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Sunday, July 31, 2011

BIHAR: KISAN SABHA IDENTIFIES ISSUES, TASKS AT HAND

N K Shukla


THE
Bihar State Kisan Council of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) met at Patna on July 17 and 18, with AIKS president S Ramachandran Pillai and joint secretary N K Shukla attending the meeting on behalf of the AIKS centre.

While reporting the decisions of the Central Kisan Council (CKC), S R Pillai explained the present situation in the country and the growing crisis in agrarian sector, cuts in subsidies, forcible acquisition of land at many places, and the different pending legislations such as the Seeds Bill, Food Security Bill, Land Acquisition Bill, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, Biotech Authority Bill etc. He explained how the central government has reduced the allocations or made negligible allocations for different departments and projects related to agriculture or farmers. This year, only two per cent of the total budget allocation has been earmarked for the agriculture sector, on which depend more than 60 per cent of our people for their livelihood. There have been massive cuts in subsidies for fertilisers, rural development, PDS etc. There is no attempt to increase the agricultural production and productivity, nor any attempt to provide adequate irrigation and power facilities, cheap and appropriate technology, new and modern seeds. There is no attempt either to streamline the crop insurance scheme or provide credit facilities in time. Pillai stressed that all these factors have made agriculture an unviable venture, thus forcing a large number of farmers to give up agriculture. If continued, this will create a serious danger to our food security. Already the rate of increase in food production is running below the rate of increase of population.

Hikes in fuel prices are causing a rise in the prices of all the essential commodities.

Pillai also explained how the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), signed with the European Union and other countries, will destroy our dairy and other sectors. As for grains, their minimum support price (MSP) is not being decided according to the Swaminathan formula of C2+50 per cent. All this is forcing farmers to take recourse to suicide. Foreign direct investment is now being invited in multi brands, which would put the farmers at the mercy of the multinational corporations. Forcible land acquisitions are being resorted to in various parts of India for the sake of enabling the builders, corporates and multinationals to reap super-profits, without giving to the farmers any appropriate compensation, a share in future benefits, alternative employment, settlement or rehabilitation.

In the course of his presentation, Pillai recollected the decisions of the workshop held last year for cadre of the Hindi region and urged upon the Kisan Sabha cadre in Bihar to take up the fight head-on on the burning issues facing the peasantry. He also appealed to take up the work of organisational consolidation and expansion as to take the peasant movement forward in Bihar.

State Kisan Sabha general secretary Awadhesh Kumar presented his report, detailing the situation in the state and the tasks at hand. The report self-critically noted the decline in the membership and hopeless mobilisation for Delhi March. The reason given was the four months long process of panchayat elections. The meeting noted that it was a serious weakness and promised to overcome it and increase the membership this year.

The meeting, however, noted the positive fact that we won or did better wherever there was a substantial Kisan Sabha membership and where units and tehsil committees were functioning and active.

The main discussion centred on the present agrarian situation in Bihar and the tasks for the coming months, in the light of the situation prevailing in the state and the CKC decisions.

The discussion brought out that the whole of Magadh division is reeling under a serious drought; even drinking water is difficult to find in a major part of Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Jahanabad and Arwal districts as well some adjoining districts of Munger division. Here farmers are forced to sell their cattle to slaughter houses due to lack of water and fodder.

It was noted that the districts dependent for irrigation on Son canal system (Bhojpur, Rohtas, Kaimur, Buxer and parts of Arwal, West Patna etc) have not been getting adequate water for the last three years. This year in particular, the situation has become very serious due to scanty rains. North Bihar too has not received adequate rain till now, though some areas are facing floods due to heavy rains in Nepal.

The council meeting noted the increasing number of evictions and the attacks on weaker sections after Nitish Kumar came to power.

Big discrepancies are seen in the new BPL, Antyodaya and APL lists, leaving large numbers of deserving people out and thus depriving them of subsidised ration and kerosene oil.

Maize is the main crop of the Kosi region as well as in Khagaria and Naugachia. But maize bags are rotting on the roads on a large scale, due to the lack of purchasing centres and due to a price crash.

