New Democracy, February 2015

NEW DEMOCRACY
RESULTS OF OBAMAS
VISIT TO INDIA
How Prime Minister Modi and his RSS-BJP Govt. bent over backwards
to please the chief of the most powerful imperialist power, the biggest
aggressor against the world people, is now known to everyone. No effort
was spared to showcase personal bonhomie between US President Obama
and Indian Prime Minister only to hide the unequal nature of the relationship
between the two countries. It is well known how the weak take pride in their
friendship with the strong only to cover up their weakness. However, when
the results of the visit are analyzed it is obvious that the obvious has
prevailed. The Indian Govt. has weakly succumbed to the demands of the
powerful visitor.
The operationalization of US-India civil nuclear agreement has been
much talked about and has clearly shown how little Indian rulers care about
the law of the land and the right of the parliament to frame them. Modi, like
his predecessor Manmohan Singh, termed this deal as the cornerstone of
the US-India strategic partnership. But it is obvious that from the beginning
this deal was, for the US, primarily an opportunity to sell its outdated and
untested nuclear reactors to India at exorbitant costs. Indian rulers are
bent on serving the interests of US MNCs by proposing to buy their reactors.
One would recall a letter written by Manmohan Singh about the proposal to
buy Rs. 10000 crores of such equipment when the deal came up for
discussion in US Congress and now Modi is acting similarly. This is being
done at a time when there is growing consensus in the world against power
generating nuclear plants, with no fresh plants being installed and existing
ones being phased out. India is stepping in as the buyer for the MNCs
selling nuclear power plants. Obviously the imperialist powers and also
Indian comprador rulers have contempt for safety of people of India. This
is happening at a time when other sources of power are much cheaper- oil
prices have plummeted and costs of solar and wind power have been steadily
coming down.
US and its companies want to do away with provisions of civil nuclear
liability law passed by Indian parliament in 2010. Its section 46 provides
for liability of supplier (foreign companies from imperialist countries) to the
February, 2015
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)

operator (public sector Indian company) when the accident is attributable
to faulty design or equipment supplied by such supplier. Indian comprador
ruling class parties limited such liability to a mere 1800 crores (only $ 300
million) irrespective of the extent of damage caused by such an accident,
irrespective of the culpability of the said supplier in causing such an accident.
Compare this with nearly Rs. 1,20,000 crores of damages received by US
Govt. from BP for oil spill. But MNCs from imperialist countries are not
prepared to even accept such a watered down provision. They wish to
totally avoid liability for damages. Modi Govt., acting against the Indian
law passed with the support of his party, BJP, has proposed to transfer
this liability from foreign supplier to Indian tax payer. The Central Govt.
has set up an insurance pool with Indian public sector insurance companies
covering Rs. 1500 crore of liability thereby exonerating the supplier from
liability despite a clear legal provision to the contrary. Govt. of India and
national insurance companies will contribute Rs. 750 crores each and fully
Govt. owned General Insurance Company (GIC) has been made the
administrator of the pool. Thus Indian people will be liable for the faulty
design and defective equipment supplied by the companies from imperialist
countries! This manoeuvre only shows how far the comprador govt. is willing
to go to please its imperialist masters and what scant regard they have for
the law of the land. It also demonstrates that positions taken by the ruling
class parties in India when they are in opposition do not mean anything for
them and they have little qualm in making an about turn when they are in
power without giving any explanation to the people.
The other point discussed in this connection has been the provisions of
India specific Hyde Act and 123 Agreement which envisage intrusive
inspection by US of the equipment supplied by them and the fissile material
processed by these reactors. It is being propagated that US has agreed to
IAEA inspections only thereby dropping the above provision. However the
fact is that India has agreed to provide all the information periodically to
US and it is not the case that IAEA inspections would be enough.
Even while Indian rulers have meekly surrendered before US imperialism,
US is not satisfied with the outcome and US companies are suspicious of
legal vulnerability.
This however was not the main aspect of the visit. The main aspect
and the main outcome of the visit has been further cementing of strategic
cooperation with US imperialism particularly against China. The defense
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
cooperation agreement has been extended for another ten years. It is
particularly significant that US-India joint declaration specifically mentions
their joint efforts for maritime security particularly in South China Sea. It
was during Modis visit to US in September last year that South China Sea
was specifically mentioned in the joint communiqu of India and USA. It is
the first time such a reference to a third power has been made in a joint
communiqu between India and US. The joint communiqu further deplores
use of force or threat of use of force by any country in South China Sea
which is a barely concealed reference to China. It is this further
strengthening of cooperation between India and USA particularly against
China which has been the main aspect of their talks and joint communiqu
issued thereafter. While all other agreements have been vague and
superficial this has been concrete and clear.
US President Obama has been articulating Pivot to Asia to check the
rise of China. He has promised to shift major US forces to Asia for the
purpose. But with contradictions growing in Europe and Middle-East US
imperialism has been bogged down and it is not easy to shift forces. There
has been intensification of armed conflict in Ukraine where anti-Kiev forces
in Eastern Ukraine have gained ground in the recent past leading to
increasing calls in US to provide lethal weapons to the forces of Kiev govt.
There is also increasing demand from pro-US govts. in eastern Europe for
increase in US forces in the region. On the other hand, conflict in West
Asia has become particularly acute with Saudi Arabia facing increasing
challenges both in the East and West of the country. Houthis have emerged
the biggest military force in Yemen, dictating the political developments
there. They have forced pro-US and pro-Saudi president Hadi to resign and
are demanding installation of a Govt. dominated by them in Saana. Saudis
have invested a lot of time and money in fighting Houthis in Yemen and
they see it as a vehicle of Iranian influence in the region. On the eastern
flank, rise of Islamic State poses a grave threat to Saudi monarchy
particularly from a large part of clergy and also people favourably disposed
towards IS. With Saudi monarchy, one of the main pillars of US influence
in the oil rich region, under existential threat, US is not in a position to
move forces from the Middle-East. Increasing Iranian influence in Iraq and
strengthening Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria also do not bode well for US
influence in the region. Armed conflicts have also grown in several countries
in Africa in which US imperialism has vital stakes.
February, 2015
With all these conflicts, Obama Admn. is not in a position to mobilize

its forces to Asia and his Pivot to Asia remains only a wish. This explains
the keenness of US Admn. to showcase Obamas visit to India as a singular
achievement to rope in India in its strategic endeavour to check the rise of
China. The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) with US, Japan, Australia
and India, which is ostensibly aimed at providing maritime security to check
transport of nuclear material and equipments but which is essentially
targeted at China, is being developed further. Indian Govt. has shown itself
to be a willing accomplice in this endeavour. No wonder highly successful
visits to Japan and Australia and visits of the leaders of the govts. of
these countries preceded one by Obama.
This growing strategic partnership between US and India has serious
repercussions for India and countries of Asia. Indian rulers are opening
further the Indian economy for the exploitation and plunder of US companies
in the hope of attracting investments from US and its allies. This will lead
to further unemployment and to robbing the country of its natural resources.
Moreover, anti-China strategic tie-up will further aggravate tensions in South
Asia. While disregarding Indian peoples anti-colonial traditions, Modi Govt.
invited the chieftain of the biggest imperialist power and biggest aggressor
against third world countries to be the chief guest at the Republic Day
parade. Now President Xi of China is going to be the chief guest at the
military parade in Pakistan being resumed there after a hiatus of seven
years. Russia, after several decades, has started defense cooperation
with Pakistan. This is being clothed as aiding in anti-terrorist fight there,
but the message is unmistakable. While Modi Govt. pursues agenda of
closely aligning India with US and tying India to the chariot wheel of US
strategy, other major powers are also taking appropriate steps to counter
this even while engaging with India. Modi led RSS-BJP Govt. is endangering
the people of India and making them cannon fodder in the strategic game
of US imperialism.
While Modi has gloated over the Obama visit and is showcasing it before
Delhi elections, the results of the visit are disastrous for the people of
India.
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
Greece: Syriza Victory

and Struggle against
Austerity Programme
A political earthquake (in the language of BBC) was delivered by the

Greek voters on January 25 this year in the landslide victory of Syriza in
the parliamentary elections. Austerity hit workers and common people of
Europe hailed this victory and while economic powers of Europe appeared
to be shaken arguing that Greece has no other option but to follow their
diktats whosoever might win the elections. Syriza (Greek acronym of
Coalition of the Radical Left) won 36.3 % of votes and 149 of the total 300
seats in Parliament. Other left parties and anti-austerity parties too did
creditably well reducing ruling conservative party to 76 seats and their
socialist allies (PASOK) to 13 seats, together less than a third of the total.
Since this victory scenes of jubilation were seen not only in Greece but
throughout Europe particularly in South Europe. On January 31 a massive
rally was held in Spains capital Madrid in which more than 3 lakh people
attended. The rally was called by Pedemos (literal translation of we can)
formed one year earlier to celebrate victory of Syriza in Greece. A wave of
hope and encouragement swept through the people of South Europe groaning
under the yoke of neoliberal policies of austerity. Obviously Syriza had
no problem in forming the Govt. but it chose a right wing anti-austerity
party- Greek Independents- as coalition partner.
Syriza Govt. immediately after taking over, announced its intention to
reverse privatization drive, to reopen closed govt. departments, raise
minimum wages and annul cuts in pension. These announcements
amounted to reversing the policies which were implemented by successive
Greece Govts. on the diktats of troika (European Union, European Central
Bank and International Monetary Fund). Leader of Syriza and Prime Minister
of Greece, Tsipras, claimed that his country would not need another bailout.
Immediately after the election results and even prior to it, the talk of Grexit
(Greeces exit from Euro) and its impact on Greece and Europe at large
were much talked about.
February, 2015
The context of the present hardships of people of Greece and other

South European countries is that explosion of world financial economic
crisis severely damaged economies of many countries of Europe and Japan
among the developed capitalist world. Japan had been facing stagnation
even earlier. Among the European countries, those of Southern part of
Europe, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy were badly affected. Economic crisis
deepened political crisis in these countries. The sovereign debt crisis i.e.
crisis of govt.s debts being serviced, became acute. These countries
particularly Greece, Portugal and Spain, have been large consumers of
capital goods from Europes biggest economy, Germany and owed large
debts to European investors and banks. Their Govts could not meet the
payment commitments on debts. Nor they could print money to try to tide
over this crisis at least domestically as they had surrendered their currency
to the common currency Euro. Thus arose the need of bailout which was
offered by European Union dominated by Germany and France, European
Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. In return for bailout funds,
this troika imposed what are called austerity measures. These essentially
entailed cutting down of Govt. expenditure which meant closing down govt.
departments and privatization, terminating govt. programmes particularly
social welfare programmes, cutting govt. expenditure on pension and social
security measures. The policies imposed by the troika also included cutting
down workers wages so as to make products of Greece more competitive
in the international markets. This trimming of Govt. departments and
programmes could and did lead to shrinkage of the economy of Greece
and consequently lower revenue collections but according to the calculations
of neo-liberal hawks manning the international financial institutions including
those of Europe, such decline in govt. revenue would be less than the
decline in Govt. expenditure thus enabling the Govt. to pay its debts, at
least in the long term, while cutting down the need for foreign funds for
solvency in the short term.
The essence of these policies, termed as austerity programme, is to
shift the burden of the economic crisis on to the shoulders of working
people. They receive less wages, their pensions are cut and their social
security grossly reduced. However, the impact of these policies are severe
even for youth and students who find scourge of unemployment awaiting
them, who find expenditure on education and skill development reduced,
who find their families incomes dwindling and therefore able to provide
less support to them. The elderly are affected not only due to the cut in
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
pensions but also due to closing down of govt. hospitals and trimming of
social security measures besides many other impacts on the life of the
elderly due to cut in govt. expenditure. The number of homeless has grown
as people out of job or drawing less wages or other payments are unable to
afford houses. Thus a vast majority of the people are adversely affected
by these policies.
Common people are made to pay for the profligacy of the ruling elite
and big capitalists and bankers who benefitted from the easy loans from
the big imperialist powers, who benefited from rising prices of residential
properties, who had been a party to exploitation and plunder of these
economies by the big imperialist powers. They constitute the support base
of these policies which have benefited them earlier and because their
interests are protected in the austerity programme. They also stand to gain
from the lowering of wages and cut in liabilities to spend on social security.
These sections have been creating a scare among the people that refusal
to follow these policies will result in exit from Euro, collapse of their currency
and banks, and bring untold sufferings to the people. These sections and
the corporate media controlled by international big money and those of
these countries, worked for acceptance by the people of this bitter
medicine. They had been preaching that there was no alternative to accepting
the diktats of troika. In a usual befooling of the people by bourgeois parties
before the elections, they would swear to oppose the provisions of bailout
but work to rigorously implement them once in power. It is the very nature
of capitalist parties that capitalists enjoy the feast and workers pay the
bills.
What have been the results of implementing these policies? These have
not only worsened the conditions of the people, these have also worsened
the economic crisis they were supposed to address. S ince the
implementation of these policies for nearly five years, economy of Greece
has shrunk by a third. Unemployment for the people between the age of
18 to 40 years has reached nearly 55%. Though wages and pensions have
been cut and govt. departments closed and many privatized, Greeces
debt has soared to 305.6 billion dollars which is 175% of its GDP. At the
start of this austerity programme, the Greek Govt.s debt was only 110%
of the GDP. In this period $ 240 billion of bailout has been given to Greece.
Obviously this amount of bailout landed in the pockets of lenders and
investors and only increased the debt of the Govt. of Greece.
February, 2015
Big protest programmes were organized against the effects of the

