burnt effigy of King Gyanendra. Addressing the protestors, Com. Shubhendu Sen, CPI(ML) state secretary, Jharkhand said that Nepalese people‘s heroic battle against monarchy is a source of inspiration for all those who were fighting for democracy and change. Prominent among those who led the protest programme were comrades Ram Prasad Pant, Secretary, Nepali Jan Adhikar Manch, Tridib Ghosh of PUCL and Faisal Anurag.
Construction Workers Indefinite Dharna at Jaipur Collectorate
Over 50 members of the Rajasthan Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan have been sitting on dharna outside the Jaipur Collectorate since 20th. April demanding the payment of wages to over 40 workers who have built a private school building in the city but who are yet to be paid wages. The owner of the school is a government servant working in the Dept. of Industry and is refusing to pay their arrears which amounts to over 1 lakh rupees. This dharna is being led by AICCTU leader Com. Harkesh Bugalia and is supported by all the workers of the union and other progressive people in Jaipur. They are determined to fight till they get their just dues
Jan Sanskriti Manch Seminar on ‘Displacement and the Culture of Resistance'
Jan Sanskriti Manch organised a seminar on ‘ Displacement and the Culture of Resistance' in New Delhi . Presiding over the seminar, Arundhati Roy, noted writer and social activist, said that there should be a public debate on the Land Acquisition Act, empowering governments to acquire any land, in the name of so-called public interest.
The participants felt that the path of development, pursued by the Indian ruling classes was dictated by corporate interests, and it had nothing to do with the common man. Prominent among the participants were Ramji Rai, Editor Janmat, Ajay Singh, General Secretary, Jan Sanskriti Manch , Prashant Bhushan, advocate, Supreme Court, Amit Bhaduri, Amit Sen Gupta, Pranay Krishna and others. The seminar was conducted by Bhasha Singh, Convener, JSM, Delhi .
Hunger Strike against illegal lock-out in Shoe Factory
Protesting against the illegal lock-out in unit RC-1 of Rahman Export Private Ltd. in Unnao and subsequent inaction by Labour Commissionor, UP and DM, Unnao on the report of DLC, Lucknow, Com.Ramesh singh Sengar, Vice President, AICCTU went on a 4 day long hunger strike at DM office, from April 17 to April 20.UnitRC-1 of Rahman Export Private Ltd. is a shoe factory, which was locked-out by the factory management on August3,2005. This lock-out was declared illegal by DLC, Lucknow on August 18,2005 .
Since then, the factory workers, led by AICCTU, have been relentlessly agitating to end the lock-out, but Mulayam administration, in collusion with the factory management, was bent upon starving the workers to death. The hunger strike forced the DLC, Unnao to promise a time-bound solution within one week.
RYA District Conference in Mirzapur
First district conference of RYA, Mirzapur was held at Shaheed Naresh Chandra Srivastava Hall of Shaheed Chandrashekhar Nagar on April 22, on the occasion of Lenin‘s birth anniversary and CPI(ML) foundation day. Around 300 delegates from different parts of the district participated, including Communist Youth League comrades(CYL is an affiliated organisation of RYA working in the tribal zone).The conference was preceded by an Employment March, starting from Mirzapur station to the conference venue. Com. Salim, national president RYA, inaugurated the conference.
DTC Workers‘ Unity Centre Organises Workshop
DTC Workers' Unity Centre, affiliated to AICCTU organised a workshop on April 18, to discuss the changing situation in DTC and decide the future course of action. Around 65 employees participated in the workshop. AICCTU General Secretary, Com. Swapan Mukherjee and Delhi state secretary of CPI(ML) Com. Rajendra Pratholi were also present in the workshop. Unity Centre's General Secretary, N.M. Thomas, president, Santosh Roy, and vice president, A.S. Sidhu were among the main speakers.
