ML Update | No. 50 | 2016

ML Update

A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine

Vol.  19 | No. 50 | 6-12 December 2016

 

SC Order On National Anthem Allows Bullies To Pose As Patriots

 

In a recent order, a Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy ordered the national anthem to be played in movie halls before every film, stipulating that every member of the audience must stand while the anthem is played and the hall doors be shut to prevent audience members leaving. This order has dangerous implications because, by stating that patriotism must trump individual liberties, it emboldens the growing tendency to cloak assaults on dissent as 'patriotism.'

The SC Bench declares that the National Anthem "is the symbol of the Constitutional patriotism," and "People must feel they live in a nation and this wallowing individually perceived notion of freedom must go." The Constitution of India does not even use the term 'patriotism', let alone presume to define it. On the contrary, the Constitution of India does guarantee the right to personal liberty. Instead of doing its duty of defending the Constitutionally guaranteed personal liberties of the people, Justices Misra and Roy have invoked the Constitution to justify the use of notions of 'patriotism' to deny and denigrate the very concept of personal liberties.  

Not long after this order was passed, the same judges rejected a plea to enforce the national anthem inside courtrooms, saying "our order should not be overstretched." Why should the national anthem be enforced in cinema halls but not in Courts? It seems that the judges place the judiciary and judicial system above the common citizens, suggesting that common citizens need a forced dose of patriotism that the judiciary does not. Such a notion itself is dangerous to democracy.

But there is another reason why the SC Bench was more interested in enforcing the anthem in cinema halls rather than courts or other spaces. The fact is that cinema halls in recent years have become the arenas for displays of bullying disguised as 'patriotism', with political outfits mobilizing audiences to heckle, bully or beat individuals who refuse or are unable to stand during the playing of the anthem. In Kerala, a young man who refused to stand during the national anthem in a cinema hall was heckled by a mob and then charged with sedition. In a cinema hall in Mumbai a man was thrashed by a mob because his girlfriend, a South African woman, did not stand when the national anthem was played. In a Goa cinema hall, a disabled man Salil Chaturvedi was heckled and hit for being unable to stand during the anthem.

Chaturvedi later said, "I now believe that even if I could stand up during the national anthem, I would rather not, simply because I am being forced to do so. Is this why we fought the colonialists? Did we get our freedom only to become sheep, and that too led by the most sinister, manipulative brutes among us? I will not participate in this sham." Now, the Supreme Court order by Justices Misra and Roy emboldens the "sinister, manipulative brutes."

In recent times, there is an attempt to equate 'patriotism' with the worst authoritarianism and intolerance. Saffron groups that are involved in violence against minorities, Dalits, women and citizens who challenge their goal of 'Hindu Rashtra' pose as 'patriots' and try to enforce the chanting of 'Vande Mataram.' Lawyers who beat up JNU students charged with 'sedition' shout 'Vande Mataram.' Ministers declare that it is unpatriotic to question mob lynching by 'cow-protection' goons, fake encounters, or even policies like demonetization. It is such anti-democratic forces that the SC order on the anthem legitimizes.

In other countries too, there is an ongoing struggle between democratic and authoritarian forces over national symbols. In the USA, supporters of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement including prominent sportspersons have taken to sitting or kneeling rather than standing during the playing of the US anthem, as an expression of protest against racist violence by police. In that country, racists masquerading as 'patriots' have been insisting that kneeling or sitting during the anthem amounts to 'insulting' the nation.

Be it India, the US or any other country, the real question to ask is, if it is not an insult to the nation to equate patriotism with bigotry, racism, casteism, communalism and attacks on individual liberty? If patriotism is reduced to certain symbolic gestures and acts, then every goon or criminal can become a 'patriot' simply by standing up for the anthem; and every concerned and conscientious citizen who works for the rights and liberties of the country's marginalized and vulnerable people can become 'anti-national' simply by failing to stand up during the anthem!     

In any democracy, every individual must have the right to express dissent or protest in any peaceful way. Every individual must have the right to express love for their country in whatever manner he or she chooses. And above all, the right of every individual to express themselves freely without fear of violence must be safeguarded. The SC Bench of Justices Misra and Roy has unfortunately failed in its duty to safeguard individual liberty and freedom of expression that the Constitution guarantees and has instead given a boost in the arm to the bullies and criminals posing as patriots.

 

People's Hearing on Demonetization

Against the misleading propaganda being launched by the government on the dangerous demonetization and to protest the same, the CPI(ML) in Bihar has launched a 'Pol-Khol, Hallabol' (exposure) campaign from 2 December. The campaign began in Patna through a Jan Sunwai (people's hearing), held jointly with other organizations at the Gate Public Library, Gardanibagh. The Jan Sunwai was aimed at providing a platform to those affected by demonetization including daily wage labourers, construction workers, small shopkeepers, ASHA workers, midday meal workers and others, to present their concerns and expose the misleading campaign of the government.

The Jan Sunwai was joined by CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, noted economist Jean Dreze and former director of A.N. Sinha Institute Prof. D.M. Diwakar. The jury comprised of Prof. Diwakar, Bihar State ASHA Workers Association President Shashi Yadav, Dr BNP Yadav, retired bank worker Kaushal Karma, and AIARLA National President Rameshwar Prasad.

After the participants shared their problems and the brutal ways in which the move had affected them, Prof. Diwakar gave a statement on behalf of the jury. The jury stated that among those who expressed their views in the Jansunwai, none was in favour of the demonetization. Farmers, farm workers, construction workers, auto drivers, vegetable sellers and small traders—they are all bearing the vicious brunt of this demonetization. The jury said that the discussion brings out clearly the fact that this demonetization is anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-worker. There is disquiet and unrest in all fields. The country is in the grip of an economic emergency. The interests of the common people are being thwarted ruthlessly. The verdict of jury was as follows:

1.            Peasants, agriculture and rural life have taken a huge hit. They are not getting a support price for their paddy and the government is least bothered about this. In this peak farming season they are able to buy neither fertilizer nor seeds.

2.            Workers' livelihoods have been snatched away. Workers are either going back home or are being forced to work for extremely low wages. Day-hire, MNREGA and construction workers are being forced to accept old notes as wages for work.

3.            Women who had kept some little cash saved for a rainy day have been looted of their hard-earned savings. Demonetization has created an atmosphere of mistrust within households.

4.            Demonetization has left an extremely negative impact on the unorganized sector. 70% of the country's business is in the unorganized sector and work in this sector has been brought to a grinding halt by stopping the flow of cash. There will be a drastic fall in employment in the days to come and the negative impact of this will be felt in our growth rate.

5.            This demonetization is against all workers—contract workers, rickshaw and auto drivers, rasoiyas (mid-day meal workers) and others.

6.            Citizens are being deprived of basic facilities. Either they do not have cash, or if they do, they have Rs 2000 notes for which they are unable to get change. People are not able to buy even medicines.

7.            So far, more than 80 people have died in bank queues due to demonetization. This is a violation of basic human rights. The victims and their families must be compensated according to Constitutional law. Constitutional and democratic rights are being flouted daily.

8.            Demonetization has encouraged and increased corruption. Even earlier, banks have been a medium for conversion of black money into white. After demonetization, banks are playing an even bigger role in converting black money into white. Thus, demonetization is synonymous with the campaign for conversion of black money into white. First it was 'voluntary disclosure' and now it is 'income tax amendments' which are facilitating conversion of black to white. Loans of big businessmen to the tune of lakhs of crores are being waived.

9.            This demonetization is a conspiracy to benefit the capitalists in favour of a 'cashless system'. It is a sinister attempt to push the consumer from small shopkeepers to big malls.

10.        The public should be shown accounts of lands being bought by political parties for party offices or other purposes and use of black money for election campaign purposes.

11.        The reality behind the printing of forged currency is not being shown to the people.

12.        The real black money is owned by real estate barons, industrialists, insurance businessmen, jewelry dealers, builders, contractors, bureaucrats, and politicians.

13.        This demonetization is having a very adverse effect on the country's economic development and employment situation. In totality, it is dragging the country backwards and having a very dire impact on progress and development.

NHPC Contract Workers in Uttarakhand

The NHPC Contract Workers Union affiliated to AICCTU in Dharchula held a General Body Meeting where it decided to step up the struggle for Equal Work, Equal Pay and regularization. It was also decided to take legal action against NHPC for its failure to pay bonus.

Addressing the meeting, AICCTU State General Secretary KK Bora said that the Modi government at the Centre has created a grave crisis for workers through demonetization. The Modi government which always said that workers' strikes brings loss to the nation, has itself destroyed the nation's economy. No action is being taken against black money owners named by Swiss banks and the Panama papers.

He demanded that the Modi government at the centre and Harish Rawat government in the State should take cognizance of the Supreme Court verdict of 26 October 2016 and start paying all temporary and contract workers equal pay according to their grade without delay. He appreciated the struggle by the NHPC Contract Workers Union and said that the Union's struggle is a just struggle whereas the Management is flouting the Constitution of India, labour laws, and the Supreme Court verdict.

