[L-I] Fw: ML Update Vol. 7 No. 37 14-20 Sep. 2004

ML Update
A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine
Vol.  7 No. 37    14-20 Sep. 2004


CENSUS 2001:: FACT, FICTION AND MISCIEVOUS P[ROPAGANDA

 The census operation held every ten years is sup posed to reveal the latest
picture of India's population profile. This huge exercise reaching out to
every household in the country can potentially yield a rich treasure of
relevant facts and figures, mapping not only the growth pattern of our
population but also the quality of life of the Indian people. But instead of
documenting and highlighting the grim living and working conditions faced by
the majority of the Indian people, the 2001 census, it now turns out, has
taken an extraordinary interest in preparing a religion-based profile of our
population. We are now being suddenly bombarded with comparative
religion-based figures, some of which have already been questioned and
exposed to be flawed and misleading.

The BJP has already swooped down on these figures with the alacrity of a
vulture eyeing its target. The initial census claim showed the Muslim
population of the country growing at a rate double that of its Hindu
counterpart. This was naturally lapped up gleefully by the BJP leadership as
a sure proof of the so-called grand Islamic design to swamp India. Now that
the figure has been exposed to be patently inflated, the BJP national
leadership has had to slightly lower its voice. But in Assam, both the BJP
and the AGP are trying to outsmart each other in railing against the alleged
influx from Bangladesh and re-invoking the anti-'foreigner' bogey.

The population growth pattern in the country varies from one region to
another. While the southern states have achieved a lower growth rate thanks
to higher literacy and relatively improved social indicators, the rate
continues to be much higher in the Hindi belt, especially in states like
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that are burdened with considerable socio-economic
and educational backwardness. To obscure this basic context and link
population growth to religion is a mischievous ploy aimed at reinforcing
communal prejudices and vilifying the Muslim community as an obstacle to
economic development and social progress. The absurd correlation suggested
by Census 2001 between demography and religion bears a clear RSS imprint and
exemplifies the kind of dangerous distortion that can result from
communalised governance.

Incidentally, the census figures also show the sex ratio to be at its lowest
in the Hindu community which should in turn provide some explanation for the
community's lower growth rate. Behind this significantly adverse sex ratio
of 931:1000 operates a deeply entrenched patriarchal bias against women.
Dowry deaths and female foeticide are still quite rampant; reports of female
infanticide emanate from different corners at almost regular intervals; and
even sati refuses to die out completely ages after its legal abolition. The
census figures also show that within the Muslim community, the rate of
population growth is declining and that in fact the decline is sharper than
in most other communities. This longer-term trend should put paid to all the
paranoid projections of a Muslim population explosion whether through
births, influx or religious conversion.

But the moot point is: why should a growing Muslim population be at all
treated as a subject of worry or concern in our media? The significant
presence of Muslims has been an indelible feature of India's historical
evolution. The 1990s were the worst decade of communal violence since India'
s partition in the 1940s and Muslims had to bear the brunt of this violence,
which was often sponsored and almost always condoned by the Indian state.
Despite these systematic attempts, the 2001 census figures have reaffirmed
the multi-religious mosaic of India. The votaries of Hindu Rashtra, no
matter how hard they may try, cannot destroy the religious and cultural
plurality or diversity of India.

As secular Indians we must reject the Sangh Parivar's campaign of
anti-Muslim calumny and paranoia. With the growth in literacy and growing
assertion of women against patriarchal oppression, the population growth
rate has started declining all over the country and across all communities.
The real source of worry lies not so much in the country's demographic
profile as in the economy. The figures that are really worrying belong to
the domains of decelerating growth of agricultural and industrial production
and growing regional and social disparity in income distribution, to the
growing army of the jobless, the vast wasteland of sick and closed
industries, and the never-ending spree of farmers' suicides and starvation
deaths. Census 2001 cannot be allowed to be used as a communal cover-up to
camouflage this shocking reality.


