Friday, October 31, 2008

[Marxistindia] Raising the Ceiling for foreign capital in insurance sector

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 31, 2008

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly disapproves the decision of the Union Cabinet to increase the ceiling for foreign capital entry into the Indian insurance sector from the existing 26 per cent to 49 per cent. For the last four years this was not allowed to be done by the Left parties on whose support the UPA government depended. This was based on the understanding that in the interests of India and its economic fundamentals the hard earned life long savings of the Indian people in the insurance sector should not be put at the disposal of international finance capital that thrives on the basis of speculation. Such an increase in the cap for foreign capital would have resulted in the outflow of Indian people's savings to lubricate speculative profits. Because of the Left's opposition India has been able to withstand, to some extent, the complete onslaught of the current global crisis of international finance capital.

In the light of the current global crisis, such a decision would be counterproductive and vastly enlarge India's vulnerability to international speculators. The Left parties will oppose this move when it comes before the parliament. The Left parties appeal to all other parties who have the interests of the Indian people and their economic prosperity in mind to join in opposition of this move which will only provide greater profits to speculative capital at the expense of the Indian people.

eom
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Thursday, October 30, 2008

[Marxistindia] CPI(M) Condemsn Bomb Blasts in Assam

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 30, 2008

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

CPI(M) Condemns Bomb Blasts in Assam

The Polit Bureau strongly condemns the serial blasts that have taken place in Assam killing over sixty people and injuring scores of others. These blasts are a continuation of the anti-national terror acts witnessed in various parts of the country in the recent past. These blasts have once again exposed the failure of the intelligence and security apparatus. The Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and the Congress government in the state must immediately take measures to correct these lapses and strengthen the security apparatus.

The Polit Bureau conveys its heartfelt sympathy for all those who have lost their loved ones in these attacks. It demands adequate compensation to the families of the victims and the injured.

eom
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Friday, October 24, 2008

[Marxistindia] Stop This Assault on Parliamentary Democracy

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 25, 2008

Press Statement

The Left parties - Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc - have issued the following statement:

Stop This Assault On Parliamentary Democracy

The Left parties express their strong opposition to the government not calling a fresh winter session of parliament. The government has announced that the session called on October 17, which itself was a continuation of the July 21-22 trust vote session, will be reconvened on December 10.

By this step, the UPA government has taken the unprecedented step of doing away with both the regular monsoon and winter sessions of parliament. This is a serious assault on parliamentary democracy and politically immoral.

The Left parties demand the convening of a full fledged winter session of parliament. The Left parties will consult with other like-minded parties in the opposition to decide on an effective protest and on a joint course of action.

Sd/-

(Prakash Karat) (A B Bardhan)

CPI(M) CPI

(Debabrata Biswas) (T J Chandrachoodan)

AIFB RSP
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

[Marxistindia] on parliament session

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 23, 2008

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

On Parliament Session

The manner in which the Manmohan Singh government is treating parliament is shocking. First it refused to convene the Monsoon Session. It then announced that a "continued session" of the July 21-22 special trust vote session would be held from October 17 to November 21. Now, barely a week after the convening of parliament it is being adjourned again on October 24. This exposes the narrow partisan interests which dictated the indefinite postponement of the Monsoon Session and the doing away of the Winter Session.

This year parliament has been in session for less than forty days. This gross contempt for parliament is compounded by the refusal of the Prime Minister to honour his own commitment to seek parliamentary approval for the nuclear deal after the IAEA and NSG stages were completed.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the next session to be called in December should be a full-fledged Winter Session and not another farcical continuation of the July 21-22 session. Parliament will have to be adjourned sine die so that the Winter Session can be convened in December. The presiding officers have the duty to see that this travesty of parliamentary democracy is not perpetuated.

In case the government does not convene a fresh session of parliament, the CPI(M) will consult with all other likeminded opposition parties to decide the course of action.

end
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[Marxistindia] Protest Rallies Against Indo-US Naval Exercises

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)

October 23, 2008

Press Release

Protest Rallies Against Indo-US Naval Exercises

The CPI(M) is organizing protests all along the West Coast on October 24 against the Indo-US Naval exercises being conducted in the Arabian Sea. The "Malabar Exercises" involve US naval ships led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan.

