Thursday, September 30, 2010

[Marxistindia] On the verdict of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court

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news from the cpi(m)
September 30, 2010

Press Statement

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

On The Verdict of the Lucknow Bench

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has given its decision on the title deeds suits and related issues on the Babri Masjid/Ramjanmabhoomi temple dispute.

This judgement requires to be fully studied. There may be questions on the nature of the verdict.

The CPI(M) maintains that in our constitutional secular democratic system the judicial process which includes recourse to the Supreme Court should be the only way to resolve the issue.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) appeals to the people of the country to maintain peace and communal harmony and not fall prey to any provocations.


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Saturday, September 25, 2010

[Marxistindia] on the J&K Proposals

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Press Statement

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

On The J&K Proposals

The eight-point proposal announced by the Central Government for Jammu & Kashmir is a step in the right direction. However, it is insufficient. More needs to be done to instill confidence among the people and to help restore peace and normalcy.

While the announcement of the release of young men in jail for stone-pelting, review of detention under the Public Safety Act and compensation for the families of those killed are welcome, it is necessary to provide for compensation for those injured in police firings and for the rehabilitation of those permanently incapacitated.

There has to be a change in the police methods of tackling protesters indulging in stone-throwing. The promise to review the location of bunkers in Srinagar city and the proclamation of Disturbed Areas should be done expeditiously. It should not remain only a promise. Finally, the group of interlocutors for initiating a dialogue should be primarily political in nature. It is only a political exercise which can help initiate a dialogue and sustain it.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

[Marxistindia] Prakash Karat's Speech at the All Parties Meeting on Kashmir

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Speech of Prakash Karat at the All-Party Meeting on Kashmir held on September 15, 2010

Hon'ble Prime Minister, leaders of political parties and friends,

It is a good thing that this all-parties meeting has been called to discuss the Kashmir situation, though it is a belated one.

For three months the Kashmir valley has been in turmoil. There have been continuous curfews and hartals and life is at a standstill. More than 80 people have been killed in firings by the CRPF and the police. Most of them are young men ranging from the age of 9 to 25. We express our sorrow and anguish at the loss of so many young lives.

The people of Kashmir had risen up to fight back the raiders from Pakistan in 1947. They had chosen to accede to the Indian Union. Today they are deeply alienated and angry with the Indian State. We have to introspect as to why this has happened. But that exercise cannot be conducted in this meeting. It needs to be done separately.

The first issue is how to characterize these mass protests. These protests involving stone-pelting youth against the police force should not be equated with the hardcore militant violence and terrorist acts.

If this is so, then the distinction should have been made on how to handle such protests and tackle stone-throwing. Unfortunately, the response of the security forces has been to resort to firings which have led to the loss of so many young lives.

The Home Minister mentioned that the security forces had exercised utmost restraint. But what we have seen is repeated police firings and every death has further aggravated the situation. I would like to state categorically that there was no justification whatsoever for this brutal policing methods.

It will be wrong to characterize these protests as engineered by extremists and pro-Pakistani elements. By and large, these protests are by young people in the valley who have only seen two decades of insurgency and counter-insurgency measures. No doubt there are forces trying to utilize the mass anger and mood.

Given this assessment, the primary issue is how to address the deep seated alienation and the grievances of the people. This requires primarily a political approach and not a law and order stance. There can be no solution by just deploying the security forces to suppress such protests.

In order to bring about a semblance of peace and normalcy, it is incumbent upon the state and the Central government to take the following steps:

(i) Many of the young boys who are in jail should be released if they are not facing any serious charges. Juveniles should not be kept in prisons as it is happening.

(ii) There are a large number of injured. Some of them have been permanently incapacitated. The government should announce a specific package for relief for these people and also for the sustenance and livelihood of their families.

(iii) Both the victims of the militants and those who are former militants need assistance to have their livelihood and maintenance.

