[L-I] [ INDIA ] ML Update Vol. 6 No. 50 10-16 Dec 2003

ML Update
A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine
Vol.  6 No. 50     10-16 Dec 2003


The Countdown Has Begun for the Big Battle of 2004

The results of the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Chhattisgarh and Delhi contain a lot of surprise for political analysts and
lessons for political activists. For most observers, the outcome in Madhya
Pradesh and Delhi was a foregone conclusion, what has however come as a
surprise is the scale of the Congress debacle in Madhya Pradesh. But in
Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, almost all opinion polls had predicted a
Congress victory. Especially in Chhattisgarh Jogi was expected to have a
smooth sailing thanks to the Judeo tape and his 'Laloo style' social
engineering. But the results tell a different story, and the BJP victory in
both these states has been quite emphatic.

All these years Madhya Pradesh was advertised as a Congress citadel of
secularism and human development. Digvijay Singh's reign was widely
propagated as a pioneering model of decentralisation and dalit empowerment.
But the last few months saw Digvijay Singh making desperate attempts to
steal the Hindutva mantle from the BJP. Opening of Bhojshala, ban on
cow-slaughter, birthday cake for 'Bajrangbali' and all that became his pet
political discourse. Most of the time he was seen visiting temples and
holding pujas and snubbing critics of the BJP's drive to saffronise
education and culture. If Vaghela in Gujarat was a Sangh drop-out, Digvijay
Singh was shaping up as a home-grown Vaghela for the Congress in Madhya
Pradesh. Both have been trounced as badly at the hustings.

In Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi had almost started treating the new state as his
fiefdom. Starting with Balco privatization, his economic policy had become
synonymous with outright sale of resource-rich Chhattisgarh and rampant loot
and corruption. He thought this could be conveniently covered up by
projecting himself as the son of a poor adivasi family and organizing caste
rallies a la Laloo Prasad. Accused of mastering fake certificates and forged
letters, Jogi tried to outsmart the BJP by trapping Judeo in a Tehelka-type
operation, but never showed the courage to confront Judeo and the BJP on the
politics of so-called 'ghar vapsi' or forced reconversion of adivasis. The
result is here for all to see, the BJP has managed to upset his applecart
precisely by making solid inroads into the tribal belt of Bastar, Sarguja
and Jaspur. In Rajasthan, the Congress government's game of upper caste
reservation also boomeranged with Jat votes shifting considerably to the
BJP.

The BJP is now bound to make all-out attempts to derive maximum possible
mileage from the gains made in these Assembly elections. The deception
called NDA and the myth of the BJP shedding its communal fascist agenda and
wearing the mantle of 'development' and 'good governance' are being
refurbished all over again. This illusion needs to be nipped in the bud.

The people are of course fed up with the growing economic crisis; there is
no doubt that acute unemployment, drought and starvation, and collapse of
basic infrastructure have been the dominant popular concerns in these polls.
In an essentially two-party scenario, the BJP has benefited immensely from
this popular discontent. But we must never underestimate the fact that the
BJP's massive victory has been secured in the shadow of the RSS. The impact
of systematic RSS work in the tribal pockets of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh cannot be obscured. Like in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, the
BJP and all other affiliates of the RSS will spare no efforts to pursue
their real agenda without any delay or dilution.

Speculations about the Lok Sabha elections being held a few months ahead of
the schedule have become rife in the wake of the BJP's emphatic victory. But
no matter when elections are actually held, the stage has now clearly been
set and the battle-lines drawn for the next big showdown. A demoralized
Congress will now have to cope with growing dissension from within as well
as increased pressure from its existing and potential allies like the NCP
and the Samajwadi Party. Within the Left camp too, struggle must be
intensified against the tactical line advocated by the CPI-CPM leadership,
the line of a broad Congress-led secular front.

The biggest challenge of course is that of channelising the growing
disillusionment and discontent among the people towards a powerful
democratic movement and mass assertion. The same yearning for change which
has now favoured the BJP in the short term in these states can surely turn
against the BJP at the Centre during the Lok Sabha elections. All that is
needed is painstaking mass work, solid organizational efforts and a powerful
political campaign.


Violence in Assam:
Convention in Patna

Revolutionary Youth Association and All India Students' Association
organized a convention in Patna on "Violence against Bihari Migrants in
Assam - Causes and Remedy" on December 4. It was addressed by Comrade
Dipankar Bhattacharya as the main speaker besides AIALA General Secretary
Rameshwar Prasad and Vidyanand Vikal, members of the central investigation
team of the CPI(ML) that had visited Tinsukia, one of the worst affected
areas by violence in Assam.