The Party is holding protest rallies in 15 centres all along the West Coast in the four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. There will be ten rallies in the nine coastal districts of Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Allapuzha, Ernakulam, Trissur, Malapuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargode. In Karnataka, the rally will be held in Mangalore. In Goa it will be held in Vasco da Gama. In Maharashtra there will be protest rallies at Thalasseri (Thane District), Uran (Raigad district) and Mumbai.

CPI(M) leaders S. Ramachandran Pillai, V.S. Achuthanandan, Pinarayi Vijayan, Brinda Karat and K Varadarajan - all members of the Polit Bureau will be addressing some of these rallies.

end
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Monday, October 20, 2008

[Marxistindia] PB on Mumbai attack

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 20, 2008

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the brutal attacks by MNS on youth from different states who had gone to Mumbai to sit for the Railway Recruitment Board exams. Over 50 young men were severely beaten and terrorized and not allowed to sit for the exams. This is not the first time that this blatantly regional chauvinist outfit has attacked those from outside Maharashtra particularly targeting poor workers from the Hindi-speaking regions. This is a blatant assault on the Constitution which the state government of Maharashtra is duty bound to protect and take stringent action against the perpetrators of such attacks. That it has failed to do so and in fact showing lenience to the leader of the outfit shows the utter bankruptcy of the politics of the Congress and its coalition partner.

eom
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

[Marxistindia] central committee communique

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 14, 2008
Press Communiqué

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held its
meeting from October 12 to 14, 2008 at Kolkata. It has issued the
following statement:

US Financial Crisis & Its Impact

The severe financial crisis in the United States has become a global
financial crisis. The Wall Street model of unregulated finance driven
speculation and greed for quick profits has collapsed with disastrous
consequences for the banking and financial institutions with harmful
consequences to the lives and livelihood of the people. The CPI(M) has
consistently maintained that the finance driven imperialist globalisation
is unsustainable. The manner in which the United States government is
trying to solve the crisis by bailing out the investment bankers and
financers at the expense of the taxpayers will only worsen the situation.

There are lessons to be drawn for India from this financial crisis. The
Manmohan Singh government has been pushing for the very same policies
which have spelt ruin for the financial system in the United States and
many European countries. The government has been assiduously pushing for
financial sector liberalisation in the past four years. Both the Prime
Minister and the Finance Minister are the architects of the legislation,
which seek to open up the insurance and banking sector to more foreign
capital. They have sought to put the pension funds of government employees
into the stock market. They have blithely wanted capital account
convertibility. All these would have ensured India becoming a victim of
speculative financial capital and destruction of its economic sovereignty.

Left Role

It is the firm opposition of the Left parties while supporting the
government which prevented the legislations to increase FDI cap in
insurance from 26 to 49 per cent; for amendment of the Banking Regulation
Act to facilitate 74 per cent FDI in private Indian banking and the
adoption of the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority Bill.

Despite the dire experience of hot money flows, the Manmohan Singh
government has sought to tackle the stock market crash by further relaxing
norms for the entry of Foreign Institutional Buyers (FIIs). The minor
restrictions of Participatory Notes has been lifted and norms for external
commercial borrowings relaxed. These are a recipe for importing the
financial crisis into India.

The Central Committee warns the Manmohan Singh government not to tackle
the crisis in a manner which only helps the big corporates and private
financial institutions. The Central Committee demands that the government
take the following steps immediately:

1. Stop relaxing measures for speculative capital flows
2. Tighten capital controls and financial market regulations
3. Stop efforts to deregulate and open up the banking and insurance sector
to foreign capital.
4. Scrap the New Pension Scheme and withdraw the PFRDA Bill
5. Provide uninterrupted credit to small and medium enterprises
6. Ensure bank credit to farmers and weaker sections
7. Stabilise Rupee value

Reduce the Price of Petrol & Diesel

The Central Committee demands that the government immediately reduce the
retail price of petrol and diesel. The international oil prices have come
down sharply and is now around $ 75 to 80 per barrel. The government had
increased the price of petrol and diesel by Rs. 4 and 2 at a time when the
international price was around $ 120 per barrel. The government should cut
the price by Rs. 4 and 2 for petrol and diesel respectively.

