[Marxism] ML Update Vol. XII, No. 05 27 JAN - 02 FEB 2009

[CPIML Liberation <cpimllib@xxxxxxxxx>]

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ML Update

A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine

Vol.  12     No. 05       27 JAN - 02 FEB 2009

Obama Accession and the Change the World Demands
*

The US – and the world – has just witnessed Bush's exit from and Obama's
entry into the White House. The mood at Obama's inauguration – an event
replete with symbolic resonances, situating the Obama Presidency in the
history of the civil rights movement against racism in the US – indicates
the endurance of that groundswell of popular hope in the US which powered
Obama's campaign. For a US people reeling from financial crisis and the
highly unpopular Bush presidency, Obama has offered a promise of 'change'.
Obama is quite aware of this crisis of confidence – domestic as well as
global – in the hegemony of the US empire. He began his inaugural speech by
acknowledging the economy weakened by greed, the lost jobs and homes,
expensive healthcare, and schools that fail many, and tried to address the
"sapping of confidence … a nagging fear that America's decline is
inevitable." Clearly, for Obama, 'change' must mean a restoration of the
deeply damaged credibility of the US. At the same time, for the people of
the US, and much of the world too, it is clear that their hopes rest on a
more thoroughgoing definition of change – a break with the long history of
imperialist war-mongering and aggression and capitalist hubris

While wholeheartedly reiterating the immense significance of a popular
victory of an African American in a US Presidential election, and the
understandable vesting of hope in him by people bruised by two terms of the
Bush Presidency, it must be said that Obama's inaugural speech took care to
indicate more continuity than change with the policies of empire. His bland
declaration that the debate over whether the market is a force of good or
evil is irrelevant, and his reassurance that "(the market's) power to
generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched," rather than indicating
confidence, inadvertently perhaps let slip the anxieties about the
widespread doubts being raised worldwide about the character of capitalism
as a system, in the wake of the global financial crisis. He made it a point
to establish continuity with the legacy of how "earlier generations faced
down fascism and communism...with sturdy alliances and enduring
convictions." Again, this reference reveals something about the renewed
ideological challenge of communism and socialism for the US establishment.
Obama's words suggest equal opposition to both fascism and communism. But in
the second World War, it was the USSR that bore the main brunt of and played
the main role in defeating fascism. Since then the US has never hesitated in
condoning and even sponsoring fascist and dictatorial regimes to combat and
contain communist regimes. Most of the US' Cold War alliances were with
brutal dictatorships – Pinochet, Suharto, the Shah (Iran), killer regimes in
Guatemala and El Salvador – as well as with forces like the Taliban in
Afghanistan.

His offer of mutual respect and peace to the "Muslim world" carried little
conviction, coming as it did alongside a resounding silence on US approved
assault by Israel on Gaza. In an oblique reference, perhaps, to the likes of
Chavez, Obama declared that leaders who tried to blame the West for their
ills ought to remember that "your people will judge you on what you can
build, not what you destroy." To authoritarian regimes that silence dissent,
he said, "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."
No doubt Obama will be reminded by the world's people that it is the US
which has destroyed so much of what others have built – be it Allende's
Chile, Mossadegh's Iran, or the cradle of world civilisation – Iraq. It is a
neo-con apologist for the US empire who observed approvingly that "The
hidden hand of the market cannot work without the hidden fist." For the
world's people, the "change we need" can happen only if the US which has
throughout its history used its military might to "make the world safe for"
its corporations and commercial interests were to "unclench its fist" and
end the occupation of Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan.

Even as Obama echoes his immediate predecessor in his declaration that "We
will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense,"
we may recall the words of Martin Luther King Jr, who spoke 'truth to power'
four decades ago to what he called "the greatest purveyor of violence in the
world today: my own government." (April 4, 1967)

The American people have given a powerful mandate against Bush and his
policies; the US people will now see how Obama delivers. Likewise, it is now
time for the Indian people to deliver a powerful message in the coming
elections – against the blatantly pro-American course followed by the UPA
Government and its consequence: the disturbing growth of US intervention in
our internal matters and the regional affairs of South Asia.

