NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Resist Fascist Attacks in
Educational Institutions
Goondaism of RSS affiliated organizations was unleashed when Akhil
Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) hooligans targeted a protest march by
students and teachers from the gate of Ramjas College of Delhi University
on February 22nd 2017. Students and teachers were protesting against
cancellation of a Seminar on Culture of Protests which was scheduled to
be held in Ramjas College a day earlier. This cancellation came on the
demand of ABVP. This has assumed a pattern wherein Universities and
Colleges are not permitting democratic discourses on the campuses
invariably on the demand of ABVP. Action is often taken against the
organizers for holding such meetings or discussions as was the case
recently in Jodhpur (Rajasthan) where a teacher has been placed under
suspension for organizing a lecture by JNU Professor, Ms. Nivedita Menon.
Campuses of the Institutions of higher learning in the country are being
targeted by RSS to snuff out the culture of dissent against the policies of
the rulers of the day. Scientific enquiry, critical assessments and questioning
attitudes are sought to be snuffed out. It is vital for them so that their
baseless, non-factual, Goebellsian propaganda on different aspects does
not have to face any scrutiny. The intelligentsia is being targeted to
decapitate the country, to make them uncritical followers of Sangh ideology
whether by conviction or largely out of fear. What began with the attack on
Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle in IIT Chennai, through Rohit Vemulas
suicide in Hyderabad Central University, continued its shrill journey with
the attack in JNU, fanning out to be an all out attack encompassing several
universities and colleges with Ramjas College of Delhi University its latest
victim.
RSS has taken charge of this offensive, pressing its affiliate ABVP into
attack. Autonomy of the Institutions of higher learning is only for namesake
and their heads are people of straw, appointed for their proximity to power.
No wonder a large number of them made a beeline to prostrate before the
RSS head soon after BJP came to power at the Centre. They are willing to
be accomplices in this nefarious design of RSS for their petty gains. A
complaint by ABVP is enough for them to ban any activity, the rest is
March,, 2017 1 2
guaranteed by ABVP hoodlums with the full cooperation of the police and
administration. The Ramjas College incident where ABVP launched their
violent attack, has once again demonstrated the complicity of police with
the majority communal forces.
All these attacks are done to harness communal polarization in the
name of their plank of nationalism. RSS is trying to foist its understanding
of nationalism on the intellectual discourse in the country. In a country
which is oppressed by foreign imperialist forces, patriotism targeting
exploitation and oppression of the country is a positive. But RSS
nationalism has nothing to do with opposition to imperialism, rather it
advocates subservience to imperialist powers. RSS nationalism is devoid
of its positive content. It is more in league with the so-called nationalism
which is sweeping the developed capitalist countries targeting poor
immigrants from third world countries.
RSS nationalism has its roots in the machinations of British colonial
rulers and comprises aspects which serve the interests of the present day
ruling classes. After suppression of the First All India War for Independence
in 1857, British colonialists encouraged a rendering of history to serve
their objective of dividing the people of this country, particularly the two
large religious groups. There have been attempts to trace Indian nationalism,
which developed in the course of struggle against British colonial rule, to
ancient cultural roots, to ancient Hinduism particularly its caste division.
Many leaders of the then Congress, though articulating composite
nationalism on the one hand, hailed the continuity of an old Indian 'nation'
from those ancient roots. Secondly, the roots of the said Indian nation
were planted in the carving out of a nation from the state. From this angle,
British ruled India was conceived and propagated as a nation. This served
the British colonial rulers, as any rebellion against their rule was looked
down upon and which made great Indian patriotic revolutionaries like Bhagat
Singh, Ashfaqullah, Chandrashekhar Azad and others into terrorists out to
overthrow this state. From this perspective, Indian nationhood has adjusted
to the new boundaries after partition of the country in 1947. Any movement
challenging these boundaries becomes anti-national irrespective of the
historical causes or justification of the movement and defending these
boundaries by whatever means is nationalism. Unlike the west where
generally nation formed the state, in countries like India state formed the
nation. Such rendering of nationalist discourse therefore had nothing to do
March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
with anti-colonial struggle. In fact it is its opposite. No wonder its present RSS has an even larger gameplan to dominate the intellectual discourse.
protagonist had deliberately kept itself aloof from the anti-colonial struggle Besides targeting the struggles of the people, RSS is targeting its ideological
of the Indian people. opponents. RSS takes Left as its ideological enemy. Besides suppressing
revolutionary Left, RSS is also trying to target the very Left ideology. RSS
RSS nationalism upholds Indian nationalism as cultural, rooted in ancient
and its affiliates are demanding ban on Left student activism on the
Hinduism as applicable to the present day. While ancient history has
campuses. Besides the nefarious designs behind this demand, it is also a
traversed a chequered course, its rendering by Hindu nationalists is linear
recognition of the fact that neither can their ideological ware stand scientific
embodying all that was reactionary and divisive in different periods of history.
scrutiny nor does their activism stand for the interests of the student
There is not a single period of history in India which they uphold, rather
community. To dominate intellectual life in the country, they are out to
they manufacture a queer synthesis of different aspects from different
destory it. They are restricting access of students to higher education,
periods. For example they are trying to portray medieval history as that of
particulary those from Dalits, Tribals and backward castes, backward
wars between Hindu and Muslim Kings while Hindus and Muslims had fought
regions, women and economically weaker sections. Hence their emphasis
on all sides in this warring feudal period. The most cherished aspect of
on privatization of education. For this they are cutting aid to institutions of
Indianness for Hindu nationalists is its caste system which stands for upper
higher education, granting them 'autonomy' thus forcing them to raise money
caste domination. Their periodic statements against reservation are no
and thereby increase costs of higher education and doing away with any
accident nor their unleashing of violence against Dalits and other oppressed
preferential points to deprived sections. RSS, which has established its
castes. While need to secure their votes for gaining or retaining power
cells in the universities and other institutions of higher learning, is talking
through elections makes them resort to what is called 'social engineering',
of autonomy not to grant academic autonomy but only financial autonomy
it is only symbolic. It does not entail changing the social structure but only
thereby exonerating Govt. from its responsibility towards education.
superficially tinkering with it.
RSS attacks through its affiliate, ABVP, thus pose a sinister challenge
Since coming to power at the Centre, RSS-BJP Govt. has unleashed
to the academic life in the institutions of higher learning, their democratic
its nationalist plank woven around projecting security forces as symbols of
functioning to whatever extent it exists and to the culture of student activism
nationalism. This discourse serves many purposes for RSS-BJP. The first
in universities and colleges. Students have historically fought not only for
and foremost among them is an attempt at turning the people against
themselves but also for society. They joined the revolutionary movement
struggles bursting out in different parts of the country. It takes in its ambit
including anti-colonial struggles in large numbers. But RSS wants an end
of attack the struggles of people of Jammu & Kashmir and North-East, the
to student activism and only ABVP to function among the students. RSS
struggles of minority nationalities. It also includes attacks against the
attempts to crush student movement should be and would be rebuffed. As
revolutionary struggles of the people in different parts of the country which
Mao had said with reference to May 4th Movement in China, whosoever
are facing crude suppression by police and paramilitary forces. It is not
has sought to suppress the students has come to grief. Attempt of RSS
accidental that RSS affiliate ABVP shouted slogans against both struggles
cannot lead to anything else.
of Kashmiri people and also struggle of tribals in Central India. This attack
couched as nationalism is essentially against the people of the country RSS and its affiliates like BJP and ABVP are neither democratic nor
and their struggles. It is an attempt to poison the minds of the people patriotic. They stand for unbridled exploitation of India by imperialist
against these struggles and justify the brutal suppression unleashed by countries, they work for unchecked oppression of the vast sections of Indian
the Govt. through security forces. It is an attempt to sidetrack the issues people and they are working to disrupt the unity of the Indian people, all
of democratic rights and to glorify this suppression even disregarding these go against genuine patriotism. Backed by corporate media, supported
constitutional rights of the people. Officers of police and security forces by tiny though powerful section of the elite and aided by the reactionaries
which mock at these rights are hailed as heroes and observance of these dominating administrative and security agencies, RSS is painting all those
rights is portrayed as an undesirable hindrance. opposed to it as anti-national. Attacks of RSS must be resisted & defeated.

March,, 2017 3 4 March, 2017

 NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)

2nd International Conference

of Mining Workers Held at
Godavari Khani, India
From the 2nd to the 5 th of February, the coal town of Godavari Khani,
part of the Singareni coal belt in Northern Telengana, resounded with slogans
and working class songs. It was the venue of the 2 nd International Mining
Workers' Conference and delegates from 16 countries spanning 4 continents
gathered there for deliberations on formulating a common programme for
co-ordinated struggles of miners. Organized on behalf of the International
Co-ordination Group (ICG) by the Preparatory Committee of India, the latter
Main Speak
Speaker er
erssa
att the Pub lic Meeting (F
Public (Frr om left) Pr epar
Pre paraator
toryy
group consisted of ten likeminded unions working in the mining sector with
Committee Chair per
Chairper son Com. P
person .K. Mur
P.K. ty
ty,, Co-or
Murty dina
Co-ordina tor of the
dinator
Com B. Pradeep (General secretary IFTU National Committee), ICG member,
Pr
Preepar
paraator
tory y Committee and IFTU Gener General al Secr etar
Secretar
etaryy Com.
as Coordinator and Com. P.K. Murthy as Chairperson.
B
B.. Pr adee
Pradee
adeep p and Guest Speak
Speakerer Pr
Profof
of.. Har
Harggopal
Since mid January 2017, Godavari Khani was the scene of hectic work
by the leaders, cadres and activists of the IFTU affiliated GLBKS and Coal Russia, Bangladesh and Nepal. They represented mining of Coal,
Contract workers union, other local unions of the IFTU, all under the able Phosphate, Silver, Platinum and other minerals. Thus one of the sober
guidance of the areas political organizers. In the last ten days they were assessments in the last session of the Conference was of the need to add
joined by members of the IFTU National Committee. Many volunteers from more miners organizations and representatives from more mining countries
Germany also arrived ahead of the delegates to help with the preparations. to the ICG. Keeping this goal in view, it was decided that the next
Mine meetings of all three shifts were conducted daily in the mines in International Conference will be held after five years instead of four and
Godavari Khani, Manchhreyial, Bellampalli and Srirampur by the local leaders the interim period would be used to organize regional conferences so that
and activists who were accompanied by Arunodaya activists. Thus a mining workers of more countries especially of Africa, Asia and Latin
concerted drive was taken to acquaint all the coal mine workers of the area America where there is actually an explosion of work in this sector, can be
about the Conference which was to take place in their area. Similarly, involved. This alone could render the ICG as an effective co ordination of
meetings and propaganda were conducted by members of the Preparatory struggling organizations of mining workers.
Committee in their areas of work among mining workers in Jharkhand,
Asansol (W. Bengal), Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, other parts of Singareni, The Conference got off to a start on the afternoon of 2nd February 2017
Chindwara in Madhya Pradesh and other parts of India. Workers in mining with a colourful rally which marched through mine workers' colonies to the
of coal, lignite, uranium, stone, gold etc in different parts of India attended GM Office Grounds. The ICG banner, held by the members of the ICG
the Conference. leadership led the rally and it was followed by the international delegates
and volunteers. Next came the delegates and participants from the various
International delegates representing mining workers came from Germany, members of the Preparatory Group of India, each behind their own banners.
Turkey, Philippines, Poland, Kazakistan, Ukraine, Belarus, Peru, Columbia, They were followed by an Arunodaya troupe of grass skirted dancers. The
Congo, Tunisia and Morocco. In addition were present delegates from National Committee leaders of IFTU came next, as also the state leaders

March,, 2017 5 6 March, 2017

 NEW DEMOCRACY
of the GLBKS (the IFTU union of the permanent workers of Singareni) each
behind their respective banners. Behind them walked members and activists
of IFTU drawn from coal workers (both contractual and permanent) and
also other IFTU members and this was the overwhelming bulk of the rally.
Nearly five thousand mine workers and activists marched in the Rally.
The public meeting was held on a gaily decked stage. Com Naresh
(GLBKS) called the members of the National Preparatory Committee and
also the members of the ICG on to the dias. Com Shamshul Islam from
Nishant (Delhi) rendered a song for the martyrs of the working class and
the revolutionary movement and thereafter Com. Andreas, Chief Co-ordinator
of ICG addressed the gathering followed by Com. Pradeep. The Chief Guest
and main Speaker of the evening was Prof. Haragopal, prominent Civil
rights activist. Then the other members of the ICG addressed the gathering
including Com Eugene from Congo, Com Alexandro from Columbia as did
one member each from the ten unions who were members of the Preparatory
Committee of India including Com. T. Srinivas, President of GLBKS and
National Committee Member IFTU. The proceedings were conducted by
Com Murthy. The speeches were punctuated by performances by Arunodaya
artists and the meeting ended with the singing of the Internationale
sequentially in several languages.
