[L-I] [INDIA ] ML Update Vol. 6 No. 42

ML Update
A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine
Vol.  6          No.  42        15-21 October  2003




'Stability' Unites Vajpayee and Musharraf

However hard Vajpayee and Musharraf may try to avoid meeting each other,
they cannot avoid sharing one common 'identity'. The political birthdays of
both regimes fall around the same time. The middle of October finds both
Musharraf and Vajpayee preoccupied with observing the anniversary of their
respective trysts with power. This October, while Musharraf celebrates four
years of 'stable military democracy' in Pakistan, Vajpayee too celebrates
four years of 'stable coalition rule' - the longest innings by a
non-Congress regime. It is another matter that while the regimes compliment
themselves on their stability or 'ability' to survive, the people in both
countries are clearly fed up, and are eagerly looking forward to the exit or
expiry of these twin monstrosities.

Time was when the BJP used to advertise itself as the party with a
difference. The real meaning of this difference has now become crystal
clear. The BJP has proved itself to be worse than every other national and
regional ruling party on every front. Freedom from 'bhay, bhukh and
bhrastachar' (terror, hunger and corruption), the pet slogan used in the
last couple of elections is also heard no more. The government has in fact
been exposed to be the greatest producer and distributor of precisely these
three things. Lacking in saleable slogans, it now prefers to fall back on
the worn-out Congress plank of 'stability'.

But can 'governmental stability' be the sole or even main 'identity' of the
BJP? What about the trademark issues, the real agenda that catapulted the
party from the obscurity of opposition politics to the limelight of power?
If the party could 'sacrifice' its state governments to advance its agenda,
why can't it use the central government for a vigorous implementation of the
same agenda? So far, the BJP has tended to use its state governments more
openly and freely, for instance in UP and Gujarat, while maintaining a
measure of 'restraint' at the Centre. But this 'duality' has more to do with
the lack of effective strength at the Centre and the fact that the BJP is
still not sure of how the ruling classes would respond to the BJP agenda in
its totality than with any inherent strength of Indian parliamentary
democracy. To be sure, it is impossible for the BJP to defer its core agenda
for long.

On the fourth anniversary of Vajpayee's third term, while the BJP 'high
command' is busy celebrating and selling stability, the VHP and other Sangh
affiliates are ready with yet another phase of their temple campaign. And
ironically, while VHP leaders have often expressed their 'displeasure' with
Vajpayee and have even demanded his resignation or replacement, Vajpayee has
asked the people to have faith in the VHP! A decade ago, Narsimha Rao had
made a similar plea and the result is known to all. The demolition of Babri
Masjid also marked the demolition of Narsimha Rao's political career and
threw the Congress out of power for the longest period till date.

In 1992, the BJP was in power in UP while a 'consensus'-friendly Congress
regime ruled at the centre. Today, while the BJP runs the show in Delhi,
Lucknow has a mellowed Mulayam Singh at the helm. Having returned to power
after a prolonged exile, Mulayam is now busy working out a new pattern of
'peaceful coexistence and consensus' with the BJP. He has already given
enough indications by welcoming the Rae Bareli verdict and refusing to take
any further initiative to bring Advani to justice. How his government deals
with the Sangh Brigade's renewed stridency on the temple issue remains to be
seen.

While Mulayam makes up his mind, the Shiv Sena's flop show clearly shows
that the people at large have begun to grow tired of the politics of
Ayodhya. For the people of Faizabad, it has been like an unending state of
siege, and the urge to get out of it is growing and visible. Let the parivar
celebrate its 'stability'. Left and democratic forces must give voice to the
growing mood of disenchantment and anger among the people. The people's
yearning for change must prevail over the rulers' arrogant claim of
stability.


Communal Riots in Arrah Could Have Been Prevented

The CPI(ML) has demanded immediate removal of District Magistrate of Bhojpur
and a high level judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of High Court to bring
real culprits who perpetrated the communal riots in Arrah town on the night
of Dussehra on Oct 5 to book. The Party has also demanded rehabilitation of
those whose shops were burnt by the rioters and compensation and pension to
the families of innocents who were killed in the senseless firing by the
police.

CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya along with Party MLA
Ramnaresh Ram and Khet Mazdoor Sabha leader and ex-MP Rameshwar Prasad led a
peace march on Oct 8 which was organised by the Party in tension-ridden
Arrah town to appeal to the people to foil the designs of communal fascists
and to come forward to restore peace and harmony in the town. Comrade
Dipankar also visited the homes of those killed in the incident.
Party has strongly criticized the soft stand being taken by the state
government towards fascist forces in Bihar and callousness shown by the
District Administration during the incident and said that these pre-planned
riots could have been prevented if local administration had shown promptness
in taking timely and appropriate measures.