(iv) Given the sharp decrease in the levels of militant violence, there should be a reduction in the deployment of the army and the security forces proportionately. Here the question of the continuance of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the state arises. The army is not deployed or in use in Srinagar and other cities. Pending the question of amending the AFSPA or the future of this Act, what we suggest is that the Disturbed Areas proclamation be revoked from Srinagar and other urban centres. This will make the AFSPA redundant in these areas. I am sure the assessment of the security situation is that the army need not be deployed in the civilian areas where there is no serious militant activity. The armed forces are conducting an arduous and difficult task and their work has to be concentrated on the Line of Control and on checking infiltration from across the border.

(v) The real issue is about the accountability of the security forces. There have been excesses and violations of human rights. We should remember that the current outburst was sparked off after the exposure of the Machil encounter in which three innocent villagers were killed. Without firm action, we cannot instill any faith in the people.

What is required is the beginning of a political process in which a dialogue can be initiated with all sections in the state. We have our views on what should be the framework for a political settlement. But that is not what needs to be spelt out here.

The first step towards initiating a dialogue with all sections and political forces in the state can be the sending of an all Party delegation to the state to hear the views of the different sections of the people.

The Centre should spell out that there can be a dialogue process without any side setting pre-conditions. It would be better if the Prime Minister appoints a senior political figure who can monitor this process.

I had been to Srinagar in August. I met a number of people. They told me that the political parties in India do not seem concerned at the killings of so many people in the valley. In Parliament, there was an uproar when three people died in police firing near Aligarh. They asked, why is Parliament quiet about the happenings in the valley? We have to understand that there can be no solution to the Kashmir problem without taking into account the feelings and aspirations of the people of Kashmir.

Thank you.


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[Marxistindia] Sitaram Yechury's Letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman: Breach of Privilege by Mamata Banerjee

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Text of the Letter Addressed by Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) Leader in the Rajya Sabha dated September 15, 2010

Breach of Privilege by M/s. Mamata Banerjee

The Chairman

Rajya Sabha

Hon'ble Chairman Sir,

I wish to raise a question involving a breach of privilege of the Council.

On the last day of the Monsoon Session, August 31, 2010, in response to questions raised by some honourable members, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal made a statement just before the House was declared adjourned sine die by you.

The statement is recorded in the proceedings as "Re. clarification on speech of Km. Mamata Banerjee at a political rally at Lalgarh".

There are two assertions in this statement which constitute a gross misrepresentation of facts. This is tantamount to misleading the House.

The statement asserts : "Sir, that rally was organized by a forum called Forum of Citizens against Violence". The permission for the said rally was sought by one Shri Pranab Basu, President, Paschim Mednipur District Trinamul Congress Committee through a letter addressed to the District Magistratte on July 23, 2010. The said permission was granted by Shri Narayan Swaroop Nigam, IAS on August 3, 2010, through a letter, No. 773-DM, addressed to Shri Pranab Basu, President, Paschim Mednipur District Trinamul Congress Committee. Copies of both the letters are enclosed for your kind perusal.

Given these facts, the statement made by the Minister in the House is patently false and hence misleading.

Secondly, the statement asserts that, "Kumari Mamata Banerjee has clarified that she addressed that rally in her capacity as the leader of the Trinamul Congress." The formal letter seeking permission for holding the said rally states as its subject: "Permission for holding a public meeting at Lalgarh High School ground on 9th August '10 from 12 noon by honourable Railway Minister, Government of India, Smt. Mamata Banerjee". The enclosed copy of the letter confirms this.

Given this fact, the Minister's statement to the House, once again, is both false and misleading.

Further, the national media has reported that the Railway Ministry had ordered the deployment of the Railways Protection Force at the venue. A copy of a report that appeared in a prominent national daily is enclosed. The Railway Ministry has not contradicted the information given in this report.

Surely, a Minister of the Union Cabinet, addressing a political meeting in her personal capacity as the leader of a political party, cannot order the deployment of the RPF.

I am seeking your intervention in the matter to protect the dignity of the Council and the rights of its members. Surely, such a gross misrepresentation of facts tantamount to misleading the House should attract the attention of Rule 187 raising a question involving a breach of privilege of the Council and its members.