The next morning the Inaugural session was held in the Laxmi Narsaiha
hall and the Chief Guest here was Retd. Justice Gopala Gowda from
Supreme Court who hails from Karnataka but spoke fluent telegu, much to
the delight of the audience. The proceedings began with the hoisting of the
flag of the ICG and of the Preparatory committee by Com.Nambaiah, one
of the older workers of Godavari mines and a member of GLBKS (IFTU).
Com Andreas then began the formal proceedings which were conducted by
Com. Pradeep. Facility for simultaneous translation was available in the
Hall and after the Chief Guest, the various members of the ICG as well as
members from the various international delegations presented the country
reports in English with each country being given 5minutes. Com Gautam
Mody, Gen. Secretary of NTUI presented the India report on behalf of the
ten unions of India.
The business session of the Conference began after lunch. The venue
remained the Laxmi Narsaiha Hall and while all participants could witness
the proceedings only the delegates were members of the General Assembly
March,, 2017 7 8
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Rece ption Committee Chair
eception per
Chairper son Teleng
person ana J
elengana JAAC
Convenor Kondaram and Justice (Retd.) Gopala Gowda
who inaugurated the Conference (Left) and ICG Convenor
Andreas (Right)
and could participate in its proceedings. The General Assembly passed a
resolution agreeing that every country could have a maximum of ten
delegates in place of the earlier stipulation of 5 delegates per country.
Thus one member each of the ten unions who made up the Preparatory
Committee of India became delegates and this allowed a fair representation
from India. The Chief Co-ordinator Com. Andreas presented the work report
of the past four years since the First Conference of the ICG in Peru. After
discussion this report was accepted. Then the Assembly took up the main
agenda of the Conference- the finalization of the Programme of the ICG.
Com Pradeep presented a proposed draft of the Programme and then
delegates were given time to submit their amendments and suggestions in
writing. The Assembly then broke up for the evening. The stage was taken
over by the cultural troupes as began the much awaited cultural evening.
This first day was marked by presentations mainly from the Indian groups
including several troupes of Arunodaya, Pala group from Tamil Nadu and
several comrades from the various participant delegations, who combined
together to present songs and even enacted a Hindi play.
The next day, 4 th February, was devoted to workshops on ten different
issues concerning miners, their work and their lives. Five workshops were
conducted in the morning session and five in the evening and were open to
all the participants. Usually each workshop had one moderator and one
person entrusted with the presentation. All the workshops witnessed lively
March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
discussions and active interchange of experiences not only between different
organizations but also between different countries. The moderators were
tasked with preparing summaries of the discussions of the various sessions
for presenting to the ICG General Assembly. The workshop on Democratic
Rights of Working class was presented by Com. Aparna (IFTU) and
moderated by Com. Gautam Mody (NTUI), both from India. The topics of
the other workshops included Aspects of organizing contract workers along
with regular workers, Movements of people against mining, Environmental
issues, Miners wives, families.etc. The workshops were organized in
Sindura College using the lecture theatres. After they were over, the
delegates and participants moved back to the Laxmi Narsaiah Hall for
another cultural evening followed by dinner. This evening, the various foreign
delegations presented their pieces along with the Indian comrades.
The last day of the Conference was devoted to the final session of the
General Assembly. Several suggestions had been received for amendments
to the draft Programme. The Co-ordination committee announced that all
the amendments received were being accepted and the new Committee to
be elected by the Assembly would be charged with the responsibility of re-
writing the Programme incorporating all the amendments. This suggestion
was accepted by the Assembly. Some of the moderators of the workshops
held the previous day then presented their reports and the others are to
submit it to the Co-ordination committee. The Assembly then elected the
new Co-ordination committee consisting of all the outgoing members and
adding one representative each from Philippines, Morocco and Poland.
The Assembly passed a Declaration summing up the Second Conference.
Regarding the venue of the next Conference, the suggestion from the dais
was that it should be held in Europe but there was a suggestion from the
delegates that a better venue would be Africa, where mining was widespread
rather than Europe where mining activity was on the downswing. As the
next conference had anyway been postponed by a year to five years later,
the venue will be decided by the end of 2018 reviewing the various proposals.
The 5 year period would also be used to improve co- ordination and to hold
regional conferences where more countries can participate. The proceedings
of the Assembly then ended with the singing of the Internationale.
The Conference was a huge succes. It was held in India at a time when
the current Central govt. is going all out to increase the loot of Indias
mineral wealth by Corporate, especially MNCs. The situation of the mining
March,, 2017 9 10
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
workers is deteriorating and contractualizaton is widespread, increasing
and the norm in employment. Safety standards have been given the go
bye. The situation is best summed up by the accident in Lalmatia mines in
Jharkhand on 29th December 2016, just weeks before this Conference. This
was an open cast mine of Eastern Coalfields Ltd. which had been outsourced
to a private company. The workers had been warning about an impending
accident since a few hours earlier as the dug out earth had started falling
into the mine, but to no avail. 28 bodies were finally recovered from the
site but it is feared that many others are still buried as there were no records
of contract employees available while several families arrived at the site
claiming that their relatives had been working there and were untraceable;
many more have been injured. Thus, holding of the Conference gave an
opportunity to the Mining workers unions in India to focus on the situation
of the workers here and on the several policies of the Govt. to allow
unfettered loot of the underground riches of the country.
As imperialism worldwide seeks to increase the loot of mineral resources
for superprofits, this Conference was also an opportunity to exchange
experiences from world over. It is quite clear that the situation is similar in
the developing and poor countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America and
that everywhere workers need to organize both for their own rights as well
as against the policies of their own governments and of imperialist loot.
The Programme passed by the Conference reflects the need for co-ordinated
struggles on these issues.
March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
2nd International Mining
Workers' Conference
B. Pradeep
By the greatest of dangers each day I am surrounded
I hang in the air by a rope or a chain, the mine may give in
I may be killed or wounded
Or perish by damp or the fire of a flame
(from the Song of a Coal Miner)
It is said that when a mine worker goes into the mine he is not certain
whether he would come out alive from the hell-hole or not. There was no
body. The belt and the battery lamp number was all that was left. That
was how Josu, wife of a mine worker identified the skeleton of her husband
three months after the flooding of the Chasnala mine in Dhanbad on 27th
December,1975 which killed 375 workers. On 5 th August, 2010, 33 mine
workers in the copper, gold mine in San Jose, Chile were trapped 2300
feet below due to a cave in and they stayed alive for 69 days before they
were rescued. We are well in the shelter, the 33 of us. That was the
message sent by the 33 miners on the 17 th day after the accident. Mine
workers, numbering around two and a half crores in the world know, too
well that to make a living they have to keep visiting the dungeons and
extract the treasures hidden deep inside the earth.
In 2013 in the city of Arequipa in Peru mining workers representing
various sectors of the mining industry in the world assembled to participate
in the first international mining conference that saw the coming together of
various miners unions to exchange experiences about their problems, lives
and struggles. The gold, platinum mines worker in South Africa, the coal
mine worker in Colombia, India, Turkey, US , Germany, the tin mine worker
in Bolivia or the copper mine worker in Chile faced very many common
issues such as the decline in the number of permanent workers and
contractualization of labour leading to a general depression in wages.
Outsourcing of the production process in the mining industry, which is
another form of contractualization, has created a labour force that far
March,, 2017 11
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
outnumbers the regular workforce. Global capital, in order to cut costs of
production, has been adopting these methods that also entail the curtailment
of normal trade union rights. Another common feature, particularly in the
coal industry, is the growth of open-cast mines and closure, reduction of
underground mines in many countries and this phenomenon has evoked
widespread protests among the miners and the local communities. Open
cast mines have not only lead to large scale displacement of the peasantry
but also have had adverse environmental impact. In fact in countries like
Colombia there have been struggles against the huge American-British
mining companies when they tried to expand the open cast mining. A
significant feature in these struggles was the unity of the mine workers
with the rural people. America, which ranks number one in terms of coal
production, and other European countries are resorting to fracking leading
to closure of underground mines and causing environmental problems.
From February 2nd to 5th, mining workers from as many as 16 countries
participated in the 2 nd International mining workers Conference that was
held in the coal belt area of Godavarikhani, Telangana. This is the first
time in the history of the country that an international conference of the
mine workers was held here and that too under global conditions in which
mining has assumed immense importance in the world economy. There
were participants from Colombia, Philippines-countries that are known to
be very dangerous for normal trade union activity and known for killings of
trade union activists. We had delegates from four continents representing
different segments of the mining industry. A draft programme for the effective
coordination of miners' struggles worldwide was discussed and finalized
apart from deliberations on various important subjects like open cast mining,
environment, outsourcing, contractisation, state of workers rights in the
Forums. On 2 nd February before the start of the conference proper, a
massive rally marched through the streets of the coal town culminating in
a public meeting.
Etienne Lantier, the protagonist in the classic novel Germinal by Emile
Zola, represents the voice of protest against the oppressive conditions in
the coal mines in northern France in the late nineteenth century. He would
often become desperate and face despair but he would stand firm in his
belief that a better world can be ushered in. The International Coordination
Group under whose auspices the 2nd International conference was held
here in Telangana, has Fight for a better future, a future worth living as its
central slogan.
12 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Fight Ag ainst The Anti-W
Against or
Anti-Wor
orkker
Policies of the NDA Go
NDA vt.
Govt.
(We are reproducing here the booklet published by
the National Committee of IFTU on the occasion of
International Miners' Conference held at Godavari
Khani from February 2 to 5, 2017)
Construction workers sitting desolate at the chowks, machines going
silent, workers without work,farmers going into further distress, old persons
falling and perishing in the long winding queues before banks and ATMs,
poor dying unable to pay cash in hospitals, production badly hit in the
country, transactions coming to a halt causing immense hardship to the
hawkers, petty traders and common people- this is the scenario post
demonetisation in the country. The Modi government, masquerading under
the faade of fighting black money and corruption, launched demonetisation
of 500,1000 notes that constitute about 85% of cash circulation, all of a
sudden on 8th November thus disrupting and paralyzing the normal lives of
the people in the country.
The propaganda that this demonetisation drive would snuff out black
money from the economy does not conform to reality as in the entire bundle
of black money it is said that only 6% is in the form of cash. To imagine
that black money exists only as paper notes hidden somewhere is nave
and narrows down the very definition of black money. From concealed
legal income to unreported assets, resources are all different categories of
black money. It is reported that black money in old notes would be around
1lakh crore and the cost of demonetisation is around 1.28lakh crore
whereas, the real pack of black monies lie somewhere in the Swiss banks,
in the businesses via Mauritius route,Panama,in the real estate sector in
the country and in the form of other assets within and outside of the country.
Black money does not exist only in 500/1000 notes and when hard earned
accountable money in the form of these notes are rendered useless the
impact on the lives of the people is terrible as is being witnessed today.
On the other hand, the demonetisation exercise itself has given rise to
March,, 2017 13
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
the new flourishing commission business that helps the rich to convert
the old, demonetised notes into the new legal tender, thereby adding to
the black money. With the situation being grave, workers in many places
are either being forced to accept old notes (where in they have to pay for
the commission) or go jobless apart from not receiving the wages for the
work they have already performed.
While the RBI stated that 90% of the total transactions in the country
are cash transactions, the Modi government now talks of cashless
transactions as means to develop the economy. The government changed
its narrative from the surgical strike of black money to cashless economy,
as its initial claims of benefits fell flat in a matter of three weeks and the
plight of the people at large continues unabated. In an economic structure
that is marked by low income unorganized sector, by lack of access to
financial services and nominal existence of banks in the rural areas, the
talk of driving the country towards a cashless economy is fraught with
dangers that threaten the lives of common people and their livelihoods. To
talk of leapfrogging in to a cashless economy where only 17% people
have smart phones, 73% people do not have access to internet, the
financial, digital literacy is low and with an infrastructure that is present
only in its absence, is nothing but an attempt to fool the people.
In the economy of the country we have something called nonperforming
assets, NPA and the PSU banks account for 90% of these due to bad
lending and the government writes off such debts taken by big businesses
and the industries. The government has clearly shown its class character
and its real motive behind the exercise when it wrote off the debts of big
business to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees (Vijay Mallya being
one of them) immediately after the announcement of demonetisation. It
has become a routine ploy of the RSS-BJP to brand any opposition to its
policies as anti-national. Recently, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra
declared that those opposing the moves of Modi government in the so-
called fight against black money and corruption are anti-national. Such
threats under the faade of nationalism cannot stifle the voices of resistance
against the burdens pushed on to the shoulders of the working class through
demonetisation.
