CPI (M) UNDER TERROR ATTACK OF THE MEDIA: 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

BUDDHADEB BHATTACHARJEE: P. CHIDAMBRAM MALIGNS CPI (M) TO DEFEND MAOIST BUTCHERS AND APPEASE MAMATA BANERJEE

D.O. No. 119-CM

December 28, 2010

Dear Shri Chidambram,

Kindly refer to your secret letter dated 21/22 December, 2010 which had been published in the media before it reached my office on 27.12.2010 at 11 A.M.

Your assessment of the situation in the State of West Bengal is surprising and is far from an impartial overview of the situation. Maoists have spread from across the bordering states and with the help of small section of local people are creating problems mostly in 28 police stations in three districts of West Bengal. They are trying to create their own areas of dominance. They are indiscriminately killing political opponents and even innocent people. They are attacking police stations, police camps and looting arms. They are also engaged in large scale extortions and other unlawful activities.

You are fully aware of these activities of the Maoists. The greatest challenge is how to contain the Maoists and defeat them finally both administratively and politically.

In recent times State and Central Police through their joint efforts have achieved major successes. Peace and normalcy have been restored in vast areas. People who were evicted earlier are going back to their homes. Govt/Panchayat office are functioning normally and so are the schools, markets and shops. Life is gradually coming back to normalcy in these areas but still we have problem in the areas bordering our state. Trinamool Congress which was earlier maintaining secret contacts with Maoist leaders and outfits are now openly organising meetings with them.

CPI (M) and it allies are trying their best to resist the Maoists by mobilizing people against them and in the process have lost more than 170 of their workers and leaders. Unfortunately, you are now blaming them for the present state of affairs. I am afraid it will divert the attention of all concerned who are struggling against Maoists, the greatest threat to our internal security.

As regards political clashes mentioned in your letter I would like to correct your figures. 32 Trinamool Congress supporters have been killed and 601 have suffered injuries while CPI (M) have lost 69 of their cadres and another 723 have been injured. Indian National Congress has lost one of their supporters and 111 have been injured during the period mentioned in your letter. I, however, agree that it is not a happy situation and I am doing my best to stop these senseless killings. I have repeatedly appealed to all the opposition parties to cooperate. All the parties except Trinamool Congress have come forward to cooperate. Trinamool Congress has refused to talk to administration. I am trying to disarm and demoblise all armed groups engaged in violence in some pockets of the state.

I strongly object to your using the word “Harmed” to mean the CPI (M) party workers without knowing the actual meaning of this nasty word coined by Trinamool Congress leaders.

More when we meet.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

Sd/-

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Shri P. Chidambram

Union Home Minister

New Delhi-110 001

Sunday, December 26, 2010

ANDHRA PRADESH: CPI (M) TO LAUNCH AGITATIONS ON PEOPLE’S ISSUES

The extended meeting of the CPI (M) AP state committee has decided to mobilize people on a large scale and organize movements for the resolution of the problems being faced by the common people of the state. It has called upon the people to fight back the implementation of World Bank-dictated policies by the state government in the name of reforms.

The extended meeting was held at Sundarayya Vignan Kendram, Hyderabad on December 19, 2010. Below we give the full text of the political resolution unanimously adopted by the meeting.

THE extended state committee meeting of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) demands from the state government to resolve the serious problems being faced by various sections of people of the state immediately.

The faction feuds within the state Congress party have reached their pinnacle. After the appointment of the new chief minister by the Congress high command, the dissatisfactions within the party have flared up. Those MLA’s who did not get a cabinet berth are angry. Even those who got a place in the cabinet are, in some cases, unhappy as to the kind of ministry they have got. Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Congress MP and son of former chief minister late Y S Rajashekar Reddy, has rebelled against the party and resigned from both party membership and Lok Sabha membership, complaining that the Congress party is insulting his supporters. He later on announced that he is going to form his own party soon. In the events that followed one another at a lightening speed, the Congress high command was forced to enter the scene and do the adjustments in its own ‘style.’ But, despite the high command's intervention, the uncertainty in the government and the dissatisfaction in the party did not subside. On each and every occasion these faction feuds in the party are resurfacing. And the party leaders are busy in dealing with them. The people of the state have given mandate to the Congress party to rule the state for five years. It is already one and a half years since this mandate was given but still these leaders are busy in faction feuds and the distribution of the fruits of power amongst themselves.