policies dictated by the troika. Lakhs of people participated in the
demonstrations and a number of strikes took place. Workers of industries
and govt. departments took a leading role in these protest programmes.
Students and youth also participated in a big way. A vast majority of people
of Greece rose against these policies imposed by the troika. The established
ruling parties used to talk against these policies during the campaign, only
to implement the very policies after the election. People increasingly saw
through this game. Due to sustained anger of the people, base of established
ruling parties started cracking. In the course of this movement Syriza gained
strength projecting itself as a consistent opponent of these policies. It
emerged as the second largest party in the parliamentary elections held in
Greece in 2012. It got highest vote in the election to European parliament
held in 2014. Due to inability of ruling coalition to get its candidate elected
as President of Greece, parliamentary elections were again held in Greece
in January 2015 which resulted in near majority for Syriza. Among other
left parties, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) got 15 seats and another
left party got 17 seats. Victory of Syriza is a rejection of austerity policies
by the people of Greece. Syriza had gained credibility among the people of
Greece for its continuous rejection of austerity programme. People rejected
the propaganda of the established parties that there is no alternative and
dared to look ahead.
The European powers had spread the scare of Syriza victory before the
elections in a blatant interference in the domestic affairs of Greece,
dissuading the people from voting for Syriza. However, after the election
results they started saying that Greece would have to honour its past
commitments whatever the election results thereby undermining Greek
peoples right to determine the policies of their own country. They started
blackmailing the people of Greece that they would have no recourse to
European funds unless their Govt. honoured the past agreements and
continued with the earlier policies. It is worth pointing out how European
Union's big players like Germany and France had forced then PASOK
Premier to cancel a referendum on the terms of bailout. For capitalist
imperialist powers people's right to decide their own economic policies are
subordinate to capital's right to determine economic policies. Capitalist
greed for profits stands directly against democracy even as practised in
capitalist countries.
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
After several rounds of negotiations between European powers and Syriza
Govt. a compromise has been reached. In this period European powers
made all sorts of threats against Greek people and Syriza Govt. warning
them against entertaining any idea of rolling back "reforms" done earlier. In
this compromise the Greek Govt. led by Syriza has agreed to some
provisions against which it had taken open position during elections and
which are contrary to the announcements made by Syriza Govt. immediately
after assuming power. They agreed not to reopen the closed departments
and not to reverse already accomplished privatization. Govt. further reneged
on its announcement to increase minimum wages, remaining content with
right of collective bargaining. This was a climb down by Syriza in the face
of blackmail and threats by European powers. This agreement has been
widely resented by the people of Greece and a significant section in Syriza
opposed it. In the CC meeting held after this agreement, just short of half
the members opposed this agreement. A modification proposal condemning
the agreement between Greek Govt. and EU was narrowly defeated in the
CC of Syriza. It showed the extent of opposition to Syriza leadership's
climbdown before the EU even from within. Protests erupted against this
agreement in many cities of Greece. The Greece Govt. has only gained
upto end of June 2015 when further implementation of bailout package will
be discussed and EU will assess the efficacy of the policies proposed by
the Syriza Govt.
Syriza, as its very name makes clear, is a coalition of several left
organizations. Though imperialist propaganda machinery terms it "extreme
left" it consists of different strands of left movement of Greece. Though
Syriza was formed in 2004, it had its roots in the "Space for Dialogue for
the Unity and Common action of the Left" formed in 2001. This too was
preceded by several joint action initiatives between different left parties
beginning with Eurocommunist Greek Left and Communist Party of Greece
(KKE), which did not last long. Syriza was formally made a party (registered
as a single party) in 2012 adding suffix "United Social Front" to its name.
The dominant section at the time of formation of Syriza was that of
Eurocommunists who had embraced parliamentary democracy and rejected
dictatorship of proletariat. Later many other left organizations of different
hues joined it including revolutionary communists as those in Communist
Organizatin of Greece (KOE). KOE which was part of the "Space" did not
join Syriza in 2004 but did join it in 2007. KOE was formed in the course of
struggle against revisionism inside KKE when the leadership of the latter
February, 2015
embraced Khruschovian modern revisionism. As people of Greece moved

into struggle against policies dictated by the troika and implemented by
the established parties, Syriza gained strength. However, it continued to
harp on remaining a part of the Eurozone while not accepting the conditions
of bailout.
These apparently contradictory postures might have helped in appealing
to wider sections of people electorally but had to come into conflict once
Syriza assumed power. One of the two had to gain primacy. It had to
decide whether it was more committed to remaining in Eurozone or to
rejecting the conditions of bailout. Rejecting the conditions of bailout and
continuing to remain in the Eurozone is not totally in the hands of the Govt.
of Greece. The EU powers have to agree to extend the loans without
adhering to the conditions, for Greece to continue in Eurozone. And the
dominant EU powers are in no mood to oblige Syriza Govt. as this would
have repercussions beyond Greece. The ruling dispensation in other South
European countries, who have been implementing these policies, are also
against giving up this conditions as these would strengthen struggle against
such policies in their own countries. Thus Syriza, and for that matter all
other forces fighting against austerity policies, have to stand up to the
possibility of quitting the Euro. Only then they have any chance of success
in their endeavours. On the other hand, if Syriza succumbs and does what
its predecessors have been doing, the organizations spearheading antiausterity struggles and people participating in such struggles will have to
intensify it in the new conditions. This coalition will not be able to survive
in that condition but it would have served its purpose of bringing the people
into struggle and emboldening them to strive for what is termed by the
powers that be as 'unachievable'.
The deep crisis in Greece and several other South European countries
can not be mitigated within the confines of the capitalist system. The people
and the organizations fighting against the efforts of European powers and
the capitalists of their own countries to shift the burden of the crisis on to
the people will have to break the shackles of the capitalist system itself.
Though it may seem somewhat farfetched at this moment, and more so
given the feverish propaganda by the corporate media controlled by
imperialists, it is the real alternative before the people in these countries.
The other alternative is quite painful for the people- years of deteriorating
conditions, increasing unemployment and rising despondency.
10
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
National Coal Wage agreements to all workers of the coal industry, stopping
investment by Coal India abroad, giving budgetary support to public sector
coal companies for expansion, etc.
All-India Coal Strike
WORKERS STRIKE
UNIONS VACILLATE
These 5 unions had earlier called for a strike on 24th November on these
demands when the Bill was pending in the Rajya Sabha. The strike call had
been withdrawn following vague assurances given in a meeting with Coal India
management and ministry officials. With the closing of the parliament session
without passage of the Bill, the Modi Govt. got this Ordinance issued prompting
the present strike call.
V.K. Patole
More than 90% of the around 4 lakh regular workers in the public sector
coal industry i.e. various subsidiaries of Coal India Ltd. (CIL) in Jharkhand,
Bengal, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and the Singareni
Colliery Company Ltd.(SCCL) in Andhra Pradesh went on strike from 6th
Jan.2015 in response to the five-day strike call initiated jointly by the 5 central
trade unions recognized by the govt. in the coal industry (INTUC, BMS, HMS,
AITUC, CITU) and supported by IFTU. The recognized union in SCCL which
is linked to the TRS party however did not support the strike and the Telengana
Govt. even resorted to repression with IFTU activists being arrested for
picketing. Similarly in Bengal the Union linked to Trinamul Congress opposed
the strike, affecting the success of the strike initially.
Coal India management officials admitted a 75% loss of production.
Continuation of the strike for the full period of 5 days could have seriously
disrupted power supplies with more than 70% of the countrys electricity
production being coal-based. However, despite massive support of the workers
and continuing success of the strike even on the second day, 7th January, the
5 unions called off the strike that night following a meeting with the Coal
Minister Shri Piyush Goyal and an agreement being reached. CITU did not
sign the agreement but called off the strike.
The main demands of the strike were for stopping privatization and
particularly the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Ordinance
2014 which clears the way for large scale entry of Corporates into the coal
mining sector not only for their captive use for power plants, steel plants etc.
but also for direct sale of coal in the market which has hitherto been restricted
to the public sector companies. The other demands of the strike include
stopping of disinvestment, stopping outsourcing and for regularization of these
and other contract workers, equal wages for equal work and application of the
February, 2015
11
The agreement nowhere records any clear commitment by the Govt.

regarding the main demands. It records that the main issues under dispute
are i) permission to private companies for commercial mining through the
Coal Mines (special Provisions) Bill and Ordinance, ii) further disinvestment
in Coal India and iii) re-organization of Coal India in any form. It further records
that the unions demand that provisions which in any way permit private
companies in mining operations should be scrapped and all the 204 coal blocks
cancelled by the Supreme Court be given to Coal India. The actual agreement
is a damp squib. A committee of representatives of unions and management
of public sector coal companies and headed by a joint secretary of the ministry
will be formed to look into the demands of the unions and will submit its
recommendations to the Govt. and in view of the clarifications given by the
Minister in the meeting the unions call off the strike. The clarifications recorded
are actually a monologue by the Minister justifying the Bill and Ordinance and
stating that it will give impetus to the economy, will create jobs and will make
the Make in India programme successful, will ensure operation of pending
power and steel projects, will free Non Performing Assets of Banks, etc.
The Minister further states that after the coming of the Modi Govt. the
production in Coal India has increased and the Govt. wants to further strengthen
Coal India. This last part is being propagated by some unions among workers
to show that there is no threat to existing regular workers. This is an attempt
to downgrade the struggle from one against the policies of privatization to one
of merely protection of short term interests of existing regular workers. Some
unions are repeating the assertion of the Minister that there never was any
direct attack on the existing benefits and rights of these workers nor is there
any such move of the Govt. at present. Anyway, the reiteration by the Modi
Govt. of its intention to go ahead with the next round of disinvestment in Coal
India should put an end to such wishful thinking.
12
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
The coal industry was nationalized in the 1970s with take-over of the
hundreds of privately owned, haphazardly managed and unscientifically
operated mines. Huge amounts of public funds were invested and production
reorganized more scientifically, new mines opened and coal output greatly
increased from the then 70 million tonnes to over 460 million tons in 2013-14
by CIL. Privately owned captive coal mines were even then exempted (mainly
Tata at that time). The nationalization was very much in keeping with the
wishes of the Indian comprador big bourgeois (Bombay Plan) who wanted
the state to build the industries requiring large investments and giving returns
after a long period. After the advent of the neo-liberal new economic policies
in the 1990s, the situation has changed as is well known and privatization of
public sector is in full swing.
Privatization of the coal industry is not beginning now. It has been underway
from inside in CIL and SCCL since two decades and is continuously increasing
in the form of outsourcing to private operators with only supervision by the
public sector management (a type of contracting out of work). Outsourcing
has been facilitated by the shift from underground mining to open cast surface
(pit excavation) mining. There is no big initial investment of time and money
(and specialized machinery used in modern underground mining in West
European countries) required in open cast mining. Just blast, dig out a pit and
carry away the coal, leaving behind vast stretches of land barren and pockmarked with craters akin to the lunar landscape. The cost of production is
projected as being much lower but this is fallacious because the environmental
costs are never calculated and the partial restoration of land required even in
the existing law is never implemented. The workers of the private operators of
course get paid only 1/4th to 1/5th of the wages of the regular workers of the
public sector company as they are excluded from the ambit of the National
Coal Wage Agreements. Hand in hand with the increase of outsourcing has
been the slashing of the regular workforce through normal retirement or
Voluntary Retirement Schemes. In the last 15 years the regular workforce of
CIL has almost halved from over 6 lakhs to less than 3.5 lakhs while coal
production has more then doubled from around 200 million tons to 462 million
tons.
Secondly, privatization in the form of disinvestment of shares has already
begun 3 years ago with disinvestment of 10% shares and now another 10%
shares are being sold. Thirdly, allocation of coal blocks to private companies
for captive mining had been going on since 20 years although actual mining
February, 2015
13

had not been started by most of the allocatees until the cancellation by the
Supreme Court. These 218 blocks are estimated to have around 50 billion
tons of the total 247 billion tons of geological coal resources of the country.
Now, before the re-allocation of these blocks through auction, the Modi govt.
has, through the ordinance, permitted commercial mining for open sale.
The justification given for permitting commercial mining is that the public
sector is not able to fulfil the demand and the shortfall has to be made up by
spending valuable foreign exchange on imports. This is false. The existing
law already provided for private companies in the major coal-consuming
sectors- power, steel, cement, fertilizer - to have captive mines for their needs.
Apart from this there is already a system in place of having long term Fuel
Supply Agreements with the public sector coal companies which have generally
not defaulted. Import figures are also misleading. Due to limited availability in
the country of coking coal (for steel), import of this has always been there and
has shown a continuing gradual increase from 22 million tons in 2007-08 to 32
million tons in 2012-13. However import of non-coking thermal coal (for power
plants, etc.) has rapidly risen from 28 million tons to 105 million tons in the
same period. In this period, due to worldwide economic recession, international
coal prices have decreased greatly. At the same time import duty on coal has
steadily been decreased over 20 years from 85% to 5%. Corporates chose to
import rather than mine the already allocated coal blocks or enter into purchase
agreements with the public sector companies. Whether the soon to be
auctioned and re-allocated coal blocks will be actually mined in the near future
is a moot question. Simultaneously, CIL is being made to invest in coal mines
abroad, in Mozambique, etc. rather than investing in expanding production in
the country.
The entire exercise of privatization, while handing over control of coal
resources to the Indian and foreign corporates, is mainly aimed at cutting the
cost of coal, the basic and main raw material for thermal power plants. This
essentially means cutting the wage costs. Consequent to nationalization and
unification of a vast mass of workers under a single management, the wages
of regular workers have steadily increased over the years through successive
National Coal Wage Agreements (NCWA) and are relatively much higher than
the average wage in the private sector. In the public sector companies wage
costs have already been decreased by cutting down the regular workforce
and increasing outsourcing and employment of contract workers at very low
wages. Until 10 years ago the private Tata collieries were also part of the
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February, 2015
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A deluge of protests by
Bidi Workers against
Telangana Government
NCWA. After the earlier process of allocation of coal blocks to private companies
got under way, the private coal producers have been taken out of the purview
of the NCWA and are free to decide their wage rates. Now, with permission to
private companies for commercial mining for sale, there will be further pressure
on public sector companies to keep the wage costs lower.
What next? The recognized unions are unlikely to voluntarily take up any
sustained struggle against privatization, given that the political parties to which
they are linked are themselves in favour of the new economic policies. The
revolutionary forces are organizationally very weak in the industry. The regular
workers with their relatively better economic status as yet do not identify with
the outsourcing and contract workers and their vision is limited to the short
term protection of their existing status. Despite this, the overwhelming response
to the strike call, despite relatively lacklustre propaganda, shows that they
can be brought into struggle. The workers have to be made to understand the
betrayal of the strike by the recognized unions and that with continuing
disinvestment of Coal India and entry of private players their position will not
remain untouched in the long term. They should be mobilized to pressurize
the recognized unions to carry forward the struggle against privatization, for
application of uniform wage structure (NCWA) in the entire coal industry-public
sector and private-, against outsourcing and for the other demands.
D.V. Krishna
An upsurge of protest by Bidi Workers is fast unfolding in 4 northern
districts of Telangana (Viz: Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Medak)
against the non-implementation of K.C.R.s election promise of paying a
special livelihood allowance of Rupees one thousand per month to all bidi
workers presently working and those who had stopped working after their
superannuation.
K.C.R and his party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti, had promised to pay
each bidi worker in the state an amount of Rs. 1000/- per month as a
Special Livelihood Allowance, if their party is elected to power. This promise
was widely propagated through half page commercial advertisements in
the daily newspapers. It was also propagated through advertisements in
T.V. channels. Further, Telangana Rashtra Samitis Trade Union Wing
(TRSKV) had published lakhs of pamphlets and distributed amongst the
Bidi Workers. K.C.R. and other leaders of T.R.S. had reiterated this promise
in umpteen election public meetings.
This helped sway seven lakh bidi workers and their family members to
vote for T.R.S. candidates. As a result, TRS got all M.P. seats in 4 districts
of Northern Telangana. It won all the Assembly seats in Nizamabad and
Adilabad Districts. It won overwhelming majority seats in Karimnagar and
Medak Districts also.
Even after coming to power, K.C.R. reiterated several times that he will
stick to his promise and implement the livelihood allowance for bidi workers.
But when state Budget was introduced in the Assembly, even a mention of
this promise was avoided in Finance Ministers budget speech. No allocation
of funds was made for this purpose in the Budget. The Telangana
Pragatisheel Bidi Workers Union, the largest union of Bidi Workers in
Telangana, organized a Dharna of 2000 workers at Indira Park, Hyderabad
February, 2015
15
16
February, 2015
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on 18.11.2014, demanding immediate implementation of livelihood allowance
to Bidi Workers.
When opposition members raised this issue in state Legislative
Assembly and Legislative Council, Chief Minister K.C.R. explained that
lists of Bidi workers in the state are being collected and as soon as they
are received, the livelihood allowance will be implemented. Neither any
specific period from when this will be implemented was spelt out nor were
any funds allocated in the finalized version of the Budget.
Collecting of Bidi Workers lists is only a plea. When the Telangana
Govt. could collect the total details of the whole population in one day in a
survey, why should six months be insufficient to know the details of bidi
workers? As a matter of fact, the details of over-whelming majority of Bidi
Workers are with P.F. dept. They are readily available. The details of others
can be collected from managements and verified by village Panchayats
and Municipalities. Only because of bad intention is the Govt. evading and
nothing else.
Understanding that this promise will not be implemented unless and
until a big agitation is built up, lakhs of Bidi Workers, under the leadership
of Telangana Pragatisheel Bidi Workers union affiliated to I.F.T.U., have
taken to streets.
This movement of Bidi Workers started from Kammarpalli Mandal of
Nizamabad District. Five thousand Women Bidi Workers took out a rally in
Kammarpalli streets on 17.11.2014. They held a Dharna before the Tehsil
office for hours together and gave a memorandum to the Tehsildar, which
was addressed to the Chief Minister.
Then, this movement of Bidi Workers spread like wild fire from one
Mandal to another first in Armoor division and then to other Revenue
Divisions of the Nizamabad District. Within a short span of one and half
months, more than 75 thousand Bidi Workers marched in to streets in 24
mandals of the district. The move is still on. The number of workers
participating in each Mandal is ranging from 2000 to 8000.
Inspired by the struggle of their co-workers in Nizamabad District, bidi
workers in Adilabad District, took to the streets from 15th December
onwards. Four thousand workers stormed the streets of Dilwarpur Mandal
Headquarter. Then a rally and Dharna of 5 thousand workers was held in
February, 2015
17