Comrade Dipankar said that one must understand the basic character of the
Parliament and other state institutions that have come up openly with their
anti-working class attitudes in all spheres of life and now it is futile to
think that the governments in center and Assam will really put a stop to
such acts of violence against migrant labourers. People of the country,
particularly students and youth, have to come forward to put a permanent
solution to such instigated violences by strengthening the movement and
defeating the policies of center's saffron government spreading communalism
and fanning religious and regional sentiments as a camouflage for it's
anti-people policies and it's own crises.

He also said that system in whole of Bihar today is hemmed in by
criminalisation and the situation has forced students and youth in the state
to migrate outside the state. Therefore, a movement for the social security
has to address the question of unemployment unequivocally, simultaneously,
strengthening struggles against criminalised polity that has stood in the
way of Bihar's development. Hence, to expose those criminal forces also
becomes a primary task before the students and youth in Bihar.

Comrade Rameshwar Prasad explained the situation of Assam in detail and
criticized the insensitive attitudes  of Congress government of Assam
towards these worrisome incidents of violence.

The convention was attended by large number of intellectuals and students
and youth from Patna as well as other parts of Bihar.


Violence in Karbi Anglong:

Inter-tribal Clashes are a Conspiracy to Derail the Popular Democratic
Movement
CPI(ML), ASDC(P), KSA and KNCA have strongly condemned the ongoing spree of
arson and killing of Karbi and Kuki people and the role of Assam's Congress
govt. as well as centre's NDA govt. for not taking timely and appropriate
steps to stop this violence. A massive operation to organise relief to the
affected population by mobilising local resources is also being carried out
by these organisations. Party has called upon the people to rise to the
occasion and come forward to help the victims to maintain peace at any cost.
The CPI(ML) has appealed to the people of Karbi Anglong to defeat the
conspiracy of BJP-led central Govt. and Cong-led Assam Govt. to derail the
popular movement for Autonomous State by engineering or abetting series of
fratricidal intertribal clashes like Dimasa-Hmar and Karbi-Kuki through
united peoples movement for justice and democracy.

More than a month has passed since first incident of violence was reported
in Karbi Anglong on Nov 2. Authorities in Assam Govt. then stated that the
situation would be totally controlled within seven days. But the fire of
violence has engulfed more and more areas instead of dying down. As of now
more than one hundred villages have been burnt and an equal number of
civilians including pregnant women and children were mercilessly killed by
terrorists during last one month. Govt. agencies including Army personnel
are yet to reach all the sites of occurrence of these incidents even after
one month and, hence, it is feared that the toll of causalities may be much
higher. Thousands of people mostly Karbi Tribes are uprooted from their
homes. They could not harvest their standing crops and that will lead to
acute food crisis in the Hill region. The way 'Kuki Revolutionary Army'
(KRA), the terrorist outfit behind most of these barbaric acts has gone on a
killing spree as if there was no government.

The soil of Karbi Hills is now soaked with blood of innocent men, women and
children. The glorious skyline over evergreen forest is overcast with smokes
of more than one hundred burning villages. The soothing sounds of hills,
springs and chirping of countless birds are overshadowed by heart rendering
yells of suffering people. The Governments of the day both at Dispur and
Delhi owe an explanation to public. What is the purpose of having a Govt. if
it cannot do anything to stop the violence even after more than a month in a
localised area covering a population less than approximately 50 thousand?
Instead of acting to stop violence, both the governments are passing the
buck to each other allowing the situation to aggravate futher.

CPI(ML) CC member and Member of Parliament Dr. Jayanta Rongpi met the Chief
Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi on Dec 5 and expressed his annoyance over the
government's inaction that has allowed the situation to drift in such a way
that the KRA terrorists are now having a field day of killing and burning
Karbi people and Karbi villages and that may again trigger off massive
retaliation. He also reminded him about the proposals put before him jointly
by CPI(ML), ASDC(P), KSA and KNCA on Nov 15 to bring back normalcy in Karbi
Anglong and submitted a fresh memorandum demanding a seven-point action
programme from the state Govt. This includes banning of KRA/ KNA, flushing
out of KRA/KNA terrorists and to stop Kuki infiltration from neighboring
states. On relief front the memorandum demanded that a sum of Rs. 5 lakhs
should be granted per family to those killed in the violence and to provide
free rations to all the victims and displaced persons under 'Annapurna'
scheme till next harvesting season. Adequate compensations must be provided
to each family proportionate to their actual losses. The memorandum also
demanded that Govt. must reject the proposal of ASDC-KNA/ KRA agreement of
4th Dec, 2000 to establish Kuki Hills Council in Karbi Anglong.

