rural starvation stalks the country agrarian revolution - only answer

28 Pages·2006·0.97 MB·English

Vol:7,No:2,February2006,Rs.12
RURAL STARVATION STALKS THE COUNTRY
AGRARIAN REVOLUTION - ONLY ANSWER
PEOPLE(cid:146)SMARCH
Contents
Vol:7,No.2,Februray2006, Rs.12
VoiceoftheIndianRevolution
25
March 8
4
WTO 6th
19
Ministerial Iran, the New
Conference: Flashpoint
Further Sell-
Out to
Imperialists
Political
Editorial
TTTTThhhhheeeee GGGGGrrrrreeeeeaaaaattttt IIIIInnnnndddddiiiiiaaaaannnnn SSSSSeeeeellllllllll OOOOOuuuuuttttt :::::
Bush(cid:146)sVisittoIndia:AComment 12
TTTTTrrrrraaaaaiiiiitttttooooorrrrrooooouuuuusssss PPPPPooooollllliiiiiccccciiiiieeeeesssss ooooofffff Jailbreak,ArmouryRaid Dynamics 3
ofPeople(cid:146)sWar
IIIIInnnnndddddiiiiiaaaaannnnn RRRRRuuuuullllleeeeerrrrrsssss SitaramYechuriTriestoDeceive 10
MoreForeignTakeoverof 22 TheHoaxofEnergySecurity 16
Indian Industry
Report
Press Statement
International HorrendoussituationofCivil 13
StopStateTerrorAgainstMaoist 24 andHumanRightsinAndhra
Extractsofareportsentfrom 28
ofIndia PradeshRuleoftheLawis
BangladeshbytheCPEB(ML)
evaporatedintheState
RedFlag
People(cid:146)sMarchArticlesmaybereprintedandtranslatedinvariousIndian&Foreign
Languageswithoutpermission,providedthesource(www.peoplesmarch.com)iscredited
EDITOR:P.GovindanKutty E-mail:[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
.................................................................................................................................
Owned, Edited, Printed & Published by P. Govindan Kutty, Peroor house, Tripunithura, N.F. Ernakulam, Kerala (cid:151) 682 301,
Printed at Chithira Printers, 63/321, Poruvelil, Kannachanthodu Road, Kochi (cid:151) 18
2 PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006
Editorial
Jailbreak, Armoury Raid & Dynamics of People’s War
TheraidontheGirdihArmouryonNov. giving opportunities to the TNCs to loot thefeudalsystemandadministrationthat
11thwasanappropriatecelebrationofthe the natural resources in the name of oppressesyou(cid:148).Whiletheforcesallaround
75thanniversaryoftheChittagongArmoury globalization. Recently the Jharkhand heldthepoliceandpar-militaryatbaythe
raid. Then, it was against the British governmenthashadhugeagreementswith mainforceadvancedonthejail.Oneteam
despoticrule;thepresentwasagainstthe big capitalists like Tata, Jindal, Mittal, scaledthewallwitharopeladderfromthe
oppressiverulebythenewrulers.Twodays etc for the building of massive iron ore backwallanothercamefromthemaingate
laterthehistoricJehanabadjailbreakwas mines and steel plants which will lead to andshotdeadtheguard.Therewerefour
alsoacontinuationofthelegacyofIndia(cid:146)s the displacement of lakhs of people. senior leaders in the jail including Ajay
freedom struggle where numerous Rivers,land,forests,mines,factories,fuel, Kanu and about 100 other cadres,
revolutionariesbrokethechainsthatbound finances, labour, etc are being given to sympathizers,etc.Allwereincarceratedon
themandescapedtofreedomtofightthe theimperialists.Asaresultthepeopleare fake charges. They together with another
oppressors. Some called it the (cid:147)Storming losing their jobs, food, dignity clothes, 250 prisoners (total of 389 escaped, of
oftheBastille(cid:148)(cid:151)thefamousjailbreakof land, property and even the houses in which269returnedlater)walkedoutofthe
theFrenchrevolution.Otherscalleditthe which they live. The people do not have front gates. But before doing that one of
freedomofthepoorandoppressedwhile democracy,donothavetherighttospeak, themaingangleadersoftheRanvirSena,
the real criminals are outside. Yet others do not have the right to hold public BadeSharma,wasshotdead.Hewasthe
called it instant justice against a system meetings, etc. The action of seizing arms person primarily responsible for the
thatfalselyincarceratesthemforyears.And from the Girdih armoury is showing the massacreofover60dalitsatLakshmanpur
as a cloth merchant in Jehanabad(cid:146)s main people the bright path against all this. Bathe.AnothertopleaderBisheshwarRai
bazaarsaid(Tehelka3/12/05)(cid:147)Achahua, (cid:147)Actuallytheseizureofthearmouryof wasshottwokilometersaway.Athirdtop
Acha hua (cid:133). The police never help the Girdih is a victory song of the armed leader managed to escape. Eight other
people,theyareonlyexploitingthem,itis struggleandpeople(cid:146)swarexposingtheill activists of the Ranvir Sena were taken
high time someone taught them a lesson, intentionsoftheGandhiDandiCampaign. away,warnedandthenreleasedafterfour
itisgoodsomeoneisstandinguptothem(cid:148). Thisactionisalsoaslapinthefaceofthe hours.Towhipupcastetensionsthemedia
The oppressed masses of this country official Naxalites of the CPI(ML) widelypropagatedthattheNaxalitestook
andtheprogressivepeoplewelcomedboth Liberation who indefinitely postpone the awayandkilled10-20RanvirSenapeople.
theseactions;itistheeliteandtheirhangers armedstruggle.(cid:148) This was a big lie knowingly propagated
onofalltypeswhocondemnitduetofear Two days later at Jehanabad red bythegovernmentandmedia.
for loosing their lavish lifestyles. The detachmentsofthePLGAhadgatheredin Intheentireoperationonlyacoupleof
people of our country have over the thetownbylateevening.Atabout8pm. policewerekilledandnineweaponsseized
centuries resorted to numerous revolts they began to take positions at the main fromthejail.ThemainpurposeofOperation
against their oppressors. But all failed as points(cid:151)thepolicelines,thearmoury,the Jailbreak was to release the political
they did not have a leadership that could CRPFcampatthecollege,theDSPoffice prisonersandasanaddedfactortopunish
takeonthemightofthestateandascientific andpolicestationandalsoatthejail.Inside thegangleadersoftheRanvirSena.Both
alternativetotheexistingsystem. the comrades in jail were awaiting the weresuccessfullyaccomplished.But,two
AstatementissuedonNov.13thbyCom. signal.ItwasaFridaywhenKheeriscooked comradesweremartyred.TheMaoiststhen
Sadan on behalf of the Bihar-Jharkhand so that day the prisoners are generally retreatedintothedarkness.Thepolicewere
MilitaryCommissionontheGirdiharmoury lockeduplate.Butthetimetobelockedup soterrifiedthatitwasnottill10thenext
raidstated:(cid:147)Seizingarmsfromthearmoury had passed and there was no movement morningbeforetheyarrived.