Sarangapur Mandal, while 4 thousand workers took to the streets in
Laxmanchanda Mandal, 3 thousand in Mamda, and 6 thousand workers in
Kuntala in quick succession. In all, more than 20 thousand Bidi workers
participated in the struggle.
Then this agitation of bidi workers spread to Medak District. 6 thousand
workers from surrounding villages gathered and held a big rally and Dharna
in Dubbak Mandal Headquarters on 29th December.
Then it was the turn of Karimnagar District. Near about 2 to 3 thousand
workers took out rallies and held Dharnas in Korutla and Sircilla. Bidi workers
of other Mandals in Karimnagar, Adilabad and Medak are preparing to jump
into struggle. By now, the rallies and Dharnas have been held in more than
45 mandals. The number of participant workers has crossed one lakh.
The news of Bidi Workers agitation and their photos were first published
in District editions of daily papers only. But now they are being printed in
state pages and flashed on T.V. channels. K.C.R. and his cabinet
colleagues, their M.L.As and M.Ps, are maintaining a conspiratorial silence.
If they underestimate the anger of the Bidi workers and their families, it is
only to their peril.
The Bidi workers agitation is unprecedented as to the number of
participants and its spread. It is sustained. It is certain that it will further
intensify and draw all other Bidi Workers into the fold of struggle. It is
better for the TRS Government to at least now announce from when its
promise to bidi workers will be implemented.
There are good and valid reasons for the serious reaction forthcoming
and for the insistence on implementation of KCRs promise. Firstly, the
bidi factories are working only 3 to 4 days per a week and for rest of the
days, they are closed. That means bidi workers are getting work only 3 to
4 days a week and earning only about half of their normal wage. Their
earnings are far short of their minimum necessities. TRS party mentioned
this very reason for announcing payment of special livelihood allowance.
That is why the bidi workers have been awaiting the implementation of this
promise with high hopes.
Secondly, Bidi workers won minimum wage enhancement to Rs. 130/for rolling 1000 bidis (a days work) in 2010, after conducting a 32 days
strike. The Kiran Kumar Reddy Government kept this wage hike GO (GOMs
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February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
No.41) in abeyance, under pressure from the managements. This abeyance
is continuing for the last two years, despite the strong demand from the
unions to remove the abeyance. Immediately after the coming to power of
KCR Govt. the Telangana Pragatisheel Bidi Workers Union represented to
the Govt. to lift the abeyance and implement the enhanced wage rate of
Rs. 130/- per 1000 bidis. While this G.O. provides for 21 paise D.A. rate
per point rise in C.P.I. the managements are paying only 10 paise D.A.
rate. This G.O. also provides for Rs. 100/- as time rate per day. That
means, workers are entitled for Rs. 100/- per day for days on which
managements do not provide work. The workers are also angry with the
KCR Govt. for not withdrawing the abeyance even after six months of its
coming to power.
Bidi workers are also demanding measures from the Govt. to ensure
that the managements supply sufficient quantity of tendu leaves per 1000
bidis, so that the workers need not pay for the shortage of leaves from
their wages.
The women bidi workers are entitled to three months maternity leave
with wages, in pursuance of Maternity Benefit Act. But the KCR Govt.,
which promised monetary help to all pregnant women, has not taken any
step to implement even the legislative provisions.
There are several other issues facing the bidi workers. Several of them
are not paid the agreed wages also, in the name of Vardhi system. They
are very much prone to T.B., Cancer and other diseases. But they are not
taken care of. Contrary to high expectations of bidi workers K.C.R. Govt.
did not care to ameliorate any of the problems of 7 lakh bidi workers in the
state.
All these reasons have pushed the lakhs of women bidi workers into
struggle. The non-implementation of the promise of livelihood allowance
has acted as the last straw on the camels back.
The bidi workers in the state are making hectic preparations for large
demonstrations at the District Head Quarters and for a mammoth rally at
state capital, Hyderabad during the coming Budget Session, so as to force
the Govt. to implement its promise of special livelihood allowance of Rs.
1000/- to all bidi workers.
February, 2015
19
Indian Science Congress 2015:

Goebbels Takes Birth in Science
Mrigank
Indian Science Congress started way back in 1914 as an annual event.
Later the Congress started having a theme. The Congresses had usually
not been very significant events and of late it began to be inaugurated by
Prime Ministers. But this year it hit headlines and was in discussion even
before it started. So much so that scientists in NASA had started a signature
campaign pleading with the Prime Minister of India to stop the session on
day one and control uneducated ministers as it was insulting to the land
of Bhaskara and Aryabhatta. They said We as scientific community should
be seriously concerned about the infiltration of pseudo-science in science
curricula with backing of influential political parties. Giving a scientific
platform for a pseudo-science talk is worse than a systematic attack that
has been carried out by politically powerful pseudo-science propagandists
in the recent past. If we scientists remain passive, we are betraying not
only the science, but also our children. It was initiated by Dr. Ram Prasad
Gandhi Raman, a scientist with the NASAs Ames Research Centre in
California and been signed by more than 200 scientists. Very appropriately,
known Astrophysicist J V Narlikar said But we shouldnt claim things of
which there is no evidence or proof as it reduces the credibility of what our
scientists have achieved in the past. Even the West recognizes the
knowledge of mathematics held by Indians. If we start making outlandish
claims, the scientific community of the world will not look up to us as it
does now.
The session being talked about was called Ancient Sciences through
Sanskrit . In this session which was the responsibility of the Sanskrit
Department of Mumbai University papers were presented which tried to
prove that most of science and technology that exists today already existed
in ancient Sanskrit texts. It had papers on Ancient Indian Aviation
Technology by Captain Bodas (Retired Principal, Pilot Training Centre) &
Ameya Jadhav (Lecturer, Swami Vivekanand International School and Junior
College), Advances in surgery in ancient India by Ashwin Sawant,
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Scientific Principles of Ancient Indian Architecture and Civil Engineering
by Asawari Bapat (Visiting Faculty, Department of Sanskrit, University of
Mumbai) Scientific Principles of Ancient Indian Architecture and Civil
Engineering by Rahul V Altekar (Consultant) Science and Spirituality by
Binny Sareen (Spiritual Counselling & PR & Media at Global Hospital).
Apart from these there was a lecture by Prakash Javdekar.
The Congress was inaugurated by the Prime Minister. Although this
time he refrained from making the kind of remarks he made while
inaugurating a hospital in Mumbai, his ministers filled the void. Chief Guest
Prakash Javdekar remarked that The scientific community gathered at
the Congress should pay attention to the source material available in
Sanskrit and use it for betterment of humanity. And Union Minister for
Science and Technology Harshvardhan claimed Our scientists discovered
the Pythagoras theorem, but we ... gave credit to the Greeks. We all know
that we knew beejganit much before the Arabs, but very selflessly we
allowed it to be called Algebra. This is the base the Indian scientific
community has maintained and Whether it is related to the solar system,
medicine, chemistry or earth science, we have shared all our knowledge
very selflessly.
Although there were a variety of papers, the paper on aviation technology
has attracted the most attention, as it contains tall claims with a semblance
of authenticity. It claims that aircrafts were present in ancient India. Not
just that, they were far superior to what we see today. They were much
larger, could fly backwards and sideways and were even used for
interplanetary movements by Rishis! The authors give many references
to prove their point. Their claims are mainly based on a work by Rishi
Bhardwaj called Vaimnika Shstra. They went on claiming that this
book describes metallurgy and called on people to use this to make alloys
to make aircrafts rather than importing them. According to them this book
also describes the diet of aeronauts, making of cells (for power generation)
etc. They claim that based on this, an aircraft was built by one Shivkar
Bapuji Talpade and he was the one who first flew a flying machine over
Chowpatty in 1895, eight years before Wright brothers did so. They tried
to make it look authentic by quoting extensively and citing references, but
for one major reference1 which we shall discuss a little later. This non
citing could not have been an oversight. This is probably a further
development of Goebbels, that is, not just lies spoken repeatedly but also
February, 2015
21

presenting things in such a way (with references etc.) that make them look
authentic.
Let us examine these facts. First, let us examine the word Vimana. The
Sanskrit word vi-mna literally means measuring out, traversing or having
been measured out2. One can see that this word only later came to be
used for aircraft. Its reference in ancient texts must have been to what it
originally means. There are many such words. Say, for example aushadh
meant plants in ancient Sanskrit and only later it became synonymous
with medicine. Therefore, it must be assumed that initial reference to this
word must be to its original meaning rather than to the one attributed to it in
the course of evolution of language.
They also cite a verse in Rigveda and its interpretation by Swami
Dayanand Saraswati. Although the existing Rigveda versions do not mention
Vimanas, but verses RV 1.164.47-48 have been taken as evidence for the
idea of mechanical birds:
47. k[cGC niynaC hraya% suparG / ap vsn dvam t patanti
t vav[tran sdand [tsyd / d gh[tna p[thiv vy dyate
48. dvdaa pradhya cakrm kaC / trGi nbhyni k u tc
ciketa
tsmin skC triat n aEkvo / rpit% cacmr n calcalsa%
Dark the descent: the birds are golden-coloured; up to the heaven they
fly robed in the waters.
Again descend they from the seat of Order, and all the earth is moistened
with their fatness.
Twelve are the fellies, and the wheel is single; three are the naves.
What man hath understood it?
Therein are set together spokes three hundred and sixty, which in nowise
can be loosened.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati3 interpreted these verses to mean: Jumping
into space speedily with a craft using fire and water ... containing twelve
stamghas (pillars), one wheel, three machines, 300 pivots, and 60
instruments, although the wheel is most likely a metaphorical description
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February, 2015
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of the yearly cycle, and 12 and the 360 are most likely its months and
days. Idea is simple. Quoting some vague portion of ancient texts and
then reinterpreting after trying to juxtapose it with what is known today.
This way anything can be proved.
The presenters of this 'paper' at the Science Congress also hid the fact
that in as far back as 1974, a group of inquisitive and zealous scientists
from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore had taken pains to scientifically
study the above claimi. These scientists made a detailed study of the text
of Vaimnika Shstra. It was discovered that this text was written by one
Subbarayya Shastry. They took pains to try to locate him. In the process
they succeeded in meeting his adopted son Venkatrama Sastry and GV
Sharma his close associate. Pandit Subbaraya Shastry was not a scholar
and apparently verses just used to occur to him and he used to narrate
them to GV who copied them down. This means that he did not have any
text written by Bharadwaj and he was not recounting it. Probably as
and when he could formulate one shloka, he narrated it and GV Sharma
copied the same. These were kept in Baroda University Library. In 1951,
Josyer held an inauguration of International Academy of Sanskrit Research.
He displayed rare manuscripts including Vaimnika Shstra. This was its
first public display.
IISc scientists have analyzed the language of these texts. They found
that the shlokas are as per anushtup* meter of verses. Their language is
modern. Secondly, in most of the post Vedic texts of Sanskrit, there is no
mention of any aircraft. Even Mahabharata or Ramayana have not
mentioned any general usage of aircrafts. Only reference is to Pushpaka
and it is powered by mantras or such powers. There is absolutely no detailed
description anywhere. From these studies they concluded that this text is
written sometime between 1900 and 1922 by Pandit Subbaraya Shastry,
and not by Rishi Bharadwaj in 5000BC.
There is no description of basic principles and theory of aircrafts in this
book. The author straight away describes the aircraft. Although the
description is detailed, and talks about pilots, air routes, metals and many
yantras, the principles of using them are missing. It tells of planes called
mantrik, tantric and kritak. In last categories, four planes are described
viz. Shakuna, Sundara, Rukma and Tripura. These scientists then studied
the design. There are some drawings and many of them have parts which
only became known in 18th century. The author tried to describe the principles
February, 2015
23