Addressing the meeting, CPI (ML) District Secretary Com. Govind Kafaliya said that workers are being exploited as bonded labour in the name of contract labour and made to work overtime without being paid for this. NHPC Contract Workers Union President Uday Singh presided over the meeting and the proceedings were conducted by Indra Kumar. The meeting was also addressed by Union General Secretary Vinod Kumar and others.

Rural Workers' Protest

Rural and agricultural workers under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Khet Gramin Mazdoor Sabha (AIARLA) held a protest on 22 November 2016 in front of the Motihari District headquarters in Eastern Champaran to demand homestead land and employment from the government. They took out a march to the Collectorate led by AIARLA District Secretary Jeetlal Sahni and comrades Bhola Sah, Tarachand Bhagat, Atiullah Miyan, Kishun Mukhiya, and Virendra Gupta.

The meeting started with a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Kanpur rail accident. Addressing the meeting CPI(ML) District Secretary Prabhudev Yadav said that the Modi government and Nitish government are both running away from their responsibility to implement the recommendations of the Land Reform Commission and provide work for MNREGA workers and unemployed youth. Instead, they are aiding land thieves and dominant feudal forces.

The Bandopadhyay Commission had found, through surveys in different districts of Bihar, that 21 lakh acres are with land-thief landlords and said that these lands should be distributed among the poor. The Modi-Nitish governments are not bothered in any way about the livelihood of the poor. Modi is trying to divert the people's attention from his failed promises through diversionary and divisive politics but we will not allow this ploy to succeed.

CPI(ML) leader Bhaiyyalal Singh said that Nitish's declarations for the development of the poor are limited to papers and office files. Expressing deep condolences for those who lost their lives and sympathy with the injured in the recent Kanpur rail tragedy, he demanded that the families of the dead should be paid 10 lakhs as compensation. A 17-point charter of demands was submitted to the district officials.

AISA Seminar on Ambedkar in Allahabad University

AISA organised a seminar on 5 December to commemorate the 60^th death anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar in Allahabad University. However, before the seminar could be held, there were several attempts by the ABVP led union to obstruct the seminar. Despite having the permission to hold it in the Student Union office, the student union President took the keys of the venue from the staff and refused to allow the seminar to be held. Hundreds of students however gathered in protest and after taking out a protest march in the campus, the seminar was finally held in the Nirala auditorium. It is noteworthy that the DSW of the university and other administrative officials incharge of ensuring discipline were seen as bowing down in front of the ABVP.

 

Mohit Pandey (President, JNUSU) addressed the seminar and asked that even as the BJP leaders were planning to take out a 'Parivartan Yatra' and talking of 'parivartan' (change), where in this change according to them are Najeebs and Rohiths. What will be the treatment meted out to Rohiths in the change that BJP talks about. Today, the BJP talks about fighting against vandalism, criminalisation and corruption but what happens when their own student wing attacks Najeeb and their appointed VC refuses to take any action. Today, people who decide to bring about a change by carrying forward the ideas of Ambedkar are either brutalised, murdered or declared as anti-nationals by the BJP-RSS brigade. Today, there is need to fight fascists by adopting the slogan of Dr. Ambedkar- "educate, agitate and organise".

 

Rama Naga (Former JNUSU General Secretary and AISA leader) said that today we have a government that brands people as anti-nationals for merely asking questions. The criticism of government is being equated with criticism of the state. How would Babasaheb Ambdedkar have responded if he were alive today. Former AISA leader, Ramayan Ram said that by putting a ban on the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle, soon after coming to power, the government had made it clear that there will be an attack on the freedom of expression in campuses which can be seen now in BHU, HCU, FTII, JNU and in today's programme, which witnessed ABVP attempts to disrupt.

The chief editor of Janmat magazine, Ramji Rai shared that Dr. Ambedkar had said that we are entering an era of contradictions where in political terms we will have one person-one vote but in social life, the rejection of 'one person-one value' will continue. He added that the students will have to keep alive the truth today by retaining the courage of calling wrong a wrong, and right a right. Today we need intellectuals who if they see a spot on the sun, can have the courage to point it out and say so. The seminar was moderated by AISA state secretary Sunil Maurya.

'Mukhyamantri Jawab Do' March In Muzaffarpur

The CPI(ML) and AIARLA took out a 'Mukhyamantri Jawab Do' (Chief Minister, respond to the questions) march in Muzaffarpur during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's 'Nishchay Yatra' (Decision Yatra). The march demanded answers from the Chief Minister on seven questions related to common people's lives and running parallel to the seven 'decisions'. The seven issues raised during the march included: land reforms and sharecroppers' rights; land and housing for all poor; food security guarantee and large scale rigging in the ration lists; employment or Rs 5000 monthly unemployment allowance for all unemployed; arrangement and regular payment of Rs 5000 as pension under social security; regular work under MNREGA and ending of large scale cheating and corruption; increasing oppression and violence against dalits and poor; and rise in crimes against women; regularization of honorarium workers, school rasoiyas and ASHA workers. Large numbers of women and workers participated in the march.

 

Gherao Of Executive Engineer in Darbhanga

The CPI(ML) Bahadurpur block committee organized a gherao of the office of the Executive Engineer (Rural Works Department) a day before the Chief Minister's Darbhanga visit to protest the fact that construction has not yet been started (in spite of the announcement to that effect) on the road bridge at Pirdi Panchayat, Darbhanga district. The march, mirroring the people's anger, culminated in a gherao of the office of the Executive Engineer at Saeed Nagar. The gherao was led by CPI(ML) state committee member Abhishek Kumar, AIARLA District President Jangi Yadav, Neyaz Ahmed of the Insaf Manch and Ramshankar Sahni. Speakers in the march said that villages located in Bahadurpur block at a distance of only 7 to 8 km from the Darbhanga headquarters and having a population of 3000-4000 dalits and mahadalits are still unconnected to the main road even 67 years after independence. For years, people have been waiting for a bridge on the River Kamla. Four months ago, after protests by panchayat representatives, the executive engineer and district administration had given the assurance that the work would be started in October-November. However, the work has not yet started and the executive engineer must answer the people.

The gherao lasted for hours, after which the Executive Engineer gave a letter to the protesters stating that work on the road-bridge would be started in 1 to 1 ½ months. During the gherao the DM of Darbhanga spoke on the telephone to the leaders of the protest and assured them that construction of the Chhaprar road-bridge would be included in the list of important works to be discussed with the Chief Minister.

 

Memorial Meetings for Com. Rama Gairola

Sankalp meetings in memory of CPI(ML) State committee member and AIPWA State Joint Secretary Com. Rama Gairola was organised on 20 November 2016 at various places in the State. The untimely demise of Com. Rama occurred on 5 November 2016 after an illness.

A memorial meeting was held in Lucknow. Recollecting the struggles waged by Com. Rama for the rights of workers, farmers and women, speakers at the meeting said that her sudden demise at a time when a more intense and comprehensive struggle against corporate fascism is the need of the hour is an irreparable loss not only for the Party and AIPWA but for the Left people's movement. The Sankalp Sabha resolved to carry forward Com. Rama's incomplete struggle for a democratic society against patriarchal and communal-feudal forces. Party district in-charge Ramesh Sengar, Jan Sanskriti Manch convener Shyam Ankuram, Nirman Union Secretary Surendra Prasad, and many others attended the memorial meeting which was presided over by AIPWA Vice President Tahira Hassan and conducted by Meena.

A memorial meeting in Pilibhit was attended by large number of people on 20 November. Com. Rama was fondly remembered by all including Politburo Member Swadesh Bhattacharya, State Secretary Ramji Rai, and CC member Krishna Adhikari. Memorial meetings were also held in Chandauli, Ghazipur, Sitapur and other districts.

 

CPI(ML) Condemns Bihar Government for Police Brutalities on Agitators

CPI(ML) Bihar state secretary Kunal has condemned the response of the Bihar state government to the police firing in Katarwa in Bagaha and the police action during Lalganj violence. Com. Kunal termed the justification of police firings by the government as a murder of justice for the poor. He said the response of the government was extremely shameful and castigated the government for still failing to find Chandeshwar Mahto, after whose kidnapping people had started a movement and had to suffer police brutalities. He termed this failure as extremely shameful and also the fact that instead of trying to find Chandeshwar Mahto, the government is busy punishing the agitators. In this state, the justice to the poor has become a travesty. The punishment to leaders of Ranvir Sena in several cases has not been met, and the poor and the activists have had to face disappointment. While murderers, rapists and criminals are being set free, those fighting struggles for the oppressed are being punished. The so called 'social justice' government is adopting a double standard for poor and agitators.

