The Air India Pilots strike is entering the fourth day. Despite threat of dismissal from management and victimisation, more pilots have joined the strike.
Air India has lost its market share and become e loss-making. It is a well known fact that the consecutive ministers and the management have been steadily trying to weaken Air India, by favouring the private airlines. The workers got no wage revision now due to loss.
It is only after utilising all avenues for discussion that the pilots have gone on strike. The adamancy of the management and the Government that they will talk with the union only after the strike is withdrawn smacks of fascist tendencies. It is to be noted that despite the threat of dismissal and other punitive measures, the strike did not get weakened, but had strengthened only.
The management and Minister should meet the striking pilots, discuss and sort out the issues early so that the difficulty of the travellers can be reduced.

Usually thirty-six years is nothing in the history of a country having the thousands of years behind. But in the case of Viet Nam, which got liberated on 30th April 1975, the past 36 years have been a period of intense struggle against imperialism and for establishing a socialist state.
The struggle Vietnam people had to wage against the American imperialist forces, which trampled the country with all their nasty bombs and mighty military strength, was to say the least a historical struggle. The people of Vietnam and the communist guerillas fought inch by inch till the last. At last the mighty American forces had to retreat and go back home. But the sacrifices the Vietnam people had to make for their liberation were beyond imagination.
The growth and development after liberation of Vietnam was far beyond any body’s expectation. Under the leadership of the Communist Party and the revolutionary leader Ho-Chi-Min, the country had developed and is on the path to socialism.
India and Vietnam had always good relations. On this 36th anniversary of the Vietnam Liberation Day along with millions of people all over the world, I also saute the Vietnam people for their great stride forward despite all obstacles.
Red Salute to Vietnam Comrades on the 36th Anniversay of Liberation!

It was a big news on 18th December 1995 about dropping of weapon and ammunition in Purulia, W.Bengal from a plane. Some foreigners were caught, but they were allowed to escape. So many doubts and conspiracy theories were raised. But nothing was proved and the Government let it go like that. Now the bomb shell has exploded. The truth has come out from the horse’s mouth itself. Kim Dawy, the leader of the expedition has spoken. He has stated that the weapon was for the terrorists / Maoists to use against the Communist Government in W.Bengal as a prelude to imposing Presidential Rule. It is also stated that the central Government was fully aware of the operation and it had given all help for the same.

A press report in the matter is given below. It is shocking that the Central Government which is to ensure peace and security to the country itself has planned to start violence in the country to destabilise a Left Front Government and the people who elected them. See the report:

April 28,2011
________________________________________
India’s best kept secret exposed
courtesy Times Now
28 Apr 2011, April 17 in & in the wee hours of Dec 18 1995 a mysterious weapon consignment was dropped from the sky over Joupur Jhalda area under Purulia Disctrict of West Bengal. The consignment was discovered the next morning. Until now nobody knew what really happened. Today Kim Davy the seventh man and the leader of the operation reveals everything to TIMES NOW.
TIMES NOW: My first question to you Niels Christian Nielsen, alias Kim Davy, Why are you choosing to speak out now?
Davy: I am under the danger of being extradited to India as a terrorist, I don’t feel I am a terrorist, I have not done anything to harm anyone. On the contrary I have done things to protect people from Communist terror, State sponsored terror and I kept my silence in all those years, 15 years. But now political forces in India are coming out to reach at me again as they did 15 years ago and I feel its time to set the record straight.
TIMES NOW: So tell me and I will call you Kim Davy because you are known as Kim Davy across the country. Tell me who were these arms meant for? This Purulia Arms Drop, who were these arms meant for and for what purpose, who commissioned this arms drop?
Davy: The arms were meant for self-protection, it is my complete conviction that if I was tried in a Court of Law about the legality of dropping arms to protect people against State sponsored Communist terror, I would clear my name because it was legal defence against decades of murder, torture, rape by the CPIM in West Bengal. I have seen friends being butchered in front of my eyes for so many years and all I did was to work for the betterment of the rural people of West Bengal. For 15 years I worked my every waking hour to better the circumstances of the poorest of the poor in West Bengal, but the atrocities committed by the Communist simply became too much when too many friends were tortured to death so we had to defend ourselves against these attacks and that was the whole background of the Purulia Arms drop.
TIMES NOW: Well I dont know if everyone is going to buy that argument but tell me who sent you? My question to you was who commissioned this arms drop and were there any Indians involved?
Davy: Of course there were Indians involved. There were political forces at the centre . There have been for years MPs who had seen the atrocities committed against the people of Purulia district and 24 MPs had signed the petition to the President to intervene to try to protect these people, nothing happened. And finally central government saw and approved the plans to arm the defence of these innocent people
TIMES NOW: Name the people, Can you name the people?
Davy: I can tell you as much as that RAW, Research and Analysis Wing of India was informed by external forces and approved of the arms drop months in advance of the arms drop
TIMES NOW: Which external forces?
Davy: The communication was between the British Intelligence MI5 and RAW. There was a British ex Intelligence officer on board the plane, the Indian authorities knew the flight plan the people on board , the cargo, the drop zone everything was known well in advance and approved well in advance.
TIMES NOW: You are saying that the Indian government knew and authorised these arms drop over Indian territory by you?
Davy: I am saying that there were political forces in the centre in Delhi who saw it as an opportune way to further their political agenda. You must remember that we are talking ancient history here, but in 1988 centre introduced Presidential rule in Tripura after engaging in supplying arms to different rebel groups there. The same strategy was announced publically in the beginning of the 90’s that there was a decision to introduce Presidential rule in West Bengal and therefore it was seen as a furthering of this agenda that arms were procured to protect local people.
TIMES NOW: What was your role ? You were working with the British and American Intelligence officials, were there American Intelligence officials also involved or only British?
Davy: To my knowledge there were no Americans involved.
TIMES NOW: So this was, these were British MI5 which was involved in this and you are saying they told the India’s external intelligence agency RAW about it?
Davy: No I am not telling that. This is a well published fact go to their webpage and you will see the exact date when MI5 conferred this whole matter to RAW. It is a matter of public knowledge that this coordination was taking place
TIMES NOW: This is the reason you are saying that you were able to slip in that night, in 1995? You flew into Indian territory, you are saying you were allowed to fly in, the movement was facilitated and you are saying the Indian government was told about it?
Davy: Well look at the zest of this. It is a matter of public record that RAW was informed on three defined dates by MI5 about the arms drop, the people on board the plane, the drop zone everything was informed. This is a matter of public record. I don’t know who in their right mind would fly a plane from the arch enemy of Pakistan into Indian airspace with a load of clandestine weapons without having it cleared by with the Indian authorities. It is unthinkable to do that.
TIMES NOW: So tell me what happened after that? If you managed to come in, tell me about that flight, where you took it from, how you got the clearances, what assurances you had if you are saying you had some assurances from the Indian side? Who were those assurances coming from?
Davy: That was a lot of questions, can we take them one at a time
TIMES NOW: Sure, Where were the assurances coming from?
Davy: You were saying how did the flight happen, how did I get away afterwards, what did you ask?
TIMES NOW: No tell me about the first part on how the flight happened, who gave you the assurances that you would be allowed to come in?
Davy: Well, I was in direct contact with an MP who told me that he was in further contact with the Prime Minister’s office and on the 16th of December I was called in Karachi by these people who told me that I had to finish the job within 48 hours otherwise the window that they had opened for me would be closed down again. So it was very clear that the communication was on time and clearly it was also defined. It was proven in the court case that the radar station concerned, the Military radar that could have detected this was turned off, was switched off and the order for this came from RAW. So don’t take my word for it is what I am saying
TIMES NOW: Can you name the Member of Parliament. Please?
Davy: We will do that live
TIMES NOW: Why should we not believe that this is a tall claim?
Davy: Well, I can only repeat that, please verify the facts that I am putting forward for you. Please verify that these contacts between MI5 and RAW did take place, please verify the fact that the radar was turned off, please verify all these external facts and you will see that what I am saying is the only logical explanation of what happened that time
TIMES NOW: Neils, you just said that you had been called in by some people in Karachi and set about finishing this job in 48 hours. Who are these people? When you mention these people, who are these people?
Davy: Well I can only say to you that immediately after the arms drop went wrong and crew and Peter Bleach was caught, there was an investigation going into a Bihari political connection into the arms drop. And that line of investigation was curiously enough, closed down very shortly afterwards and throughout these 15 years that has passed since, three Parliamentary Commissions in India have been commissioned. Nobody has ever seen the result of those. Though it is a matter of public record outside India that there was this communication between MI5 and RAW it has never been discussed in the Indian public, so everytime that the real story has tried to sneak its way forward in this, it has been clamped down and stopped. For obvious reasons because in the Central government in India it is only to turn a couple of pages and one will know who was behind and why, it is a matter of knowledge, it is not a matter of guesswork.
TIMES NOW: What about you leaving? In what circumstances did you leave the country? There have been different reports about that, can you elaborate a little bit on that please?
Davy: Well, first I was helped out of the airport in Mumbai and after that I was smuggled out of India to Nepal on the backseat of an MP’s car. I can give you the full details and the latest dates when we talk again but it was very clear that those forces that had approved the arms drop did not want me to be interrogated by the CBI or anybody because the story that I can tell, would not have been convenient. Obviously today there must be political forces in India who see it as an opportune time for me to tell the full story and that’s why I think the extradition is now on the table.
TIMES NOW : Neils…in this period when you were, before you disappeared, you vanished from Mumbai airport from what we know, in this period when you were held, were you in touch with the people , like you mentioned the Member of Parliament, were you in touch with those people in this period?
Davy: Before leaving the country you mean?
TIMES NOW- Yes
Davy: Yes, I was in their care
TIMES NOW: Where
Davy: First in Delhi, Mumbai, Delhi and then over the border, land border to Nepal
TIMES NOW: And you were taken in an MP’s car into Nepal through the land route
Davy- Right
TIMES NOW: And there were officials with you?
Davy: I don’t know what officials they were. But there was a car in front, a car behind with AK-47 holding guard, the whole way. I obviously did not ask people’s name and what there duty was but it was obvious to me that I was being whisked out of the country by people who had the power and the ability to do it
TIMES NOW : What is your link with the Anandmarg?
Davy- Well, you see for 15 years I worked with development work in Africa, in Central America and especially in India. I worked with the Catholic Church, I worked with Anandmarg. I worked with Greenpeace, with different organizations through these 15 years. The project in Purulia was reference project for all NGO’s around the world that I worked with. Everybody referred to the development project of Purulia as the light and the way to do things. To develop grassroots up with local resources with local people. So this project caught the imagination of not only me, but thousands around the world and when we continuously got these reports of people, even an Australian women who was almost killed by the Communist goondas, her name was Patricia. When we saw our volunteers ending up like you see in these pictures here, butchered by the Communists. This made an enormous impression, you must remember that I as a young 19 year old came to Kolkata for the first time, coming from one of the most affluent corners of the world and I saw the suffering in Kolkata and it moved my heart to do something. I had to work tirelessly for 15 years
as a big news in . (incomplete)