at Girdih is a gift of the legacy of the fromoutside.Justthenabombwentoff.It Inanypeople(cid:146)swaritisfundamentalto
independence struggle. It is part of the was9.00pm.Butthiswasnotasignalto maintain both the political and military
continuous link of the ongoing people(cid:146)s begin the action it was an accidental initiative.Insomearticlesinthenewspapers
war. In order to serve the interests of explosionkillingtwodedicatedcomrades there have been complaints that the
imperialism, especially US imperialism, ofthePLGA.SomeCRPFcameoutpanic Maoists are now going for mere
feudalismandthecompradorbourgeoisie, strickenandfiringintothedarkness.The militarizationandawayfromthepolitical
the Indian government, run by corrupt actionthenbeganfromallsidesofthetown. agendaandmassmobilizationasinthedays
bureaucrats, is unleashing intense Mineswereexplodedandfiringtookplace oftheArwalmobilization.Theproblemwith
repressionandexploitationonthepeople. attheCRPFcamp,thepolicestation,the such an approach is that they do not see
Under the Black laws arresting people armouryandatthejail.Noneknewwhere the character of the Indian state and its
without a second thought and firing on the main action was targeted. Some ruthlessness.Anysincerestruggle,likethe
people and killing them in fake thoughtitwasarepeatofGirdih,araidon workers in Gurgaon and the peasants in
encounters, etc have all become an thearmoury.Megaphonesalsoblaredwith Rajasthan, are brutally crushed. So also
everyday occurrence.(cid:148) theNaxalitescallingonthepeopletostay peaceful movements like the Narmada
TheStatementaddsthat(cid:147)Thepresent in their homes and adding (cid:147)you are safe, BachaoAndolan which achieved nothing
anti-people government and system is ourfightisnotwithyou,ourfightiswith Continuedonpage6
PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006 3
WTO 6th Ministerial Conference: Further Sell-Out to Imperialists
(cid:151)Suman farawayVictoriaPark,onthe5thdaythe on the economies of these countries (cid:151)
Tillthelastdayoftheofthemarathon crowdsbrokethroughpolicelinesandthere leading to an even faster rate of de-
six-daymeetfromDec.13-18thitlookedas were massive clashes with the police. In industrialisation, by throwing the doors
though there would be no agreement the process they marched close to the wide open to cheap imports of
between the thousands of delegates venue cutting off the Wan Chai area, the manufactured goods. It basically only
representingabout150countrieswhohad locationoftheConferencevenue,cutting affectsthebackwardcountriesasitisthey
gathered for the Sixth Ministerial offpublictransportandforcingthousands who have tariff barriers on industrial
ConferenceoftheWTO.ThisConference ofdelegatestowalkbacktotheirhotels.In importswhilethedevelopedcountrieshave
wastowinduptheDohaRoundwhichhad thebrutalpoliceattacksover1,000demons- mostly non-tariff barriers to deny market
beguninNovember2001.Itwasnowhere tratorswerearrested.BesidesHongKong access to goods from other countries. It
nearthatgoalandfinallyinordertoavoid demonstrations were taking place was the Indian government that had
acollapsesomedeclarationwaspassedto throughout the world including in many virtuallyacceptedthecontentsoftheearlier
be further discussed at the WTO partsofIndia.Abigdemonstrationwasalso discredited text as the basis of NAMA
headquartersinGenevaonApril30th2006. heldinDelhiagainsttheWTOmeet. negotiations.
On the fourth day of the 5-day meet the The imperialists no longer hold such Finally the Doha Round sought the
cynicalreportthatcameoutwasthatthere Conferences in their own countries, liberalization and deregulation of the
was neither (cid:147)breakthrough nor particularly after Seattle, as they fear the services sector in which have been
breakdown(cid:148). wrath of their people. So they shift it to included160servicesrangingfromwater,
The WTO director General, Pascal distant places so that few demonstrators education,health,infrastructure(including
Lamy,himselfsaid:(cid:147)thelasthoursofthe canattendandwherepolicebrutalitycan energy,transportandtelecommunications),
meetingwereincrediblyintense(cid:133)..It(cid:146)slike bemoreobsceneandcrude. financialservices(bankingandinsurance),
keeping your balance in a small boat, BackgroundtotheMeet travelandtourism,etc.Thesubjectmatter
tryingtoreachtheothersideoftheriver Theworldwideanti-WTOdemonstra- ofthisGATS(GeneralAgreementinTrade
inthemidstofastorm(cid:148).Headdedthatthe tions brought to light the aggressive inServices)isextremelybroadastheterm
last minute negotiations were (cid:147)stormy(cid:148) imperialist nature of the Uruguay Round (cid:147)Service(cid:148) is defined vaguely in the
sincethetradeministerswerefacedwitha whose discussions went on from 1986 to agreementsoastopotentiallyincludeany
(cid:147)make or break(cid:148) situation. Most agreed 1994,whentheGATTwastransformedinto andeveryactivity.
to the Declaration pushed through by the theWTO. SoonallbegantorealizethattheWTO,
US/EUdespitereservationsastheydidnot When the Uruguay Round began, the like its sister organisations the IMF and
want to derail the entire process. It was imperialistsputforwardasupposedgrand WorldBank,werenothingbuttoolsofbig
primarilytheIndianandBraziliandelegates bargain to the backward countries. They capital to rob the poor and backward
who broke with the unity of the demanded expansion of the trade agenda countries of their wealth and resources.
underdeveloped countries and forced a to include services and Intellectual The imperialist(cid:146)s aggressive nature was
decision,basicallyasperthewishesofthe Property Rights; in return the developed further intensified at the very first
US/EUdemands.KamalNathdefactoacted countriesweretomakemajorconcessions MinisterialConferenceafterUruguayheld
astheTrojanhorseoftheimperialistswithin onagricultureandtextilequotas.Whilethe in Singapore in December 1996 and the
theG-110.Allhisbravadorhetoricofhaving backward countries implemented all the putting on the agenda by the EU the so-
foughtforIndia(cid:146)sinterestswasahoaxas WTOstipulationsthedevelopedcountries calledfourSingaporeissues.Itwasatthe
he turned out to be one of the prime didnothingforthewholedecade.Finally, third Ministerial Conference in Nov/Dec
pushers of imperialist interests. The final whentextilequotaswereendedlastJanuary, 1999atSeattleandtheviolentclashesthere,
Declaration gave all gains to the they pleaded that they were still not thatsetthetunefortheanti-globalisation
imperialists while that for the backward preparedandthusnegotiatedathreeyear movementthroughouttheglobe.