Protest in Samastipur

CPI(ML) activists protested in front of the Collectorate at Samastipur on 22 November 2016 on the following issues: land for the landless, parchas for those settled on government land, kabja (possession) for parcha holders, housing for the needy, registration of names in ration lists, toilets, tap water, free electricity for farmers, parity in education, employment, unemployment allowance, strengthening hospitals, curbing corruption and other issues of people's welfare. After the protest in front of the Samastipur District Magistrate more than one thousand activists sat on a dharna at the government bus stand under the 2-day "ghera dalo, dera dalo" agitation.

 

Obituary

Comrade Ganeshan

Comrade Ganeshan (PV Srinivas), passed away at 2.30 am on 6 December 2016 in a hospital in Delhi, where he had been admitted with respiratory illnesses and tubercular meningitis some weeks ago. He was 78. 

PV Srinivas was born in Kerala. Poverty drove his parents to migrate to Chennai. He studied only up till Standard V. He worked as a hotel employee and was among the first in Tamil Nadu to form a Hotel Workers' Union. As a labour organiser, he would also argue many workers' cases in labour court. He joined the communist movement, becoming a leader of the CPI(M). Together with Comrade Appu, he had helped launch the CPI(M) Tamil organ Theekadir. However, he along with Comrade Appu and several other comrades developed several differences with CPI(M), over the nationality question and support for the anti-Hindi agitation. He came out of CPI(M) and joined the CPI(ML). 

When a young student comrade Ganeshan - an engineering student at Annamalai University who had joined the revolutionary student movement inspired by the Naxalbari uprising – was killed, PV Srinivas adopted his name to keep his memory alive, and has been known as Comrade Ganeshan ever since. 

Comrade Ganeshan was arrested and jailed during the Emergency. He led many militant working class struggles in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Thiruvalluvar. 

Comrade Ganeshan became a Central Committee member of the CPI(ML) in 1980, and was Polit Bureau member of the CPI(ML) between 1982-88, and was elected to the Central Committee in 6th Party Congress of CPI(ML) in 1997.

Comrade Ganeshan will be remembered as a revolutionary and organic intellectual of the working class. All his life, right up to his final illness, he enthusiastically followed the progress of Left movements, working class movements and people's movements in India and the world over, maintaining a dialogue with intellectuals and activists in India and abroad across parties and across all sectarian boundaries. Comrade Ganeshan's warm comradely hospitality to all guests and comrades at the CPI(ML)'s Central office in Delhi endeared him to all.

His mortal remains were kept at CPI(ML) headquarters in Delhi where comrades and friends paid him hearty tributes. The cremation took place at Nigambodh Ghat, Delhi. 

Red Salute to Comrade Ganeshan !  

ML Update | No. 49 | 2016

ML Update

A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine
Vol.19 | No. 49 | 29 NOV - 5 DEC 2016

All India Outrage Day:

Anger Against Demonetisation Disaster Spills Out On Streets

WITH EVERY PASSING DEMONETISED DAY, the distress of common people continues to mount. More than 80 people have lost their lives due to demonetisation. Farmers are suffering devastation, workers are losing jobs, and people are denied healthcare. But the Prime Minister has not displayed any interest in acknowledging the colossal disaster that demonetisation has proved to be. Instead of alleviating people's suffering, he launched a self-serving 'survey' in a personal app, and promptly proceeded to claim that the app-survey showed that demonetisation had the approval of 92% of Indians. This, in spite of the fact that a mere 17% of Indians use smart phones and a tiny fraction of these participated in the survey, and moreover that the survey was designed to elicit only approving responses, failing to provide a 'disagree' option on its most crucial questions!

Exposing the farce of Modi's app-based 'survey', millions of common Indians came on the streets on 28 November to express their anger and participate in People's Outrage (Jan Akrosh) protests all over the country. Here, too, Modi himself proceeded to claim that the opposition parties had declared a Bharat Bandh – and since no Bharat Bandh took place, he declared the protests a flop. Just as he declared his demonetisation move 'passed with flying colours' in a test he himself set and examined, Modi declared the people's protests a 'failure' in the imaginary 'Bharat Bandh' that no one had declared!        

If the people's opposition to demonetisation could be seen and heard on the streets, the complicity of certain 'Opposition' leaders like Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in the demonetisation calamity is also glaringly visible. Nitish Kumar won a popular mandate in Bihar on the promise of rebuffing and resisting the BJP. At the earliest opportunity, however, Nitish Kumar has gone out of his way to bail out the BJP, betraying his mandate and leaving in the lurch the common people of Bihar, the bulk of whom, as poor farmers and migrant labourers, are devastated by demonetisation.     

In his latest policy announcement, PM Modi reintroduced the scheme of voluntary disclosure of unaccounted-for cash, even after December 30, the deadline announced earlier. This scheme is essentially a rehash of the Government's income disclosure scheme that ended in September, with the modification that this time, the penalty is 50 per cent – just 5 per cent more than the penalty that had been in place in the scheme that ended in September. In 2014 Modi came to power promising to bring back black money from foreign shores. That promise seems to lie forgotten as Modi instead claimed to have launched a 'surgical strike' in the form of demonetisation, on black money on 8 November. But now, instead of a devastating 'strike' to destroy black money, the Government is once again seeking to whitewash black money! We must expose and reject such attempts to whitewash black money, and instead demand that black money holders be punished and their black money confiscated.         

Shockingly, even as BJP claims to crusade against black money, a Demonetization Scam is unfolding. There is evidence that on the eve of demonetization, the BJP national party, through its local leaders, bought up lakhs of crores worth of land in Bihar, Odisha and, according to the claims of its own Bihar leader Sushil Modi, in every district in India. Modi mocked all criticism of and opposition to the demonetisation decision, claiming that these were just the protests by Opposition parties which did not get time to 'prepare' – i.e get rid of illegally gotten cash. It seems that the ruling BJP was given time by the Modi Government to 'prepare' by converting black money into real estate! An impartial but urgent probe is called for into this Note Ban Scam.   

Modi's latest 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast has once again reiterated the claim that the Note Ban has caused 'small inconveniences' for 'small people' and huge difficulties for the corrupt rich. The evidence is however entirely to the contrary. The super-rich and corrupt continue to hold wedding extravaganzas and indulge in conspicuous consumption while for the poor, demonetisation has become a matter of life and death. More than 4 lakh jobs have been destroyed by demonetisation, the most vulnerable informal sector workers and poor peasants are worst hit.

The PM is doing nothing to cushion the common people from or compensate for job loss, wage loss and other consequences of the demonetisation disaster. Instead he is holding up the mirage of a 'cashless economy' as a pro-poor paradise that demonetisation will create in the long term. The world experience shows that the poor and small businesses in every country depend on cash transactions to survive. In a country like India, where internet coverage is low and services unreliable, the notion of a 'cashless' economy is laughable. The PM's claim that cashless transactions are safer and less vulnerable to corruption is also false: online transactions are just as if not even more vulnerable to theft than offline ones.       

The Modi Government must not be allowed to get away with its outrageous falsehoods about demonetization. The PM continues to assure people that after 50 days the demonetisation 'side-effects' will subside. But he is yet to declare when exactly people will be allowed to withdraw freely from their own hard-earned savings. The PM must be held accountable for the people's sufferings caused by demonetization. The Government must compensate each of India's common citizens with Rs 2000 per day for each day that the demonetisation disaster lasts. If the disaster lasts 50 days, the Government must pay each common citizen a compensation of Rs 1 lakh.       

The resistance to the Demonetisation Disaster and Note Bank Scam must intensify, exposing every false claim and nailing every lie of the killer Modi Government.   

Aakrosh Diwas Against Demonetization Observed Across The Country

The 'Aakrosh Diwas' across the country was observed to protest against the Modi government's anti-poor demonitization move jointly by left parties as well as rest of the opposition. Even as the toll of those who have died waiting in bank and ATM queues continues to rise and the poor remain the worst hit with their employment under grave threat, the PM Modi has only been heard making fun of people's difficulties and miseries.

The CPI(ML) observed the day with the slogan 'Not Notes, Change the Government'. In Bihar, a massive juloos was taken out from Gandhi Maidan in Patna which was barricaded at JP Chowk by the police which clashed with the protestors. The protestors were arrested which included several CPI(ML) leaders and the party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. Earlier, addressing the protestors Com. Dipankar said that the politics of loot will no longer run in the country. Within just 20 days after the announcement of demonetization, people's angst can be seen against the Tughlaqi dictate of the government. Now the PM is saying that people of the country should bear for 50 more days and then all would be fine. However, this is a blatant lie and another attempt to misguide the people. He added that it is the toiling masses who have been affected by this demonetization. Nearly 80 people have died and this is extremely saddening and painful. The PM is calling the money of the toiling classes as 'black money'. We want to tell this government that this is our hard earned money and we will not let it be looted by the corporates.

Throughout the state, thousands of protestors were arrested. The demonstrations were marked by reverberation of slogans such as – 'the politics of lies and loot will no longer work', 'Confiscate the black money of Ambani and Adani', 'Change the government, not the currency, 'Bring back black money', and 'teach the treacherous government a lesson'. Several state and national roadways and railway lines were blocked. CPI(ML) leaders also condemned the Nitish government for siding with Modi in his anti-people move.