On 2nd September, 2016 workers and employees all over the country
went on a one day general strike on the charter of demands that constituted
the basis for the general strike on the same day in 2015, except for a slight
14 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
change in the minimum wage demand. In the strike the minimum wage
demand was Rs18000 instead of Rs.15000 put forward in the general strike
in 2015. The rest of the charter remained the same that included containing
price rise, implementation of labour laws, social security cover for all
workers, ending employment of contract labour in jobs that are of a perennial
nature, employment generation, withdraw the proposals to change labour
laws, withdraw proposal to allow FDI in Railways and in other strategic
industries. Since the last strike in 2015 the government at the Centre did
not respond to the demands positively while at the same time moving in a
direction that stands contrary to the demands. There can be no two opinions
in regard to the just nature of the demands and the government has no
reasonable basis to not concede these demands. After all the demands
are manifestations of the policies now being pursued by the NDA government
and have their roots in the unjust socio-economic structure prevalent in the
country. While the Modi government is making claims of economic growth
under the label of Make in India, the actual reality is that the economy is
facing stagnation. The RBI talks of a slump in the economy, of slow down
in the emerging economies .
Come, make in India, I appeal to the worldsell anywhere in the world
but manufacture here..-this was what the Prime Minister of the country
stated on August 15th,2014 making an appeal to the capitalists of the
world to make investments here and for that there will be no hindrances
and if any, they will be done away with, like the existing labour laws in the
country. The scenario of the fastest growing economy in the world is such
that only 10% of the rural households have salaried jobs and the main
source of livelihood for more than half of rural households is manual casual
labour. Compare the acche din promised by Modi to the statement by the
IMF, that says the Gini index (a measure of inequality) in the '90s was 45
but rose to 51 in the last decade in the country. It is this same agency that
prescribed the reforms package during the Congress-led UPA in '91 the
implementation of which has lead to more inequality. Credit Suisse, the
Swiss bank, states that the top 10% in the country own 76.30% of the
wealth and the richest 1% own 53% of the countrys wealth. This means
that the economic policies being pursued by the rulers over the years,
particularly from the nineties onwards and now being implemented
aggressively by the NDA dispensation has lead to the present state of
affairs in the country. The economic reforms' policies are tailored to meet
the needs of imperialisr capital rather than the needs of the working class
March,, 2017 15
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
and other poorer classes and sections of society.
Contractualization, Labour Law Amendments:Means to Bring
Labour Flexibility
An important agenda of the economic reforms policy,dictated as they
were by the IMF-World Bank, was to bring about what they called labour
market flexibility that was to be realized by replacing permanent labour
with contract labour that was much cheaper and easy to be shunted out at
will and by effecting changes in the labour laws as a means of achieving
this flexibility. Twelve years ago the World Bank came out with a document
titled Country Strategy for India, dated September 15,2004 that stated thus:
Labour Market Flexibility: Restrictions on hiring and firing of workers by
medium and large firms are one of the greatest challenges of doing business
in India. Employment in India's registered firms(those with more than 100
employees) is highly protected. Any registered firm wishing to retrench
labour can only do so with the permission of the state government which is
rarely granted. It goes on to state Further the use of contract labour is
restricted to temporary activities by the existing Contract Labour Act. How
well the World Bank speaks on behalf of capital, in favour of doing easy
business without legal hassles. But the fact is that even without any
legislation or changes in the existing labour laws, such a labour flexibility
does exist to an extent as seen in the innumerable cases of
closure,retrenchment, lay-off despite the laws. And despite the existence
of the Contract Labour Act with whatever little protections it has for contract
labour, over the years there has been not only a steady growth in the number
of contract labour replacing regular workers, but they are employed in works
of a perennial nature. This is true in both the public and private sectors.
In tune with what the World Bank has been advocating, the dominant
discourse in the country over the years has been the arguments in favour
of ushering in labour market flexibility. In order to attain this flexibility
restrictive laws need to be changed as they are supposed to be impeding
growth and investments in the country.The BJP-led government has already
made and is making attempts to bring in changes in the labour laws. Two
years ago in 2014 on 31 July, the Rajasthan Assembly passed amendments
to the Factories Act, Industrial Disputes Act, The Contract Labour R&A
Act and Apprentices Act. The Chief Minister there promised that she would
convene a meeting of the trade unions before the introduction of the bills in
16 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
the Assembly which never happened and the bills were passed in the
Assembly. Similarly the Union government has been able to get the
amendments to Apprentices Act and amendments exempting managements
from the Labour Law that envisages managements should furnish records
and returns. The Contract Labour (R&A) Act is sought to be amended in a
way that frees the principal employer from any violations of the law. At
present factories,establishments employing twenty or more workers, are
covered by the Act and now the government intends to reduce the coverage
of this Act only to those units that employ 50 or more workers. Employment
of contract labour in industrial and service sectors has increased manifold
since the introduction of the economic reforms policies. A drastic reduction
in the employment of regular workforce has taken place and the situation
today is such that contract labour outnumber regular workers. Privatisation
has also lead to the increase in the number of temporary labour.Privatisation
and contractisation go hand in hand. This does not in any way mean that
this process of replacement of permanent workers with contract workers is
not in vogue in the PSUs. Even here a dominant percent of the workforce
is contract labour. This labour is one form of cheap labour which can easily
be removed at will. In order to cut costs of production, wages are depressed
and for this purpose employment of temporary labour or contract labour is
one means. Amendments relating to the Factories Act, Labour Code on
Wages, Labour Code on Industrial Relations are still pending before the
Parliament. In essence, the changes and proposed changes would place a
large number of workers outside the pale of labour laws thus depriving
them of whatever little benefits and rights accrue to them. Secondly they
take away the hard won rights of the workers and thirdly they strengthen
the hands of the employers in resorting to closures,lay-offs and
retrenchments. Freedom to hire and fire workers at will has been the demand
of capital and the NDA government is moving in that direction. Since it
faces problems in getting these changes to labour laws passed in the Rajya
Sabha, another route is being taken for the purpose and that is through the
state governments. The Prime Minister's office has sent circulars to the
Chief Secretaries of all states directing them to follow Rajasthan in bringing
these anti-worker changes. In January this year, the Central Labour
Secretary issued executive orders giving exemption to Start-Up companies
from nine labour laws. Changes are being made in the Shops and
Establishments Act to give free hand to businesses to run their units 24x7.
Foreign Capital and Development:
March,, 2017 17
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Modi's Ease of Doing Business means lending unfettered rights to
capital and undermining the rights of the workers. These are acche
din,good days for the world of capital and for desi corporates. But while
Modi makes the Make in India as the centre piece of economic policy, the
outgoing Governor of RBI, Rajan, sings a different tune in the context of
ruling class responses to the economic slump in the country. He warns
There is a danger when we discuss Make in India, of assuming it means a
focus on manufacturing, an attempt to follow the export-led growth path
that China followedif external demand growth is likely to be muted, we
have to produce for the internal market. An ardent advocate of globalization
that he is, he now talks of production for the internal market for the growth
of the economy. When Modi chants manufacture here, sell anywhere in
the world he is once again reiterating the model of export-led growth.
Globalise more and more and all economic ills will be no more- this seems
to be the mantra of rulers. But this was what was followed in the last two
decades. One of the main ingredients of this globalization is opening up of
our economy to all and sundry imports which also means opening all sectors
of the economy to foreign investments. Foreign capital is so dear to the
rulers that they will do whatever is needed to attract it. They will bow down
to the hard conditionalities of foreign investors, cut down corporate income
tax and place the abundant resources,land and minerals in their service.
This is the reality today in the country, when every sector of the economy
has been prised open to foreign capital- from retail trade,insurance,
telecommunication to railways and defense. Attracting FDI has become
the principal task of the Modi government and it has lifted the earlier caps.
In 2001 the ceiling on FDI in Defense was 26% but now this cap is removed
and even 100% in this strategic sector of the economy is allowed. Today,
the US is the largest source of arms imports over Russia. The crucial
Railways is also opened to foreign private capital and the government has
taken the decision to allow 100% FDI in railways. The loco works which
are under the state are now being handed over to foreign companies. The
US based GE and Alstom of France have entered this section of the
railways. The Debroy Committee on railways recommended reforms in the
railways to attract foreign capital and the same is happening today.
When Make in India becomes the main pillar of economic policy, it
becomes very obvious that our economy is being more and more tied to
the wheels of global capital. This leads to more and more dependence on
foreign capital that is bad for the countrys economy. Despite the long
18 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
experience that the country has had with such policies that really never
delivered the promised fruits, the obsession that the economy of the country
can grow only with foreign investments is still strong in the development
strategies of the rulers. In 2005, the then Congress-led government brought
in the SEZ Act though the the NDA government first introduced the
programme in 2000. These zones were exclusive export oriented clusters,
deemed as territories outside the country where labour laws would not
reach. The SEZ mantra was supposed to have generated employment,
augment manufacturing and attract foreign capital et al. In 2014 the CAG
found that only 7 jobs were created out of the promised hundred, a shortfall
of 80 percent in exports. Everyone knows today that it is the class of
promoters that benefited the most in this project of SEZs, enjoying subsidies
and tax holidays. Who benefits from this project of Make in India is too
obvious.
Divestment, Privatization:
An important element in the economic reforms package is privatization
that also goes under the label of disinvestment in PSUs. We had seen how
this process of handing over public assets to private capital went on in the
last two and a half decades. It was initially propagated that those
government undertakings running in losses would be privatized but that
was a lie since even huge profit making units were sold off for a pittance to
private players. Privatisation or disinvestment of PSUs in the country did
not depend on the loss or profit account of the PSU. The neo-liberal
philosophy was that the state should not have anything to do with economic
activity which is the domain entirely belonging to the market. The World
Bank sponsored economic reforms in the country drove the economy in
this direction and the present NDA dispensation continues to follow this
line. We have now a triple P, which in essence is another form of
privatization. Restructuring, corporatisation of government enterprises have
ultimately lead to privatization. Divestment in profit making PSUs like
ONGC,BHEL,IOC has already taken shape and the coal industry in the
country is facing the danger of reverting back to pre-'70s,that is, before
the nationalization. The NDA government has already brought in the Coal
Mines(Special Provision)Ordinance that seeks to open up the industry further
to the corporate sector not only for captive use for power, steel but also for
direct sale of coal hitherto restricted to the PSUs.
March,, 2017 19
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Price Rise, Minimum Wages:
The NDA government makes proclamations to the effect that it is taking
measures to contain price rise while the ground reality is that prices of
essentials have been on the rise mainly because of the failure of the
government to strengthen the distribution and procurement system and
control the speculative market. Over the years,as a measure of neo-liberal
reforms, Public Distribution System has been systematically weakened
and with the introduction of Targeted PDS in 1997 the intervention of the
government in foodgrains market also got weakened. Huge stocks of food
grains at the disposal of the government was seen as a threat to the big
and multinational traders and therefore their demand was to do away with
public procurement and distribution. This led to sharper, higher price
fluctuations in retail price affecting both the consumer and the peasant. As
long as speculative trade flourishes in essentials, price rise cannot be
controlled and the government needs to move in that direction but it is not.
In a country where over 92% of the workforce is in the unorganized sectors
of the economy, the reach of statutory or legal rights is always in question.
Minimum wages, social security, rights of this vast pool of workers are by
and large denied and most of the welfare legislations are not implemented.
There are those who subsist on a daily wage of Rs. 20-60. Even for the
majority in the organized sector a reasonable minimum wage does not exist.
Our Union Labour Minister doles out a daily minimum wage of Rs. 273 and
if we take into consideration the criteria set out by the Supreme Court, this
wage is too paltry. On the one hand we witness the denial of a reasonable
wage to the vast majority of workers in the country and on the other social
security to the masses is a mirage despite the tall proclamations of the
government. The government affords subsidies to the corporate but when
it comes to the issue of pensions and other forms of social security to the
workers it does not lend any financial help. In a situation in which the
government plans to divert the pension funds to the market putting to risk
the post retirement source of livelihood, aiding the needy seems to be a far
cry. It is important to remember how the government in the last six months
tried to attack thrice the employees' PF but had to retreat in the face of
opposition and in particular in the face of the struggle of the women garment
workers of Bengaluru.
The working class in the country needs to put up a united fight against
20 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
the anti-worker policies of the government. In the backdrop in which the
party in power, its parent body and its affiliates are guilty of divisive politics,
of fomenting communal violence, of whipping up pseudo-nationalism and
thereby diverting the actual struggle of the workers and other oppressed
classes and sections of society on the basic issues confronting them, it is
all the more necessary that the unity of workers as a class is not threatened.
These forces are trying to dictate as to what workers should eat and what
not and if they do not like you eating something you like they can cause
physical harm.Akhlaq's lynching in Dadri was an example of this brutality.
And now in Una in the Prime Minister's Gujarat, Dalits were targets of their
violence and that goes in the name of cow protection. Rationalists are
gunned down by these fanatics for holding views that do not conform to
their views. Universities are attacked because in their eyes, they say these
have become centres of casteists, anti-nationals and extremists. They
are trying to bully those who do not toe their line. This is a dangerous trend
that seeks to disturb the unity of the working class and therefore needs to
be resisted. It is on the strength of the unity of workers as a class that the
struggle to ameliorate the conditions of life can move forward. These forces
do not want this to happen and therefore serve the interests of those who
are responsible for the present state of the working class.