of functionality of tail and hinged wings, which are not scientifically correct,
nor does the geometry looks feasible for flying. There are inconsistencies
in the dimensions given in the drawings and in the verses. Shakuna is a
bird aircraft and the author does not have any idea of how things heavier
than air can float. Sundara has gas engines. There is a vague description
of electricity generation by a combination of friction, solar rays, heat etc.
through the use of jyotirmukha and certain other materials including
donkeys urine. It sucks air from the bottom and exhausts it from the top.
This is just the opposite of what mechanics teaches us. It contradicts the
third law of motion. There are similar unscientific descriptions of fuels and
operation of the planes. And speed is some 8000 miles per hour, which
has not been achieved by any aircraft so far! Rukma has similar flaws.
While the first three were meant to be flown in air, Tripara was meant to
traverse in air, water and on ground. There is also a mention of using antigravity and mental powers! Again, any details are missing.
All these planes are just concoctions far away from reality. There is no
concept of propulsion mechanism and floating in the air leave apart
traversing at high speed. The author had no idea of aeronautics, dynamics
and had just copied some modern ideas and pictures to make it look
authentic. Their geometries are horrendous for flying, and the principles of
propulsion described are such that will just do the opposite. Text has no
relation with drawings and probably were drawn later. It was concluded
that the described machines are not practically feasible and cannot fly at
all. The description is incomplete, logically inconsistent and has little to
do with scientific principles.
Yet the speakers at the Science Congress claimed Talpade flew an
aircraft based on these. There is no record of the adventure of Mr. Talpade.
They blame British rule for destroying the evidences. This aircraft had an
engine supposedly driven by mercury power. There is however only a vague
description of making of such engines. How did Mr. Talpade made this
based on those texts remains an unanswered question. But cleverly these
people leave out the fact that in his autobiography, Sastry himself
admits that these verses may not have practical use and Dr. Talpade
tried to make many models under the guidance of Sastry but did not
succeed.4 Goebbels has taken a full incarnation.
Similarly, there was a claim by Harshvardhan that we have generously
given Pythagoras theorem to western world. There were papers which
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February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
claimed that complicated surgeries were performed, how autopsies were
done, and that ancient texts even describe making of electric batteries.
There was talk of many advancements in mathematics and so on. A paper
on Engineering applications of ancient Indian botany talked about how
herbal paste made of seeds and roots mixed with cows urine, when applied
to a persons feet, could locate underground water sources. Also, cow
dung, jaggery, coconut water, egg white and green algae were used as
natural polymers. The Sushruta Samhita was the basis for a paper on
Advances in surgery in ancient India, which described surgical instruments
and claimed plastic and reconstruction surgeries were performed more than
3500 years ago. We are asking for due credit to be given to Shushruta to
be known worldwide as the father of surgeons, said professor Ashok Nene.
While it is true that Shushruta has described some surgical procedures,
but they were primitive.
All these papers and statements have some basic commonalities. One,
they all assume that there were big advancements in science and technology
in ancient India and that all this is described in scriptures as old as 5000
BC.
They all presume that any description in ancient texts is correct, even
if it is neither accurate nor complete. Most of the things cited by these
Vedic scientists are merely extrapolations of unclear ambiguities to what
we know today. That is why they could never tell anything in advance.
They could only reinterpret when something was known. They claim many
treatments of diseases we know today. But prior to those diseases being
identified by modern science, they never ever even mentioned them. Same
is true for any invention. If these things were already known, why were
they 'discovered' ('invented' is more apt) in the texts only after modern
science described them? Why did the ancient texts not describe things as
they were rather than making vague narratives? If knowledge is contained
in these scriptures then there is no reason not to have already found it?
Knowledge and science are not static. They evolve and develop. But in
these instances, we find that instead of developing it vanishes. An Indian
scientist from the US who attended the session told Times of India,
Knowledge always grows, its flow never stops. So if all this knowledge
was available in the ancient days, I need to know where it stopped. Why
did it fail to grow? Why was there no advancement? When did it stop?...
Hindutva followers have declared that Vedas are the source of any and
February, 2015
25

every knowledge. If this were true, why have they not told us everything
that we are going to know? Why not just read the Vedas and churn out
everything from these books? Is there any description of evolution in Vedas?
What about dinosaurs, prebiotic and later evolution, beginning of universe,
role of DNA and proteins The list can fill volumes.
Hindutva elements quite ignore the fact that many things are fantasies.
In fact in this regard, all are fantasies, some of the ancient people and the
rest of these modern people. Man had been fantasizing about many things
all over the world and still does. This does not mean that all the fantasies
are real. Fantasies have limits. It has to have a basis in current knowledge.
That is why initial texts only mention flying chariots (along with horses)
and it was only later that they were made to imply flying machines. There
are such concepts all over the world. That is why Mahabharata fantasizes
about many devastating weapons, but all as some modifications of existing
and then conceivable bows, arrows, clubs and the like. There is absolutely
no reason to refer to a nuclear missile as an arrow.
There is development of language. Sanskrit too has developed. The
Sanskrit of Rig Veda is very ancient and meanings of many words used in
it have changed later and many words are still a matter of interpretation.
This fact is grossly misused by the presenters. Many Sanskrit and Vedic
scholars have criticized the new claims saying that they are deliberate
misinterpretations. Over a thousand scientists under the banner of
Breakthrough Science Society have signed an online petititon addressed
to the President of Indian Science Congress saying "Stop the attempts to
dilute the integrity of the scientific process in Science meets".
Secondly, any similarity is purposefully and sort of forcibly extrapolated
and interpreted. Say for example, knowledgeable Home Minister, Raj Nath
Singh, claimed that uncertainty principle was there in Vedas as it describes
some uncertainty somewhere. This he says proves that our great rishis
were versed with Quantum Mechanics. He either forgets the fact or is
ignorant that Heisenbergs uncertainty principle is valid only for canonical
variables and so far only two such pairs have been found. It is not a
general statement on measuring things with certainty. Maharishi Kannada
had an idea of Atom but not beyond this. And that idea too was not very
accurate and exhaustive. He mentioned that all things are made up of
small particles called Anu but did not have any idea about its structure or
that there are different atoms and elements. How five basic elements
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February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
described in Vedas fit in this too was not very clear. Yet these Hindutva
elements jumped to the conclusion that atma and sthool sharIr is exactly
the same as matter- energy dualism, obviously without even understanding
the meaning of it. The much acclaimed so called Vedic Mathematics is
nothing but a collection of tricks and mnemonics.
We have found remains of ancient civilizations. There are material
evidences of the world prior to advent of modern man. But no one has
found remains of these great inventions and discoveries. Where did they
vanish? Why was this knowledge not perpetuated? These remain
unanswered questions.
There were advances in mathematical science and astronomy in India.
We had Aryabhatta, Bhaskara, Sridhara, Madhava etc. They made many
advancements and observations. They had a fair idea of mathematics of
variation (calculus), quadratic equations, trigonometry, many aspects of
algebra, number theory etc. It is a fact that while writing history of science
many of these were ignored by western history writers. But that does not
mean we can invent history in overreaction. In this regard too, there are
many points to be seen. One, these were not as ancient as Vedas. Second,
while there were many observations, there was not much theoretical
backing. Say for instance, J V Narlikar said Vedang Jyotish had a mention
of theorem similar to that of Pythagoras but there was no supporting
evidence on how it was developed. That is, the proof was missing, only
observation was found. He further comments Similarly saying that
Brahmastra mentioned in Mahabharata was a nuclear device or mention
of Pushpak Viman in Ramayana was proof of aviation in ancient times
was baseless." Indian scientists did know of atom or anu then but not
beyond it. A nuclear weapon at that time is out of question. Knowledge of
nuclear science requires prior knowledge of electromagnetism and there is
no evidence that it existed . The point is certain (but only certain)
observations and formulations were there, but they were not well developed
and scientifically deduced. Thirdly, this knowledge was not used for any
applied or theoretical advancement and remained in closed chest.
given credit where they deserved, but on the other hand it is an expression
of inferiority complex. That is one is lagging behind (for historical reasons),
so to cover up and prove that we alone can be great, get into such pseudopatriotism. This government has cut funds in higher education (IITs worst
hit), and has no policy to develop indigenous science and technology
development, so has to promote such measures to mask its actual face.
National pride would be if we actually develop something new, if we ponder
why after CV Raman we have few great scientists who have worked in
India known for their noticeable research, why our trained scientists have
to seek greener pastures abroad, why we failed to judge likes of Har Gobind
Khurana and give them respectable placement in India, why our labs have
become outpost of foreign labs and our scientists underpaid post-doctoral
fellows for them, why are we struggling to find quick and reasonable
diagnostic tools, preventive measures and treatment for diseases like
Malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, etc., why we have to import the pettiest
technology from abroad, and even if there is an alternate and good research
in India, why we fail to encourage the same.
(Endnotes)
1
Mukunda, H.S.; Deshpande, S.M., Nagendra, H.R., Prabhu, A. and

Govindraju, S.P. (1974). A critical study of the work Vyamanika
Shastra. Scientific Opinion: 512.
2
Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary, version 0.1a_12
Dayananda Saraswati, Rig veda Bhashya Bhumika, Vydika

Yantralaya, Ajmer, 1929
4
G. Venkatachala Sharma, The Autobiography (in English of Pandit

Subbaraya Shastry), published by M. C. Krishnaswamy Iyengar, and C.
Venkatachala Sharma
Linking this with national pride is another dangerous thing Hindutva

elements are indulging in. There are attempts to show that believing in
these claims is directly related to nationalism. They try to make us believe
that hyping the glory of past to prove ones greatness is an expression of
pride. This on one hand can be an overreaction against Indians not being
February, 2015
27
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February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
Oppose BJP led Govts sanction for field trial of GM Seeds
GM Seeds - A plan to promote

further MNC control over seed
market
Ashish Mital
In July last year the Genetic Engineering Assessment Committee
(GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment, GOI, gave permission for field
trials of GM seeds of 15 crops. These are rice, wheat, sugarcane, brinjal,
cotton, soyabean, mustard, chicken pea, corn, groundnut, potato, mustard,
arandi, gram and jawar. It justified its decision saying that there is no
scientific evidence of any harmful effect of GM seeds on human and animal
health, environment and land.
BJP had opposed the grant of such permission earlier and its election
manifesto had taken a position opposed to GM foods. However Modi led
Govt. has shamelessly backtracked and Environment Minister, Prakash
Javedkar, an RSS ranker, has granted permission for these trials. RSS
organizations Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Bhartiye Kisan Sangh had
spearheaded a campaign against GM seeds, but have now chosen to keep
quiet.
This sanction has caused resentment in the scientific community,
patriots and farmers leaders, especially those sections which had been
campaigning against it. Their objections earlier had resulted in cancellation
of field trials of Mustard and Brinjal. A petition pending in the Supreme
Court, against field trials being granted in the absence of regulatory
mechanisms had led to recommendation of a moratorium on the field trials
till such mechanisms are in place by the Technical Committee set up by
the court. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture too had
called for a ban on field trials citing lack of regulatory norms and monitoring
mechanisms amongst other reasons.
What are GM Seeds?

But before going into the details and basis of the objections being raised,
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let us first understand what GM seeds are, its positives and negatives.
Farmers world over have used Cross Breeding / Selective Breeding
techniques for long to grow better crops and animal species with desired
characteristics. Higher yield has been the main target and with this the
HYV (High Yielding Variety) seeds came into prominence. Cross breeding
was possible only within closely related life forms. Subsequent to this
scientists developed the ability to cause bigger genetic transformation by
adding genomes/ genes from across species to the DNA of the recipient
species seeds through genetic engineering. This transplanting of genetic
material could be done even across animal and plant kingdoms, e.g. fish
genes in tomatoes, human genes in tobacco, bacterial genes in corn, soya,
cotton, virus genes in fruits. Seeds so developed came to be known as
genetically modified or GM seeds.
Motive for Modifying Genes (Claimed beneficial effects)

Genetic engineering was done for creating resistance to pathogens,
resistance to adverse environmental conditions, developing insecticidal
ability (poison), tolerating the chemical herbicides, for developing better
nutrient profiles, developing ability to conserve soil and water, fresher
appearance and longer shelf life and increased output. GM technology is
being pushed through by the companies for various reasons, but its
widespread use is sought to be justified as the answer for feeding the
entire world.
Monopoly of Seed Companies

GM seeds began and gained acceptability in 1994 with a variety of
tomato with delayed ripening. US leads in the production of GM seeds and
four major biotech seed companiesMonsanto, DuPont/Pioneer Hi-Bred,
Syngenta, and Dow AgroSciences own 80% of the US corn market and
70% of the soyabean business. Monsanto is now the worlds largest seed
company. Cotton, fruits and vegetables are the other major areas of GM
operations. With their increasing monopolization of seed market they have
pushed out conventional, non-GM seeds and reduced farmers' seed choices.
Genetic pollution through cross pollination of non GM seeds is also a factor
in rendering them unusable as seeds. Factors that have led to industry
domination by a few players include purchase of smaller seed companies
by larger companies, weak anti-trust laws & enforcement and Court
decisions that allowed GM crops and other plant materials to be patented.
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This monopoly market control with higher costs involved has contributed
to tragedies in several countries including India. Incidentally, GM New Leaf
potato seed developed on a big scale in 1990s had to be withdrawn after its
sale refused to pick up due to prohibitive costs.
farmers and share croppers who are most in need of food security. These
companies invariably develop monopoly positions determining not only the
prices but also what seed is made available at the time of sowing, further
increasing the dependence of farmers on them.
Solving the Food Crisis or Aggravating it ?
These are major reasons why peasant indebtedness and suicides have
increased in India. The aim of MNC genetically engineered crops is to help
yield of large scale farming and to increase profits of food processing
companies. In the long run GM crops undermine food security of the poor
by increasing costs and by changing cropping pattern in vast areas of
agricultural operations from traditional food crops which formed the mainstay
of consumption of the poor earlier. They also reduce food security in the
long run by decreasing biodiversity and increasing the use of ecologically
damaging chemicals. All in all, GM seeds under present dispensation are
not only against the food security of the have-nots, by enforcing use of GM
seeds they threaten to bring larger sections of the peasantry into the ambit
of food insecurity.
This is probably the biggest claimed untruth about GM seeds. Firstly,

hunger is basically a class question. Even currently it is not caused by a
global shortage of food. Millions suffer from hunger and malnutrition today
because they neither have money to buy it nor the land to grow it. There is
abundant food surplus in the world. In fact for want of being made available
to the poor it is being diverted to animal feeds, for alcohol and bio-fuel
production and is also being destroyed on a huge scale apart from large
amounts of grain rotting in ware houses. In fact GM seeds are actually
accentuating the food crises. GM seed programme is entirely a MNC
programme, of a few companies, based mainly in US. Monsanto is the
biggest player. Their claim of increased yield is not necessarily
substantiated by experience. In the case of Bt Cotton the output has been
the same as the traditional seed in several studies. This is also the
experience with several other GM foods. Secondly major area of current
operation of GM seeds is commercial crops. Any increase in acreage of
non basic foods will hurt food security. Thirdly its seeds are extremely
costly and it is financially unviable for the farmers, most so for the smaller
farmers. Also these seeds cannot be used again and have to be purchased
every year. Fourthly there is no govt plan in India at least, to subsidize
these seeds or to rein in the monopoly practice of high pricing by the seed
companies. In fact the current NEP has restructured the agricultural economy
to promote sale of MNC seeds. It has allowed MNCs to sell their seeds at
will without checks on prices and quality. It has created easy bank credit
facilities for farmers to ensure the purchase of these seeds. This has
indebted farmers on a very large scale, their land getting mortgaged and
they continue to commit suicides. Alienation of farmers from land is
increasing. Their independence in buying seeds and in continuing to do
farming is getting further compromised.
In addition the govts have promoted deals between private seed agents
and farmers who pledge their crop at pre determined prices and through
future trading, terms of which favour the trader and not the farmer The
negative terms of MNCs seed trade are pitched worst against the smaller
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Other Aspects of Opposition to GM:

The main opposition to GM seeds has been around food security concerns
and economic factors. But their impact on health, environment, seed market
monopolization especially with intellectual property rights are also of concern.
Some other aspects are:
1. Unpredictable expression of the inserted Gene in Nature: Once
the GM seed is introduced it is certain that this modified genetic material
will find its way into other species in nature and the characteristics
determined by it will find expression. These expressions in a new organism
cannot be accurately predicted. Nor can one be sure what impact these
genes may have on other characteristics of recipient species. Splicing a
foreign gene into an organism for a single desired effect may unintentionally
cause unanticipated harmful effects within that organism. Some
unexpected expressions have been seen when a gene for human growth
hormone was introduced into mice, it produced very large mice, while in
pigs it produced skinny, cross-eyed, arthritic animals. Another example is
of genes for red color placed into petunia flowers that not only changed the
color of the petals but also decreased its fertility and altered the growth of
the roots and leaves. Similarly Salmon, genetically engineered with a growth
hormone, not only grew too big too fast but also turned green.
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2. Health risks due to unpredictable gene expressions : Several
such health issues have been indicated even with the limited exposure to
GM so far. These are toxic effects, allergies, even fatal allergic reactions.
New England Journal of Medicine has reported that individuals allergic to
Brazil nuts suffered the same allergic reaction when they consumed
genetically engineered soyabeans containing Brazil nut genes. Such
pollution of genetic material will make it impossible for people to avoid
foods they are allergic to. This also highlights importance of labeling such
foods for its genetic sources to alert the consumer about possible source
of allergens. Genetic engineering can also alter/ reduce the nutritional quality
of certain foods while enhancing their freshness. This is important in fruits
and vegetables. Genetically engineered soyabeans contained 12 -14 %
less phystoestrogens than the unmodified ones. Phystoestrogens are
associated with protection against heart disease, osteoporosis (bone loss)
and breast cancer.
3. GM seeds can transfer their engineered traits to weeds creating
more aggressive weeds or super weeds which may disrupt ecological
balances. Crops engineered to have the Bt gene which produces insecticidal
properties also kills beneficial insects like the honey bees, butterflies, etc.
It may also have harmful impact on the birds that eat contaminated insects.
Herbicide tolerance is one of the traits that is being engineered into crops
so that they are not affected by the herbicide spray. Such crops withstand
larger and more frequent applications of chemical herbicides. Many of these
herbicidal chemicals are known to cause birth defects or cancer in laboratory
animals and are toxic to fish. Studies have linked herbicide ingredient
Glyphosate to Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Use of herbicide-tolerant crops
will not only increase dependence of farmers on chemicals, it will increase
use of such chemicals, increasing their ill effects and it will also prevent
use and development of other methods of de-weeding.
4. There are also some ethical issues involved, like with use of animal
resources in production of particular foods, wherein vegetarians or people
with religious beliefs may have objections. This problem is further
accentuated with lack of proper and adequate labeling. One common
example is commercially sold cheese which is a food bio technology product
using for its production an enzyme rennet extracted from the cows stomach
lining.
The Question regarding Safety Testing, Labeling and Govt

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Sanction
In the US at least 35 varieties of genetically engineered crops are
registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and/or the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA). In most cases, the FDA does not require premarket safety testing,
or even notification that a genetically engineered food has been introduced
in the market. Industry essentially decides by itself whether and when to
consult the FDA. The U.S. government also does not require that genetically
engineered foods be labelled unless they determine that it is no longer
substantially equivalent to the unmodified version. The substantial
equivalence principle is vague and misleading and is dependent on the
govt agency. Strictly speaking the law should require mandatory testing
and mandatory labelling of GM foods.
In India the opposition to GM has been based on all the above factors that the foreign gene once introduced cannot be reversed; that there are
doubts about increase in productivity; that MNC monopoly on the seed will
create food security problems; GM is unsuitable and unviable for India as
most farmers have small land holdings and will not be able to afford the
costly seeds, especially while supply of other farm inputs is also not
guaranteed; that high costs have led to farmers suicides; scientific risks
discussed above; that the GEAC has relied on data of MNCs to approve
the trials; that there is no independent authority in India to assess field
trials; that there should be a corridor of at least 20% refuge area around the
trial area; that safety, security and trial norms should be laid down; and
that labelling and public awareness program on GM is very poor and people
are likely to be misled.
Indias Seed Market and partially passed Seed Law

In Indias specific context it will be worthwhile to have an overview of
the Indian seed market and the Seed bill 2011.
Traditionally Indian farmers have been used to home grown and locally
bartered seeds. However the seed market has developed over the years.
In 2003-04 the private sector produced 62.8 lakh quintals of seeds per
annum while the public sector produced 69.5 lakh quintals. 7 years later
these figures were 109 and 171 lakh quintals. However the market value of
private sector seeds is much higher because their focus has been on hybrids
and vegetables. The public sector too has developed hybrid seeds of cotton,
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maize, rice etc. However of the total hybrid seeds sold in the market are
from private sector. In self pollinated crops like rice and wheat the
development of hybrid seeds is quite costly. Here also most hybrids are
produced by private sector. With proper care these self pollinated hybrid
seeds can be made to last for 3 4 generations. Farmers generally prefer
to buy from the market.
At a minimum replacement ratio of 25% good quality seeds every year,
Indian markets have large requirement of 36.4 lakh quintals of seeds of
cereals, 7.8 lakh quintals of pulses and 12.7 lakh quintals of fibre crops.
However if the replacement ratio is increased to 33% the gap increases to
112.4 lq for cereals, 17.7 lq for fibre crops. This requirement increases to
587.9 lq for cereals, 102.6 lq for oil seed, 56.9 lq for jute and 1.4 lq for
cotton if all seeds are to be replaced every year.
The Seed bill has been revised thrice in 2004, 2008 & 2010 and is now
pending in the Rajya Sabha for approval. With a huge market to be tapped
it must be stressed that the proposed bill does not define what is a quality
seed and does not ensure price regulation. Although the bill does provide
for penalty for selling spurious seeds, misinformation, misbranding etc,
with the kind of law enforcement structure and seed agents attempting to
earn a windfall, there are serious doubts about the enforcement of these
aspects. Also the bill is not in harmony with the Act for protection for Plant
Varieties, the PPVFRA, 2001, which provides for compulsory licensing.
Discussion
Monsanto claims that GM crops have been tested by regulatory agencies
in 59 countries and have affirmed the food safety of GM crop of the
products. All these results are based on negative conclusions, i.e. no
positive evidence of any health hazard. Interestingly several of these studies
have found the GM foods to be nutritionally equivalent to their non GM
counterparts. The argument raised by Monsanto is that as long as the
introduced gene protein is determined safe and the GM and non-GM crops
are alike in all respects, the GM crop is said to be substantially equivalent,
or equal to, their conventional counterparts and are not expected to pose
any health risks. These experts see no need and do not recommend longterm evaluation in humans, on the ecology and on the environment. US
FDA does not mandate the labelling of ingredients. Monsanto argues that
only if there is a meaningful difference in the safety, composition or nutrition
of the crop from which the ingredients were derived, the FDA could require
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additional information be added to the label. This is not the case for GM
ingredients. Recently the American Medical Association also re-affirmed
that there is no scientific justification for special labeling of foods that
contain GM ingredients.
UPA 1 and 2 and now the NDA have used similar logic and based their
analysis only on the data provided to them by the GM seed companies. In
any case they have none of their own, nor have they made any plan to
conduct any study. They are pushing field trials of GM seeds in the name
of improving yields and food security, advanced scientific technology being
in public interest and improving farmers livelihood and the agricultural GDP.
The question arises that when there are so many questions about the
scientific validity of results, about impact on ecology, environment, human
and animal health, why should the trials be pushed by a responsible govt.
just in the name of technology? It is absolutely logical for companies and
their agents to push for these technologies, because they stand to earn.
Why should govts do so? For food security? Well we are already producing
enough grain to feed the entire population, in fact about 25% more than the
minimum requirement of the entire population. To guarantee food security
we should first push for redistribution of land. Also with the present
technology our food grain and vegetable, fruit productivity is about half to
one-third of major producers. With proper land distribution to landless and
poor farmers, timely irrigation management, supply of inputs and profitable
and proper sale of produce easily this production can be increased 2 to 4
times at least. So why are we going in for pushing MNC requirement of GM
seeds rather than looking for these basics?
Providing food security by the safer and traditional technology will not
only prevent any possible disaster by these GM seeds, it will help Indian
farmers to grow and earn, it will prevent them from falling prey to MNC
sponsored indebtedness, it will also permit development of more traditional
technologies to safeguard our crops from pests and diseases.
References:
1. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, The Council for Responsible
Genetics Summer 2000, http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org
2. Monsanto | Commonly Asked Questions about the Food Safety of GMOs.
3. Editorial Economic & Political Weekly, July 26, 2014 vol XLIX 8 No 30
4. The Seeds Bill 2011, Some Reflections - Economic & Political Weekly,
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Dec 17, 2011 vol XLVI No 51 EPW
Land Acquisition
Ordinance is anti farmer
Bhalachandra
In contrast to its promise of bringing Good Days for the people, the
Modi Govt has once again declared a war against the common people of
the country, the farmers. The recently promulgated Land Acquisition
Ordinance by the Central Govt. is not only against political morality and
parliamentary propriety but to also a sinister attack on the rights of the
peasants including tribals and also on the national interests. By bringing
this ordinance Modi Govt. has only tried to carry out the most important
part of the agenda of the foreign and Indian corporate that were instrumental
in bringing his Govt. to power.
The Ordinance which is meant to amend the Land Acquisition Act, does
not merely expand the list of projects that would be exempted from
requirements of consent and Social Impact Assessment but also quietly
makes other provisions in the law less stringent. Apart from diluting the
definition of public purpose and private company it also dilutes the
requirement that unused acquired land be returned to the original owners,
makes it tougher to prosecute defaulting civil servants, reduces the scope
of the retrospective clause and expands the definition of permissible
infrastructure.
The present law, The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in
Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act was enacted by
the UPA Govt in 2013. Barring TMC all political parties including BJP had
unanimously supported it in the parliament. But it was not enacted due to
the mercy of any political party or Govt. Rather the countrywide peasants
uprising against forcible displacement and attack on their land and means
of livelihood has forced the rulers to do that. It is well known that during the
last one decade or little more, militant peoples movement against this
'development' induced displacement erupted in different parts of the country.
Kalinganagar, Dhinkia (Anti-Posco), Niyamgiri, Singur, Nandigram, Raigarh,
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Kakrapally, Dadri, Karchana, Bhatta Parsaul, Gangavaram and several
others have become symbols of resistance against forcible land acquisition
and No to displacement became the popular slogan of all anti displacement
movements. Taking lessons from the bitter experiences of displaced people
of different projects, everywhere people had challenged both the central
and various state govts handing over their land to foreign and Indian
corporate. They gave supreme sacrifice by giving their lives but refused to
give their land and resources. These struggles forced the rulers to bring
changes in the British made colonial Land Acquisition Act of 1894 onto the
agenda and the new law was enacted replacing the old one. Though UPA
Govt. did not accede to the demand of no forcible displacement, it was
forced to make certain changes to address some of the defects of the
earlier law.
The new Act was framed after consulting all the stake holders in the
conflict over a period of seven years. The suggestions of Parliamentary
Standing committees of 2007 and 2009 headed by two senior BJP leaders
like Kalyan Singh and Sumitra Mahajan were taken into account. But
unfortunately Modi led BJP Govt., in its effort to appease the corporate,
has made a U turn and has annulled whatever pro-people provisions are
there in the 2013 act by bringing this anti people ordinance. It is the height
of political immorality that the same BJP which was part of consensus
among ruling class parties for enactment has, after coming to power, gone
back on its earlier stance thereby defrauding the people. Since coming to
power, Modi Govt. has been on a spree of diluting the environmental
provisions in sanctioning projects. And now it has launched a frontal attack
on the people by snatching away their hard earned rights. Promulgation of
this Ordinance as soon as the Parliament session concluded proves that
the Govt. has no respect for even parliament in its moves to serve the
interests of both foreign and Indian corporate. Even the 2013 Act has not
got a fair chance of implementation so far. Most of the states still have not
framed Rules necessary for its implementation. So how has it been found
to be impractical without even a trial?
The first change is the substitution of the word private entity to private
company in the Ordinance, which means that while earlier acquisitions for
private purposes were limited to private companies registered under the
Companies Act, it can now be extended to any private entity. While the
term private company carries some responsibility and these are registered
under the Companies Act, private entity has multiple meanings. Even
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religious institutions, NGO establishments and many others can come under
this private entity which may have no responsibility to the public or the
Govt. Similarly the Ordinance has excluded private hospitals, private
educational institutions from private purpose and categorized them in public
purpose. The Section 2 (I) (b) (i) of the 2013 Act reads as under: All
activities or items listed in the notification of the Government of India in
the department of economic affairs (Infrastructure Section) number 13/6/
2009 INF, dated the 27th March, 2012, excluding private hospitals, private
educational institutions and private hotels: But in the Ordinance it is said
that words like Private hospitals, private educational institutions and shall
be omitted. This means that the land under public purposes can be acquired
by the Government for private hospitals and private educational institutions
being set up for profiteering. This means land acquisition for private
corporate hospitals and private educational institutions like the proposed
Vedanta University at Puri (10,000 acres) henceforth will not require consent
from the affected people.
Crucially, the original law gave the government the power to take any
action necessary to implement the law for two years after its passage,
which has been extended to five years by the Ordinance, thus increasing
the period available with the government to remove difficulties in
implementing the Act.
The second change relates to the determination of opinion of affected
people. The Section 2 (2) (b) (i) provided that for land acquisition for private
companies, the prior consent of at least 80 per cent of those affected
families would be necessary. For public-private partnership projects, under
Section 2 (2) (b) (ii), the prior consent of at least 70 per cent of those
affected families shall be sought through a prescribed process. In the
Ordinance, these provisions have been exempted.
The third change relates to the determination of social impact and public
purpose. Chapter II of the Act makes it mandatory that for land acquisition
for public purpose that the government Shall consult the local Panchayat
or Municipal Corporation as the case may be and carry out Social Impact
Assessment Study in consultation with them. The notification for
consultation and social impact assessment shall be made available in local
language to the Panchayat, Municipality or Municipal Corporation. But on
the contrary, the Ordinance states that these provisions will not apply for
five broad categories of projects. Thus the Ordinance does away with the
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Social Impact Assessment and right of consent of the people to be displaced
which were central to the 2013 Act. The Governments amendment would
mean that now social impact assessment, food security assessment and
consent of 80% (in case of private companies) and 70% (in case of PPP
projects) of land owners will not be required before acquiring land for projects
like defence, industrial corridors, rural infrastructure, affordable housing
and any infrastructure including social infrastructure in PPP mode. While
the exemption of industrial corridor projects will bring large scale devastation
to the famers, the exemption of housing projects will bring menace of real
estate along with it. This will only increase the conflict in the rural hinterland
of our country because large scale forcible land acquisition for industrial
corridors will be a norm. How big will be the resulting displacement and
devastation can be imagined through the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
project where alone 3.9 lakh hectares of agricultural land is going be acquired.
It is a known fact that Industrial Corridors, big infrastructure projects, real
estate and dams cause the maximum displacement and environmental
damage and the 2013 Act was primarily enacted to address situations arising
out of that.
The dilution of the need for consent and for conducting of the Social
Impact Assessment for all the projects is completely uncalled for and will
only make matters worse. These two provisions are central to addressing
the issue of forced land acquisition and resulting impoverishment of the
rural communities. In the 2013 Act, the SIA has provided legal safeguards
for Gram Sabha representation; to ensure public purpose, to estimate
affected families, land & properties, costs and alternative measures; to
ensure absolutely bare minimum acquisition; that there is no other
alternative available land; social impact and livelihood loss, etc. But through
the Ordinance, in one stroke all these safeguards were thrown out. Even
the Environment Impact Assessment will effectively go as it is to be done
in parallel with the SIA. Effectively this is a reversion to the Colonial 1894
law which gave little right to the evicted.
The fourth change relates to special provision to safeguard food security
of the country. Chapter III of the Act Section 10 (I) states that no irrigated
multi-cropped land shall be acquired under this Act. The amendment in
the Act through Ordinance states that the Government may, in public
interest, by notification exempt the acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped
land for various public purposes or for industrial corridors and infrastructure
development including under public private partnership. In the backdrop of
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the rising population and declining food production in our country there has
been a continuous demand from different quarters against acquiring farm
land for industries and other projects. In the last four decades the countrys
agricultural land has reduced drastically by 18.5%. While the per capita
farm land was 2.63 hectare in 1960-61 it has reduced to just 0.8 hectares
by 2008. Although the 2013 act has not completely prohibited the acquisition
of farmland but it has kept some restrictions regarding the acquisition of
multi crop land. But this Ordinance has done away with the provision against
acquiring irrigated multi-crop land thereby further endangering the food
security of the country along with the livelihood of our peasants.
It has also reduced the number of beneficiaries to be compensated in
any project by restricting it to land owners only. Since, other than the land
owners, the livelihood of many sections of the rural people like agricultural
labourers and share croppers depends on land and they all get affected
once that land is acquired for any project so keeping the plight of these
sections of people the 2013 Act has a provision to include these people in
the affected list along with the land owners in the process of SIA. But the
Ordinance has excluded these people from getting any compensation for
their possible loss of livelihood.
The fifth change relates to return of unutilised land. The Act under Section
101 provided that, When any land acquired under this Act remains unutilised
for a period of five years from the date of taking over the possession, the
same shall be returned to the original owner or owners or their legal heirs.
But in the Ordinance, it has been substituted by a period specified for
setting up of any project or for five years, whichever is later. The ordinance
relaxes the period of time after which a piece of unutilised acquired land
must be returned to its original owner by amending Section 101.
In another change that would narrow down the scope of the retrospective
clause and thus reduce the number of beneficiaries, the Ordinance says
the clause will not apply in case the delay is caused due to any stay or
injunction by court. The original Act says the retrospective clause will apply
in cases where the land was acquired five years or more before the
commencement of the new Act but no compensation has been paid or
possession has not been taken, even if the acquisition got stuck due to
litigation. The ordinance, however, amends Section 24 (2) in a way that
time spent under litigation will not be included in calculating the five-year
period if a stay order had been passed leading to the acquisition being held
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up.
The Ordinance also changes the definition of compensation paid from
an amount deposited in the court as defined by the Supreme Court to
any amount paid into any account maintained for the purpose.
The sixth change relates to the liability of the government officials
committing offence under this Act. In the Act, Section 87, it was provided
that (i) Wherever an offence under this Act has been committed by any
department of the Government, the head of the department shall be deemed
guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished
accordingly. Section 87(ii) states that Where any offence under this Act
has been committed by a Department of the Government and it is proved
that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or
is attributable to any neglect on the part of any officer, other than the head
of the department, such officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that
offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished
accordingly. This has been substituted by Where an offence under this
Act has been committed by any person who is or was employed in the
Central Government or the state Government, as the case may be, at the
time of commission of such alleged offence, no court shall take cognisance
of such an offence except with the previous sanction of the appropriate
Government. Thus the Ordinance protects the officials who commit offence
in land acquisition in connivance with the corporate house and ruling
politicians also can be protected by not giving prior sanction by the
Government to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
In another change that would narrow down the scope of the retrospective
clause and thus reduce the number of beneficiaries, the Ordinance says
the clause will not apply in case the delay is caused due to any stay or
injunction by the Court. The original Act says the retrospective clause will
apply in cases where the land was acquired five years or more before the
commencement of the new Act but no compensation has been paid or
possession has not been taken, even if the acquisition got stuck due to
litigation. The Ordinance, however, amends Section 24 (2) in a way that
time spent under litigation will not be included in calculating the five-year
period if a stay order had been passed leading to the acquisition being held
up.
The Ordinance also changes the definition of compensation paid from
an amount deposited in the court as defined by the Supreme Court to
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Sixth Conference of POW