In Jharkhand,  a united protest march of CPI(ML) and CPI(M) was called in Jhumri Teliya in Koderma district. The march culminated in a public meeting. An Aakrosh march and a mass meeting was called in Garhwa. In Dhanbad, CPI, CPI (M), CPI (M), MCC and others called for a march. The demands raised included that legal action be taken against those whose names were revealed in Panama leaks, Sahara- Birla Diaries, loan waivers announced to industrialists be revoked and compensation be paid to the families of those who lost their lives due to demonitisation. In Hazaribagh a united march was held. Protests were also called in Bokaro, Jaamtada, Dumka, Godda and Ranchi and all other towns.

In Chhattisgarh, CPI, CPIM, CPI(ML) and Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha jointly held a protest at the SBI office at Raipur. Joint Left protests of the three Left parties were also held at Bilaspur and Korba.

Tamil Nadu Observing the Aakrosh Diwas in Tamil Nadu, a joint protest demonstration was held in front of the State Bank of India Head Quarters at Chennai. The protest was joined by Vidudhalai Chiruththaikal Katchi (VCK). The demonstration turned into road blockade and nearly one thousand cadres were arrested. CPI(ML) Tamilnadu state secretary Kumarasamy led the party contingent here. A joint dharna was held at Tanjore which was addressed by leaders including Balasundaram, CCM of CPI(ML). Joint demonstrations  were  also held at Pudukottai , Valathan , Tirunelveli, Chengulpattu, Salem, Coimbatore, Namakkal and Erode, Tiruvellore, Dindigul, Cuddalore, Vilupuram, Madurai and Tiruchi,

In Mumbai, CPI, CPIM, CPIML, LNP (L), SUCI, Peasants and Workers Party, and Bharatiya Republican Party Bahujan Mahasangh jointly held a protest demonstration at Churchgate. Even when the public meeting was on for over an hour, police detained all the protesters.

In Karnataka, CPI(ML) along with CPI(M), CPI, SUCI(C) held demonstrations across the state, including Koppal, Davanagere, Mysore and Bangalore. The demonstration in Koppal was addressed by the CPI(ML) State Secretary Com. Bharadwaj.

CPI (ML) also held a protest in Karnal, Haryana. A procession was taken out in the city up to DC office where effigy of PM was burnt and a meeting was held. The meeting was addressed by Haryana in-charge Prem Singh Gahlawat, Priti Sahni, Rekha Pal, Krishna Saini and Mahendra Chopra.

Joint left demonstrations were organised in Bhubaneswar and other parts of Odisha.

In Andhar Pradesh, left parties including held joint protest demonstrations in Prathipadu, Yeleswaram in East Godavari district and Vijaywada. Several protestors and leaders were arrested while participating in the protest rally in Vijaywada.

In Uttarakhand,  a protest demonstration was called by CPI(ML) in Lalkuan. The effigy of the PM was burnt amidst loud sloganeering. In Chamoli district, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) jointly organised protests and burnt the effigy. They also demanded that the 11 lakh crore loan waiver to industrialists be immediately revoked and loan waiver be announced for the farmers and compensation be paid to those who lost their lives due to demonetization. A protest demonstration was also held in Srinagar (Garhwal).

In Delhi,  a joint left march was led by Sitaram Yechuri, CPI(M), Kavita Krishnan, CPI(M), Atul Anjan, CPI and other left leaders from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. Earlier, CPI(ML), AICCTU, AIPWA and AISA had called for a united workers-women-students march to PM house on 26 November in which hundreds of protestors were arrested at the Parliament Street.

In Uttar Pradesh, Left came to streets on 28 November with marches, protests and effigy burnings in various districts in all parts of the state. CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M) had also protested on 22 November in front of Reserve Bank of India's branch in Lucknow.

Convention against Demonetization in Ranchi

The CPI(ML) organized a people's convention in Ranchi as part of the countrywide protests against the killer demonetization which has wreaked havoc on the daily lives and economy of the common people.

The convention started with a silent tribute to the champion of the deprived, Fidel Castro. Addressing the convention as the main speaker, Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that it is necessary to understand the politics of demonetization. This demonetization slapped on the people of India by Modi has become an economic emergency for the poor and the common people. The actual hoarders of black money are enjoying the luxury of Five Star hotels while those who have earned money through hard work are standing in queues. The people in Modi's party were aware of this move in advance, enabling them to buy land worth crores in Bihar and deposit billions of rupees in banks in Bengal just a few hours before the demonetization announcement. Now, a new black market trade has started in the form of changing old currency. The beleaguered people are sarcastically saying, "Jio Paytm se, aur Maro ATM pe" (Live by Paytm and Die at the ATM). Exposing the autocratic ways and the cruel joke played on the poor by the Modi government Com. Dipankar called for accelerating the protests and said that the time has come to press hard for the campaign of "Note Nahi Sarkar Badlo" (Change the government, not the currency).

Speaking in the context of Jharkhand, Com. Dipankar said that the amendments to the hard-won CNT-SPT Act are for the destruction of adivasis and for the prosperity of the Adanis and Ambanis. This Modi-Raghuvar conspiracy must be fought through spirited and dedicated people's struggles.

Opposing the demonetization, noted economist Jean Dreze said that tyres of the development vehicle the country was riding have been punctured by the very government who is in charge of steering the vehicle. The worst and most long-time effect of this will be felt by the poor and the rural population. The economic development of the country will be set back hugely. He called the government's pro-demonetization arguments ridiculous and said that deceiving the people is a specialty of the Modi government. The real black money is with all ruling-class parties including Modi's BJP; this fact is being hidden and the common people are being held guilty. We must make the people aware of this truth.

Senior human rights activist Fr Stan Swamy said that the names of the real black money hoarders have already been listed by the people of the country; the Modi government should nab them first. But instead of catching them, the government has waived their loans to the tune of thousands of crores, and the common people are being forced to stand in queues. We must oppose this oppression.

CPI(ML) Jharkhand Secretary Janardan Prasad said that corporate companies and capitalists—the breeders and carriers of black money and corruption—are merrily prospering; it is for their benefit that the havoc of demonetization is being wreaked on the common people and also Modi-bhakts. He stressed that we must expose this conspiracy and accelerate the campaign to convert Demonetization into DeModi-tization.

Social activist Hussain Kachchi said that the common people are not standing in line of their own volition; they have been forced to line up. Advocate Ajablal and Josephina Panna presented government statistics to expose Modi's falsehoods. Several other speakers spoke of the distress faced by common people and exposed the government. Hundreds of activists from different districts participated in the convention.

Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha March

The CPI(ML) took out a Vidhan Sabha march in Ranchi on 21 November 2016 with the slogan "Raghuvar Hatao Jharkhand Bachao" (Oust CM Raghuvar Das, Save Jharkhand). The march passed through the main roads of the city and culminated in a meeting at Birsa Chowk.

The march was in the backdrop of attacks on people's movements against land grab, amendments in SPT and CNT Acts and targeting of minorities in the state. The bandh call was given after the Barkagaon firing on 1 October. A series of statewide agitations were initiated by the CPI(ML) as well as other left forces which in turn compelled other opposition parties to join the agitation, thus leading to a emergence of a united political movement. Earlier, on 22 October thousands of adivasis took out a huge rally under the aegis of 40 people's organizations against the Jharkhand government's wrong domicile policy and amendments in the CNT-SPT Act. During the rally there was brutal police repression and one adivasi was killed in police firing in Khunti.

The march to Assembly was a culmination of the statewide mass campaign by the CPI(ML) from 1 November to 15 November. People's padyatra and village sabhas as well as mobilisations at district headquarters were organized at various places. Mass meetings were held at Giridih, Koderma, Ramgarh, Hazaribagh and Barkagaon, where the firing took place. In Giridih district, groups of 100 to 150 activists from each of 11 blocks held padyatra of 10 km daily and did a person to person campaign among tens of thousands of people. A motorcycle march was held with hundreds of bikes at Barkagaon where a rally and mass convention was held on 15 November, this was followed by the Vidhan Sabha march on 21 November.

Slogans raised at the march called for rolling back of amendments to the CNT-SPT Act, trial of the guilty police personnel in the Barkagaon, Sayko (Khunti) firings and Latehar, Bundu, and Narayanpur (Jamatand) killings in police lock-up under under murder charges, rollback of the killer demonetization, and putting a stop to giving away Jharkhand's resources to Adani-Ambani. Despite it being harvest time, large number of people from all the districts participated in the march.