Growing Communal Violence

The Central Committee notes with serious concern the growing incidents of
communal violence in various parts of the country. The shocking attack on
the Christian community in Kandhamal district in Orissa which began in the
last week of August continues even today. There have been attacks on
Christians in Mangalore, Udupi, Davengere and other parts of Karnataka.
The Naveen Patnaik government in Orissa has totally failed to curb the
attacks on the Christians and round up all the guilty persons who belong
to the Hindutva outfits. The Central government has failed to effectively
intervene to protect the minorities in Kandhamal by discharging its
constitutional obligations.

A series of attacks on the minority community has taken place in Dhule,
Maharashtra Buharanpur in Madhya Pradesh and lastly the violence in
Bhaisha town in Adilabad district which has seen the ghastly burning to
death of a family of six members.

The BJP-RSS combine is instigating communal violence according to a game
plan keeping in mind the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections in
five states.

Act Against Bajrang Dal

The Bajrang Dal has been spearheading the attacks on the Christian
community and its involvement in terrorist violence through the
manufacture of bombs and placing of explosives have come to light, the
latest being in Kanpur. The Central Committee demands that strong action
be taken against the Bajrang Dal under the Unlawful Activities Prevention
Act.

Terrorist Attacks

The spate of terrorist attacks through bomb explosions that have taken
place in Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Delhi confirm that there are a network
of terrorist groups operating with a view to disrupt communal harmony and
the social fabric of our society. There is a growing sense of alienation
with the failure of the State to check violence against the minorities and
to render justice. This is helping the extremist elements. The terrorist
attacks need to be met firmly. This requires effective intelligence and
revamping of the security agencies and their coordinated action. The
solution does not lie in introducing more draconian laws as the BJP
demands.

The manner in which the police have responded to terrorist attacks in
various places by rounding up Muslim youth indiscriminately, keeping them
under detention and subjecting them to physical harassment has created
fear and insecurity among the minority community. The CPI(M) demands the
end to the targeting and harassment of the minority community.
Investigation into terrorist attacks must be conducted fairly and as per
the rule of the law.

The Central Committee while assuring the Muslim community that the Party
will stand for the protection of their rights, appeals to them to isolate
the extremist elements who are seeking to utilize the alienation and
insecurity of the minority community.

Nuclear Deal

The Manmohan Singh government has gone ahead and signed the 123 agreement
with the United States. This was done despite the fact that the US law
approving the agreement has all the restrictions and conditions in the
Hyde Act. The agreement does not provide assurance of uninterrupted fuel
supply; there is no assurance regarding building a strategic fuel reserve
for the life time of the reactor; whatever corrective measures India takes
regarding fuel supply failure does not permit taking the reactors out of
safeguards; the consent to reprocess is only notional; and the US will
also work to prevent other countries from providing nuclear supplies to
India, if the US terminates the 123 Agreement.

The Congress Party is propagating that the deal will provide electricity
for every house and village in the country. For this deceptive claim it
has already committed to buy 10,000 MW of nuclear reactors from the United
States which would cost $ 70 billion or 3,00,15,000 crores. Who is going
to pay for this expensive power from imported nuclear plants.

The CPI(M) will campaign against the nuclear deal as a surrender to the
United States and a betrayal of India's interests.


Singur Project

The Central Committee heard a report on the TATA motors project at Singur
which has been abandoned. The Trinamul led opposition in the state is bent
upon obstructing all projects meant for the development of the state
whether they are for industries or for other purposes. The CPI(M) will
mobilize the people of West Bengal to foil such disruptive activities and
to ensure that the Left Front government can fulfill its goal for
industrial and all round development of the state.

