http://www.cpim.org/elections/07252009-tripura%20election%20results.pdf
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Press Statement
The Left Parties, the CPI(M), CPI, AIFB and RSP have issued the
following statement:
Call for Protest Actions Against Price Rise
The increase in the prices of essential commodities particularly of food
items has become unbearable for the people. The prices of all pulses
(dal) have shot up to such an extent, with some varieties priced between
Rs. 80 and 100 per kg, that the common people cannot afford them any
more. The prices of edible oil, vegetables, rice, wheat and other food
items have also been increasing without respite.
The price rise has also been fuelled by the callous decision of the UPA
government to increase the prices of petrol and diesel. The prospects of
drought in many states due to deficient monsoon will further put
pressure on the prices of food items.
The Left parties have decided to jointly conduct an anti-price rise
agitation to demand that the government take immediate and effective
steps to curb price rise of essential commodities.
The Left parties are instructing their party units to jointly conduct
the agitation in the states to mobilise the people against price rise.
The major demands are:
1. Provide dal and edible oil at subsidised rates through the public
distribution system.
2. Revamp the public distribution system by expanding the BPL category
and restore the allocation for the APL categories as an interim measure
towards universalisation of PDS
3. Scrap the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel.
4. Prohibit futures trading in all food related items.
Sd/-
Prakash Karat, General Secretary, CPI(M)
A.B. Bardhan, General Secretary, CPI
Debabrata Biswas, General Secretary, AIFB
T. J. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary, RSP
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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) congratulates
the CPI(M) and the Left Front in Tripura for their magnificent victory
in the three-tier panchayat elections. The Left Front has won 415 out of
the 511 gram panchayats; it has won all the 23 panchayat samitis and the
four zilla parishads.
The Polit Bureau greets the people of Tripura who have reposed their
full confidence in the CPI(M) and the Left Front. With this mandate, the
CPI(M) and the Left Front government of Tripura will continue their
endeavours to serve the people and work for their welfare.
end
July 24, 2009
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Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh ji,
I write to draw your attention to a report in The Indian Express today
which gives details of the charge sheet filed by the CBI last week in a
Kochi court, in the murder case of a nun, Sister Abhaya. I was shocked
and outraged reading the report and I am sure that anyone who read it
would have the same reaction. The language used in the charge sheet
against an accused, Sister Sephy is obscene, vulgar, unscientific. It is
an affront to the dignity of women, it is insulting to the woman
concerned and also reflects a perverted mentality. The language used in
the charge sheet against a female accused invites criminal action
against the officials concerned under laws pertaining to protection of a
woman's dignity, against harassment as also against obscenity.
Unfortunately in many cases concerning women, including victims of rape,
the language used by investigative agencies is often highly offensive.
In this case it is the accused who is the victim of the CBI's
objectionable language. I support all efforts to bring the guilty
persons to book and bring justice to the murdered nun. While holding no
quarter for the accused I request you to send a strong message to all
investigative agencies that minimum standards of respect to the dignity
of women will be protected. If the premier investigative agency of the
country can use such objectionable language, what can women expect from
local investigation officers.
I request you to enquire into the matter and if the report of the charge
sheet is correct, to ensure disciplinary action and prosecution under
the relevant section of the laws against the officers concerned.
I enclose the details of the charge sheet from press reports.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Brinda Karat
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Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued
the following statement:
On Indo-US Joint Statement
The Indo-US joint statement issued after the visit of US Secretary of
State, Hillary Clinton, seeks to deepen the strategic alliance between
the two countries. Despite the high sounding phrases about transforming
the relationship to "enhance global prosperity and stability in the 21st
century", the contents and the agreements arrived at raises questions
whether they are in the interests of India.
The Indian Foreign Minister announced that both sides have reached
agreement on the End Use Monitoring for US defence equipment. Such an
arrangement will facilitate on site inspection of military equipment
supplied by the United States. The growing military collaboration with
India is the key US interest. It wants India to buy billions of dollars
of military equipment. The Assistant Secretary of State, Philip J.
Crowley, had told the press on the eve of the visit of Ms. Clinton that
the End Use Monitoring agreement "is part of the fulfillment of an
important initiative that India and the US have signed in the area of
nuclear co-operation".