On the other hand, there is no time left for the Congress party to look into the problems of the state, its people and the administration. The Congress high command, which should have set right the things, has rather contributed to the degeneration in the situation and thus the worsening of the governance in the state. The sealed-cover culture in the distribution of positions of power has come back again, and has led to the gross distortion of democratic values. So, the entire responsibility for the uncertainty and confusion that has descended on the state for the last few months, rests completely on the shoulders of the Congress high command.

The Congress leadership is responsible for the building up of the animosities among the Telugu people by its ways of opportunism and casual attitude on the question of the unity of the state. The Srikrishna committee, which was constituted to dwell into the matter of integrated/divided state, announced that it will submit the report even before the deadline of December 31. There is a chance that some forces and people might try to aggravate hostilities between the people of various regions in the state and thus jeopardize peace and fraternity by using this occasion as an opportunity. The CPI (M) calls upon the people to be alert in these matters.

There is nobody in the government as of now who is caring about the problems of the people. Because of that, people are being forced to fall back upon the mercy of the administration for getting things done. But in the present situation, even the government administration has become rudderless and passive. As of now, the new chief minister and his ministerial colleagues dont look like moving in the direction of setting the things right and resolving the issues of the people. As their problems go unattended to, the people of the state got vexed up and are taking to the path of agitations. Sections of people like ITDA Gurukul school hostel staff, employees of the Indira Kranti Padham, Asha workers, RTC employees, State Electricity Board employees, Singareni contract workers etc are all on the path of struggle on their genuine demands. Many other sections of people are making plea after plea for the resolution of their problems, and are getting ready for taking part in the struggles. Police lathicharged the IKP workers recently.

A rasta roko programme was organised on December 11 under the leadership of the secular opposition parties seeking increase in the support price for farmers produce. Various sections of the people are appealing to the government on their various problems. Unorganised workers are asking for the implementation of the minimum wages; government employees and teachers are asking for their genuine rights and health facilities; anganwadis are asking for retirement benefits; poor are demanding for housing sites, ration, and the implementation of the employment guarantee scheme; girijans are asking for patta rights on the forest lands and the students are appealing for scholarships and hostel facilities.

Farmers are committing suicides because the paddy crop was damaged in 14 districts of the state. So far 40 farmers have committed suicide because of unbearable losses. The farmers are demanding compensation for the damaged crops. The CPI (M) extended meeting demands the state government to pay attention toward the immediate resolution of these problems.

The state assembly and legislative council meetings were held for six days from December 10. The government utterly failed in showing a way out of the immediate and serious problems facing the people. It wasted a lot of time in the session. It has not responded properly toward the problems of the farmers, despite the opposition raising the issue forcefully. The government announced only namesake measures. But these measures are not sufficient enough in order to rescue the farmers, that too in particular the tenant farmers who have undergone an immense loss. The CPI(M) calls upon the farmers to take to a path of agitation for making the government come down on the question of resolving the issues in a befitting manner. It is only because of people’s agitations in the past that the government has come down and started implementation of the welfare schemes. In the past, huge movements were organised for the sake of housing sites, ration cards, forest rights, resolution of the issues of hostels, for nodal agencies, for identity cards to the tenant farmers etc. The government now is trying to weaken the welfare programmes that are a result of these people’s struggles.