According to local Party leaders and eyewitnesses, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena
members spread rumour on the night of Oct 5 using the public address system
at one puja pandal, in a very planned manner, that a puja pandal has been
desecrated by a member of the minority community, and started rioting,
looting and arsoning of shops belonging to members of minority community in
almost a half kilometer long stretch of the market in a pre-planned way.
Police present on the spot remained mute spectators and when higher
officials came to the spot, one inspector opened indiscriminate firing
killing two innocents who were standing nearby. Nearly 70-75 shops were
destroyed in the incident.

Communal elements, most of them BJP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena members,
tried to further flare up communal tension by staging a road blockade in the
morning of Oct 6 along with the dead body of Dharmendra, who fell to police
bullets, and sensing that citizens were not heeding to their rumours they
left the place remorselessly leaving the dead body behind, which was later
taken away by his lonely father for cremation.
CPI(ML) activists, led by comrade Manohar, remained vigilant throughout the
day and visited all sensitive areas in the city to appeal to the people to
maintain harmony. This was continued next day, Oct 7, when AISA, RYA and JSM
held a peace march in the town.


Repression on Dalits by Upper Caste Feudals in Kaimur


While communal outfits flared up tension and engineered riots in Arrah on
the occasion of Durga Puja, a dalit was killed by upper caste feudals for
daring to offer puja in village pandal in Baheri village of Kaimur district
though he was also made to pay his share of contribution for the puja
preparations. Many dalit villagers were also subjected to beatings by
feudals and local police and administration tried to suppress the resentment
among villagers and remained busy in saving the culprits. Nobody has yet
been arrested for the murder of sixty year old Ramlal Ram who was killed by
an upper Brahmin youth on Oct 4 during Dussehra celebrations neither any
kurki warrants have been issued against the murderers.

According to the CPI(ML) team which which made an on the spot investigation,
it all started with the possession of a public platform made around a pipal
tree in the dalit tola of the village. Dalits are denied to sit on or use
the platform though it is located in their tola while upper caste lumpen
youth of the village use to gather and use it as a platform to pass obscene
comments to passersby. This was a point of resentment among dalits for quite
a long time. Moreover, local feudals were also enraged by the BPKMS campaign
in the village which made nearly 70 agri. labourers its members. To weaken
the resentment among dalits, upper caste members decided to include dalits
and backwards into the puja committee in the village, but it became
unbearable for them when a dalit youth dared to offer puja on the evening of
Oct 4 in the community pandal erected on the occasion. He was severely
beaten up by upper caste members and when former managed to flee the spot, a
Brahmin youth, who is also an active Ranvir Sena member, went to his house
and killed his father Ramlal Ram.

When CPI(ML) team reached the village on the next day, all accused were
present in the village, roaming freely, demonstrating Laloo's brand of
'Social Justice'.
The Party organised a series of protest meetings against this incident at
many places including Bhabhua and Kudra which culminated into a massive
protest rally at Kaimur where thousands of people participated from nearby
villages. A 'jan panchayat' will also be organised against rising number of
incidents of dalit repression on Oct 22. CPI(ML) has demanded arrests of all
those who are responsible for this crime and a compensation of at least one
lakh rupees to the family of the victim and guarantee of security to the
dalits of Baheri village and said that such incidents are a result of
passive as well as active support being given to perpetrators by the local
administration. Party has also demanded strong action against DM and SP of
Kaimur.

Agricultural Workers' Union's   District Conferences

Bihar State Agricultural Workers Union units of Gaya and Nawada districts
held conferences on Oct 12 and Sep 24 respectively and elected their
destrict committees. First BPKMS conference of Gaya unit was held at Shaheed
Brajesh Hall in Gaya which elected a 19 member district committee. The
conference discussed issues related to land redistribution, wages, social
dignity and question of development.

Impressive marches were also organised in both the districts before the
conferences which witnessed massive participation by enthusiastic new
members. These Conferences chalked out a comprehensive plan to make the
forthcoming All India Conference of Agricultural Labourers to be held at
Arrah a great success.


'Politics of Fascism and Tasks before Democratic Forces'
Convention  in Faizabad, UP

CPI(ML) organised a mass convention in Faizabad on Oct 12 on Politics of
Fascist Forces and Tasks of the Democratic Forces which was attended by
cross sections of the people including prominent intellectuals, journalists
besides a large number of Party activists from Faizabad and nearby
districts. Convention was organised against Sangh Parivar's communal
campaign particularly VHP's call of  Ayodhya March on Oct 17.