The CPI(M) has always maintained that the nuclear deal is a
quid-pro-quofor India becoming a military ally of the United States. The
End Use Monitoring arrangement will further bind the Indian armed forces
to the Pentagon.
On the Indo-US nuclear deal, despite the disclaimer by the Secretary of
State, the United States is moving to deny India access to enrichment
and reprocessing technology. This is what the recent G-8 decision
amounts to. Further India has yet to reach an agreement with the United
States for reprocessing spent fuel supplied by the US. The Manmohan
Singh government had earlier committed to buy 10,000 megawatts of US
nuclear reactors. The United States wants to bring the nuclear deal
within the global non-proliferation architecture. The CPI(M) reiterates
that India should not enter into any commercial agreement to buy US
nuclear reactors till all these matters are cleared up.
The joint statement underlines that US business interests will have
priority in Indian policy making. This is going to be formalised with
the bilateral investment treaty and the pursuit of the Indo-US Joint CEO
Forum. The Manmohan Singh government will be pushing for more FDI in
insurance, banking, higher education and other sectors in line with
these lobbying forums.
It is obvious that the US Secretary of State has pressed India to adopt
a hostile stand towards Iran. With the gas pipeline deal with Iran
shelved, the US wants India to take further steps to isolate Iran. Such
pressures should be resisted. On the Doha round of talks on WTO, India
cannot accept the pressure to give up its stand on agriculture and
investment related matters. There should be no giving into the US demand
on climate change talks which requires India to cut carbon emissions
without serious steps being taken by the developed countries to do so.
By reiterating the earlier Bush-Manmohan Singh commitment to promote
"democracy" on a global scale, the Congress-led government has shown
itself willing to go alongwith this ideological enterprise of the United
States.
The CPI(M) expresses its strong opposition to the growing strategic
entanglement with the United States that has become the hallmark of the
UPA government's foreign policy. It appeals to the people to oppose the
policy measures that will be taken to cement this one-sided
relationship.
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Press Communique
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held a
meeting on July 11 and 12, 2009 to discuss the Kerala Party matters. It
has issued the following statement:
The Central Committee decided that in view of the violations of the
organisational principle and discipline by Com. V.S. Achuthanandan, he
should be removed from the Polit Bureau. Com. Achuthanandan is the
senior most leader who has made a big contribution to the Party in
Kerala. The Central Committee expected Com. V.S. to fulfill his
responsibilities as the Chief Minister and as a leader of the Party.
The Central Committee examined the report submitted by the Polit Bureau
on the SNC Lavalin contract for the renovation and modernisation of
three hydroelectric projects in Kerala which were entered into by the
UDF government in 1995-96 and which were subsequently implemented by the
LDF government. The Central Committee is of the view that Com. Pinarayi
Vijayan, secretary of the Kerala State Committee and the Electricity
Minister in the then LDF government between 1996-98 was not involved in
any corrupt practice whatsoever. The Central Committee reiterated that
the Party will fight the case politically and legally.
The Central Committee authorised the Polit Bureau to take necessary
steps to implement the Central Committee decisions. The Kerala State
Committee should unify the entire Party and go to the people with the
political and organisational tasks which have been spelt out in the
review of the Lok Sabha elections.
end
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Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued
the following statement:
On Union Budget 2009-10
The Budget placed by the Finance Minister in Parliament today is grossly
inadequate in meeting the challenges of economic recession, growing job
losses and declining purchasing power of the masses. The total
expenditure is slated to increase by a mere 2% of GDP only, essentially
to meet non-developmental expenditures like interest payments and
implementing sixth pay commission recommendations. Therefore, this
Budget neither provides a stimulus for growth nor meets the needs of
"inclusive growth" for the aam admi.
While the Government has failed to provide the resources required to
stimulate the economy the neglect of its role in terms of allocations is
more significant in areas that touch on the lives of the mass of the
people. Crucial sectors, like agriculture and rural development, where
the effects of the prolonged agrarian crisis and the agricultural growth
slowdown of 2008-09 have been severe, have been provided little support
in terms of Plan outlays. The required lowering of interest rates to 4%
on farm loans has not been done and instead only an incentive to repay
loans on time has been announced.
