ML UPDATE 12 / 2011

ML Update

A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine

Vol. 14, No. 12, 15 – 21 MARCH 2011

Quake and Tsunami in Japan:

Questions for India

 

The intense earthquake followed by devastating tsunami in Japan has taken a massive toll of human life. This natural calamity of enormous proportions is estimated to have taken the lives of some 10,000 people in that country, while the number of those who are in relief camps, having lost their homes and loved ones, is about 30000. Japan is facing a huge humanitarian crisis with shortage of food and water.

 

It is doubly tragic that the devastation has been compounded by nuclear explosions in two of Japan's nuclear power plants, with the threat of another meltdown hovering over a third. Japan is the bearer of the grim legacy of the nuclear holocausts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Once again this time, the people of Japan will undergo the trauma and tragedy of nuclear disaster. At this hour of grave crisis, the worst since the WWII devastation, the people of India stand wholeheartedly by the people of Japan and share their grief and tragedy.

 

For us in India and in fact for the whole world, the tragedy of Japan should also serve as an urgent wake-up call about the unpredictability and inherent dangers of nuclear technology. It must be remembered that Japan, after all, has what was said to be the best quake-resistant nuclear technology in the world. Their preparedness and response for natural disasters too is second to none in the world. Yet, in the wake of the quake and tsunami this time, they were unable to avert explosions in their nuclear power facilities and the resultant radiation leaks which are likely to have grievous long-term consequences.

 

If this is the case in Japan with its superior technological expertise and preparedness, it is alarming to imagine the consequences of a similar situation in a country like India, which is not known for its prompt or effective response to disasters or for effective regulatory and safety mechanisms in any sector. Questions are rightly being raised about the safety of existing nuclear installations in India, as well as about the advisability of expansion to fresh projects like the proposed project at Jaitapur, Maharashtra. Jaitapur is known to be in a seismic zone, and is on the coastline. India has already suffered one tsunami, which reportedly caused damage to the nuclear plant at Kalpakkam.

 

The Maharashtra Government has promptly got former Atomic Energy Commission Chairperson Anil Kakodkar to give a presentation to the state Assembly, at which he assured that existing nuclear plants were safe, and that the Jaitapur plant was safe from a tsunami. On what basis can Kakodkar make such a declaration? He speculates that Jaitapur's elevation makes a tsunami 'unlikely.' But natural calamities are calamities precisely because they strike without clear warning, and preparedness and precaution consist in factoring in the 'unlikely'!

 

Kakodkar tells us there is "no need to doubt" reactors of the government-owned French company Areva, which are to be commissioned at Jaitapur. How can Kakodkar vouch for the Areva design, which is known to be new and untested anywhere in the world? The unseemly haste with which such assurances are being touted is highly irresponsible, and must not be allowed to divert the country's attention from the demand for a thorough review of India's existing nuclear facilities and the proposals for further expansion.

 

The Prime Minister has promised both houses of Parliament that a review will be conducted to "ensure that (India's) nuclear reactors would be able to withstand the impact of large natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes." The question is, how can we be sure that this review will be impartial, given that India lacks any independent nuclear regulatory body? The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board in India is subservient to and answerable to the very institution it is supposed to regulate - the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)! Regulatory processes are shrouded in secrecy and the Indian public are restricted by draconian legislation like the Indian Atomic Energy Act 1962 even from asking questions.

 

A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman, AERB has pointed out that the "collusion" between the PMO, the Indian nuclear establishment and corporate houses in the wake of the Indo-US Nuke Deal, and opined that the "continuity of this closeness between corporate houses interested in nuclear power and the concerned supervisory government agencies is distorting and damaging the independent government decisions to be taken in the public interest, whether it be in the choice of import of reactors and their cost, the environmental impact of such imported reactors or their potential deficiencies and dangers."

 

We have seen how Union Carbide-Dow succeeded in influencing government and even judicial processes at Bhopal. We have also seen how so-called regulatory bodies in the case of Bt Brinjal and soft drink industry were infiltrated in a big way by people who were on the payroll of the very same MNCs like Monsanto, Coke, Pepsi etc that they were supposed to assess and regulate! The Nuke Liability Bill passed by Parliament as it is bore the marks of severe pressure by the US nuclear industry backed by the US Government. This legislation means that in the event of a nuclear disaster in India, the lion's share of the costs of clean-up and repair will be borne by India while the human cost of life and health will be borne, as at Bhopal, by the Indian people.

 

Japan reminds us that the scale of a nuclear disaster is likely to be far more vast and far-reaching than other industrial disasters. If the pressures of corporate and MNC interests as well as the UPA Government's commitments to the US or France are allowed to influence the review process, then the fallout could well turn out to be devastation and disaster borne by the people of India. It is therefore absolutely urgent and imperative that a thorough and independent, time-bound review and reassessment take place of India's existing nuclear installations, and a moratorium declared forthwith on all future nuclear projects in India including the one at Jaitapur.

 

Thousands March to Parliament under the banner of

All India Left Coordination (AILC) to demand 'UPA Government Quit Power!'

for Soaring Prices, Mega Scams, Assault on Democracy

 

On 14 March, thousands of people from all over the country marched through the streets of Delhi to Parliament demanding that the UPA Government quit in light of unprecedented corruption, backbreaking price rise, rampant unemployment and assault on people's movements. The 'People's March to Parliament' was organized by the All India Left Coordination (AILC), a platform comprising four Left parties - the CPI(ML) Liberation, CPM Punjab, Left Coordination Committee (Kerala) and Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) Maharashtra. For two consecutive days prior to the 14th, rallyists from various states thronged the Capital city to participate in the March. On 14 March, he procession – well decorated with red banners and flags, colourful festoons and placards and reverberating with slogans demanding 'UPA Government Quit Power' – marched from the Ramlila Grounds at 11 am. Participants in the March were from all over the country including Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The procession culminated in a mass meeting at Parliament Street where a big dais was put up.