Sri Lanka Situation

The Central Committee noted with concern that the offensive of the Sri
Lankan armed forces is growing in the Northern region of Sri Lanka. As the
armed forces are advancing towards Kilinochchi, the shelling and aerial
bombardment is resulting in casualties among the Tamil people. Tens of
thousands of people have been displaced. There is a growing shortage of
essential commodities and medicines. The Sri Lankan government is bent
upon pursuing a military solution. This will not solve the Tamil question.
Only a political solution based on the provision of real autonomy to the
Tamil-speaking regions can provide a durable framework for peace and a
united Sri Lanka. The Indian government has to mount pressure to make the
Sri Lankan government proceed for a political settlement. It should insist
that the Sri Lankan government ensure supply of food, drugs and essential
commodities reach the people in the conflict areas.


Lok Sabha Elections

The Central Committee discussed the political situation in view of the
forthcoming assembly elections in six states and the subsequent Lok Sabha
elections. For the Lok Sabha elections, the party decided that it will
adopt an electoral platform aiming to defeat the BJP, which is a communal
party advocating reactionary economic policies and for the rejection of
the Congress that is forging a strategic alliance with the United States
and pursuing anti-people economic policies. The Central Committee
discussed specific electoral tactics to be pursued in various states and
gave direction for the election preparations.

Future Programmes

The Central Committee called for the following programme of action in the
coming days:

The Party will conduct a sustained campaign against the communal forces
and for the protection of the minorities. It will work for a broad
mobilization against the Hindutva communal forces. The Party demands firm
action against the terrorist groups indulging in mindless violence.

The Central Committee calls upon all Party units to observe a "Week
Against Communalism and Terrorism" from October 30 to November 5.

The Central Committee calls upon the Party units to continue the struggle
to demand steps to curb price rise. It should step up the struggle for the
adequate supply of rations, issuance of ration cards and against black
marketing.

Party units should work for the implementation of the Forest Rights Act
for the tribal people and for the proper implementation of the Rural
Employment Guarantee Act.

The Party will campaign against the UPA government's pro-imperialist
policy including the surrender to the US on the nuclear deal. The Party
strongly protests the Indo-US naval exercises which will begin on October
24 on the West Coast.

The CPI(M) will organize protests on October 24 all along the West Coast
by holding rallies and demonstrations in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and
Kerala against the "Malabar Exercises".


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Monday, October 13, 2008

[Marxistindia] CC on killing in Adilabad

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 12, 2008

Press Statement

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) now in session at Kolkata has issued the following statement:

The Central Committee of the CPI(M) strongly condemned the horrific incident of the killing of six members of a family including three children and a woman who were burnt alive by putting their house to fire at Bhaisha town in Adilabad district in Andhra Pradesh. This killing of a Muslim family is the latest act of violence in the town which has altogether seen ten people dead in the last forty eight hours.

The RSS and the communal elements provoked the trouble while a Dusshera procession was being taken out. It is surprising that the attack on the house has taken place even after curfew was imposed. The police and the district administration have not acted firmly against the culprits responsible for the communal violence. This incident underlines the necessity to take firm action against all the communal forces and organisations which are stoking violence in different parts of the country.

The Central Committee demands that the Andhra Pradesh government take immediate steps for the protection of the minorities and to provide adequate compensation to those affected by the communal violence in Adilabad district.

eom
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[Marxistindia] (no subject)

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Intervention At the
National Integration Council Meeting
October 13, 2008, New Delhi


This meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) has been convened
at a very critical moment in the life of our country. The orgy of
violence against the minority Christian community has continued for weeks
in Orissa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and many other parts of the country.
Reports of communal clashes are pouring in from various other parts of
the country. At the same time, the series of terrorist attacks in Delhi as
well as various state capitals poses a severe challenge to our country's
unity and integrity.