The poor people of the state, who are already struggling from price rise and decline in employment opportunities, will further suffer if the welfare schemes are weakened. So, the new state government instead of trying to weaken the welfare programmes should rather try to plug the loopholes in them and implement them in a much better way, demands the extended meeting of the CPI (M). It also calls upon the people to prepare themselves for the protection of these welfare programmes and their further strengthening. The meeting also calls upon the people to mobilise themselves for the sake of the struggles on the issues of protecting and further strengthening of the welfare programmes; house sites for the poor; cultivable land for the landless; and the resolution of the problems of the sections of the people like the poor, weaker sections – the dalits, minorities, tribals, artisans, and the poor farmers. The state government is implementing the conditionalities of the World Bank in a disguised way in the name of reforms. It is bringing about new legislations for the sake of doing this. Property tax is being raised in some municipalities, along with a tax on garbage in those municipalities. Water meters are also being fixed. The extended meeting of the CPI (M) state committee appeals to the people of the state to fight back these anti-people policies of the government.

Source: www.pd.cpim.org/

ANDUL, HOWRAH: DREAM OF SWAPAN KOLAY OF PRABHU JAGATBANDHU MAHAVIDYALAYA

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Monday, December 20, 2010

BAHARAMPUR, MURSHIDABAD: ALL BENGAL TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION (ABTA) ORGANISES PROTEST AGAINST MURDER OF SWAPAN KOLAY AND ASSAULT OF SOUVIK HAZRA

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GOALTORE, WEST MEDINIPUR: SUSANTA GHOSH, WEST BENGAL MINISTER, UNVEILS THE STATUE OF SIDHU KANHU AT SANTAL BIDROHA SATABARSHIKI MAHAVIDYALAYA COLLEGE

WEST BENGAL: PEOPLE PROTEST AGAINST MURDER, VIOLENCE AND TERROR CREATED BY GOONS AND BUTCHERS OF MAMATA-SUCI-MAOIST NEXUS

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HALISAHAR-NAIHATI, NORTH 24 PARGANAS: BUTCHERS OF MAMATA BANERJEE CREATE TERROR IN SCHOOL MANAGING COMMITTEE ELECTION

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LALGARH: MAMATA BANERJEE WANTS TO CREATE TERROR IN KOLKATA WITH THE DEAD BODY OF SANATAN HEMBRAM, DREADED MAOIST BUTCHER OF LALGARH

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JUST LIKE A TANTRIK, NEXUS OF TMC, SUCI, MAOISTS, SYCOPHANT INTELLECTUALS & MEDIA WANTS MORE AND MORE DEAD BODIES TO SUIT POLITICAL AGENDA OF MAMATA

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BAHARAMPUR, MURSHIDABAD: BSNL EMPLOYEES CALL UPON TO RESIST TERROR AND VIOLENCE UNLEASHED BY BUTCHERS OF MAMATA-SUCI-MAOIST NEXUS IN WEST BENGAL

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SARAS MELA, KOLKATA: WOMEN IN WEST BENGAL LEAD IN PURCHASE AND SELL

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PRABHU JAGATBANDHU COLLEGE, ANDUL: THE DREAM OF COMRADE SWAPAN KOLAY CANNOT BE DESTROYED BY THE BUTCHERS OF MAMATA BANERJEE

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ANANDA BAZAR PATIKA, BARTAMAN PATRIKA, STAR ANAND, PRATIDIN PATRIKA ARE MINES OF FALSEHOOD, DISTORTION OF FACTS AND MALICIOUS PROPAGANDA

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KOLKATA: COMRADE RINA SENGUPTA PASSES AWAY

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GANASHAKTI

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EDITORIAL OF GANASHAKTI DATED 20-12-2010 ON VIOLENCE AND FALSEHOOD OF TRINAMOOL CONGRESS IN WEST BENGAL UNDER MAMATA BANERJEE

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA: LEFT DEMOCRATIC FRONT GOVERNMENT ACHIEVES SUCCESS FOR PRO-PEOPLE POLICIES

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KOLKATA: CPI (M) LEADER MRIDUL ALLEGES THAT PANCHAYATS CONTROLLED BY MAMATA BANERJEE ENGAGED IN RAMPANT CORRUPTION

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KOLKATA: RAILWAY MINISTER GIVES FALSE ASSURANCE TO POOR PEOPLE OF KOLKATA TO MAKE THEM FOOL