 

The mass meeting began with rousing revolutionary songs against corruption, rendered by the Jharkhand Sanskritik Manch (Prerna). Senior leaders, leaders from various states of the four parties graced the dais. The main speakers at the meeting were the main leaders of the constituent parties – Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of the CPI(ML), Comrade Mangat Ram Pasla, General Secretary of the CPM Punjab, Comrade Bhim Rao Bansode, Secretary of Lal Nishan Party (Leninist), and Comrade Hariharan from LCC (Kerala). The meeting was also addressed by Comrades Vinod Singh (CPIML's MLA in Jharkhand), Krishna Adhikari (CPIML Leader from UP), Harkanwal (CPM Punjab), Mahendra Chaudhary (CPIML's Rajasthan State Secretary), Uday Bhatt (LNP-L, Maharashtra), Bhagwant Samao (CPIML, Punjab) and peasant leader Rajaram Singh (CPIML, Bihar) among other left leaders of the four parties. The mass meeting was presided over by a presidium consisting of the leaders from the four left parties which included Comrades Rameshwar Prasad (CPIML), Rajendra Baooke (LNP-L), Vimla (LCC-Kerala) and Ratanlal Randhawa (CPM Punjab). The proceedings were conducted by Comrade Swapan Mukherjee, Central Committee member of CPI(ML). The sea of demonstrators was welcomed by Delhi State Committee member Com. Ravi Rai.

 

Addressing the meeting, Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of the CPI(ML) Liberation said that the UPA Government which had claimed to be a government of the aam aadmi had proved to be a Government of corporate looters and scamsters. The Government has been caught red-handed colluding with corporate agents to allow the billionaire Ambanis, Mittals, Tatas etc to loot the country's land, minerals, oil, gas, spectrum and other resources and bleed the country's treasury through black money, and then appointing a tainted CVC in a bid to ensure the cover-up of these scams. Those protesting against this plunder – be they ordinary peasants and tribals or intellectuals like Binayak Sen – are being branded as 'seditious' and subjected to severest repression. The Congress-led UPA Government and the Prime Minister have no moral authority to rule and the people of the country demand that they quit.

 

Comrade Dipankar said that while the Government was mired in corruption, the main opposition too was unable to offer any alternative. BJP-NDA ruled states, be it Jharkhand or Karnataka, presented the same story of Governments in liaison with mining mafia. He said that on the same day as the March to Parliament in Delhi, the CPI(ML) was holding a March to the Assembly in Karnataka, the BJP-ruled state infamous for a CM mired in land scam and BJP Ministers who are mining mafia. Pointing out that the policy regime of liberalization-privatisation was responsible for the unprecedented crisis of inflation, unemployment and corruption, the time had come to punish and oust those responsible for this crisis and demand a reversal of the disastrous anti-people policies. He said that the All India Left Coordination (AILC) platform had been formed to offer a fighting Left alternative to the people in the current crisis.

 

Addressing the meeting, Comrade Mangat Ram Pasla, General Secretary of CPM Punjab said that the same Government that is subsidizing billionaire CEOs to the tune of lakhs of crores is slashing spending on agriculture and subsidies on food, fertilizers and fuel and pushing farmers to commit desperate acts like suicide and burdening the starving poor with ever-increasing inflation and agricultural crisis. Such a Government had lost its right to rule, he said and demanded that the UPA Government step down without delay. He said that the Akali-NDA Government of Punjab too was unleashing agrarian crisis and severe repression on the peasants and poor of the state. While the need of the hour was for a powerful Left assertion against corporate loot, corruption and repression, it was unfortunate that the CPI(M)-led Left Front too had instead chosen to facilitate corporate land grab and unleash repression at Singur and Nandigram. In this backdrop, he said the AILC had proved to be an important platform to unite the forces of struggling Left and launch a united resistance to corrupt and anti-people governments and policies.

 

Comrade Bhimrao Bansode of Maharashtra reminded how Congress leaders of Maharashtra had shamefully connived with top army officials to steal the land allotted to Kargil martyrs' families in the Adarsh scam. He reminded that the UPA Government had appointed the same man as agriculture minister who presided over the record number of farmers' suicides in Maharashtra! In Raigad, people had successfully resisted a land grab attempt by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance, but in Jaitapur in the Konkan region, peasants and fisherpeople resisting the proposed atomic power plant were facing wholesale arrests and repression. He said that the explosion of the nuclear power plant in the wake of the tsunami and quake in Japan had proved that the protests of the Konkan's people had a solid basis and the Government could not be allowed to play with the lives and livelihood of the people.

 

Comrade Hariharan, Convenor of LCC (Kerala) said that the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre had shamelessly persisted in appointing PJ Thomas, tainted in the Kerala palmolein scam as well as the telecom scam, to head the country's apex anti-corruption body. When the SC intervened to prevent this, the Prime Minister said he took responsibility for this 'error of judgement.' Comrade Hariharan said that the Prime Minister and Government responsible for this must quit without any delay. He pointed out that unfortunately in Kerala, even the CPI(M)-led LDF Government had its share of corruption allegations, and had acted to shield its accused leader. He declared the intention of LCC (Kerala) to contest the forthcoming elections in Kerala on the plank of a powerful anti-corruption campaign.

 

The massive assembly of people passed 9 resolutions proposed at the end:

 

1)    Two decades of liberalization, privatization and globalization policies have landed the country in all-round crisis. Relentlessly rising prices are pauperizing the common people while mega scams and growing black money are robbing the national exchequer. Instead of controlling prices and punishing the corrupt, the UPA government is bent upon protecting the guilty and harassing honest and upright people. The Government shamelessly tried to appoint the tainted PJ Thomas as the CVC. When prevented by the Court, PM Manmohan Singh said he took responsibility for this 'error.' There is only one way to take responsibility for such an encouragement of corruption - the UPA Government must accept that it has lost the right to remain in power, and must resign immediately. This Mass Meeting demands that the UPA Government quit power, and also resolves to launch a nationwide agitation for urgent reversal of the policies of liberalization-privatisation-globalisation that are resulting in unprecedented price rise, unemployment and corruption.

 

2)    The Budget this year not only does nothing to curb inflation, it slashes subsidies on food, fuel and fertilizer and therefore further burdens the toiling masses and rural poor. But the same Budget, by cuts in surcharge, and by giving total tax concessions to corporates and the super-rich in the past year to the tune of over Rs. 5 lakh crore, effectively subsidises the corporate class. The disinvestment target has been doubled to Rs 40000 cr. It is obvious that the Government is not prepared to back its promises of food security with actual budgetary allocation for PDS coverage. The meeting resolves that a Government that promotes the interests of corporate houses at the cost of the aam aadmi must go, and resolves to intensify the struggle for effective measures to curb inflation and ensure food security for all.