Let us march hand in hand saying aloud that our unity as a class cannot
be broken and on the strength of that unity, defeat the anti-worker policies
of the rulers.
March,, 2017 21
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
ELECTION SCENARIO IN
PUNJAB and CPI (ML) ND
S.S. Mahil
Electioneering in Punjab is in top gear. The contest in most of the seats
seems to be triangular. Akali BJP alliance has been in power for the last
ten years. It is facing peoples anger for its misrule and misdeeds. Their
ten years' rule has proved to be a mafia rule. Badal clan has used state and
private muscle power to push small transporters out of business and has
established a near monopoly in transport. They have bent all rules to benefit
their transport business and push the state transport into red. They have
established monopoly in cable business and using this stopped the telecasts
of channels critical of them. Bikram Singh Majithia, the brother-in-law of
Sukhbir Badal, is known as the king of drug mafia and sand mafia. They
have patronized and encouraged goonda gangs endangering the lives and
property of people and safety of women. They have unleashed brutal
repression on peoples struggle especially on dalits, peasants and
unemployed. Peasants suicides have increased and the govt. has remained
totally unconcerned. Now they are facing peoples wrath, black flag
demonstrations and opposition to their poll campaign. They have lost even
their traditional vote base. Akali presence in Assembly will be reduced to a
large extent. BJP being the alliance partner, is facing peoples wrath for
misdeeds of coalition govt. but demonetization has added fuel to the fire.
So it may hardly retain any seat.
The main competition seems to be between Congress and AAP. AAP
had a situation in which it could sweep the elections one and half years
back but the way Kejriwal and his close associates have run the party has
considerably damaged its image. He is running his party as a company of
which he is CEO and a clique around him is the Board of directors and the
rest are unpaid employees. Whosoever has some independence of mind
has been pushed out of the party. There is a long line from its group leader
in Parliament and half of MPs, State convener, Chairman of Disciplinary
Committee, majority of Zone conveners and many more who have been
pushed out of the party. Only yes men are allowed. In this situation a mob
22 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
of power hungry and unscrupulous people have thronged and overwhelmed
this party resulting in weakening of a wave for it. For example, it has put up
a candidate from Nawan Shahr who is the son of many time Congress MLA
and Minister, Dilbag Singh. His name is Charanjit Channi. After the death
of his father he was denied ticket by the Congress. Ticket was rather given
to his mother but he contested as an independent candidate and got elected
to the Assembly. Immediately he joined Congress. He contested Lok Sabha
election from Hoshiarpur on a Congress ticket. But next time he did not get
a ticket from Congress and he joined BSP and was defeated. He joined
AAP just four days before he was declared candidate from Nawan Shahr.
People say he made the declaration to join only after the deal was clinched.
Almost half of the candidates put up by AAP have recently joined it from
Akali Dal or Congress. Many of its leaders have accused Sanjay Singh
and Durgesh Pathak of making crores of money by selling tickets. This
destroyed its image of crusader against corruption and fighter for a clean
system.
Three types of people are supporting AAP. A tiny minority which is still
under the illusion that this party is still working for revolution, stands for
swaraj and with its coming to power in Punjab, will bring a clean system.
Second is a section of people who think that AAP in power may or may not
make any difference but it is worth giving it a chance. The third section,
the largest one, thinks whatever may be the performance of AAP but it is
the only party which can rid Punjab from oppressive and goonda rule of
Akalis and corrupt Congress. This feeling is going in the interest of Aam
Aadmi Party. Beneath the surface a strong current is that as an alternative
to Congress and Akali Dal, AAP be given a chance. This current seems to
be building into a strong wave which may sweep AAP to power.
Another factor which is going in favour of AAP is the support of Punjabis
settled abroad. There is a general impression abroad that Sikhs in Punjab
are being discriminated against and oppressed by the rulers in Punjab and
also that Khalistan movement was a movement for Sikhs. It is rooted in
their diasporic consciousness, longing for motherland and alienation resulting
from it. That is why there is a wider influence of Khalistan ideology though
there is no such movement in Punjab. Desecration of Guru Granth Sahib,
the holy book of Sikhs, during Badal government and Akali Dals alliance
with BJP which is the political face of RSS, is considered as treachery
with Sikhs. Congress is more hated because of Sikh genocide in Delhi
in1984 and operation Blue Star. So in this situation they think that only
March,, 2017 23
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
AAP can replace these parties. They are sending a lot of money, persuading
their relatives in India to vote for AAP and are also coming to Punjab for
campaigning. This is also going to be an important factor in favour of AAP.
Congress had uninterrupted rule in Punjab till 1967 when a joint front of
non Congress parties of right and left came together to replace Congress
rule. But Congress did not allow this government to run for long, destabilized
it by organizing defections and came to power again in 1972 and remained
in saddle till 1977. It lost power in 1977 but regained power in 1980. Except
for a brief period, it ruled Punjab till 1997 either directly or through President's
rule when AkaliBJP government led by Prakash Singh Badal came to
power. Congress regained power in 2002 but since 2007 it is out of power.
Power for Congress is as water for fish. Congress was in a position to
come to power in the year 2012, but Captain Amrinder Singh, who was
leading the Congress at that time, because of his royal behaviour and
because of over dependence on anti-incumbency factor, did not take
dissidence and rebellion seriously. A long period of ten years out of power
has seriously eroded its vote base. Earlier Bahujan Samaj Party had taken
away a share of its traditional vote bank i.e. scheduled castes and backward
castes. Presence of a strong BSP was greatly helpful for Akali Dal. Though
BSPs influence is considerably weakened but Congress being out of power
for a long period, the pro-Congress groups in villages have broken. High
handed tactics of Sukhbir has also contributed to it. Despite all these factors,
peoples anger against Akali-BJP could have compensated the base loss
due to above factors but now AAP has come to share the benefit of anti
incumbency factor and Congress is trying hard to overcome this factor.
Congress has hired the service of Prashant Kishor, so called expert election
strategist. It is trying to handle dissidence and rebellion more seriously
with partial success. It has changed a number of candidates and changed
the constituencies of some candidates to cool down rebellion, but did not
succeed fully specially in Doaba region and Pathankot district. Congress
is not able to cash in on the antiAkali feelings among Sikhs because of
desecration of holy Guru Granth Sahib. This is because of anti-Sikh violence
in Delhi and other places out of Punjab in which more than four thousands
Sikhs were butchered and many burnt alive after the murder of Indira Gandhi
in 1984 and Operation Blue Star in which the highest religious places of
Sikhs, Golden Temple and Akal Takht, were badly damaged and hundreds
of Sikh pilgrims who had gathered there to celebrate the martyrdom day of
fifth Guru, Arjun Dev, were arrested. Many innocents were killed apart from
24 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Bhindrawale and his associates. These two events left deep scars in the
Sikh psyche which cannot be erased easily in the near future. Congress is
always in the dock for these anti Sikh tragic events. Handicapped by these
factors, Congress is trying hard to compete with AAP which is seen as an
alternative to both Akalis and Congress.
Communists are not seen as in a position to form government but are
also contesting elections. CPI (M-L) ND has put up candidates on ten seats
mostly in Doaba (5 seats) and Majha (3 seats) and only 2 seats in Malwa
i.e. Moga and Jagraon. On the rest of seats it has given a call for NOTA
and a campaign is being conducted for it. It had earlier issued a booklet
along with two other organizations explaining the issues of the people in
the coming election. It has issued a four page leaflet detailing the peoples
issues for which the Party has been fighting and will build a movement and
which are necessary for transformation of peoples lives. It has also exposed
the character of ruling class parties including its left wing. CPI, CPM and
RMPI (Pasla group) have put up 46 candidates and are contesting in the
name of left front. Earlier it was a four parties' front, as Liberation was
also part of it. But dispute arose on two seats in Mansa district between
CPI and Liberation , both claiming Mansa and Budhlada seats. CPI conceded
one of the two seats but Liberation remained stubborn and insisted on
having both. So verbose talk of left unity evaporated into thin air. Liberation
is supporting AAP where it is not contesting. Its leaders are actively
campaigning in Gurdaspur on a seat where CPI (M-L)ND and CPI are
contesting. Almost a month back CPI state Secretary, Hardev Arshi and
Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal had met at a social function and had a
closed door meeting without anyone else being present. The meeting had
lasted for more than half an hour. This is no secret, had appeared in the
press and neither of the sides had denied it. So talk is going on that in that
meeting an agreement was reached that CPI will put up a large number of
candidates on seats indicated by Sukhbir Badal for a definite amount of
money. People say that the whole of the 'left' front is part of the deal. This
deal is said to be aimed at dividing the votes opposed to the ruling alliance.
Some incidents indicate that there is a grain of truth in it. In Nawan Shahar
CPM has put up a candidate who is from a traditional Congress family
since long residing out of area at Hoshiarpur. He is a wholesale contractor
of wine which is a serious thing when drugs and wine are major poll issues.
He is in no way linked to CPM in the past and had never been even a
primary member of the party. His only qualification is that he is a big liquor
March,, 2017 25
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
contractor and has enough money. Whether the ticket is sold like by Kejriwal
or agreement with Sukhbir Badal is being implemented or both, is a question
being discussed these days. On three seats in Majha and three seats in
Doaba this so called left front is facing CPI (M-L)ND .
Those who left AAP have formed two different outfits. One is Apna
Punjab Party formed and led by Sucha Singh Chhotepur which seems to
be his personal outfit as no known face is visible in this party. Second is
Punjab Front led by Dr. Dharmvir Gandhi, member of parliament from AAP
and Prof. Manjit Singh of Punjab University Chandigarh. Both these outfits
try to pose the question of outsider leadership i.e. Kejriwal, Sanjay, Durgesh
etc. though Dr. Gandhi is trying to put it in a little logical way, trying to
occupy the stance of Akali Dal that interests of Punjab can be saved only
in a federal system. Both these outfits have come together to form an
electoral front. They aim to harm the prospects of Aam Admi Party but it
seems that this front will have little impact. They are nowhere in the
competition.
Bahujan Samaj Party is also in the fray. This party, after coming into
existence, has harmed Congress in elections as Congress had a poll base
among Dalits and Dalits largely shifted towards BSP after its advent. It
has a core vote among dalits but it has been progressively losing it either
to Congress or to Akalis. Akalis ,who have virtually no base among Dalits,
have acquired some with schemes like Aata Daal scheme and Shagun
Scheme . There is also an impression that BSP takes money from Akalis
to divide Dalit votes, traditional vote base of Congress, and uses this money
in UP elections. Except on one seat, Philaur (Jalandhar), it nowhere seems
to be in the competition.
ELECTIONEERING AND BASIC ISSUES OF THE PEOPLE
None of the ruling class parties and revisionist parties are raising the
real and basic issues of the people, rather are dependent upon mud-slinging
on each other. Akali Dal-BJP combine is mainly propagating development
during ten years of their rule and grants it distributed. Opposition parties
are raising the issues of drug menace, high-handedness of Akalis and police
during last ten years and sand, cable and transport etc. But they are not
offering any solutions to these issues. Rather they are promising the moon
in their manifestoes. Only CPI (ML) ND is raising the basic and burning
issues of people and offering a correct and scientific solution of these
26 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
issues.
CPI (M-L) ND is the only party which is raising the issue of land. It
stands for lowering of land ceiling to ten acres from seventeen acres in
view of the development of agriculture and increased productivity, its strict
implementation by plugging all the loop-holes in the law and distributing
surplus land to landless and poor peasants, Nazool land be given to landless
and poor peasants by removing illegal occupation of rich and landlords.
Tillers who are cultivating the government land and endowment land be
given ownership rights. Dalits share in Panchayat land i.e. one third, be
permanently transferred to them and they be given grants for cultivating it
and rest of the Panchayat land be reserved for poor and small peasants on
rent and rent be reduced to affordable limit.
Second main issue is the agrarian crisis, as Punjab is an agrarian state
and is facing serious crisis with two /three peasant suicides daily recorded
in the press. Party stands for solution of this crisis. For that all debts of
peasants having up to ten acres of land be remitted, interest on crop loan
be reduced to 4% per annum and a provision be made for special interest
free loans for social needs like marriage and other such occasions. Minimum
support price for all crops shall be announced before the sowing of that
crop and all crops be purchased by the government at not less than minimum
support price announced. CMP must be remunerative and must ensure
some profit. Imperialist model of agriculture, misnamed green revolution,
is at the roots of present agrarian crisis, hence a sustainable and alternative
agricultural model needs to be developed. This is necessary not only for
the solution of agrarian crisis but also because the present imperialist model
has devastated the climate. Soil, water and air are badly polluted resulting
in deadly diseases like cancer and hepatitis. Depletion of water table has
resulted in a serious water crisis looming large over Punjab. Damage to the
soil health and depleted water is the main reason for the increasing input
costs causing agrarian crisis. For an alternative model, Party has put
forward some points. It includes that whole Punjab shall be divided into
agro-climatic zones, special crops for each and every zone shall be identified,
research centres for those crops be set up in those zones for advanced
seeds and technology. All such crops be covered by MSP and their
government purchase shall be guaranteed at remunerative prices.