The NIC is meeting when such attacks against the minorities have continued
for several weeks. In fact the meeting should have been convened much
earlier. The Union Government has a responsibility towards maintaining the
unity and integrity of the country which has not been discharged in the
manner warranted by the deteriorating situation. The Union Government's
responsibility is particularly so on the issue of protecting the right to
life and the security of the tribals and the dalits in the country. The
Union Government has failed to intervene in this situation even after six
weeks of continuous attacks against the Christian minority in Orissa.

However, the agenda circulated for this meeting is a vast canvas covering
all aspects of potential conflict and tensions adversely affecting
national integration. In this short meeting, it is virtually impossible
to discuss all these issues, however important and relevant they may be.
On many of these issues like the question of social justice and the
struggles against the connected caste-based social oppression; regional
economic imbalances providing grist to the mill of regional chauvinism;
providing adequate facilities for improving the welfare of the religious
minorities as enunciated by the Sachhar Committee Report etc, the CPI(M)
has a definite point of view which has been articulated before the NIC and
publicly in the past.

The situation on all these counts has deteriorated particularly since the
pursuance of the trajectory of economic liberalization in the country.
With the practice of a planned economic development where major public
sector undertakings were located in economically backward regions being
abandoned, regional economic imbalances have widened feeding the
centrifugal forces of separatism in many parts of the country. State's
rights being adversely affected over the sharing of financial resources
under the liberalization regime undermining Centre-State relations
envisaged in our federal constitutional set up. With the economic divide
between the rich and poor widening and the consequent sharp rise in the
cost of education and the shrinkage of the employment pie, the scramble
between various social groups in our society has intensified adversely
affecting both social justice and national integration. The earlier
slogans of `sons of the soil' are finding newer expressions in the current
chauvinistic campaign in Maharashtra. The Union Government has failed to
translate many of the recommendations and suggestions for improving the
educational and social status of the minorities. While all these issues
must be discussed in right earnest urgently, given the present critical
situation, we would wish to confine ourselves to the two issues that we
have raised at the outset.

As the orgy of violence against the Christian minority continues unabated
in Orissa, Karnataka etc, come the gruesome reports of communal violence
in Assam. So far, over 50 lives have been lost and close to a lakh of
people have been forced to flee their homes. The clashes between the
ethnic Bodo tribals, the local people and the Muslims is a grave
development in a state which has repeatedly seen such ethnic and communal
clashes weakening the unity of our social fabric.

Horrific is the latest report of a six member Muslim family being burnt
alive in the Bhaisha town in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. So far
ten lives have been consumed in the communal violence here. In the Dhule
district of Maharashtra, communal violence has taken a toll of many
innocent lives and large-scale destruction of houses and property. This
is the third case of communal violence in the state of Maharashtra within
a week. Rajasthan continues to be tense with communal clashes being
reported from Udaipur. Similar reports of growing communal polarization
come from various other parts of the country. The situation in J&K where
communal polarization was sharply roused continues to remain a source of
concern for the unity and integrity of India.

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM), in a severe indictment of
the Karnataka government, has said that the BJP-led state government was
"soft" on the Bajrang Dal ignoring ample warnings of impending violence
against the Christian minorities. It also notes that after widespread
outrage, the Karnataka police had arrested the Bajrang Dal state convenor.
He was, however, released soon on bail. On the contrary, many Christians
who are the victims, were arrested, refused bail and continue to languish
in jails.

Similar observations have been made by the NCM regarding Orissa. The RSS
and the Bajrang Dal have now threatened that only those dalit Christians
who covert to Hinduism can return to rebuild their destroyed homes in
Kandhmahal, Orissa.

The sudden spurt of terrorist attacks in various parts of the country is a
cause of utmost serious concern. It poses a serious danger to our internal
security and the integrity of India. Such terrorist attacks need to be
curbed by strengthening our security and intelligence gathering apparatus.
All measures required to this end must be taken urgently. The question of
modernization of the police and other security forces must no longer be
allowed to wait. It is the responsibility of the Union Government to
initiate the process of consultation with the state governments and
address this issue urgently. There is also an urgent need to take
stringent measures to ensure that terrorist and militant outfits do not
use facilities beyond our borders for the purposes of conducting their
anti-national activities.