The Vidhan Sabha march was addressed at the barricades by CPI(ML) MLA Rajkumar Yadav, former MLA Vinod Singh, and several other leaders. All the speakers emphasized that CM Raghuvar Das has unleashed attacks on the people of the state with his anti-people policies. This is the need of the time for all the Left and democracy-loving forces of Jharkhand to get united for the ensuing political battle. The speakers strongly condemned Modi's demonetization which is a step not for curbing black money but for snatching away the earnings of the workers and the poor and pushing them into starvation and unemployment so that banks can get more money to favour the corporates while the owners of black money have no problem in converting their black income into white money. The meeting was conducted by Nadeem Khan.

Jharkhand Bandh: While the protests in opposition to the amendments in CNT and SPT Acts continue for several months throughout the state, the BJP government in a shameless move formally passed those amendments in the Vidhan Sabha on 23 November amid heavy protests. This led to spontaneous protests all over the state followed by a statewide Jharkhand Bandh on 25 November. The bandh paralysed almost all parts of Jharkhand exhibiting a historic peoples unity and resolve against pro-corporate BJP regime. The bandh, initially called by Left parties and JVM, was jointly observed by all opposition parties and tribal organisations in the state. Thousands of CPI(ML) and other parties' activists got arrested while lakhs of people took out to streets amid police batons, tear-gas shells and lathi-charges.

Movement for Paddy Purchase in Bihar

An agitation for paddy purchase was held all over Bihar on 15 November 2016 in response to a call by Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Mahasabha. Dharnas, protests and meetings were organized at various Block and District Headquarters on the following demands: (i) government procurement centres should be opened in every village (as has been done in Punjab) and paddy should be purchased from small and middle farmers including sharecroppers without having to show land documents; (ii) while the input costs for paddy crop comes not less than Rs 1600 per quintal, the Central government should pay Rs 2500 and the State government should pay a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal; (iii) Rs 30,000 per acre compensation should be paid for crop loss due to drought and floods; (iv) regions with less than 19% of average rainfall till 31 July should be declared drought-affected as per norms fixed by the government. The programmes during the protests also made the demand that the responsibility for preparing the data base (registration) of farmers should be given to the Agriculture Consultant, Agriculture Coordinator, PACS and Vyapaar Mandal, and they should visit every village within a fixed time frame and guarantee the registration of all farmers including sharecroppers wishing to sell their paddy.

At Jehanabad a dharna and meeting were organized at Modanganj block HQ. The speakers at the meeting said that the current paddy purchase rate fixed by the Bihar government is Rs 1470 and Rs 1510 for A grade paddy; this must be revised and raised to Rs 3000, as the production price itself is Rs 1600 per quintal. Sharecroppers are not considered as farmers by the government and they are deprived of all benefits due to farmers, whereas actually they form 60 to 70% of the State's farmers. Therefore, sharecroppers must get all benefits including crop loss compensation. They also demanded completion of irrigation projects and repairing of defunct tube-wells.

The dharna at Bhojpur District headquarters in Ara saw a good presence of people from outside the organization also in large numbers. Dharnas were also held at Hajipur in Vaishali District, in Patepur, Pakribarama Block (Nawada district), Kauakoul, Sheikhpura, Sonho block (Jamui district), Bhavanipur (Purnia district), Dhamdaha, Srinagar, Banmankhi, Barhara, K. Nagar, Daoodnagar (Aurangabad district), Hussainganj (Siwan), Chenari , Kawath, Bikramganj and Silouthu (Rohtas), and Laheriya Serai (Darbhanga). The dharnas were held from 11 AM to 3 PM and the district officials heard the demands and assured the farmers that their demands would be conveyed to the government.

Dharna in Lalkuan

The CPI(ML) held a one-day dharna on 17 November 2016 in Lalkuan tehsil demanding a government order for taking back the announcement of making Bindukhatta a municipality, and to declare it a Revenue Village as per the people's long standing demand.

CPI(ML) Assembly election candidate Purushottam Sharma addressed the dharna and said that the Chief Minister of the State should act according to his earlier announcement issue a government order immediately. He said the government should also without delay take back the false cases slapped on the farmers of Bindukhatta and take action towards the entitlement of lands to farmers in Bindukhatta. He added that the CPI(ML) senior leader Bahadur Singh Jangi said that this dharna has been organized as a reminder to watch what action the State government or the Opposition BJP takes in the final session of the Assembly which begins from 18 Nov on the issues raised by us. At the conclusion of the dharna a memorandum was sent to the Chief Minister through the Tehsildar.

Rural Chowkidars' Struggle in Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh Gramin Chowkidars (Guards) have been appointed in the villages since 1862. However, even today their salary remains a meager Rs. 1500 per month. The duties fixed for the rural chowkidars are to go to the thana twice a month and report the incidents which occurred in their areas, and in the remaining time they have to guard the village. But the police officials in the thanas call them every day and make them do their personal work. They oppress them physically and mentally. If they refuse to do personal work they are abused and beaten by the constables and darogas. The Uttar Pradesh Gramin Chowkidar Union (affiliated to AICCTU) organized a 3-day dharna in front of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow, against this oppression and to demand increase in wages and declaration of State government employee status for them.

The dharna proceeded peacefully for two days. On the third day when thousands of chowkidars wearing red head-dresses came out on the streets to gherao the Vidhan Sabha, the UP police, government and administration got into a panic and courted arrest thousands of chowkidars who were taken in several buses to the Lucknow Police Lines. AICCTU leader Dr Kamal Usari was also arrested. They were released after midnight, after an announcement to increase in the chowkidars' salary was made by the officials. The leader of Chowkidar Union Ram Kishore Verma said that the struggle would continue until the Gramin Chowkidars are declared State government employees. Ramanand Paswan of the Union too expressed the resolve of thousands of chowkidars for continuing the struggle further.

AIARLA Dharna against Eviction of Poor in Guwahati

The Kamrup district  unit of AIARLA organised a sit-in protest on 17 November at Dighalipukhuri Park, Guwahati against the eviction of poor people from forest and government land. The protestors also raised voice against allotment of huge tracts of land to Ramdev's  Patanjali in different parts of Assam and demanded that the land be allotted to the landless families and patta be given to the peasantry.

They also demanded immediate implementation of the Forest Right Act, 2006. Loknatha Goswami, notable singer, Noren Bora of CPI(ML), Arup, Pankaj, Swapna and many others addressed the Dharna. A memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister of Assam through the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup Metro District. A dharna on similar demands was also held at Circle office in Chandrapur.

District Conference in Dibrugarh

The district conference of CPI(ML)'s Dibrugarh district unit was held on 20 November 2016. A 15 member district committee was elected with Com. Bitopan Bakolial as the district secretary. The delegates at the conference resolved to carry forward the movement against eviction of poor people, and for minimum wages to tea workers, for food and land to rural poor, withdrawal of the citizenship act amendments and justice to affected families under land acquisitions.

CPI(ML) in Chandigarh Municipal Elections

Four CPI(ML) candidates including Dr. Navkiran Natt, Rampreet, Ram Ajore and Agin Kumar have filed their nomination papers on November 28 for the elections to Chandigarh Municipal Corporation from ward numbers 2, 14, 20 and 24 respectively. The elections are scheduled to be held on December 18.

Long Live Fidel Castro!

CPI(ML) dips its flag in respectful homage to Fidel Castro Ruz, the iconic leader of the Cuban revolution and towering figure who inspired anti-imperialist fighters the world over.

Fidel Castro led the successful Cuban revolution that overthrew the repressive Batista regime, and defended the tiny nation of revolutionary Cuba in the teeth of successive US regimes that were determined to destroy it. Fidel himself triumphed over 600 assassination attempts by the CIA, passing away at the ripe old age of 90. It is ironic that the new elected President of the USA, Donald Trump, has branded Fidel 'a brutal dictator,' given that Trump's own country, the supposed champion of 'democracy,' resorted to attempted assassinations of world leaders whose politics did not suit the USA.   

Fidel's own stubborn survival and resistance to murderous imperialists reflected the revolutionary grit and determination of Cuba itself and its people. Shackled by imperialist embargoes, Cuba still managed to create systems of universal healthcare and education that shame much more prosperous capitalist countries including its big-brotherly neighbour the USA. Not only that, Cuba stretched its own meagre resources to export free healthcare and education to other needy countries of Latin America and the world. With Fidel at the helm, Cuba also supported the anti-colonial struggles, practicing internationalism with all its might.      

Fidel Castro's life and legacy call to be celebrated, not mourned. Even after his passing, Fidel's legacy will continue to inspire revolutionaries, socialists and anti-imperialists all over the world.

The red flag will fly at half mast at all CPI(ML) party offices to honour the memory of Fidel Castro.

 

ML Update | No. 48 | 2016

ML Update

A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine

Vol.19 | No.48 | 22-28 NOV 2016

'Not Notes, Change the Regime'

Resisting the Economics and Politics of #NoteBan

 

Two weeks have elapsed since the dramatic announcement of demonetization of 500 and 1000-rupee notes. In one fell swoop, the government has withdrawn more than 80 percent of the total value of the currency in circulation in the country. While the withdrawal has thus been massive and immediate, the transfusion of new notes has been painfully slow. Only about 10 percent of the value has since been replaced in the first ten days, and that too largely in the form of notes of 2000 rupees. The result has been a traumatic cash crunch, a massive disruption in the economy and incalculable hardship for the common people - in short, an unmitigated man-made disaster. On top of it, we have already experienced the shocking reality of dozens of demonetization deaths - people collapsing in queues, succumbing to stress and dying for sheer lack of timely medical care because of the cash crunch.