Processing units for those crops shall be set up in the area concerned.
This can provide a basis for an alternative and sustainable model of
agriculture.
March,, 2017 27
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Small and poor peasants are the starta which are most hit by agrarian
crisis, hence Party proposes some special measures for these sections. It
includes that reconsolidation of land be undertaken in Punjab and the land
of this section of peasantry be consolidated on one side of the village and
government shall arrange free water for irrigation of their land. Peasants in
Punjab are largely dependent on ground water and with water table going
too far down, it is not possible for poor small peasants to afford submersible
pump sets without which water cannot be drawn. So it is pertinent to assure
that water for irrigation will be provided free of cost by government. Secondly
agriculture service centres be set up in every village, from where small
poor peasants can get all agricultural implements on nominal rent. These
centres shall be exclusively for this section and rich peasants and landlords
shall be debarred from using these implements, middle peasants may rent
these implements whenever those are vacant, priority shall be for small
poor peasants. They shall have exclusive right to rent Panchayat land. At
least one family member of these peasants shall get a government job
according to qualification.
Rural labourers are the most oppressed section of the rural population.
Use of capitalist methods in agriculture i.e. mechanization, has resulted in
loss of work opportunities in agrarian sector which has affected labourers
most. MGNREGS which is said to be initiated with the declared motive of
providing jobs to this section, has become a den of corruption for
sarpanches who are generally landlords and rural rich and government
officials. This has failed to achieve the declared object of the project. Though
hundred days work in a year is promised in the Act but that is only on the
paper. Party demands full employment throughout the year, need based
wage and unemployment allowance equal to wage in case of not getting
work. Opening of PDS depots in labourers colonies which shall remain
open for all the days of the month and all essential commodities be supplied
at half the rate are needed. They shall be given ten marla land as a
residential plot for each family and grant for building the house. They shall
be given a space to dispose off their trash. Fodder (green and dry) depot
shall be opened in the villages.
Drug menace is very much propagated by opposition parties as the
names of one Akali minister and some other Akali leaders have appeared
as patronizing the drug trade and opposition want to take political mileage
out of it, but the truth is that an ex DG of police submitted a list of people
28 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
involved in drug trade to the government and it includes the names of both
main parties, Congress and Akali Dal. But drug menace is not only a problem
in itself. It has many aspects. It is closely linked to the unemployment of
educated youth. Privatization of education has resulted in mushrooming of
educational institutes especially professional institutes, producing a large
number of professionals. But in a crisis ridden agrarian economy jobs are
a rare commodity. Educated youth are facing large scale unemployment.
This youth finds no future and finds itself in a dark alley. Frustrated youth
is going into the dark alley of drug addiction. With this ready market for
drugs, traders have come in a big way. An alliance of drug smugglers,
police officers and politicians patronizes and provides security to them.
Politicians belonging to both main parties in the belt bordering Pakistan
are involved in drug trade. As youth have a natural penchant for militancy,
in the absence of very strong progressive and democratic youth movement,
youth form groups and militancy is misdirected toward gangsterism.
Politicians protect those gangs and utilize those for their political and
business interests. This phenomenon of gangs poses a serious threat to
the democratic movement and they often come into clash with this
movement. This whole problem has to be taken in totality not its single
aspect of drug menace. Unemployment of educated youth is at the root.
Industrialization in the state is the key to solve this problem but the state
has some disadvantages for this. Punjab has no mines and is far from
ports. Additional disadvantage is that it is a border state and has seen two
major wars with Pakistan. This is a factor scaring private investment. But
CPI (M-L)ND has put forward a programme for industrialization of the state.
Agro industry and industry producing agricultural inputs is most suitable
for Punjab. State government had built agro industry, mainly in co-operative
sector- cotton ginning, spinning and weaving mills in cotton belt, oil mills
from cotton seeds, sugar mills and milk plant etc. But almost all cotton
mills are closed now. More than half of the sugar mills are also closed and
the rest are running much below their capacity. Most of the milk plants are
seriously in the red. Why has this happened? Because those could not
compete with giants of food, cotton and other industry. So for the
development of agro-industry the pre-condition is that capital of foreign
sharks and the Indian compradors be confiscated to assure protected
market and easy reach to the resources for agro-industry. This will assure
a safe market and the confiscated capital can be a good resource.
Party stands for imposing a ban on lock-outs and lay-offs, fixing a limit
March,, 2017 29
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
for profit for national capital, will make strict and pro-workers labor laws
and ensure their strict implementation, will provide a decent and need based
minimum wage and full neutralization of price movement. All the contract
and casual workers will be regularized and contract system will be abolished
altogether. All these measures are to be implemented in unorganized sector
too.
All the private schools, college campuses, universities and hospitals
shall be made public property and brought under government control. Private
passenger transport shall be nationalized. Free, progressive, democratic
and quality education shall be ensured. Advanced, safe and quality treatment
shall be made available free of cost. Passenger friendly, relaxed and secure
travel will be the right of people and state will be committed to provide that.
Foreign capital in media, information and broadcasting sector will be
confiscated and banned for future. All private channels will be brought under
strict supervision. A special law will be enacted, in which provision will be
there for hard punishment for those writing, singing and filming vulgar songs
and other vulgar programmes. Imperialist and feudal culture will be opposed
and democratic progressive culture shall be promoted.
Punjab shall have exclusive right over the water of Punjab's rivers,
being a riparian state. SatlujYamuna link canal will not be allowed and
land acquired for it will be returned to the owners. Water given to other
states shall be looked into and water being used by industry and beyond
the original project shall be stopped. Control of headworks in Punjab is
with the Centre and this will be given to Punjab.
State functioning shall be democratized. People shall be given the right
of recall of all elected representatives at all levels. Judiciary, bureaucracy
and police force shall be made responsible to the people. People shall
have the right to audit the accounts and supervise the decisions of all
these institutions. Judges and civil officers shall not be appointed but shall
be elected by the people from the eligible candidates and people shall
have the right to recall in their case also. Violation of democratic rights of
the people shall be a non-bailable offence and liable for harsh punishment.
Caste is a major issue of the Indian society. Caste has its roots in the
structure and is spread in super- structure. Communist movement has to
properly deal with this issue for advancing. We stand and fight for the
30 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
share in means of production for dalits, especially the land. An ideological
campaign against caste system is always necessary. Inter- caste marriages
shall be encouraged by providing economic incentives. Social security and
life security shall be provided to the couples having inter caste marriages.
Dalit Christians shall be provided with all rights available to other Dalits.
Reservation for Dalits shall be continued and backlog will be filled.
Equal wage for equal work shall be ensured for the women. Women
shall have the right in the property of their parents as well as in the property
of their in-laws. Female foeticide shall be made an offence of murder and
be punished under section 302 of Indian penal code. Punishment for rape
shall be rigorous imprisonment for twenty years and onus of proof shall be
on the culprit. Hearing of rape cases shall be in-camera and on fast track
basis. Security of women at public places, work places and in homes shall
be ensured.
Punjabi speaking areas in adjacent states of Punjab shall be merged
with Punjab including its capital, Chandigarh, Punjabi Language Act shall
be strictly implemented. Whole work of govt. and judiciary shall be conducted
in Punjabi language and any violation of this be punished strictly. Technical
and science education in Punjabi at all levels shall be ensured. Sufficient
funds will be provided to Punjabi university and language department and
other institutions of Punjabi.
On the basis of this political programme the Party is fighting this political
struggle. But whosoever comes to power there is going to be no basic
change or even worthwhile change in the life of the people and they will
have to continue struggle against whichever party is voted to power.
March,, 2017 31
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Issues Before the People of UP in
Vidhan Sabha Elections 2017
Ashish Mital
UP elections are taking place at a time when the RSS - BJP are seeking
to revive their sinking electoral performance since the 2014 success. They
failed miserably in Delhi and Bihar, have little hope in Punjab and face stiff
opposition in Gujarat where elections are next due.
Meanwhile, for the people the hope of acche din arriving has faded
fast, the reality about sinking job market and inflation is glaring, the
consumer market is failing to pick up and there is a multi pronged policy
attack by the govt. on small earners, small producers and peasants. The
people have been largely dissatisfied, but the election process reflects
ability of the ruling classes, old and new parties, the media owned by big
business and the election machinery to infuse some public interest in them.
Existing parties have kicked aside the main issues of the people and have
brought into focus non issues which find echo in the speeches delivered
by leaders. Mainly for this reason this election has failed to evoke much
interest amongst the people during the campaign and the voters have
remained largely silent. Left confused about which party stands by them
and what they should logically expect from the system, the people are
bound to sink back to their lowest common dividing factor - the caste/
community/ communal divide to decide their vote. Even though the
percentage of votes cast is seeing a rise by 4 to 5%, the elections in most
seats see no discernable trend.
These elections were preceded by a venomous campaign by RSS and
BJP focusing on the holy cow to target the Muslims and Dalits. It was
temporarily stalled by the beating up of Dalits in Una, Gujarat. That led to
a widespread dalit arousal and lead on to rekindling of the demand of Dalits
being given their share in agricultural land. It had some ripples in positions
taken by the BSP and Congress, both contenders in UP elections. Both of
them blamed Modi and BJP for being anti Dalit, Mayawati being more vocal,
but she too was careful not to articulate the demand of Gujarat Dalits for
32 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
land rights. A massive, successful movement on the question of Dalit rights
on land is on in South Malwa region of Punjab and she has been a contender
in those elections also, but there too she has not voiced any support either
for that movement or for the demand.
Mayawati targeted the BJP for discriminating against Dalit students as
evidenced in the Rohit Vemulla case and the RSS/ BJP for being opposed
to reservation, but has failed to articulate the more basic demand for
subsidizing higher education, opposing privatization, ensuring govt. provision
of higher education and improving govt. services and jobs which alone can
safeguard employment and reservations. She is conscious that the private
sector which her party serves is opposed to welfare of the down trodden.
She too, like the others, supports privatization in all spheres of development
even though it undermines reservation completely.
With incidents of upper caste violence against Dalits and women,
including those by politically powerful persons, continuing and all party
leaders having had their fair share in such incidents, the issue finds mention
here and there, but has not been brought into focus by any party, least of
all by Ms. Mayawati.
Violence against Muslims and communal polarization has been the
predominant and most widespread issue of socio political mobilization prior
to these elections. In all the incidents of communal attacks complicity and
tacit support by officials of the state machinery has been stark. While
parliamentary secular parties have condemned the BJP, none of them
has raised the question of govt. machinerys role. Even those like the BSP
who blame the SP govt. for Muzaffarnagar, do not highlight that this govt.
has failed to even identify the communal elements in the administration
and not a single official has been prosecuted for these carnages and massive
uprooting of Muslims.
While the SP-Congress dispensation hopes to gain from Muslim fear of
RSS coming to power, the BSP too has played on this fear and has given
tickets to 104 Muslims to rally the Muslim support. Hindutwa forces target
mainly Muslims who are 19% of UPs population and Dalits who are 22%.
If both these communities were to be organized by any major political force
in struggle against communal elements, for their self defense and against
communal role by officials and political leaders, it will virtually become
impossible for Hindutwa to create communal disturbance. Forces like the
March,, 2017 33
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
SP-Congress and the BSP rally these sections for electoral benefits, but
not in struggle, even on the issue of communalism. For them too, communal
attacks serve to secure their vote banks.
As far as the BJP is concerned, despite claiming to work on development
agenda, it has kept the Hindutwa agenda as main in various ways. Its
communally aggressive leaders and RSS continue to condemn Muslims,
link them to terrorism, raise the Pakistan bogey, attack minority
appeasement, etc. They harp on cow slaughter and raise the issue of
constructing Ram temple. PM Modi exposed his communal thinking further
when he found it necessary to link the questions of electricity supply during
festivals and graveyards to unequal religious treatment. Amit Shah was
more crude and he targeted opposition parties calling them Kasab. No
moment has been missed by them to rally their basic Upper Caste Chauvinist
Hindutwa support base.
