AS already wrote earlier, NFTE has given strike notice for participating in the one day strike on 15th December 2011. JAC has approached FNTO also to participate in the strike. We hope that FNTO will take a favourable decision.
In the meanwhile as decided by JAC, I have already met some members of Parliament and also trade union leaders seeking support for the strike. Within the last few days, I have met Comrades A.K.Padmanabhan, President and Tapan Sen, General secretary of CITU. Com.Basudev Acharya, M.P. and CPI(M) leader in Parliament has assured that he will raise in the Parliament in this session. I met Dr. Sajeeva Reddy, M.P. and President INTUC who also gave support. Within the next feww days more M.P.s and TUs will be contacted.
Prepare fully for the strike.

After many years, again I got a chance to visit Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. Yesterday, 22nd November, along with 37 comrades who have come from Calicut (Kerala) to participate in the 25th November Parliament March against PFRDA Bill, I went to Agra by starting at early morning. There was heavy fog due to which there was some in delay in reaching Agra.
Before that we visited Sikandra, where Mogul Emperor Akbar built his own tomb and is laid to rest. It was constructed in the 1600s (1602-1605).His two daughters are also buried there. With its grand gate, the magnificent tomb and the garden around is about 123 acres. What is the difficulty for the king to select the best hundreds of acres for his burial. Akbar’s tomb is said to be one of the inspiration to construct Taj almost in the same model.
We next visited the Agra Fort, which was the headquarters of the Moghul Dynasty from Emperors Akbar to Aurangazeb, 4 generations till the capital was shifted to Delhi. It is a mighty fortified fort and includes the residences of Emperor, family, ministers and the army etc. The lavish way in which the Moghul kings lived can be understood when going through the fort.
Lastly we visited the ‘most beautiful poem in marble’,Taj Mahal. It is the eternal memento of love Shajahan created for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. It took about 20,000 workers to build the same by 22 years. We took about 1-2 hours to see the Taj and enjoy its beauty. We could visit only the duplicate coffin of the Emperor and his wife since people are not allowed to visit the real coffin which is in the underground room. I had visited it when I came earlier. All comrades who visited it for the first time were enthralled though they had seen the photos earlier.
The security, whether in Agra Fort or Taj has become stricter and many places where we could visit earlier could not be reached now. And the number of visitors are at least ten times more. On earlier visits I could walk through leisurely and see all the places, but now, everywhere there are queues and it takes a lot of time to move and see. Population has increased and the urge for our and travel has also increased.
Everybody is happy and enjoy seeing Taj, but how many people think about the efforts and work put in the construction of this great monument. Thousands of skilled and expert workers have put in their labour. The Marbles and Red Stones were brought from far away. How difficult it might have been for the workers to bring it. Probably it was sheer exploitation of the workers, slaves and the poor people. But there is not much difference now also. The worker is always exploited by the powers be at that time.
Again we had to face the heavy fog when we returned. Anyway it a pleasure to visit the Taj once again.

It was 47 years back on 24th November 1954 that the united organisation of National Federation of Posts and Telegraphs Employees (NFPTE) was born. All the existing unions/association in the Posts and Telegraphs including Union of P&T Workers (UPTW) merged for bringing the new organisation. It was as per an agreement with the Government that this unification was brought. The then Communications Minster, Shri Jagjivan Ram, took a pivotal role in this realignment scheme.
NFPTE was one of the foremost union not only in Central Services, but in the entire government employees for having taken a correct trade union line, thus building a mighty union. Under the able leadership of Comrade Bhupendra Nath Ghosh (B.N.Ghosh), the first Secretary General, NFPTE became the leadeing light of government employees.
NFPTE was bifurcated in to NFPE and NFTE after the Department of Posts & Telegraphs was divided in to Department of Posts and Department of Telecommunications, in 1985.
The leadership of NFTE took revisionist line and was defeated in 1991 at Bhopal All India Conference of E.III Union to the progressive leadership headed by Comrades Moni Bose and V.A.N.Namboodiri.
When BSNL was formed, BSNL Employees Union was formed by the progressive leadeship and J.N.Mishra became the President and V.A.N.Namboodiri the General Secretary. BSNLEU fought many struggles and ensured two very good wage revisions and Promotion Policy for the non-executives. The government’s proposal for disinvestment and VRS were defeated till now.
In the four consecutive membership verifications, BSNLEU became first and is the recognised and representative union in BSNL.
BSNLEU will make all efforts to advance the interests of the workers and also will be part of the mainstream of the workers.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning commission is a tough man. He always try to be stubborn and strongly pleads for what he says. See for example, he stood by the Rs.26 / Rs.32 as the above poverty line point, though the entire country ridiculed it and even one person sent Rs.32 to Prime minister and Montek to show how they live on Rs.32.
But now the great economist could not continue with his position on inflation. He was always stating that within a few months the prices will be normal. But there is a limit to how long period the same statement can be made. Now he has stated that the continuing inflation has hurt the credibility of the government. Certainly the credibility of the government is in question. But why the great Montek could not relise it earlier. Of course better late than never.
Mr Montek, What are you going to do to stop inflation? What are you going improve the credibility of the Government?