In Indian ruling circles, there is some anxiety about Obama's pronouncements
(echoed more provocatively by the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband
on his recent visit to India) on Kashmir. While Indian rulers may be chary
of a US-brokered Kashmir solution, they are nevertheless doing all they can
to facilitate increased US presence in the region. The US' FBI has virtually
taken over the investigation into the Mumbai terror attacks; recently, it
was even audacious enough to whisk away an eyewitness – a woman from the
fishing community of the city – to the US for "interrogation"! The US has
also intensified its efforts to entangle India further in its military
misadventures. Recently the Indian Army Chief even hinted that India ought
to send troops to Afghanistan as a strategic counter to Pakistan, pointing
out that India has already been providing "soft assistance" there, but
adding that it was up to the political leadership to take such a decision.
There was no reprimand by the UPA Government for such irresponsible foreign
policy statements by the Army Chief.

The pragmatic corporate discourse which has discovered in Modi the greatest
icon of governance analyses Indo-US relations as though it was just a
business deal – outsourcing benefits, technological assistance, and American
admonition and arm-twisting of Pakistan. The economic crisis and terrorist
threat exposes the utter hollowness of this approach and the huge costs we
are paying for the mirage of perceived benefits are no longer a secret.

The time is ripe for India to say "Yes we can" to change in the grievously
harmful "strategic partnership" of the Indian ruling class with US
imperialism, and to forcefully demand a de-linking of Indian foreign and
economic policy from the grand US design.

16 January: Jan-Nayak Comrade Mahendra Singh's Martyrdom-Pledge Day

Diverse programmes with broader participation of people were held in
Jharkhand as part of the month long nation-wide Pledge campaign declared by
the Party beginning on Comrade Vinod Mishra's tenth Anniversary 18 December,
2008, and culminating on Comrade Mahendra Singh's fourth martyrdom day 16th
January, 2009. On 16th January people of Jharkhand converged in Bagodar in
massive numbers to make a pledge to achieve what their dear Comrade Mahendra
Singh laid down his life for four years ago. Thousands upon thousands of
clenched fists raised in air and red flags everywhere depicted the resolve
of the people of Jharkhand that they will be Mahendra Singhs and what was on
display was that the murderous politics of UPA-NDA has boomeranged on them.
The assembled masses took a pledge in unison to intensify the struggle and
intensify the red wave for establishing the rule of workers-peasants.

CPI(ML) General Secretary addressed this massive rally and called for
strengthening the struggle front of poor people against the rulers' united
front of loot and repression. He also called for a state-wide bandh on 19th
January to force the powers that be to stop the manipulative game and
declare fresh elections. Remembering Comrade Mahendra Singh he recalled his
life's mission to forge a fighting front of workers-peasants-tribal and
women to fight for freedom, justice, people, nation and revolution. Citing
developments inside the Parliament where anti-people and pro-rich,
pro-imperialist policies like Indo-US nuclear deal and SEZ Act have been
enacted most recently, he said that if there were leaders like Mahendra
Singh inside the Parliament they must have surely fought and resisted such
dangerous policies. He called out to all workers, peasants, tribal and youth
to come under CPI(ML)'s flag to smash the reign of lies, cheat, plunder and
repression.

At the venue an exhibition of posters based on poems penned by Comrade
Mahendra Singh was on display and this was designed and put up by cultural
organization Kala Kammune of Varanasi. Revolutionary songs were presented by
Jharkhand Jansanskriti Manch and there were many other cultural
presentations. The Gate of the venue was named in honour and memory of
martyred comrade Kameshwar Yadav. At the end a five-point resolution which
included declaration to defeat and punish the killers of Mahendra Singh who
are still in power and cancellation of all MoUs was passed by the assembled
masses. Pledge march was also organised in other places including Ranchi and
Chakradharpur.