Speakers at the convention condemned Sangh's fascist politics which is going
on in the name of Mandir and said that the people, particularly in
Ayodhya-Faizabad and whole of Awadh region who share a common tradition and
culture, will never let fascists come to power in the country and Sangh
Parivar and its outfits' all attempts will be frustrated by them. But at the
same time, speakers also warned that all attempts to limit the movement
against fascism in parliamentary framework must be countered to unleash the
real power of the people by involving broader sections of the masses
especially peasants and workers.
The Convention asked Mulayam govt. of UP not to show any leniency towards
VHP's proposed Ayodhya March and demanded to file a petition in the Supreme
Court against the Raebareli court's verdict which has aquitted Adavani, main
accused in Babri Masjid demolition case on filmsy grounds giving him benefit
of doubt. Convention also demanded that a fresh notification must be issued
by the UP govt. to facilitate the way to punish the guilty of Babri Masjid
demolition, including Advani and other BJP and Sangh leaders, in the Special
Court at Lucknow.
The Convention was presided over by UP State Secretary of CPI(ML) Akhilendra
Pratap Singh.

'Oust Mafia - Save Uttaranchal'
Convention in Rudrapur

The Udham Singh Nagar unit of Party organised a Convention on 'Oust mafia -
Save Uttaranchal' as part of 'Save India - Save Democracy' Campaign at
Rudrapur on Oct 12.
Speakers at the Convention strongly criticized state and central governments
for their unwillingness to enact pro-people policies which are suitable to
the specific social and geographical conditions of the newly formed state
and demanded enactment of a comprehensive and new land-reforms law for the
state. Political patronage being given to land-mafia and corrupt bureaucracy
by ruling Congress and the BJP was also condemned. Various other issues
including implementation of ceiling act and dissolution of big farms running
in thousands of acres in the name of co-operatives in the terai region were
also raised in the convention. The Convention was presided over by
Uttaranchal CPI(ML) in-charge Raja Bahuguna.


Hunger Strike Against Police Atrocities in Sonbhadra, UP

UP State Committee of CPI(ML) has strongly condemned the increasing police
atrocities and attacks on Party activists, particularly in Chandauli and
Sonbhadra districts, and demanded an immediate stop to these incidents of
state repression. Party's State Committee member Dinkar Kapur also sat on a
48 hour hunger strike on Oct 6-8 in protest at headquarter of Sonbhadra
district Robertsganj with demands to remove IG (Police) Varanasi Zone who
issues orders to target CPI(ML) leaders and activists, to punish SP of
Chandauli district who ordered the arrest and third degree torture of Dr.
Ishwar Dayal, a Party leader in the district and immediate release of the
latter. Party will also start legal procedure against this arrest besides
intensifying mass movement to protest this state repression. The killing of
four persons at Devrar-Pipra by the police was also condemned through this
hunger strike and dharna.


Mass Campaign in Delhi

The Delhi unit of CPI(ML) is organising mass campaigns against the Congress
govt. in Delhi as well as NDA's central govt. for their failure in
addressing civic problems and issues related particularly to working class
in the capital. This has been taken up as Party's 'Save India - Save
Democracy' campaign and besides distributing pamphlets in several area, a
series of mass meetings is being organised at selected centres. Two mass
meetings were organised at Vinod Nagar and Patparganj on Oct 11 and 12
respectively which were addressed by many leading comrades of Delhi State
Committee.
The Party is raising issues like misappropriation of MLAs' Funds in various
constituencies, increasing police atrocities on poor and toiling masses,
unresolved problems of potable water, electricity, sanitation and demolition
of jhuggis besides launching an intensive campaign against privatisation of
public sector undertakings, SC ban on strikes, fascist attacks on democratic
institutions and Delhi govt.'s move to privatise DTC, health and education
sectors through this exposure campaign.


Repression of CPI(ML) Activists in W. Champaran

CPI(ML) has expressed resentment over increasing repression of Party leaders
and cadres by state administration at the behest of feudal forces operating
in West Champaran in the form of Kisan Sangh and other criminal gangs.

Bihar State Secretary of CPI(ML) Ramjatan Sharma has said that
intensification of democratic movement by the peasants and agricultural
labourers in the district has led to an increase in administrative and
police repression and arrests of Party activists on fake charges. This is
being done in connivance with feudal elements and criminal gangs who in turn
protect the vested interests of corrupt politicians and bureaucracy.