countrieswerenotional. extension with China. What happened in Withthevehemenceoftheproteststhe
TheConferencetookplaceamidsthuge agriculture was even worse. While the governmentsofthebackwardcountrieshad
demonstrations against the WTO and its understanding was that rich countries(cid:146) to put up some show of protest. What is
anti-poor agenda. The demonstrators enormoussubsidieswouldbereduced,the moretheintensecontradictionbetweenthe
gathered two days before the Conference US almost doubled its subsidies. In 2002 USandEUontradeissues,particularlyon
and reached a crescendo on the pen- theUSFarmBillsetthenewsubsidyrate agricultural subsidies, allowed countries
ultimatedayoftheConference.Duringthis for10yearsupto2012.AndtheEUadopted some maneuverability between the two
periodthroughoutHongKongtherewere the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) imperialistmonoliths.Asaresultofallthis
bigprotests,manyofwhichturnedviolent. which can(cid:146)t reduce its subsidies before withtheculminationoftheUruguayRound
Ontheveryinauguraldaydemonstrators, 2013. and the initiation of the Doha Round the
particularly farmers from South Korea, OntheissueofNAMA(NonAgricul- imperialists were forced to give the
clashedwithriotpolice.Thoughtheywere turalMarketAccess)itwasrejectedbythe appearance that this Round was being
notallowedanywherenearthevenueand bulk of the underdeveloped countries at devoted to the benefit of the backward
only allowed to have their protests at the theCancunmeetduetoitshorrifyingimpact countries (cid:151) so it was called the
4 PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006
DevelopmentRound. took over as the Director General of the running.ButtheUSandJapaninsistedthat
Butthatwasonlyinname;asubterfuge WTO (cid:151) he was the earlier EU Trade thedutyandquotafreecouldnotapplyto
to dupe the masses of the world. The Commissioner who has been in the all products and would be applied
essenceoftheDohaDeclaration,whichwas forefront of pushing the EU(cid:146)s imperialist selectively. This means that Bangladesh
passed in the background of the US(cid:146)s agendaforyears. could exports say submarines (which it
aggressive posturing in the light of 9/11 TheHongKongDeclaration does not produce) but not textiles which
that had taken place barely two months Itwastheseconddraftthatwasfinally makeup80%ofitsexports.TheUSoffered
earlier, sought to put even more burdens adopted,whichbasicallysetaframework the four cotton-producing West African
on the underdeveloped countries of the tobefinalizedbytheGeneralCouncilof states a minor concession to end export
world,whileturningablindeyetotheUS/ theWTObyApril2006.Afterfivedaysof subsidies,butweresilentonthehugehand-
EU protectionist measures. It was now intense haggling, this declaration was outs that Washington gives its Southern
clearlytheformula;freetradefortheworld; signed by the 149 member countries, farmersinvariousotherway.Allthatthe
protectionism,fortheimperialists. therebykeepingtheDohaRoundaliveafter US has committed is a reduction in the
Withtheimperialisteconomiccrisisalso itscollapseatCancun. exportsubsidyoncotton,whichisnoteven
having deepened in 2000/2001 their Muchismadeofthesupposedvictory onepercentofthe$4.7billionthatitdoles
desperationtoshifttheburdenofthiscrisis by the backward countries for the out as federal support to the cotton
on the backward countries became even developed countries to remove export growers.
moredesperate.Thatiswhy,thoughthey subsidiesby2013.Thisitselfisabighoax. OnNAMA,asalreadymentioned,itwas
had to make a show of it being a FirstlytheG-90countriesweredemanding asell-outalltheway.Heavypressurehas
(cid:147)development(cid:148) Round, to appease the thatthisberemovedby2010,buttheEU(cid:146)s beenmountedbytheUSandEUwellbefore
huge anti-globalisation demonstrations, ownCAPagreementhasfixedtill2013and the WTO Summit for (cid:147)substantial
they in fact sought more aggressive after India(cid:146)s sudden change in stand the agreement(cid:148) on NAMA requiring the
opening-up of the economies of the 2013datewaspushedthrough.Secondly, backward countries substantially reduce
backward countries of the world. In ofthe90billioneurossubsidyhandedout customs duties on manufactured goods.
addition, the crisis intensified the trade toEuropeanfarmersonly3billiongoesas Giventhegrowingcrisisofover-production
warsbetweentheimperialists,particularly export subsidy. So its removal will have thisisafundamentalaspectofimperialist
theUS-EUconflicts,makingtheirabilityto hardly any impact on their prices. Even policytopushtheburdenofthecrisison
cometoanyjointagreementoninternational thisremovalofexportsubsidiescomeswith thebacksoftheunderdevelopedcountries
trademoredifficult.So,whilepushingtheir conditionswhichifnotimplementedallows andcushiontheirowncrisis.Theso-called
minimumcommonagendaattheWTOthey themscopefornon-implementation.Ithas Swissformulaonthistranslatesintoa75%
have also been pre-occupied in forming beenmadedependentonthe(cid:147)completion cut in duties in the backward countries
bilateral/regional trade blocs, to further of modalities(cid:148), the deadline for which is compared with a mere 25% for the
specificimperialistcountryinterests. fixedforApril3006.Giventherecordfor developed countries. Yet this was
ForallthesereasonstheDohaRound failed deadlines there is no certainty that welcomed by the Indian Commerce
never really got off the ground, though eventhedate3013willbekept. Minister,KamalNath.
agricultural issues, which was the main So, in effect what has been portrayed In the Service sector too there was a
boneofcontention,wasthecorequestion. as a big victory for India and the other furthersetbackforthebackwardcountries.
TheCancun5thMinisterialConferencein underdevelopedcountriesinahugefarce. Thisisamainfocuspointoftheimperialists
Sept.2003 therefore collapsed and there The subsidies for agricultural produce of astodaytheservicesectoramountstoover
wasnoagreement.Sincethentheregular theimperialistcountrieswillstayintactand 50/60%oftheGDPofanycountryandthe
meetingsattheGenevaheadquartershave they will continue to dump their cheap profitmarginsareoftenhuge.HeretooIndia
notmademuchheadwayinbeingableto products throughout the world thereby retracted on its demand for Mode 4
revivethestalemate.Yet,inmid2004the destroying agriculture of the backward concessions. In the draft declaration that
GeneralCounciloftheWTOcameoutwith countries,includingIndia.So,forexample, wenttoHongKong,AnnexC,whichargued
aframeworkfortheculminationoftheDoha in2003theUSexportedcottonat53%of for accelerating the liberalization of
Round,theessenceofwhichwastofurther theircostofproduction,andwheatat72%, services,wasbracketed,implyingthatthere
pushthejointimperialistinterestsagainst rice at 74%, maize & soyabeans at 90% wasnoagreementonthis.Inasurprising
thebackwardcountries.AllthattheHong belowtheircostofproduction.EU(cid:146)sexport developmentthewholeofAnnexChasnow
Kongmeetdidwastobasicallyre-iterate priceswere34%ofitscostofproduction been unbracketed, with some minor
the (cid:147)framework(cid:148) of what has come to be forwheat,50%fordairyproduceand75% changes. India played a major role in
knownasthe(cid:147)Julydecision(cid:148)oftheGeneral forsugar. mobilising the backward countries to get
Council, with a few changes. This Alsothemuchpropagatedconcessions thischangeaccepted.ItwasonlyCubaand
(cid:147)framework(cid:148) sets the path for the further totheLDCs(LeastDevelopedCountries) Venezuela that formally expressed their
capitulation of the backward countries to toallowtheverypoorestcountriestoexport reservationonthischange.