The Jharkhand bundh called by the Party on 19th January for demanding
dissolution of the current Assembly and seeking fresh mandate saw people of
the State responding enthusiastically and making the call a success across
many towns and centres in Jharkhand. At fifty places across sixteen
districts groups of Party cadres and supporters along with general people
marched on streets asking people to observe bundh. In Giridih town, goons
owing allegiance to Congress leader Sarfaraz Ahmed severely assaulted
CPI(ML) leader Comrade Usman Ansari who was leading a march and CPI(ML)
leader Comrade Rajkumar Yadav was arrested by the police and false cases
were slapped against him. In Obra of Garhwa Dist. the Party supporters
blockading a road were lathicharged and false cases slapped against them.
Reports of bundh have come from Giridih, Birni, Jamua, Dhanwar, Deori,
Hazaribagh, Giddi, Heslong, Ramgarh, Bhurkunda, Patratu, Pochra, Bokaro,
Chas, Jainamore, Petarwar, Bermo, Nirsa, Govindpur, Sindri, Jharia, Jamtara,
Raneshwar, Shikaripara Road, Nanihat, Devghar, Koderma, Ranchi, Lohardaga,
Kisko, Barwadih, Ghaghra, Bihnupur, Latehar, Daltongunj, Chhatarpur, Panki,
Obra, Nagar Untari, Bhavnathpur and some more places. At all of these places
marches were taken out and national highways were blocked for hours. The
successful bundh has compelled other opposition parties also to demand for
fresh elections.

Pledge Campaign In Coimbatore

In Coimbatore many have been enrolled as Party members in the last one year
amidst fierce struggles. During the Pledge Campaign, healthy interaction on
the CC's Pledge call was carried out among these members. Theepori (Party
Organ in Tamil) circulation, local committee and branch formation in
residential areas have been worked out.
*

AICCTU Meetings in The Midst of Pricol Struggle:
*Ever since March 2007, a long drawn struggle of a few thousand workers is
going on in Pricol led by AICCTU. Recently, there has been a spate of
attacks on the workers in the form of huge wage reductions, dismissals etc.
The management is attempting at finding an escape route by designing a no
work-no pay formula as there is a recessionary trend in the automobile
industry. We are cautiously observing it and trying to enhance the role and
involvement of general workers to defeat management's evil designs. With
this view we organized the state council and office bearers meeting of
AICCTU on 25th and 26th of January in Perianaickenpalayam. The public
meeting which was organized on 25th was a huge one. More than 1000 workers
and 1000 general public attended the meeting and they all stood up and paid
homage to the Tamil, Palestinian, Afgan and Iraqi people who were killed
everyday by Srilankan Chauvinism, Isreali aggression and US imperialism.
This meeting with its politically offensive nature stood in refreshing
contrast to the tepid opportunist left shows.

Pricol workers who have undergone so many sufferings took upon the task of
organizing the AICCTU meetings with typical working class enthusiasm. The
office bearers meet as well as the general council dealt with the issues of
'The Capitalists Crisis and The Proletarian Response', 'Struggle Centres,
Membership and Network'.

There will be a gherao of unorganized sector welfare board offices, which
have ceased to function, in first week of February.

AISA's Delhi State Conference, Maharashtra Convention & Bihar Agitation

The All India Students' Association (AISA) held its 3rd Delhi State
Conference on 27th January, 2009, at Delhi University. 70 delegates from DU,
JNU, Jamia Milia Islamia and Indian Institute of Mass Communication attended
the Conference. Besides discussions on broadening and strengthening
students' movement in Delhi led by AISA, the actions and initiatives to make
successful AISA's nation-wide Students' Rights Campaign from 5-20 February,
2009, was also discussed. The campaign is focused around two central themes
– (1) spreading awareness among Indian students of the terrorism and
economic crises being imported from the US by the UPA Govt. and students'
response in fighting it, and (2) calling upon students to fight and end the
undeclared emergencies in the campuses while bringing democratic functioning
and order in the campuses. Among other organizational decisions, a 41 member
State Council led by Com. Sandeep Singh as President and Com. Rajan as
Secretary was elected by the delegates.

AISA's Maharashtra unit organised a State-level cadre convention in Pune on
20 January, 2009, at Sharamik Bhawan attended by 80 student activists from 5
districts of Maharashtra. The Convention was addressed by AISA's General
Secretary Com. Ravi Rai and leader of Lal Nishan Party Com. Mukta Manohar.
The student activists from different districts of Maharashtra unequivocally
condemned the violence and politics of Maharashtra Nav-nirman Sena (MNS) and
Shiv Sena and held their brand of politics responsible for rising
unemployment and extreme commercialization of education in the State that is
out of reach of common students. It is note-worthy that while MNS and Shiv
Sena have attacked non-Maharashtrians alleging them of taking up jobs which
could go to Maharashtrians, they have never dared to oppose the economic
policies and politics that is creating unemployment and commercializing
education, as their narrow and sectarian politics rests upon such a
situation. The Convention deliberated on strengthening AISA-led students'
movement in Maharashtra and the implementation of 5-20 February campaign in
the State.

