Friday, March 17, 2017
Thursday, June 2, 2011
WEST BENGAL: TERROR CAMPAIGN AS NEW GOVT TAKES CHARGE
From Our Special
Correspondent in Kolkata
WHAT a start! What a chilling ‘Change’!
In the first ten days of changed political scenario in West Bengal, 10 CPI (M) leaders and supporters have been brutally murdered, hundreds injured, and as many were forced to flee from their places of residence, particularly in rural areas.
In a clear signal of terrorising the people, the murders committed by Trinamool and Congress goons were as brutal as possible, in most cases the victims being beaten or hacked to death.
Those who were killed till this report goes to press are Comrades Jiten Nandy, zonal committee member of Garbeta, Ajit Lohar, member of Saltora local committee, Purnima Gharui of Raina, Dahuruddin of Chopra, Ramprabesh Roy and his wife Mundakala Roy, peasants of Durgapur, Md Khodarakha of Margram, Amal Samaddar of Baruipur, Mahabul Seikh and his 18-year-old-son Musaraff of Beldanga.
Take for example the case of Amal Samaddar, who was a popular village doctor. As the entire village was terrorised by TMC gangs, Samaddar took shelter in his daughter’s house for a few days. But he returned to the village, probably assured by the announcement of the new chief minister Mamata Banerjee. That was a mistake. An armed TMC gang attacked the village of Belgachi in Baruipr, South 24 Parganas. They assaulted a number of CPI (M) activists, including women before entering Samaddar’s house. The miscreants forcibly dragged him out and beaten him mercilessly until he was dead.
In Beldanga, Murshidabad district, Congress activists attacked the village of Kapashdanga. They started hurling bombs to scare the villagers and attacked the house of Mahabul Sheikh, a CPI (M) activist. They dragged him out and killed him with choppers. The 18-year old son of Mahabul, Musaraff tried to save his father. The goons threw him into a room and set fire to the room, burning Musaraff to death. The entire house burnt and all members of the family, including 77 year old father of Mahabul, suffered serious burn injuries. Another CPI (M) supporter in Kajipara village under Shibpur PS of Howrah district, Sanjay Singh, was brutally attacked by a TMC gang of 25 people armed with sharp weapons on May 20. Similar reports of attacks and intimidations of various nature are pouring from different parts of the state.
There are also innumerable instances of houses of local CPI (M) and Left Front leaders being torched and looted. More than 200 hundred CPI (M) offices have been looted, ransacked or forcibly closed. In West Midnapore district, TMC armed gangs have attacked villages one after another and destroyed CPI (M) offices. They have also attacked Party zonal committee offices. CPI (M) state committee member and a veteran leader of the Party, Sheikh Israel, was attacked twice in a day in Ghatal in West Midnapore. TMC gangs along with police have also ransacked his house. Houses of Party leaders were attacked in Dharampur, Garbeta, Chandrakona, Jhargram. Even houses were forcibly occupied by TMC gangs.
Trinamool cadre indulged in violent attacks and forceful occupation of six CITU union offices in Mitsubishi, Marcus Oil, Lalbaba Seamless, IOC Marketing & Pipeline, PCL companies in Haldia industrial township and the Nirendranath Sramik Kalyan Bhavan in front of Haldia port. The Congress goons joined hands with TMC to capture TU office in Purba Kathalbari of Jalpaiguri using firearms. They hoisted Congress flag in that office on May 20.
The house of newly elected MLA from Aushgram, Basudev Mete, was attacked and his wife has sustained injuries. TMC miscreants cordoned his house but were forced to retreat after the villagers came out in protest. The house of another MLA, Basudev Khan, was attacked in Raina.
Many attacks were reported from Patrsayar in Bankura district. After severely beating up an agricultural labourer, Saital Lohar, near the Patrasayar bazaar, the Trinamoolis have shamefully urinated on his face. In Idilachak village, a 60 year old woman, Asiya Begum has been beaten up after tearing her clothes apart. Her son, Sarial Mallick, was also severely beaten up by the Trinamoolis. A 70-year old man, Kazi Abdul Rahman, was also physically attacked. In several other places like Grambera, Banshdah Kantadighi, Secundarchak, Rasulpur, Fakirdanga etc breathless terror has been spread by the Trinamooli goons, which led to over 200 people leaving their respective localities. Fines have been imposed on agricultural labourers and common people for being CPI (M) supporters.
