[Marxistindia] Election Commission - Reforms Necessary

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news from the cpi(m)
February 1, 2009

Press Statement

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

The suo moto recommendation by the Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami to remove one of the Election Commissioners, Navin Chawla, is out of bounds and can only damage the institution of the Election Commission.

The Election Commission plays a vital role in the constitutional scheme and in the parliamentary democratic system. The BJP and the Congress while in power have had a narrow approach of putting in place their pet bureaucrats to man the Commission which has led to the denegration of this independent body. Any suspicion that the members of this constitutional body are playing politics will harm the institution. The demand of the Chief Election Commissioner should therefore be rejected.

The CPI(M) had argued for urgent reforms in the Election Commission in 2006. This arose after the bitter experience of the manner in which the Commission had conducted elections to the West Bengal Assembly in May 2006. One of the steps that needs to be taken is to bar former members of the Commission from taking up politically appointed positions or contesting elections.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) urges all political parties and citizens to consider the reforms necessary to safeguard the institution of the Election Commission.

eom
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[Marxistindia] increase in freight charges unwarranted

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news from the cpi(m)
January 30, 2009

Press Statement

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

Increase in Freight Charges Unwarranted

The CPI(M) strongly opposes the increase of freight charges by the Railway Ministry for transport of essential commodities like foodgrains, pulses and fertilizers by as much as 8.33 per cent. The hike, coming at a time when the Central Government has had to bow to public pressure and reduce the prices of diesel and petrol, is entirely unwarranted and will lead to higher prices of essential commodities adding to the burden of inflation on the people. The increase of freight charges on fertilizers is shocking and reflects the total insensitivity of the Government to the distress being faced by farmers.

The CPI(M) demands that the proposed hike from February 1 be withdrawn. It calls on the people to protest this hike.

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[Marxistindia] Mangalore Attack -- Take firm action

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news from the cpi(m)
January 27, 2009

Press Statement

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

Mangalore Attack: Take Firm Action

After the brazen and criminal attack on young women by the Shri Ram Sene in Mangalore, the BJP state government has not acted firmly in taking action against this Hindu extremist outfit.

It may be recalled that this extremist group was responsible for a series of attacks on churches in Mangalore and targeting Christians in other places. The failure to take firm action in these instances and the efforts to soft-pedal their activities by the Home Minister then have emboldened the group.

The Polit Bureau demands that all the leaders of the Sene be arrested and immediate steps taken to proscribe the organisation's activities.
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[Marxistindia] Facts of the Lavalin Case

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 24, 2009

A report in the Economic Times of January 24, 2009 has sought to distort facts in the SNC Lavalin case.

Apart from other things, the report by Ms. Amita Shah tries to mislead readers by stating that "The investigation by the vigilance department was handed over to the CBI on January 17, 2007, by the Kerala High Court". The facts are:

a.. The case was given to the state Vigilance Department for investigation.
b.. The Director of Vigilance, submitted his report in February 2006. On the basis of its findings, cases were registered against eight officers of the Kerala State Electricity Board. The vigilance report specifically cleared Pinarayi Vijayan of any wrongdoing as Minister of electricity. The report also notes that the original MoU signed in 10/8/1995 was not based on any feasibility report and the subsequent consultancy agreements signed on 24/2/1996 were also based on a dubious feasibility report. The UDF was in power and the minister for electricity was G. Karthikeyan of the Congress party.
c.. Unhappy with the vigilance report clearing Pinarayi Vijayan, the Oomen Chandy led UDF government, in March 2006, took a cabinet decision to hand over the case to the CBI.
d.. Condemning this decision, the communiqué issued after the CPI(M) Central Committee held on March 11-12, 2006 stated as follows:

"In this connection, the Central Committee condemned the decision of the UDF government to refer the case of renovation and modernisation of certain power projects to the CBI. This decision taken on the eve of the election is a patently political move to implicate the Secretary of the Kerala state committee and a member of the Polit Bureau of the Party in a case. The same UDF government had earlier entrusted the state vigilance department to investigate the matter. The report of the Vigilance Director was submitted to the UDF government and since it did not serve its interests, the Cabinet decided to refer the matter to the CBI."

a.. The High Court came into the scene a few months after the matter was referred to the CBI. Hearing a PIL petition, it asked the agency to pursue the investigations.