The Arrah town committee of AISA led a gherao of the Senate meeting of
Kunwar Singh University on 13 January demanding students' union elections,
students' representation in the University Senate body, free education for
girl students, 180 guaranteed days of teaching and other educational and
institutional reforms. Around the issue some other students' organizations
had also organised demonstration. As AISA march was approaching the venue
the police brutally lathi-charged the students and seriously injuring four
students including AISA leader Manoj Manzil. The students irrespective of
organizational banners revolted against this barbarism and consequently two
policemen were also injured. Following day AISA organised protest march in
Arrah town and University bundh was observed on 15th January. Various
students' organizations and CPI(ML) has condemned the police action and the
attitude of University Administration.

Threats fail to Subdue Striking Employees of Bihar

The employees and teachers of Bihar State Govt. have been on strike since
7th January 2009 and till the time of going to the press the strike
continues and has completed three weeks despite threats of punitive actions
by the Nitish Govt., and far from striking employees submitting to threat
and withdrawing more and more are in-fact joining the ongoing strike.

On the eve of first day of strike, a torch-light procession was held in
Capital Patna and all district headquarters of Bihar on 6th January and the
following day witnessed a total halt of all governmental work. According to
the official report more than 90 percent employees joined the strike on very
first day. A significant section of the primary teachers and all of the
shiksha-mitras (para-teachers) stopped their work. During the fortnight
panchayat employment assistants throughout the State also went on strike.
The strike is being spearheaded by the joint front comprised of Bihar State
Non-gazetted Employees Confederation (Gope faction), Bihar Secretariat
Services Federation, Bihar State Non-gazetted Employees Confederation
(Yogendra faction) and the Bihar State Primary Teachers' Federation.

The State employees and teachers have been forced to proceed on strike due
to Nitish Govt's clumsy response to the issues of employees being voiced for
some months now. The Bihar Govt. tactic of dilly-dallying on adopting the
pay-pattern recommended by Sixth Pay Commission for Central Govt. employees,
non-regularisation of teachers-employees working on contractual and daily
wages and executing the yet-to-be executed terms of agreement arrived at
during the 43-days strike in 2004-5 were some of the issues that pressed
them into stopping work. And the strike is indeed continuing and has
received moral support from Bihar Policemen's Association. Even the Gazetted
officials of the State meanwhile have declared to go on strike from January
21. The strike's impact can be felt even in the remotest areas of the State.
The secretariat and collectorates wear a deserted look these days and Zilla
Parishad employees too have declared they are on strike. There are rallies
being held daily by the striking employees outside the Secretariat in Patna
and elsewhere.

The Bihar Govt. issued a threat on 19th January declaring "no work-no pay"
and declared disciplinary action against the striking employees, citing 1976
Bihar Govt. Manual, if they do not report for work by 21st January. This
threat has been rejected by the striking employees who have mentioned to
rather intensify their strike. CPI(ML) extended its full support to the
strike from the very beginning and its Central and State leaders have
visited the striking employees and have addressed their meetings and
rallies. Comrade Dipankar addressed the mass-meeting on 19th January and
exposed Nitish's hollow and baseless claims of development saying that when
all of the employees and teachers were on strike and even the Gazetted
officers were going on strike, who is going to drive Nitish's much touted
development agenda. He declared Party's full support to the striking
employees.

Saffron Offensive in Karnataka

The televised incident of barbaric assault on girls at a Managalore pub by
Sri Ram Sena has created a widespread rage. However, incidents of similar
barbarity are on for quite some time in Karnataka. Further emboldened by its
victory in the by-elections in 5 out of 8Assembly seats, the ruling BJP has
intensified its communal fascist onslaught. At Mangalore, a coastal district
is the nerve centre of Sangh Parivar's saffron offensive B V Seetaram,
Editor of Karavali Ale, a magazine that had been a bold voice against the
BJP Government, was arrested recently on flimsy charges and even displayed
in handcuffs. The arrest came on the heels of months of harassment, fake
cases, attacks on the magazine's office and public bonfires of copies of the
magazine.