PEOPLE'S WAR GROUP RAIDS DALIT VILLAGES
ATTEMPT TO HRLP RJAD GOONS GAIN AN UPPER HAND

An armed gang, calling themselves People's War Group, raided the
predominantly dalit inhabited Kankaria village in Jehanabad in the evening
of Sep 7 and looted even their petty little posessions earned through a very
hard living. Attackers, nearly 100-150 in number, came from nearby RJD
dominated villages like Brahmachak, Mahuabagh, Mathia, etc, and encircled
the poor villagers' hutments. Their reign of terror continued for four
hours. Even though two youth of the village had immediately informed the
nearest police post, which is situated only 2.5 km away at Kalpa, police
reached the spot only next day at 10.30 A.M. merely to pay a simple visit,
and took no action.

This village comes in the region which is  represented in the Zila Parishad
by CPI(ML) leader and Khet Mazdoor Sabha National Secretary Kunti Devi, who
is receiving regular threats to her life by PWG, Ranvir Sena as well as
local RJD leaders. Dalits and poor toiling rural masses in this region have
shown an exemplary unity against all kinds of feudal and state repression
under the banner of CPI(ML). The unprecedented mobilisation of the toiling
oppressed poor behind Kunti Devi during the Zila Parishad elections had been
an eyesore to RJD and since then, the latter is desperate to break the unity
of the people. And the PWG is systematically acting on RJD game-plan
engineered by local RJD MLA Munnilal Yadav.

PWG, though pretending to follow a line of election boycott, had in effect
openly accomplished booth capturing in favour of RJD candidates during last
elections. It captured booths for RJD at Brahmachak, Bhusainchak, Anjani and
many more villages, terrorised and stopped the rural poor and agricultural
labourers from voting in favour of CPI(ML).

In pre-election months, RJD-PWG combine attacked several villages in this
area killing a number of poor people. It blew up many hutments with dynamite
at that time and despite heavy opposition from the people and the CPI(ML) no
action was taken to arrest the killers and looters. The administration even
refused to provide compensation to the victim families.

Now also similar attacks are being engineered by RJD targetting those dalit
tolas where CPI(ML)'s elected representatives have succeeded to initiate
some development work after long and protracted struggles.

Not a month has passed since five of CPI(ML) leading comrades embraced
martyrdom in a massacre plotted by RJD-PWG at Paliganj in Patna district.
One of the killers was arrested from the Patna flat of Paliganj RJD MLA
Deenanath Yadav. Laloo Yadav did admit his MLA's involvement in the
massacre. So did PWG. But the MLA still enjoys freedom as no criminal case
has been registered against him till now. This incident clearly demonstrated
the systematic nexus between RJD and PWG.

The CPI(ML) will hold a massive Pledge-taking Rally on Sept. 25 in Paliganj
to reiterate its demand for an immediate arrest of Deenanath Yadav and
ordering of a CBI inquiry into the whole incident. CPI(ML) also condemns and
opposes the harassment and repression of its cadres and supporters in
Paliganj by the police in the name of inquiry.
The CPI(ML), Bihar Pradesh Khet Mazdoor Sabha and Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha
will also organise a statewide 'Protest Day' on Sep 18 on above demands.


________________________________________________________________________
This is How They Conduct Their 'War' Against People
Details of the belongings looted by 'People's War' goons at Kankaria,
Jehanabad on Sep 7:

Total cash looted:........................................65,050
Buffaloes:........................................................... 6
Goats:...............................................................23
Poultry:.............................................................. 8
Clothings:
Dhoti:.............................................................. 47
Saree:............................................................195
Shirts and Pants:............................................. 20
Shawls:............................................................ 4
Children's clothings:.......................................100
Bicycles:...........................................................5
Radio:.............................................................. 1
TV:.................................................................. 3
Solar lights: ..................................................... 1
Wrist watch:.....................................................4
Blankets: .........................................................6
Quilts:..............................................................2
Boxes:.........................................................  29
Torches: .........................................................4
Sewing machine:..............................................1
Mike set:  .......................................................1
Payal (ornament):  ....................................... 26
Necklaces (ornament): ................................ 14
Total no. of families looted: ..........................48

(All are dalits and poor living below poverty line.
All the utensils from the homes of Sahvir Paswan,
Saryu Paswan, Udas Paswan, Brijlal Paswan and
Rampravesh Paswan were taken away by the looters,
while Saryu Paswan, Rita Devi and Arvind Paswan
were seriously injured by the goons.)