77% of Uttar Pradesh lives in rural areas and more than 60% of its
workforce is directly involved in agriculture. Though the distress of
agriculture had evoked a very low decibel response from major political
parties, it is a reflection of the peasants anger that major parties have
been forced to speak up. Seeking votes in West UP where the Jat peasantry
had rallied behind it during 2013 riots and in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP
had to come out with the promise of immediate payment of cane dues
within 14 days of forming the govt and a promise of loan waiver for poor
farmers. Cane arrears were Rs 9700 crores in 2015 March end. SAP of
sugar cane is Rs 305 per quintal while peasantry sells in the local market
at a rate of Rs 250/q. On these issues even the opposition did not point out
that for past 3 years the Central govt. has been giving interest free loans to
sugar mills for paying farmers, but without linking it to clearance of farmers
cane dues in time. Nor did the SP and BSP point out that waiving of farmers
loans is a issue directly under the Central Govt. The RBI has to issue
instructions, the issue is in the Centre's domain and formation of UP govt.
has little to do with this promise. Instead of pointing out BJPs false position
on the issue, the SP and Congress, having come out with their own
manifestoes which did not mention this issue, adopted the same promise
of loan waiver in their joint Common Minimum Program. Their lack of
seriousness towards peasants is obvious. On these and several such issues,
the BSP says little, as is its practice.
34 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Major issues of the peasantry today are of reduction in land ceiling,
land pattas and house sites for the poor, reining in the landlord and feudal
goonda mafias' violence and oppression, rights to the poor of mining of
minor minerals, reduction of input costs including that of diesel, seeds,
insecticides, etc, restoration of water bodies and provision of irrigation,
ensuring profitable purchase price of crops, making farming profitable. They
have all been ignored. BJP promised Fasal Bima for the poor. Modi lamented
that while Chattisgarh and Gujarat have more than 50% insurance cover,
UP has only around 14%. He refused to bring out the fact that Gujarat
farmers are protesting diversion of their irrigation water to industry and
failure of crops, especially after demonetization. Gujarat too has seen
farmers suicides due to losses in commercial crop farming and the
insurance has failed to save them. He little understands that help to farmers
to sustain the country needs a comprehensive pro farmer govt. policy and
not commercial insurance.
UP has 80% irrigated cropped area whle Bundelkhand suffers with only
40% being irrigated. UP has 17% of Indias population, 13% of its gross
cropped area, 7.4% of area. Food grain acreage is much lower than average.
Agri GDP growth is lower than even Bihar. Food grain procurement is very
low. Chattisgarh, MP show growth only on strength of good procurement
structures.
The other major issue was demonitizations impact on small traders,
small producers and farmers. These form the bulk of Indias working
population. All of them were adversely affected leading to massive losses
to peasants and closure of several industries. Combined with promotion of
cashless trade and imposition of GST it is bound to ruin small producers
and traders. Yet it did not practically become an election issue as the
Opposition played faithful to this pro corporate policy initiative. The
Congress, SP and BSP called it a good decision only badly implemented
and appealed for votes. But they neither condemned the move, nor promised
any move to ameliorate the suffering of the small producers/ traders.
They have all promised development. The BJP, SP, BSP, Congress,
all promise highways, Smart cities, River Water Fronts meaning concrete
embankments on rivers, Metro Rail, Shopping Malls. That these will ruin
farming which sustains livelihood of people is the most important aspect.
It will uproot villages and provide cheap land and real estate wealth to the
March,, 2017 35
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
builders, corporate and other rich sections but that does not worry them.
The counter task, that of saving agriculture, making their work profitable
through changes in policy, granting pattas to the poor, building modern
villages with technologically advanced facilities for civic life, education,
computer schools, hospitals, free electricity through Solar panels, roads,
multi storied rural residences, development of several related industries in
each village, animal husbandry centres, etc has remained ignored. It is the
only way to raise adequate employment in India.
Having left out major issues of the people there has been a hype in
name calling and allegations against one another. These included Bhartiye
Jumla Party, Behenji Sampatti Party, Mann ki Baat versus Kaam ki Baat,
advertisement of Gujarat Asses, Zuban Sambhal Kar bolo, labeling other
as Gunda Raj, Corrupt, etc. With these the parties made empty promises
of various doles to be served out and made claims of those given. These
included gas cylinder connections, lap tops distribution, Smart phones in
future, free food grains, cheap food for urban poor, air ambulance for the
poor, E Rickshaws, free electricity, jobs in lacs, skill development for self
employment, small promises for women including new reservations in jobs,
pension raises, etc.
From the debates enacted, some facts do emerge which seem to have
gripped the people. Modi was criticized for making false promises, not
delivering and then makes tall claims to divert attention. His speeches no
longer create the kind of frenzy in BJP cadre as they used to. The Centres
Security and Terrorism agenda, surgical strike claim has not swayed the
emotions of the people. The impact of Kashmir struggle continuing and
attacks on our troops, deep into our territory, is there. Though vaguely, all
of them vaguely criticize each other for unleashing a govt. controlled goonda
raj and not looking after the interests of the people.
It is clear that people want change and are unenthused with the changes
on the offer in the elections. They are however neither picking up the
peoples policy agenda for development, food and livelihood security,
freedom from oppression nor the peoples democracy agenda for
governance. They remain confined within the limits of electing a new
legislature in a farcical exercise to enable the executive to rule
undemocratically and unaccountably.
36 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Rights of Miners in India
(Justice (Retd.) Gopal Gowda inaugurated the 2nd International
Conference of Mining Workers on February 3, 2017 at Godavari Khani
(Telengana). The main parts of his address are being published here. -
Editor)
Mines means any excavation where any operation for the purpose of
searching for or obtaining minerals has been or is being carried on which
includes all borings, oil wells, all protective works being carried out in or
adjacent to a mine etc. And when it comes to define a person who is
employed in mines then according to section 2(h) of The Mines Act, 1952
"employed" in a mine who works as a manager or who works under the
appointment by the owner, agent or manager of the mine, whether for wages
or not.
Major quarries of India are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh,
Chhatisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhra
Pradesh. Almost everywhere in these states migrant and bonded labourers
are employed to carry out the works because they are a very deprived
class of people and easily they get ready to work for low wages. The people
of the mining villages receive only Rs. 70-120 per day depending upon his
skill, after 8-10 hours of work. Comparatively, the daily wage for a woman
is Rs. 45-55, and a child receives Rs. 30-40 a day. These workers dont
get any holidays, no weekly days off for these people, and no maternity
leave.
Unsafe working conditions in the mines lead to high number of accidents
and health care has been always a serious issue among the mine workers.
Lack of safety equipments, hard physical labour and presence of health
hazards in mines lead to widespread health problems. The mine worker
people are poor so they cant afford expensive medical treatment and their
isolated location and poverty deny them access to health care and the
diseases often prove fatal.
Funding will provide health and preventive care in these types of isolated
areas where the access to health care is not that easy. Patients should be
provided with diagnosis and treatment, including low-cost medication.
March,, 2017 37
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Working Groups in Mining
Women are paid less than men. This is not even half of the official
minimum wage for unskilled labour, which is 100 rupees. In quarries they
have to do separate task for women like handpicking, loading and crushing
the stones. It takes many sills but then also they are regarded as unskilled
Labourers because there is no formal upgrading of skills and there is no
recognition of these tasks. Not only they get less wage then men but they
are also sexually harassed by mine owners and contractors. Many reports
shows that Dalit and tribal women are the most exploited sects of people in
the mining sector.
Child labour in Mining
Children who are born in remote mining areas start with a big
disadvantage as they could not get any child care facilities there, and
often no schools exist in the neighborhood, mothers are only left with the
choice to take them along to their work in the quarries. In their childhood
only when they should learn how to write and speak, they learn to crush the
stones or help with loading the stones on trucks. Its not that no Government
schools exist in these types of area, schools exist but because of the very
poor quality and teacher absenteeism, these government schools cant
provide proper education to these children and they remain illiterate. These
children also dont get proper food to eat due to which majority of children
are chronically malnourished.
Cheap child labour is welcomed by the contractors and due to the poverty
and hardship child workers' families allow their children to work in mines
and quarries and its no surprise that majority of these children are working
in mines.
Reports show that many children are working in mining sector, because
of the remoteness of quarries and mines and informal character of the
sector but the response from the Indian Labour Department is complete
denial. They argue that child labour in mining and quarrying is illegal and it
is the violation of their right to education. The are often displaced migrants,
living in huts and tents and as a result they are very vulnerable for other
forms of exploitation and abuses, and they are often involved in illegal
activities by the mafia and trafficking.
38 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Dalits and Adivasi
Large scale mining projects are basically operated in tribal or adivasi
areas. What the government, politicians and big businessman or industrialist
is to take away the land from their owners and force them to migrate.
Discrimination on the basis of caste with Dalits in workplace is very common
and the get excluded from social services such as health care and training.
Also they never get the chance to be promoted as they are viewed as
unskilled labour.
Mines Act 1952
The Mines Act, 1952 contains the provision related to health, safety
and welfare of the workers working in coal, oil and metalliferous mines.
The Act defined mine as any excavation where any operation for the purpose
of searching for or obtaining minerals has been or is being carried on and
includes all borings, bore holes, oil wells and accessory crude conditioning
plants, shafts, opencast working, conveyors or aerial ropeways, planes,
machinery works, railways, tramways, sliding workshops, power stations,
etc. or any premises connected with mining operations and near or in the
mining area.
According to the provision of the Act it is the duty of the owner to
manage mines and the mining operations and health and safety in the
mines. The Act also prescribes number of working hours in the mines,
what should be the minimum wage rate and other related matters.
The Act is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment
through the Directorate General of Mines Safety. It is the Government
regulatory agency for safety in mines and oil fields. The main work of
DGMS is to reduce the risk of occupational diseases and injury to persons
employed in mines and to improve safety and health standards. For this
they do periodic inspections of mines to keep vigil over the status of safety
and investigate into accidents and complaints.
The Mine Act 1952 was amended in 1959 and 1983. Vocational training
Rules 1966 were framed under the Mines Act 1952. In this the rule provided
that refresher should get specialized training.
Constitutional Obligations
The Constitution of India has empowered the Parliament to frame laws
March,, 2017 39
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
for the safeguard for the person working in the mines and also for the
regulation of labor and safety in mines.
Article 246 Indian Constitution : Article 246 and entry 55 of the seventh
schedule of Indian constitution talks about the regulation of labour and
safety in mines and oilfields.
Article 24 : Article 24 of Indian constitution says that no child below the
age of fourteen years be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged
in any other hazardous employment.
Articel 39: Article 39(e) speaks that the state shall direct its policy
towards securing the health and strength of workers, men and women, the
tender age of children are not to be abused and that citizens are not forced
by economic necessity to enter vocations unsuited to their age and strength.
Article 42: Article 42 of Indian Constitution says that the state shall
make provisions for securing humane conditions of work and for maternity
relief.
Conclusion
In the mining industry safety is vital factor. To avoid any types of
unwanted accidents all mining industry follows some basic precaution. To
avoid loss of material and damaging of human health, protection system
as well as communication system is necessary inside the underground
mines. To increases both safety and productivity in mines, a reliable
communications must be established between workers. The workers
including women, children, dalits and adivasis come from a very backward
society and they are the most suppressed section of the society. Just
because they are poor and illiterate and came from a weaker section of the
society, they should not be deprived from their fundamental and basic rights.
They should also get aqual opportunity to be promoted, they should get the
wages prescribed by law. They also have the right to get holidays, maternity
leave and safety measures. The laws should be implemented more
effectively to uplift these people.
Role of Judiciary in implementing Rights of Workers.
The judiciary has always had the burden of being the counter-majoritarian
institution and coming to the rescue of those whose voices are often ignored
40 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
and neglected. This is perhaps most true for the interpretation and
implementation of the rights of the workers.
The inimitable Justive V.R. Krishna Iyer has held in the case of KCP
Employees Association v. <amage,emtpf KCP Ltd. (AIR 1978 SC 474)
Industrial law, interpreted and applied in the perspective of Class IV of
the Constitution, the benefit of reasonable doubt on law and facts, if there
be such doubt, should go to the weaker section-labour.
And in Indian Express News Papers Pvt. Ltd. V. Indian Express
New Papers Employees Union it was held that.
industrial jurisprudence is not static, rigid or textually cold but dynamic,
burgeoning and warm with life. It answers in emphatic negative to the biblical
interrogation. The Industrial Tribunal of India in the areas unoccupied by
precise block letter law, go by the constitutional mandate of social justice
in the claims of the little people."
It is perhaps in continuation of the same philosophy that in the case of
Bangalore Water Supply, a seven judge bench of the Supreme Court
gave an expansive interpretation to the term industry. It was held that an
industry need not necessarily be a business or commercial enterprise
running with a profit motive. A triple test was envisaged, being: systematic
activity, organized by cooperation between the employer and the employee,
for the production and or distribution of goods and servies calculated to
satisfy human wants and wishes.
However, the same is now subject of review by a nine judge bench of
the Supreme Court as some subsequent hunches have felt that the decision
in Bangalore Water Supply is worker oriented and is unfair to the
employers.
