People's Democracy

 CENTRAL COMMITTEE COMMUNIQUÉ

Act Within CMP Framework
CPI(M) To UPA Govt

The CPI(M) made it clear to the UPA government that it cannot accept the approach being seemingly adopted by it that the core issues of privatisation and liberalisation must be left to the government while the Left should confine itself to concerns such as employment generation, food supply, education and health. “Given Congress views on liberalisation and our views on it, we don’t expect they will reverse the liberalisation. However, they should note that both the CMP and the basis of the popular verdict in the Lok Sabha election requires the government not to blindly pursue the course adopted by the previous BJP-led government”, stated CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat. 

He along with Party general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet was addressing a press conference at AKG Bhavan on November 1 to brief on the deliberations of the three day central committee meetings held in New Delhi between October 29 and 31, 2004. 

Karat commented that the time of reckoning has arrived for the so-called secular allies like JD(U), BJD, Trinamool Congress or even the TDP on their alliance with the BJP. “The allies cannot escape the hard reality that with Advani at the helm, alliance with the BJP means alliance with the RSS. They must realise this fact and act accordingly lest whatever little secular credibility they have will be finished off.” He said the central committee noted that the Maharashtra state election result was part of the all India trend where people were not willing to endorse or support a communal platform. The CC called upon the people of the country to be vigilant against moves by the BJP to rake up communal issues and create discord and divisiveness in the society. 

On the foreign policy aspects of the UPA government, Karat stated that the CPI(M) central committee had two major demands from the government. One it should not proceed with any association with the American Missile Defence Programme as this controversial programme of the Bush administration will escalate arms race internationally and create tensions in South Asia.
Another demand was the need for a review of the Indo-Israel relations. Karat said the previous Vajpayee government had established deep strategic and security collobaration with the Isralei regime because there is ideological affinity between Hindutva and Zionism. The CPI(M), he said, does not think that the Congress party shares this ideological affinity and therefore it should review the nation’s ties with Israel.

Answering a question regarding the government planning to further reduce the EPF interest rate to 8.25 per cent from the present 8.5 per cent, Karat said the trade unions will have to sit and chalk out a struggle to fight against this. He assured the CPI(M) support for such action. To repeated questions regarding the Left parties trying to determine government’s economic directions, Karat said “We are not in the business of running the government day-to-day. We are engaging it within the CMP framework on broad policy issues”. On land reforms issue, he said all state governments should emulate the West Bengal Left Front government in this regard. On the talks held between the naxalites and the Andhra government, Karat said all political parties including the Congress and the CPI(M) when in opposition in the state had advocated holding of such talks. “Let us see what happens since only one round of talks had been held”, he said.

Following is the full text of the communiqué issued on November 1, 2004

Maharashtra 

Elections & After

THE Maharashtra election results are significant. The Congress-NCP alliance has once again been returned to office. The defeat of the BJP-Shiv Sena combine conforms to the all India pattern witnessed in the Lok Sabha elections which rejects the politics of divisiveness based on a communal platform.

The BJP, faced with successive setbacks keeps harping on Hindutva and tightening further its bonds with the RSS. L K Advani, after assuming the President ship has made the revealing statement that the Ram temple would have been built if the BJP-led government had returned to office. This remark confirms how the BJP was trying to subvert the law and bypass the judicial process to begin the illegal construction of the temple at the disputed site.

The non-BJP allies have no way to evade the main issue any more. Being allied to the BJP means serving the interests of the RSS and the Hindutva platform. Apart from being an electoral liability, association with the BJP is also damaging their credibility as secular parties.

The central committee wishes to alert the people that the present posture of the BJP will be conducive for raking up communal issues and creating discord and divisiveness. The CPI(M) appeals to all the democratic and secular forces to be vigilant against such moves.

Situation in 

The North East

THE bomb blasts and attacks in Dimapur, Nagaland and various part of Assam led to the death of a large number of persons and injuries to many. Both the ULFA and the NDFB were responsible for this violence. The Tarun Gogoi government has been lax in taking firm measures in time to check these violent activities and there are serious allegations about some of the ministers having links with the ULFA.

The central committee expressed its strong opposition to the United States Ambassador’s writing to the chief ministers of Assam and Nagaland offering the services of the FBI to investigate the blasts. The Central government should convey to the US Ambassador its disapproval of such a step.