(Telengana) Successfully Held
any amount paid into any account maintained for the purpose.
Like the previous UPA Govts, the Modi led BJP Govt. too has used
stale cover ups like raising confidence of investors, industrial growth,
job provision, compensation of 4 times the rate to push through this
draconian Ordinance. But all previous acquisitions prove that more jobs of
the rural poor are lost than created through this so called highly mechanized
and capital intensive industrialization. While farmers are cheated, the real
gainers are the companies who get vast land at a throwaway price along
with mineral resources like coal, iron ore, bauxite etc at a cheaper rate in
the name of industrialization.
If at all land is really needed for development of any manufacturing
industry ample barren land and land of closed industries is available in the
country. The latest CAG Report on the SEZs of our country found that
more than half of the total land acquired for SEZs remains unused. In
many places it is seen that the actual quantity of land acquired for a project
was many times the initial requirements, reflecting land grabbing by big
business enterprises. But the Govts aim is not only to provide huge
agricultural land to the corporate but to snatch the land of tribals and
farmers, displace and ruin them to force them into cheap labour and help
the profit growth of MNCs. These are also the announcements Mr. Modi
has made in US and Australia to attract foreign capital. For this he is
ready to further destroy the agrarian economy, turn peasants destitute and
develop India into a food crisis ridden state.
The sixth Conference of Progressive Organization of Women (POW)

was held in Khammam, Telengana (It was the first conference of POW
Telengana) on 4th and 5th January 2015. This was preceded by a rally and
mass meeting by POW on 3 rd January.
More than 10,000 women mostly holding red flags of POW, marched
through Khammam town in a blaze of red from S.R. & B.G.N.R. College
grounds to Pavilion grounds in a two and a half kilometre trek on 3rd
afternoon. Preceded by Arunodaya activists who sang and danced folk
dances (similar to dandiya) through the streets, they attracted the towns
population to come out of offices and homes to watch the procession. The
rally was headed by flag and banner bearing executive committee members
of POW Telengana along with guests from sister organizations of AP,
Punjab and Delhi along with other guests.
The mass meeting at Pavilion grounds was packed with scintillating
and colourful performances by Arunodaya teams of the various districts.
The main aim of the Ordinance is to give total access of the huge
mineral resources and agricultural land of the country to the corporate
sharks and building mafias to get them windfall profit. Big corporate houses,
foreign investors and middlemen will be the main beneficiaries of this
ordinance. They only will prosper, while the peasants and landless workers
will lose even their habitat and livelihood. Thus for all practical purposes,
we are back to the draconian 1894 Act which peoples movements had
fought to change. Modi Govt.s so called motto of Make in India is a
camouflage while the real motto is Sell off India. Industrial corridors being
planned by Modi Govt. and some state govts. are in the interest of foreign
and Indian corporate, for exploitation of natural resources of India, for the
construction Mafia and not for industrial development of the country. This
Ordinance can only bring good days for them at the cost of crores of
peasants and common people of this country.
February, 2015
43
44
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
Com Jhansi (President POW Telengana) conducted the proceedings. Chief
Guest Shanta Sinha (erstwhile chairperson of National Child's Rights
Committee, currently with Central University Hyderabad and also a founder
member of POW) was the first speaker. She emphasized on the need to
involve men in the defence of womens rights, and placed the need for
more schools equipped with basic services to cater to education needs.
The next speaker was Com. Aparna from IFTU who outlined the challenges
before the womens movement at the current juncture and highlighted that
fight against patriarchy involves solidarity with the revolutionary movement
which will upturn the structures which sustain patriarchy. She then released
a book of songs O Mahila Kadilira complied and published by POW
Telengana. Com. Aruna (General Secretary, POW Telengana) spoke about
the issues for which women in Telengana have been fighting, also raising
the need for wage parity with men. Com. Rama (President, POW, Andhra
Pradesh) and Com. Laxmi (General Secretary, POW, Andhra Pradesh)
spoke on the issues and challenges before the womens movement. Com.
P. Ranga Rao (State Committee member and Khammam Dist. Secretary
of CPI(ML)-New Democracy) spoke of the expectations of the people
including women in the newly formed state of Telengana and the need for
building struggles. Com. R. Chandrashekhar (Telengana State Committee
member of CPI(ML)-New Democracy) addressed the nearly 15,000 strong
meeting which continued upto 10 PM.
Next morning formal Conference proceedings got off to a start at
Susenna-Chinta Laxmi Nagar at Kalakshetram. The delegates to the
conference were elected from nine districts of Telengana and represented
a membership of 50,000. The POW flag was hoisted by Com. Jhansi to
powerful songs remembering the martyrs and slogan shouting by the 500
delegates.
At the inaugural session first the Chairperson of the Reception
Committee, Ms. Vijeyeta welcomed the delegates and the guests. Following
this the Conference was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Rama Malkote,
erstwhile Professor at Osmania University . She pointed out that while
production processes fissured with globalization, this was also a period
when in India movements tended to be fissured into identity movements.
Raising several questions, she said that united movements of various
identity movements were necessary. After this, the Telegu translation of
the message from Nandita Haksar, who was to have been a Guest at the
February, 2015
45

Conference but could not attend due to severe sudden illness, was read
out. In her message dealing with different types of oppressions faced by
women she observed, We have to bring class struggle to the centre stage
of political life. I myself have been involved in fights on behalf of Naga
people and Kashmiris but I feel increasingly the ethnic, the religious and
the nationality divisions should not allow us to undermine the idea of class
solidarity or the solidarity of the poor
Representatives of sister organizations- Com. Poonam (Gen. Sec. PMS
Delhi), Com Amandeep (Gen. Sec. Stree Jagriti Manch Punjab), Coms.
Rama and Lakshmi (President and Gen. Sec. of POW Andhra Pradesh)
gave solidarity messages from their organizations. Com. P Ranga Rao
(Member State Committee of CPI(ML) New Democracy)also addressed
the meeting as also Com. KR (AIKMS) and representatives of PDSU,PYL
and IFTU. A cartoon exhibition was also on display which was inaugurated
by Com. Sandhya.
In the next session, Com. Vimla addressed the delegates on the effects
on women of the new economic policies while Com. Devi (cultural activist)
spoke about the cultural changes and how they are affecting women. Com.
Jhansi then presented the Constitution of Telengana POW which was
approved and passed by the Conference. Com. Aruna presented the Gen.
Sec.s report which was discussed and passed with several suggestions
of the delegates.
The Conference passed a 23 member executive and elected 21 members
leaving two posts for co-option.Com. Jhansi was elected as President,
Com. Aruna as Gen. Sec., Coms. Godavari (Nizamabad), Jyoti (Adilabad)
and Jyoti (Karimnagar) as Vice Presidents and Coms. Kalpana (Khammam),
Padma (Karimnagar) and Jaya (Mehboobnagar) as Joint Secretaries.
The Conference gave a Call For Struggle for immediate formation of
Womens Commission in Telengana and for Ban on Surrogacy. It declared
23rd January as a Protest Day on these issues. The Conference passed
resolutions demanding regularization of women contract workers in
Telengana, for Bidi workers (maximally women) to be paid Rs.1000/ per
month as per electoral promise of TRS leaders, against move to ban feature
film PK, demanding equal opportunities in education and health for women,
and reservation for women in Parliament and Assemblies.
46
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
WORLD BANK DICTATED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

OR GROWTH IN 21ST CENTURY
HOW ARE POOR IN INDIA

BENEFITED?
Dr. N. Bhattacharya
Vast majority of the people of this country sacrificed everything in the
struggle for independence and the largest section of our population are
waiting patiently through last 7 decades since 1947 to get their bare
minimum needs as human beings- roti, kapra aur makan(food, clothing
and shelter). Indian Constitution recognizes that some specific groups of
Indian population, viz. Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Other
backward Classes would enjoy some specific privileges till they are at par
with the rest of Indian population both economically and socially. Indian
continent was divided by Britishers on artificial Hindu-Muslim (religion)
criteria and during last 7 decades after partition Indian politicians are
continuously engaged in widening this artificial divide and escalating social
disharmony. Creation of Bangladesh in 1971 based on language proved
before the world that the British theory of religion to divide their colony
was wrong. In 2015 a selected group of Indian politicians are still busy in
Parliament and outside in the streets of India to create social tensions out
of religious fanaticism and communal barbarism.
An elected Govt. of India in 2015 is not taking any effective steps to
stop massive spread of this dangerous virus of hatred among Indians
Majority vs Minority, Hindu vs Muslim and so on in length and breadth of
this country. Indian Parliament after May election in 2014 was not allowed
to function by these street fighters of various groups of religious fanatics,
law and order authorities allowed them to carry on communal polarisation
ignoring accepted norms of Indian Constitution. Without taking legal and
constitutional steps against these anti-social forces to stop accelerating
tensions in length and breadth of the country, Central Govt. is taking
advantage of such social tensions and busy enacting laws not through
debate and discussion in Parliament but by pressurizing President of India
February, 2015
47

in the most dictatorial manner to issue orders called Ordinances. Just
before announcement of the date of some state election e.g, Centre is
busy promulgating an Ordinance by Transport Ministry to carry on vote
bank politics! This is the ugly face of Largest Democracy of the world in
2015! Modi Govt. issued 8 ordinances in 225 days in office. One fails to
understand if a country has to be ruled by Ordinances and not by debates
in Parliament, why so much time and national wealth of this poor country
is wasted every day to fill the seats in Parliament and State Legislatures?
There are people still alive who suffered in jail or otherwise and promised
not to bring again those horrible days of Indian Democracy which prevailed
during 1975-77 Indira Gandhi and her Emergency Raj!
II
In nineties Mr. Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister of P.V.Narasimha
Rao Govt. supported by many of his close academic friends like Prof.
Jagadish Bhagavati, Prof. Arvind Pangariya and others, implemented World
Bank dictated imperialist economic agenda for underdeveloped economies
now termed emerging economies. In 1991 these measures were called,
in short, LPG or Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. India was
thrown into the lap of exploitative international capital. Result is before
usGDP grew for a limited period at much higher rate than earlier Hindu
rate of growth. We have today larger number of Billionaires and Millionaires
but no one bothered to count growing unemployment and ever widening
gap between rich and poor. When inflation rate was well above double digit
Indias GDP growth rate came down to 5 to 6 percent. Poverty line was
fixed at around Rs 30 per day or some paltry amount but same Planning
Commission of Mr. Manmohan Singh as Chairman never hesitated to spend
some Rs 35 lakhs to repair 2 toilets in its office! Indias position in Human
Development Index deteriorated further in 2014. Indias position in 2014
was 135 (index 0.586) out of 187 countries of the world. In recent elections
in this poor country the international capitalist groups lavishly spent billions
of US Dollars to install their representatives both in Indian Parliament and
in various states legislatures. Indian politicians representing the interests
of the MNCs are busy framing economic policies to exploit the huge cheap
but technically high quality human resources of this country and huge
reserve of natural resources under the pretext of development, growth
etc. etc.
How can India help MNCs? Our new Prime Minister after taking over
48
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
office in May 2014 visited all the developed countries and saw how most of
them are in utter distress. Growth, development etc. are now used in school
text books! Mr. Modi visited Japan and it went into recession within a short
period after he left Japan. In European Union only Germany is solvent and
rest members are in utter distress. Greece may leave European Union
because people are fed up with inhuman austerity measures. Spain, Portugal
and Italy are yet to recover. As per purchasing power parity GDP of China
is higher than that of USA. However, Chinese economy is declining due to
failure of its export led growth policy. The only developed country which
recovered from deep recession since 2008-09, growth rate of USA is
increasing at a comfortable percentage per annum and rate of unemployment
came down to 5.6 percent from around 10 percent. Russia is also in bad
shape due to continuous fall in oil price and various economic sanctions
imposed by NATO countries. However, in this oil price fall drama, both
China and Russia are trading oil in Chinese currency and not in US $!
What will India do in this most uncertain economic environment? When
international oil price was above $100 per barrel, our current account deficit
was abnormally high and US$ was priced around 53-55 INR, but now oil
price is around $50 per barrel and may go below $ 50 per barrel but exchange
price of US$ is around 62 or 63 INR. India is spending more and more US
$ to import gold without any obligation to increase export of gold jewellry!
So our politicians following World Banks dictated policies of free trade
and complete privatization have to explain to the people of this country
what benefit accrued to vast section of Indian population during last 25
years of following world bank dictated devastating economic policies blindly!
III
Land Acquisition Law of 1894, 2013 And Ordinance of 2014

