People's Democracy

Polit Bureau Communique

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on March 10-11, 2012. It issued the following statement on March 11, 2012.

THE Polit Bureau took stock of the current political situation. The poor performance of the Congress party in the recent state assembly elections indicates the people’s discontent about the policies of the UPA government at the centre, especially its failure to curb the price rise and high-level corruption. In such a situation, the Manmohan Singh government should stop adopting measures which are detrimental to the interests of the people and the country.

The people of the country are looking urgently for relief and the government should not adopt measures in the forthcoming union budget which would further burden the people. It should give up its efforts to allow FDI in multi-brand retail trade. It should halt the disinvestment of shares in the public sector enterprises; the bungling in the disinvestment of ONGC shares underlines the folly of this approach.

The government should ensure that the Lokpal legislation is suitably amended and adopted in parliament so that an effective Lokpal is set up. The Food Security Bill should also be so amended as to provide for a universal public distribution system and that which does not encroach on the rights of the states.

February 28

General Strike

The Polit Bureau congratulated the central trade unions and the working class on the success of the February 28 general strike. This strike call given by all the central trade unions unitedly is a significant protest action by the workers and employees of all industrial and services sectors. The widespread response to this strike all over the country indicates the mood of rising opposition to the neo-liberal policies of the UPA government. The CPI(M) calls upon all the class and mass organisations to intensify the struggles and the movements of the working people in defence of their rights and livelihood.

Defence of

Federalism

The Polit Bureau supported the stand taken by many chief ministers against certain provisions of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) which overrides the states’ jurisdiction in policing, making arrests etc. Similarly, some of the state governments have correctly come out against the proposed amendment in the Railway Protection Force Act which would confer the powers of state police offices to the RPF, which is violative of the constitutional division of powers between the centre and the states.

The assertion of the federal principle against the growing encroachment of the centre on states’ rights is a positive trend. The CPI(M) calls upon all democratic political forces to come to a broad understanding on the need to restructure centre-state relations.

2G Spectrum

Judgement

The Polit Bureau strongly criticised the UPA government for filing a review petition against the Supreme Court judgement which struck down the allocation of 2G licences to 122 companies on the first come, first served basis. The historic judgement of the court had laid down correct guidelines about allocation of scarce natural resources through the auction route or based on market evaluations.

Instead of accepting this eminently reasonable verdict, the Manmohan Singh government is seeking a review of this decision. Further it is contemplating a presidential reference to the Supreme Court on the subject. All this shows how the government is bent upon protecting the vested interests and those who have indulged in wrongdoing. The government wants to retain discretionary powers in the hands of the executive in the name of non-encroachment by the judiciary on the policy making powers of the executive. The stance adopted further exposes the complicity of the Manmohan Singh government in the 2G spectrum allocation. The defence put up by the government for the first come, first served policy shows that it was not just A Raja but the then finance minister and the prime minister who are also responsible for allowing the loot of scarce spectrum resources.

West Bengal

Attacks

The Polit Bureau strongly condemned the continuing attacks and violence against the CPI(M) and the Left Front workers and supporters in West Bengal. The gruesome murders of CPI(M) leaders Pradip Tah and Kamal Gayen in Bardhaman district during the campaign for the February 28 general strike shows how Trinamul goons can indulge in violence with impunity. During the February 28 strike too many attacks were launched on workers in different parts of the state. The TMC-led government is condoning and justifying such attacks. Despite this violence, people are coming out asserting their rights. The massive mobilisation seen at the Brigade rally at the conclusion of the state conference of the CPI(M) is a manifestation of this resistance.

Party

Congress

The Polit Bureau finalised the draft of the Political-Organisational Report for the 20th congress. The draft will now be placed before the Central Committee for discussions and approval. The Central Committee will be meeting from March 17 to 19, 2012.