In Kolkata, a large part of Beleghata and Topsia are under frightening terror. Many CPI (M) offices were attacked in Beleghata and CPI (M) activists were assaulted. TMC gangs have beaten up a local woman councillor when she tried to save a young activist of the Party. Ganashakti sellers were beaten and display boards were mutilated. Local residents have already sensed the fear of seventies, when Beleghata had been in the headlines for murderous attacks on Left supporters.
The attacks on transport workers’ unions have sharpened and many unions have been forcibly occupied by hoodlums. In rural areas, the extortion of money under threat of dire consequences has become a common feature. Reports of forcible occupation of cultivable land by Trinamool activists have started to come from villages.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has claimed that there were ‘no political clashes’ in the state and ‘peace’ has set in. She was, in fact, right in saying so. There were no clashes, only a one-sided campaign of violence from the ruling party.
Courtesy: People’s Democracy
WEST BENGAL: WE SHALL OVERCOME
R Arun Kumar
ACCORDING to the critics the verdict is out – with the loss in West Bengal, after being in power for 34 years, the CPI (M) and communism are passé. This verdict is not pronounced by the people, but by the 'analysts' tearing their hair on how to better the venom spewed from 'that earlier analysis'. Since the results for the five state legislative assemblies are out, not a day had passed without one or the other 'analyst' writing epitaphs to the communists and the Left. Most of them are part of the 'disappointed lot', disappointed because they were unable to realise their similar desire, post-Soviet Union. Sadly for them, they are going to perennially remain disappointed.
Of course, there are some analysts who are genuinely concerned about the Left and the communists and want them to immediately recoup and bounce back. They want the Left to carry out a proper introspection, which has already started, and come out with renewed vigour to fight the mounting attacks on the common people. They have some valid points/criticisms to make, which the Left itself had acknowledged to take cognisance of, during its introspection. But others are neither fair in their analysis/criticism, nor bereft of any sinister agenda. They had spread canards on the Left during the election campaign and now after the results, intend to take it to its 'logical conclusion' – demoralise the cadres, sow doubts over the ideological relevance of the Left and add force to the physical attacks. Vain hopes indeed!
Before proceeding further, think of this. Does anyone remember any party or ideology being written off after an electoral defeat? In a democracy, parties win and lose, but obituaries are reserved only for the Communists and the CPI (M)! Now, let us look at another simple fact. A news item had appeared in the newspapers on May 24. It states that the Left front government in West Bengal, under Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had led the state on the path of rapid industrialisation to place it in the fourth position in the list of states, ahead of even Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh that are considered to be the leaders in the pack. But these very newspapers cried hoarse both before and during the election campaign stating that the state was wanting in development. They let the cat out of the bag, with their task accomplished, as they now feel there is no wrong in being truthful to facts. This is only one among the numerous mischiefs committed by the media analysts, who to be fair to them, are only performing their assigned duty, waging a class battle, a battle of ideas for the ruling classes. History testifies to the fact that the communists are not new to such malicious attacks, but are, in fact, tempered from such 'battles'.
Right from the day the Communist party was founded in our country, it had to face numerous attacks. Conspiracy cases were slapped, members arrested, persecuted, tortured and killed, but nothing failed to stop its onward march. Slanders were propagated, ignominies hurled, names were called, but none succeeded. So, in a sense, what is happening today is not something new, but is an old tactic employed by the ruling classes. The younger generation, aligned with the Left should in fact 'thank' the media for providing them with an opportunity to participate in this class war and steel themselves.