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KOLKATA: PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATES WIN MANAGING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS IN 21 SCHOOLS DESPITE TERROR CREATED BY BUTCHERS OF MAMATA BANERJEE

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DHARAMATALA, KOLKATA: ALL BENGAL TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION (ABTA) ORGANISES UNVEILING OF BUST OF SATYAPRIYA ROY BY CHIEF MINISTER BUDDHADEB BHATTACHARJEE

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Sunday, December 19, 2010

NATO & AFGHANISTAN: DELAYING THE INEVITABLE - YOHANNAN CHEMERAPALLY

AFGHANISTAN was the major item on the agenda at the NATO summit held in Lisbon in the third week of November. It is no secret that the majority of NATO members want to withdraw their troops at the earliest from Afghanistan. Public opinion in their countries is strongly against the war in Afghanistan. Near the summit venue, thousands of protestors had painted the streets red, chanting “Peace, Yes. NATO, No”. President Barack Obama and senior western heads of state had earlier in the year mentioned the year 2014 as the deadline for withdrawal of foreign troops from the country. But in recent months, Obama has had an apparent change of mind given the military facts on the ground in Afghanistan. Despite his much hyped military surge, the Taliban has held its ground and seems to be in fact expanding its influence to areas where previously its presence was insignificant. To add to Obama’s and NATO’s problems, president Hamid Karzai has once again become vocal in his demands for a speedy withdrawal of foreign forces and a halt to the targeting of civilians in NATO’s counter insurgency operations.

At the NATO summit, America’s European partners despite their misgivings have chosen to at least publicly support the Obama administration’s latest game plan in Afghanistan. They have agreed to a phased transfer of responsibility to Afghan forces before starting the military withdrawal in 2014. At the same time, NATO leaders issued a warning that the 2014 deadline was not sacrosanct and is dependant on the Afghan government making sufficient progress in maintaining its own security. The secretary-general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, talking to the media after the end of the summit, categorically stated that NATO forces “will stay after the transition in a supporting role” in Afghanistan. As a sop to European public opinion, Rasmussen said that he did not visualise NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) playing a combat role in Afghanistan beyond 2014. Many NATO member countries have already withdrawn their troops from Afghanistan. Others have insisted that they will be completely out of the country by 2014. America’s closest ally, Britain, has said that the last of its combat troops will be out by 2015.

A long term security agreement was signed between NATO and the Afghan government was signed during the summit. NATO officials have been saying for some time that a large number of its troops will be staying behind after 2014 to provide training and to prop up the Karzai government. “To put it simply, the Taliban or anyone else who wants to wait us out, they can forget it. We will stay as long as it takes to finish the job”, the NATO secretary general told reporters. Rasmussen’s views may not find many takers in European capitals. The newly appointed French defence minister, Alain Juppe, had said before the Lisbon summit that Afghanistan is “a trap for all the parties involved there”. Juppe, a former French prime minister, also said that his country was determined to hand over areas under their military control to Afghan forces as soon as they could. The Sarkozy government has indicated that it wants to remove all French troops from Afghanistan before the 2012 presidential elections. More than 70 per cent of the French public oppose the war in Afghanistan.

CONJURING UP NEW ENEMIES

During the summit, NATO also signed an agreement with Russia to expand the supply of war materials for NATO troops through an overland route from Central Asia. It will be a fall back for NATO if transportation of arms and supplies through the attack prone Pakistani route becomes untenable.

The agreement also illustrates the increased bonhomie between NATO and Russia. President Dmitry Medvedev, was a special invitee to the summit. Medvedev said that Russia was “bolstering” its relationship with NATO in order to build a “strategic partnership”. NATO was founded in 1949 in response to the alleged threat posed by the USSR. Logically it should have disbanded after the collapse of the Socialist bloc and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact—the military alliance of Communist countries led by Moscow. At the moment, NATO is trying to stay relevant by conjuring up new enemies all over the world. First it was the Balkans, now it is Afghanistan. Next stop could be either Somalia or Sudan.