This should set the record straight.
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[Marxistindia] CBI Move -- Politically Motivated

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 22, 2009

Press Statement

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

CBI Move: Politically Motivated

The steps taken by the CBI to prosecute Pinarayi Vijayan, Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) and former Minister for Electricity, in the SNC Lavlin case is politically motivated. It should be recollected that the then Oomen Chandy government had referred the case to the CBI in 2006 after the vigilance enquiry ordered by it had exonerated Comrade Vijayan of any wrongdoing.

The CPI(M) had condemned that move stating that it is being done on the eve of the assembly elections for partisan purposes. Now, with the advent of the Lok Sabha polls, once again the case is being proceeded with.

The use of Central investigating agencies by the ruling party for political purposes should be a matter of serious public concern.

The CPI(M) will take this issue to the people and expose the political gameplan behind this move.

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[Marxistindia] Homage to Balanandan

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news from the cpi(m)
January 19, 2009

Press Release

Homage to Balanandan

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses its deep grief at the passing away of Comrade E Balanandan, veteran leader of the Party and the working class movement. He died on January 19, 2009 at the age of 84. He was a former member of the Polit Bureau and former President of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions.

Balanandan began his life as an industrial worker in an aluminium company in Aluva, Kerala. He began his trade union activities by forming the Aluminium Factory Workers Union and became its first General Secretary. As a pioneering trade union leader he was dismissed from work. He became an active organizer of the All Travancore Trade Union Congress which later merged with the AITUC. He organized workers in the Kochi area and became the district secretary of the AITUC.

Comrade Balanandan joined the Communist Party in 1943. He was elected to the Kerala State Committee when the CPI(M) was formed. He served as a member of the state secretariat and he was elected to the Central Committee of the Party at the 9th Congress held at Madurai in 1972. He became a member of the Polit Bureau of the Party at the 10th Congress in 1978. Since then, he worked from the Central Committee office and at the all India CITU centre.

When the CITU was formed in 1970 he became the first Secretary of the Kerala State Committee and later he was elected as the Treasurer of the all India CITU. He became the all India President of the CITU in 1990 and continued in this position till 2002. Balanandan made an important contribution to the development of the CITU as an all India trade union centre.

Comrade Balanandan spent four and a half years underground and was in jail for five years. He suffered police torture and beatings in jail during this period. Balanandan was elected twice to the Kerala Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for a term in 1980. He served two terms in the Rajya Sabha from 1988 to 2000. He was also the CPI(M) leader in the Rajya Sabha.

Comrade Balanandan was imbued with Marxism-Leninism and he consistently stood for the working class outlook within the Party. His vast experience in the working class movement proved to be an asset for the CPI(M). Balanandan was a much loved leader who behaved affectionately with Party comrades and with the workers he organized in the trade union movement.

In his death the Party and the working class movement has lost a valuable leader. The Polit Bureau pays respectful homage to his memory and conveys its heartfelt condolences to his wife Sarojini Balanandan, his four children and other family members.

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[Marxistindia] Letter to PM on Satyam Probe

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news from the cpi(m)
January 18, 2009

Press Release

We are releasing a letter written by the CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 17, 2009 urging extension of the probe into the Satyam scandal to cover the Maytas concerns also.

Text of the Letter

Dear Shri Manmohan Singh,

Since the fraudulent dealings of the promoter of Satyam Computers Services became public, there is growing evidence that funds were siphoned off from Satyam to the Maytas group of companies which are run by the family members of Mr. Ramalinga Raju.

A huge amount of land has been accumulated by the Maytas group of companies all over Andhra Pradesh and in some other states. Even in the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, Maytas company has been given prime land. Some of the land dealings are obviously irregular and are violative of the law. One such instance is the allotment of 50 acres of government land in Vishakapatanam district to Satyam Computers Ltd.

In December 2008, Shri EAS Sharma, former Secretary of the Government of India had written to the state authorities regarding the violation of the Vishakapatanam Urban Development Authority's master plan and the CRZ regulations in handing over this land. (copy enclosed) Further, the land was sold at a far lower price than the market value. A copy of the letter by the Secretary of the District Committee of the CPI(M) to the Collector on how the land has been occupied by Satyam Ltd is also enclosed. There are other such land deals and projects involving the Satyam-Maytas group of companies.