However, at the same time, it is also being widely believed that one of
the contributors to the recent spate of terrorist attacks is the real and
perceived injustice felt by the religious minorities in the country. Such
sharpening of communal polarization for political gains only feeds,
unfortunately, the impermissible terroristic response. While terrorism
is simply unacceptable and must be combated, this needs to be done on the
basis of impeccable impartiality by the organs of the State. Terrorism
knows no religion. It is simply anti-national. The recent spate of
terrorist attacks in Muslim-dominated areas have raised genuine suspicions
of a Hindu hard line response to some Muslim terrorist actions. The
recent bomb attack in Malegaon where four Muslims were killed in a
locality crowded with people who had broken their ramzan fast buttress
such suspicions. When the media questioned the police whether Hindu hard
liners were suspected, Maharashtra's Additional Director General of
Police (law and order) said, "At this stage, we cannot rule out the
possibility".

Police investigations in the past few years have noted the involvement of
Bajrang Dal or other RSS organizations in various bomb blasts across the
country – in 2003, in Parbani, Jalna and Jalgaon districts of
Maharashtra; in 2005, in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh; in 2006, in
Nanded; in January 2008, at the RSS office in Tenkasi, Tirunelveli; in
August 2008, in Kanpur etc etc. Internal security of our country can be
strengthened only when all such cases are also probed impartially and
with the same degree of intensity. Given this, action against the Bajrang
Dal under the Unlawful Activities Act must be initiated.

As stated earlier, all efforts to combat terrorism and internal security
must be strengthened. Most importantly, however, these activities must be
conducted in a spirit of utmost impartiality. Organisations and
individuals found to indulge in such terror activities, irrespective of
their religious denomination must be dealt with the same yardstick. No
persecution of any community, as widely perceived by the Muslim minority,
in the name of combating terrorism, should be permitted.

The CPI(M) reiterates that the unity and integrity of the vast plurality
and rich diversity of India can be maintained only by strengthening the
bonds of commonality that run through this diversity. Any effort at
seeking to impose a uniformity – religious or linguistic or cultural etc –
upon this diversity is the surest recipe to promote disintegration. It is
the task of all political parties, social groups and civil society who
cherish the republican foundations of our secular, democratic modern India
to strengthen the collective social consciousness of our country, to
celebrate, not bemoan, India's diversity.

The CPI(M) has always opposed the gross misuse of Article 356 of our
Constitution. The CPI(M) has been seeking appropriate amendments to
Article 356 of the Constitution in order to incorporate safeguard to
prevent its misuse. However, in this connection, the NIC must be
appraised if Article 355 has been invoked by the Central government for
Orissa, Karnataka etc. If so, what has been the response of the state
governments? If not, why not?

May I conclude by offering the CPI(M)'s unstinted support to the all
important task, on the lines suggested above, to contain both communalism
and terrorism which promote the forces of disintegration of India.

(Sitaram Yechury attended the meeting on behalf of the Party)


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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

[Marxistindia] withdraw retrograde measures

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 7, 2008

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Withdraw Retrograde Measures

The decision of the SEBI to relax the restrictions on the issuance of Participatory Notes (PNs) by the FIIs announced yesterday is a retrograde and illogical move. The Reserve Bank of India has been advocating a ban on these non-transparent derivative instruments used by the FIIs to invest money in the Indian capital market on behalf of undisclosed entities and individuals. The SEBI, while refusing to prohibit PNs, had applied a 40% cap on total assets held by FIIs under PNs in October 2007. With the stock market witnessing yet another crash yesterday due to the pull out of funds by the FIIs, the SEBI has summarily removed all its earlier restrictions in one stroke in order to woo the FIIs back. Such an intervention by the SEBI to favour of a set of players, who are holding the market to ransom, is grossly violative of the role of a market regulator.