President Obama on his part has defended the counter-insurgency tactics that have led to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians in Afghanistan. While describing Karzai’s criticism of civilian deaths “as entirely legitimate”, he said that the Afghan president should also understand American troops are being shot at and that they “needed to protect themselves”. Obama however expressed confidence that the US will be able to start downsizing their troops by July 2011, as he had publicly pledged. “We are in a better place now than we were in a year ago”, he said. But he also warned that “making progress between now and next summer was the key”.

The US defence secretary, Robert Gates, has said that only a fraction of the US troops will be left behind in 2014 and that they “would be in a train and advice role” of the kind that the US has taken on in Iraq. More than 50,000 US troops remain in Iraq. Besides, they have constructed huge military bases in Iraq to ensure a permanent presence. The aim of the US is to ensure a permanent military occupation of both Iraq and Afghanistan for long term strategic reasons. The head of the British armed forces, Gen David Richards, said recently that US/NATO troops may have to stay in Afghanistan for the next thirty to forty years. The Afghan countryside is dotted with ever expanding US forward operating bases (FOB). Many of the FOB’s are along the Iran and Pakistan borders. In August this year, the Pentagon announced plans to build three more bases; each of them budgeted at over $100 million. Given the number of FOB’s in the country, the US is preparing for a long haul in Afghanistan.

2014: AN ASPIRATIONAL DEADLINE?

Gen David Petraeus, the man in charge of the US military operations in Afghanistan, assured those present at the NATO summit that the military surge had “broken the Taliban’s momentum”. According to reports, not many European leaders were convinced by the assertions of Petraeus. Before the NATO summit, the US defence department had issued a statement saying that the 2014 departure date was an “aspirational goal” not a rigid deadline. Senior Obama officials have been saying different things on the “exit strategy” from Afghanistan. After the NATO summit ended, the vice president, Joseph Biden, said that 2014 was a “drop dead” date for the withdrawal of all combat troops from Afghanistan. Earlier Richard Holbrooke, the US special ambassador to Afghanistan and Pakistan had said that withdrawal of American troops would start in July, 2011 and completed by 2014. A majority of Americans now disapprove of the war in Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan now comes with a monthly price tag of $17 billion for the American tax payer.

The Obama administration wants Pakistan and India to back its new Afghanistan strategy. The US state department spokesman said that the US has invited both the countries “to be engaged in and participate in the transition program in Afghanistan”. The state department spokesman has endorsed India’s “significant role” in the strengthening of Afghanistan’s economy and security but said that New Delhi would not have a direct role in the training of Afghan security forces. He also stressed the importance of resolving the “vitally important” Kashmir dispute to foster stability in the South Asian region. Pakistan, a key player and ally of the US in the war in Afghanistan, was not invited to the NATO summit. Even, Japan, a country that only provides economic aid to Kabul, was invited to the summit.

NATO’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Mark Sedell however acknowledged the crucial role Pakistan will have to play if there has to be a drawdown of western troop in Afghanistan. Sedell told the media in Lisbon that the “scale and pace of transition” will depend on how quickly Pakistan weeds out the terrorists from their safe havens in tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. He also said that Islamabad had a big role to play in persuading sections of the Taliban and other anti-American groups over which it has influence, to make peace with the Karzai regime.

Convincing ordinary Afghans about the allegedly benign nature of the occupation will be an impossible task. After the American troop surge earlier this year, air strikes in Afghanistan are up by 50 per cent. Two American air craft carriers carrying 120 planes have been deployed to increase the air power. Heavy Abrams tanks are being used in Taliban stronghold like Kandahar to further augment US/NATO firepower. American commanders claim that their purpose “is not to kill our way out of this war” but the dramatic increase in the number of civilian casualties tells another story. The UN has reported that Afghan civilians killed in the conflict rose by a third in the first six months of 2010. The aim is to force the Taliban to the negotiating table but so far this inhuman tactic seems to have been counter-productive. The Taliban released a statement after the NATO summit that they would force the occupation forces to leave the country even before the so called 2014 deadline for withdrawal.

