CPI(ML) HOME Vol.9, No. 46 14-20 NOV 2006

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

By-election Pointers from Bihar and Jharkhand

Even as the attention of the media and political observers remains riveted mostly on developments in Uttar Pradesh, by-elections held for three Lok Sabha seats in Bihar and Jharkhand on November 6 have meanwhile served some interesting pointers. The results of these by-elections reflect a growing popular disillusionment with not only the UPA and NDA in general but also with the regionally dominant parties like the RJD and the JD(U).
All these three seats – Nalanda and Bhagalpur in Bihar and Koderma in Jharkhand – were won by the NDA in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Koderma was in fact the only seat that the BJP could then win in Jharkhand where former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi was the party’s nominee. The winners from Nalanda and Bhagalpur were the two NDA stalwarts from Bihar, Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi. The three seats had fallen vacant following resignation of the three MPs – Babulal Marandi resigning both from his party and the Lok Sabha, while Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi are currently heading the NDA government in Bihar.
Between May 2004 and November 2006, the political landscape in the country has changed considerably. There is a UPA government at the Centre for which the by-elections could be seen as a sort of mid-term referendum. Viewed from this angle, the results are quite a disaster for the ruling UPA. Interestingly, the UPA continued to remain divided in Bihar. The RJD fielded its own candidate in Bhagalpur while in Nalanda it threw its weight behind an erstwhile JD(U) leader who contested as an independent. The Congress and Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, on the other hand decided to back the CPI(M) and the CPI from Bhagalpur and Nalanda respectively. It may be recalled that the CPI(M) had won the Bhagalpur seat in 1999 with the RJD’s backing while in the last nine Lok Sabha elections, the CPI had won from Nalanda on three occasions while finishing second on four other occasions.
Significantly enough, voter turnout at both Nalanda and Bhagalpur was only around 30 per cent. The NDA nominees managed to retain both the seats, the JD(U) from Nalanda and the BJP from Bhagalpur. Candidates backed by the RJD finished second with the CPI(M) and CPI coming a poor third. In 2004, Nitish Kumar had polled more than 4,50,000 votes while his UPA contender too polled close to 4,00,000 votes. This time round, the JD(U) candidate, a sitting MLA from the district who recently secured bail in a case in which he stands accused of harassing a dalit woman, could not even poll 2,00,000 votes while the RJD backed candidate had to remain content with only 50,000-odd votes.
The scene was only marginally different at Bhagalpur where the BJP nominee Shahnawaj Hussein polled 2,21,001 votes while the RJD finished second with 1,65,390 votes. Quite evidently, neither the UPA ruling in Delhi or the NDA ruling in Patna are able to enthuse their respective supporters. It is also significant that the JD(U) suffered a net loss of nearly 3,00,000 votes in Nitish Kumar’s home district of Nalanda while Laloo Prasad’s once formidable social following can now barely cross the 50,000 mark in a Lok Sabha  constituency. 
Koderma too presented a largely similar picture. Here the UPA of course fought as a united entity and managed to finish a distant second by polling a little more than 1,30,000 votes, but this was only half of what a divided UPA could poll in 2004. With the resignation of Babulal Marandi from the BJP and the ouster of the Arjun Munda government in Rnchi, the BJP too could only poll around 1,00,000 votes. It is of course significant that Babulal Marandi managed to retain his seat with a nearly unchanged vote share despite all the political changes in Delhi and Ranchi. Whether it is an electoral reward for his ‘bold’ act of resignation from the BJP and the Lok Sabha or his continuing political currency as a former CM and MP, this is by far the best performance ever put up by a ‘former’ BJP leader.
It however remains to be seen what kind of political future Marandi builds for himself. So far we have seen three models in action. We have the Baghela model of Gujarat where the former BJP leader is now a Congress Minister in Manmohan Singh’s cabinet; the Kalyan Singh example of Uttar Pradesh where the ‘prodigal’ son has returned to his political home, and the Uma Bharati trend where an attempt is on to rebuild the ‘true BJP’ by fashioning a new outfit for the politics of Hindutva. It will be interesting to see if Marandi can come up with a different pattern in Jharkhand.
As for the Left, the best performance in these by-polls has been that of the CPI(ML) in Koderma even though the party’s vote tally fell from 1,30,000-plus in 2004 to nearly 90,000. By contrast, even with the backing of the Congress and the LJP, the CPI(M) and CPI could only poll around 80,000 in Bhagalpur and 30,000 in Nalanda. The CPI(ML) had also contested the Nalanda seat, but in spite of an increase in vote share, the party finished fifth with a total vote of only around 18,000. For communists interested in increasing their political presence and role in the Hindi belt, the by-polls have delivered a clear message. There is no future for the pro-UPA and Congress-backed Left in areas beyond its traditional strongholds. Communists can only march forward through systematic mass political work among the rural poor and the crisis-ridden peasantry and bold and consistent opposition to the disastrous UPA-NDA policies.