6th CPI(ML) ASSAM STATE CONFERENCE CONCLUED SUCCESSFULLY

The 6th CPI(ML) Assam State Conference was successfully concluded on 12
September at Bragaon in Sonitpur district with a call of intensifying mass
movement in the state. The three-day Conference started at 4 pm on 10 Sept
and at the beginning Party flag was hoisted by Com Harendranath Barthakur,
member of CPI(ML) central control commission and after that Delegate session
started which was presided over by a presidium comprising of  Subhas Sen,
Bhadrawati Gogoi, Robin Goswami and Halan Purty. Draft document was placed
by State Secretary Rubul Sarma. Party central committee member Swapan
Mukharjee attended the Conference as the Central Observer.

A mass meeting was organized at Bishnu-Jyoti grounds where CPI(ML) General
Secretary Comrade Dipankar delivered his speech. Swapan Mukharjee, Rubul
Sarma and Bibek Das also addressed the meeting. Com Dipankar called upon the
people to carry forward the movement of the workers, peasants, labouring
people, students and youth and women against anti-people policies and
plunder of the Governments  both  at the Centre and the state and fulfil the
revolutionary dreams of the martyrs. He severely criticized the UPA
Government, which is betraying people by neglecting burning problems of
rural poor,  tea workers, peasants, unemployed youth and labouring people
and  continuing  pro-WB, pro-imperialist and anti- people reactionary
policies of the former NDA Govt.

While condemning the severe state repression in Manipur, he said that the
Central Govt. is neglecting the militant popular mass upsurge centred on the
demand of withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. He said, "even
the Prime Minister did not dare hold discussion with the leaders of the
movement." Referring to the flood problem of Assam he said that the govt.
has refused to recognize this problem as a national problem. He severely
criticized the RSS-BJP for creating division among the people, among the
workers  in the name of religion and community, in the mane of Hindu and
Muslim and called upon the people to unite and fight against real problems
of the people. He emphasized that three  fronts, viz. culture, organized
workers and women along with  tea workers and rural workers would confront
this challenge in the coming days.

104 delegates from Tinsukia. Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Barpeta
and Guwahati and sectors like ASEB, culture, women along with a number of
guests attended the Conference. Delegates from Cachar district, Rail and Oil
could not attend the conference. With detailed discussion and debate the
conference accepted the document and decided to expand and strengthen the
Party in the state.

Conference elected a 17-member new Assam State Committee  comprising of
Rubul Sarma, Subhas Sen, Bibek Das, Naren Borah, Pankaj Das, Robin Goswami,
Lila Sarma, Kanaklata Dutta, Arup Mahanta, Partha Dey, Rajib Dutta, Mrinali
Devi, Sripad Dhar, Balindra Saikia, Subhrajyoti Bardhan, Suraj Garait, Biren
Das. The Conference resolved to strengthen movement of different classes and
sectional organizations with a view to develop party as the biggest
Communist Party in the state. Conference resolved to fight against Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act and decided to send a  delegation to Manipur.
CPI(ML) will hold a protest dharna at all district HQs  on the demand of
withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act on 18 Sept.


CPI(ML)-AIPWA PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDES TOWARDS MANIPUR

The CPI(ML) and its women's organisation, AIPWA, have severely criticised
the statement of the Chief of the Army Staff, NC Vij claiming that the
dilution or withdrawal of the AFSPA from Manipur would lead to
counter-insurgency operations in Manipur being compromised and that this
could give rise to such demands from other parts of North East and from
Jammu and Kashmir.

 CPI(ML) and AIPWA said that this was brazen excuse to keep the rape,
torture, loot and killing going on in Manipur indefinitely. "Ever since
AFSPA has been imposed  in Manipur, there has been a one-sided offensive on
innocent women and people all over the state leading to the formation of
about a dozen insurgent groups. But prior to the AFSPA, there was hardly any
insurgence in the state, proving that the draconian Act has proved
counterproductive,"  the organisations said.

They said that the Assam Rifles has refused to depose before the Commission
of inquiry set up to investigate the killing of Thangjam Manorama Devi, who
had been shot at several times at close range in her genitals with the
objective of covering up the rape of the 32-yr. old girl.The organisations
said that the Union Minister for Home Affairs must take a serious view of
the adverse sentiments of thousands of common people regarding the conduct
of the Armed Forces. CPI(ML) and AIPWA warned that trying to curb the
democratic movement could lead to a peoples' insurrection and a complete
lack of faith on the Indian State.