The Taliban has also denied that high level peace talks are currently on with the Karzai administration. The Taliban stance on talks has been clear for some time. For any meaningful talks to start, senior Taliban leaders, including Mullah Omar, have said that all foreign forces will first have to announce a ceasefire and then leave the country.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

Thursday, December 9, 2010

HUGE MARCH TO PARLIAMENT RAISES EDUCATIONAL ISSUES

THOUSANDS of people comprising of students, teachers, non-teaching employees and officers of schools, colleges and universities, youth, parents and activists of people’s science movements marched from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament Street in a rally raising issues related to education on December 2, 2010.

This rally was held after a national convention held on August 13 formed a national forum in defense of education in Delhi.

The rally raised slogans criticising the anti-people policies of UPA II government and its neo-liberal ‘reform’ agenda in the field of education and resolved to force the central government to accept the demands.

The rally was addressed by a large number of leaders of the participating organisations and leaders and MPs of Left parties.

James Williams, president of the AIFUCTO was the president of the presidium. The rally was addressed by Ashok Burman; general secretary AIFUCTO, Ritabrata Banerjee; general Secretary SFI; Basudev Acharya; MP CPI (M), Abani Roy; MP RSP; D Raja; MP CPI, Barun Mukherjee; MP FB, Rajendran; general secretary STFI, Amresh Kumar; general secretary AISB, Sunny Kutty; general secretary RYF, Tapas Sinha; general secretary DYFI, Sohan Das; BGVS, Mukesh Kumar; AIUEC and Vishnu; PSU.

A number of MPs also attended the rally including P K Biju, president SFI, P Karunakaran, M B Rajesh, K N Balagopal, Saidul Haq, Shakti Mohan Malik.

The speakers focused on the policies of the central government aimed at pushing centralisation, privatisation and commercialisation of the education sector in the country which would undermine the goal of expansion, excellence and equity in education. They said the goal of expansion, excellence and equity can only be achieved through increased public spending based on a democratic education policy.

The speakers also attacked the government over the issue of corruption and said the amount of money involved is much more than what was required to meet the needs of providing equitable and quality education in the country. They warned the government against ignoring the demands being made failing which the struggle would be intensified in the coming days.

Charter of Demands

 Allocate 6 per cent of GDP for education as committed in the CMP of the UPA-1 government.

 Include pre-primary to senior secondary education under the purview of the Right to Education. The central government should bear all the expenditure for implementing the Right to Education. Increase the number of schools along with strong social monitoring mechanism involving local stake holders. Delete the provision, Section 35 of the Act, requiring prior permission for any prosecution. The 86^th constitutional amendment (2002) should be revisited to make the right to education inclusive of common school and neighborhood school.

 Recruit quality teachers on a permanent basis. Remove the freeze on appointments and cuts in teaching and non-teaching positions. The para-teachers/ contract teachers and employees should be absorbed on permanent basis.

 Oppose handing over of public educational institutions’ infrastructure and management to the private sector in the name of public private partnerships.

 Reject fee hike. Fully subsidise students from economically backward and disadvantaged backgrounds.

 Enact a central legislation to bring all private self-financing institutions under strict social control.

 Implement constitutionally mandated SC/ST/OBC reservations in all educational institutions.

 Fight all attempts to undermine the democratic control of the parliament, state assemblies and statutory structures of universities and colleges (including through instruments like NCHER). Fight against centralisation of education.

 Oppose FDI in education.

 Scrap the FEI bill and amend the other recently introduced bills to make them democratic.

 Scrap private universities and deemed university status to private institutions.

 Stop bringing education under GATS (WTO).

 Use information technology for distance education to provide universal lifelong quality education. Do not commercialise distance education.

 Undertake assessment for improvement not accreditation or funding. Evolve a democratic and transparent mechanism for assessment.

 Uphold democratic rights in the sphere of education. Hold elections for students’ unions, teaching and non-teaching associations. Provide elected representation in all decision making bodies.

Source: People’s Democracy