Surely, you would agree that the dignity and sanctity of the Council cannot be allowed to be so severely breached by statements by the members of the Union Council of Ministers which misrepresent facts and mislead the Council.

I, once again, request you to pay heed to this matter and protect the dignity of the Council and the rights of its members.

Yours sincerely

Sd/-

(Sitaram Yechury)

Encl:

1) Letter seeking permission for the rally

2) Letter granting permission for the rally

3) A photocopy of a report appearing on page 1 of `The Indian Express' (New Delhi), September 1, 2010

4) Text of the Minister's statement from the record of proceedings, 31 August 2010.
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[Marxistindia] Left Parties -- Press Release on Kashmir

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news from the cpi(m)
September 15, 2010

Press Release

The representatives of the Left Parties - Prakash Karat (CPI-M), A. B. Bardhan (CPI), Debabrata Biswas (AIFB) and Prasanta Mazumdar (RSP) - who spoke at the all parties meeting on Kashmir made the following points:

1. They expressed their sorrow and anguish at the death of more than 80 people in the police firings in the valley in the past three months. They called for a halt to the method of policing which had led to the deaths of large number of people due to firing. There should be a distinction made in handling stone pelting crowds and tackling violence by the militants and terrorist activities.

2. Many of the young men in jail arrested during this period should be released if they are not facing any serious charges. Steps should be taken to provide relief for the large number of people injured and those permanently incapacitated.

3. Measures should be taken for providing economic relief for the continuous disruption of business and economic activities in the valley with special emphasis on providing employment.

4. There should be accountability for the security forces. Action should be taken on excesses and human rights violations. The army is not deployed or in use in various areas. Pending the question of amending the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, the Disturbed Areas proclamation be revoked from Srinagar and other centres which will make the AFSPA redundant in these areas.

5. The political process should begin and dialogue should be initiated with all sections in the state. For this, an all party delegation should be sent to Kashmir to hear the views of different sections of the people.

eom
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Saturday, September 11, 2010

[Marxistindia] Reflections from Fidel Castro

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news from the cpi(m)
Fidel Castro During a Book Launch in Havana

We are living through an exceptional moment in human history.

The deadlines established by the United Nations Security Council for Iran to yield to the demands imposed by the United States regarding nuclear research and uranium enrichment for medical purposes and to generate electricity will be expiring in these days.

This is the only nuclear use that has been documented in Iran.

The fear that Iran is looking forward to producing nuclear weapons is only based on an assumption.

With regard to this delicate issue, the United States and its western allies, among them two of the five nuclear powers with veto power -France and the United Kingdom- supported by the richest and most developed capitalist powers of the world, have promoted an increasing number of sanctions against Iran, a rich, oil-producing Muslim country. Today, the measures adopted include the inspection of Iran's merchant vessels and severe economic sanctions aimed at suffocating its economy.

I have been following very closely the grave dangers that may result from that situation, because if a war breaks out in that region, it could very quickly go nuclear, and this will have lethal consequences for the rest of the planet.

In referring to such danger I was not looking for publicity or sensationalism. I just wanted to warn the world public opinion hoping that, being advised of such grave danger it could contribute to avoid it.

At least we have managed to draw attention to a problem that was hardly mentioned by the big world media.

This has made me use part of the time scheduled for the launching of this book, on which we worked diligently. I did not want this to coincide with the dates of September 7 and 9. September 7 marks the end of the 90 days term established by the Security Council to know whether Iran complied or not with the requirement of authorizing the inspection of its merchant vessels. September 9 marks the expiration of the three months term fixed by the Resolution adopted on June 9. Quite possibly the establishment of this last term was what the Security Council intended to do originally.

So far we have only had the weird statement made by the Director General of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the Japanese Yukiya Amano, a man who serves the interests of the Yankees. He added all the fuel to the flames and then, like Pontius Pilate, he washed his hands of the issue.

A spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry of Iran commented his statements with a well earned contempt. According to a news report published by EFE, Amano's assertion that "'our friends should not worry, because we don't believe our region is in the position to engage in new military adventures' and that 'Iran was fully prepared to respond to any military invasion' was an obvious reference to the Cuban leader Fidel Castro, 'who warned about a possible Israeli nuclear attack against Iran with the support of the United States'".