 

3)    The UPA Government's tenure has seen one mega-scam after another in every sector of the economy. In these scams, the country's precious natural resources – land, minerals, oil, telecom spectrum, all are being looted by corporates with the complicity and connivance of influential people manning different institutions in the country, including the army as well as judiciary and even media. The Radia tapes have shown us how the corporates have a stranglehold on the entire system – be it selection of Ministers, national policies and decisions, court judgements or media stories. On the one hand, it is the policy regime of liberalization-privatization-globalisation (LPG) that is responsible for this scale of corruption and corporate loot. On the other, not only is the anti-corruption machinery in the country toothless, the Government also further renders it ineffective by appointing pliant people – as in the latest instance of CVC appointment. This meeting therefore resolves to demand a decisive change in the LPG policy regime as well as the speedy enactment of transparent, democratic and effective anti-corruption legislation on the lines of the Jan Lokpal Bill as drafted by eminent members of civil society.

 

4)    All over the country we are witnessing an all-out assault on democracy. People's movements challenging corporate land grab have met with severe repression, be it at Kalinganagar, POSCO, Srikakulam or Singur and Nandigram. Operation Green Hunt has proved to be a witch-hunt, with rights activists and intellectuals like Binayak Sen who act as voices of conscience being jailed for 'sedition.' Even courts have proved to make a mockery of the law and deliver political judgements in such cases. There are hundreds of poor people and activists who are facing a similar fate – for instance the 14 CPI(ML) activists who have been jailed under TADA, when the possession of Marxist literature was the only 'proof' of terrorist intent! Draconian laws like the TADA, AFSPA, CSPSA have resulted in an undeclared Emergency in the country, and innocents are being killed in fake encounters daily. This meeting demands the scrapping of the sedition law and other draconian laws, release of Binayak Sen and other activists arrested under these laws, and an end to Operation Green Hunt.

 

5)        Around Rs 240 crore worth of black money flows out of the country every single day. A handful of the super-rich bleed the country's veins to stash away these immense amounts of ill-gotten gains in Swiss banks. Not only has the UPA Government shown no will whatsoever to bring back this wealth to the country's coffers, it has actually left wide open the routes for this plunder by signing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements with tax havens like Mauritius. This meeting demands that every rupee of black money be brought back to the country, and every route for this plunder be plugged without an instant's delay.

 

6)    Women's rights in India are under increasing attack. Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a spate of crimes against women including rapes by several MLAs of the ruling BSP. In Bihar, a woman raped by a BJP MLA was driven by police inaction to take the desperate measure of stabbing him. In Delhi, on Women's Day itself, a young college girl was shot dead. All over the country, young couples are being killed for choosing their own partners. Governments have shown their lack of political will to punish perpetrators of crimes against women. Even courts have often proved insensitive – in a recent instance the Supreme Court let off three gang-rapists on the payment of Rs 50000 each, while many court verdicts have proved lenient towards perpetrators of honour killings. This meeting salutes the legacy of International Women's Day on the occasion of its centenary year, and extends solidarity to the women's movement in its ongoing struggle for equality, dignity and rights.

 

7)    Aseemanand's confession has revealed beyond doubt the role of the RSS and Sangh Parivar outfits in a series of terrorist acts that took the lives of innocents – including the blasts at Malegaon, Ajmer Sharif, Mecca Masjid and Samjhauta Express. Many of these terrorists from the Sangh camp have been people known to be close to top BJP leaders including Advani and Modi. It is a matter of great concern that even army officials have been found to be part of this saffron terror network, providing arms as well as training. In many of the cases innocent Muslim youth faced unfair arrest and torture for the crimes committed by the saffron brigade. This meeting demands a ban on the communal fascist RSS which is the fountainhead of communal violence and saffron terror. It also demands a thorough investigation to reveal the entire network of saffron terror and its linkages with the BJP leadership. The meeting also demands immediate release of, as well as adequate compensation for, all the unfairly implicated Muslim youth.

 

8)    This meeting expresses deep sorrow at the devastation caused to the people of Japan by the earthquake and tsunami followed by the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear reactor. The explosion in the nuclear reactor bears out the apprehensions and concerns about the safety of civilian nuclear power projects in India as well. This meeting demands a thorough and independent review and reassessment of India's nuclear programme in the light of safety standards, costs and performance of all existing reactors in India. It further demands a moratorium on the construction of any new nuclear plants including the one at Jaitapur, Maharashtra, which is based on a hitherto untested design.

 

9)    This meeting congratulates the people of Yemen, Tunisia and Egypt for the popular uprisings that successfully ousted US-backed dictatorial regimes that had ruled for several decades. We welcome this mood of popular awakening on the questions of unemployment, price rise, corruption, trade union rights and democratic rights, that is spreading across the Arab world. We are sure that these will inspire the people's movements on these issues in India too. While hailing these uprisings however, this meeting expresses concern and warns against meddling and military encirclement of Libya by the US and Nato.

 

On 14th March, rally dharna, and mass meeting were also held in some other states demanding that the corrupt UPA Govt must quit office. A dharna was held at Raipur, Chhattisgarh; and a march to Karnataka Assembly at Bangalore, and also well attended protests in various parts of Andhra Pradesh- Kakinada, Vijaywada, Ananthpur, Jangareddygudam, and other places. In West Bengal, protests were held on 11 March at all districts on the same issues, also propagating about the rally in Delhi. In Tamil Nadu solidarity meetings for March 14 People's March were held. On March 12 a public meeting was held in Ambattur. Candidates of the forthcoming assembly elections Comrades S Janakiraman (Madhavaram), K Palanivel (Ambattur), A Socratese (Sripeumbudur) were introduced in the meeting. A public meeting was held in Madhavaram constituency on March 13. Kumarapalayam candidate Com.Venkatachalam was introduced in the public meeting held in Kumarapalayam on March 14. Mettupalayam Candidate Com. R Janakiraman was introduced in the public meeting held in Karamadai. Com. S Kumarasami, CPI(ML)'s PB member addressed all these meetings.

 

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: 22442790, e-mail: mlupdate@cpiml.org, website: www.cpiml.org

ML UPDATE 11 / 2010

ML Update

A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine

Vol. 14, No. 11, 08 – 14 MARCH 2011

The CVC Fiasco:

The Appointee Has Lost His Job,

the 'Masters' Must also Lose theirs!

Six months after appointing PJ Thomas as the Central vigilance Commissioner, on March 7 Manmohan Singh told the Lok Sabha that the appointment was an error of judgement. The PM's admission of course came only after the Supreme Court struck down the appointment on 3 March as being illegal and arbitrary. Till that moment the government adamantly defended the appointment in the face of a growing public outcry. The Prime Minister even advised the judiciary to stay within its limits and not intrude into the domains of the legislature or executive. At one stage Home Minister P Chidambaram, one of the three members of the High Power Committee alongside the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, even sought to argue that the government was not aware of Mr. Thomas being chargesheeted in the palmolein scam that had rocked Kerala in the early 1990s.