(a)Tribals
1894 Land Acquisition Act was replaced by a new Act in 2013. 2011
Census shows that out of 640 districts of the country 40 percent or 257
districts are habitats of Tribals of India. 90 percent of our coal reserve,
more than 50 percent of our minerals and most prospective dam sites are
in Tribal districts of India. Forest Right Act 2006 gave some specific Rights
to Adivasis, but MNCs like Posco, Vedanta and others are allowed to set
up their plants in these adivasi villages by politicians totally ignoring the
February, 2015
49

Rights of Life and Livelihood of our Adivasi population. Adivasi land cannot
be owned by non adivasis; let the Govt. publish ownership pattern of land
in the adivasi areas of this country. No Govt. is willing to do it because
that will create disaster among our professional politicians and their
corporate financiers. Thus public postures that countrys economic
development is not possible without throwing away adivasis from their
ancestral habitations is completely wrong. Adivasis of India have sacrificed
everything, they have lost their identity as adivasi during last 7 decades of
development. One rough estimate says that out of 60 million people
displaced due to implementation of various national projects during last
60 years 40 percent were adivasis and 20 percent were dalits. Forest Right
Act 2006 and Land Acquisition Act of 2013 conferred some rights to these
economically and socially backward communities, but greedy MNCs are
no longer willing to wait, they are interested only in their Balance Sheets!
It hardly matters to them whether some lakhs are displaced and permanently
made destitutes, it is the obligation of the State to protect the interest and
wellbeing of its citizen. However, Vedantas venture in Nyamgiri Hills of
Orissa was discussed in Europe, where they are registered and many
institutional investors sold their holdings in Vedanta and left the organization
for its anti tribal stand. In 2015, one can approach the rest of the world for
protection of human right and dignity. Gone are the days of East India
Company!
(b) Indian Agriculture

It is wrong to say that Indian Rural Population accounting for 72.18
percent of total population in 2011 Census is engaged in full time
Agricultural occupations. 15 percent of GDP is generated by agriculture
(2012-13, July to June). The recent Report of NSSO for 2012-13 states
that:
1)
57.8 percent of Rural Households or 9.02 crores RHH out of total
15.61 crores RHH are in agriculture, meaning atleast one member of each
family is engaged in farming as main source of income. Out of these 9.02
crores RHH only 68.3 percent of these HH reported farming as main source
of income. Thus a mere 39.5 percent of RH were dependent on
agriculture in 2012 July to 2013 June.
2)
Net receipts from cultivation and rearing of animals accounted
for just 59.8 percent of average monthly income of agricultural HH.
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February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
Thus remaining 40 percent of income depends on uncertain sources.
This scenario of Indian Agriculture clearly states that Indian Rural
Households are in the midst of utter distress and this is reflected from
increasing starvation death and high rate of indebtedness in the rural
sector. One still remembers the promises given during independence
struggle that land would be given to tillers of soil, and now it is only in
history books! Land belonging to adivasis were appropriated by outsiders
for development and those displaced adivasi families are now homeless
and destitute. In the same manner small and marginal cultivators are still
thrown out of their land and migrating to various parts of the country in
search of livelihood and many of them die sleeping on the pavements in
cold winter nights of Delhi, Capital of India.
Delhis LG spent crores in costly advertisement asking people to donate
warm clothing, blankets etc. items for Delhi citizens who recently elected
so many members of Parliament but unfortunately many of these honourable
voters are forced to sleep in the open in cold winter nights. This clearly
indicates failure of Indian society to take care of countrys increasing number
of homeless due to destructive economic policies followed during last 7
decades and it is still proposed to carry these forward for the well being of
some selected economically well do families of this country. It is high time
such anti people and destructive economic policies should be scrapped.
Indian Labour
A. Unorganised rural labour and wage rate.
As reported the All India average rural daily wage across 23 agricultural
and non agricultural occupations worked out to Rs 266.3 in November 2014,
representing a 3.8 percent increase over the same month previous year.
This growth was the lowest in nearly a decade. Three states Gujarat, M.P
and Assam, had lower than all India average daily wage rate but their growth
rate varied between 13 percent to 19 percent due to low base rate. On the
other hand growth rates in wages was negative in Orissa, W. Bengal and
Karataka. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan had higher
wage rates than national average of Rs. 266.3. During better days in 200304 to 2011-12 Gujarat and Maharastra attracted labour from outside, causing
higher wage rates in states from where they came and reducing the wage
rates where they landed. Now, in economic slowdown, wage rate fell
February, 2015
51

drastically in states of Eastern India. This is shown in TABLE 1
TABLE 1
AGRICULTURAL WAGE RATE
States
Wage Rates in Rs(a)
%age Change(b)
Gujarat
218.6
19.2
M.P.
174.1
15.6
Assam
255.8
13.4
Tamil Nadu
408.8
9.8
Haryana
378.3
9.3
Uttar Pradesh
237.1
9.0
Rajasthan
324.1
8.3
A.P
242.6
5.7
Maharastra
243.8
3.8
Punjab
346.7
3.0
H.P
366.6
2.3
Bihar
229.1
1.2
Kerala
670.2
1.1
Orissa
213.9
- 0.3
W. Bengal
250.4
- 2.0
Karnataka
250.1
- 2.2
All India
266.3
3.8
(a)
Average daily wage (Indian Express, January 8, 2015) Rates in
November 2014
(b) Percentage over Nov. 2013
B. Organised labour
There is widespread and deep rooted campaign by organised trade and
52
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
industry that Indian labour is indisciplined and costly. In the new environment,
labour laws will be thrown in waste paper basket and MNCs have demanded
total ban on Indian Trade Unions. In USA a diplomat of a foreign country
was dragged to court because that person was not following the labour
laws of USA. The person claimed diplomatic immunity but USA court
declined to accept that plea. People of W. Bengal did not allow Tatas to
encroach double crop land at Singur in W. Bengal for their small car project,
but their Nano project got special VIP treatment in Gujarat. In the same
manner though Congress rulers made life of workers of Maruti- Suzuki in
Gurgaon complete hell but Gujarat Govt. welcomed this particular anti worker
MNC. There is some controversy in press about sanction of loan by a PSU
bank to a particular corporate well known to be very close to a former Chief
Minister.
Financial Institutions are bleeding due to unprecedented loot of these
organisations by big business houses supported by mainstream political
parties. Trade Unions have failed to discharge their social responsibilities
by not disclosing these well known manipulators and anti social elements
who were lent huge amount but they never paid back. What is the
responsibility of concerned Ministers for this piling up of Non Performing
Assets. Why are they not held responsible for such horrible state of affairs

and half months life of ordinary people has deteriorated and job market is
permanently closed. People in rural India are thrown out of fields, alternative
viable jobs are not created. Small, medium and big industries have unutilized
capacities, there is no demand for goods and services either from internal
market or from outside the country. Export market is virtually in recession.
Only alternative is to inject purchasing power among the people of this
country, create more viable jobs and build up India by Indians (not by
MNCs) and for Indians. In the short term FDI, FII may not travel to India
because US economy is recovering and money will flow to USA and not to
risky emerging countries. People of India expect from their Govt. gainful
employment and goods and services at competitive prices and not at double
digit inflation rate. Govt. has utterly failed to give proper direction, one
section of party in power is engaged in creating social disharmony and the
other section is engaged in following discarded economic agenda of
yesteryears.
Tribal Convention held at

Parvatipuram successfully
in financial institutions.
However, Indian coal mine workers expressed their solidarity and went
on five days' strike from 06.01.2015 and their main agenda was antiprivatization specifically mentioned in the Promulgated Ordinance on Coal
Mining. However, after Govt. promised that Coal India would not be
denationalized, miners trade unions withdrew the strike on 8th January.
This is a challenge by common people of this country to anti people policies
of NDA Govt. One must understand that Coal Mines were nationalized only
when private sector openly refused to provide security to miners working in
dangerous conditions. In the same manner contract workers employed by
trade and industry should be brought under specific labour legislation and
their exploitation should stop forthwith. Indian labour, both organized and
unorganized, should be given full protection as per law of the country and
ILO Conventions.
On 30th January 2015, nearly fifteen hundred tribals from various

districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha border congregated in a rally and
Convention at Parvatipuram to assert their rights over land, forest and
natural resources. Under the banner of All India Kishan Mazdoor Sabha
(AIKMS) and Lok Sangram Manch (LSM) the rally was started from the
outskirts of the town and culminated at the convention hall, covering the
main road of Parvatipuram enroute. Led by leaders of both the organizations,
people marched raising slogans like Give right over land, Repeal the anti
tribal Land Acquisition Ordinance, Stop diluting Forest Rights Act to
facilitate corporate loot of forest and its resources, Stop forcible
displacement of tribals in the name of Polavaram and bauxite mining,
Resist the corporate driven attack on tribals rights by the Modi Govt etc.
In the last General election people voted to power the present Govt. as
promised during election by Prime Minister to give people friendly
governance and gainful jobs to millions of unemployed. During last seven
The Convention began at 12 noon at the Rotary Hall where a Presidium

consisting of Com. D. Suresh and Com. Kushnath Pradhan conducted the
programme. After Com. Y. Sambasiva Rao, CCM of CPI(ML) New
February, 2015
53
54
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
Democracy inaugurated the programme, one minute silence in the memory
of martyrs of different tribal and peasant struggles was observed. In his
inaugural speech Com. YSR said that revolutionary struggles of Naxalbari
and Srikakulam had forced the Govt. to address the issues of tribals. Forest
Rights Act 2006 recognized some of the rights of tribals and other forest
dwellers, but the same has not been implemented in different states and
land is being given to corporate. He called for intensification of struggle of
tribals for their rights.
Addressing as the chief speaker, eminent intellectual and editor of
intellectual Odia magazine Samadrusti, Sudhir Pattanaik said that the
development model carried out by the ruling class has no use for tribals of
our country. He urged the tribals to carry on continuous struggle to restore
their rights over land, forest and other resources.
Another guest, expert on Fifth Schedule, B. K. Manish, said that our
constitution has denied the tribal people their rights to exercise their right

over land, forest and resources. Tribal people have been betrayed by our
ruling elite all these years. Modi Govts offensive against tribals is the
continuation of corporate driven policies of all previous Govts.
Com. Gummadi Narsaih, Ex MLA of CPI(ML)ND in his speech described
the pathetic situation of the tribals during the tenures of different Govt of
different ruling class parties. He urged the tribal people of all the states to
wage struggles for land and forest and resist the onslaught of both Central
and State Govts.
Com. Bhalachandra, CEC member of AIKMS, said that though tribals
consist of 8% of our population they are the worst sufferers of this
development model. While the ruling classes were unable to provide rights
over land and forest in the last six decades they are now trying to snatch
whatever rights were given to the tribal people in the name of development.
While Modi Govt is serving the interest of corporate by waging war against
the rights of tribal people and trying to hand over the resources rich tribal
areas to them, RSS and its organizations are creating a communal divide
among the common masses by raising Hindutva agenda.
CEC member of AIKMS and President of Telengana state unit, Com.
K. Rangaiah, in his speech said that since 1947 tribal people have been
the worst victims of development carried out by the countrys ruling class.
The proposed Polavaram dam of both Central and state Govts. will be
disastrous for lakhs of tribals by displacing them from their land, forest
and livelihood.
CEC member and A.P. State secretary of AIKMS, Com. P. Durga Prasad,
in his address urged the tribal people to wage militant struggle to protect
their rights over land and forest.
POW AP state president Com. P. Laxmi and AIKMS leader Com. T.
Prakash also addressed the Convention.
Cultural activists of Arunodaya led by Comrade Rama Rao performed
dances and sang revolutionary songs in the course of the programme.
Samdrushti Editor Sudhir Patnaik addressing the Convention; Seated (from

left) G. Narsaiah, Y.S. Rao, Kusunath Pradhan, D. Suresh & Bhalachandra
February, 2015
55
In the end 13 resolutions opposing Land Acquisition Ordinance, proposed