STRUGGLE AGAINST FAMINE AND STARVATION DEATH IN JHARKHAND

The Palamu region in Jharkhand has seen more than a dozen starvation deaths
in recent days and more than one hundred have been died of diarrhea in
Mahuatand only.
Malaria and TB continue to be the deadliest for the deprived sections of the
society. While food scarcity and famine is evident by large scale
out-migration, starvation deaths and spread of epidemics, the state govt is
busy in proving that cause of these deaths is various illnesses and not the
hunger and starvation. Although they agree with the fact that drought in the
state has aggravated the situation.

When Kanvalpatia died of starvation in Lesliganj, the Dy. Commissioner of
Palamu tried to prove that the death occurred of 'natural' reasons by
granting (in back date) a sum of Rs. three thousand and some food grains to
the father of the deceased. But CPI(ML) exposed this whole affair and
organised wide spread propaganda campaign and a Lesliganj Bandh on Sep 11.
The CPI(ML) has been conducting a campaign against hunger and starvation and
to demand immediate relief measures. Various protest programs at block and
district headquarters have also been held. A Bandh was also organised
against one starvation death at Patan which received a good response and
many people  joined the campaign against govt.'s apathy.

Protests were also held at Ramuna and Kharaundhi when two such deaths came
to light.
The Palamu region remains one of the most backward regions in the country.
Although various ruling parties have started taking initiatives on the
question of drought and famine in Jharkhand, the facts that now ruling BJP
is trying to hide the hard facts and nothing substantial was done by earlier
RJD and Congress regimes in this regard, raise questions about seriousness
of these political combines. Their initiatives are nothing more than
shedding crocodile tears to be fool the masses. Moreover, these parties
refuse to see this man-made famine as an inevitable outcome of policies of
liberalisation that has aggravated the crisis in agriculture.

CPI(ML) has launched a statewide campaign against starvation deaths and
famine as well as against persistent backwardness of Palamu and other
regions in Jharkhand demanding to lodge criminal cases against the Dy.
Commissioner of Palamu for his criminal negligence, compensation of Rs. two
lakhs to each family of the deceased victims of starvation, to initiate
steps on a Master plan for the permanent solution to the famine problem, for
immediate jobs to poor and unemployed to check out-migration, to arrange at
least two meals a day for the helpless and destitute, to bring every poor
under the cover of "Antyoday" and "Annpoorna" food guarantee plans, free
adequate medical care, etc. on a war footing,  and to check  corruption
prevalent at several levels.
The CPI(ML) has also demanded to cancel the Field Firing Range Project and
to guarantee the safety of rural people coming under the purview of this
Tiger Project.


SOLIDARITU MESAGE FROM SWOUTH ASIA SOLIDAREITY GROUP, LONDON

Dear Comrades,

We are writing to convey our warm solidarity greetings to the  participants
in the padayatra and the people's convention  against TADA. We in SASG
recognise the vital importance of  your fight against the continuing use by
the Indian state of the notorious and long defunct TADA legislation to
destroy  the lives of innocent people, in an attempt to crush the
democratic struggles of the toiling masses of Bihar. We have committed
ourselves to publicising this struggle internationally and are currently
urging Amnesty International to take up the issue of the use of TADA in
Bihar and examine the cases of CPI(ML) activists and supporters wrongfully
imprisoned under TADA.

The continuing use of TADA, POTA and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act by
the Indian state is part of a global initiative led by the imperialist US
and Britain, in which so called 'anti-terrorist' legislation is used to
deprive people of basic civil liberties and human rights and crush popular
resistance.

We share your grief and anger at the shocking political murders of five
leading CPI(ML) activists in the party office  in Paliganj. We salute the
memory of these five martyred comrades. We have written to the President of
India condemning this horrific incident and adding our voice to the demands
for a full CBI inquiry to expose the role of the RJD and the police in this
crime, and for the immediate arrest of RJD MLA  Dinanath Yadav along with
others named in the FIR.
With warm revolutionary greetings,
Ayesha Kaur
South Asia Solidarity Group, London


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