The government defends demonetization as a decisive blow to corruption, a so-called surgical strike on black money. Now, it is well known that only a small fraction of unaccounted-for income and wealth, which is popularly known as black money, is temporarily held in cash. How much of this cash hoard will indeed be flushed out is anybody's guess. Certainly it is not the corrupt hoarders of black money who are queuing up outside banks and ATMs. On the contrary we have seen a new form of black economy thrive in the country as common people are forced to exchange their old notes for lower amounts while the rich use their myriad ways to launder their black money ('donations' to ruling parties and temples and trusts being two well-known routes) and convert their old cash into more handy stocks of the newly introduced 2000 rupee notes. The Sanghi rumour mills are abuzz with stories of hoards of cash being destroyed by the corrupt, but frenzied conversion of cash into various forms of assets in the run-up to demonetization has been no secret. And we also have it from the horse's mouth (BJP Rajasthan MLA Bhawani Singh Rajawat) that the Adanis and Ambanis and other big business houses all had enough hint of the impending demonetization. So much for the 'secrecy' shrouding the so-called war on black money!

 The other official claim of neutralizing counterfeit currency of course has relatively greater merit. But do we have any idea of the volume of counterfeit currency in circulation? The Sangh-BJP propaganda machinery would have us believe that every second note is a counterfeit pumped in by Pakistan. But according to a study undertaken by the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute for the NIA, the total volume of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) is estimated to be of the order of Rs 400 crore, and this amount has more or less remained the same over the last four years. A large part (not by any means all, because the study estimated as many fake 100 rupee notes as 500, and old 100 rupee notes are still valid) of this FICN has now admittedly been made defunct, but it is only a matter of time till we have new FICN replace the old. The new notes have no enhanced security features and will be as counterfeit-prone, if not more, as the ones that have been scrapped.

Now just compare the monetary cost of the whole exercise of printing and supplying the new notes (some 15000 crore to print new notes plus the logistical expenses of recalibrating the ATMs, reaching the new notes to distribution points and so on and so forth) to the volume of the FICN rendered defunct (say worth Rs 350 crore), and the whole thing looks nothing more than a grand celebration of absurdity. Increasingly we are hearing a third argument – that of India becoming a modern cashless digital economy. Now more than 40% of the adult population in India is still unbanked (which is a fifth of the global unbanked population), and while the figures in India have improved only recently with the increasing practice of direct bank transfers, 43% of Indian bank accounts are still dormant. If the fantasy of a 'cashless economy' is to be achieved on the basis of digital transaction – and not the ancient exchange mechanism of barter – then one must first talk about expanding and improving banking services for the common people of India. All this facile cashless talk is clearly putting the cart miles ahead of the horse while actively excluding and penalising the poor!

Interestingly enough, while upwardly mobile India finds the technological reality and possibility of cashless digital transactions quite an enchanting idea, we must keep in mind that a cashless economy per se provides no guarantee against economic corruption or various other economic crimes. Indeed, in terms of cash-to-GDP ratio India does not compare too unfavourably with the developed world, the Indian ratio of a little above 12 percent is way below that of Japan (above 18%) and Hong Kong (above 14%) and not too high compared to the Euro zone countries (10%) or China (above 9%). And a country like Nigeria which finds itself in the same bracket with Norway and Sweden (all less than 2%) is perceived as one of the world's most corrupt countries! Turning India today into a cashless economy is an elitist fancy quite akin to the bullet train idea. But these whims and fancies are exacting a heavy price – while the bullet train fancy is pushing the railways away from the basic question of infrastructural maintenance and amenity and safety of common passengers, the craze for going cashless has already resulted in the growing demonetization disaster.

At the cost of a huge disruption of the economy and the danger of a major slowdown, the demonetization drive has of course achieved one tangible result: a massive injection of cash into the crisis-ridden banking system. It is well known that the banks had been reeling under a growing burden of Non Performing Assets (thanks primarily to the loans piled up by corporate India, loans that are hardly repaid and now being written off) and they will be the only ones to heave a sigh of relief. But if the easing of the banking crisis only reinforces the existing lending pattern, the whole thing will mean nothing but an adverse redistribution of the burden for the common people.

While the economics of demonetization is clearly dubious, it is the accompanying political process and discourse which are particularly deceptive and dangerous. The government claims that the planning and preparation for demonetization was underway for quite some time. In April 2016 we had the SBI talking of 'rumours' of demonetization, and the previous RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan who held office till 4 September 2016 was known to have been against the idea of demonetization. What then was the institutional mechanism that took this momentous decision and oversaw its planning and preparation? And how did the PM's picture appear overnight in advertisements promoting a particular brand of digital wallet which is aggressively marketing itself using demonetization and the resultant cash crunch as a rare business opportunity?

The Prime Minister made the announcement in a televised address to the nation but refused to face Parliament on this issue. And now he has launched an app to ascertain people's views on demonetization (and that too without offering them an option to disagree on most questions!), making it absolutely clear that it is only the manufactured consent of the digitally empowered that he cares about, the experience of the digitally excluded and dissenting views just do not matter. The subversion of parliamentary democracy and the arrogant flaunting of the digital divide have never been starker. Equally revealing has been the reaction of Narendra Modi and the Sangh-BJP establishment (ranging from outright denial and trivialization to sadistic derision and emotional blackmailing) to the disastrous fallout of demonetization, the traumatic economic disruption and mounting miseries of the people including scores of demonetization deaths.

All the miseries being inflicted on the people, and the violation of so many rights, including the most basic right of being able to access one's own hard-earned money, are being trivialized as a temporary inconvenience and glorified as a sacrifice for a corruption free India. And audaciously enough, the government is packaging the whole thing as a measure to promote economic equality and punish the rich. But it is not difficult to understand that just as the principle of one person one vote has not stopped the concentration of political power in the hands of the super rich, the temporary rationing of notes too is not going to bridge the growing rich-poor divide in the society. It is also instructive to note that when the UPA government went for a partial demonetization exercise by withdrawing currency notes printed before 2005, the BJP had dubbed it an anti-poor diversionary exercise to obfuscate the real issue of black money stashed away in foreign banks! Interestingly, the Modi government has raised the limit of the Liberalised Remittance Scheme to allow Indian citizens to remit annually as much as 2.5 lakh US dollars abroad apart from the right to carry another 2.5 lakh dollars per year for every person going on foreign trips. 

Revolutionary communists and all other forces of people's movements must boldly resist the disastrous economics and populist politics of demonetization. The government must be held accountable for the reckless manner in which it inflicted the ill-conceived idea of demonetization and the disastrous fallout that has engulfed the common people in its wake. There can be no scrapping or restricting any widely used currency without adequate availability of replacement notes. The cooperative banks, which are the lifeline of the rural economy and the bank of first resort for the bulk of India's agricultural population, must be allowed to discharge their full functions.

The government must answer for every demonetization death and must compensate the people for the loss of livelihood and economic disruption. For the peasantry, reeling under successive droughts and a chronic agrarian crisis, the demonetization has been a brutal blow in the midst of the busy sowing season, and the least that the government must do is to waive all farm loans and ensure free supply of inputs. Similarly, agricultural labourers, other rural workers, small traders and transporters, unorganized/informal sector workers and daily wagers, street vendors and greengrocers who have all been hit hard by the reckless note ban must be adequately compensated for their loss of livelihood.

The government must also be held accountable on the issue of combating the menace of black money and corruption, the pretext on which it inflicted this disastrous course on the people. The list of willful mega defaulters must be made public and they must be forced to pay up, failing which their property must be confiscated and companies blacklisted. The Panama Papers on foreign account holders and now the explosive Sahara-Birla Diaries with details of political payoffs to facilitate tax evasion are both in the public domain and the government must be made to answer and act on them. And last but not the least, there can be no cleaning up of black money without breaking the business-politics nexus, without making it mandatory for political parties to make public their entire finances, stopping corporate funding and excessive electoral expenditure.

For the Modi government, demonetization is of course part and parcel of its autocratic agenda. The way the government went about the whole thing reminded many of the Indira-Sanjay era of Emergency four decades ago. The attack on the press, the forcible imposition of family planning in rural areas and mass eviction in the name of urban beautification, the suppression of dissent, the crushing of the people's democratic rights and political liberties, the suspension of parliamentary democracy and arrest of all opposition leaders and activists – all these trappings of the Emergency resonate in the air as the Modi government goes about politicizing the Army and militarizing politics, curbing the media and inflicting an unmitigated disaster like the ongoing trauma of demonetization in complete defiance of economic logic and parliamentary procedures.