To defend their belief in communist ideology, one need not quote from Marx 'himself'. If we purview the events happening around us with a rational mind, we can easily discern that the only way out of the morass engulfing the world is through the correct application of the principles expounded by Marx. The war on Libya, global economic crisis, growing inequalities, corruption, environmental concerns...all of them cannot be properly understood, unless looked through the prism of Marxism-Leninism. Many observers driven by their blind hatred towards communism could not fathom these events and even those few who could, tried to belittle their enormity under the guise that these have taken place due to the moral turpitude of a few. If a certain set of individuals are only responsible for the current mess, remember that they were changed at the very epicentre of these events. Obama replaced Bush, but this did not stop the attack on sovereign states. The entire financial team of Bush was replaced by Obama and similarly many financial institutions changed their heads, but this did not put an end to the global financial crisis. Even in the Middle-East, the ruling classes are trying to wear down the popular protests by changing faces, forcing the dissatisfied people to come out once again onto the streets. This in itself shows that wars and economic crisis do not happen due to the whims and fancies of certain individuals but happen because they are intrinsic to the social system we are living in today – the capitalist system.
Similar is the case with income inequalities. What else can explain the condition in our country where on one hand we have more than 77 per cent of the people who live on less than Rs 20 per day, whose numbers are growing rapidly, and on the other, the increasing number of dollar billionaires and their assets? What else can explain the starvation deaths and the lack of space for storing food grains, which are left to rot in the open than be distributed to the destitute, despite repeated orders from the unusually sensitive higher judiciary? What else can explain the spate of peasant suicides in spite of the various packages announced by the union government? What else can explain the Congress-BJP voting in tandem for the pension reform bill? Nothing else can explain these phenomenon except for Marxism-Leninism and the politics of the Left.
Media 'pundits' are afraid of facts and answers to these questions and hence trying to gloss over them. Worldwide the readers of Marx's Capital have increased. The book is in demand as never before in recent history, as people are trying to figure out what had caused the present wreak on their lives. People are finding out what socialism and communism really mean. Eleven per cent in the US, the fountain-head of neo-liberalism, think 'communism' is a 'morally superior' system to that which is currently in place in the country, and another 13 per cent aren't sure, according to a startling new Rasmussen poll, conducted in March 2011. Further, 10 per cent say that the 'communist system of economics and politics' is better for middle-class Americans, and another 10 per cent are undecided. In an April 2009 Rasmussen poll, only 53 per cent said that capitalism was better than socialism. With the margin of error, those who think capitalism is better are statistically tied with those who think socialism is better (20 per cent) and those unsure (27 per cent).
The results of a similar survey sponsored by the Romanian government-funded IICMER (the Institute for Investigating the Crimes of Communism and the Memory of Romanian Exile), in order to help guide the institute in its work to 'educate' the population about the evils of communism are also significant. The answers they received bitterly disappointed them. Particularly significant in the results of the survey is, as they acquire more experience of life under the 'market economy' people are becoming more negative about capitalism and positive about communism. In the previous poll in 2006, 53 per cent expressed a favourable opinion about communism; the 2010 survey showed that 61 per cent are favourable towards communism. According to the US-based Pew Research Center's survey carried out in several Central and East European countries in 2009, the proportion of people who take the view that life under capitalism is worse than it was during the period of communist power is as follows: Poland, 35 per cent; Czech Republic, 39 per cent; Slovakia, 42 per cent; Lithuania, 42 per cent; Russia, 45 per cent; Bulgaria, 62 per cent; Ukraine, 62 per cent; Hungary, 72 per cent. This is perhaps what is meant by 'wiser with experience'!
Ruling classes naturally try to nip any real challenge to their hegemony, if not in the bud, at least before it grows into threatening dimensions. As they had failed to nip communism in the bud, alarmed by its electoral strength in 2004, they have since targeted all their energies on the Left. It is even more necessary for them now, in these times of economic crisis – a time when they are trying their best to come out of it by further burdening the working people. They are comfortable with the growth of right-wing communal and fundamental forces, the Frankenstein they create, but not with the growth of communist ideas. And remember, it is only the communist parties that not only stood up to these challenges, but also defeated them and put a lid on their growth, whether outside the country or in West Bengal.
