26 Monday May 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
It is being reported that Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar will be the Communications Minister in the Modi Cabinet. He is expected to take oath today along with the Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers.
Welcome and Congratulations to the new Communications Minister!
23 Friday May 2014
Posted in General, Uncategorized
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It is reported from London today that a ring of Tipu Sultan with an inscription ‘Ram’ has been auctioned for Rs. 1.42 crore. The name of the person who bid for the ring is unknown. The bid amount was ten times more than the auction amount. The inscription ‘Ram’ is written in Devanagari.
The ring was in the finger of Tipu Sultan when he was killed in the fight at srirangapatnam with the british in 1799. It was taken from his finger by Arthur Wellesley, the Commander of the British Regiment. Later it was in the custody of the his nephew Fitzroy Somerset and then his inheritors. It is now bid for Rs. 1.42 crores.
It is well known that innumerable treasures like this have been looted by the British army, officers and even British civilians from India. They captured many kingdoms and treasures were taken to Britain. In the museums in Britain, one can see thousands of such articles and valuables looted by the British. Much more will be in the residences of lords and noblemen who looted them from India.
The rulers of independent India should have demanded return of these valuable and article of historical importance. But they did nothing of that sort. Now that a new government is going to be formed, it is their responsibility to get all these back to its original country. Will they do it?
20 Tuesday May 2014
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Reports have been received from WFTU about the shocking incident in which more than 300 miners have been killed in a mine accident.The accident has happened due non-taking of precautionary-cautionary measures.Instead of trying to help the workers and their families, the government of Turkey is keeping mum. The WFTU General Secretary Com. Mavrikose and a team of leaders have reached Turkey and are taking necessary action on behalf of the workers.
The BSNL workers and pensioners express their shock in this tragedy and the inhuman attitude of the Turkey Authorities. We also express solidarity and support to the workers of turkey.
The report received from WFTU is given below:
“From today, Friday the 16th of May 2014, a high-level delegation arrived to Istanbul, Turkey to stand on the side of the Turkish working class in these moments of great tragedy caused by the employers’ and the government’s crime at the Soma Coal Mine.
The delegation headed by the WFTU General Secretary, George Mavrikos accompanied by the WFTU Deputy General Secretary, Valentin Pacho and Toum Ferhat, Unionist and Interpreter met with the leadership of DISK headed by its General Secretary Arzu Çerkezoğlu and expressed the condolences on behalf of the 90 million members of the WFTU to the Turkish working class and the solidarity in their struggle.
“The WFTU mission which brings us here together with our Turkish brothers in a tragic moment is a moral and active form of solidarity to the working class of Turkey, to the trade union movement in their struggle against the private-ownership of the mines, for the satisfaction of their demands in safety measures in all workplaces” George Mavrikos stated in front of numerous journalists at the Press Conference held at the DISK Headoffices and added: “We, the trade unions, will not stop in the bargaining for better wages, we will do anything in our power to protect the safety of our members and to struggle for their livelihood”.
The WFTU delegation will remain in Istanbul and continue its meetings with trade union Organizations and acts of solidarity.
***
The Turkish media broadcast the WFTU Solidarity Mission
“During my 10 years of duty, having visited more than 70 countries and heard reports for numerous labour tragedies, I have never heard a Prime Minister say that the workers fate was to die. The Soma Coal explosion was no fate, it was a crime!” is they main quote of General Secretary’s input at the Press Conference held at the DISK Headoffices on the morning of May 16th, 2014 broadcasted widely by the Turkish media. The WFTU General Secretary was referring to the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan’s vitriolic statement that death is part of the miners work.
Hurriyet under the title: “Soma was not God’s destiny, but a murder” focuses on the WFTU’s critisism towards the Government of Turkey and the employers.
Sondakika focuses on the impact this tragedy had to the international working class, since as Mavrikos noted “Soma workers are in the heart and the minds of the workers worldwide”.
“Soma is a crime of capitalism, based on its lust for profit” is Evrensel‘s title of the article covering the WFTU Solidarity Mission.
HaberYurdum quotes DISK’s General Secretary’s input that “Turkey witnessed a privatization boom at the expense of the workers lives”. Haberler further included the latest information about the health status of the DISK President who was victim of the state violence against the demostrators at the previous day’s rallies.
Bugun goes with the title: “Prime Minister’s comment “this is their destiny” was never heard before”.