The allocation required to implement the Right to Education is
shockingly absent in the Budget. The increase in budgetary allocation
for elementary education is less than Rs.200 crore. The non-seriousness
of the Government for the universalisation the ICDS is seen in the
meagre increase in allocation of only Rs. 360 crore. The allocation for
the social security schemes for the unorganised sector workers is only
Rs. 100 crore more than last year, belying the claims made by the
Finance Minister. While the increase in minimum wage for the NREGA to
Rs. 100 is welcome for the States where the wage rate is lower, a
meaningful expansion of NREGA would have required a much larger
allocation than the Rs. 2350 crore increase over what was spent in
2008-09. Similarly, the Rural Health Mission has been allocated only Rs.
1730 more than what was spent last year. It is unfortunate that the
Finance Minister has given his stamp of approval to an increase in the
price of foodgrains by Re. 1 per kg for Antodaya families and a cut in
the allocation of food quotas by 10 kg to BPL families in the name of
the Food Security legislation. None of the promises made to women
including the widow pension scheme has received increased allocations.
The series of direct and indirect tax concessions in the wake of the
global economic crisis has led to the tax revenue forgone reach as much
as Rs. 4.18 lakh crore in 2008-09. Rather than withdrawing these
concessions to enable greater resource mobilisation and spending in
critical areas, the Finance Minister has chosen to extend these
concessions for the entire financial year of 2009-10. The abolition of
the Fringe Benefit Tax and Commodities Transaction Tax will also
adversely impact tax mobilisation. Despite the welcome increase in the
Minimum Alternative Tax levied on corporates from 10% to 15% of their
profits, the Budget is revenue neutral on the direct tax front and
direct tax revenues are expected to increase by 7% only, which is much
less than the nominal growth of GDP.
The Government expects to garner Rs. 35000 crore from the sale of 3G
telecom spectrum, confirming the massive scam in the allocation of 2G
spectrum during last UPA Government, which led to a loss of Rs. 60000
crore to the exchequer.
The Budget far from meeting the requirements of the people will further
widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The CPI (M) calls
upon the people to be prepared for struggles to protect and improve
their livelihoods.
eom
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Press Communique
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New
Delhi on July 4 and 5, 2009. It has issued the following statement:
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) discussed the organisational issues
related to the Kerala state unit of the Party. The Polit Bureau decided
to convene a meeting of the Central Committee on July 11-12, 2009 to
consider the proposals of the Polit Bureau regarding the Party affairs
in Kerala.
end
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Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued
the following statement:
On The Railway Budget 2009-10
The Railway Budget presented by the Railway Minister in Parliament today
reflects a marked deterioration in the financial position of the
Railways. The Railway Budget of 2008-09 had reported a cash surplus of
around Rs. 20000 crore. This surplus had come down to Rs. 13500 crore in
this year's interim Railway Budget (February 2009) and has come down
further to Rs. 8700 crore in the current Railway Budget. The UPA
Government owes an explanation for this serious deterioration of
performance. Why has the cash surpluses of the Railways depleted so
rapidly in such a short span of time?
It is evident that the economic slowdown has adversely affected Railway
revenues, especially from freight traffic. Estimates for Receipts have
been revised downwards from the targets set by the interim Railway
Budget presented by the UPA Government earlier this year, which the
present Railway Minister has termed "unrealistically high" in her
speech. However, the present Railway Minister has failed to come up with
any fresh ideas in tackling the situation and turnaround the declining
revenue situation. Rather she has chosen to take recourse to the same
flawed route of privatisation through PPP projects in a host of areas.
The Railway Minister's reliance on several PPP projects, from
development of 50 "world class stations", new freight and coach
terminals, logistics parks, special purpose rolling stocks, perishable
cargo centres etc., seems completely misplaced at a time of economic
recession when private investment is hardly forthcoming. The Railway
Minister has herself admitted in her speech that out of Rs. 3400 crore
earmarked in the Annual Plan for 2009-10, for resource mobilization
through PPP, "Rs. 3300 crore would just not materialize".