The Government has ordered a probe by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office into the Satyam Computer Services Ltd. This alone will not be sufficient. In the light of the nexus between the Satyam-Maytas group of companies, the probe should be extended to all the Maytas concerns.

An investigation to uncover all the illegal dealings of these companies is essential to restore public confidence.

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[Marxistindia] letter to pm -- media regulations

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 14, 2009

Press Release

Following is the text of the letter addressed by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the proposals to amend the Cable Television (Regulation) Rules.

This is being released for publication

For CPI(M) Central Committee Office

*******************

January 14, 2009

Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh,

It is reported that the government is proposing an amendment to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Rules. This is meant to regulate content in the electronic media.

Our Party is of the opinion that there should be no hasty step taken regarding media regulation. Our Party is of the view that apart from the self-regulatory mechanism put in place by the news channels, it is necessary to have co-regulation through an independent regulatory body.

How this is to be done has to be discussed and a common approach arrived at. Till then, no steps should be taken to empower the government and the administration to further regulate the news channels.

With regards,

Yours sincerely

(Prakash Karat)

General Secretary

Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister

Government of India
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[Marxistindia] pb statements

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 14, 2009

Press Statement

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

Investigate Maytas Cos

The Central government has asked the Serious Fraud Investigation Office to investigate the affairs of Satyam Computer Services Ltd. While this needs to be done, it is also necessary to examine the business dealings and finances of Maytas Infra Ltd and Maytas Properties Ltd.

The Maytas companies have been given contracts worth over Rs. 30,000 crores by the Andhra Pradesh state government and have accumulated a huge amount of land. One example is the Rs. 12,220 crore Hyderabad Metro Project. It has now come to light that the Managing Director of DMRC had written to the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission in September 2008, protesting against the PPP model adopted in the case of Hyderabad Metro, where 296 acres of prime land has been made available to the BoT operator for commercial exploitation. Warning of a "big political scandal" the DMRC Managing Director had also warned of a "hidden agenda" of the developer to "extend the Metro network to a large tract of his private land holdings so as to reap a windfall profit of four to five times the land price". The objections raised regarding this contract by Mr. E. Sreedharan, Head of the Delhi Metro Rail Corp. Ltd (DMRC), led to the removal of the DMRC as a project consultant.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) wants the Prime Minister to order a high level probe into the various projects sanctioned to the Maytas companies in Andhra Pradesh alongwith the investigation into the affairs of these two companies.

Sanction Kochi Metro

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly protests the stalling of the Kochi Metro Rail Project due to the opposition of the Planning Commission. The government of Kerala had decided to implement the Kochi Metro Project on the lines of the Delhi Metro project where 30 per cent of the project cost was to be borne by the state and Central government on a 50:50 basis and the balance amount to be raised as debt from lending agencies. The detailed project report was prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corp. Ltd (DMRC) and the Union Ministry of Urban Development had approved the project.

It is unfortunate that the Planning Commission has refused to approve the project. The Planning Commission wants a private party brought into the Metro Project on a Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) model. A Planning Commission team led by its Principal Advisor (Infrastructure) which visited Kerala had contested the state government's project plan and recommended the PPP model on the lines of the now controversial Hyderabad Metro project.

The Hyderabad Metro Project and the way the Planning Commission pushed it is a prime example of how India's economic policy establishment is promoting private capital even at the cost of public interest. The Planning Commission has been trying to impose the Hyderabad Metro model on to Kerala, which is a prime example of crony capitalism.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands the immediate intervention on the part of the Prime Minister to ensure a speedy approval of the Kochi Metro Rail Project on the basis of the funding pattern suggested by the Government of Kerala.
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[Marxistindia] Central Committee communique

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news from the cpi(m)
January 10, 2009

Press Communiqué

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met at Kochi from January 8 to 10, 2009. It has issued the following statement:

Israeli Attack on Gaza

The Central Committee has already adopted a resolution condemning the barbarous attack on Gaza by the Israeli armed forces which has led to the death of 700 persons including a large number of children. The Central Committee demanded that the Manmohan Singh government end its security and military collaboration with Israel and actively work to mobilise international opinion to compel Israel to halt its illegal and inhuman aggression.