News on this topic are pouring and get mixed with others of remarkable repercussion.

The journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic magazine, already known by our people, has been publishing some excerpts of the long interview he made me. He has been discussing some interesting aspects of it before he finally writes a future and long article.

"There were many odd things about my recent Havana stopover, [...]", he wrote, but one of the most unusual was Fidel Castro's level of self-reflection [...] but it seemed truly striking that Castro was willing to admit that he misplayed his hand at a crucial moment in the Cuban Missile Crisis [...] that he regrets asking Khrushchev to nuke the U.S." It is true that he addressed the topic and he asked me that question. Literally, as he wrote in the first part of his report, his words were the following: "I asked him: At a certain point it seemed logical for you to recommend that the Soviets bomb the U.S. Does what you recommended still seem logical now?" He answered: "After I've seen what I've seen, and knowing what I know now, it wasn't worth it all."

I had thoroughly explained to him -and there is written evidence of that- the content of that message: ".if the United States invades Cuba, a country with Russian nuclear weapons, under such circumstances Russia should not allow to be dealt the first strike, as the one dealt against the USSR on June 22, 1941, when the German army and all European forces attacked the USSR."

As can be observed from that brief reference to the issue, from the second part of his report to the audience on that news, readers could not realize that "if the United States invaded Cuba, a country with Russian nuclear weapons", under such circumstances, my recommendation was to prevent the enemy from launching the first strike; nor the profound irony embedded in my response - ".and knowing what I know now.", which was an obvious reference to the betrayal by one Russian President who saturated himself with some ethylic substance and revealed to the United States the most important military secrets of that country.

Further on Goldberg wrote about another moment of our conversation: "I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something worth exporting." Obviously, that question implicitly suggested the theory that Cuba exported the Revolution. So I responded: "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore". I said this to him without any bitterness or concern. And now I laugh at the way he literally interpreted what I said and how, according to him, he consulted it with Julia Sweig, a CFR analyst who accompanied him and worked out the theory he described. But the truth is that the meaning of my response was exactly the opposite of the interpretation made by both American journalists of the Cuban model.

My idea, as everybody knows, is that the capitalist system does not work anymore either for the United States or the world, which jumps from one crisis into the next, and these are ever more serious, global and frequent and there is no way the world could escape from them. How could such a system work for a socialist country like Cuba?

Many Arab friends worried when they knew I had met with Goldberg, and sent some messages describing him as "the staunchest advocate of Zionism."

From all of these we can infer the big confusion that exists in the world. Therefore I hope that what I am telling you about my thoughts could be useful.

The ideas I expressed are contained in 333 Reflections -see what a coincidence. The last 26 refer exclusively to the problems affecting the environment and the imminent danger of a nuclear war.

And now I should very briefly add something.

I have always condemned the Holocaust. I my Reflections entitled "Obama's Speech in Cairo", "A Swipe Waiting to Happen", and "The Opinion of an Expert" I expressed this very clearly.

I have never been an enemy of the Jewish people, which I admire for having resisted dispersion and persecution during two thousand years. Many of the most brilliant talents, such as Karl Marx and Albert Einstein, were Jews, because that was a nation where the most intelligent managed to survive by virtue of a natural law. In our country and in the whole world they were persecuted and slandered. But this is just pat of the ideas I defend.

They were not the only one who were persecuted and slandered for their beliefs. Muslims were attacked and persecuted for their beliefs by the European Christians for much more than 12 centuries, just as the first Christians were in ancient Rome before Christianity became an official religion of that empire. History should be accepted and remembered just the way it happened, with all its tragic realities and its fierce wars. I have spoken about that and that is why I have all the more reason to explain the dangers jeopardizing humankind today, when wars have become the biggest suicide risk for our fragile species.

If we add to this a war against Iran, even if it were of a conventional nature, the United States would rather turn off the light and say goodbye. How could the US put up with a war against 1.5 million Muslims?