the imperialists on all spheres of trade in theirproductstotheWestduty-free,quota- So,itcanbeseenthatinthedeclaration
agriculture,industryandservices. free,wasanotherfarce.TheEUpushedthis thatfinallyemanatedfromtheHongKong
InSeptemberofthisyearPacalLamy hardastheyalreadyhavesuchaprogramme MinisterialConferencea(cid:147)framework(cid:148)has
PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006 5
beensetforgreatersell-outtotheimperial- greatermarketaccessfortheirownspecific to pressurize countries. The US Trade
istsinallspheresofagriculture,manufactur- bourgeoisie.Inthissituation,particularly Representative, Portman, said as much:
ed goods and services. This will have a after9/11theUShasadoptedmoreapolicy (cid:147)sometimes no deal is better than a bad
terribleimpactonthelivesofthepeopleof ofunilateralismasagainsttheearlierpolicy deal(cid:148). The EU too has made clear that it
these countries and lead to further of leading the imperialist pack against willnotmoveonthecommitmenttoreduce
backwardnessandde-industrialisation. others. This has become more and more subsidies (cid:151) even by 2013 (cid:151) unless
Conclusion difficultasthesituationhasvastlychanged progresscanbeseenonNAMA.
At the WTO Hong Kong conference sincetheearly1990s. Thetroubleisthatwhiletheimperialists
the imperialists came with their large Theinter-imperialistcontradictionhas slugitoutforgreaterspheresofinfluence
contingents to beat back any opposition beenreflectedparticularlyintradeconflicts and markets the compradors of the
fromthepoorercountries.Thestrengthof betweentheUSandEU,asalsobetween backward countries servilely fall at the
theirdelegationsweredisproportionateto theEUandtheCairnesGroupofcountries imperialist feet. This they do to varying
theiractualsize.TheEUhad832delegates (that include Canada, Australia, etc) on degrees, but unfortunately India is to be
to the US(cid:146)s 356 and Japan(cid:146)s 229. 46 agriculturalproduce.BetweentheEUand seenintheforefront;asisthatheroofthe
countrieshadlessthan10delegatesanda UStheconflictsarenolongerrestrictedto WSF,Lula.{LulahasevensentBrazilian
few African countries had none. This agriculturalitems,butencompassintense troops to Haiti to police US intervention
massiveinequalityinnegotiatingstrength competition between Boeing and Airbus there}.Itisonlythepeopleofthebackward
allowstheimperialisttofurtherbrow-beat, andnowalsothecomputersoftwaresector. countries that can reverse the sell-out
those from the backward countries and In mid December 05 the European processtakingplacebothwithintheWTO
adoptalldeviousmeanstosplittheirunity. Commission,forexample,threatenedthat andoutsideitthroughnumerousbilateral
Yet,theWTOisatacross-roadscaught it may fine Microsoft as much as $2.37 andregionaldeals.Soforexample,India
inawebofcontradictionsthatthreatento millionperdayunlessitcomplieswithan forallitschest-thumpingatHongKongis
derail the whole process. Basically there order to provide interface documentation seeingitscottonfarmersdiewhileimporting
are four main contradictions at play that toallowrivalgroupserverstoworkwith $500millionworthofcottonperyearwitha
couldfreezetheagenda,theessencebeing thecompany(cid:146)sWindowoperatingsystem. customstariffofamere10%.Thislowtariff
two (cid:151) inter-imperialist contradictions, TheEUalsowantstheUStocutdownits is not even imposed by the WTO but the
particularlythatbetweentheUSandEU; shareofsubsidieswhileCanada,Australia servilerulersarewillinglykeepingitlowto
and secondly between the backward andNewZealandarerequiredtodismantle thedetrimentoflakhsofcottonfarmersin
countriesandthedevelopedcountriesfor their commodity boards, which is still a India. This year, in Maharashtra alone
a few more crumbs. These growing pointofdispute.Thesecountriessaythat hundredsofcottonfarmershavecommitted
contradictionsarelinkedtothedeepening the commodity boards (cid:151) like the suicide;andontopofthatthegovernment
economiccrisiswhichishavingitsupsand Australian Wheat Board (cid:151) do not push has reduced the procurement rate by a
downs within an increasingly fragile pricedown.TheEUisvehementlyopposed massiveRs.500(fromRs.2,200)tobringit
bubble-likeworldeconomy.Asaresultthe tothisargument. inlinewithinternationalrates.
imperialistsarenotpreparedtogiveeven Onthemaincontradictionbetweenthe Passiveresistancebringslittlechange
the smallest concession in trade imperialists and the backward countries; ingovernmentpolicy.Itrequiresastrong
negotiationstothebackwardcountriesand theimperialistsareactingtoughereachday. andmilitantmovementifthereistobeany
seekonlytoblatantlyextractmoreandmore. TheywouldratherseetheWTOcollapse reversalinthesedisastrouspoliciesofthe
Alsointheirgrowingscrambleformarkets than compromise as anyhow they have government at the dictates of the
theyareateachothersthroatsforgaining takenthealternativebilateral/regionalroute imperialists. (cid:110)(cid:32)(cid:110)
Continuedfrompage3 imperialistsonwhomtheirgunshavetobe
(cid:145)peacefully(cid:146)inacutepovertyandwithlittle
after20yearsofpeacefulstruggle.General self-respect.Dalits,forexample,havenever aimed.Sowherecanthepoorgettheirarms
massmovementsmustnecessarilydevelop known(cid:145)peace(cid:146)thereisadailyexistenceof todefendthemselves.Itcanonlybefrom
intothemobilizationoftheentiremasses violenceandhumiliation(cid:151)goingonnow, the enemy. This has always been the
forthewar.Onlywhentheentiremasses and for centuries!!! The feudal mafia of methodinanypeople(cid:146)swar.So,theaction
are mobilised to participate in a people(cid:146)s Biharparticularlyasalsootherstatesdoes onthearmouryatGirdihwasnotonlyjust,
war is a revolution successful. If just a notallowanytoliveinpeaceunlessthey itwaspathbreakinginshowingthewayto
handfularemobilisedmilitarilythenitis fall at their feet. Neither do the police. the masses that they need not cow down
doomed to failure. So while mass Besides,itisfullyjustforMaoiststorelease beforethegovernment(cid:146)sgunsandbullets
movementsaroundpeople(cid:146)sdemandsare their comrades, hundreds of whom are (cid:151)andthatthereissomealternative.Girdih,
alsonecessarywhatisfundamentalforany framed in false cases and jailed for years andtheearlieractionatKoraput,continue
revolutionarymovementistomobilisethe and decades; and to seize arms to defend in the great tradition of the historic
peopleandreadythemforthewareffort. themselves. ChittagongArmouryRaid.
