CENTRAL COMMITTEE CALL

Countrywide Political Campaign, Aug 25-31

THE CPI(M) central committee has given a call to all Party units to conduct a week-long political campaign from August 25 to 31 to take the Party’s political message and the policy issues to the people. It has identified eleven issues for this campaign (see box). Meetings, rallies, demonstrations, seminars etc will be the mode of campaign.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Prakash Karat, announced this at a press conference in the Party headquarters, AKG Bhavan, on August 2. He briefed the media on the deliberations and decisions taken at the CC meeting held between July 30 and August 01, 2004.

At the outset he said that the CC, which met for the first time after the formation of the UPA government, finalised the approach of the CPI(M) vis a vis the UPA government. He explained there are three important aspects to this approach: One, the Party along with other Left parties would support pro-people measures taken by the government. Two, the Party will demarcate itself from any decision or policy adopted by the government which is anti-people or falls beyond the purview of the CMP. Three, the Party will assert its independent role by taking its alternative policies based on the Left and democratic programme among the people.

It is as part of this understanding the Party CC has decided on the week-long political campaign to assert Party’s independent role. Apart from various issues, the campaign would demand the UPA government to implement the pro-people measures in the CMP. Another important aspect of the campaign would be the countering of the grave threat posed by the BJP due to its latest decision to strongly revert back to Hindutva. "The implications of the conclusion reached by the Sangh Parivar that the BJP lost the elections due to dilution of its Hindutva plank are very harmful to the country", said Karat. The CC also strongly condemned the BJP and its allies for their disruptionist attitude in Parliament.

Karat also announced the constitution of a coordination committee between the Left parties and the UPA government. The members from the Left parties would be Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) A B Bardhan, D Raja (CPI) Debabrata Biswas (Forward Block) and Abani Roy (RSP). From the UPA, Sonia Gandhi as its chairperson would be present while prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh would represent the government. These two will coordinate with the Left parties and decide to invite whomsoever they may feel necessary depending on the issue under discussion for the joint meetings. Surjeet will coordinate on behalf of the Left parties as to which subject, issue needs to be discussed in these meetings. The first meeting of this committee is scheduled for August 4.

Expressing concern at the twin issues of drought and floods ravaging most parts of the country, Karat said the CC hoped that the UPA government would take time-bound measures to provide relief to the people. The central committee has decided to provide assistance to the flood relief work being done by the Bihar and Assam state committees of the Party. It has asked all state committees to contribute funds to the Party centre for this purpose. To begin with, the Polit Bureau has given Rs 2 lakh each to Bihar and Assam state committees.

Criticising the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, twice since the formation of the UPA government, Karat announced that all Party units have been called upon to hold demonstrations against the hike on August 3.

Responding to questions, Prakash Karat said that all partners of the UPA would also have to play a role in the coordination committee depending on the issues being discussed. He did not agree with a questioner that by the arrangement worked out, discussion on political issues would be precluded. "Definitely political issues would also come up. This arrangement of inviting concerned ministers is practical", said Karat.

He reserved his comment on the developments at the WTO meeting saying that it was an important issue with implications for the nation and it needed to be gone into thoroughly. He promised to come out with a detailed reaction soon.

On the coming assembly elections in Maharashtra, Karat said the sole focus of the Party would be to strive for avoiding division of secular vote in the state. He said the Party state committee has been asked by the CC to talk to all other secular parties apart from the alliance already in place to achieve this objective. 

Earlier, the CC in its meeting condoled the death of Comrade E K Nayanar and other leading comrades who died since its last meeting. The CC also paid homage to the memory of school children killed in the Kumbakonam tragedy.

Below we give the full text of the statement released by the central committee on August 2.

BJP’s Disruptionist Tactics

The central committee condemned the confrontationist stance adopted by the BJP during the first session of parliament after the 14th Lok Sabha elections. Right from the debate on the President’s address which was not held, the BJP and its allies resorted to disruptionist tactics. This has culminated in a call for a boycott of all parliamentary committees. Such a stance is showing contempt for parliament as the Standing Committees are not committees set up by the government but by parliament. The BJP’s refusal to act in a democratic fashion betrays the party’s inability to come to terms with the defeat it suffered in the elections.

The BJP, at its national executive session in Mumbai has announced that it will fall back on the Hindutva agenda, relying on the RSS for reviving the party. The BJP-RSS combine will seek to take up communal issues for political mobilisation. This will pose a threat to communal harmony and adversely affect the common people who are more concerned about their issues of livelihood. The CPI(M) along with other Left and democratic forces will have to counter such manoeuvres and safeguard people’s unity.

