People's Democracy

Central Committee Communique

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi from November 11 to 13, 2011. It took stock of the international and national situation and issued the following statement on November 13.

West Asia

THE Central Committee expressed serious concern at the growing US-NATO intervention in West Asia. In Libya, the NATO military intervention has accomplished its aim of effecting a “regime change.” Libya’s oil resources have now come under the grip of the western powers and Libya is now virtually a NATO protectorate. For the United States and Israel, the destabilisation of the Assad government in Syria is part of the strategic design to eliminate all governments in West Asia which defy the imperialist game plan. 

The final target is Iran against whom the United States has ratcheted up tensions. Reports of the Israeli prime minister and defence minister considering a plan for pre-emptive military attacks against Iran have also surfaced. In the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a report has been presented without much evidence about Iran trying to build nuclear weapons.

The intervention in Libya and the efforts by the US and the NATO in the other countries of West Asia are meant to hijack the Arab popular uprising. The Central Committee condemned these aggressive manoeuvres. It called upon the UPA government not to line up behind the western countries in the IAEA in targeting Iran. It should oppose any move to further impose sanctions on Iran in the UN Security Council.

Protest Against

Finance Capital &

Austerity Measures

The Central Committee noted the growing protests against the depredations of finance capital and the austerity measures being imposed on the people in USA and Europe. The “Occupy Wall Street” movement in the USA and the widespread protests by workers, students and youth in Europe against austerity measures are galvanising the opposition to the neo-liberal policies. The Central Committee extended its support and solidarity to the struggles of the working people in all these countries.

Price Rise

& Inflation

The last three months have witnessed a further deterioration on the price front, affecting the lives of the people. The rate of inflation has touched 9.7 per cent and food inflation has shot up further. Prices of vegetables, pulses, milk, eggs and meat have witnessed a steep increase. It is at such a time that the price of petrol was increased by Rs 3.14 per litre in September and then again by Rs 1.80 in October. These price hikes have further fuelled inflation and price rise. The Central Committee strongly condemned the policies of the UPA government which have resulted in this unbearable price rise. The government refuses to rationalise the taxation structure in petro products and continues to derive greater revenue from the increased prices. The Central Committee demanded the reversal of the deregulation of petrol prices. In this connection, it strongly criticised the prime minister for declaring that there should be decontrol of other fuel prices too.

The Central Committee called upon all its party units to continue to mobilise people to protest against price rise and to demand firm measures to curb price rise.

Flawed Poverty

Estimates

The Central Committee strongly deplored the stand adopted by the Planning Commission in the Supreme Court by setting the poverty line in India at only Rs 32 per capita per adult per day for urban areas and Rs 26 per day for rural areas, which has been widely condemned. Dubious methods of poverty estimates are adopted by the establishment to deliberately underestimate the incidence of poverty and curtail the entitlements of the poor. The proposed Food Security Bill seeks to perpetuate the division among the poor by reworking the BPL and APL categories. The CPI(M) has consistently stated that restoration of the universal PDS is the only credible way to ensure food security. Basic entitlements like food should be delinked from the flawed poverty estimates. 

National

Manufacturing

Policy

The national manufacturing policy adopted by the government  seeks to create National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs) in areas of at least 5000 hectares. The government seems to have learnt no lesson from the SEZ experience. The purpose is to provide relaxation to new industries from labour and environmental laws, and offer huge tax concessions. Hire and fire will be allowed with some compensation for the workers. The proposed structure of the NIMZs is similar to the SEZs, except that there would be no export obligation for the NIMZs.

The CPI(M) opposes this neo-liberal model of industrialisation based on NIMZs/SEZs, which result in land grabs, provide unjustifiable concessions to the corporates and create zones of super-exploitation where the law of the land ceases to operate.

Lok Pal Bill

The Central Committee demanded that an effective Lok Pal law be adopted in the winter session of parliament itself. There should be no further delay in the matter.