Itisoftensaidthatthepeoplearenot The government spends thousands of JehanabadandGirdiharemilestonesin
forwar.Whois?Naxalitestoowantpeace. croresofrupeestopurchasearmsfromthe the onward march of the people(cid:146)s war in
Butnotthepeaceofthegraveyard.Nordo imperialists.Suchmoneythearmyofthe the country.
the people want to continue living poor never have; besides it is the
(cid:110)(cid:32)(cid:110)
6 PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006
Rural India: Reeling under death
-Ayan Someoftherecentincidentsareplaced 28.3percentofthesamplehouseholds(i.e.
heretorealizetheeffectofpresentinhuman 500householdsinthetwodistricts)lived
Every year a large number of rural
face of unrestricted ruthless exploitation byeatingjustonedistressmeal-a-day.99.8
peopleparticularly,tribalanddalitpeople,
which has been destroying the rural percentofthesefamiliescouldnotafford
succumbtothediseasebornoutofhunger.
economy and taking away hundreds of twosquaremealsevenforamonthduring
Thisgruesomerealityhasbeencontinuing
lives. Death is caused either due to theentireperiodoflastyear.
toexistdespiteafloodofpromisesandtall
starvation,undernourishment,malnutrition MadhyaPradesh
talkabouttheplanneddevelopmentofthe
or due to impoverishment entailing huge Patalgarh is predominantly a tribal
economy. While people are starving and
amountofloanburdenleadingtosuicides. villageofSheopurdistrict.InFebruary,2005
hunger stalks though-out the country,
Rajasthan twelvechildrenfromthisvillagedieddue
especially, in rural India, the mainstream
Death due to starvation is a regular to post-measles complications
political parties and their sycophants are
featureintheSahariyatribalbeltofBaran compoundedbymalnutrition.Thoughthe
busy painting a rosy picture of future
district of Rajasthan. A team led by the Chief Medical and Health Officer of the
prosperity. Alarge number of people are
senior advisor to the Supreme Court district could not arrive at a clear
beingdeniedtherighttofoodwhichisnot
Commissioner in the Right to food case, conclusion, other doctors studying the
onlyabasichumanrightbutalsoabasic
reported that as many as 25 persons had death did not hesitate to state that is was
human need. Even then, these barefaced
died due to starvation in this tribal belt. malnutrition,whichledtomeasles,evenin
mainstream politicians do not hesitate to
Theteamvisitedthedistrictduringthelast thosechildrenwhohavebeenvaccinated
projectthesuccessoftheIndiandemocratic
weekofSeptember,2004.Thestudyofthe against the disease.
system! The fact is that this is a system
teamrevealedthedeplorableconditionof TheRighttoFoodCampaignMadhya
which ensures the right of the exploiting
thetribalpeople.Accordingtotheirfinding PradeshSupportGrouppublishedareport
classes (both indigenous and foreign) to
a large amount of population is suffering titled(cid:147)ChildreninDanger(cid:150)Malnutrition
usurp the fruits of toiling masses and
fromchronicmalnutritionandhunger.The DisasterinMadhyaPradesh(cid:148).Itstatesthat
destroy their livelihood. Since the last
nutritionintakeissopoorthat100percent 50percentchildreninthestatehavebeen
decade people have been facing more
girls are gradually proceeding towards sufferingfrommalnutritionandtherehave
intensified exploitation due to
death.Thisteamvisitedfivevillagesofthis been deaths due to malnutrition in
implementationoftheneweconomicpolicy.
district and had to report of starvation Ganjbasodadistrict.Thereportpresentsa
Despite the promise of the UPAGovt. to
deathsfromeveryvillage. gruesomepictureofChronichungerwhich
givea(cid:145)humanface(cid:146)toneweconomicpolicy
They have neither agri-land nor have pervades districts like Sidhi, Sheopur,
people are starving, suffering from
enough employment opportunities to Badwani and Khandwa. The State
malnutrition and gradually heading
maintaintheirlivelihood.Beforecomingto Commissioner, Women and Child also
towardsdeath.Thepromisehasturnedinto
powertheBJPcreatedahueandcryonthe admitted that the problem had become a
acrueljoke!
starvationdeathissueofthisdistrict.Now serious one. According to the Regional
Theadministrationofallgovernments
itistheCongressandotherparliamentary Medical Research Institute of Tribals in
(cid:150)beitaCongress,BJP,SP,BSPor(cid:145)Left(cid:146)
partiesthatraisetheissuetodiscreditthe Jabalpur,93percentoftribalchildrenare
front(cid:150)doneveracknowledgeastarvation
BJPGovt.Amid this nasty parliamentary victimsofseveremalnourishmentand15
death.Whenevertheissueofdeathdueto
politicstheplightofthesetribalpeopleis percentofthemarealmostonthevergeof
hungerandstarvationisplacedbeforethem
becomingmoreandmoredeplorable. death.
theyfollowtheBritishLegacy,alegacyto
The plight of tribal people is no less Despite this devastating condition of
provethatthedeathiscausedduetosome
despicable in Udaipur and Dugnarpur thepeoplenopositivestephasbeentaken
sort of illness. It is of course a fact that
districts.AsurveyconductedbytheNew fordevelopmentoftheeconomytoprovide
manydeathsarereportedunderdysentery,
Delhi based Centre for Environment and betterlivelihood.Landsremainbarrenfor
diarrhea, and enteric group of fever(cid:146).
FoodSecurityhasrevealedthatintheabove want of water. There are no irrigation
Starvation also results in such diseases.
mentioneddistrictsatleast48personsdied facilities. Acute joblessness continues to
Prof.AmartyaSenexplains,intheBengal
ofhungeranddiseasebetweenmidJulyto exist.Theironlymeansoflivelihoodisto
famine,itwascommontodieofstarvation
midSeptemberofthisyear(2005).Ateam collectforestproduce.Thattoolastsonly
through diarrhea as well as dysentery,
led by the State Advisor to the four months in the summer. In such a
partlyasaresultofeatinguneatableobjects
CommissionersappointedbytheSupreme wretched condition they have to live on
(PovertyandFamines).Moreover,poverty
Courtintherighttofoodmatterhavealso seeds of a wild grass called sama which
and starvation cause malnutrition,
confirmedthefact.Ithasalsobeenstated look like very fine rice but have little
undernourishment and as a consequence,
inthesurveyreportthathungerandfood nutritivequality.Thisveryconditionleads
suchpeoplebecomemorevulnerabletoso
insecurity are rampant in these areas. tomalnutritionandhunger.
manydiseases.Thuswhilestarvationisthe
During2004about99percentofthetribal AndhraPradesh
underlyingcauseofdeath,theimmediate
familieshadtosufferfromhungerandfood Every where in the country people of
one is, in general, due to infection as a
insecurity. It has further been stated that tribalcommunitiesarebeingdeprivedand
consequenceofloweredimmunity.
PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006 7
exploited causing poverty and hunger every3months.Theyarebeingfleecedby small and middle farmers constitute the
haunts them. They suffer from the money lenders in case of default and largest group. Farmers(cid:146) indebtedness has
malnourishmentandbecomevulnerableto forced by the moneylenders either to sell become a common phenomenon. The
disease that even leads to death. Andhra their produce at a price lower than the amountofloanrangedfromRs.10,000/-to
PradeshStateisnoexception. marketrate,ortosignacontractforbonded Rs.3,00,000/-.
ItisreportedthatintheIntegratedTribal labourforayear. Amidthisgruesomecondition,govts.
Development Agency areas of AstudybytheTribalCulturalResearch ontheonehandcontinuetobefoolfarmers
Visakhapatnamdistrictonanaverage312 and Training Institute revealed that the withoneafteranotherpromisesandonthe
tribalpeopledieeverymonth.(Frontline, averageincomeperyearofatribalfamily other provide more and more scope to
September 9, 2005). This is nothing wasRs.4,327.Outofthismeagerincome, indigenousandforeignexploitersfortheir
uncommoninthelifeofthesetribalpeople theyspent20percentofthatonhealthcare. recklessplunder.Farmersdonotfindany
whoinhabitthehillsaroundArakuValley. Moreover, they have to pay back loan- way out. They toil hard to somehow
Theinfantmortalityrateisabout165per money along-with interest! How do they maintaintheirfamilies.Butthattooisnot
1000whileatthestatelevelitis95per1000. maintaintheirfamilies? possibleforthem.Tofreethemselvesfrom
Andunder-fivemortalityisashighas50 Moneylenders enjoy democracy to huge amounts of loan burden they kill
percent(approx.)whilethepercentageof charge exorbitant rates of interest and themselves,thiskillingspreecontinues!
the children suffering from anemia and exploittheminvariousways.Tradershave This heart-rending plight of farmers
under-weight is 80 and 55 respectively. thedemocracytodupethem.Contractors, prevailsthroughoutruralIndia.Despitethis
Thesearetheclearexpressionoftheextent MNCsandlandownershavethedemocratic terrible condition of the rural people and
ofunder-nutritionandhunger. righttoloottheforestproduce,rendering devastationofagrarianeconomy,thegovt.
Most of the tribal people collect or devastation to their livelihood. But these continuestoprojectthegrowthrateofthe
cultivate firewood, jackfruit, mangoes, tribal people are being deprived even of economy. This growth impoverishes the
honey, tamarind like forest produce and theirrighttofood,theverybasicneedofa toilingmasses,destroyingtheirlivelihood
thesearetheirmainsourcesofincome.But humanbeing! andhelpexploitersamasswealth.
they are cheated by the traders and SuicideisnoAnswer Therestivepeoplearenowairingtheir
contractorsinvariousways,andearnavery Everincreasinginputpriceswithouta voice against this injustice. They are
meageramountwhichisevenfarshortof correspondingincreaseinoutput priceof protesting against this inhuman
theirminimumrequirements.Someofthe agri-productshaverenderedfarmingnon- exploitationthatrobsthemoftheirfruitsof
tribalfamilieswhocollectleavesformaking viableandalosssustainingprofession.The hardtoil.Theyaregraduallybreakingtheir
plates can earn only Rs. 350 to 450 per agricultural community has become a silence and becoming more and more
month. happy-hunting ground of rapacious violent,particularlyintheruralIndia.This
This meager income causes severe moneylenders. Farmers have to pay isnowverymuchconspicuousthroughout
povertyandtheyhavetotakeloansfrom minimum5%interestpermonthfortheir the country. These people need a firm
moneylendersatarateof5percentormore loan.Aconsiderablesectionoffarmershave leadership to expose the hollowness of
than that, per month. It is further to pledge even their crop to the mainstream politics and lead them to
compoundedbythesamepercentageonce moneylenders.Among the borrowers the resolvetheirproblems.
(cid:110)(cid:32)(cid:110)
Continuedfrompage9 Fifth,howeverstronglyNicholasBurn Aswecansee,themainreasonbehind
Imperialists and their Indian mightdenyUSclaimtomakeIndiaitspart- USA(cid:146)s eagerness to build up a (cid:147)strategic
Collaborators? Their targets are the nerforthecontainmentofChina,thecon- partnership(cid:148)withtheIndianrulingclasses
MaoistsofIndiaandNepalandnationali- tradictionbetweentheUSAandchina,like istomaintainitsglobaldominanceandthe
tiesofthenorth-eastwhohadbeencarry- thatbetweenUSAandJapanorUSAand imperialistsystemwhichisbesetwithdeep
ingonheroicstruggledespiteheavyodds Russiaisareality.Indiahasparticipatedin socio-economic-politicalcrisisathomeand
for national self-determination. The US joint military exercises of different types growingpopularresistanceagainstitspoli-
statehasputCPIMaoistonitslistof(cid:145)ter- withUSA,Russia,ChinaandFrance.Israel ciesandcontrolabroad.TheIndianruling
rorist(cid:146) organization and supplying neces-
isanotherallyofIndiainthissector.The classesaspiretobecomejuniorpartnersof
sary materials, training and guidance to
goaloftheUSAistobringIndiawithinits the US to fulfill their wild expansionist
suppressMaoistrevolutionarymovement.
fold Side by side both Russia and China dreamsinthispartoftheworld.However,
Kalaikunda is a strategic place from the
areapprehensiveofUSdominanceinworld historyhasprovedtimeandagainthatitis
militarypointofview.Itiswithinstriking
affairs and have recently conducted joint not the oppressors and their stooges, but
distanceofNepal,Bihar,Jharkhand,Orissa
and other areas. As the revolutionary militaryexercises.Chinaaftertherestora- the people and people alone who are the
movementgainsmomentuminWestBen- tionofcapitalisminthepost-Maoerahas motive forces of history. The revolution-
gal and other neighbouring areas, crucial graduallybeenemergingasapowerfulcapi- arymassesofIndiawillsurelygiveafitting
military battles are likely to be fought in talistcountryatleastinpartsofAsiaand rebufftothewildambitionsoftheUSand
West Medinipur where Kalaikunda is socontainmentofChinacanalsobecome Indianrulingclassesinthedaystocome.