UPA Govt: Policy Directions

The central committee expects the UPA government to earnestly take up the implementation of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) especially those measures which are designed to provide relief to the people who have suffered under six years of BJP rule. The CMP proposals for agriculture, relief to farmers, employment generation, increased allocations for education and health, repeal of POTA and correcting imbalances in centre-state economic relations, are all steps which have to be taken up by prioritising the programmes.

In this connection, the central committee endorsed the idea for a coordination committee of the UPA government and the Left to discuss policy issues which are of common concern.

Drought & Floods

The central committee expressed its deep concern at the delayed and scanty monsoon rainfall in various parts of the country. The northwestern states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Saurashtra & Kutch in Gujarat and western UP have been particularly hit. In other states too parts of western Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and south Bengal have received deficient rains.  Already serious damage has been caused to the kharif crop.

The problems of the farmers and the rural poor of the drought-affected areas have to be addressed immediately. Provision of fodder, drinking water, foodgrains at antodaya rate and food-for-work programmes have to be taken up by the state and the central governments immediately.

At the same time, severe floods have affected Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar. The flood situation in Assam and Bihar is unprecedented. The funds provided for relief work so far by the central government is totally inadequate to deal with the magnitude of the problem.

The prime minister has announced the setting up of a task force which would recommend to the central government ways to solve the recurring floods problem. It is important to see that these recommendations are taken up seriously for implementation in a time-bound manner.

On Certain Economic Policy Measures

The central committee reiterated its opposition to the raising of the FDI caps in the telecom, insurance and civil aviation sectors. The central committee voices its opposition to handing over telecom companies to foreign control by allowing 74 per cent equity. The insurance sector is vital for generating resources for the country’s development and the bulk of it should not be handed over to foreign private companies.

The central committee noted that the CMP has committed that profitable public sector units will not be privatised. In this light the decision to privatise the Mumbai and Delhi airports and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port are not warranted. The central committee wants the UPA government to adhere to the process set out in the CMP and reconsider the matter.

On Diesel & Petrol Prices

The central committee notes with regret that the government has so far not considered the proposal put out by the CPI(M) and the Left parties for a review of the import duty and excise structure in the oil sector. The import parity pricing on oil products has transferred the burden to the consumer. The oil companies are benefiting from such an arrangement to the detriment of the consumers and the common people. The central committee opposed the current hike in diesel and petrol prices under the new arrangement of the oil companies making fortnightly adjustments.  Hike of Rs 1.10 for petrol and Rs 1.42 for diesel per litre has been announced.

This is the second successive hike within six weeks. The central committee called upon its units to organise protests against these burdens being imposed on the common people and the inflationary impact it will have on the economy and lives of the people.

Manipur Protests

There has been popular outrage at the killing of a Manipuri woman arrested by the security forces. Widespread protests are going on in the state. It is important that the central government and the state administration take steps to shift the Assam Rifles headquarters outside Kangla; review the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act so that people are not put to any hardships and create conditions for talks with the rebel groups. The central committee appeals to the central government to take the initiative to see that peace and normalcy is restored in the state.

Maharashtra Elections

The central committee heard a report on the political situation in Maharashtra which is going to the polls by early October. The Party will adopt electoral tactics to minimise the division of votes among the secular parties to ensure the defeat of the BJP-Shiv Sena combination.

Inequitable Higher Education Structure

Consequent to the Supreme Court judgement on the admission and fee structure in professional private colleges, there is a chaotic scene in the higher education in many states. Under the arrangement set out by the Court, 50 per cent of the seats in medial and engineering colleges are being filled by private managements with exorbitant fees. In Kerala, a 22-year old engineering girl student committed suicide because she was unable to finance her education or get a bank loan. This has intensified the student agitation against the fee structure. In other states too students and their parents are agitated about the unconscionable admission and fee system. It is necessary to have a central legislation to regulate admission and fee structure in higher education and to establish social control over private and self-financing institutions.

Review of Lok Sabha Elections

The central committee discussed and adopted a review report on the 14th Lok Sabha elections. The report has reviewed the performance of the Party in the elections in different states. It has proposed certain organisational measures to strengthen the Party and to develop the mass organisations. Special attention is to be paid to building the Party in selected tribal areas.

Party Congress

The central committee decided to convene the 18th Party Congress in the beginning of April 2005.  The schedule of conferences from branch conferences onwards will begin from September.

The 18th Congress will be held at New Delhi.

Party’s Independent Role

The central committee reiterated that the Party will play an independent role advocating alternative policies based on the Left and democratic programme in taking up people’s issues and demanding that the pro-people measures in the CMP be implemented.

The state committees have been asked to identify the various issues which are directly concerned with the people’s livelihood and democratic rights and conduct movements and launch struggles in their interests.