 

Evidently, the government has been defeated on the issue of appointment of the CVC and the PM who blames coalition compulsions for every pressing problem now haunting the country – be it soaring prices or unbridled corruption – is now trying to put up a brave face by describing it as 'an error of judgement' and taking 'full responsibility' for the error. Sushma Swaraj, the vocal BJP leader and the third member of the High Power Committee who had submitted a dissenting note when Manmohan Singh and P Chidambaram pushed for Thomas as the CVC, says that the matter should now be over with the PM accepting responsibility. She also says she has the backing of her party president in suggesting this truce. So the BJP, the party that claims to be waging a war on corruption is not interested in pursuing the subject any more. The reason is perhaps not difficult to understand – after all, those living in glass houses must exercise a lot of caution if at all they have to throw a stone or two.

 

The Congress and the BJP may have their reasons to arrive at a tacit understanding not to push the issue any further, but there are clearly major questions involved that are crying out for an answer. The Central Vigilance Commission is supposed to be the apex anti-corruption agency in the country and when the High Power Committee was dealing with the issue of appointment of the CVC, the question of corruption in high places had already acquired disturbing prominence in public discussion. Against such a backdrop the UPA government could think of appointing nobody as CVC other than PJ Thomas who is a named accused in the Kerala palmolein case pending in the Court of the Special Judge, Thiruvananthapuram, for offences under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code. As food secretary of the Karunakaran government, in 1992 Thomas had signed the import order for 15,000 tonnes of palm oil from a Singapore-based Malaysian firm at a rate much higher than the prevailing international price.

 

Quite interestingly, even as Thomas was chargesheeted in 2000, he went on to occupy important positions in the Kerala bureaucracy, becoming Chief Secretary to the Kerala Government in 2007 before being catapulted to the capital, first as secretary to the Parliamentary Affairs ministry in 2009 and then as telecom secretary till he was appointed CVC in September 2010. Karunakaran had successfully obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court to stall the case at the lower court and it is only after Karunakaran's death that the Supreme Court lifted the stay allowing the case to be resumed. As telecom secretary, Thomas presided over the 3G auction, but quite crucially he also secured a favourable nod from the law ministry to try and stop the CAG investigations into the 2G scam.

 

The issue is not whether Thomas is personally corrupt – it is his role as a facilitator of corruption that should have made him eminently ineligible for the post of the CVC. Yet the UPA government chose to reward this loyal bureaucrat with the assignment of the country's Chief Vigilance Commissioner! Given this track record of Mr. Thomas, his appointment as the CVC, defying a dissenting opinion within the HPC, could not possibly have been a simple 'error of judgement' as Manmohan Singh would now like us to believe. On the contrary, there is every reason to suspect that it was part of a larger design to have a loyal and suitable CVC to save the government when it finds itself under the cloud of massive scams.

 

The Thomas episode also shows how institutions are being systematically devalued and subverted in our system. It should be noted that in a judgment issued on 18 December 1997, the Supreme Court had called for making the CVC a statutory body "entrusted with the responsibility of superintendence over the CBI's functioning". The Prime Minister's admission of "an error of judgement" in the appointment of the CVC is therefore a crucial lapse with ramifications for the entire investigative process in the system.

 

A government caught red-handed while playing with the highest institutions in the country can claim no right to continue in office. Heads must roll. If the CVC has had to go, the government that thrust this illegal appointment on the country must also follow suit. For those who value probity in public life and would like to see a degree of institutional accountability, the present juncture is nothing short of a wake-up call. We must rise and act decisively to banish corruption, and to banish corruption we must challenge the political climate that fosters and rewards corruption.

 

AIPWA's March on International Women's Day Centenary in Delhi

 

To mark 100 years of International Women's Day, women workers, students and professionals held a march and Public Meeting at Jantar Mantar (Parliament Street) in New Delhi on 8th March. The march was decorated with colourful banners and placards, and women raised slogans against discrimination, violence and oppression on women.

 

At the public meeting, women reminded that it was women workers of many countries, under the banner of revolutionary left organisations, who first began celebrating International Women's Day in 1911, demanding rights and equality at the workplace and the right to vote. In India in 2011, women workers still face severe discrimination, exploitation and insecurity at work.

 

Addressing the meeting, women sanitation workers from the Lala Ram Sarup TB Hospital said that the Government exploits women workers, forcing each woman to do the work of two. If women raise their voice in protest, employers threaten to throw them out of the job.

 

Domestic workers said that domestic workers in Delhi are very often denied basic human rights – even the right to use the toilet in the homes and colonies in which they work. They often face immense cruelty, abuse and sexual harassment, yet the Bill on Sexual Harassment at the Workplace being proposed by the Government excludes domestic workers, in the name of the 'sanctity of the home!' They pointed out that the rich person's home is the poor woman's workplace, and demanded that domestic workers must be recognised as workers and guaranteed proper wages and rights, and justice against sexual harassment.

 

Sucheta De, AISA Secretary from JNU, said that there has been a sharp increase in violence against women, with many MLAs involved in rape, and many gang rape and blade attacks against women in Delhi. Sexual harassment and cyber crimes against women are also on the rise.

 

Kavita Krishnan, National Secretary, AIPWA said in spite of all the boasts of '8% growth rate', it is shameful that India is amongst the five countries in the world with the worst maternal mortality rates, and more than half of India's young women are malnourished and thousands of women die of anaemia. Yet the UPA Government's Budget, which gives away Rs 5 lakh crores to corporates, claims to have no funds to increase ICDS coverage that can ensure women's nutrition and health! The meagre increase in the ICDS program Rs 8996.64 cr to Rs 10404.68 cr, will go towards the increase in anganwadi workers' wages to Rs 3000 – which is still less than minimum wages!

 

Kavita Krishnan asked why the Govt is dragging its feet on passing the 33% Reservation Bill, and laws against Sexual Harassment at the workplace and Sexual Assault? Why does the Sexual Harassment Bill have discriminatory provisions like a clause against 'false complaints'? Women all over the country are being killed for the 'crime' of choosing their own life-partners, yet why is the UPA Govt. is refusing to pass a law against 'honour' crimes? Why are women being subjected to rape and state repression by security forces in Kashmir, the North East, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Lalgarh and many other parts of the country?

 

The meeting was conducted by AIPWA leader Uma Gupta, and addressed by AIPWA activists Sheela Bharti, Shakuntala, Soni, Ramvati as well as women students from DU, Jamia Millia Islamia and JNU including Shweta and Avalokita. Women students Chintu, Anjali, Raj Rani and Tahiba also performed several songs on the theme of women's rights and students from DU performed a play on Women's Day.