Serious shortage of power is increasing the miseries of the farmers and other common people. The increased price of diesel has also made the irrigation by pumps a very costly affair.

Elements having links with the ruling party are using their personal interest the lands acquired for industrial development, thus creating tension in villages. This was seen in Forbesganj, where four people of the minority community, including a pregnant woman, were killed in police firing recently.

The Kisan Sabha units are intervening in the situation according to their strength. For example, they fought and thwarted the eviction drive in Bodhgaya and erected 150 new huts on government land for the dalits, minorities and landless.

The meeting decided to organise campaigns on the burning issues facing the peasantry in different districts. Militant and result oriented struggles are needed on the drinking water and fodder issues in the Magadh region, for supply of canal water in the Son region, for centres to purchase maize at the MSP in the Kosi, Khagaria and Naugachia regions, against the attempts at evictions in different districts, against large scale corruption in the MNREGA, against the bungling in the BPL and other lists, for housesites for dalits, mahadalits and landless, and for protection to the share-croppers etc.

After the campaign, demonstrations will be organised at all the district headquarters on August 25. Apart from the above mentioned issues, the questions of price rise and corruption will also be taken up.

A campaign will be conducted against the attempts which Ms Mamata government is making to reverse the land reforms in West Bengal, and also against the increasing attacks on AIKS and other Left cadres by the Trinamul-Maoist combine in the state.

On the organisational plane, , attempts will be made to organise workshops in all the major districts before the end of August in order to concretise the organisational and agitational tasks for the coming six months and one year.

Regarding the 75th anniversary of the foundation of AIKS, it was decided to organise programmes at the district and divisional levels in February 2012 and then a seminar at Patna in last week of April 2012. A committee has been formed to prepare a short history of the kisan movement in Bihar.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

TAMILNADU: CPI (M)’S MEMO ON DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

A V Balu

A delegation of the CPI (M) consisting of G Ramakrishnan, state secretary, and two members of the state secretariat of the Party, A Soundararajan, leader of the Party in the state legislative assembly and K Balakrishnan, chief whip, met the chief minister of Tamilnadu J Jayalalithaa on July 21 and presented a memorandum prepared by the Party on some key issues of development pertaining to Tamilnadu. Jayalalithaa assured the delegation that her government will carefully study the memorandum and initiate appropriate actions.

The memorandum submitted by the Party to the chief minister of Tamilnadu is a comprehensive document, though naturally not exhaustive. It was developed by the Party through a process of preparation of notes on each of the major issues, discussion on these notes and the finalisation of the document by the state secretariat. It deals with a number of key issues pertaining to the state including the following:

 The current state of the economy

 The crisis in agriculture in the state

 Industrial development

 Employment

 Issues facing the scheduled castes and tribes

 Gender Issues

 Education

 Health

 Environment

 Policies in the fields of art and culture

 Government support to science and technology

 Democratic rights of the working people

 Promotion of sports and physical culture

 Problems of the disabled

 Assistance to fisher folk

 Implementation of anti-poverty programmes

Drawing attention to the harmful and iniquitous consequences of neoliberal policies followed by the central government and the DMK government in Tamilnadu during its term in office from 2006 to 2011, the memorandum points out that the much hyped GDP growth rates of 7 to 8 per cent per annum had not made a dent on unemployment nor reduced the incidence of poverty significantly. Moreover, raging inflation was seriously hurting the lives of working people. Noting that the annual rate of growth of NSDP in Tamilnadu during the DMK regime was lower at 6 per cent than the national rate, the memorandum highlighted the fact that agriculture in the state was in a crisis. There was in fact a decline in the real value of output from agriculture and allied activities between 2005-06 and 2009-10. Despite tall talk of attracting industrial investments and promoting growth, the DMK period in power saw an industrial growth rate of only 6 per cent and an even lower 4.2 per cent in manufacturing. Infrastructure suffered, with electricity, gas and water recording a deep and disastrous decline in levels of output. The agrarian and rural economic crisis led to mass migration to urban areas in search of employment. Most migrants are engaged in jobs paying very low wages and offering no social security or legal entitlements of any kind.