Memleket reports the action taken by DISK and other unions to organize strikes and work-stoppages to honour the victims and to demonstrate against privatization and lack of safety measures in the mines. It makes particular reference to the solidarity and the expression of condolenses being a priority to the purpose of the WFTU Mission to Turkey. “We, the class-oriented trade unions, will not stop in the bargaining for better wages, we will do anything in our power to protect the safety of our members and to struggle for their livelihood” is the quote from the General Secretary’s input”.
19 Monday May 2014
Posted in Obituary, Tributes, Uncategorized
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19th May is the death anniversary of two of the veteran leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) – Com. P.Sundarayya (1985) and Com. E.K.Nayanar (2004). Both were the Members of the Politbureau of CPI(M) till their death.
The CPI(M) observed the Birth Centenary of Com.P.Sundarayya, who was the General Secretary of CPI(M) since its inception in 1964. He was the leader of the Telangana struggle. He was one of the pioneers of the Communist movement in India. He was a Member of Parliament and showed how a communist has to work in the elected posts, like in Parliament.
Com.E.K.Nayanar was the Chief Minister of Kerala thrice and one of the most popular leaders, Kerala have ever seen. He had functioned as the Editor of ‘Deshabhimani’, the Party Paper in Kerala and was also the State Secretary of CPI(M). His humorous speeches and open-hearted friendship even to political rivals are well appreciated.
I had the opportunity to meet Com. Nayanar several times and bring many issues of the workers to his notice for settlement. He was always much helpful.
On the death anniversary of both these Communist leaders, I pay my respectful homage.
16 Friday May 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
CPI(M) Statement on Results of General Elections is given below:
Friday, May 16, 2014
The verdict of the people in the 16th Lok Sabha election has been clear and decisive. There has been an anti-Congress wave which has routed the Congress and the UPA. The BJP has gained from this anti-Congress wave resulting in a big victory for the BJP and the NDA. There was an unprecedented use of money power in these elections.
The results for the CPI(M) and the Left parties have been disappointing. The Left Democratic Front made gains in Kerala and the Left Front in Tripura won with increased margins. However, the widespread rigging, violence and intimidation targeting the Left Front in the elections in West Bengal has led to a distorted result which does not reflect the popular support for the CPI(M) and the Left Front. The Election Commission failed to intervene to rectify the situation from the third to the fifth round of polling in West Bengal.
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) greets the thousands of cadres and supporters of the CPI(M) and the Left Front in West Bengal who have worked courageously in the face of ceaseless attacks in these elections. The Party will identify the weaknesses and take steps to overcome them.
The people have voted against the policies of the Congress-led UPA government which resulted in price rise, agrarian distress and corruption. They voted for a change and for relief from the problems afflicting them. The CPI(M) will continue to work to defend the interests of the working people and to safeguard the secular democratic framework of the country.
16 Friday May 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
The BJP alone has won clear majority with 282 in the 2014 general elections.With its allies it has got 333. BJP need not have the support of any body else to rule the country.
2014 General Elections have seen the all time rout of the Congress. It has been decimated to the lowest minimum of 49 seats and with its allies NDA is at 63. The ruling party for 10 years, Congress has been humbled by the people. The unlimited corruption, crony capitalism and misgovernance of the UPA has been rejected by the people.
Left Parties also have suffered. Its seats have been reduced to 13, from the earlier 25. While it has improved its tally from 4 to 8 in Kerala and Tripura has retained its two with increased votes, it lost in W.Bengal. It is not surprising that Left lost in W.Bengal, where democracy is butchered and the Left is being attacked brutally by the Trinamool goondas with the support of the police. In many booths/constituencies, people in large numbers have not been allowed to vote.
The BSP in UP and DMK in T.Nadu have drawn flak without getting even a single seat. This is the case with Congress in many states also.
But despite huge victory all over India, BJP could not open account in Kerala.
The people have given the verdict. The parties which have lost have to introspect why they have lost. BJP,which has won and is going to rule the country also has to introspect and ensure that it does not go the same was of the Congress. The working class has to continue its eternal vigilance in the new situation.
15 Thursday May 2014
Posted in General, Uncategorized
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‘Antilia’, the 27 storey residence of Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai is the most expensive outrageous home in the world with a cost of more than thousands of crores of rupees. While crores of people in the country has not even a roof above them and sleep in the pavements and roads, one family stays in a super-palatial skyscraper with six floors for underground parking, three helicopter pads and hundreds of staff to run the house. This is atrocious, outrageous and intolerable.
