People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
No. 20
May 20, 2012
|
Vol. XXXVI
No. 20 May 20, 2012 |
Basudeb Acharia IN Lok Sabha, CPI(M) group leader Basudeb
Acharia said that while we are observing the 60th year of our parliament, we
should remember those who laid down their lives and went to the gallows. The
sacrifices of the heroes of our freedom struggle won us independence and we
adopted the parliamentary democratic system of governance. We will have to
seriously think whether the problems of inequality, discrimination, poverty,
exploitation, etc have increased or decreased, and whether the intent of the
founding fathers of the constitution has been implemented in letter and spirit,
in this 60 years period. We see that the poverty has not reduced; happiness has
not come to the people. The gap between the rich and the poor has increased.
Lakhs and lakhs of people are still born under the sky and die under the sky.
We have not been able to provide shelter to 100 per cent of our population. We
cannot even provide safe drinking water to the poor. We must seriously think of
the tribals and dalits whose conditions have not improved. If a farmer commits
suicide after 64 years of independence, we will have to seriously think over
it. Another major problem which is corroding our parliamentary democracy is the
use of money power in elections. If voters and votes are purchased, what will
happen to the parliamentary democracy? There is a need for electoral reforms. Unless
there is state funding of elections, we will not be able to curb the use of
money power. Something has to be done to cleanse the system and protect it from
corrosion. We should seriously ponder over it. The problems of discrimination,
exploitation, pauperisation of the people, starvation and illiteracy still
exist in this country, and we cannot enjoy the successes and achievements of
our parliamentary democracy unless we remove these ills. The sitting extended till the evening. Both
the houses adjourned after passing a resolution to uphold the dignity and
supremacy of parliament.
Joint
Statement issued by the Communist & Workers' Parties
NATO, A Threat to World Peace!
Below we publish
the joint statement of the Communist and Workers' parties on NATO issued on May 17, 2012. The CPI(M) has
signed the statement along with many other parties.
IN an international situation marked by the deepening
crisis of capitalism and by the violent imperialist offensive against the
achievements and rights of the workers and peoples, a NATO summit will take
place on May 20-21, in
In the context of an ever-deeper crisis of capitalism,
imperialism embarks on a militaristic and interventionist escalation.
Having renewed NATO's strategic concept in 2010 - a
new and dangerous qualitative step in its interventionist ambitions, of which
the aggression against Libya was an example – the USA and NATO, which has the
EU as its European pillar, seek to expand their sphere of influence, promote an
arms race and ever greater military spending, invest in new weapons and in
their worldwide network of military bases.
Imperialism militarizes international relations,
proceeds with occupations, threatens new aggressions, promotes conspiracies and
manoeuvers of interference in countries of every continent. The principles of
the UN Charter are seriously jeopardized and the process which seeks to destroy
International Law is accompanied by an ever greater instrumentalization of the
UN, with a view to whitewashing imperialist violence and its goals of
controlling resources and markets and of military and geostrategic domination.
NATO, being imperialism's main instrument in its quest
for world domination, is an enormous threat to world peace and security.
But, as the facts are demonstrating, imperialism's
force-based response to the crisis of capitalism is having to confront the
progressive and revolutionary struggle of the peoples, which in various parts
of the world are taking into their own hands the defense of their rights and
the sovereignty and independence of their countries and are resisting in the most
diversified ways, imposing setbacks to the strategy of imperialist domination.
Reaffirming thier commitment to the struggle for
peace, for the right of each people to freely decide its destiny, for social
progress and socialism, the Communist and Workers' Parties signing this
declaration:
-
Demand the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from
-
Reject the escalation of war in the Middle East, namely against
-
Demand the dissolution of NATO and support the sovereign right of peoples to
decide to disassociate their countries from this aggressive alliance;
-
Reject the deployment of
the
-
Demand an end to the
arms race, nuclear disarmament starting with the world's major nuclear powers –
such as the USA - and the complete destruction of chemical and biological
weapons;
-
Express their solidarity
with the peoples that resist imperialist occupation, aggression and
interference, namely in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and
Chilean Communists Celebrating
Hundred Years of Struggle
THE Communist Party
of Chile (PCCh) is celebrating its 100th anniversary of foundation. It was
founded as the Partido Obrero Socialista, (Socialist Workers’ Party) on June
12, 1912 by Luis Emilio Recabarren, along with 30 miners and workers in the
northern Chilean city of Iquique, in the office of the newspaper El Despertar de los Trabajadores (The Workers’ Awakening). The name of the party was changed
into the Communist Party at the Party’s Second Congress on January 2, 1922 and
in the same year it became a member of the
Communist International.