CPI(ML), ASDC(P), KSA, KNCA have also condemned the conduct of Union Defence
Minister George Fernandes who selectively visited Hindi speaking villages of
Assam affected by recent anti-Bihari violence. It is not only unbecoming of
an Union Minister but also unbecoming of a good human being. Mr. Fernandes
uttered not a single word about the plight of violence affected tribal
people of Karbi Anglong, although the scale of violence in Karbi Anglong is
far more in terms of ferocity, magnitude and losses than in the areas
visited by defense Minister and his Samata Party colleagues.

Dr. Jayanta Rongpi also sent an urgent fax message to the Speaker of the Lok
Sabha urging him to send a Parliamentary delegation to Karbi Anglong
immediately. He also demanded that the Agenda of Security of Karbi People
must be taken up along with the ongoing discussion on Assam-Bihar violence
in the floor of the Lok Sabha.

He has stated in his letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker that the Assam
Government has failed miserably in their constitutional responsibility to
protect the life and property of Karbi Tribals. People have lost faith in
Assam Govt, which even did not think it necessary to send a ministerial team
to visit the areas. Rather, there are serious allegations made by the people
that instead of acting against KRA terrorists, police is arresting innocent
Karbi people just to show in their report that police action in going on.
Apart from the relief organised at local levels there is no adequate
initiative from Assam Government to take care of thousands who are affected
by violence and are facing cold winter nights without food, cloth or shelter
after losing everything at the hands of terrorists.


Anniversary of Babri Masjid Demolition:
Secular Marches Held at Many Centres

CPI(ML) held Secular Marches at many places in the country on 11th
anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition on Dec 6 and pledged to defeat
communal fascism and the forces of right reaction.

A large number of workers, peasants, students, youth, women and other
sections of society took part in secular marches held in different districts
of Bihar on Dec 6. Members and leaders of various other organisations and a
good number of intellectuals also participated in these marches at all
places.

CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya led the march that was held
in Darbhanga and addressed a gathering at the Neem Chowk. He said that its
time for those people to rethink who were dreaming of defeating communal
forces with the help of the Congress and were claiming to provide people a
solution. Their hopes are shattered now with the recent outcome of assembly
elections in three states. It were the wrongdoings of Congress which paved
the way for the BJP. In recently held elections the Congress tried to defeat
BJP in elections by adopting BJP's Hindutva plank. He further said that the
only way to defeat Sangh Parivar and to save the country from these black
forces is to strengthen the movement of agricultural labourers and peasants,
because imperialist forces led by the US and Indian big bourgeoisie
characterised with feudal remnants are the real strength behind BJP. It is
the people who prove to be decisive in the last, as is happening in Iraq
where people are now putting a brave front to the American armed forces and
frustrating their claims of victory, he added. UP State Secretary Akhilendra
Pratap Singh and AIPWA leader Kumudini Pati also addressed this meeting.

In Patna, march was held from JP chowk to railway station which was led by
comrades KD Yadav, Rameshwar Prasad, Ramji Rai, Saroj Chaube, Swapan
Mukherjee and activists of many human rights and social organisations.
Secular Marches were also held in Muzaffarpur led by Meena Tiwari, in
Bhagalpur led by SK Sharma, in Siwan led by Amarnath Yadav, in Ara led by
Latafat Hussein, In Nalanda by Surendra Ram, in Nawada led by Narendra
Singh. Marches were also held in various other districts in Bihar.

Assam State Committee of CPIML organised an anti-Communalism March in
Guwahati. The procession covered the main thoroughfare of the city and
concluded at the Judges Field. A number of playcards with the slogans 'Down
down communal fascism', 'Save democracy, Save the country' and 'Hold high
the banner of secularism', 'Impose ban on RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal', 'Punish
the demolishers of Babri Mosque', 'People want jobs, not Trishul', 'Ban
Togadia's entry into Assam', etc. were displayed.

Secular marches were also held in many cities of Uttar Pradesh including
Lucknow and Allahabad with the demand for a new notification by the state
government regarding restarting the case for criminal conspiracy against
chief demolisher of Babri Masjid, LK Advani, in the CBI court in Lucknow.
The Party in UP has also asked the state's Chief Minister Mulayam Singh
Yadav to obtain the permission, if required, from the Allahabad High Court
for the same.

Marchers in Lucknow held placards displaying 'Mulayam govt. must initiate
proceedings to punish the main conspirator of Babri demolition'. This march,
led by State Standing Committee member Lalbahadur Singh, was also
participated by social scientist DM Divakar, Ajay Singh, Ramesh Dikshit,
veteran Lohiait Vishambhar Nath Vidyarthi, cultural activist Aadiyog and
Secretary of Progressive Advocates' Association Balram Yadav, AIPWA leaders
Shobha Singh and Ajanta Lohit, alongwith activists of various organisations
including RYA and AISA. The marchers held a dharna and mass meeting in front
of State Assembly before handing over a memorandum addressed to the Chief
Minister.  "It is now constitutional obligation for the Mulayam govt. to
initiate proceedings to punish Advani, one of the main accused in Babri
case, after the decision of the Raebarely court as UP govt. itself being a
party in this case" said the speakers in the meeting.