The people of India have of course begun to sense this danger. And the cry of 'Note Nahi, Sarkar Badlo' (Not Notes, Change the Regime) being heard increasingly across the country reflects this realization of the people. It is the urgent task of every defender of the interests of the people to champion this democratic spirit and wage a determined resistance against the reckless offensive of the Modi government.

 

Protests against Demonetization

CPI(ML), AISA and AICCTU are conducting a campaign against demonetisation from 16 November onwards in different working class settlements of Delhi, which is due to culminate in a March to the PM's House on 26 November to demand its rollback.

Demonetisation is causing harm in tragic proportions in working class colonies. The first day of campaign was conducted in the Wazirpur industrial area in Delhi, where workers and their families living in slum clusters said that they are struggling to meet expenses of food, medical expenses, school fees, transport and other essentials ever since the demonetization move. One 70-year-old woman said that after she had waited in the queue for hours, a policeman shoved her away and told her to come another day. Another woman who had stood in the queue from 3 am onwards was told that she could not be allowed to withdraw money because they claimed she had already made a withdrawal. One worker lacked enough cash to get medicines for his wife who is a cancer patient. Several people said they are eating once a day so that they can stand in lines and not miss their chance to get their hard earned money. Children are going hungry because parents are standing in the line.

Workers are being forced to convert their factory owners' money and they just can't refuse because otherwise they risk losing their job. And when they are getting paid, they are being paid in old currency that has no purchasing power at all. And now the indelible ink is making it difficult for them to convert their own wage. Their wage in old notes can't get anything from the shops. They have no credit worthiness so no one lends them anything. Landlords have refused to take the old currency and school fees are pending.

Those who get a monthly salary had just been given the salary a day before the announcement and they were stuck with money which they were running from pillar to post to get converted. No leave is available for standing in line. 

Banks were busy converting money of people close to them, obviously the more well connected factory owners and managers, as serpentine queues of workers stood there waiting for cash to get over.

Women said they fainted while waiting and were brought back home - of course without any cash. Several people lost their wage and got no money either at the end of the day.

The government claimed it has collected "lakhs of black money" from people – people are saying: in that case, use that money to ensure free rations to the affected workers households; make travel free in buses and metros so that people can get to their workplaces without worrying about cash; ensure free health and education; ensure compensation for wages lost while standing in line.

Such a move is a violation of the right of workers to manage their own wage, in whichever way they like, without being arm twisted into a digital system and plastic money on which they have absolutely no control.

The day 2 of this campaign took a team of students and workers to Industrial Area in Narela. The miseries of the daily wage earners was apparent here. Some live in the fear that tomorrow their electricity might be cut-off, as despite having 500 rupees it wasn't accepted at the electricity office as the bill was for 200 and they can't get the change back. They are eating just one meal a day. 'Sara karkhana bandh hai', they said, "no work in the nearby mills for past one week." A Bengali worker said, 'Bhat daal dik totodin sorkar, maach to chahichhina', (the government should provide us rice and dal till then, we are not demanding fish). A young mother said, "How can a withdrawal of Rs 4500 suffice? More than half of that is paid in rent, how can we survive on the balance?" Another young woman worker said, "It is workers who are in the queues, the moneyed are sitting pretty in their homes." Another woman angrily asked, "We found it hard enough to get Rs 1000 notes changed. Now how can we get change for Rs 2000 notes?" The rage could be heard in the voice of a woman who said, "He (Modi) said 'Accha din' (good days) would come! Are these the good days?! He has shoved us into a pit!"      

On the 3rd day of the campaign, teams reached Batla House Area of Jamia Nagar. Scarcity of daily food, medicine, wages, cash crunch, anger, desperation, helplessness - the same story was repeated there.

On 4th day the AISA-AICCTU team reached Kusumpur Pahari in Vasant Kunj area. This is one of the biggest working class slums in South Delhi, hardly 2 km away from JNU, the narrow lanes are surrounded by Priya Shopping Complex on one side and DLF Promenade mall on the other. A highly expensive private hospital is also close by. Residents of Kusumpur Pahari told us, "How do we buy daily ration when we are missing our Dihadi (daily wage)? But is it the same for those who goes to the malls, who can pay with cards?" Children and the elderly are not getting much-needed medical attention because the shops would not accept old currency for medicines.

On the 5th day team reached NOIDA industrial area where many shops remain closed, no job for contractual workers, cash crunch in banks, no money for treatment or essential medicines- the story was the same. But that is how it is for every worker, women, small shop owner and senior citizens. Some workers also said that factory owners are giving advance salary for 3 months with old 500 and 1000 to get rid of their old currency, which is of no use.

The campaign is continuing and on the coming 26th November, workers, women, students will march in Delhi towards Prime Minister House demanding-

1. Roll Back of Demonetisation.

2. Free distribution of food items and medicine for the poor till then.

3. Free transportation in railways, DTC and Cluster buses.

4. Punish the wilful corporate defaulters of bank loans.

5. Investigate the Birla-Sahara scam in which lakhs of rupees were given by corporations to Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat CM

6. Bring the list of names who have deposited money in off-shore tax havens. Bring back this unaccounted money and punish the culprits.

In Bengaluru (Karnataka) on 17 November, several organisations including the CPI(ML), Garment and Textile Workers Union, Bangalore Jilla Beedhi Vyaapaari Sangathenagala Okkuta, National Hawkers Federation, New Socialist Alternative, Karnataka Tamil Makkal Aikyam, NCHRO, Karnataka Janarogya Chaluvali, Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Yuvakara Vedike, Aam Aadmi Party, Swaraj Abhiyan and others held a protest in front of the RBI, with the slogan 'Occupy RBI'. The protesters raised slogans against the Modi Government's ill-conceived, poorly implemented move to demonetize which is nothing but a political gimmick to hide the failures of the central government while also stealthily move to a corporate controlled digital economy, the implications of which are neither studied not discussed. The Bangalore police, in a blatant effort to deny the right to freedom and expression detained many protestors even before the protest and the arrests continued while the protest was on. Those arrested included CPI(ML) leaders Balan, Clifton, Raghu, Maitreyi and Appanna. This just shows that when it comes to thwarting democracy, Congress and BJP are partners. Even as crores of people are suffering, Congress and BJP politicians shamelessly attended the wedding of Janardhan Reddy's daughter only shows their lack of intentions to fight the evils of black money.

The Bihar unit of CPI(ML) gave a statewide call for protests which were held on 16 November in all the districts and has since been conducting an intensive Week-long Protest Week from 17-22 November, with effigies of the PM being burnt and protests held in every corner of Bihar.  Protests were also held in different parts of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Bengal and other states where marches, propaganda campaigns and effigy burnings took place.

 

7th AIPWA National Conference in Patna

The 7th AIPWA National Conference was held in Patna on 13-14 November 2016, at the Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir. The Conference called for women's resistance to patriarchy and the growing fascist threat and intensified struggles to defend democracy and assert women's freedom. 

The Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir complex was named after Rama Gairola for the occasion in memory of departed young AIPWA leader Rama Gairola. The hall was named after noted writer and activist, the late Mahashweta Devi and the stage was named after AIPWA Founding President the late Comrade Geeta Das.

On 13th November, the conference started with the hoisting of the AIPWA flag by veteran AIPWA leader Arti Devi, and tributes to martyrs and departed leaders of the revolutionary women's movement. Tributes were paid to the Naxalbari martyrs, those killed in the Bathani Tola and other massacres, Kamleshwari Kunwar, noted activist of the revolutionary Bhojpur struggle and life partner of Comrade Jagdish Master, Rama Gairola, Mahashweta Devi, Geeta Das, Chinta Singh, Jeeta Kaur, Ajanta Lohit, Aparna Tyagi, Siyamani Mukhiya, Manju Devi, Agni, Sheela, Lahri and others.

This was followed by the inaugural session of the Conference, which began with the rendering of songs by women's cultural teams Chorus (of Bihar) and Prerna (Jharkhand).

A reception committee headed by Prof. Bharti S Kumar welcomed all the guests and presented mementoes to noted activists of the women's movement, including senior academic and AIPWA mentor since its founding days Maya Bhattacharya, Neelam Katara who is an activist against honour crimes; Kashmiri writer and activist Natasha Rather, Nirjhari Sinha of Jan Sangharsh Manch, Gujarat, Vidya Dinker, activist from Mangaluru; Advocate Asha  from Kerala, Sanjeela Ghising, leader of the Democratic Revolutionary Women's Federation, Darjeeling; and veteran activist of the revolutionary communist movement Comrade Meera.

