Banaras Hindu University agitation – 3 Additional City Magistrates and two policemen removed

The strong agitation against the lathi charge on women students who protested against eve-teasing in the university campus has compelled the UP Government to act. As part of this 3 city magistrates and two policemen has been removed from their posts. The students associations are continuing agitation that the Vice-Chancellor who is the cause of the lathi charge should vacate. AIDWA has also raised the same demand.

Hypocrisy of Fight against Corruption

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The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Hypocrisy of Fight against Corruption

At the BJP’s National Executive, the Prime Minister thundered that “there would be no compromise or leniency on corruption”.

The CPI(M)’s position on fighting growing political corruption is well-known, both in its conduct and its concrete proposals to end this scourge.

The hypocrisy of the Prime Minister and the BJP government lies in the fact that while they are pursuing corruption cases against leaders of the opposition, this government in these three years has not even implemented the law enacted by the Parliament to establish the Lokpal.

There is no step being taken by this government to investigate scams like Vyapam; Srijan housing scam in Bihar; the Birla-Sahara diaries; the Panama papers; the Lalit Modi case; the mining scandal in Karnataka that led to the resignation of BJP Chief Minister in the state; land grab case by BJP leaders in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand; PDS scam in Chattisgarh; the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) scam etc. etc. The list of corruption scams in BJP ruled states goes on and on. Yet there is no investigation in any one of these.

Clearly, the Prime Minister’s exhortations are a cover to selectively choose cases against political opponents in the name of fighting corruption while protecting his own party and governments who are involved in allegations of huge corruption at high places.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that all such allegations must be subject to an impartial enquiry and action be taken against the guilty.

BJP continuing ‘Encounter Politics’ – Brinda Karat

 

In a hard hitting article in The Hindu today, Com.Brinda Karat, PBM of CPI(M), has exposed the strategy of the BJP and its encounter politics.

She writes “Anything and everything is legitimate (for the BJP) to grab power. It is a version of ‘Encounter Politics’ – what is being encountered is ethics, morality, principles, truth, honesty and even national interest.” How true! She was writing on the murder of Santanu Bhowmik, the young journalist and progressive writer of Tripura, who exposed the BJP, Sangh Parivar and the extremists, who are trying to divide the tribal and nor-tribal people in the state and was murdered two days back.

Govt. reconstitutes Economic Advisory Council

The deep decline of the economic situation in the country, especially after the demonetisation, GST  etc., has compelled the Modi Government to accept the grim situation. Now the government has reconstituted the Economic Advisory Council with NITI Ayog Member and economist Bibek Debroy as the Chairman.

It is not due to the lack of Commissions that the economy has gone down. It is the anti-worker and anti-people Capitalist Corporate Policy ( I would prefer to use this, instead of Neo-Liberal Policy) which the government is implementing that is causing the economic slow down. Until and unless it is changed, only the worst will come, constitution of new committee or reconstitution.

 

Festival season approaching – Where is the Bonus for BSNL employees?

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Bonus is the deferred wage. There was no Bonus for government employees till 1977. Sustained struggles were fought by the Railways and Central government employees for Bonus, including the historic Railway Strike of 1974. It was only after the Janata Government came in to power that Bonus was granted.

The government has announced Bonus for Railway, Postal and other central establishments for 2017, though it is below the demand of the employees. But BSNL employees, who were central government employees earlier, have not been granted the same so far, despite demand from the unions. The Festival season has started and the delay in announcing the same is unjustified.

We demand the BSNL management to announce the Bonus for employees at the earliest.

Stop Privatisation of Railways

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The Central government is moving to hand over some Railway lines and running of some trains to private players. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal stated that it will increase competition and improve customer satisfaction.

This move is dangerous and against the interest of the people. The British Government in India has taken over the Railways from East India Company and has been running it as a government department. It is the biggest organisation in the country covering the entire nation and serving crores of people every day. Railways have its weakness and inefficiency, which necessarily has to be attended to. The poor people use it for their travel at low cost. It connects the entire country, which is used for travel by people as also for transporting goods.

Already the government has started process of privatisation of Railway Station in the name of modernization, through  which the private companies will be able to monetise the land near stations for malls and business purposes and garner huge profits. Just like the private airports like Delhi, Mumbai etc. the cost for every thing inside the Stations will increase.

Any privatisation of Railways is going to increase the travel and transportation charges which will be beyond the ability of the ordinary people to bear. May be better conveniences will be arranged for those who can pay, but trains will be out of reach of the poor people. Prices of all commodities will increase because of the increase in transportation charges. Competition by private companies are sure to increase accidents and derangement as in the case of road traffic.  The move of privatisation of Railways is most dangerous and anti-national.

When the British Government privatised their Railways, the service became inefficient and costly resulting in agitation demanding take over by the government. If that is the state in a small country like England, what will be the situation in a large country like India?

Mighty strong protest actions are required against this anti-people move of the government.

U.P. again – This time it is lathi charge against Girl Students.

Lady students were lathi charged and manhandled by male police while they were protesting at the prestigious Benares Hindu University against  molestation of lady students. Varanasi (Benares) is the constituency from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected. Gorakhpur, from where hundreds of children died due to lack of Oxygen, is the constituency of Yogi Adityanath, who is the Chief  Minister of U.P.

Shame on the UP government!

Conference of Communist and Left Parties in South Asian Countries.

Mighty Demonstration in connection with the Communist Parties and Left Parties in South Asian Countries Conference at Kochi.

Let the Declaration in the Conference pave for a united voice against the US imperialist and the capitalist system.

The WFTU on the side of striking workers of France

21 Sep 2017EUROPE, FRANCE

The WFTU expresses its solidarity with the thousands of striking workers, who demonstrated throughout France against the ordinances of the government of capitalists. The WFTU salutes all its affiliates and friends in France who are fighting hard to strengthen workers’ struggles. Venceremos!