 

Uttar Pradesh: Women across the State were prevented and denied by the police from holding Women's Day demonstrations under the pretext that Samajwati Party's agitation was going to create problems and that Sec. 144 has been enforced across the State.

 

In Pilibhit, when AIPWA members, mainly poor agricultural women labourers tried to hold demonstration they were prevented by the police on pretext of 144 and when they tried to argue it was Women's day they were mistreated, arrested and taken to police station where mindless charges were slapped against them and heavy bail amounts imposed. They were threatened with jail term also. Elsewhere in the Pilibhit town, CPI(ML) leader Comrade Afroz Alam was picked up by the police, taken to thana and physically assaulted by the police.

 

In Deoria too, the women were forcefully prevented from holding Women's Day demonstration. In the backdrop of recent spate of shocking incidents in the State in which dalit and poor women have been brutally assaulted, raped and killed, preventing women from demanding safety and justice on Women's Day clearly points to authoritarian rule in UP and imposition of Sec. 144 in view of opposition protest and preventing women from holding protest is clearly a draconian measure under Ms. Mayawati's rule.

 

AIKM Conference in Uttarakhand

 

All India Kisan Mahasabha (AIKM) held its first Pithoragarh District Conference on 27-28 February. The Conference elected 35 member District Council and 11 member District Committee. Apart from elected delegates from two development divisions, invited delegates too from other two development divisions participated in the Conference.

 

AIKM's Uttarakhand State Convenor and National Secretary Comrade Purushottam Sharma inaugurated the Conference. Main speaker at the Conference was Comrade Raja Bahuguna, CPI(ML)'s incharge for the State. About the growing loot of public resources in the newly formed State, he said that a big peasants movement can bring to halt such plunder and regressive political culture of brokerage. He mentioned of the need in Uttarakhand to form AIKM in every village of the State to uproot anti-peasant and anti-farmer governments of BJP and Congress.

 

Leaders from AISA, AIPWA, AICCTU, Bhojanmata Union, Aanganwadi Employees Union etc. also addressed the Conference. The Conference has resolved to enroll twenty thousand new members in the District in next two years.

 

BJP Govt.'s Attack on Aanganwadi Emloyees

 

Sacrificing the interests of Aanganwadi employess in Uttarakhand, the BJP Govt. has passed an order to fill by outsourcing 282 posts of supervisors and handing over new Aanganwadi centres to NGOs. Following the privatisation and liberalisation policies of Centre the State Govt. has begun privatising the Aanganwadi centres.

 

Infuriated at this development, Aanganwadi employees under the banner of Uttarakhand Aanganwadi Employees Union (affiliated to AICCTU) held protest demonstrations and sat on dharna on 3rd March at District Magistrate's offices in Pithoragarh and Champawat districts. Demonstration were also held at tehsil headquarters of Gangoli Haat, Berinag, Didi Haat, Munsyari in Pithoragarh Dist. and Lohaghaat in Champawat Dist.

 

It is evident that the move to privatise this service will further add to insecurity of the Aanganwadi employees. The Aanganwadi members have decided to intensify their agitation. Leaders of AISA, AIPWA, AICCTU and Kisan Mahasabha also participated in the protests.

 

AISA's Demonstration in Mumbai

 

On 28 February, about four hundred students from Nagpur, Aurangabad, Dhulia, Jalgaon, Khandes, Ahmed Nagar, Kolhapur and Pune along with student-youth associated with Shaheed Bhagat Singh Brigade assembled at Azad Maidan in Mumbai under the banner of All India Students' Association (AISA) to protest UPA Govt.'s education policies and economic policies that do not generate employment.

 

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was reverberating with revolutionary slogans early morning on 28th February when AISA members from various districts of Maharashtra reached here to march to Azad Maidan later in the day. Despite examinations approaching, 400 students came to Mumbai for protesting UPA's new education policies. The march was led by AISA leaders Shivaji Pawar (AISA's Maharashtra President), Jeevan Surude (State Secretary of AISA), Prakash Jadhav (State Vice President of AISA), Sandeep Singh (AISA's National President) and Abhilasha Srivastava (Secretary of Nagpur) apart from other student leaders. The protest meeting at Azad Maidan was addressed among others by General Secretary of Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) Comrade Bhimrao Bansod, and Comrades Uday Bhatt, Shyam Gohil, Dheeraj Rathore and Harendra Srivastav.

 

AICCTU's March in Punjab

 

All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) Punjab and Chandigarh units have achieved progress in the recent days by initiating many struggles and being successful too in some struggles. In dist. Sangrur the AICCTU's foothold is mainly in the brick kiln workers. The condition of these workers is that most of the time they are working as kind of bonded labourers as they get some advance payment at the start of the season and then they are forced to accept all the harsh working conditions without any capacity to renegotiate. The old unions associated to CITU and AITUC have only gone so far as organizing strikes and negotiate a few percentage increase in their wages. The issue of maintaining record of workers by the brick kiln owners, registering them with the Provident Fund department, ESI, Group Insurance etc., getting uniforms, fixing of work hours, abolition or regulation of the piece rate payments etc. were always pushed back.

 

The AICCTU served a demand notice to the brick kiln owners' union raising all the above basic demands. The owners initiated a conciliatory process and an agreement was finally signed which secured the victory of workers over the PF question apart from an increment of 25% in the wages above the minimum wages and many other demands.

 

Similarly in dist. Barnala, we secured victory on the above demands after a brief strike and an indefinite dharna in front of the DC office. The victory rallies of these districts were attended by hundreds of workers and the old unions and their TU functioning style were seriously criticized by the workers.

 

Chandigarh: The main base of AICCTU in Chandigarh are the contract workers working in different govt. hospitals, university hostels, Municipal health and sanitation departments. These workers are denied even the basic rights and there had been a general ban on rallies, dharna and demonstrations. AICCTU is the only union which in the recent months organized a 53 day long dharna in one of the VIP areas in front of the PEC university of technology and won all the demands. Three tools down strikes over the issues of delayed salaries, illegal termination and undue deductions were organized by our Ekta Contract Workers' Union, GMSH-16, in the month of February. About 300 workers participated in a workers march to Labour Secretary, Chandigarh on February 21. Nearly 500 workers participated enthusiastically in the February 23 Delhi march. AICCTU in Chandigarh has been successful in getting many unions affiliated with it. A dharna was organized despite massive opposition by the police in the city centre at Plaza Sec. 17 on 5th march against UPA's anti-people budget.