There is no force on the earth that can forever pin-down communism or communists. Yes, mistakes were committed, but only in the process of grappling with socio-economic realities. It is only the communists who have the real courage not only to own up their mistakes but also rectify them and emerge strengthened further. If somebody thinks that the melting of snow will reduce the height of the mountain, they live in no less than a fool's paradise. The defeat in elections is only a passing eclipse. Anyone who knows what exploitation really means, can vouch for the validity of communism because it is only the followers of this ideology, who genuinely stand by the toiling sections in the society, defend their interests and fight for their rights. At the risk of appearing arrogant, we can say the relevance of communism and communist parties can easily be understood by the toilers, but the “stupid call it stupid and the squalid call it squalid”. And we know, “it is the simplest thing, so hard to achieve”. But achieve, we will!
Courtesy: People’s Democracy
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
MEMORANDUM OF LEFT PARTIES TO THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA
A delegation comprising Sitaram Yechury, MP (leader, Rajya Sabha), member, Polit Bureau, CPI(M), A B Bardhan, general secretary, CPI, Basudev Acharia, MP (leader, Lok Sabha), CPI(M), Nilotpal Basu, member, Central Secretariat, CPI(M), Abani Roy, secretary, RSP , Debabrata Biswas general secretary, AIFB and Pallab Sengupta member, Central Executive Committee, CPI, met the Election Commission and handed over the following memorandum on January 21, 2011.
WHILE drawing your attention to certain urgent issues which can adversely affect the conduct of peaceful, free and fair elections for the West Bengal assembly, we would first like to take this opportunity to thank you for appropriately responding to the issues raised by our delegation on August 27, 2010.
To recapitulate, we had brought to your notice that an unusually large number, – 56,19,057 Form-6 applications, were submitted for being included in the draft electoral rolls. Now that the final figures are available, we are broadly satisfied with the results of your intervention. We had maintained that the revision of the rolls should ensure that no genuine voter should be excluded and, at the same time, no fictitious name should be included. The completion of the exercise shows that 37,57,385 names were added which means roughly 20 lakh Form-6 applications were rejected in the due process. Your intervention to ensure this result has been a point of satisfaction, while our apprehension that large number of names are being sought to be included is also substantiated.
We would now like to underline the major challenge that threatens the holding of peaceful and free and fair elections in the state. As you are aware, in certain districts of the state, the Maoists have unleashed a campaign of violence. The spree of violence is pronounced in the three districts of Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapur. These are districts which have their borders with Orissa and Jharkhand and have large tracts of forest. The topography of the area is conducive to pursue a strategy of unleashing violence and terror which the Maoists are obsessed with. The Commission is obviously aware of the position of the Maoists that they have declared that they will not be part of the Indian parliamentary system, hence not participate in the elections. The special feature of the Maoist violence in West Bengal is the largely targeted killings of activists, leaders and organisers of the Left parties. These arise out of their nature of politics which derives from a deep-seated antipathy towards the organised Left.
To further inform you, the Naxalite movement which arose in the late sixties and early seventies had similarly targeted the organised Left and the CPI(M) alone had lost 550 cadres in the space of one and a half years of worst violence at that stage. However, they had gone into subsequent disarray and had all but disappeared from the state.
However, in their present incarnation they display a more degenerate and anti-people campaign of violence – this is a very major disturbing feature. They are conniving with the major opposition party – the Trinamul Congress. The process of coming together of the Maoists and the Trinamul Congress had taken place during the Nandigram events. But this has now developed further and cemented in achieving their common goal of undermining and defeating the Left even at the cost of the politics of violence and depredation. The current situation of violence has escalated over the last two years since the Trinamul Congress improved its electoral performance in the 2008 panchayat elections in West Bengal. This is graphically demonstrated from the figures of political clashes and consequent killings from the table below.