located. anAmericanPriorityinfuture. (cid:110)(cid:32)(cid:110)
8 PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006
Bush’s Proposed visit To India.’ A Comment
Cherag
lenges(cid:148),(cid:147)globalclimaticchange(cid:148),(cid:147)prolif- imperialismwasthemainbeneficiaryofthis
In the month of October last year, erationofchemical,biologicalandnuclear policy.Indiaalsoseekstocarryonherlong
NicholasBurn,theundersecretaryofstate weapons(cid:148), (cid:147)terrorist groups(cid:148), (cid:147)interna- cherished expansionist designs under the
forforeignaffairsandemissaryofUSpresi- tionalcrimeandtraffickinginwomenand umbrellaofUSpowerandassistance.Sec-
dent,GeorgeBush,wasonatwodayvisit children(cid:148). As they cannot do all these ondIndiaisalsothebuyerofUSmilitary
totieIndiancapital.Hewasentrustedby things on their own, they need (cid:147)strategic technology and weapon of various types
Washingtontomakethegroundworkfor partners(cid:148)likeIndia.Thecountrywhichis such as light weapons, long-range weap-
Bush(cid:146)sproposedvisittoIndiainFebruary thelargestmanufacturerofchemical,bio- ons. fighter aircrafts etc, which drain out
2006.TheHindustanTimes(25-10-2005) logicalandnuclearweapons,admonishes thousands of crores of rupees over the
carriedaninterviewwithBush(cid:146)semissary, other countries for not destroying those years.Indiahadthusbeenutilizedasavast
whichsoundsveryinteresting.Wewould weapons.Thecountrywhichislargelyre- marketforUSweapons.
try to analyze Burn(cid:146)s statement though sponsibleforglobalwarmingandrefused Third,thisisaccompaniedwithIndo-
brief,tounderstandwhy(cid:145)Indiaispriority tosigntheKyotoProtocol,seekstocom- USjointmilitaryexercisesinMizoramand
forPresidentBush(cid:146). batglobalclimaticchange.Thestatewhich other places with the ostensible purpose
In reply to the question why The US directed its Central Intelligence Agency of combating insurgency. As reported in
talksaboutmakingIndiaamajorpowerin (CIA)tostagemilitarycoupsinothercoun- thepress,between7and19November,the
the2lstcentury,Burnssaysthatduringthe tiestotoppleestablishedgovernmentsand Kalaikunda air base in West Mednipore,
Coldwar,Indiawasanon-alignednation to assassinate heads of states, which at- WestBengal,theIndianandUSairforces
whileUSAwasanalignedone.However, tackedandhasbeenattackingothercoun- will take part in joint training exercise,
aftertheendoftheColdWartheyareina trieswithitsmilitarymight,whichcommits namedExerciseCopeIndia05.Suchjoint
new phase of the (cid:147)globalized world(cid:148) (cid:150) unheard-of-barbarity against peoples of operations with the USAF had been held
(cid:147)whereourinterestsareconverging(cid:148).The otherlands,tramplingunderfoottheirsov- inAlaskaandGwaliorin2004.Asreported,
realityisthattheIndianrulingclassesand ereignty and does irreparable damage to Kalaikundaistobeutilizedasapermanent
their political representatives had always ecologyandmankind,nowtalksaboutthe siteforsuchjointexercisesinfuture.De-
been on good terms with US imperialists needtofightinternationalcrime.Thestate fence Spokesperson wing commander R.
eversincethedaysofPrimeMinisterNehru. which itself is a terrorist state and which K. Das said that the USAF would send a
ChesterBowles,twiceUSambassadorto bolsterssuchstateselsewheresuchasIs- squadronof16to18F-16s,supposedtobe
India and an intimate friend of Nehru, rael,nowtalksaboutfightingterrorism.In oneoftheworld(cid:146)smostadvancedfighter
played a leading role in cementing such his list of priorities, there is no place for jets.Althoughthejointexerciseswouldtake
relationships.USimperialistagenciessuch grindingpovertyandmiseryofthemasses placefromNovember7,theAmericanpi-
astheMNCs,WorldBank,IMFetc.were of the world, as if such problems do not lots totalling nearly 300 have come from
eagernotonlytoestablishtheirgripover existonthisearth. MisawaandKadenaairbasesinOkinawa
Indian agriculture (Community Develop- Burns states that USA needs (cid:147)strate- inJapantofamiliarizethemselveswiththe
mentProjectGreenRevolution)andindus- gicpartners(cid:148),i.e.,countrieslikeIndiawhich IAF(cid:146)sfrontlineaircraftssuchasJaguar,Bi-
try,butalsotomakeIndiabulwarkagainst (cid:147)hasthatglobalabilityandidenticalinter- son,MIG-27,MIG-29andSukhoi-30.The
therisingtideofCommunismandposea ests(cid:148),whatisUSA(cid:146)sglobalstrategy?Sim- USAF would bring along AWACS (Air-
threattoMao(cid:146)sChina.Infact,Nehruwas plystated,itistobringtherestoftheworld borne Warning and Control System) and
projectedbythemastherepresentativeof undertheirknees(cid:150)economically,politically, transportaircraft-C5.TheAWACS(cid:147)isfit-
(cid:145)Asiandemocracy(cid:146)againstMaoTse-tung. culturallyandmilitarily.First,theprevious tedwithlong-rangeradarcapableofaerial
Contrary to what Burns holds, India was Vajpayee led central government and the surveillanceasalsocommand,controland
never a non-aligned country, however presentManmohansingh-ledgovernment communicationsfunctionsathighaltitude.
loudlypeoplelikeNehruorIndiraGandhi accelerated the process of opening the The AWACS can simultaneously detect
pretendedtobeso.Infact,Indiawasaby- countrywideopentoforeigninvestorsby andtrackair,seaandgroundtargets(cid:148),Das
alignedcounty,eithertiltingtowardsUSA privatizingPSUs,liftingallstate-imposed said(HindustanTimes,02-11-2005).Inthe
or towards the Soviet Union but without restrictionsoneaftertheotherandallow- 120 countries where the US imperialists
getting rid of none. The interests of the ingForeignimperialistagenciesentryinto havesetupmilitarybases,theystartedwith
two countries are (cid:147)converging(cid:148) because mostofthesectorsoftheIndianeconomy suchjointairoperations.Needlesstosay,
thereisonlyonesuper-powerintheworld (cid:150)aprocessthatstartedwithmuchfanfare such operations would inevitably lead to
afterthedismembermentoftheUSSRand duringthel980s.Thispolicyof(cid:145)liberaliza- thesettingupofthefirstofficialUSbase
therestorationofcapitalisminChina.Itisa tion(cid:146) was an essential component of the most probably in Kalaikunda. The pro-
worldwhereUSimperialismappearstobe termsofcontractunderwhichimperialist posed Indo-US nuclear deal is part and
atigerandIndiagleefullyhitchesherwag- agencies provide India with loans, (cid:145)aid(cid:146), parcelofthis(cid:145)strategicpartnership(cid:146).