A Secular March was taken out by the Party in Allahabad where a good number
of citizens and intellectuals, including veteran freedom fighter Zia Ul Haq,
Prof. Rajendra Kumar, ex-MLA Bhagwant Prasad and socialist leader Lalit
Mohan Shukla participated. This was led by Kranti Shukla and Md. Shoeb.
Marchers also held a public meeting at Collectorate. Secular Marches were
also held in Kanpur and other cities of UP.

In Delhi, CPI(ML) activists participated in the March organised by Aman Ekta
Manch with the slogan "Insaaf ke bina aman nahin" (no peace without justice)
on the day.


Removal of DGP Ojha:
CPI(ML) Demands Reports on Shahabuddin be Made Public

Reacting on the removal of Bihar's DGP DP Ojha by the Rabri Devi govt. and
subsequent 'disclosures' made by the RJD chief, the CPI(ML) has asked Laloo
Prasad Yadav that if he knew that Mr. Ojha has links with banned feudal
criminal gang Ranvir Sena, why the government in Bihar made him DGP of the
state at the first place? Laloo Prasad must give an answer to this question
to the people of Bihar.

CPI(ML) has also demanded that the report submitted by the DGP Ojha to the
Bihar government on the criminality of Shahabuddin, RJD MP and killer of
Comrade Chandrashekhar, and the report of Amir Das Commission probing the
links of BJP, Samata and RJD leaders with the Ranvir Sena be made public.
The Party has also demanded a white paper on the growing
criminal-politician-police-bureaucracy nexus in the state. While this
venomous nexus is crossing all limits, ironically, lines are being drawn by
the state to prevent the rising voices of democracy and people's movements.

To press these demands further, the CPI(ML) has called for a statewide
'Demand day' on December 12 and a week-long agitational campaign from 12-19
December. Along with AIPWA, the Party will also hold a demonstration before
the Chief Minister in Patna on Dec 15. The movement be widened if Bihar
govt. does not heed to these demands and refuses to take appropriate steps.
The legislative group of the Party will also raise these issues in the
current Assembly session.


Fifth Memorial Day of Comrade Vinod Mishra

The CPI(ML) will commemorate the Fifth Memorial Day of Comrade Vinod Mishra,
on December 18, at all centres by organising various programmes to pay
tributes to this great leader of the masses.

In Delhi, a Convention will be organised on "The current political situation
and the challenges of strengthening the Left assertion" on Dec 18.


Protest against Arrest of Party Activists in Bijnor

As far as incidents of police repression on CPI(ML) activists in UP is
concerned, Mulayam's regime is no different than that of Mayawati's. Party
in-charge of Bijnor, Shamshad Hussein, was arrested by the police on Nov 18
under false charges. He led a movement against an SO of police in Kiratpur
thana for his corrupt practices. The SO conducted a raid on party office and
implicated many activists in false cases in revenge. When an RYA activist,
Mohsin, protested this arrest, he was also booked under Arms Act.
Hundreds of Party activists and supporters took out a protest demonstration
and held a dharna at district headquarter on Dec 2. A memorandum has also
been given to Chief Secretary, Home in Lucknow to demand the immediate
release of arrested activists.
Martyred Comrade Remembered

A mass pledge-taking  ceremony was organised to remember Comrade Kamlesh
Tiwari by the Party in Shukul Imar village in Gopalganj. Comrade Kamlesh was
martyred during a land struggle over a piece of 25 acres of land which was
illegally occupied by the erstwhile Karenji State in the district.
Incidentally, the local RJD MLA Kiran Rai, is the daughter-in-law of this
Karenji durbar.  He fell to bullets of feudal goons. The mass meeting
pledged to avenge his killing.


Steel Workers' Conference in Bokaro

The fifth Conference of 'Centre of Steel Workers' was concluded in Bokaro on
Nov 30. Nearly 200 delegates from almost all the departments of the Bokaro
Steel Plant participated in the Conference and elected a 53 member committee
with Mahendra Singh, CPI(ML) CC member and MLA in Jharkhand, as President
and Dev Deep Singh Divakar as General Secretary.


One Day Strike by Oil Sector Workers on Dec 16

Petroleum workers of Oil PSUs including those working on ONGC, IOC, HPCL,
BPCL, Oil India, IBP, etc. will observe a 24-hour nationwide token strike on
Dec 16 under the banner of 'National United Forum against Privatisation of
Oil PSUs'  to oppose government's policy of privatisation of highly
profitable and cash rich oil PSUs.

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