INTER PARTY CLASHES AND KILLINGS IN WEST BENGAL
| Year | No of Incidents | No of people killed |
| 2001 | 434 | 88 |
| 2002 | 191 | 63 |
| 2003 | 466 | 66 |
| 2004 | 262 | 32 |
| 2005 | 145 | 15 |
| 2006 | 246 | 40 |
| 2007 | 189 | 28 |
| 2008 | 1094 | 60 |
| 2009 | 1115 | 106 |
| Upto 31.10.2010 | 943 | 95 |
Based on data from NCRB
It is well known that of the 333 civilians killed in the three Maoist violence-affected districts in 2009 and 2010, around 230 belonged to the Left parties. In no other Maoist violence-affected state can you find such a large number of civilian casualties, nor do they consist of political opponents of the Maoists.
The campaign of violence by the Maoists is proving to be so worrisome and lethal because of the overt and covert support they receive from the Trinamul Congress. There is a large account of evidence and media reports underlining the reality of Maoist-TMC nexus. We append this as Annexure – I.
We are also giving certain specific information about this in Annexure – II which establishes operational coordination between the two. The latest startling instance is the detention of Karmu Mahato reportedly the Jhargram block president of the TMC by the Orissa police and subsequently arrested by Jhargram police in Cuttack. The arrest of Karmu in Cuttack was in the wake of him accompanying two injured Maoist gang members in a landmine blast for medical treatment. This incident has been widely reported in the press.
We are also appending in Annexure – III excerpts from Kabir Suman’s – a sitting Trinamul MP – autobiographical narrative which establishes the participation of Mamta Banerjee and Saugata Roy, ministers of the present UPA government, with Maoist linkmen Prasun Chattopadhyaya and Raja Sarkhel in the Trinamul Congress headquarters in Kolkata. These two have been subsequently arrested under UAPA and have been in jail custody as ordered by the court. The discussion centres around the possible ways of intervention in Nandigram where implicitly the Maoists would also be involved. In fact, the media had earlier widely reported the confession of Madhusudan Mondal, since arrested, who happened to be the Nandigram zonal committee secretary of the CPI (Maoist) confirming their association with the TMC. There are also media reports about the statement by Kishanji reportedly the Polit Bureau member of CPI (Maoist) operating in West Bengal to the effect that they would like to see Mamta Banerjee as the next chief minister of West Bengal. Other Maoist leaders also have issued similar statements and after publication of these, there have been no subsequent denials.
Since June 2009, when the central paramilitary forces have started joint operations with the state police, the situation has gradually improved. This can be seen from the large number of arrests of Maoists including their top leadership in the state. A large number of cases have been initiated and a large cache of arms has been recovered. This has also enabled the state government to improve the implementation of developmental programmes in the affected areas and resumption of political activities by different political parties have also begun to a certain extent. Importantly, in response to the gruesome killings and other acts of depredation by the Maoists, a large number of people in these three districts have come out to collectively protest and isolate the Maoists. This has also been a key factor for the success of the joint operations.
However, the threat of violence still remains as the Maoist terror apparatus is yet to be completely dismantled. On the other hand, the Trinamul Congress emboldened by the association with such a force has also continued with their own version of violence against political opponents in some of the other south Bengal districts. This violence has led to the eviction of substantial number of Left supporters and workers from their homes. They face the threat of not freely and fairly exercising their franchise. The most serious situation is in some pockets of East Midnapur – like Nandigram and Khejuri. If you so wish, we can furnish a detailed list for all such constituencies and booths subsequently.
In the light of all these, we feel constrained to point out that the prime minister’s observation, “Maoist violence is the single biggest threat to the internal security of the country” should be unexceptionable to everybody concerned. The heart of our parliamentary democratic system is the process of elections which have come to be invested with a great degree of legitimacy because of its largely peaceful, free and fair conduct under the superintendence and guidance of the Election Commission of India.
We, therefore, urge you that despite the improvement of the situation, significant challenges remain for the holding of peaceful, free and fair elections, given the spree of violence let loose by the Trinamul Congress with the active connivance of the Maoists in the Jangalmahal areas which is the central factor which can undermine the due electoral process.
(Annexures have not been reproduced here – Ed)
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