The DTC in recent years has witnessed a drastic cut in fleet of buses and strength of employees, reckless privatisation and contractualisation, withdrawal of different benefits to employees, crisis of wage payments to employees, high-handedness of management, etc., due to the neo-liberal policies of the Delhi government. It was decided in the workshop to launch a 3-month long propaganda campaign to highlight the demands of the employees arising out of this situation. The campaign will culminate in a GBM in the month of September.
CPI(ML) Battle for the Restoration of Amir Das Commission
The vigorous battle launched by CPI(ML) for the restoration of Amir Das Commission is all set to evolve into a broad- based movement with wide ranging support from various left and democratic forces
On April 10, 5000 agrarian labourers, men and women, from all over Bihar held a militant Protest March against the Nitish Government's move to protect political leaders having links with Ranveer Sena, by scrapping the Amir Das Enquiry Commission. This Protest March was led by CPI(ML) General Secretary ,Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya, as well as State-level leaders of CPI(ML) and AIALA. On 13 April, the Patna City Unit of CPI(ML) burnt an effigy of Nitish Kumar and held a Protest March and mass meeting. On 17 April, the CPI(ML) launched a week-long ‘Nyay Abhiyan' (Justice Campaign) culminating in the Party Foundation Day on 22 April. As part of this campaign, protest demonstrations were held in almost each Block of Bihar, by CPI(ML) and AIALA. The protests at the Block HQs raised the slogan of ‘Nyay Do, Kam Do!' and demanded restoration of the Amir Das Commission, and swift tabling of its report, exemplary action against those found guilty by the Commission, tabling of the Reports of the Enquiry Commissions into the Arwal massacre, as well as registration and job cards for all rural poor under the NREGA.
A massive Nyay Do Yatra began from Lakhmanpur Bathe, site of one of the Ranveer Sena's worst massacres, on 19 April. It covered. Patna , Bhojpur, Jehanabad and Arwal – the four districts worst affected by Ranveer Sena massacres. When the procession reached Arwal Bus Stand, a huge mass gathering and Protest Meet were held. .
And on 20 April, at Patna 's Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chauk, AIALA State President Pawan Sharma, National Convener of the All India Kisan Coordination Committee, Rajaram Singh, Paliganj MLA Nand Kumar Nanda, Karakat MLA Arun Singh, and AIPWA National Secretary, Meena Tiwari went on a 48-hour mass hunger strike. Four people whose families were victims of the Bathe massacre – Vimlesh Rajvanshi, Lakshman Rajvanshi, Sikandar Choudhury and Vinod Paswan also joined the hunger strike.
On 21 April, the second day of the fast, CPI State Secretary Badrinarayan Lal and National Executive Member U. N. Mishra, MCPI State Secretary Vijay Chaudhry, R. C. Prasad of the Janpratirodh Manch and others addressed the gathering.
The hunger strike was concluded on April 22, the Party foundation day, with announcements for the next round of the movement. .Prominent among those who joined the protest programme were comrades Lalan Kumar, state committee member, CPI(M),Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, state secretary, MCPI, D Prakash, leader of CPI(ML)-Jan Samvad, Nand Kishor singh of CPI(ML) Kanu Sanyal, Priyadarshi convener, Jan Mukti Sangharsh Vahini, as well as leaders and activists of Jan Pratirodh Sangharsh Manch, AISA, AIPWA, AICCTU, RYA, Jan Sanskriti Manch. Referring to Chief minister Nitish kumar‘s remark that it was an emotional issue for CPI(ML), Com. Ram Jatan Sharma, state secretary, Bihar, warned him that it was a battle of all the poor and oppressed people and democratic forces of Bihar. It was a battle for justice against injustice and it was bound to gain momentum in the coming days. He alleged that the step was a desperate attempt to protect the MLAs and Ministers of Nitish government as well as fellow politicians of other political parties, who were found guilty by the Commission. However, this nefarious design will not be allowed to succeed, he asserted. Com .Rajaram Singh thanked various political forces, organisations and individuals for their support.
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