The judiciary has also sprung to the rescue of bonded labours, temporary
and badli workers who were being employeed by the employers
circumventing the provisions of the labour laws meant for their benefit.
Cases such as Bandhua Mukti Morcha and Asiad games cases are true
examples of this.
The law is also well settled that workers are entitled to full back wages
and consequential monetary benefits in case their termination is not in
March,, 2017 41
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
consonance with the provisions of the IC Act.
The one aspect where the judiciary has failed the workers is that they
have declared all strikes as illegal in the case of T.K. Rangarajan vs.
State of Tamil Nadu. (2003) 6 SSC 581) This is completely out of tune
with the developments in the west where it has been held that strike is a
healthy way in which the workers can express their grievances against the
employers, who are not yielding to their legitimate demands. In the case of
Dharm Dutt v. Union of India, even the right of collective bargaining was
taken away from the workers. While the right to protest is a fundamental
right under Article 19 of the Constitution, the right to strike was just
envisaged to be a statutory right under the ID Act. This is inspite of the
decision in the case of B.R. Singh v. Union of India which observed:
The right to form association or unions is a fundamental right under
Article 19 (1) of the Constitution. Section 8 of the Trade Unions Act
provides for registration of a trade union if all the requirements of the said
enactment are fulfilled. The right to form associations and unions and provide
for their registration was recognized obviously for conferring certain rights
of trade unions. The necessity to form unions is obviously for voicing the
demands and grievances of labour. Trade unionists act as mouthpieces of
labour. The strength of a trade union depends on its membership. Therefore,
trade unions with sufficient membership strength are able to bargain more
effectively; reduced if it is not permitted to demonstrate. ... Strike in a
given situation is only a form of demonstration. There are different modes
of demonstrations, e.g., go-slow, sit-in, work-to-rule, absenteeism, etc.,
and strike is one such mode of demonstration by workers for their right.
The right to demonstrate and, therefore, the right to strike is an important
weapon in the arrnoury of the workers. This right has been recognized by
almost all democratic countries. Though not raised to the high pedestal of
a fundamental right, it is recognized as a mode of redress for resolving the
grievances of workers".
The Supreme Court has indeed come a long way in protecting the rightsof
the workers, however, there are still some key aspects which require
reconsideration. The term industry has been given an expansive
interpretation and the same has stood the test of times for the past forty
years. It has helped numerous workers secure their rights. The same should
not be watered down by a larger bench now.
42 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Final Declaration of the 2 International nd
Miners' Conference, Godavari Khani,
India, 2nd to 5th of February 2017
The 2nd international Miners Conference has come to a conclusion
successfully. This time it took place in Godavari Khani, India, with about
5000 participants and with 38 delegates of the miners movement from 16
countries. Delegates of 8 of the countries could not be present due to
various reasons either because their governments prevented them or
because their visas have been denied by Indian embassies; others were
unable to take leave from their job. About 60 countries took part in the
preparation process.
In India, the National Prepatory Committee, consisting of 10
organizations, made huge efforts, generated great power and unity of
workers. They mobilized thousands of workers and their families, as well
as the masses to realize a great campaign of propaganda and collection of
resources in order to support the international movement of mine workers.
Today, the international coordination of miners has established 150
contacts with trade unions and other organizations all over the world. In 60
countries already the miners have expressed their wish to be a part of this
process.
With a public manifestation of the masses in the city of Godavari Khani,
between flags, songs and slogans in various languages, we demonstrated
the immense capacity that the workers movement wields. Without the
great support of mine workers and women from the coal region of Singareni
this conference would not have been possible.
In the General Assembly of delegates the practical program of the mine
workers on an international level has been adopted. It was discussed
intensively and improved by a lot of contributions. Other aspects were also
discussed relating to the construction of the international coordination of
mine workers. This is a historic movement for the organization of our struggle
on an international level.
A new International Coordination Group (ICG) was elected unanimously,
composed of 9 representatives of the miners movement of the countries
Columbia, Congo, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Peru, Philippines
and Poland.
March,, 2017 43
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
The country reports showed manifold sides of the present reality in the
countries and the current state of the miners' movement with facts and
figures and concrete examples. They showed, that the working class
movement worldwide has common enemies, similar problems and that it
urgently needs international coordination.
From the first conference in 2013, the organizations that participated in
the international coordination of the mine workers have played an important
role in their struggles in several countries. After the first steps towards an
international coordination of the struggles this has to be improved in an
organized manner.
The ICG elected in the first conference in Arequipa, Peru, submitted a
work report to the General Assembly which was approved unanimously.
The report and the discussion stated clearly that the process of international
co-ordination has started.
The financial report of the Treasurer pointed out that the work of the
ICG was financed totally by donations from the masses. The delegates
expressed their trust in the Treasurer unanimously.
10 forums organized a mutual learning process about the situation in
the different countries and there were discussions about our demands and
our cooperation. A mutual exchange of experiences over-coming the
language barriers, miners from all over the world debated passionately and
in camaraderie about all social issues and about our future fights. This
conference gave space to all participants to learn from each other.
The 2nd International Miners' Conference has achived in an exceptional
manner the integration of the national particularities in conjunction with the
internal cooperation. The 3 rd international Miners Conference is to be held
in the year 2022. Upto the 31 st of January 2019 any country can apply for
the hosting of the conference. This timeline should create the possibility to
organize regional and continental conferences.
We call out to all the miners' organizations across the world to affiliate
with the International Miners' Coordination in a reliable manner. Let us build
up regional coordinations. We are able to carry out great tasks and we
invite the mine workers from all over the world to participate.
Miners of the world unite! Miners united can never be defeated!
Godavari Khani, India, 5 of February 2017
th
44 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Amendments to CNT & SPT Acts
Assault on Land Rights of
Tribals in Jhar khand
Jharkhand
V K Patole
Mr. Raghubar Das, Chief Minister of the BJP led Jharkhand Govt., cannot
stop patting himself on the back for a supposedly greatly successful Global
Investors Summit in Ranchi on 16-17th February, 2017. The Summit had
12 Union Ministers in attendance to ensure proper projection of Modis
Make in India. It is being claimed that 210 MOUs worth Rs.310,287 crore
have been signed with Indian and foreign corporates with an employment
potential of over 2 lakh jobs. Obviously no statistics are being revealed as
to how much land will be seized from Adivasis and how many of them will
be deprived of their agricultural land, forests and livelihood.
Earlier other Chief Ministers have also made many such claims of MOUs
many of which did not materialize particularly because of strong movements
of Adivasis and other peasants resisting seizure of their lands and refusing
to sell. The Raghubar Das Govt., in order to forestall this, has made changes
in the CNT and SPT Acts to pave the way for grabbing of Adivasi lands for
corporates.
The Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act,1908 (CNT) and the Santhal Parganas
Tenancy Act,1949 (SPT- based on the Regulation III of 1872) are the basic
laws governing rights, both individual and community rights, of Adivasis in
Jharkhand on all land in the village - agricultural land, village community
land, forest land. The Acts also recognize traditional and customary rights
apart from the codified rights. These laws were not any gift from the British
rulers but were the result of armed revolts by adivasis against the seizure
of their lands and forests and their oppression and exploitation by feudal
zamindars and moneylenders loyal to the British. From Tilka Majhi to Sidhu
Kanu and others in Santhal Parganas to the revolts of the Hos, the Kols
and finally the Ulgulan led by Birsa Munda in Chhota Nagpur there were a
March,, 2017 45
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
succession of armed uprisings which compelled the British to enact these
laws and regulations.
The principle of self administration and control over their lands by Adivasis
in general in the country can be seen in the Panchayats Extension to
Scheduled Areas Act (PESA) and is also indicated in the Vth Schedule of
the Constitution.
One important aspect of the CNT and SPT Acts is that they severely
restrict and in some aspects totally prohibit transfer of Adivasi lands, the
objective being to protect against land alienation among Adivasis. The
Bihar Govt had extended the scope of these laws to include Dalits and
OBCs. The Jharkhand BJP Govt. has made significant amendments greatly
diluting the provisions so as to enable the Govt., Corporates and Land
mafia to seize land. They were first brought as Ordinances on 21 May
2016 and later the Bill was hastily pushed through the Assembly.
The basic amendment to these Acts is that the Govt. has accorded to
itself the absolute power to change the land use from agricultural to
non-agricultural, viz.- Power to regulate non agricultural use:
Notwithstanding anything contained in the Act for the time being in force,
State Government shall frame rules to regulate the non-agriculture use of
land in such geographical areas and for such uses as notified from time to
time by the State Government. and the power to expand the permissibility
for transfer of occupancy holding to include Road, Canal, Railway,
Cable, Transmission, Water Pipes and other service utility as pipelines,
schools, colleges, University, Panchayat Building, Hospital, Anganwadi or
any public purposes/project or activity which the State Government may
add. As is well known public purpose has been used by governments to
include any and every activity of Corporate. The Govt. has empowered
itself to frame Rules and issue Executive orders as required for the benefit
of Corporates.
PESA, 1996 clearly states that Panchayats and Gram Sabhas in the
Scheduled Areas are empowered with authority to prevent alienation of
land in the Scheduled Areas and to take appropriate action to restore any
unlawfully alienated land of a Scheduled Tribe. The amendments of the
Jharkhand Govt. subvert PESA and take away the constitutionally invested
authority of Gram Sabhas. Here it is worthwhile to recall that in Niyamgiri,
the Supreme Court directed that the opinion of Gram Sabhas be taken and
46 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
the Gram Sabhas of the Adivasis overwhelmingly rejected the handing
over of land to Vedanta for bauxite mining. The objectives expressed in
the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution also are to regulate the allotment
of land to members of the Scheduled Tribes in such area and to
prohibit or restrict the transfer of land by or among members of the
Scheduled Tribes in such area The Govt. of course has no compunctions
about riding roughshod over any constitutional or legal safeguards won by
the Adivasis.
Since the time of the promulgation of the Ordinances there has been
widespread opposition particularly from Adivasis. There have been many
agitations by various political forces and other democratic organizations.
Within the ruling political alliance the AJSU party has expressed its strong
opposition but remains in the Govt. Adivasi MLAs of the BJP have expressed
their reservations mutedly. In view of the groundswell of opposition in the
masses the opposition parties in the assembly with the Jharkhand Mukti
Morcha leading have called successful Jharkhand Bandh twice. A new
phenomenon emerged during these bandhs wherein important leaders down
to block level were taken into preventive detention on the eve of the Bandh
and they submitted without a murmur. They were fed well and rested
comfortably while the common adivasis faced police repression in the
streets. The Bandhs were successful but organized big demonstrations on
the streets were very few in the absence of leaders. The right to bear
traditional arms was not questioned in Jharkhand till now but after the Bandh
police raided Adivasi student hostels in Dumka and other places, beat up
students, seized their traditional bows and arrows and the administration
evicted them from the hostels. There was only mild token protest from the
side of the opposition parties.
The attitude of the ruling class parties in Jharkhand has so far been of
opposing the amendments as an electoral compulsion. This is
understandable considering that they are all in favour of luring Corporate
into Jharkhand with lands and mineral resources. Furthermore, there are
leaders in all the parliamentary parties in Jharkhand who have openly flouted
the existing provisions of these Acts and have acquired lands for
themselves illegally.
The Raghubar Das Govt. and the various wings of the BJP-RSS are
propagating about the necessity of land for development and are organizing
March,, 2017 47
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
active support for the amendments among the people who have migrated
into Jharkhand from other parts particularly Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Bengal.
The basis for this was also laid during its electoral campaign where it
propagated for a non-Adivasi Chief Minister and subsequently in its liberal
domicile policy for migrants.
One important aspect which is often not considered regarding the validity
of these amendments is that these Acts are not routine laws, but are special
laws regarding a specific community of people in a specified geographical
area and essentially represent a contract arrived at between Adivasis and
the British Govt. They have been carried over and are acknowledged in
the Constitution separately and are not subject to judicial review. Is it
democratic for legislators in the Assembly who have been elected from
other geographical areas to decide on changes in these laws? If these
amendments are so beneficial for the development of Adivasis, why does
the Raghubar Das Govt. not conduct a referendum on these amendments
in the Scheduled Areas of Jharkhand? Or at least the opinions of the Gram
Sabhas should be sought. That would be much more democratic but the
Govt. knows they will be rejected on this count.
The Adivasis of Jharkhand know from long experience that so-called
development has meant for them only displacement from their land and
livelihood, destruction of their social formations and customs and culture
and even their identity for tens of lakhs of them. They are fighting against
this fresh assault on them in the form of these amendments and will continue
to fight. All patriotic and democratic forces must come forward to join this
struggle.
48 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Union Budget 2017-18
Total Neglect of the
Concerns of the People
Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley is
devoid of any attention to the problems faced by the common people. It
showers further concessions on the MNCs and corporate and increases
economic burdens on the people. There are no measures for addressing
unemployment and the ills plaguing the major sectors of Indian economy
mainly agriculture and industries. Industrial production is stagnant and
whatever growth has been registered in agriculture is due to favourable
weather conditions. This Budget is marked by total neglect of the main
sectors- agriculture, industries, health, education and social sectors.