A senior leader of the Party Birendra Gupta has conspiratorially been
confined to jail despite appeals by hundreds of eminent social personalities
and more cases are being framed against him. On Oct 12, police took no
action against criminals of dreaded Jahangir gang who kidnapped two CPI(ML)
activists in broad day-light from Margadwa Railway station. Police let loose
its reign of terror on hundreds of Party supporters on Oct 6 in a deliberate
act after MCC looted rifles from police at Rameshwar Halt. Five Party
activists were arrested, when they were holding a meeting in connection with
All India Agri. Labourers Conference to be held next month. On Oct 8,
hundreds of police personnel raided Dhobahan village. All five have been
implicated in arms act. Another Party activist Sanjay Yadav, who managed
bail,  has once again been re-arrested on false charges.


CPI(ML) Letter of Protest to Election Commission

CPI(ML) has sent a letter of protest to the Election Commission of India
regarding anomalies being practiced by the State Election Commission in
Bihar and by Electoral Officers in many districts and asked the CEC to
direct the concerned officials to include opinions of CPI(ML) nominees at
various levels during rationalising procedures and physical varification of
polling booths and related tasks.

Party has cited several instances of electoral malpractices and said that it
is mandatory on the part of CEC to obtain opinions of as many citizens as
possible in the task of rationalisation and physical varification of polling
booths in order to ensure and protect democracy. But, on the contrary, 60
objections filed by the Party have not been taken care of in district
Jehanabad. Moreover, district electoral officer did not invite Party nominee
to the meeting ignoring the fact that Party is a state recognised one and
secured more than one and a half lakh votes in last Lok Sabha elections.
Similarly, in Siwan where Party secured more than two and a half lakh votes
and has an MLA from Mairwa assembly constituency, its nominees are
deliberately not been invited by the EO. While in Darbhanga Party's nominee
was asked to leave the meeting when he tried to lodge his complaint
regarding anomalies in the process of rationalisation of booths.

Electoral process in Bihar is always been shadowed by malpractices marked
with rampant incidents of booth capturing and electoral violence which in
turn makes mockery of whole democratic process and facilitates election of
corrupt and criminal politicians who serve different feudal Senas and mafia
elements. Therefore, proper rationalisation of polling booths and voter
lists becomes quite important for the forces fighting against
criminalisation of politics and for real democracy to the common citizens in
the state.


Workers' Convention in Jalandhar

A day long workers' convention was held in Jalandhar by CITU(Punjab) on
October 6. The Convention took up the burning issues being faced by the
working class in India viz. privatisation, liberalisation, WTO, attack on
workers' rights, particularly judgements against the right to strike. After
the Convention, which was attended by the leading trade union activists
working in various sectors,  a march was taken out in the city. The
Convention was addressed among others by Chandrasekhar, Mangat Ram Pasla and
AICCTU General Secretary Swapan Mukherjee.


Jharkhand Briefs

Jharkhand State Committee of the Party has condemned and protested the
illegal arrests of comrades Kali Charan Mehta, Virendra Chaudhary and
Surajdev Chaudhary in the early hours of 4 October from Kota village of
Garhwa. Hundreds of people organised a protest demonstration on the same day
against this incident of police repression and torture and demanded action
against responsible officials.

A recurrence of similar incident on Oct 5 was again led to a protest by the
people where six Party activists were arrested by the police in Chainpur
thana after conducting raids in many houses. Two activists, Birbal Prajapati
and Anil were later sent to jail in false charges.
Party also organised a militant demonstration in Garhwa on Oct 1 to condemn
and protest the implication in false case of its leaders Tahir Ansari,
Ganesh Baitha, Sadanand Yadav and Ramchandra Oraon at the behest of
Ramchandra Kesri, a minister in Jharkhand.
Dhanbad District Secretary of CPI(ML) Manoj Bhakt was seriously injured in
the brutal lathicharge by the police when he was leading a protest
demonstration organised by Jharkhand Mazdoor Union and CPI(ML) at Sindri to
demand the compensation to the family of a worker who was killed in an
accident at work.

The Jharkhand General Mazdoor Union organised a protest demonstration on Sep
30 before Project Officer of Junagarh colliary to press upon various demands
of the workers.

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SAVE DEMOCRACY!          SAVE THE COUNTRY!!

March Ahead to Intensify Movement of Agricultural Labourers!
Put an End to Starvation Deaths and Growing Unemployment!
Enact Central Legislation for Agricultural Labourers!

For  Comprehensive Land Reforms,
Development and Democracy!
Against  Communal- Feudal Forces and
Corrupt - Criminal Regime

Make
All India Conference and Rally
of
All India Agricultural
Labourers' Association
a Grand Success.
14-15 November, 2003
Arrah (Bhojpur), Bihar

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www.cpiml.org
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