AISA Wins Vice President, General Secretary in JNUSU Elections

The JNUSU Elections this year saw a definite broadening and deepening of AISA’s victory and its support base. Not only did AISA redouble its strength in the Office Bearers’ team, winning both the Vice President and General Secretary posts, AISA also won Councillor seats in three Schools, and increased its votes in all Schools. SFI won the Joint Secretary post, and also the President post, defeating AISA’s candidate Awadhesh by a narrow margin of 73 votes.
The election was marked by the eclipse of the ABVP and NSUI, and the emergence of the Youth for Equality as a political platform which won a lot of media attention and polled third in the elections. The YFE, with an exclusive anti-quota plank, but combining much of the anti-Left rhetoric of the ABVP, emerged as a right-wing pole. AISA’s 34-day long Relay Hunger Strike in May-June contended with the YFE’s arguments head-on, mobilising students to unite to secure more opportunities in education for all, while defending quotas for deprived sections, won great appreciation – reflected in the election results too.
However, the elections did not revolve around the quota issue alone. Rather, AISA succeeded in making issues like SEZs, displacement, and neo-liberal policy a matter of debate. AISA raised the question – why did the corporate-backed anti-quota forces, have no objection when land and resources are being reserved for corporates in SEZs? When the UPA Govt. is unwilling to waive loans for suicidal farmers but is eager to waive the laws of the land for SEZs? And where were the CPI-CPI(M) watchdogs in Parliament sleeping when the SEZ Act was being passed? SFI-AISF responded by stating their opposition to the premises of the SEZ Act, and claiming that their parent parties were asking for amendments in the Act to protect farmers. AISA responded by making public the West Bengal SEZ Act, which contained all of the objectionable clauses (which deem SEZs to be ‘foreign territory’, and ‘public utilities’ in which workers cannot strike; also which exempt them from laws of the land) that SFI claimed to decry. This, and the Singur episode too served to put SFI-AISF on the defensive.
Other issues which received prominence were those of democratic rights – in which AISA took a lead in demanding justice for Afzal and a repeal of the AFSPA – issues on which SFI-AISF maintained an embarrassed silence.
Finally, the elections were also a resounding endorsement of AISA’s Black Flag protest against Manmohan Singh on his JNU visit last year – most of the AISA leaders elected to the JNUSU are those who led that protest on November 14 last year. The attempts to ‘impeach’/'censure’/'boycott’ the JNUSU President last year have been soundly rebuffed by JNU students!
In School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, AISA’s candidate Kumar Mangalam emerged as the most popular candidate, winning with the maximum number of votes. In SIS, AISA candidate Arundhati Choudhury tied for fifth place with an SFI candidate. In SSS, AISA candidate Pallavi Deka was elected in the second place, while Sucheta De tied for fifth place with an SFI candidate. Bypolls for the tied seats will be held early next year. On the post of Joint Secretary, AISA candidate Shephalika Shekhar polled third with 624 votes, 176 votes behind the winning SFI candidate. On the post of GS, AISA’s Sandeep Singh won with 943 votes, 114 votes ahead of his nearest rival Arun Prashant of the AISF. On VP, AISA’s Tyler Walker Williams (last year a Councillor from SLL&CS) won with 1076 votes, while YFE candidate polled second with 736 votes, and SFI’s candidate Murtaza Ali Athar third with 731 votes. On President, SFI’s Dhananjay polled 909 votes, and Awadhesh polled second with 836 votes, while YFE’s candidate polled 810 votes.

ACTIVITIES

Demonstration in Bastar

CPI(ML) and AIALA held out a protest march in Bastar to press for various long pending demands of adivasis and rural poor, on Nov. 9. A memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister was also sent through the DM. The main demands in memorandum included giving land rights to tribal people, to implement NREGA, red cards to all agricultural workers, to stop police atrocities on adivasis, to ban Salva Judum, to withdraw cases from tribals imposed under Forest Act and related legislations, to stop displacement of tribals in the name of industrialisation, etc. This was led by CC member Rajaram, AIALA National Councillor Narottam Sharma and CPI(ML) Bastar District Secretary Gopaldhar Yadav.