Armed Forces

Special Powers Act

The Central Committee reiterates its stand that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act be repealed as it is a draconian law which violates the fundamental rights of citizens. In place of the AFSPA, suitable legislation can be enacted to enable the army to operate in civilian areas when required. In this connection, the Central Committee endorsed the demand that the AFSPA be withdrawn from those areas in Jammu & Kashmir where militant activity has ceased and the army is no more deployed. It is unfortunate that even after a year since the review of the AFSPA in the state was decided, no action has been taken.

Manipur

The Central Committee expressed its deep concern at the continuing blockade of the national highways leading to Manipur. The people of Manipur are suffering from shortage of goods and exorbitant prices of essential commodities. The blockade started by a group demanding a separate district was settled after 92 days, but it has been continued by another group imposing a blockade opposing the settlement.

The central government has not taken any action to see that the blockade is lifted from the national highways. It has been callous to the sufferings of the people. The Central Committee demanded immediate steps to see that the blockade is cleared and the problems involved should be settled through political negotiations.

West Bengal:

Threat to

Democratic Rights

The assumption of office by the TMC-led government in West Bengal and its actions are posing a serious threat to accepted democratic principles of governance. The killings of opposition political activists continue unabated. Since the formation of the new government, 44 Left activists have been killed, thousands have been rendered homeless, hundreds have been framed in false cases and literally crores have been collected forcibly from political activists of the Left. The forcible takeover of opposition party and trade union offices also continues. The latest in the round of muzzling political freedom and the freedom of association is the forcible stoppage of conferences of Left parties by the goons belonging to the ruling party and the involvement of the police. 

Subversion of the police has reached a new high with the chief minister herself rushing to a local police station and getting miscreants detained by the police released. The chief minister, who also happens to be the home minister, got the officer in-charge of the police station (Bhawanipur) suspended and then transferred even though this happened to be part of the South Kolkata Lok Sabha constituency which is going to have a by-election. 

The powers of the panchayats are being usurped and handed over to the bureaucracy. The most obnoxious move of the state government has been to promulgate a draconian ordinance to nullify all the existing university acts which were in place. The ordinance usurps powers of the elected senates and syndicates and concentrates them in the hands of the state government. The elected character of university governance is replaced by nominated bodies, totally bureaucratising the running of the university management. Provision for elected representation of students, non-teaching employees and alumni of the institutions has been given a go by. 

Kerala

The Central Committee condemned the brutal repression unleashed by the UDF government against students. The UDF government is openly protecting its corrupt leaders. It has given remission in the jail term of R Balakrishna Pillai who was convicted for one year by the Supreme Court.

The Central Committee strongly upholds the democratic right to hold meetings on the roadsides. This has been the traditional practice in Kerala. However, the Kerala High Court imposed a prohibition on the holding of such meetings. The Kerala legislative assembly had passed a law to ensure the right of holding roadside meetings in a regulated fashion. This has been set aside by the Kerala High Court. Here is a case of the higher judiciary encroaching on the rights of the assembly to make laws concerning the democratic rights of the people. The CPI(M) strongly opposes this judicial intervention. In this connection, the decision of the Kerala High Court to sentence a CPI(M) leader to six months in prison on contempt charges is an example of how contempt laws are utilised to suppress critical opinions about the judiciary.

Trade Unions

Jail Bharo

The Central Committee noted the big response to the call of the central trade unions for a “jail bharo” on November 8. Around 7.5 lakh workers participated in the protest action including court arrest. In view of the continuing anti-people and anti-working class policies of the central government, the working class actions should be intensified.

Ideological

Resolution

The Central Committee discussed a draft of the ideological resolution presented by the Polit Bureau. On the basis of this discussion, the next meeting of the Central Committee will finalise and adopt the draft ideological resolution which will then be circulated in the party for discussions before placing it in the party congress.

Term

Limitation

The Central Committee discussed a proposal for limiting the terms of secretaries of party committees at all levels to a maximum of three terms. The proposal was adopted by the Central Committee. It will now be placed before the party congress for approval.