For any true revolutionary, defending peace does not mean to renounce to the principles of justice, without which human life and society would be meaningless.

I still believe that Goldberg is an excellent journalist who is able to set out, in an enjoyable way and masterly way, his views, which promotes debate. He does not invent phrases; he transfers them and interprets them.

I will not refer to the content of many others aspects of our conversation. I will respect the secrecy of the issues we discussed and I eagerly await his future long article.

The current news that have started to pour from all sources make me to complement his presentation with these words whose essence is contained in the book "La contraofensiva estratégica" (The Strategic Counteroffensive), which I have just presented.

I believe that all peoples have the right to peace and enjoy all the goods and natural resources of the planet. What is currently going on with peoples in many countries of Africa, where there are millions of emaciated children, women and men out of lack of food, water and medicines is a shame. We feel astonished by the images we see from the Middle East, where Palestinians are deprived from their lands, their homes are demolished by gigantic equipment, and men, women and children are bombed with white phosphorus and other extermination means; the Dantesque scenes of families exterminated by the bombs dropped over Afghan and Pakistani towns by drones; the Iraqis who are dying after years of war; and the more than one million lives lost in that conflict imposed by a US President.

The last we could expect to see were the news about the expulsion of the French gypsies, who are victims of a new sort of racial Holocaust. The strong protest by the French is only logical. At the same time, the millionaires restrict French citizens' rights to retirement while reducing the possibilities to get a job.

From the US we have heard the news of a pastor in Florida that intends to burn the Holy Book of the Quran in its own church. Even the Yankee and military chiefs engaged in punitive war missions were disturbed by the news which they believed would put their soldiers in jeopardy.

Walter Martínez, the prestigious journalist who conducts the Venezuelan TV program Dossier, was amazed at such madness.

Yesterday, Thursday 9th in the evening, some news asserted that the pastor had relinquished his idea. It might be necessary to know what the FBI agents who visited him told him to "persuade him". That was a colossal media show, a chaos. Those are things proper of an empire that is sinking.

I thank all of you for your attention.
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Saturday, September 4, 2010

[Marxistindia] Prakash Karat Meets PM On Kashmir

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news from the cpi(m)
September 4, 2010

Press Release

Prakash Karat, General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist), had a meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, today to appraise him of the serious situation prevailing in Kashmir and what needs to be done immediately.

On the basis of a visit to Srinagar and discussions with a wide section of the people, Prakash Karat in the letter submitted to the Prime Minister has made the following points:

1. Given the fact that 66 young men and women have lost their lives due to the police firing from June 11, it is imperative that the approach of resorting to police firing to control the stone pelting crowds should be stopped forthwith. There has to be a distinction between dealing with stone pelting youth and tackling militants resorting to terrorist violence.

2. There are a large number of injured in hospitals. They should be adequately compensated and rehabilitation measures should be taken for those with permanent disabilities.

3. Juvenile prisoners should not be kept in jail and all those youth who have no serious charges against them should be released.

4. Srinagar and other urban centres should be taken out of the Disturbed Areas Act purview which will make the enforcement of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act redundant. There should be a reduction in the security forces deployed in the areas which have seen a drastic reduction in militancy. Many of the bunkers in Srinagar localities manned by the paramilitary forces should be removed.

5. Given the major economic losses suffered due to the continued curfews and hartals for the past two and a half months, the government has to compensate and revive trade and other economic activities of different sections of the people.

6. The Prime Minister should take a bold initiative for a political dialogue with all sections of the state. Dialogue should be held with all sections without preconditions.

The CPI(M) is of the opinion that only by recognizing the special status of the state and assuring the Kashmiri people of their identity that a solution can be found. This requires a new political framework in which the bedrock is maximum autonomy.
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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

[Marxistindia] Explusion of Subodh Roy, CC Member

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news from the cpi(m)
September 1, 2010

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) invoking Article XIX, Clause 13 of the Party Constitution has summarily expelled Central Committee member, Subodh Roy, from the primary membership of the Party for "grave anti-party activities" with immediate effect.


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