3rd Anniversary of Martyrdom of Comrade Manju Devi

On the occasion of the third anniversary of the martyrdom of Manju Devi, a rally and mass meeting were organised in Karpi (Jahanabad) on 10 November. Comrade Manju was assassinated by Ranvir Sena on 10 Nov. 2003, when she was enganged in the preparations for the foundation conference of All India Agricultrual Labour Association.
The rallyists first went to the statue of Com. Manju Devi and several leaders including CPI(ML) Central Committee member Ramjatam Sharma, Bihar State Secretary Nand Kishore Prasad, AIPWA General Secretary Kumudini Pati, RYA General Secretary Kamlesh Sharma and other local leaders garlanded the statue. The rally then proceeded to the ground where a huge mass meeting of more than 5000 was held. The meeting was presided over by Com. Mahanand while local leaders Com. Ramadhar, Kunti Devi, Leela Verma spoke at length about the feudal repression that has been going on in the area since more than two decades and how leaders like Gaya Yadav, Bhagwan Yadav, Suresh Vidyarthi and Manju Devi had laid down their lives fighting for the dignity and rights of the poor and toiling people. Comrade Kamlesh Sharma stressed that the battle must continue unabated and that the Nithish Kumar Govt. was only patronising the feudals and criminals. Comrade Ramjatan Sharma stressed that the Party should take up the challenge of punishing those who had killed the most beloved leaders of the people. Comrade Nand Kishore said that it was important to understand that while the Laloo regime had patronised one section of criminals the Nitish regime was patronising another section. It is also true that the present government was helping the big capitalists and corporate houses to spread their tentacles and loot Bihar. The people of Bihar must fight unitedly against such forces, he said. Comrade Kumudini Pati said Manju Devi had been martyred because she had followed in the footsteps of Bhagat Singh. She was a true fighter, and now that women had been given 50 % reservation in panchayats we must grab the opportunity to build battalions of such fighting women leaders and cadres. She said that the blood shed by comrade Manju may have dried on the fields of Bihar, but it still pulsates in every heart.
A five-point resolution was passed in the rally that included demand for reinstatement of Amir Das Commission, death sentence to the killers of Comrade Manju, release of all TADA detainees including Comrade Shahchand, action against officials not implementing NREGA, ensuring jobs to all poor, and withdrawal of US-British army from Iraq and release of Saddam Hussain. The rally was presided over by CPI(ML) District Secretary Mahanand.

Cadre Convention in Tripura

On 13 November, the Tripura state unit of CPI(ML) organised a cadre convention at Gobinda Teli Bhawan (Dasarath Deb Bhawan) in Agartala with a resolve to expand the mass movement and strengthen the Party organisation. The convention was a part of the measures taken up to implement the message of the Bardhaman convention. The convention began a 9 AM with flag hoisting by Comrade Swadesh Bhattacharya, Member of the Polit Bureau, and paying floral tributes to the martyrs. 113 participants, including 20 women, from various parts of Tripura attended the convention.
The proceedings started with the inaugural speech by Com. Rubul Sharma, Member, Polit Bureau. This was followed by a reading of Burdhaman documents by Tripura State Secretary Com. Mrinmoy Chakraborty. Forty participants took part in the discussion. Comrade Swadesh Bhattacharya delivered the concluding address.

6th Foundation Day of Jharkhand

CPI(ML) has strongly criticized the Jharkhand government for felicitating some people on the 6th Foundation Day of the state while not honouring the martyrs who laid down their lives during the Jharkhand movement. Moreover, the government has not done anything for the dependents and families of these martyrs, and it continues to ignore the demand of providing employment to their dependents. Therefore, the CPI(ML) leader and ex-MLA Bahadur Oraon, who was one of the leading figures of the movement, has refused the felicitation offered by the UPA government in this ceremony.
In a statement released on the eve of the Foundation Day, CPI(ML) has said that the earlier NDA govt. had betrayed the people, let loose repression on tribals pushing policies for their displacement on a huge scale during last six years. The present UPA government is following same policies adopted. The MoUs signed by the earlier regime are going to displace huge population and handing over rich resources of the state to the corporates.
Ironically, the state government has invited Laloo Yadav as chief guest for the Foundation Day celebrations, who was staunch opponent of the separate Jharkhand state movement. Party has said that this is an insult to those who participated in the movement.]

Marxist Education Camp in Jahanabad

A three-day Marxist education camp was organised by the Central Education Department in Jahanabad from 14-16 Nov. This was attended by 35 activists from Bihar and Jharkhand. The teachers included Comrades Arindam Sen, Ramjatan Sharma, Lal Bahadur Singh and Pradip Jha. The activists trained in the camp will help conducting district Party schools in Bihar and Jharkhand to impart basic Marxist education to Party members.