In connection with the 2G scam enquiries surprises after surprises are surfacing. Now it is with the report of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Instead of finalising the report and submitting it before its expiry ie. 30th April 2011, the Chairman is removed, another chairman is elected and the report presented by the earlier chairman is put to vote and defeated. This is the first time that such an absurd thing has happened.

There are of course two versions, one from the Chairman and other from the ruling party members. But one factor has emerged as the main reason for the disruption and other developments. The Chairman PAC, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, in his draft report has mentioned the inaction or rather silent approval of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister in the 2G spectrum allotment. How can the UPA members tolerate this. Who will be the next? That is their main worry. Naturally the congress MPs will resort to any action, constitutional or otherwise to protect their top leaders.
However, the image of the PM is already in a very low position.

Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Civil Aviation, is reported to have stated that the Air India Management can take any action against the Pilots’ strike and the Government will fully support it. Is it a knee jerk reaction or the labour policy of the Government?
The anti-PSU policy of the Government and pro-private action of the earlier Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel have resulted in the Air India – India Airlines to become loss making and financially unviable. There is no need to explain the details. It is suffice to say that it was a deliberate attempt on the part of the government to help the growth and profit of the private airlines.
The workers including the pilots were compelled to go on strike earlier also. It is the responsibility of the management and especially the government to discuss the issues with the unions and sort out the same instead of taking a confrontational position. The statement of the Civil Aviation Minister is the voice of a dictator. What is meant by ‘ the management can take any action and the government will support it’. It is completely anti-worker and pro-management and pro-private just as in the case of the former Civil Aviation Minister.

