People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
No. 42
October 21, 2012
|
Vol. XXXVI
No. 42 October 21, 2012 |
CENTRAL COMMITTEE COMMUNIQUE
The
Central Committee of
the Communist Party of
Onslaught
on
People’s
Interests
THE UPA
government has undertaken
a series of measures which are meant to appease foreign
finance capital and big
business on the one hand and to squeeze the people and burden
them with steps
to increase price rise and cut subsidies on the other.
The
decision to allow FDI
in multi-brand retail, the disinvestment in profitable public
sector
enterprises and the efforts to increase FDI in the insurance
sector and privatise
pension funds are all meant to profit foreign capital and big
corporates.
The
sharp hike in diesel
by Rs five per litre has stoked inflation and in such a
situation the
limitation in subsidised gas cylinders is a serious attack on
the budgets of
ordinary families.
The
Manmohan Singh
government has increased the price of subsidized gas cylinders
by Rs 11.40 and
the price of urea by Rs 50 per tonne in recent days. These
callous measures
will only further increase the burdens on the people. The UPA
government is
not bothered with the food inflation rate which has
crossed 10 per cent.
The
Central Committee
noted the growing political isolation of the UPA government.
The withdrawal of
the TMC from the government, even the partners of the UPA
government differing
with the anti-people measures adopted ― all go to show that
the Manmohan Singh
government has no mandate to push through such reforms. The
September 20 all-India
protest and hartal showed the discontent and fighting mood of
the people. The
Central Committee resolved to intensify the movements and
struggles in defence
of people’s livelihood and to mobilize the people against high
level
corruption.
Intensified
Struggles
The
Central Committee
endorsed the decision of the Left parties to conduct
conventions against FDI in
multi-brand retail in state capitals and major cities in the
month of November.
The CPI(M) will resolutely oppose the opening of foreign
supermarkets and will
build up a broadbased movement to stop Walmart and other
foreign supermarket
chains entering
The
Central Committee also
decided to intensify the movement for food security and
against price rise.
From the second half of November and the whole month of
December, party units
at all levels will take up the task of enlisting people who
have no BPL cards
and ensuring that they get the cards, conduct struggles for
adequate supply of
foodgrains through the PDS and campaign for an effective food
security law.
Along with this, the Party will conduct the struggle against
the limitation in
gas cylinders and the rise in fertiliser prices for farmers,
increase in
electricity rates etc.
Massive
Corruption
The
recent period has seen
the UPA government and the Congress leadership being engulfed
in corruption
scandals one after the other. There is no sector in which
corruption and loot
of resources is not going on.
Coal
Block
Scandal
The
Central Committee
reiterated that a high level enquiry should be conducted on
the allocation of
captive coal blocks. The large-scale misuse and corrupt
practices which have
been exposed by the CAG report has to be comprehensively
enquired into. Since
the prime minister was looking after this ministry, the role
of the PMO should
also be probed. Those found responsible for the irregularities
and malpractices
should be prosecuted; allocations made to the private
companies should be
cancelled and steps taken to recover the loss of revenue.
Other
Cases
The
CPI(M) demands that
nothing should be done to undermine the nationalized coal
industry. The captive
coal mining route should not be used as a backdoor method of
privatisation.
Instead of competitive bidding for captive coal blocks, the
alternate route
should be that such allocations for private steel and power
producers should be
made through the nodal agency of Coal
The
Central Committee
demanded that action be taken on the basis of the CAG reports
on the Sasan
ultra mega power project and the Delhi International Airport
Ltd. In both cases
windfall profits have been made by illegal allotments and
benefits.
The
Central Committee
demanded that enquiry should be conducted by the relevant
authorities into the
business dealings of Robert Vadra. His companies and its links
with the giant
real estate company DLF and the nexus with the Haryana
government should be
proved and action taken if there is any wrongdoing.
Situation
in
The
Central Committee
expressed its deep concern at the ethnic clashes which took
place in the Bodo
Territorial Autonomous District areas. Even two and a half
months after the
clashes nearly two lakh people are living in relief camps, the
bulk of them
Muslims. All steps should be taken to see that people can
return to their homes
and lands and the state should ensure their safety and
security. The Central
Committee condemned the efforts of certain extremist forces to
communalise the
whole situation in
The
Central Committee
reiterated that the right of people belonging to different
states and regions
to go for work and residence in other parts of the country
must be
protected. Regional chauvinism and divisive forces who
seek to disrupt the
unity of the people should be firmly combated.
Increase
in Crimes
against
Women
The
Central Committee
expressed its deep concern of the increase in the crimes
against women which
according to the NCRB figures for 2011 is as high as 2.28 lakh
registered
cases. Rape is the fastest growing crime in
In
protest against increasing
cases of sexual assault and crimes against women the CPI(M)
will observe a day
of national protest on October 30. The party will campaign to
mobilise public
opinion against the attacks on women and young girls. The
party will demand the
passage of the bill pending with the government against sexual
assault;
Accountability procedures and punishment to police officials
guilty of delaying
filing of FIR, medical examination; ensuring time-bound
framework for rape
cases through fast track courts.
Prosecution
of
Minority
Youth
The
Central Committee
deplored the continuing harassment and targeting of Muslim
youth who are being
arrested in cases connected with terrorism charges. Many
instances have
occurred of arrest of innocent youth and their being in jail
for long period
and finally being acquitted by the courts. The State
investigative and
intelligence agencies have displayed a bias in targeting
Muslim youth. Steps
have to be taken to step such biased investigations and
procedures. The Central
Committee decided to campaign for the protection of the
democratic rights and
civil liberties of the minority community in all such cases.
Assembly
Elections
The
Central Committee
discussed the party’s participation in the Himachal Pradesh
and
Support
to Joint
Trade
Union Call
The
Central Committee
supported the call of the central trade unions for the
movement against the
anti-working class policies of the government and for the
protection of the
rights of workers. The central trade unions have given a call
for a two-day
strike on February 20-21, 2013. The Central Committee directed
all its party
units to work for the success of the strike and to campaign
for the success of
the protest action among the working class and mobilise other
sections of the
working people to join the strike call.