Impressive rally at Bisam Cuttack

On the historic November Revolution Day, 7 November, an impressive rally of rural poor and adivasi people was organised in the remote Bisam Cuttack town of Rayagada district. It was an organised in the backdrop of the terror let loose by the nexus of notorious landlords, police and corrupt politicians against the land struggle being launched to establish the rights of the poor on illegally occupied ceiling surplus and tribal lands.
In spite of more than 40 district and local level party leaders having been put into jail on various false charges and continuing disturbances, terror and false propaganda by police, landlords and a section of media during preparations of the rally, the rally witnessed enthusistic participation of landless poor and tribal masses in thousands. This has once again shown the tremendous potential the growing political awakening among the poorest of poor in backward Orissa.
This rally was led by CPI(ML) Polit Bureau member DP Bakshi, CC members Malleshwar Rao, Kshitish Biswal, Krishna Adhikari, Bangar Rao and Bihar State Committee member Virendra Gupta alongwith other state and district leaders. The rally started from local Party office after the hoisting of Party flag. This office was attacked and damaged by landlord goons in early July in presence of police force. The rally covered the entire Bisam Cuttack town and culminated into a mass meeting which was addressed by several leaders. Speakers exposed the anti-people policies of both central and state governments and condemned them for failing to protect the rights, livelihood and dignity of working people. They also described how land redistribution to the poor and implementation of NREGA have turned into a farce.
The rally concluded on a determined note to bring the agenda of land, employment and democracy for the poor to foreground of state politics in contrast to Orissa CM Navin Patnaik's insistence on handing over thousands of acres of land to MNCs and other big corporates.

Demonstration against Bush

In protest against the death sentence awarded to Saddam Hussain by a special tribunal in Iraq, four CPI(ML) organisations organized a mass demonstration in Kolkata. Cadres and supporters of CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(ML) ND, CPI(ML) Janashakti and CPI(ML) led by Kanu Sanyal took part in a rally on 10 Nov. The rally started from Subodh Mallick Square and ended at USIS at Chowrangee. The supporters shouted slogans against US imperialism and its war of occupation in Iraq. Later the demonstrators burnt the effigy of George Bush to mark the end of the programme.

Protest Against Corruption in PDS

The Patparganj unit of All India Progressive Women's Association staged a procession against the corruption in Public Distribution System. More than a hundred people, led by AIPWA Delhi Convener Uma Gupta, took out a march and gheraoed the ration office at Kalyanwas on Nov. 7. Protesters handed over a memorandum to the Food and Supply Officer demanding BPL Cards to all poor, to take action against adulteration in foodgrains by the dealers who also cheat in weighing, and to make PDS effective in order to provide subsidized food for every poor. VKS Gautam, Nandji, Madhunisha, Bala, Noorjahan and Shyamkishore also addressed the protesters.

AIALA on Sit-In Demonstration at Singur

All India Agricultural Labour Association (AIALA) staged a sit in demonstration from 7-11 Nov. in protest against the anti-peasant policy of LF Govt. at Singur. It is a matter of shame that the LF govt. continues to defy public resentment on the issue of Singur. The state govt.’s police was compelled to retreat facing militant resistance from the villagers, specially the women. The police tried to stay at the camp built till the total lands of Singur were handed over to the Tata motors, but retreated in the face of widespread militant resistance by the local people. AIALA organised a public hearing on 11 Nov. and also ogranised a mass meeting on the same day at Singur. The mass gathering was addressed by Comrades Sanat Roy Chowdhury, Partha Ghosh, CCM, CPI(ML), AIALA leader Sajal Adhikary, Sajal Pal and many others.

Unorganised workers' Dharna in Kolkata

Nearly 600 workers belonging  to the unorganized sector staged a sit in demonstration in front of metro station at Dharmatala in Kolkata on 9 Nov. to raise the demands of their job security, social honour and minimum wages under the banner of AICCTU. Almost all sections of unorganized workers including construction, brick-kiln workers, hawkers, rickshaw-pullers, transport workers, head-loaders, maid servants were present in the programme. A 6-member delegation later met Mrinal Banerjee, LF Govt.’s Labour Minister and apprised him of the plight of unorganised sector workers. The delegation comprising Basudev Basu, Atanu Chakraborty and others handed over a 22-point charter of demands to the minister.
The major demands include : (i) Providing all bidi workers with identity cards and ensuring equal wages and maternity benefits for women workers, maintaining PF and log book records. (ii) Implementation of identity cards for construction workers; adequate accident compensation and insurance, regularisaiton of PF cover and other facilities; (iii) Implementation of minimum wages for brick- kiln and building workers; to ensure the facility of PF & ESI benefits for them. (iv) Immediate implementation of minimum wages for hosiery workers, etc.

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

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