 

Rise against Soaring Prices and Rampant

Corruption!

Rise against the

Corrupt, Repressive and Treacherous UPA Regime!!

Onward to Delhi,

Onward to the March 14 "People's March to

Parliament"!!!

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: 22442790, e-mail: mlupdate@cpiml.org, website: www.cpiml.org

ML UPDATE 10 / 2011

ML Update

A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine

Vol. 14, No. 10, 01 – 07 MARCH 2011

Budget 2011:

Concessions for Corporates,

Cuts for the People

With Assembly elections approaching in several key states and the government having lost all credibility for its complete failure to check prices and curb corruption, the budget this year was widely expected to be a desperate 'balancing act'. A 'balancing act' it has been, but the end result is once again more of the same: a crushing burden on the common people, bountiful largesse for the corporate biggies. Despite unprecedented inflation, the government slashed food, fuel and fertilizer subsidies by more than Rs. 20,000 crore and signalled further cuts in the coming days. Contrast this to signals to the corporate sector: reduction in surcharge on corporate tax from 7.5% to 5%, and no curtailment in stimulus package, and there can be absolutely no doubt as to who the budget is meant for.

 

The budget and the economic survey have seemed to create an impression that agriculture has bounced back. The rise in last year's agricultural growth rate reflected no real increase but only a recovery from the impact of the previous year's drought. In his budget speech the Finance Minister prayed for the blessings of Lord Indra (for a good monsoon), but made no effort to increase public investment in irrigation and agriculture. The renewed spurt in farmers' suicides has not bothered the Finance Minister – he has remained busy building castles of second green revolution in air. In terms of budgetary allocations and policy priorities, agribusiness has nearly replaced agriculture. There are enough indications that the government is moving in the direction of complete privatization of agricultural trade. There can be no food security for the ordinary Indian people if the reins of agricultural marketing are left in private hands.

 

There is also a lot of self-congratulatory noise over increased social sector spending in the budget especially in education and healthcare even as the steep increase in defence budget (which has now reached a staggering magnitude of more than Rs. 1.64 trillion) has gone virtually unnoticed. Much is being made of the doubling of the honorarium paid to anganwadi workers who are the backbone of the ICDS programme, but even this doubled honorarium – Rs. 1500 and Rs. 3,000 per month – makes a complete mockery of any notion of minimum wages for women workers who are playing such a key role in rural healthcare. While the government would like to highlight the increase in outlay, a look at the government's tax and excise duty proposals makes it clear that medicines, diagnostic tests and various education-related items like textbooks, notebooks and other accessories are all going to cost more!

 

The tax proposals made in the budget point to an increasingly regressive tax regime with the government relying much more on indirect taxes borne by the rich and the poor alike than on direct taxes, corporate or personal. While the government hands out massive tax exemptions to the corporate sector, in the name of revenue generation it resorts to disinvestment, and increased excise duty on necessary articles of mass consumption. The budget this year expects disinvestment proceeds to contribute Rs. 40,000 crore while corporate tax exemptions (described as "subsidy payment to preferred taxpayers" in the budget) in 2010-11 stood at a staggering Rs. 88,263 crore! It may be noted that the total quantum of revenues forgone is rapidly increasing – it was about Rs. 2.4 lakh crore in 2006-07 and Rs 5.7 lakh crore in 2010-11! The proportion of revenues forgone to revenues collected is also rising fast – from about 50% in 2006-07, it reached 80% last year.

 

The budget contains many new concessions for foreign capital, the most significant being the entry of foreign capital in the mutual funds market. Foreign Institutional Investors can now invest $40 bn in Indian corporate bonds against the $20bn available earlier. The Economic Survey has mooted phased opening of foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail – while the budget has not yet made any specific commitment in this regard, the Finance Minister has talked of further liberalization of the government's policy regarding foreign direct investment. While throwing open the Indian capital market to foreign players, the government has announced no concrete measures to check the illicit outflow of Indian wealth to foreign banks. A study made by the Global Financial Integrity has estimated the illicit outflow to be of the order of Rs. 240 crore every single day.

 

The Economic Survey released before the budget has mooted several measures towards greater economic liberalization and privatization and some of them have already been echoed in this year's budget. Some of the key proposals include banking licences for microfinance institutions and business houses – a clear move towards privatization of the banking sector; "streamlining land acquisition and environmental clearance" for infrastructure projects – a euphemism for accelerated corporate plunder of land, minerals, forests and other natural resources; and privatization of state-run SEZs set up before the 2005 Act. To increase investment in infrastructure the Economic Survey emphasized not only the much-touted PPP model but also "exclusive private investment wherever possible".

 

If the country was expecting any respite from the pressing problems of inflation, black money, agrarian crisis, industrial slowdown and the growing exclusion of the aam aadmi from the basic necessities of life, then the budget has completely betrayed this expectation. But then budgets in neoliberal economics are hardly meant to address the concerns of the people, their only business is to appease 'the sentiments of the market'. The rhetorical references to the aam aadmi, inclusive growth and responsive governance have never made the UPA budgets any different. Budget 2011 has proved to be no exception.

 

Godhra Verdict: Questions Remain

 

The trial court verdict in the Godhra train burning case has raised more questions than it has answered about the horrific incident of 2002 in which 59 kar sevaks had lost their lives.

 

The trial court has upheld the prosecution's theory of a pre-planned 'conspiracy,' while acquitting those whom the prosecution had claimed to be the 'key conspirators.' It is unclear how there could be a conspiracy without the conspirators. The fact that 63 people were acquitted points to the way in which the Gujarat police had indiscriminately arrested Muslims of Godhra and baselessly charged them with the crime. Evidence of police coaching witnesses to give false statements was ignored by the court. The court relied on custodial confessions of the accused which had been subsequently retracted on the plea that they were obtained under torture.

 

It must be remembered that in February 2009, the Gujarat high court upheld the POTA review committee's finding that there was no element of terrorist conspiracy in the Godhra case, leading to the withdrawal of POTA charges from the accused. The findings of the Rail Ministry-appointed UC Banerjee Committee had also ruled out the possibility of conspiracy in the train fire – and the Nanavati Commission appointed by the Gujarat Govt., while upholding the conspiracy theory, was unable to satisfactorily answer questions raised by the Banerjee Committee.