The ULFA, NDFB and the Tripura extremist outfits like the NLFT and the ATTF are operating mainly from camps based in Bangladesh. Some of the groups are there in Myanmar also. The Bangladesh government has been consistently denying the existence of the camps and the activities of the leaders of these groups from the territory of Bangladesh. The central government must take up the matter with the Bangladesh government in a manner, which makes it aware that it cannot evade the issue of sanctuary for the terrorist groups any longer.

The central committee noted that some talks have begun between the central government and the representatives of the popular movement in Manipur. In the light of the experience of the implementation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, some of the draconian powers need to be amended. The centre should also work on providing a legal basis for keeping the armed forces to perform certain duties in the North East without recourse to such draconian provisions.

                                                                               Jammu 

& Kashmir

THE central committee expressed serious concern at the growing extremist attacks on leaders and cadres of political parties in the valley. The extremist activities are now concentrated in South Kashmir and in particular in Anantnag district. Four CPI(M) workers have been killed in the recent period in attacks. The Mufti Mohd. Government should take more effective steps to tackle the extremist violence.

The central committee expects the UPA government to take fresh initiatives to restore the political dialogue, which can help to rally all the democratic and secular forces. The aspirations of the people for maximum autonomy must be kept in mind. The UPA government must announce an economic package of measures for the state, which can boost development activities and employment opportunities.

The central committee welcomed the progress made in the talks between India and Pakistan during the foreign ministers meeting in Delhi and later the meeting between prime minister Manmohan Singh and president Musharraf. Recently president Musharraf floated some options to deal with the Kashmir problem. All such proposals should be taken up as part of the composite dialogue, which will be held.

Policy 

Issues

THE central committee welcomed the repeal of Pota, the disbandment of the enquiry commission on Tehelka tape exposures and handing over the related investigation to the CBI. It also welcomed the setting up of an enquiry commission on the Godhra railway arson case.

The central committee appreciated the position of the government to prepare a bill for enacting the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which will provide for a minimum of hundred days work to one adult in every rural household.

The central committee however, noted that on economic policies, the UPA government is taking positions which are dictated by the erroneous outlook that unjustifiable concessions to foreign capital have to be given at the expense of domestic industry and the public sector if the country is to attract foreign investment on a large scale. 

The central committee found the government’s initiative to scrap Press Note 18, which provides protection to domestic industry when entering into joint ventures with foreign companies to be in line with the flawed thinking that this will increase FDI flows.

The central committee expressed surprise at the eagerness of the finance minister to facilitate the takeover of Indian private banks by foreign banks. The proposal to allow foreign banks to buy ten percent in an Indian private bank every year till it can be converted into a subsidiary of the foreign bank is harmful. There are a number of small private banks, which will be swallowed up by the foreign banks by this scheme. The foreign banks are now allowed to operate in India with their branches and to mobilise resources. It is unfair to allow them to capture the small private banks in the country.

The central committee cannot accept the argument that disinvestment upto 49 percent in the profitable public sector units including the navaratnas will not have any impact on the character of the public sector. Further, such disinvestment of shares will go towards meeting the budgetary requirements of the government to meet its deficit without in any way strengthening the public sector. 

The UPA government seems to be working on the basis that the core issues of liberalisation and privatisation should be left to the government to pursue, while the Left should confine itself to concerns such as employment generation, food supply, education and health. The CPI(M) cannot accept such an approach. Both the Common Minimum Programme and the basis of the popular verdict in the Lok Sabha elections requires the government not to blindly pursue the course adopted by the previous BJP-led government.

The central committee decided that more emphasis will have to be given to the mobilisation and struggles by different sections of the working people in defence of their interests and for change in the government’s policies in this regard. The Party units must take up the issues of food, work and demands of the workers and rural poor by organising movements.

                                                                               Foreign 

Policy

THE central committee discussed some of the aspects of the foreign policy, which need to be reviewed. Taking into account the pro-American direction to foreign policy given by the BJP-led government, the Common Minimum Programme has set out the need for an independent foreign policy. In this connection, the central committee wants the UPA government not to proceed with any association with the American Missile Defence Programme. This controversial programme of president Bush will escalate the arms race internationally and create new tensions in South Asia.

The central committee stressed the need for a review of the Indo-Israel relations. The Vajpayee government had established a deep strategic and security collaboration with the Israeli regime. The Israeli government is notorious for its colonial occupation and subjugation of the Palestinian people. More than a hundred Palestinians have been killed in the last one-month in Israeli military operations in Gaza. The UPA government must not go by the specious argument based on realpolitik that strategic collaboration with Israel is in our national interest.  (INN)