Over decades of
struggle, Chilean Communists have faced periods of intense persecution and were
forced to work underground on a number of occasions. Members were attacked,
imprisoned and murdered. The torture and death of renowned Marxist
singer/songwriter Víctor Jara was one of the worst crimes of the 17-year
Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, which failed to eliminate Communist ideas in
While forced to
work underground, the PCCh supported Salvador Allende for the first time in the
presidential elections of 1952. Towards this end, they established, with the
Socialist Party, the National Liberation Front or People’s Front. The Front was
defeated in this election and also in the subsequent elections in 1958. But the
Party gained popularity and allies. The struggle continued to intensify until
in 1969, another coalition was formed (including the PCCh), to enter the 1970
elections as the Popular Unity alliance with a program which attracted the
masses, fed up with the broken promises of the bourgeois parties.
Allende won, but
the nationalisation of the copper industry and other measures meant to benefit
the poorest sectors of the population were unacceptable to the oligarchy. With
the help of the
The Communist Party
of Chile (PCCh), over the course of its 100 years of existence, in spite of
various obstacles, found ways to carry on its struggle for liberty and social
justice. Its significant prestige was evident during the massive student
demonstrations last year which challenged President Sebastián Piñera’s
right-wing government. In the vanguard of the movement were Karol Cariola,
secretary general of the Young Communists and Camila Vallejo, a member of its
executive and currently vice president of the nation’s Student Federation.
Thousands of students demanded free,
quality education and did not retreat despite brutal repression. Communists
also supported the demands of workers and the massive protests against the
government’s neo-liberal policies, as well as calls to reform the constitution.
It is these consistent struggles that are earning the party immense support
among the people even today.
Chilean Communists
Celebrating
Hundred Years of
Struggle
THE
Communist Party
of Chile (PCCh) is celebrating its 100th anniversary of
foundation. It was
founded as the Partido Obrero Socialista, (Socialist
Workers’ Party) on June
12, 1912 by Luis Emilio Recabarren, along with 30 miners and
workers in the
northern Chilean city of Iquique, in the office of the
newspaper El
Despertar de los Trabajadores (The Workers’
Awakening). The
name of the party was changed
into the Communist Party at the Party’s Second Congress on
January 2, 1922 and
in the same year it became a member of the
Communist International.
Over
decades of
struggle, Chilean Communists have faced periods of intense
persecution and were
forced to work underground on a number of occasions. Members
were attacked,
imprisoned and murdered. The torture and death of renowned
Marxist
singer/songwriter Víctor Jara was one of the worst crimes of
the 17-year
Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, which failed to eliminate
Communist ideas in
While
forced to
work underground, the PCCh supported Salvador Allende for
the first time in the
presidential elections of 1952. Towards this end, they
established, with the
Socialist Party, the National Liberation Front or People’s
Front. The Front was
defeated in this election and also in the subsequent
elections in 1958. But the
Party gained popularity and allies. The struggle continued
to intensify until
in 1969, another coalition was formed (including the PCCh),
to enter the 1970
elections as the Popular Unity alliance with a program which
attracted the
masses, fed up with the broken promises of the bourgeois
parties.
Allende
won, but
the nationalisation of the copper industry and other
measures meant to benefit
the poorest sectors of the population were unacceptable to
the oligarchy. With
the help of the
The
Communist Party
of Chile (PCCh), over the course of its 100 years of
existence, in spite of
various obstacles, found ways to carry on its struggle for
liberty and social
justice. Its significant prestige was evident during the
massive student
demonstrations last year which challenged President
Sebastián Piñera’s
right-wing government. In the vanguard of the movement were
Karol Cariola,
secretary general of the Young Communists and Camila
Vallejo, a member of its
executive and currently vice president of the nation’s
Student Federation.
Thousands of students demanded
free,
quality education and did not retreat despite brutal
repression. Communists
also supported the demands of workers and the massive
protests against the
government’s neo-liberal policies, as well as calls to
reform the constitution.
It is these consistent struggles that are earning the party
immense support
among the people even today.