 

In the case of Babri Masjid demolition and the Gujarat anti-Muslim pogrom of 2002 (for which the Godhra incident had provided a pretext), despite ample evidence of criminal and communal conspiracy at the top levels of BJP and RSS leadership, none of the conspirators has faced trial. But in the Godhra case, where the 'conspiracy' claim stands on questionable and flimsy grounds, people have been convicted and even sentenced to death. Such a verdict cannot be accepted as closure in the Godhra case, and it is hoped that higher courts will provide a more convincing conclusion.

 

23 Feb: Working Class' Massive Rally in Delhi

 

23rd February 2011 has become a milestone in the Indian trade union movement when the capital witnessed the assertion of lakhs of workers on the streets of Delhi. The whole central Delhi came to a standstill with workers marching to Parliament street from Ramlila ground with clinched fists and powerful slogans. The whole rally and meeting was vibrating with the enthusiasm and fighting spirit of the working class.

 

The massive, spontaneous response and the fighting spirit in the rally amply shows the growing disillusionment of the working people with the corrupt, repressive rule of UPA 2 government. The rally also shows the determination of the working class to fight back the pro-corporate-MNC rule of Manmohan government which is totally insensitive and cruel towards the plight of the working people living under unprecedented price rise, massive unemployment and continuous curbing of labour rights.

 

The composition of the rally reflects the all India representation and also of the cross section of Indian working class. Financial sectors like Bank and insurance contingent was present in good numbers, as was telecom and railways. Biggest contingent were from construction, Aanganwadi-Asha-mid day meal, agriculture labourers and workers from in and around Delhi. This is for the first time that a large number of women workers particularly from ASHA Aganwadi- mid day meal participated in the rally in most articulate and visible way. The left's mobilization played decisive role for the success of the rally.

 

Though the mobilisation was done by the left, there was attempt to focus on the presence of INTUC by media and influential sections of the left. This attempt blunts the political edge and political assertion of the working class. Like National Advisory Council raising voice for aam aadmi and Manmohan led government pursuing pro-corporate, pro MNC policies or Swadeshi Jagran Manch raising people's issues when NDA was in power, these are ruling parties ploy to capture opposition space, confuse people and blunt the edge of political offensive.

 

The 23rd rally amply proves the fighting mood of working people against the Govt's policy of economic liberalisation and privatisation. AICCTU as revolutionary centre of Indian working class movement must gear up to lead the struggle at various levels and develop strong network. AICCTU General Secretary Comrade Swapan Mukherjee addressed the rally among others.

 

CPI(ML)'s March in Lucknow to Protest Rising Crime against Dalits & Women

 

The angry protest march against rising crime against Dalits and women under Ms. Mayawati's Government was held on 25 February in Lucknow. Thousands of party members, women and activists from different districts of Uttar Pradesh marched five kilometers from Charbagh to dharna place at Jhulelal Park at the banks of river Gomti. The well-decorated march shouting slogans against the Ms. Mayawati's Govt. and carrying red flags, festoons and banners passed through Latush Road, Kaisarbag Crossing, Parivartan Chauk and Hanuman Setu. More than half the marchers were women participating with great dynamism.

 

The march was led by Comrades Ramji Rai (Party's Polit Bureau member), Sudhakar Yadav (State Secretary-CPIML), Krishna Adhikari (CCM) and AIPWA's National Secretary Kavita Krishnan. Through the protest march the Party has demanded immediate dismissal of ministers and MLAs found involved in crime against Dalits and women, stringent action be initiated against accused police officers and Govt. officials, making State Women's Commission a representative and effective body and as members inclusion of representatives from different women's organisations/groups, and holding respective DM-SP accountable for incidents involving oppression of Dalits.

 

Com. Sudhakar Yadav said that ministers and MLAs of Bahujan Samaj Party itself have been found involved in murder and rapes of women and minors in the State in atleast three cases. Ms. Mayawati, who rode to power promising freedom from Mulayam's goonda raj and improvement in safety and security of the weaker sections, is silently watching criminals devastating lives of innocents and thus emboldening the criminals.

 

Speaking as main speaker Com. Kavita Krishnan noted that most of the victims in the State are Dalit women and that involvement of ruling party politicians and police personnel in crime against Dalits and women has exposed the true colours of BSP's social justice. Other AIPWA leaders including Tahira Hasan (National Vice President), Vidya Rajwar (State President), Premlata Pandey (Secretary), Rama Gairola, Shankar Kol (leader active among Tribal groups) and leaders from AISA and RYA also addressed the dharna.

 

 

New Delhi:CPI(ML) Protests against pro-Corporate, anti-people Budget

 

The CPI(ML) Liberation held a protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar on 1st March against the UPA-II's General Budget for 2011-12, which appeased corporates and betrayed the people, failing to address any of the three burning concerns about the Indian economy – inflation, agrarian crisis and black money. Protestors including workers and students raised slogans against the anti-people Budget and held a protest meeting on Parliament Street.

 

Addressing the protest meeting CPI(ML) State Secretary Sanjay Sharma said that the Budget's predictions of a lower inflation rate could not be believed since the Economic Survey, released just three days ago, had warned of higher inflation and further increases in prices of food and fuel. The Budget merely repeats the vague promise of some food security legislation later this year without any budgetary provisions. And, despite soaring inflation in food grains and other agro-products, the allocation for Food and Public Distribution has been reduced from Rs.68,021.08 cr. to Rs.61,606.01cr. At least Rs.6000cr. has been reduced under the head of storage and ware-housing. This clearly shows the Govt.'s real intent of further dismantling the existing public distribution system, giving a freer hand to hoarders and speculators and facilitating the entry of private players and FDI in food retail business.

 

CPI(ML) Central Committee member Kavita Krishnan said that the Budget talks of 'second green revolution' but in fact, the Budgetary allocation for agriculture has gone down from Rs. 17, 695.48 cr to Rs. 17,522.87cr. Central plan outlay for Rural Development has been slashed from Rs. 55438 cr. to Rs. 55288 cr. Meanwhile revenue foregone on account of sops and exemptions to corporates for the year 2010-11 continues to be over Rs. 500, 000 crore – amounting to almost half of the total budgetary expenditure of this year! Had these revenues been achieved from the super-rich corporates, surely the Government could have substantially increased expenditure on health and education for our citizens? The Government gives Rs 5 lakh crore every year to the corrupt corporates – and yet claims to be very generous when it makes a minor increase in the honorarium paid to Anganwadi workers to a mere Rs. 3000 per month – which is less than even the minimum wages.

 

Ravi Rai, General Secretary, AISA, said that the increase in budgetary outlay for education and health is highly inadequate, especially when compared to the massive hike in defence budget which is more than 3 times the budget on education and 6 times on health. The higher education budget has seen a meagre increase from Rs.18,206 cr. to Rs.21,912 cr. and the health budget from Rs. 23,300cr. to Rs.26,897 cr.