onstothatAmericanstar. technology and what not (cid:150) terms always Fourth,whoarethemaintargetsofUS
According to Burns the greatest chal- kept hidden from public knowledge. US
Continuedonpage8
lengesofthefutureare(cid:147)transnationalchal-
PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006 9
Sitaram Yechuri Tries To Deceive
(cid:151)Samya factionsfoughtamongthemselvesnotover furtherfromthetruth.Overthelastthree
anyideologicalissue,butoverthequestion decades, sharp debates had taken place
SitaramYechuri,theCPMleader,has
ofwhichfactionwouldbeincontrolofthe among academicians as also among
recentlywrittenanarticlecaptioned(cid:147)Wrong
party secretariat. Promod Dasgupta was political activists over this question. The
shadeofred(cid:148)intheHindustanTimesdt.19-
willingtohaveDangeasthechairmanon factisthattheIndianbigbourgeoisiehad
11-05. The main aim of this article is to
conditionthatNamboodiripadwouldbethe pileduphugefortunesbyexportingopium
tarnish the heroic struggles of the Indian
generalsecretaryoftheparty.Thisproposal andrawcottontoChinaasintermediaries
Maoists.Toputitbriefly,itisadistortion
wasrejectedbyRajeswarRaoandthusthe of the British. The Currimbhoys, Petits,
ofhistory,adistortionofMarxism-Leninism
meetingendedinafiasco((cid:145)Reportonunity Wadias, Tatas, Readymoneys, Birlas and
and is based on falsehood. Like Anil
talks(cid:146),ResolutionoftheTenaliConvention manyotherswereintimatelytiedtoBritish
Biswas, the CPM WB state committee
oftheCommunistPartyofIndia,n.d.,pp.29- interests.
secretary, Yechuri also tried to equate
35)So,contrarytowhatYechuristates,the It was the profits earned from opium
(cid:145)Maoism(cid:146)with (cid:145)Anarchism(cid:146). Yechuri has
CPM was formed not (cid:145)after a prolonged andrawcottonandfromcontractswiththe
raised a number of questions which (cid:151)
ideological debate(cid:146), but over the issue of commissariatoftheBritisharmywhenit
though somewhat hackneyed (cid:151)deserve
the control over the organization. It was attackedIranin1857andEthiopiain1868
someresponse.Infact,itisalong-standing
nothingbuta(cid:145)give-and-take(cid:146)relationship, that gave Tata the much-needed capital.
practiceofrevisionistsliketheCPMtomake
thoughthistimeitdidnotpayoff. During the First World War, TISCO
deliberatedistortionsoffactsofhistoryto
In the Seventh Congress of the party supplied steel rails and grenade shells to
hoodwink the people and hide their anti-
held in 1964, the CPM leadership British troops so that they could win the
peopleface.
incorporated the call for carrying out the war.
Tobeginwith,Yechuriwritesthatthe
people(cid:146)s democratic revolution in their In1943,thefirstautomobileplantwas
CPMwasbornin1964(cid:147)afteraprolonged
programme. This PDR had nothing to do setupinIndiabytheNuffieldsoftheUK
ideological debate(cid:148). This is a travesty of
withanyrevolutionaryeffort.Apprehensive for Hindustan Motors(cid:151)a Birla company.
truth. The reality is just the opposite.
of the fact that such a call for revolution Overtheyears,theBirlashaveenteredinto
HarkishanSinghSurjeet,theCPMleader,
might send a wrong signal to the ruling numerous collaboration agreements with
while referring to the Resolution of the
classes and might invite their wrath, the differenttransnationalsformanufacturing
TenaliConvention,statedthaton11April
partysentitsgeneralsecretarySundaraiyya cars, light commercial vehicles etc.
1964, 32 members walked out of the
tothethencentralhomeminister,Guljarilal Eventodayaftermorethanhalfacentury,
National Committee meeting of the
Nanda. Sundaraiyya assured the home forre-designingoldmodelsofcarsorfitting
undivided CPI and issued a statement. In
minister that he should not be misled by newenginestothemorforintroducingnew
that statement, they referred to the
thisprogrammeofrevolution,andthatthe models, HM abjectly depends on various
(cid:145)opportunist policy(cid:146) of Dange and his
tacticsofthepartyistoestablishpeople(cid:146)s transnationals. The Birlas, Tatas,
associatestoformaunitedfrontwiththe
democracy and socialist transformation Hirachands(PAL),Mahindras,ShriRamsas
Congress, creation of sub-groups within
through (cid:145)peaceful means(cid:146).Another CPM wellasIndia(cid:146)s public sector have tied up
the party and the attempt to hush up
leader, Basavapuniaha, in a letter to withthedifferentautomobilegiantsofthe
Dange(cid:146)slettersentfromjailtotheBritish
G.L.Nanda,reiteratedthesameviewstating world(cid:151)GeneralMotors,FordandChrysler
rulersthatwastantamounttohissurrender
that their opinion on the issue of the oftheUSA,DaimlerBenzofGermany,Fiat
totheforeignrulers1.However,Surjeetalso
transition to socialism through (cid:145)peaceful of Italy, Suzuki of Japan, Daewoo of
made it clear that if the party leadership
means(cid:146) was no different from S.Korea, Peugeot of France and so on.
shiftedfromtheirstandonorganizational
Dange(cid:146)s.(Reply to Nanda, People(cid:146)s DCM-Daewoohadbeenpermittedbythe
matters,theywerereadytoworkwiththe
Democracy,06-02-1966).Itclearlyshows GovernmentofIndiatoimport20,000cars
Dange group. In order to keep the unity
thatliketheDange-ledCPI,theCPMalso inCKDconditionforassemblingthemin
between the two rival factions within the
was Khruschevite. The reality is that, India, worth Rs.350 crore.(Business
CPIintact,boththefactionsmeton4July
neitherinthepastdidtheCPMleadership Standard,15JUly1995).
1964 in Delhi. The leading group was
have, nor at present do they have any Even after the Indian big capitalists
represented by Rajeswar Rao,
hesitation to hoodwink and misguide the turned to the domestic market in a major
Dr.Gangadhar Adhikari and Bhupesh
people.Inthenameofmakingrevolution wayafter1914,theydidnotsevertheirties
Gupta, while the other group was
through(cid:145)peacefulmeans(cid:146),theyinfactseek withforeigncapital.Infact,theydepended
represented by Jyoti Basu, Promod
toforestallrevolutionandhelpperpetuate onimperialism(cid:151)bothBritishandUS(cid:151)for
Dasgupta and Harkishen Singh Surjit.
thisman-eatingsystem. capitalequipment,technology,spareparts,
What is pertinent is that no ideological
Secondly,Yechuri finds is difficult to market, expertise, selection of sites for
discussiontookplaceatthemeeting,except
accept the characterization of the Indian factories and building plans and finance.
a reference to Dange(cid:146)s statement on the
big bourgeoisie by the CPI(M-L) as ThepoliticalgoalofG.D.Birlawas,ashe
Kashmirissue(cid:151)thedetailsofwhicharenot
(cid:147)comprador(cid:148)andtendstoholdthatitwas wrotetoJ.M.Keynes,theBritisheconomist
mentioned. The organizational issue was
(cid:147)national(cid:148) in character. Nothing can be on28May,1932,wastoget(cid:147)adecentplace
themainboneofcontention.Thetworival
10 PEOPLE’SMARCH,February2006