In Mangalore, the Sangh Parivar's moral policing is not confined to a few
incidents. Groups of young people are routinely attacked on the grounds that
Hindu women are fraternising with Muslim or Christian men. A bus in which
college students were being taken on a trip was stoned on the same grounds.
A Hindu school girl visited a Muslim girl, her schoolmate; both were beaten
up and the Muslim girl's home ransacked. Sangh activists boast that mostly,
girls 'behave' if thrashed and humiliated in public, but it is more
difficult to make boys obey the 'moral code.'

Recently the office of the PUCL's Karnataka Working President D'sa was
attacked by the Bajrang Dal. The inmates of a jail in Mangalore were
attacked brutally within the jail premises by Bajrang Dal members, who were
later shifted to other jails, without being punished for their acts. In a
shocking incident, a young man Mukarram was killed by army personnel in
Bangalore city. Chased by traffic police for 'drag racing' on his bike, he
had taken refuge on the roof of a house, which turned out to be that of an
army Major. The Major's security staff heard him weeping and speaking to his
mother in Urdu on the phone – and shot him dead, claiming they assumed he
was a 'terrorist'. Meanwhile, recently, eight Hindu boys were arrested in
connection with a bomb blast in the Hubli court premises last year. Earlier
the act was attributed to SIMI and LeT by the Hubli police. The state
government's anti-terrorism campaign in schools and colleges is a euphemism
for a hate campaign conducted by Sangh outfits. The state is slowly but
surely moving towards communal fascism on the lines of Gujarat.

Red Salute to Comrade Madhukar Katre

Comrade Madhukar Katre, President of Lal Nishan Party (L), passed away on 16
of January, 2009 in a hospital in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Born in Pune on
05.02.1927, Com. Katre joined the freedom movement even as a young schoolboy
in Kolhapur. Later, he embraced Marxism-Leninism, took active part in the
freedom struggle as well as the Praja Parishad struggle against abolition of
the princely state of Kolhapur. He was jailed for 17 months for his
participation in the movement.

Later he also took leading part in the Goa Liberation struggle and also the
movement for the formation of Sanyukta Maharashtra. Later still, he led the
struggle for implementation of tenancy legislation of the Maharashtra State.
Later along with Comrade Sataram Patil, he founded the movement of
Co-operative Sugar Factory Workers in 1982. He had also been the General
Secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Sahakari Kamgar Mahasangh, from which
platform he helped organize a militant Trade Union movement of the
Co-operative Sugar Factory Workers, which created a broad rural base for the
Lal Nishan Party. He was also the founder of the organization for the much
exploited Sugarcane Cutters of the Co-operative Sugar Industry and was the
General Secretary of their State-level organization.

As a leader of Lal Nishan Party, he played a leading role in the movement of
the peasantry for relief and elimination of famine in Maharashtra as also in
organizing the Municipal Workers. He was also a front-ranking leader of the
landless labourers, and of the Maharashtra Rajya Sheti Mahamandal. He was an
inevitable part of struggles of road workers, forest workers, and other
sections of the rural working class. When there was a split in the Lal
Nishan Party, he joined the Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) in 1989, where he
eventually was elected President. In spite of health troubles he remained
active till the end of his life.

On 17 January, a massive funeral procession was held at Ahmednagar in which
a wide cross section of people from Ahmednagar District apart from Party
Leaders, paid tribute to him. He is warmly remembered by many comrades of
CPI(ML) with whom he had many comradely interactions. Liberation pays
heartfelt revolutionary tribute to Comrade Katre, and condolences to his
family as well as comrades of the LNP (L).

Tribute to Comrade Sacchida Babu

Comrade Sacchidanand Prasad, fondly known as Sacchida Babu passed away and
his home in Patna on 6 January 2009. He was 73. Since 1969-70, he had been
in touch with the Party. Defying state repression, he had used his home as a
party shelter, and during emergency, he had even been jailed under MISA for
18 months as a result. In spite of pressure to turn informer, he never gave
in and never betrayed the Party. Throughout the 70s, he worked on the front
of translation, publications, and ideological education. He encouraged his
wife and daughters to join the movement; his daughter was part of the
women's cultural group 'Chorus', which was formed with encouragement from
him and Comrade Maheshwar. As an employee in the Patna Secretariat, he
organised other employees to form a union. He played a leading role in the
anti-communal movement following the Babri Masjid demolition.
*

Red Salute to Sacchida Babu!

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, website: www.cpiml.org
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