Sri Lankan Situation

The Central Committee discussed the situation arising out of the military offensive in the Northern province. The Sri Lankan armed forces have captured the LTTE's defacto capital Kilinochchi. The Rajapakse government should not use the military reverses of the LTTE as the pretext to delay or deny a political solution to the Tamil problem. The Government of India should step up its diplomatic efforts to see that there is a lasting political solution based on autonomy for the Tamil areas within a united Sri Lanka.

The fighting has led to more civilians being displaced from their homes. More efforts are needed by the United Nations and other international agencies to ensure the safety of the civilians trapped due to the fighting and ensure that there is adequate supply of food, medicines and essential commodities.

Deteriorating Economic Conditions

The Central Committee expressed serious concern at the increasingly adverse impact of the global economic crisis on the Indian economy. Due to the global recession there is a slowdown in industrial production, fall in prices of agricultural commodities and largescale loss of jobs due to closure of export oriented units and other industries. Already ten lakh jobs have been lost and it is estimated that one crore jobs will be lost in the coming period. The Manmohan Singh Government is not willing to shed its neo-liberal polices and adopt effective steps to deal with the crisis. All its efforts have been directed towards ensuring liquidity into the financial system and to dole out concessions to the corporates. No substantial measures have been taken to stimulate domestic production, create demand and jobs for which largescale public investment and public expenditure are required.

The CPI(M) has been demanding a package directed at increasing public expenditure in ways which increase the income and consumption of the people. Increased public investment in agriculture, expansion and proper implementation of the NREGA, extension of employment guarantee shcue to urban areas, higher allocations for health and education, infrastructure like rural roads, housing for the middle and lower income groups and universalisation of the PDS.

There has to be tariff protection for farmers and small industries and a halt to financial liberalisation. There has to be a moratorium on jobs and wage cuts.

The Central Committee called upon all Party units to take up the urgent issues of the different sections of the working people and launch struggles to defend jobs and livelihood.

FDI In Insurance

The Manmohan Singh Government has not learnt any lessons from the financial crisis in the United States and its global impact. The introduction of bills in parliament to increase the FDI in the insurance sector and to facilitate the dilution of the State share in the LIC are against the national interest. This is a government which has surrendered to the interests of international capital and is more interested in fulfilling the decisions of the US-India CEO Forum. This single act confirms the correctness of the decision of the Left parties to withdraw support to such a government.

Price Rice and Food Supply

The UPA government reduced the price of petrol and diesel by only Rs. 5 per litre and Rs 2 per litre respectively. This is totally inadequate given the sharp drop in the international oil prices. The Central Committee demanded further reduction in the prices of diesel, petrol and cooking gas.

Though the rate of inflation is going down there is no reduction in prices of food items and other essential commodities. It is in such a situation that the food insecurity has had a devastating impact leading to increased malnutrition and hunger as a direct result of the faulty food policies.

With the increased procurement of foodgrains this year, stocks with the government are 29.8 million tonnes against the minimum buffer norm of 16.2 million tonnes, a 84 per cent surplus over the required buffer. Yet, the Central Government has cut the allocation for APL ration card holders by over 73 per cent. The government refuses to restore the allocation, preferring instead to sell the stocks to traders at subsidised prices.

Kerala which is a food deficit state and has an effective Public Distribution System is suffering because of the drastic cut in allocation of rice. The Central Committee demands that the Central Government immediately increase the allocation of foodgrains for the Public Distribution System to the states.

Communalism and Terrorism

The Central Committee strongly denounced the terrorist outrage in Mumbai in which 164 people including security personnel were killed. In the aftermath of the Mumbai attack, the Central Government has to take immediate measures to revamp the intelligence system and ensure effective coordination between the intelligence and security agencies. In this connection, the Central Committee disapproved of the refusal of the Central Government to associate the state governments in the investigations of terrorist offences to be conducted by the newly set up National Investigation Agency. The Central Government should not use the NIA in a partisan fashion as it tends to do with organisations like the CBI.

The Central Committee also warns against the misuse of the newly introduced provisions in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The CPI(M) and the Left parties had proposed amendments against some of its clauses in parliament. Previous experience shows that such draconian laws are used against the minorities and popular struggles and leaders of the working class movement.