SEBI's efforts to appease the FIIs reflect a desperate attempt to shore up the Indian stock market in the backdrop of a global financial meltdown. The RBI has also cut the CRR to ease the credit flow to the capital market. The Indian policy establishment seems to have drawn the worst lessons from the financial crisis in the US. While Governments and policymakers everywhere are discussing ways and means to tighten regulation of financial markets following the crisis, the Indian policymakers seem to be moving in an entirely opposite direction.

The CPI (M) warns the UPA Government against these steps, which will make the financial system more vulnerable to the dictates of speculative finance and import the financial crisis into India. The Polit Bureau of the CPI (M) demands that these steps be put on hold and measures to tighten regulation in the Indian financial markets be initiated immediately.

eom
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Saturday, October 4, 2008

[Marxistindia] Nirpuam Sen on Latest developments in Singur

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
Singur and the latest developments
SINGUR: THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
NIRUPAM SEN

The people of the country, of Bengal, and of Singur may legitimately pose the question as to what made the Tata's wind up the small car project at Singur when more than 85% of work has been completed.

A run of devastation called an 'agitation,' has had a temporary triumph. It has wounded the both the prospects of industrial investment in the state and the process of industrialisation. Again, we call this a temporary phenomenon. The majority of the people of the state - indeed, an overwhelming majority - had wanted from the core of their heart that the Singur project must become a reality.

Following the meeting that Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and I had with Shri Ratan Tata, the expectation of the people has perhaps touched rock-bottom. Only history will tell in the months and years to come what would the losses entail to no less than eight crore of men and women of the state.

History was sent on the backfoot on 3 October 2008 when at the end of the meeting Shri Tata addressed the media that the small car project would now be shifted away from Singur because 'there is no there alternative,' now more than ever, what with the clear 'responsibility devolving on the so-called 'agitation' of the Trinamul Congress.' The project to which the people of the sate had looked with so much of fond expectation for a period of two-and-a-half years saw the shutters come down at last.

The people of the state would not be witness to the turning back of the wheel of history - the people of Bengal know how to face contingencies of whatever kind. The project, it is now clear has been shifted away from Singur simply and only because of destructive, irresponsible acts of violence by the main opposition party in Bengal and some its cohort outfits. The vast majority of the people Singur, indeed of Bengal do not support in any manner the pattern of behaviour of these political outfits. They wanted the project to see the light of the day. They stood to lose out the most. The extent of loss will be something that will be felt in full measure in the days ahead.

However, we have not an iota of doubt in our hearts-and-minds that the negative 'agitationsists' movement shall be met politically. People must come forward. The campaign-movement that would soon unfurl across the state and in the country must be conducted amidst the people, with the people.

The event has harmed the prospects of industrialisation. It has also left bleeding in its wake the prospects of industrial investment in the state. Hurt shall be felt amongst the younger generation amongst whom the Singur project was a beacon of hope. Nevertheless, not all this shall ever signify that the industrialists concerned with ongoing and future projects shall all go away from this state. The process of industrialisation in Bengal on a sound and expanding agrarian base is important and emergent. We shall have to traverse along this path.

Let me say that we do not support the decision that the Tata's have chosen to take. Yet, we are aware that there is a timeframe fixed for the production of the small car. Things were already running behind schedule because of various factors. Tata's have clearly pointed out that they do want production to go on under Police protection. They wanted a peaceful ambience. They looked to safety and security for the guards they had employed. These expectations were quite in the order of things. The state government had made ample arrangements to look after security.

However, the stat government, at the same time, did not want any happenings to take place that would open the portals for violent deeds to take place. The opposition wanted exactly this to happen: let blood be shed. The blood letting they would utilise shamelessly to widen their kind of politics. The state government would not afford them this heinous opportunity.

The opposition had promised that their agitation would remain peaceful. They did not keep the pledge. Some may view the behaviour of endurance on them part of the state government as weakness. Our principle was that we did not want to have any unpleasant incident on our hands. Those who created the violence that wrote finish to the Singur project for the time being should do a bit of self-search to seek how much of good their deeds have done to the people of Bengal.