Mr. Jaitley has acclaimed demonetization and consequent increased
deposits in the Banks but the Govt. has used this to lower interest rates
whose main beneficiaries will be foreign and domestic corporate. There is
no waiver of the loans for peasants, agricultural labourers, small businesses
and other sections of poor people. Finance Minister has also not addressed
the question of rising NPAs of the Public Sector Banks which have reached
over 12% of their total lending. While the Govt. has commended itself on
demonetization, there was not even acknowledgement of the sufferings of
the workers, peasants and middle classes.
In this Budget and preceding it, Modi Govt. has tried to increase the tax
net and tax burden on the people. Goods & Services Tax (GST) and cashless
transactions are meant to draw increasing sections into the tax net. The
projected increase in revenue by 17% even while the growth rate is projected
by the Govt. to be between 6.75 to 7.5% is due to increasing the tax burden
on the people. The increase in indirect taxes will only increase the burden
on the people and fuel increase in the prices of essential commodities.
While Mr. Jaitley has complemented himself on low rate of inflation the
reality is that price rise of the commodities used by the common people is
much higher.
The Finance Minister has called Indians as non-tax compliant and India
March,, 2017 49
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
having one of the lowest tax/GDP ratio. This however hides the fact that
while between more than half or nearly two third of the tax collections in
developed countries are spent on social sectors, in India this expenditure
is virtually miniscule.
Govt. talks about providing employment but there are no measures for
the same in the Budget. Employment generation has been low and has
further slowed down in the recent years. Mr. Jaitley has only talked of self-
employment and not announced any measures to spur the employment.
This Swayamsewak is enamoured by the swayam and does not think it
is the Govt. responsibility to provide employment.
There is a lot of rhetoric of investment in the agriculture and rural
development but that is only an eyewash. The large increase is in the
credit flow to the agriculture while peasants are sinking deeper into debt
burden and peasants suicides owing to them are continuing. There is no
attempt to address the causes of this increasing indebtedness of peasantry,
there is no attempt to lower the prices of inputs and no announcement on
the remunerative prices of the produce. This increased flow of rural credit
will only help the landlords and other rural rich who corner these loans and
further give them to small peasants on exorbitant rates.
On the other hand, Mr. Jaitley has announced the Govt. intention of
promoting contract farming which is another name for bringing in corporate
agriculture and deprive the peasants of their land and agriculture and make
them labourers on their own land.
Mr. Jaitley has made much of his increased allocation for MGNERGS
but this again is misleading. He has allocated Rs. 48000 crores in this
Budget while Revised Estimates for the last year have put the expenditure
under this head at Rs. 47000 crores.
The increased expenditure on SCs and STs is similarly misleading as
these expenditures are made without any result to improving the lot of
these sections.
In his Budget Speech, Finance Minister has declared the Govt. intention
to carry through anti-worker changes in labour laws doing away with the
rights of workers. Modi Govt. has already announced its proposal to replace
all existing labour laws with four codes. This is yet another effort to bring in
FDI to exploit the lower wages to labour in the country. On the other hand
50 March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
there are no measures to address the crisis faced by the textile industry
which is one of the biggest employer in the country. There are no measures
for the workers employed in construction industry and other sectors of
economy which are facing stagnation or where growth rate has slowed
down.
Even the so-called emphasis on infrastructure is mainly to rope in private
investment through PPP. The Budget Speech mentioned utilization of land
assets by the infrastructure sectors like railways, airports and ports which
is in fact abdication of the responsibility of the Govt. in favour of the private
players in these fields.
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
parties is at the root of political corruption which has not been addressed in
the present Budget. The whole effort of Modi Govt. is to divert the attention
of the people from the real causes and to hide the role of big sharks.
The whole Budget exercise has been robbed of its credibility with its
larger outlays but less spending on social sectors, with jugglery of figures,
increasing of burdens on the people round the year and with announcement
of the schemes year after year with virtually no implementation.
Union Budget 2017-18 once again shows the priorities of the Modi Govt.
and how little it cares for the people.

Finance Minister has claimed an increase in FDI inflows. The whole (Issued by the Central Committe of CPI(ML)-New Democracy on
strategy of the Govt. is to depend on FDI particularly in face of declining February 1, 2017)
private investment in the country. There are a number of concessions
announced for the FDI and select corporate.
Abolition of separate budget for the railways has coincided with
abdication of responsibility towards this public carrier. Budget banks on
privatization for providing the funds for investment. In the recent years
there has been gross neglect of the maintenance including on tracks
resulting in increasing accidents and declining quality of service. The Union
Govt. has adopted totally callous approach towards these problems.
Union Budget also neglects the growing crisis of health care delivery Read and Subscribe
system in the country and health services going out of the reach of the
overwhelming majority of the people. There is no emphasis on improving CPI(ML) Or
Orgg ans
the peripheral health care centres which are crucial to affecting any
improvement. There has been announcement of increase in PG seats, the New Democracy English
same are in private institutions with their quality already doubtful. Similarly, Pratirodh Ka Swar Hindi
education too has been neglected. Mr. Jaitley has talked of increasing
autonomy of the educational institutions while every day the Govt. Voice of New Democracy Telugu
interference in their affairs is increasing. Scientific research has also been (Telengana)
neglected. Modi Govt. has cut down funding for the scientific research as
it depends more and more on foreign sources for bringing in new technology
Biplabi Ganaline Bengali
and improvements. Inquilabi Sada Rah Punjabi
Jaitley has made a mockery of addressing the question of funding of Lok Yudh Marathi
the political parties. Reduction of the permissible limit to Rs. 2000 will be
Sangrami Ekta Oriya
as meaningless as the earlier one. Nexus between corporate and ruling

March,, 2017 51 52 March, 2017

 NEW DEMOCRACY
8th March 2017
Fight Gender Discrimination!
Fight for Equality!
Gender discrimination is faced by women in India in all walks of life. In
the workplace, it begins with unequal and lesser wages for the same work
and also refusal to employ in permanent posts. The other important
manifestation is to restrict womens access to higher managerial posts.
The markedly lower number of women in the higher positions of the judiciary
despite there being a large number of women lawyers, the lesser number
of women heads of Universities, are all pointers to the restricted access
for women to the higher posts. At the other end of the spectrum, women
workers are more likely to be piece rate and informal workers in the textile
industry; one hardly finds skilled or even semi skilled workers in the
construction industry.
And so it remains in other walks of life. The female foetus is sought to
be discarded through sex determination and selective abortions. The birth
of the girl child is met with sorrow and she is discriminated against in food
and education in comparison to brothers. Where there is want, the girl child
is discriminated against in diet. The women are the last to eat in the home
and if there is not enough they will feed the family even if they have to
sleep on empty stomachs. The same holds true where sickness is
concerned. Rates of female infants dying are more in India simply because
the girl child is brought for treatment to a hospital at very late stages.
Maternal deaths are also due to poor levels of nutrition leading to anaemia
and to weak bones and also because hospital aid is denied to them. This is
the direct fallout of the patriarchal values of Indias society. The girl is
seen right from birth as the property of some other household and thus
nothing is to be invested into her development on a scale equal to the boys
of the family. The terror of having to supply her future dowry keeps parents
from being willing to spend on her education. And thus the story of the girl
is written from some mans daughter to some mans wife to some mans
mother.
8 th March is a day when working women all over the world mark their
fight for equal rights in all aspects. Women in New York marched under
March,, 2017
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
the banner of socialists in 1909 to demand the right to vote for all women in
contrast to the suffragettes who were demanding a white, propertied
womens vote. Thus that struggle itself raised the slogan not only for similar
political rights as men but also similar political rights for all women
irrespective of colour and class. Today, world over it is customary for even
Govts. to adopt this day and use it to announce hollow promises for women.
MNCs and corporate adopt it as another day of celebration in which then
can sell special gifts, perfumes, cosmetics, clothes and household goods
in the name of Womens Day. But it began as a working womens day, a
day of struggle, a day in which the working women reaffirmed that their
struggle was for all women and not sectarian; it was also for a political right
and not only restricted to economic or domestic demands.
Let us mark 8th March this year by emphasizing the same spirit. The
year gone by has especially seen discriminations of all varieties against
women of minorities and Dalit women. Let us march this Working womens
Day for the right of all women of India to equal status with men in all walks
of life. This fight, of course, is incomplete without being part of the struggle
to ensure that all men and women are socially equal.
West Champaran (Bihar)
Com. Siraj Ansari Killed
by Landlord Gang
Com. Siraj Ansari, aged about 40 years, was murdered on February 8,
2017 at about 11 PM by a landlord gang in Katia Matia village in West
Champaran district of Bihar. In this village struggle over 40 acres of land is
continuing. Out of these nearly 22 acres of land have been captured by
landless poor peasants. Com. Siraj was leading this struggle and had been
a target of landlord goondas. There have been several attacks on Com.
Siraj and other comrades. Attempts were also made to implicate him in
false cases.
Struggles for land and against landlord oppression have sharpened in
March, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
this area over last two years and
landless poor peasants are resisting
the landlord goonda violence. Many
land struggles are continuing in Sikta
and Majholia blocks of West
Champaran district.
Com. Siraj was a member of Sikta
Majholia Area Committee of CPI(ML)-
New Democracy and was working as
a full time activist of the Party. He
was also a known leader of All India
Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS). He
led the struggle over 100 acres of
land of landlord Harimadhav Shahi
of his panchayat and 32 acres of
land of Jaimangalpur State in the
neaby panchayat, Sugha
Bhawanipur. AIKMS was organizing peasants for capturing 80 acres of
land belonging to pattaholders and 150 acres of land of Jaimangalpur State.
Landlords employed criminal Indrajeet Yadav for dispossessing landless
poor peasants from the lands captured by them which led to clashes of
this gang with peasants. Murder of Com. Siraj Ansari is a continuation of
this attack by the landlords against landless poor peasants.
Over four hundred people participated in the funeral procession of Com.
Siraj held on 9th February evening.
On 23rd Feburary 2017 AIKMS held a day long Dharna at the District
Collectorate at Bettiah demanding ceiling surplus and Math lands for the
landless poor peasants. AIKMS demanded that the real culprits of Com.
Siraj's murder should be arrested immediately and false cases foisted
against leaders and activists of AIKMS should be withdrawn. Participants
were addressed by AIKMS state President Com. Rambriksh Ram and
General Secretary Com. Shambhu Singh.
CPI(ML)-New Democracy pays its homage to the martyred comrade
and vows to intensify peasant struggles against landlords and their goondas,
to resist their attacks and to mobilize the peasants in large numbers in
these struggles.
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Rohtas (Bihar) : Landlords
Torture Dalit and MBC Youth
Rohtas district in Bihar has witnessed a heinous torture of one MBC
and a Dalit youth by landlords in the village Nauvan under Dinara police
station dominated by Kurmi landlords. JD(U) MLAs were elected from this
area i.e. Dinara and Kargahar in which landlords of this community dominate.
The area has also been notorious for atrocities on landless poor peasants
and massacres e.g. Vishrampur and Akodi Gola had taken place in this
area in which landlords of this community and their political mentors had
been the perpetrators.
The two rural labourers, namely Suresh Chauhan belonging to Nonia
caste, a most backward caste and Vijay Sharma belonging to Lohar caste,
a caste included among SCs by the State Govt., worked as mason and
labourer respectively for a landlord, Ramashankar Chaudhary. When on 29
January 2017 these two asked for the money for their labour, Ramashankar
Chaudhary, his son Patali Chaudhary and his goondas accused them of
stealing the battery of their tractor. They were confined and undressed,
made completely naked and badly beaten with rods. Hot iron rods were
thrust into their private parts causing serious injuries. Their ordeal continued
for 6-7 hours in Kurmi Tola. When the mother of one of the victims of this
violence reached the place and pleaded for her son's release, she too was
manhandled and was forced to go back. When some persons belonging to
Nonia community, including the brother of Suresh Chauhan, informed the
Incharge of Dinara police station of this heinous crime, he did not even
bother to go to the spot but enquired from the village Mukhia, Ramakant
Sah. The Mukhia denied the incident and PS incharge rebuked those who
had informed him of the atrocity.
At about 4 PM, feudal goons threw the badly injured Suresh and Vijay
into a gali. People took them to the police station in a tractor and a video
recording of this atrocity was shown to the police station Incharge. Badly
injured Suresh has been admitted to a hospital in Benares. He has suffered
serious injuries due to an iron rod being thrust into his anus. Vijays left leg
has been broken and his body bears marks of branding by hot iron rods.
This attack is a clear demonstration of the kind of atrocities by feudal
landlords which are continuing against the rural poor.

March,, 2017 March, 2017