The fight against terrorism should be carried on along with the fight against communalism. Communalism and religious extremism helps create a climate for terrorism. In this connection, the CPI(M) condemned the BJP's attempts to use the anti-terrorist platform in a communal fashion. The recent investigation into the Malegaon blasts that has revealed the role of some extremist Hindutva elements, shows the utter falsity of the BJP-RSS propaganda identifying terrorism with one community. It is necessary to oppose all forms of terrorism, whatever their source.

The Central Committee decided to continue its campaign against communalism and terrorism in the coming period.

Don't Rely on USA

The Manmohan Singh Government, which has bound itself to the United States through a strategic alliance is now seeking to further tighten the embrace by relying only on the US to get Pakistan to take steps against terrorist elements operating from its soil. Why is the CIA involved in providing evidence gathered by India to Pakistan? The United States has its own priorities in the region. The policies of US imperialism and Israel are such as to spread terrorism around the world. India should cease allying with the US and Israel which is against the country's interests.

The Central Committee decried talk of military action against Pakistan which will only convert the serious issue of terrorism into a Indo-Pakistan conflict. The Government should internationalise the Mumbai attack and go to the UN Security Council which can direct Pakistan to take the necessary measures to suppress the terrorist network operating there.

Assembly Elections

The results of the recent assembly elections are not in any way indicative of the trends for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Neither the Congress nor the BJP can take satisfaction from the results. The BJP suffered a greater setback having lost Rajasthan and failing to dislodge the Congress from the government of Delhi. As for the Congress, it could not oust the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh despite the discontent and anti-incumbency in these two states.

The Central Committee congratulated the Rajasthan State Committee for its good performance in the assembly elections.

The Central Committee appreciated the popular participation in the J & K polls which has given credibility to the democratic process.

Lok Sabha Elections

The Central Committee decided to conduct a vigorous political campaign in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress-led government has followed anti-people economic policies and there will be harmful consequences for national sovereignty due to the strategic alliance with the United States.

Therefore the CPI(M) calls for the defeat of the Congress and the rejection of the UPA alliance in the election. The BJP has to be kept out of power due to its communal platform and its reactionary economic policies.

The CPI(M) calls for the defeat of the BJP and the NDA alliance in the elections. The CPI(M) stands for alternative policies to protect the jobs and livelihood of the workers, peasants and all sections of the working people. It stands for defence of national sovereignty and secularism.

The CPI(M) and the CPI have worked out an electoral understanding with parties like the Telugu Desam, the AIADMK and the Janata Dal (S). The Left parties along with the secular parties should work together to make the non-Congress non-BJP alternative realisable. For this, the CPI(M) appeals to all the non-Congress secular parties to come together on a platform of defence of secularism, pro-people economic policies and an independent foreign policy.

The Central Committee finalised the seats to be contested from the various states and gave necessary direction for election preparation in these constituencies.

The Central Committee called upon all state units to devote the whole month of February to the political campaign projecting the Party's political positions and policies.

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[Marxistindia] Central Committee on Oil Officers Strike

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 9, 2009

Press Release

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist ), now in session at Kochi, has adopted the following resolution:

Government Must Immediately Settle the Oil Officers Strike

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the repressive measures unleashed by the Government of India upon the striking officers of 14 Oil PSUs in the country since 7th January 2009. The leading figures of the Oil Sector Officers' Association (OSOA) spearheading the strike have been arrested under ESMA and many more have been suspended/terminated in different parts of the country. The major point involved has been the demand of the officers for a "five year tenure" of their wage-revision instead of ten years.

The Government has failed to address the long-standing demand of wage revision of the officers, reneging on its assurances at least on three occasions in the past, compelling them to resort to this strike. Thus, the responsibility for the present impasse, disruption in the supply of petroleum and the resultant inconvenience to the people, wholly falls on the Government.

It is deplorable that in some states including Delhi, ESMA has been invoked against the peaceful strike of the Oil sector officers and the Government of India has sent advisory to all state governments to invoke ESMA to suppress the collective democratic expression of the Oil sector officers through peaceful strike action.