This is all the result of the anti-people neo-liberal policy being pursued by both the NDA and UPA governments for more than last two decades. This filthy neo-liberalisation, which on the one side makes the rich the richer and the poor poorer should be defeated. The report in the Business Line is reproduced below:
NEW YORK, MAY 14:
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s skyscraper residence in Mumbai is the most expensive billionaire home in the world according to a Forbes list, which also includes Indian-origin steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal’s houses in London.
Ambani’s 27-storey, 400,000 sq ft skyscraper home ‘Antilia’, named after a mythical island in the Atlantic, tops the Forbes list of the most expensive homes in the world.
“The title of the most outrageously expensive property in the world still belongs to Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia in Mumbai,” Forbes said, adding that it is “far and away” the world’s most expensive home, with construction costs reported between $1-2 billion.
The house has six floors of underground parking, three helicopter pads, and allegedly requires a staff of 600 to keep it running.
To put Antilia’s scale and cost into perspective, Forbes compared it to ‘7 World Trade Centre’, a 52-storey tower that stands near Ground Zero in Manhattan, with 1.7 million sq ft of office space, and built at a cost of $2 billion. ( Courtesy: Business Line)
12 Monday May 2014
Posted in PSU, TU News, Uncategorized
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Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) is the major Public Sector Company in Kerala, which produces fertilisers and chemicals like ammonium. The FACT was started in 1943 by the Maharaja of Cochin, but later converted to PSU. This was giving sterling performance for many years. But due to the neo-liberal policies being implemented by the Central as well as the present UDF government in Kerala, the company is in loss and is in a critical situation.
A “Save FACT Action Committee” formed to rejuvenate the FACT, including all trade unions and political parties. The Committee has called for a Bandh today at Ernakulam and the same has been fully successful.
The Central and state Governments should immediately take necessary action to save the FACT and make it a profitable company as before.
09 Friday May 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
African National Congress (ANC) has won the elections to the President for the fifth consecutive time. Jacob Suma has been elected
for a second term with 62.5%. ANC under the leader ship of Nelson Mandela fought for freedom and Nelson Mandela was the first President. The South African Communist Party (SACP) is also part of the S.African Government.
02 Friday May 2014
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CITU has issued the following statement on the SBI- Reliance Agreement:
It is reported that the State Bank of India (SBI) has signed up Reliance Money Infrastructure (RMIL), an Anil Arnbani Group company, in a ‘business correspondent’ deal to source a range of banking services.The deal authorises RMIL to identify borrowers; collect, process, and submit loan applications; promote credit groups.take up post-sanction monitoring, follow-up, and recovery. As the service provider, RMIL will also collect small-value deposits; sell micro-insurance, mutual fund and pension products; and receive and deliver small-value remittances. According to the report the deal which was concluded on February 25 this year had been made effective with retrospective effect from October 5, 2013.
This is nothing but backdoor privatization of the basic segment of the banking operation in the leading Public Sector bank like SBI– the core area of lending, recovery and also a part of deposit collection work.
We fear that this strategy now started with SBI will make inroads in other nationalized banks.The outsourcing is being done to agencies controlled by the largest monopoly house which had been named by the CAG in a recent scam, having a clear conflict of interest striking at the root of the very purpose of bank nationalization. Moreover, the Reserve Bank of India has blacklisted many of the service providers engaged by AXIS BANK, HDFC BANK etc., in the recent past, mainly because these agencies breached the trust of the banks that have engaged them.
The amendment of banking regulations carried out in a UPA-NDA joint operation inside Parliament has allowed a big number of private banks to enter into the field. The present move of outsourcing core lending cum deposit related jobs in nationalized banks is complementary to the former and the project is one of privatization of the entire banking operation and economy. This will be disastrous to the national economy, which could survive the global financial crisis primarily due to the nationalized banks. This also exposes the real intent of the Congress and BJP policies in favor of corporate cliques, both domestic and foreign.
Centre of Indian Trade Unions opposes any move to privatise the Public Sector Banks in any form. This move must be resisted tooth and nail. The CITU extends full support and solidarity to the Bank Employees Federations in their struggle against this move. We call upon the people in general and working class in particular to oppose this atrocious move by the SBI.