The Joint Action Committee of BSNL Associations / Unions has called upon the BSNL Workers to celebrate May Day on 2nd May 2011 (1st May being on Sunday) by jointly holding rallies, processions,meetings,seminars etc.
It has called upon al the BSNL Associations/Unions to issue necessary instructions to their respective members to fully participate in the programmes.

This year is going to be crucial for the BSNL workers. The financial position of BSNL is going down. Attacks like VRS, Privatisation, outsourcing are coming fast. BSNL and its workers have to be saved. A better service is to be ensured to the people. Let us start our crusade on this May Day for a better service as also better conditions for the BSNL workers.

The working class all over the world will be celebrating the May Day as the International day of solidarity. Rallies and meetings will be held and the Chicago Martyrs , August Spies,George Engel, Albert Parsons and Adolph Fischer who were hanged for fighting for rights of the workers and the eight-hour working day, will be remembered and paid homage.
It was 4th May 1886. The busy Hay Market Square in Chicago was fully packed with more than 2500 workers who had come to hear their leaders protesting against police firing and killing the workers who were on strike in the Mac-Cormick Reaper Plant. The strike was for demands including eight hours work.
While the leaders including August Spies, Albert Parsons were speaking a formation of armed policemen attacked the crowd. During the same time, a dynamite bomb was thrown by unknown people killing one policeman. It might have been the deliberate act on the part of the police itself to get provoked and justifying firing on the workers. The police fired killing four and wounding many. Some policemen also died in the melee.
The Government reacted in a pre-meditated manner. The attack on the workers increased. Meetings and speeches were banned. Hundreds of workers were arrested and kept in custody. Terror was let loose.
Eight leaders of the workers were brought to trial which continued for months together. As can be understood, the trial was a farce. Justice became a mockery. False evidences were produced. The accused were found guilty and ordered to be hanged.
Not only in America, but all over the world, the working class protested against the sentences. Protest Marches were organised in several cities. Appeal made to the Supreme Court against the punishment was rejected.
One of the accused, Louis Ligg was found killed by a dynamite in his cell, one day before the hanging, which has not been explained so far. The other four – Spies, Angels, Parsons and Fischer were executed by hanging on 11th November 1886 all in a row.
The entire country rose in protest against this brutal murder of the workers. Chicago saw the biggest funeral march ever on 13th November 1887 with thousands of workers moving along with the bodies of the martyrs to the cemetery vault.
The other three accused were pardoned by the Governor after the farce of the trial was exposed and there was outcry from the people against the brutal sentences.
The last words of August Spies, seconds before the hangings will echo through eternity: ” There will come a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.” True indeed!
Later, 1st May was decided to be observed as the International Workers’ Day. For more than hundred years the workers all over the world are celebrating May Day holding rallies, meetings etc. and remembering the Chicago Martyrs.
This year, when the working class celebrate the May Day, they are facing attacks after attacks by the employers and also by the Government which is pushing through the neo-liberal policies against the interest of the workers. Intolerable price rise, mounting unemployment, increased working hours, vanishing social security measures, privatisation, high level corruption etc. have put more and more misery on the people. Let us pledge on this May Day to unitedly fight to protect the interests of the toiling masses and the common people.

Ms. Kanimozhi, daughter of Chief Minister Karunanidhi has been charge sheeted in the 2G scam. It was expected at any time since she was having stakes in the Kalaingar TV which received alleged kickbacks in connection with the 2G spectrum allotment.

What will be the reaction of DMK ? Whether it will break with the Congress or not? Let us see the new developments.

It is nothing but a complete ignominy for India at the Geneva International Conference on its stand against banning of the dangerous Endosulfan. While most of the 173 countries in the Convention have either banned or are for banning this pesticide dangerous to humans, India focussed on the absence of alternatives to Endosulfan and the time needed to find alternatives. India was isolated as most of the countries wanted ban.

The position taken by India is completely wrong and against the interests of the common people who are seriously affected or going to be affected due to the use of Endosulfan. The entire Kerala is boiling against the decision of the Central Government in not banning the pesticide. Massive agitation including hungerstrike by the Chief Minister and other Ministers, Staging of Dharna in front of Parliament by the Left MPs, call for Hartal statewise et. are going on. Irrespective of political affiliation, all have strongly opposed the Central Government’s stand not to ban Endosulfan.

Is the human life so cheap for the Central Government to sacrifice the same to get more prfit for the Endosulfan lobby and the private companies? It seems so.