At the inaugural session, Neelam Katara spoke about her struggle for justice for her son Nitish Katara who was killed on the pretext of 'honour', and the struggle for women's right to choice in matters of relationships. Natasha Rather, co-author of the book Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora spoke about her perspective as a Kashmiri on the struggle for self determination in Kashmir, and about the struggle of the rape survivors of Kunan Poshpora for justice. Nirjhari Sinha, founder of the Jan Sangharsh Manch, Gujarat, spoke about the struggle for justice for victims of the 2002 state sponsored Gujarat riots and for fake encounter victims Ishrat Jahan, Kausar Bi, Sohrabuddin and others. Vidya Dinker, an activist from Mangaluru, spoke about the way in which fertile land is being grabbed and environment destroyed in the name of 'economic corridors.' She spoke about the ways in which RSS outfits morally police women in Mangaluru, and called upon women to wage a jehad of love to uphold inter-caste and inter-faith love, as well as love for farms, environment and natural resources.

The inaugural session was addressed by AIPWA General Secretary Comrade Meena Tiwari. The inaugural session was conducted by AIPWA National Secretary Kavita Krishnan.

The delegate session of the Conference began with the delegates listening to a recording of a song composed and sung by the outgoing AIPWA National President Srilata Swaminathan. Comrade Srilata, who could not attend the conference because of ill health, was sorely missed by all, and her song was a celebration of AIPWA as a source of hope and strength for women.        

AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari presented AIPWA's work report and a note on the social and political situation in India and the world. The note observed that BJP and RSS forces are working to push back progressive shifts in consciousness that had been achieved by movements. They are poisoning the social and political discourse and trying to establish divisive, hate-filled and regressive ideas as 'normal' and even 'nationalist.'          

On the night of 13th November, Chorus presented a play, 'Paro', followed by a traditional Jharkhandi dance by the Prerna team and cultural performances by several other activists. 

On 14th November, delegates from all over the country discussed the issues facing the women's movement and shared experiences of their struggles. The note was adopted unanimously after discussion in the house.

The delegates then elected the new AIPWA leadership, including a 101-member National Council. Comrade Meena Tiwari was reelected National General Secretary, Comrade E Rati Rao was elected National President; Prof Bharti S Kumar, Tahira Hasan, Farhat Bano, Iqbal Udasi, Pratima Engheepi, Krishna Adhikari, Raju Barua and Saroj Chaubey were elected Vice Presidents; and Prof Sudha Choudhary, Indrani Dutta, R Nagamani, Geeta Mandal, Shashi Yadav and Kavita Krishnan were elected National Secretaries.   

Addressing the delegates at the end of the Conference, newly elected AIPWA President Rati Rao said that just as Dalits were refusing to perform caste-based labour, it was high time women also refuse to do our gender based traditional work. She stressed the need to uphold a Marxist perspective on the women's movement and also draw strength and insights from the writings of Dr Ambedkar, Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule, Periyar and Bhagat Singh as we address class, caste and gender issues together and confront fascist Hindutva forces.

 

People's Awakening March

A Jana Jagaran Yatra, to commemorate 50 years of Naxalbari movement began from School Dangi, in Naxalbari block on November 19, 2016. The Yatra started by felicitating 15 comrades who had actively participated in the Naxalbari movement in the early years. Amongst the comrades felicitated were Khokan Mazumdar,  Mujibur Rahman,  Shanti Munda,  Khudan Mullick,  Khemu singh, Dulal Chanda, Thadu Munda, Suniti Biswakarmakar, Nemu Singh, Nathuram Biswas, Kandra Murmu,  Shiril Ekka, Amulya Das of PCC CPIML, Govind  Chhetri of CPRM and others.

A big gathering that included local residents of Jhoru Jote, of Naxalbari block, that had seen the beginning of the movement with the killing of the notorious police officer Sonam Wangdi by the peasants and locals, was present to begin the Yatra. The gathering was addressed by veteran Com. Khudan Mullick and Com. Khemu Singh as well as by CPI(ML) leaders Kartick Pal, Partha Ghosh and Abhijit Mazumdar.  The programme began with revolutionary songs sung by the revolutionary cultural organisation under the leadership of Com. Nitish Roy. The speakers highlighted:

• The revolutionary legacy of the Naxalbari movement, and its enduring inspiration for today's struggles

• The need to resist land grab by corporates and their mafia nexus.

• The condition of tea garden workers who are living in abject poverty with low wages coupled with starvation on account of closures and non-payment of wages.

• The demonitization that has hit the poor section of the society the hardest while adversely affecting the low income, middle class and small traders. The rural poor is affected especially in the peak agricultural  season  where people not only do not have money to buy seeds but are also forced to stand in long queues to get their own hard earned money out from the bank.

• The failure to provide irrigation facility to the farmers of the terai region despite crores being spent on the Teesta barrage irrigation project.

The Yatra travelled through the various villages of the three blocks of Naxalbari, Kharibari and Phansidewa where the Naxalbari movement began, and culminated at Chotopothu Jote on November 21, 2016.

 

Indore-Patna Train Accident Result of Railways' Criminal Negligence

CPI (ML) expressed deep condolences for the victims of the Indore-Patna train accident. This accident is a result of criminal negligence on the part of the Railways. 

On the one hand the Modi government talks of starting bullet trains in the country but on the other hand it is not even able to ensure minimum safety of the passengers. The railway tracks are very old. The number of trains is increasing every year and train fares are also being raised, yet there is corresponding increase in the number of railway tracks or expansion in the workforce. 

The inadequate workforce affects the crucial issue of maintenance of railway infrastructure and safety. Whereas there were 16 lakh workers in 2006, the number is reduced to 13 lakh in 2015-16. This laying off of workers has badly affected the maintenance of the tracks.

The CPI(ML) also appealed to the Bihar Government to make arrangements for the best available treatment for all the injured and demanded Rs 10 lakhs and government jobs as compensation for the the family members of the victims.

The CPI(ML) Patna city unit took out a candle march in the evening at Buddha Park to pay tributes to the dead and offer heartfelt condolences to the family members of the victims. The march included State Secretary Kunal, Politburo members Dhirendra Jha and Amar, Patna City Secretary Abhyuday, CPI(ML) leader Murtaza Ali, State Committee members Samta Rai, Prakash Kumar and Santosh Jha, AISA State President Mukhtar, Tariq Anwar, Sudhir and other leaders.

The condolence meeting was addressed by Dhirendra Jha and Abhyuday who said that the Modi government was responsible for several deaths through demonetization; and now more than 100 people have been killed due to criminal negligence on the part of the Railways, exposing the failure of the government.

 

CPI(ML) Statement on Mine Accident in Nawada

CPI (ML) State Secretary Kunal expressed deep concern and grief over the death of 10 workers trapped in the earth during illegal mining by the Sharda Mines Company at Abrakh in Chatkari Panchayat of Rajauli Block, Nawada District. He strongly condemned the attitude of the administration and the government in this matter.

Com. Kunal said that such illegal mining is going on and the country's resources are being looted under protection from the government; at the same time, poor workers are losing their lives during this illegal mining. Till now only 2 bodies have been excavated; the remaining 8 are still trapped under the earth. The administration shows no concern about retrieving these bodies. The workers who have lost their lives belong to the Adivasi community of Jharkhand.

Com. Kunal demanded that the Bihar government should take immediate action in this matter. The CPI (ML) District Committee will protest at the District Collector's office on 21 November to demand an end to illegal mining, retrieval of the bodies of workers still trapped in the earth, proper compensation to the families of the victims, and ensuring the safety of workers.

 

Joint Left Rally in Lucknow

On 9 November 2016, a joint Left rally was held in Lucknow against price rise, unemployment, corruption, corporate loot, attacks on democratic rights, and in defence of communal harmony was addressed by the national and state leadership of CPM, CPI, CPI (ML), Forward Bloc, and SUCI (Communist).  The rally took place on the banks of the Gomti at Laxman Mela Maidan. People from districts from all corners of the State including Poorvanchal, Awadh, Bundelkhand and Western UP participated in the rally. The rally was addressed by CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI Rajya Sabha member D Raja, Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrat Biswas. Other leaders who addressed the rally were CPI State Secretary Girish Sharma, CPI (M) State Secretary Hiralal Yadav, CPI (ML) CCM Sudhakar Yadav, Forward Bloc State Secretary Shiv Narayan Singh Chouhan, CPI (M) former MLA Subhashini Ali, and SUCI (C) National Staff member Arun Kumar Singh. The proceedings of the meeting were conducted by CPI State Joint Secretary Arvind Raj Swarup and the vote of thanks was proposed by CPI (ML) State Secretary Ramji Rai.

 

Obituary

Comrade Rohtas Bharati

Comrade Rohtas Bharati from Narela, Delhi, passed away in the early morning of 18 November 2016 in a hospital in Faridabad after a long battle with cancer. A veteran comrade, he was active since the days of the Indian People's Front.  He was the Party's candidate from Narela in the last Assembly elections in Delhi. Till the very last he was active in organising various party initiatives in Delhi.

His cremation was attended by Delhi state CPI(ML) Secretary Ravi Rai and other comrades as well as many local people who remembered him fondly.

Red Salute to Comrade Rohtas Bharati !