PRIORITY TO AGRICULTURE

Against the background of agricultural stagnation, increasing unemployment and rapid inflation engendered by the policies of the UPA at the centre and the DMK government in the state, the memorandum put forward specific suggestions for the revival of the agrarian economy and for providing some relief to the people from the consequences of neoliberal policies. It proposed that the agricultural sector needed immediate attention and top priority. The government should substantially increase investment in agriculture and infrastructure related to it. Improvement of soil quality is a priority. To this end, bio fertilisers and organic farming methods may be encouraged, along with ensuring availability of chemical fertilisers with balanced nutrient composition. Irrigation should be expanded, paying particular attention to the maintenance of tanks and local farm ponds. Agricultural extension services should be revived and strengthened, cooperative credit provision enhanced, and timely procurement of farm produce at remunerative prices ensured. There must be a serious effort to identify all government waste land for distribution to the landless as well as strict implementation of land ceiling laws. Loopholes in existing legislations pertaining to land ceilings may be identified and plugged through a new law that would have as its main objective the distribution of land to the landless. Marketing and storage facilities for farm produce should be strengthened. The memorandum demanded minimum procurement prices of Rs 1500 per quintal of paddy and Rs 3000 per ton of sugarcane. Farmers should get uninterrupted power supply.

Sanctioning of new electrical connections for farm operations was an urgent need. Modernisation of transformers and the supply and transmission infrastructure for delivery of electric power to farms should receive priority. The memorandum stressed that all pro-farmer measures should especially benefit the small and marginal farmers. It proposed the enactment of a new law to regulate land use, so as to protect farmers and agricultural land from the real estate mafia. The problems faced by tenants of temple lands should be addressed. Out of 2.5 million poor persons who had applied for patta for the land where they are in possession for a long time, very few have been given patta. This process needs to be quickened, up-scaled and completed in a time-bound manner.

The problems faced by agricultural labourers need urgent attention. Comprehensive land reforms are needed to provide them with land. House site pattas have to be provided to all of them. The MNREGS needs to be implemented effectively, ensuring 100 days of employment and minimum daily wages of at least Rs 119 as announced by the government of India.

INDUSTRIAL POLICIES

On industry, the memorandum demands that a comprehensive white paper on all the MoUs signed between the DMK government and various corporate entities in the five years of DMK rule, bringing out the costs and benefits, employment created, tax revenue foregone, district wise distribution of investments and other important aspects, should be prepared by the government and placed for discussion in the legislative assembly and among the wider public.

A comprehensive statement of industrial policy may be drafted by the government and placed in public domain for wide discussion. Such a policy should prioritise employment, environmental protection and industrial development throughout the state. Particular attention and encouragement must be provided to micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSME) and their problems addressed. Priority to MSMEs in government procurement, setting up of industrial estates in rural areas, provision of space at reasonable rates for MSMEs in the SIPCOT industrial estates and uninterrupted power supply to tiny and small units are some of the immediate measures recommended in the memorandum.

WORKERS’ DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS

The memorandum, while welcoming both public and private investment that would lead to employment generation and industrial growth, emphasised that the protection of the democratic and trade union rights of workers and ensuring their welfare were very important. Guaranteeing the right of workers to from unions, legislation to make progressive changes in the provisions relating to recognition of unions, making sure that MNCs and other corporate entities in SEZs obey the laws of the land, time scale of pay for a wide range of workers and employees in government currently receiving consolidated pay, effective functioning of welfare boards for unorganised workers and right to engage in various forms of protest and democratic action in the city of Chennai and in other large cities were some of the demands put forward in the memorandum.

ON EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENT

The memorandum noted that education was a basic human right and that the state had the obligation to ensure education for all. This can only be done by increased public investment in education by way of provision of quality infrastructure and large expansion in the number of state-run educational institutions from primary to higher education. The private sector in education has to be strongly socially regulated to ensure quality of education and reasonable fees and other conditions of education. The memorandum made a number of specific recommendations in this regard, pertaining to infrastructure, student-teacher ratios, democratic rights of students, scholarships and hostel facilities for SC, ST and OBC students. It demanded strict social regulation of private schools and colleges and an end to the daylight robbery in the name of special and other fees and capitation charges that private educational managements at all levels of education indulge in. It called upon the government to oppose the slew of bills on higher education being brought forward by the UPA II government-such as the Foreign Institutions Regulation Bill-all of which not only commercialise higher education and open it up to unscrupulous foreign players but intrude seriously into the domain of state governments. It demanded that higher education should be taken out of the concurrent list and brought back to the state list.