The CPI(M) demands upon the Government of India to immediately release all arrested officers withdraw all punitive actions, termination and suspension notices and immediately start negotiations to end the impasse in national and public interest before the strike escalates in other sectors.

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[Marxistindia] On fraud by Satyam Computers

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 8, 2009

Press Statement

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

Take Immediate Action against the Perpetrators of Satyam Fraud

The shocking revelation of an over Rs. 7000 crore fraud by the promoters of Satyam Computers has shown that Indian big business has started emulating the worst corrupt practices of their counterparts in the advanced capitalist countries, especially the US. It is indeed outrageous that Satyam was given the "Golden Peacock Global Award" for Excellence in Corporate Governance! The Satyam Chairman B. Ramalinga Raju has admitted that the company has been manipulating its balance sheets for years to show inflated profits and under reporting liabilities.

Such fraudulent corporate behaviour, as the Enron scandal in the US in 2001 had shown, is motivated by the greed to increase the share prices and market capitalization of the company. A former Enron CEO is currently serving a 24 years prison term and Enron's accounting firm Arthur Andersen had to be dissolved for being complicit in the scam. The urge to quickly become rich, motivated fraudulent reporting of profits by the top Enron management, since higher profits led to higher share prices and resulted in higher individual net worth for the managers. Such corporate frauds have been encouraged by the process of deregulation and financial liberalization, which has made company managements obsessed with their stock market valuations. The UPA Government must learn the proper lessons from this episode and desist from further emulating the failed system of the US. Corporate regulations need an overhaul in India in order to discipline big business.

The CPI (M) demands that the Government take suo motu cognizance of the admission of guilt by the Satyam Chairman and immediately proceed against him into custody. The concerned Directors in the Satyam Board and the audit firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) must also be held accountable for the gigantic fraud, and strict penal action should be initiated against them. It is noteworthy that PwC partners were earlier indicted for fraudulent accounting after the collapse of the Global Trust Bank.

The CPI (M) calls upon the UPA Government to take immediate steps to safeguard the interests of the 53000 employees of Satyam Computers. Several departments and agencies including the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, SEBI, Andhra Pradesh Government and Mumbai Police have initiated probe into the Satyam affair. It is important to ensure proper coordination between the separate investigations and monitoring by a single Department of the Union Government. The entire fraud should be thoroughly and speedily investigated and all the beneficiaries of the scam brought to book.

eom
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[Marxistindia] CC condemns Israeli military aggression om Gaza

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 8, 2009

Press Release

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) now in session at Kochi has adopted the following resolution:

Condemn Israeli Military Aggression on Gaza

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the continuing Israeli military attacks on the Palestinians in the Gaza strip. Having aerially bombarded the Gaza, killing hundreds of innocent people, Israel has now moved its armed forces in a war of aggression against the Palestinians. 40 civilian refugees were killed by shelling on January 6 in a United Nations school and three more in another school.

If the USA had not blocked a UN-sponsored ceasefire, at least these 43 civilians, many of them women and children, would have been alive. This is the real nature of US imperialism's support to Israeli aggressiveness.

In this attack alone, over 600 civilians including more than 200 children have died so far and thousands of others maimed or injured. Israel's plea that this military invasion is being taken to stop the violation of the ceasefire by the Hamas with its rockets fired at Israeli targets, is specious, to say the least. It was Israel which broke the ceasefire first on November 4, 2008 when its bombardment killed six Palestinians in Gaza and, again on November 17, when another bombardment killed four more Palestinians.

Since 1948, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been massacred by Israel. Of these, a large number have been innocent civilians. Such barbarity is perpetrated in the name of fighting Palestinian terrorism. The root cause of the conflict in West Asia continues to remain the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

The USA and Israel list Hamas as a terrorist organisation. It was the same USA that had insisted upon democratic elections to be held within Palestinian territories as a precondition for taking forward the peace process. In these elections, universally acknowledged by western observers to be free and fair, the Hamas won. For US imperialism and Israel, however, democratic elections must always throw up those whom they want elected and not those whom the Palestinian people want. Having asked for elections and overseeing them, US imperialism and Israel now refuse to accept the democratic verdict of the Palestinian people. It is this blatant refusal to accept popular mandate of the people by US and Israel that is the root cause for the current hostilities that Israel is unleashing against the Palestinians.