On the issue of returning the acquired land, we hold that there is no such proviso in the Indian Constitution. The present owner of the land is the state government. There is no legal proviso by which one can return the land to the farmers or to the previous owners. There is really no need now more than ever to enter into any dialogue with the opposition any longer. The court of law shall hold into the cheques of those who had not accepted them for whatever reason.

If somebody asks of us that we should have entered into discussion with the opposition earlier, our counter-query would be what timeframe are we talking about? Can anyone name just single project where the principal opposition party have come forward on to the table for discussion? There politics is that they will never allow any good to happen to Bengal. The picture is the same whether the project is a roads project or a project for generation of electricity.

We are right amidst the festival season and this is the time when we are faced with a sad and tragic event. The youth must be bitterly disappointed. We could not think that the main opposition party would play at such sectarian, such destructive politics. It is their role, let no one be mistaken, that has prevented the Singur project from going becoming viable and vibrant.

[989 words]
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Friday, October 3, 2008

[Marxistindia] Attacks on Christians in Orissa

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 4, 2008

Press statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Reports of violent attacks against the Christian minorities continue to pour in from Orissa. According to official estimates, over 32 people have been killed, over 2,000 houses destroyed and over 140 churches and prayer halls attacked and desecrated. Cognizance of serious crimes such as the gang rape of a nun and the public parading in the naked perpetrated six weeks earlier had not even been taken into account by the authorities, till exposed by the media.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that this case as well as the other serious ones are handed over to the CBI for investigation and speedy punishment of the guilty.

eom
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Thursday, October 2, 2008

[Marxistindia] bomb blasts in Tripura

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 2, 2008

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

On Bomb Blasts in Agartala

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the forces who have perpetrated the bomb blasts in Agartala city in Tripura. In the four blasts, 73 people were injured and some are in a critical condition. The Polit Bureau conveys its heartfelt sympathy to all those who became victims of the blasts and their families.

The Left Front government of Tripura has registered significant success in tackling the extremist groups who used to resort to terrorist violence. The bomb explosions must be seen as an attempt to destabilize the situation.

The Central government should extend all help to the state government in tracking down the culprits behind this attack especially in view of the fact that Tripura has an international border on the three sides of the state.
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[Marxistindia] Don't Sign Nuclear Deal

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
October 2, 2008

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Don't Sign Nuclear Deal : It Will Be A Surrender

The US Congress has adopted an Act to approve the 123 Agreement. This Act is a Hyde Act plus version which has the key provisions of the Hyde Act and much more. The Act passed by the Congress spells out clearly that:

· India does not have fuel supply assurance

· No assurance regarding building a strategic fuel reserve for the life time of the reactor

· Whatever corrective measures it takes regarding fuel supply failure does not permit taking the reactors out of safeguards

· The consent to reprocess is only notional

· The US will also work to prevent other countries from providing nuclear supplies to India, if the US terminates the 123 Agreement.

Condoleezza Rice has further assured the Congress that India will be barred from Enrichment and Reprocessing Technology in the next NSG meeting to be held in November, formalizing an unofficial consensus reached during the NSG waiver meeting of September 4-6.

The letter written by the Indian Foreign Secretary to Under Secretary William Burns on September 10 also makes clear the other terms of the Agreement. India is committing to buy a minimum of 10,000 MW from the dying US nuclear industry, which has not received any new order for the last 30 years. It is going to indemnify suppliers from all consequences of a nuclear accident.

The device of getting a Presidential signing statement to waive the objectionable provisions of the Act will not hold water, as this is a law passed by Congress and Bush will not be President after four months.

The Manmohan Singh government has been claiming that the Hyde Act will be overridden by the last Act passed by the US Congress as per US jurisprudence. Now the last Act contains all the Hyde Act restrictions and they have been made more explicit.

After this, if the Congress led government still goes ahead and signs the 123 Agreement, it will be a complete surrender to the United States and a betrayal of India's vital interests.


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