The memorandum demanded the filling up of two lakh job vacancies in the state government and the implementation of an Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme. It made concrete suggestions on how to increase employment opportunities including the rapid implementation of the Sethusamudram project.

ON HEALTH POLICIES

Although the state of Tamilnadu has relatively better health indicators-such as infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, institutional deliveries-compared to many other states, it is a long way behind neighbouring Kerala. The state is also undergoing a health transition where non- communicable diseases have become important in the disease profile. The memorandum stressed the need to address these issues, taking advantage of some provisions of the NRHM. It also demanded that the recent centralisation of immunisation to the PHC level be reversed and the task entrusted to the health sub centre to ensure easy access to the rural poor. It welcomed the state government’s decision to scrap the earlier health insurance scheme that privileged a private insurance company and demanded that the scheme be entrusted to a public sector company dealing with health insurance. It also called upon the government to prioritise preventive health, fill up the vacancies of health personnel such as health inspectors, start a medical college in every district and strengthen the Tamilnadu Medical Services Corporation.

GENDER ISSUES

The memorandum drew attention to the decline in child sex ratios in some districts of the state between 2001 and 2011 as seen from the provisional figures of the 2011 census. It sought the strictest enforcement of the laws against sex selection practices indulged in by many doctors and so-called ‘genetic counseling’ centres. It also put forward specific demand pertaining to the issue of violence against women, wage discrimination, gender budgeting, regulation of microfinance institutions and sexual harassment.

ISSUES FACING SCS & STS

Pointing out that, despite the laws of the land, dalits continue to face various forms of discrimination including the horrendous practice of untouchability in Tamilnadu, the memorandum called upon the government to sensitise all revenue and police officials in this regard. It wanted the government to ensure an end to discrimination in all forms against dalits through stern and uncompromising action, including strict implementation of PCR Act. All democratic and civil rights of dalits should be ensured through appropriate state action. Panchami lands, assigned to dalits during colonial rule, should be restored to them. The reservation for the Arundhathiyars, a social group belonging to the scheduled castes, in education and employment, won after a militant struggle by Arundhathiyar orgnisations and CPI(M), must be effectively implemented, and the reservation proportion increased in accordance with their share in the SC population.

The tribal forests right act (TFRA) remains largely unimplemented in the state. The memorandum sought the implementation of TFRA and simplification of procedures for the issuance of community certificates to identified tribal groups.

ON ENVIRONMENT

Highlighting the importance of environmental protection, the memorandum called for legislation to ban throw away plastics with thickness below 50 microns. It called for district level ‘state of the environment’ reports to be prepared. It demanded strict implementation of the laws and rules in respect of Municipal Solid Wastes Management, including segregation at source. The memorandum highlighted the need for strict implementation of the coastal zone regulations, promotion of ‘green tourism’ and priority to mass transport systems to reduce atmospheric pollution and conserve energy. It called for proper conduct of public hearings on new projects.

OTHER ASPECTS

The memorandum also took up issues pertaining to the disabled, the problems of livelihood of fisher folk, greater decentralisation and empowerment of elected local bodies, issues of sports and physical culture and so on. It made specific recommendations in respect of each of these domains. The memorandum also elaborated the Party’s views on policies pertaining to the fields of art and culture and on science and technology.

NORMS OF TRANSPARENCY & DEMOCRACY

Having thus put forward the Party’s proposals on both the immediate problems of livelihood facing the working people of Tamilnadu and the economic and social development of the state in the long run, the memorandum concluded with an appeal to the AIADMK government to function in a transparent and democratic manner and implement economic and social programmes that will make the government worthy of people’s trust.