As agreed upon with the JAC, NFTE has issued notice for strike on 15 December along with its allies. It is a good news! The strike will get further strength by this decision of the NFTE.
I hope that the Central Working Committee of the FNTO on 1st December 2011 will also take a favourable decision to partiipate in the strike. This is very much eesential to make the strike a big success and complete.

The fog had its days, yesterday and today. Flights were delayed and cancelled. Trains were delayed for hours. There were many road accidents in Delhi due to low visibility. In some places you could not see even 50 metres ahead. It was all hazy and the whitish fog.
I had my own personal experience today. Many Comrades from Kerala were coming to attend the 25th November Parliament March in Delhi. Some were coming by Kerala Express and some by the Mangla Express. Mangala was to reach Nizamuddin at 1310 hours and Kerala Express by 13.18 hours. Since I got the information that the trains were half an hour late, I reached there only after 1330. But the delay increased after every half an hour and the trains reached only after 1700 hours. Almost 04 hours late. Almost all the trains were very late. A large number of people were in the platform either waiting for a train to arrive or to depart.
The railway officials told the villian is the fog due to which there was low visibility and the trains can only move very slowly.
Lunch was arranged for the comrades at Delhi. They could take their lunch(?) only after 1800 reaching the hotel and washing up.
The fog is a real villain, spoilsport!

Though the Parliament March against PFRDA Bill is on 25th November, BSNL-DOT pensioners have started reaching Delhi to participate in the same. About 40 comrades from Calicut alone have reached Delhi today. More comrades are expected by tomorrow and next day. Comrades Ananta Bhattacharjee, President and K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary of All India BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA) are also participating in the March. Jayaraj has already reached Delhi.
The decision of the cabinet even not to accept the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on FDI cap, assured return etc. have further infuriated the workers. They understand that the government is determined to use the pensioners deposits for the benefit of the market.This is unacceptable to the workers and pensioners.
That is why a large number of pensioners are coming to participating in the march. My Hearty welcome to all of them.

The CBI has now filed case against former DOT Secretary Shyamal Ghosh and former DDG J.R.Gupta for having given favours to the private companies by granting additional spectrum during the time of Communications Minister Promod Mahajan causing a loss of about Rs. 500 crores. Since former Minister Promod Mahajan has died he is not cahrged.
It seems that almost all the Communication Ministers after the introduction of the neo-liberal policy in the 1990s have patronised the private companies and granted favours while the BSNL and MTNL were discriminated.

The PTI report published in today’s newspapers states that the house where Gandhiji stayed in Johannesburg (S.Africa) for years and organised struggles on behalf of Indians against the the British colonialists, is made in to a hotel/museum. It is reported that the house was purchased by French Travel company, Voyageurs du Monde, two years ago from the owners of the house.
I had visited the house some four years back, when I had gone to attend the Trade Union International Conference held at Johannesburg. It was a well maintained house with the articles and things used by Gandhiji. Many photoes and other memorials were there. There was a printing press nearby, where the pamphlets etc. were printed. It was in a calm atmosphere and place.
It is a memorial to the Father of Indian Nation during his period of struggles in South Africa. When the auction has taken place, Indian Government should have taken it. It was not a question of money, but a question of the honour of our nation and Mahatmaji. Why the Government of India allowed it to be taken by a hotel for commercial purposes? Even now, the Government can try to get it back and keep it as a memorial to one of the greatest person India ever had.
Once again, this news emphasise that the corporates and big business are the sections which control the world. In India itself, almost all the palaces of the old kings are converted in to hotels.’Money can purchase any thing’ has become the order of the day. But at least in the case of the Father of the Nation, his residence could have been made a memorial to him.

After the decision for one day strike on 15th December 2011 has taken by the JAC, as Convener I spoke both to the General Secretary / President of NFTE and FNTO and suggested for a common/united struggle with their participation in the strike. Com. Islam Ahmed, President, NFTE has agreed that the meeting of the BSNLWA on Saturday, 19th November 2011 will take a favourable decision. Com. K.Vallinayagam, Secretary General, FNTO replied that his CWC is meeting at Chennai on 1-2 December which will take suitable decision in the matter.
The situation is developing for a joint massive strike. I call upon all the executive and non-executive unions to join the struggle which is intended to protect the existing rights of the workers and to advance the cause of BSNL and MTNL, as also their workers.