 

The protest concluded by calling for intensification of the CPI(ML)'s countrywide people's campaign against the UPA government, its disastrous policies and callous and corrupt rule, culminating in the all-India Rally  to be held in Delhi on 14 March 2011.

 

Successful strike for wage increase by power loom workers in Tamilnadu

 

After 2 months of negotiations for an increase of 43% in wages as against 11% being offered by factory owners, ten thousand power loom workers under the leadership of AICCTU went on strike from 27 January to 9 February. AICCTU also sought an intervention by government to resolve the issue.

 

While the strike was on, the Owners' Association began negotiating with other trade unions. We immediately organised demonstration in front of the Owners' Association building with 200 workers on January 30th. On February 1, workers from two different localities organised road blockades under our leadership. It was withdrawn only on assurance by police officials that they will arrange to include AICCTU in the negotiation process.

 

In another area Sadayampalayam, Mr. Sebastian, representing the owners and also Vice President of the panchayat informed the gathering of some 200 striking workers that there won't be any talks with Communists (meaning AICCTU), and he asked the striking workers to come out of the AICCTU, only then negotiations would be possible. But workers turned down the offer and within an hour hoisted AICCTU flag in that area and took AICCTU membership. All sorts of attempts to scuttle this programme were foiled. Comrades Jacqueline Mary and Kamala, both woman leaders were at the forefront.

 

The owners relented somewhat but since deadlock continued we continued with the strike. Strike was continued by all sections of workers on our call even after few agreements that we rejected were signed. Finally Owners' Association agreed for across the board increase of 20% to all sections of workmen and then the strike was called off.

 

We have been in the forefront of wage revision struggles in this area for the past 23 years. Every time we struggle, stop work, stage protests and road rokos, Owners' Association used to settle the issue with AITUC, CITU and Other letter pad unions. These TUs, irrespective of their colour are concerned about falling profit margins of owners because of increase in raw material costs. But this time all their postures were defeated by workers' struggles. AICCTU has emerged as most reliable union among all sections of workers. In Kumarapalayam alone there are 5000 power looms employing about 30,000 workers. We could mobilize 10000 from some 2000 power looms in this strike. The agreed 20% wage revision is applicable to all factories.

 

Job-order contractors: Some times back those who take job orders from the owners resorted to strike for increase in rates. We supported their struggle on the condition that 50% of the increased wages have to be given to workers. Job order contractors conceded to our demand and implemented it. And this time, because of workers strike, rates of job order contract was also increased. This is a significant notable phenomenon. The role of job order contractors has in past posed complex issues in raising of wages of workers in small set-ups. However, a process has started to untangle this situation.

 

2nd State Conference of TN Democratic Construction Labourers' Union

 

TNDCLU's 2nd State Conference was held at Nagercoil, district HQ of Kanyakumari on 27th February. One thousand workers marched through the main streets of the town that culminated in a mass meeting. About 80 percent of the participants were women workers.

 

Some of the demands include free bus pass to all construction workers, increase accident benefit to 5 lakh and natural death to 2 lakhs, minimum pension of 3000 and eligibility age to be amended to 50 years for women and 55 years for men.

 

Conference also condemned the atrocities let loose by Srilankan Army/police on Tamil fishermen and demanded adequate protection to be provided by central and state governments. It called upon the workers to make the coming March 14 Rally at Delhi by All India Left Co-ordination a Grand success. It also called upon the workers to defeat corrupt and treacherous DMK-Congress alliance in the coming assembly election and reject the opportunist AIADMK alliance. It appealed to workers to intensify struggles and support CPI(ML) candidates. Com. S Kumarasamy, National president of AICCTU addressed the rally.

 

Chhatisgarh: AICCTU held a day long dharna on 24 February at the main gate of Bhilai Steel Plant to say NO to disinvestment of SAIL and to fulfil all other long-standing demands like housing, PF dues etc., and guaranteeing minimum wages of contract workers simultaneously with ensuring harassment-free work environment for them.

 

A dharna was also held on 23 February in front of the Collector's office in Bilaspur.

 

Uttarakhand: AICCTU held its Pithoragarh District Conference of Bhojanmata Union and Aanganwadi Workers on 1st January and 20 February respectively. Both the Conferences elected their district units. Comrades Govind Kaphalia and Vidya Rajwar were speakers at these conferences.

 

Kisan Mahasabha unit of Dharchula block held its unit conference on 23 January at Pangla. Com. KK Bora was the main speaker.

 

Cadre Convention in Patna

 

Party organised a cadre convention on Saturday resolving to launch an intense agitation against skyrocketing prices and unbridled corruption at the national level. The convention was held at Vidyapati Bhawan in Patna and wa addressed by CPI(ML) General Secretary. Besides speaking on our current tasks, in context of the ongoing people's movement in Arab countries of Middle-East he said that a myth that Muslim countries were being dominated by religious fanatics has now been exploded with a series of protest in Egypt and Tunisia where the Muslim population has come out in revolt against the rulers on the issue of livelihood, democracy and dignity.

 

Wisconsin Workers Standing Up Strong To Save The Unions!

Abridged version of the Statement of the Revolutionary Organization of Labor, USA

 

February 26, 2011: Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson aptly entitled a recent column: "Workers Toppled a Dictator in Egypt, But Might Be Silenced in Wisconsin". In mid-February newly elected Wisconsin governor Walker announced a "non-negotiable" state budget plan that substantially cuts the benefits and eliminates nearly all collective bargaining rights for state workers. As a police state tactic, he put the National Guard on alert, in case state workers rose up in protest.

 

In their tens of thousands, they did! Workers from both the public and private sector (joined by many supporters) took off from work, took to the streets and occupied the state house in Madison, WI, peaking at some 70,000 participants, and now continuing into its second week. Thousands more have been demonstrating in support all over the U.S. At least one Wisconsin Central Labor Council has raised the need for a general strike. These "fight back" actions (undoubtedly partly inspired by the popular successful uprisings of the Tunisian and Egyptian people) are encouraging and needed. It's in sharp contrast to the anemic response of the Labor movement's leadership to the increasing corporate and government assaults on unions and workers in general in the context of the economic crisis, caused by the greed and speculation of finance capital and the resulting massive job and home loss. Wisconsin is now a battleground state for the survival of Unions in the United States.

 

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: 22442790, e-mail: mlupdate@cpiml.org, website: www.cpiml.org