The Party will take up the issues set out in the memorandum in the coming weeks and months and campaign among the people to present the Party’s proposals on some important issues facing the state.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

WEST BENGAL SOLIDARITY FUND: MAHARASHTRA CONTRIBUTES RS 6.58 LAKH AS FIRST INSTALMENT

IN the state level party class of the CPIM) Maharashtra, held in Mumbai on July 24, 2011, a sum of Rs 6,57,952 was handed over to as the West Bengal Solidarity Fund through Sitaram Yechury, a member of the CPI (M) Polit Bureau. To this fund, this was the first instalment of the contribution made by the party and the mass organisations in Maharashtra.

An enthusiastic on-the-spot collection was made from the 393 participants of the state party class, who comprised the state and district committee members of the party as well as whole-timers of the party and the mass organisations led by it. The idea was that the party leadership itself should directly contribute to the West Bengal Solidarity Fund. This on-the-spot collection came to Rs 28,652.

The party and mass organisations are continuing their fund collection campaign among the people and it is expected that the Rs 10 lakh mark will be crossed by the end of August 2011. The CPI (M) state committee has insisted that every district where the party exists in Maharashtra must contribute its mite to this solidarity fund.

Some of the major contributions handed over to Sitaram Yechury on the day were as follows:

1. CPI (M) Maharashtra State Committee Rs 1, 00,000

2. CPI (M) Transport District Committee Rs 1, 50,000

3. CPI (M) Solapur District Committee Rs 1, 05,000

4. CPI (M)/CITU/AIKS Thane District Committees (Rs 25,000 each) Rs 75,000

5. CPI (M)/CITU/AIKS Nashik District Committees (Rs 25,000 each) Rs 75,000

6. CPI (M) Mumbai District Committee Rs 50,000

7. Spot Collection from CPI (M)’s state party class participants Rs 28,652

8. CITU Raigad District Committee Rs 25,000

9. CPI (M) Raigad District Committee Rs 16,300

10. CPI (M) Nandurbar-Dhule District Committee Rs 11,000

11. CPI (M) Nanded District Committee Rs 8,000

12. CPI (M) Kolhapur District Committee Rs 5,000

13. Comrade Saghir Ahmed Khan, Mumbai Rs 5,000

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

PARTY SCHOOLS IN CHINA: AN EXPERIENCE

Sridip Bhattacharya


A delegation of the CPI (M) visited
China from July 4-14, this year. A report of this visit has already been published in the last issue of the People’s Democracy. During this visit, we were taken to two provincial level Party schools there. The experience of these two Party schools is of immense importance for our Party.

JIANXI PROVINCIAL PARTY SCHOOL

This school is situated in Nanchang, capital of the province. Our delegation had the opportunity of visiting the school and discuss with the leadership of the Party school for a couple of hours. Earlier in Nanchang, there were two schools. One was Cadre Institute; the other was an Administrative Institute. Now the two schools have been merged into one - Provincial Party School. It is having two campuses with a total area of 15.5 hectares of land. This merger took place in 2001. Cadre training at three levels is conducted here. They are provincial, city and county level. Under the Jianxi province, there are eleven cities and the Party schools of all these cities come under this provincial school. Party schools are also there in hundred counties. There are specific administrative structures for Party school. There are professors, associate professors for it. 19 reference divisions and 11 research divisions are there. 432 permanent staff are there in the school. 317 retired personnel are associated with it. Even Ph Ds are conferred by this Party school.


Cadres are trained here in rotation. For advanced cadres, there is training at three levels.

1) Cadres from different departments.

2) Cadres from county level.

3) Cadres from village and county level.

The duration of the school is generally between one - two months. One thousand cadres are trained in each year. This Party school also holds classes for youth and middle aged cadres at county level, for civil servants at county and division level. Such classes are of two-four months duration. Short term training courses are also there. Marxism-Leninism is a subject in this Party school with a special emphasis on its application in the concrete conditions of China. Text book education and practical application, both are given special importance. Tremendous development in the field of knowledge is taking place. Latest developments in the sphere of knowledge are being given special importance in the Party school. Scientific teaching method is followed here. A remarkable thing is that 30-40 per cent of participants are women. This school has got a library and a very strong research section.

