People's Democracy

39th ANNIVERSARY OF GANASHAKTI OBSERVED

 B Prasant

THE 39th anniversary of Ganashakti, the daily organ of the Bengal unit of the CPI(M) was commemorated through programmes held in Kolkata and at the steel city of Durgapore on January 3.

Addressing the Kolkata meeting held in a packed Nazrul Manch in south Kolkata, state secretary of the CPI(M) and former editor of Ganashakti, Anil Biswas said that the daily remained devoid of any fear since it developed on a strong ideological base. In particular, it is not a slave to capital.

Biswas pointed out that a large section of the corporate media were out to oppose the CPI (M). The different stories are placed with such wanton abandon that the reader is hard put to distinguish between the truth and the lie. Biswas urged upon the people to read Ganashakti, if only to get at the truth of the matter. The daily must be reached out to every household.

In a globalised world where the US sought to establish a monolithic sway, the media world has become virtually one-sided, and in the name of the slogan ‘news has no borders,’ the capitalist point of view is continuously reinforced and dinned into the intelligence of the readership.

News is heavily censored in the process as only the imperialist point of view is allowed to dominate the headline news and the commentaries including editorials. The deeds perpetrated by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the torture of Palestinians by the Israelis would find little space in the so-called- mainstream media. On the score of lop-sided news presentation, the Indian corporate media is equally guilty.

Biswas said that Ganashakti with its limited resources was engaged in fighting courageously for reaching out the truth behind the news to the people. Its readership is on the rise. The newspaper is also engaged in the task of communicating to the readers the alternative political structure that the Communists speak of and struggle towards.

Ganashakti is also engaged in raising the political and social consciousness of the masses.  It never presents any news that is twisted in any manner. The newspaper carries items on the opposition in Bengal in much more factual and comprehensive manner compared to the corporate media. 

The Ganashakti does not shy away from running criticisms of the CPI(M). A Communist Party is not so brittle as to break promptly down on publishing what others say about it by way of criticisms.

Biswas called for a further modernisation of the newspaper and to enhance its reach and capability.  The Ganashakti web page (www.ganashakti.com) must be utilised in a comprehensive manner to apprise readers outside of Bengal and India of news of this province. Biswas called upon the cooperation of the readership in the effort to make Ganashakti improve further.

Addressing the gathering, Polit Bureau member of the CPI (M) and Bengal chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that Ganashakti must always adhere to its strong ideological base. The ideology would take the newspaper closer and closer to the truth as a part of a continuous and developing process.

Ganashakti cannot remain on the fence or cling to the safety of the middle ground because it is never a conceivable idea to remain so while exploitation, death, and hunger continued to haunt the people.  Nor can the newspaper become neutral as long as imperialism continues to rattle its weaponry and mount unjustifiable and virulent aggression. The Ganashakti will continue to appear predisposed also towards Socialism and shall continue to be against capitalism.

Explaining the International situation, Bhattacharjee said that in view of the aggressive role emoted by US imperialism, and keeping in mind the efforts being made to make our world a uni-polar one, the poorer countries across the globe must join hands with one another.

Bhattacharjee also said that the Left support of the Congress-led union government born out of political compulsion was certainly conditional. The Left would take to the streets the moment the union government flouts the consensus. Bhattacharjee urged upon Congress to draw the correct lessons of history and to act appropriately. He also pointed out that the danger of communalism continued to persist.

In Bengal, said the chief minister, the developmental work put in the Left Front government must be consolidated.  Fresh progress must be chalked out and implemented.  The Left Front government shall do nothing to inconvenience the poor and would as always look to their interests in a comprehensive fashion. Bhattacharjee called upon Ganashakti to take on further responsibilities in the continuing struggle of the working people.

Polit Bureau member of the CPI (M) and Left Front chairman Biman Basu said that Ganashakti never flinched in publishing the truth in a straightforward way. The readership of the newspaper must become active and learn about the truth behind the stories run by the corporate media.  The readers’ column is a good forum in this task. 

Biman Basu also called upon the people to look for aberrations like casteism and communalism and to make Ganashakti aware of the developments.  Based on facts and data, the newspaper could run investigative reports, and strip the masks away from the faces of the conspirators.

Editor of Ganashakti, and state committee member of the CPI(M), Narayan Dutta said that the newspaper would emote the role expected of it in the days to come solidly grounded on ideology and politics. Dutta recalled the laudable past history of Ganashakti, and recalled how the newspaper had to struggle continuously against class enemies and how a series of its workers had to face martyrs’ deaths.

Addressing the Durgapore meeting held at the Srijani auditorium, central committee member of the CPI(M), Nirupam Sen said that the Ganashakti would continue to focus attention, among other issues, on the development made by the state and on the state’s industrial growth. The Bengal Left Front government has to wage a struggle to go forward in an atmosphere created by a section of the media against the people in general and the working class in particular worldwide.

Assistant editor of Ganashakti, state committee member of the CPI(M) and former student leader, Avik Dutta said that daily Ganashakti represented the organ of the CPI(M) and thus it always stood wide apart from the commercialised corporate media. The strength of Ganashakti lies in the masses, in its readership, and amongst the newsagents who reach out the newspaper to the readers. 

Help from people all over the state could make the Durgapore edition of Ganashakti a viable proposition. With increase in circulation, the Ganashakti is continuing to share responsibilities as an organiser of struggles and movements. Recently, responding to the tsunami disaster, the newspaper has opened a relief fund.

In both the programmes, hundreds of thousands of rupees were handed over as assistance to the victims of natural disaster. (INN)