amendments in the Forest Right Act, proposed Polavaram dam and bauxite
mining etc were passed.
56
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
rate by those who cross this limit), the limited history of doing the same in
2013 for two months (jal Board raised the rates of water in the same period),
and with a total of 70 promises for different sections, people of Delhi went
out to give it a chance.
AAP's Victory in Delhi Assembly Elections
Reinvention of 'Human
Face' of Reforms
Aparna
Aam Admi Party (AAP) won the Delhi Assembly polls in a resounding
victory taking 67 of the 70 seats, with 54.1% of the vote in an election
where 67% of those enrolled voted. This victory is directly the result of a
massive turning away from Modi Govt. in an election where the Congress
was already a non entity. Around nine months earlier a majority in Lok
Sabha was handed to Modi on the corporate sponsored slogan of
development. That mandate to Modi was possible due to the wholesale
collapse of the Congress as their voters turned their backs on a Govt.
perceived to be synonymous with their problems. In the subsequent few
months, people realized that development did not mean an end to their
problems and the perception of anti-poor, anti-farmer, pro-corporate got
rapidly stuck to Modi from around the end of 2014. Thus it is clear that
essentially people of India are giving electoral mandates to the best
packaged alternatives but are actually now restless and impatient in their
search for an alternative. While they are rapidly disillusioned with the ruling
class parties, they, under the concrete conditions of class struggle, are
still largely looking for an alternative within the system.
The BJP had taken 33% of the vote in the 2013 Assembly polls in
Delhi, over 46% of the votes in Delhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and have
crashed to 32.3% of the votes in the 2015 Assembly polls. This represents
essentially a whole sale shift of sections of middle class voters. The
Congress went from 24% of the vote in 2013 Assembly polls to 15% in the
Lok Sabha polls to 9.7% in 2015 Assembly polls. Its votes among poor,
jhuggi jhopri dwellers and Muslims all shifted to AAP. The fact is AAP got
the votes of the poor and sections of middle classes, particularly lower
middle class of Delhi cutting across caste and religious divides, so serious
is the quest of the masses for solution to their terrible problems. With the
promise of subsidized electricity bills and 20,000 litres free water to
households (subsidized to an extent by payment of total bills at a higher
February, 2015
57
That AAP would win was not so clear till few weeks before the polls. In
fact the BJP had its best chance of getting a majority in Delhi Assembly
had elections been held immediately after the Lok Sabha polls, as Modis
slate had only promises on it then. The dithering then was primarily because
it found that AAP had improved its vote percentage in Delhi in Lok Sabha
polls though it had not won any seat in Delhi. Thus this chance went by
while BJP waited for other state elections to impact Delhi and may be for
significant section of AAP MLAs to change sides and join the BJP. As the
latest controversy in AAP confirms, AAP was busy trying to persuade the
Congress MLAs to prop up its Govt. once again. Polls were expected to be
held in Delhi in mid February to meet February end deadline. They were
pulled forward by a BJP Govt. hopeful of encashing on the Obama visit to
woo votes from the middle class.
But the BJP had lost the script by then. An internal meeting of Indias
corporate held on 6th December 2014 concluded that the BJP Govt. was
not delivering. This led to a spew of Ordinances on LARR, on privatization
of coal blocks, on mining etc. The people any way had found that the
development slogan wasnt decreasing their problems and now an antipoor, anti-farmer image of Modi was added on. The Modi suit was the
proverbial last straw; it was exposed by the corporate media which was
earlier so tolerant of Modis sartorial quirks- Corporate had decided to shake
up its product. The Obama visit also had foreign dogs and foreign police
setting up the hackles of the people; Obamas final admonishment was to
the point- not friend Modi or Hindu Rashtra but one which delivered to
imperialism.
By the time the polls were announced, the writing on the wall was clear
to many including the RSS. Every state election had been projected as a
Modi referendum, and that was now in danger of outright rejection. Kiran
Bedi was brought in to cover Modi; towards the end however, Modi reemerged in a desperate but futile attempt to tilt the balance.
AAPs victory is being ascribed to many things- they won because they
communicated with the people, they won because they started the
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February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
campaigning first, their positive campaign drew the people. All the aspects
are among the also there. The real fact is that the poor and lower middle
class voted for it because they felt it would give them succor.
What really is Different about AAP?

Post globalization, the axe of cutting down Govt. expenditure on welfare
measures is falling hard on common people world wide, more so with world
financial economic crisis. In India, during the first phase of new economic
policies (first generation reforms) there was talk of reforms with a human
face' i.e. the need to buffer the extreme poor from debilitating effects of
these policies. The WTO agreement, in essence, had envisaged that these
sections should be discarded from the ambit of the globalized world and
be provided services by NGOs. However, electoral needs led to governments
being forced to offer them sops. MGNREGA was also in part such a buffer,
which was supposed to also help to take the real solution of land to the
tiller off the agenda. Ruling classes have been clear of who their enemies
actually are, especially with the starting of second generation reforms in
which mineral resources and land were to be handed over to corporate. Not
only do corporate need land for real estate and for resource exploitation
but land as land is a safe financial investment for the future.
Along with the second generation reforms in India also came the
worldwide economic crisis. As rulers everywhere pushed increased burdens
on the people while buffering the elite, people everywhere protested. Workers
in Europe marched in massive numbers against pension cuts and cuts in
other welfare measures. The 'jasmine revolutions' of Middle East broke out
against austerity measures and corrupt dictatorial comprador regimes and
was soon dyed in blood. Occupy Wall Street hit America. In India too,
movement erupted against corruption as people perceived politicians
fattening themselves on the loot while the people grappled with rising prices.
At the same time especially the world economic crisis and its effect on our
export based production as well as the need to keep on facilitating imperialist
loot, forced the discarding of human face for harsh and tough measures
for reform i.e. increased loot, in India. There was an extensive fight back
by peasantry which fanned struggles of other sectors as well. All this gave
birth to the slogan of development; an invention of the ruling classes to
distract the people from the hard and tough content and in whose guise to
implement the new economic policies.
The ruling classes world over as in India too, attempted to contain the
February, 2015
59

rising anger of people in various forms. In different countrie parties, groups
and organizations arose to restore the concept of buffering the people
from the effects of increased loot especially as anger gathered when banks
and elite were rescued by government funded bailouts financed by peoples
money. Though this was the common aim, the forms were many to offer
some buffers to the people.
The same situation was also utilized by forces including revolutionary
left forces in various parts to present an alternative to the people, for
instance the massive anti-austerity struggles of the people saw the rise of
the Syriza which also included revolutionary forces, which remained in the
forefront of the struggles and there is the chance that if the genuine forces
are able to pursue their agenda, they will lead the people to the only real
alternative i.e. socialism.
However, in many countries, old governments are offering sops to the
people and also new formations of ruling classes have arisen to contain
the anger of the people, often using new and innovative methods. Here in
India, such a setup is AAP.
In the name of only pragmatic governance and no ideology, AAP casts
cover over the fact that its policies are very much part of the pro imperialist
policies on which there is consensus among the ruling classes of India.
Thus they did, in the initial days, opine that while the pro corporate policies
of the government lead to the loot of the country, they intend to oppose the
corruptions in the deals, not the policies themselves (see ND January 2013).
They keep their distance from the left, even tending to the right wing. Their
opposing of corruption does offer succor to the common people. Similarly,
opposing police loot of common people does the same thousands and
thousands of petty hawkers, self employed including auto rickshaw drivers,
can operate without greasing police palms regularly. They promise free
water (to those using piped water less than 20000 litres per month also by
payment of full amount by those using more, and not by bringing down or
re-examining the jalboards rates), subsidized electricity below monthly
usage of 400 units i .e. relief to the common people from the high rates .
They had in their first stint in power in Delhi, implemented both the
steps for a short period. Common people remember that relief but fail to
realize that AAP had anyway planned to abandon the government within
two months- they had not presented any budget for the subsidies beyond
60
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
that period. Delhi government depends mostly on the central layout for it.
This time AAP will have to grapple with the problem in its entirety. Already
it has started harping on the need of statehood; if central largesse does
not come, it remains to be seen how AAP will tackle the situation of
maintaining these subsidies.
On LARR ordinance, AAP initially said that farmers in outer Delhi will
be given much higher compensation; later it said that their land will not be
acquired- no doubt after sensing that the countrywide anger has nothing to
do with compensation amounts. They do not take a position opposing
privatization of coal and mineral resources. Not for nothing did they keep
silence on Muzaffarnagar- even their ideologically inclined ; not for nothing
do they say Khaps are social organizations; not for nothing did AAP MLAs
and AAP leaders keep mum on anti-Muslim police violence in Delhi though
they speak out loud against Delhi police on other issues. However, it is on
class issues that AAP can be more clearly identified. In the run up to the
2013 assembly polls, in October 2012, several workers died in an industrial
accident near Shadipur depot (West Delhi). AAP, which spoke about
everything in Delhi, had nothing, absolutely nothing, to say on this. AAP
leaders did not give any statment to oppose the anti-worker changes in
labour laws brought by Modi government nor has Delhi Govt. said these
changes will not be implemented in Delhi. They do not seek to regulate
fees in private schools in Delhi (admissions and loot of parents is on right
now), to go for neighbourhood schools, but promise 500 new government
schools though the old ones do not work. Its 70 point manifesto has
something for all sections but not for the industrial working class- no labour
law enforcements of minimum wage, no comment on preventing industrial
accidents usually caused by the callousness of the owners in adhering to
safety norms, no announcement that adequate number of factory inspections
will be carried out to enforce safety norms. Corporate are their donors,
some even their members.
The forms employed by AAP- dominated by ex-NGO leaders- are of
going to the people. It has been spoken of as a form similar to the US
method of selecting candidates through primaries. AAP employed this in
2013 for selection of candidates but avoided it this time. Rather it used the
consultation of people for formulating demands (but asked only certain
sections, for instance not industrial workers about their workplace) and
speaks now of mohalla sabhas to decide development priorities. This will
be their swaraj. The irony of the situation also is that initially it was in the
February, 2015
61

Soviet Union that, in the formulation of its initial five year plans, proposals
for the whole country were centrally formulated, sent down through
committees to the lowest level committees at village levels where people
discussed not only the total proposals but also outlined what should be the
tasks in their own areas. In this way proposal travelled back to the higher
fora, where they were finalized. However of course, the vast difference
between this and the use of this form by imperialist countries is in the
content. Be that as it may, the fact is that AAP has been using a method
of peoples consultation and this form has been given a lot of propaganda
by corporate media as something invented by AAP. For the people no
doubt this form is a welcome attraction from only being ordered to tighten
your belts even though the consultation is being selectively done.
It is worth recording that AAPs peoples sabhas and consultations (and
even internal lokpal) have not questioned allowing candidates from other
ruling parties to contest who defected just before electionsand also those
found pedalling liquor just like candidates of other ruling class parties.
AAPs position on womens issues

AAP had issued a 70 point manifesto and its CM and ministers have
repeatedly stressed that there cannot be immediate implementation and
that people should not be impatient. They have embarked on subsidized
electricity and relief to people using less than 20,000 litres of piped water.
With the police vary of the new government, self employed rickshaw and
auto rickshaw drivers and petty hawkers will also get relief. AAP Govt. has
ordered that contractual workers under Delhi Govt. should not be dismissed
until the Govt. decides it future policy. This has put in cold storage a potential
burning issue and it remains to be seen how this Govt. is going to move on
this issue. In its first stint it had set up a board to investigate the issue;
contract labour including the contractual employees under direct
employment of the Delhi Govt. and its various departments is a huge and
rising number. This does not take into account other contract employees
of Delhi in private employment nor at all of the workers in industrial areas
whose job security is always under threat.
The situation will develop in the coming days as the other points on the
agenda emerge and it has to be seen how much scope not moving out of
the policy framework can give for fulfilling peoples demands. Some agenda
is going to play out soon. The Delhi Budget is dependent to a large extent
62
February, 2015
NEW DEMOCRACY
on the Central grants, which have not provided for the sort of subsidies
that the water-power bills write-offs will need. It is sure that this will be
directed towards an anti-Centre issue by AAP saying that nothing further is
possible unless Delhi becomes a full state thus directing rancour against
the Centre if the subsidies were to be curtailed. The real issue can emerge
if AAP actually exposes how the private discom companies in the power
sector are looting the people of Delhi and what it will do about it. Much also
depends on how long people will wait before pressing for regularization of
contractual jobs, for the facilities in schools, for implementation of labour
laws and other such issues they expect the Govt. to ensure.
One more example of how the perspective of AAP does not move out
beyond the ruling class framework comes from its attitude to womens
issues. It goes without saying that despite several competent women visible
in its ranks, AAP did not experiment with making them ministers but did
not mind experimenting with the male first timers- this is the situation in
any party and any institution, so why deduce issues from this about AAP?
It is its dealing with issues of women that provide clarity. On the issue of
security of women- a burning issue of Delhi and parroted by all without
actually explaining what they mean- AAP has promised marshals or a
new security force. How far can more policing for women ensure security
to them? If one moves forward in the direction of more policing, one ends
up with family policing or even keeping women safe by keeping them
confined. The concept of women being secure to be free is the one alien to
ruling class parties because it is not part of patriarchal values. AAP has
spoken of 15000 CCTVs being installed for protecting women just as many
were taken on rent by the Central Govt for the Obama visit and the High
Court had said that these should be retained for security of the people of
Delhi. But the AAP has not spoken of effective public transport being
available at all times, of well lighted roads, of ensuring that all private
managements in Delhi arrange for safe transport to homes of women
workers of all levels who work into late hours; of ensuring minimum wages
for working women; of ensuring PF to women, which empowers them as
they have their own money to fall back on in need; ESI card to all working
women allowed this facility by law, of ensuring that GPS system on public
vehicles will be linked to police stations in a given period or even fostering
new cultural values regarding women in its own employees, its service
providers like auto rickshaw drivers, hospitals etc. As mentioned, AAP did
not condemn even once the Delhi police- against which it has always been
February, 2015
63

ready to agitate- for its beating up of Muslim women of all ages in Trilokpuri
during anti-Muslim violence in that locality. The local MLA belonged to
AAP, these women victims were not helped by this party to lodge FIRs, to
get treatment and no issue was made that guilty police officials should be
punished. AAP, a party of Delhi, did not speak out against the recent honour
killing of a young Delhi graduate (of Venkateshwara College of DU) by her
family for marrying out of her caste, though both families reside in Delhi.
When asked to comment on the controversy on banning the airing of the
documentary Indias Daughter, a senior AAP leader stated that he could
not comment until the party decided its policy. AAP leaders and also the
CM tweet on everything but on this issue they are silent though it concerns
Delhi and its struggle post 16th Dec. 2012, in which struggle AAP activists
say they also participated. In the context of 8th March 2015, AAP made the
Deputy Speaker of the Assembly its voice (and not its state leaders) for
announcing measures for women- no doubt for them as for other ruling
class parties- womens issues are the concerns of women and not of the
main leaders of the Delhi govt. Anyway, she promised security, CCTVs,
regulations for Delhi to implement the Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Act and Implementation of Verma Commissions Recommendations. The
Sexual Harassment Act violates the recommendation of Verma Commission
& is pro-corporate. Just because it was passed unanimously by all
parliamentary parties in both the houses does not make it pro-working
women. To say Will implement the Verma Commissions recommendations
is to play safe but also an admission of having no idea at all about what
they are. Their ambit is wide, they cover separately a number of issues
concerning women; some have become laws, some have been discarded
in the making of these laws- so what does the Delhi govt specifically plan
to do? This was just a token announcement to be correct politically.
AAP faces the challenge of addressing the expectations of the people
of Delhi, especially the poor, working and lower middle class. The eagerness
of the people must be channelized into raising concrete demands for
implementation of the promises made to them and for pressing for them
systematically. Ruling class parties of India have no real solution to the
problems of Indian people; at best some problems can be ameliorated for a
period, but they were inevitably crop up again in full force. People must be
prepared for this,. so that instead of despondency and repeated going around
in circles, they turn towards a revolutionary transformation of society without
which Indias problems and also Delhi's cannot be solved.
64
February, 2015

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NEW DEMOCRACY

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