This contradiction in the approach of the Railway Minister overshadows
some of the positive measures announced in the Railway Budget 2009-10,
like no hike in passenger fares, Rs. 25 monthly ticket for people
earning less than Rs. 1500 per month or a special recruitment drive to
fill up vacancies in railway posts for SC/STs, physically challenged,
minorities and women. The allocations for crucial areas like railway
modernization, safety, electrification etc. are also inadequate.
The CPI (M) demands that the moves towards privatisation and outsourcing
in the Railways, which has received a major thrust in this year's Budget
be reversed.
end
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Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued
the following statement:
On Economic Survey 2008-09
The Economic Survey tabled by the Finance Minister in Parliament today
suggests a policy direction, which is inimical to the national
interest.
The survey brings out the adverse impact of the global economic crisis.
It admits that the overall growth rate has fallen to 6.7 per cent in
2008-2009. In particular, the fall in agricultural growth rate by 3.3
per cent and that of manufacturing by 5.8 per cent is alarming. It also
admits that per capita consumption has seen a sharp decline from 6.9 per
cent in 2007-2008 to 1.4 percent in 2008-2009, reflecting a big squeeze
in the purchasing power of the people.
But what are the prescriptions? At a time when the world is reverting
back to various forms of regulation of the financial sector, the
Economic Survey suggests opening up of crucial sectors of the economy to
FDI and deregulation of the financial sector in the name of "revisiting
economic reforms". This includes FDI in insurance, banking, defence and
even in the sensitive retail trade sector, which will directly hit the
livelihood of crores of families. It also proposes to mobilize as much
as Rs. 25,000 crores per year from sale of PSU shares. In contrast the
Economic Survey fails to make any assessment, leave alone suggest
measures to address, the human dimensions of the economic slowdown such
as huge job losses, growing unemployment and declining incomes. Clearly
the economic policy establishment has failed to draw any lessons form
the global financial meltdown.
This becomes even more apparent when the Survey discusses such an
important issue as rising prices of essential commodities and food
security. It actually proposes a reduction in food subsidy for PDS
outlets and introduce the failed system of food coupons. It also
suggests further cuts in subsidies for gas cylinders suggesting it
should be limited to only six to eight cylinders per family per year.
On the other hand the Survey is generous in its suggestions to give
further tax concessions to corporates by doing away with several taxes
such as FBT, STT, CTT etc. Thus it wants to shift the focus of revenue
mobilization away from tax mobilization to selling off public sector
assets. At a time when countries across the world are moving away from
fiscal fundamentalism, a completely irrational proposal to introduce a
new version of the FRBM Act with a zero fiscal deficit target is also
contained in the survey.
Many of the proposals made in the survey, which are inimical to the
interests of the people and the country were part of the UPA reform
agenda for the last five years, which could be to a certain extent
prevented by the interventions of the Left Parties. Any attempt by the
UPA Government to revive the discredited neoliberal agenda of subsidy
cuts, financial liberalization, disinvestments and privatization would
be met with stiff resistance.
eom
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Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued
the following statement:
AGAINST PETROL AND DIESEL PRICE HIKE
The CPI(M) strongly opposes the hike in the price of petrol by four
rupees and diesel by two rupees a litre respectively. The Government has
shown its contempt for Parliament by taking such a decision on the very
eve of the budget session. The hikes are unjustified and unwarranted
because the international prices of crude oil are still much lower than
at their peak last year. These price hikes will have a cascading impact
leading to all round price rise. At a time when there is a relentless
increase in prices of essential commodities including foodgrains, sugar,
edible oil, pulses, vegetables this is a cruel first gift from the
Government to the aam aadmi. The CPI(M) demands withdrawal of these
hikes.
The CPI(M) calls upon its units to mobilize the people to protest
against these hikes.
eom
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Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued
the following statement:
On Liberhan Commission Report
The demolition of the Babri Masjid by constituents of the Sangh combine
was one of the greatest crimes against the secular character of the
Constitution. The role of the Central government also came under severe
criticism. In response to the national outrage, the Liberhan Commission
was set-up to pinpoint the guilt and responsibility of those involved.
Unfortunately, the Commission took sixteen years to present its report
having got a record number of 48 extensions by different governments at
the Centre.
Now that its report has been submitted to the government, it is
incumbent on the Central government to immediately make the report
public by tabling it in the current session of Parliament.
eom
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