The Manmohan Singh government has identified itself as an ally of Israel which is harmful for the country's interests and spoilt India's traditional support to the Palestinian cause. Under these circumstances, it is incumbent upon the Congress-led government to immediately cease all military cooperation with Israel. India cannot be a party to finance the inhuman Israeli juggernaut. India must exercise its influence amongst the developing countries to mobilise for an effective implementation of an immediate ceasefire and for eventual realization of the Palestinian nation.

Peace-loving humanity cannot and should not allow such barbarity to continue. Israeli aggression against the Palestinians must immediately stop. Currently, Israel is refusing even to pause its aggression to allow humanitarian aid to flow to Palestinians. It is, thus, ensuring that many more innocent civilian Palestinians will die in the absence of food and medicines.

The Indian people, who have always stood by the Palestinians in their genuine struggle for a homeland since the days of our independence struggle, must today rise in protest against this inhuman Israeli attack. This expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people must be accompanied by much-required humanitarian assistance.

While conveying our deepest solidarity with the Palestinians in this grim battle, the Central Committee of the CPI(M) calls upon the Indian people to mount pressure on the Indian government to take firm measures in mobilizing world opinion to halt this military attack against the Palestinians immediately.

eom
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[Marxistindia] PB on truck operators strike

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 7, 2009

Press Statement

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

The strike of truck operators has disrupted transport of supplies. The strike has been called by the Motor Transport Congress on the demand for reduction of price of diesel, rationalization of service tax and a bail-out package for the sector.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI (M) supports the demand for reduction of price of diesel. This should be done forthwith. It calls upon the Government to immediately discuss with the representatives of the motor transport association for the settlement of their other demands, so that the strike can be called off.

eom
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[Marxistindia] PB on the invasion of Gaza by Israel

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 5, 2009

Press Statement

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

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) denounces the invasion of Gaza by the Israeli armed forces. After a week of barbaric air raids, the Israeli armed forces have now launched the ground offensive which has sharply increased civilian casualties. More than 500 people have died in this State-sponsored terrorism.

The Polit Bureau condemns the stand taken by the United States of America in the UN Security Council which prevented a statement calling for an end to the hostilities.

The CPI(M) demands that the Manmohan Singh government immediately take diplomatic steps alongwith countries like South Africa and Brazil to see that Israel immediately halts its aggression. The Polit Bureau calls upon all its Party units and other progressive forces to organise protest demonstrations against this brutal aggression by Israel and demand that the UPA government halt its military and security collaboration with Israel.

eom

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[Marxistindia] Government's package will fail to stimulate economy

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)
January 3, 2009

Press Statement

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

Government's Package will Fail to Stimulate Economy

The stimulus package announced by the UPA Government yesterday is grossly inadequate to meet the impact of the global crisis. There is only a mention of the meagre Rs. 20000 crore (less than 0.5% of India's GDP) additional Plan outlay announced on 7th December 2008, and no further spending plan has been announced. Industrial production and exports have already registered a drastic fall. The situation cannot be salvaged by merely increasing liquidity through interest rate cuts and tax concessions. These may make capital cheaper and more accessible for the producers, but the global recession has been caused by the insolvency of the borrowers. Economically strengthening the latter will increase domestic demand and stimulate growth. This, however, requires much larger levels of public investment.

What is more disturbing is the fact that in the name of a stimulus package, the Government has pushed further capital account liberalization measures like easing External Commercial Borrowing norms for corporates, especially for the real estate sector. The investment limit for FIIs in corporate bonds has also been raised. This will only help to enhance the inflow of speculative foreign finance capital and do precious little to bolster the real economy. The UPA Government is refusing to learn the correct lessons from the sub-prime crisis of the US.

The minor relaxation for additional market borrowings would fail to relieve the financial constraints of the State Governments. What is required is a comprehensive debt-relief package for the State Governments and real transfer of resources from the Centre to the States.

By ruling out any further increase in public investment in the current financial year and announcing that further fiscal measures will only be contained in the annual Plan for the next financial year, the UPA Government is shifting the burden on to the next Government. After having imported the global recession into the domestic economy by pursuing neoliberal policies, the UPA Government is now abdicating its responsibility of reversing the adverse impact of the recession through effective policy interventions.
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