CHONGQING PARTY SCHOOL

We had the privilege of visiting Chongqing Municipal Party school. It is directly under Chongqing Municipal Party Committee. Its area is 20 hectares. Enough classrooms are there for 2500 students. Every year nearly 5000 students come out of this school. This school has 31 research organisations and a huge infrastructure of 350 teachers, 39 professors, 55 vice professors. Chongqing Party school is highly reputed throughout china. It is awarded as the best school by the CPC Central Committee in the year 2011.

The role this party school is playing in party building was explained to us. At present the school is running a three year course where, how to live, to work and to live with peasants are of foremost importance. Students are taught here how to help poor farmers.


Public servants are also trained here for at least one month. The school tries to motivate public servants to work for and with poor and general people. Students at Party school have to pay 25 yuan for only accommodation. Here they are imbibed with the idea of facing and solving people's problems. Subjects are taught to help the students in moving forward. Newly recruited and promoted public servants are trained for at least one month. Also, they have to live with farmers and masses. It is part of the curriculum.

The three characteristics of the Party school that stand out are its support to poor masses, focussing on basic demands and focussing on all round development of human beings. As reported by comrades who are in charge of
Chongqing Party school, it is working with a motto of developing true Party spirit among the cadres. This school is running according to the requirements of Communist Party of China and the nation. Poorest of the villages are selected for Party classes. Cadres are to live, work and eat with farmers there. Theory and practice are given balanced weightage in the Party school. In 2009, special programmes for training Party members in rural branches were undertaken. The theme was, ‘Way to livelihood and development’.

The Party school tries to make the cadres understand the grassroots in a better way, prepare development proposals for villages and do some good for village and villagers. It is an undying fact that Party school has contributed a lot in changing the work style. In Party school, cadres are inspired to follow the examples created by the red army. Here, care is taken so that cadres lead their lives according to the principles of communism. It is the experience that cadres who come out of the Party school are becoming qualitatively developed. It is an achievement of the Party school that more and more people have been made familiar with the ideology of communism.


Communist Party of
China is not oblivious of the fact that it is leading China towards socialism. They strongly believe that Marxism-Leninism is not a dogma, it is a guide to action. Socialism with Chinese characteristics on the one hand, and continuously changing international situation demands innovation. The Party schools in China are working with the spirit of innovation.


It is a fact that it was a memorable experience for the CPI(M) delegation visiting
China. In visiting Party schools, we have gained valuable lessons. Marxism- Leninism is a creative science, keeping this in consideration, Party schools under the guidance of the CPC are carrying on their activities.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

MAHARASHTRA: CPI (M) HOLDS SUCCESSFUL LEVEL STATE PARTY CLASS

Ashok Dhawale

ON July 24, 2011, the third one-day state level party class in as many years was successfully organised by the CPI (M)’s Maharashtra state committee at the Adarsh Vidyalaya in Mumbai. It was attended by 393 leading comrades from 27 districts of the state. This was the biggest and most representative attendance in any state class so far. The participants comprised members of the party’s state and district committees as well as wholetimers of the party and the mass organisations led by it. All the participants had been provided copies of the resolution recently adopted by the party’s state committee on “Review of Work Done and Tasks for the Coming One Year.”

The earlier two state level party classes were held in July 2009 and October 2010 respectively. The two subjects in the July 2009 class were the Lok Sabha election reviews of the Central Committee and the state committee. The two subjects in the October 2010 class were the Central Committee resolution on the rectification campaign and the reporting of the extended meeting of the Central Committee at Vijayawada. These state level party classes have immensely helped in forging a unified understanding on all these issues among leading party cadres in Maharashtra. The question-answer sessions have been an important and integral part of all these party classes, helping to clear whatever doubts the cadres had .

CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, MP, took two sessions in this class. In the first session, he placed the Central Committee’s review on the recent state assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Assam. He said that the party would learn from, and correct, its mistakes and would once again re-forge its links with the people. While concluding the review, he spoke of the grim situation in West Bengal, where the party and the Left were under attack from TMC goons who were in alliance with the Maoists and all other reactionary forces. He expressed confidence that the party and the Left would unitedly overcome the present adverse situation. In this context, he stressed the need for concerted efforts to increase the strength of the party and the Left all over the country.

In the second session, Sitaram Yechury outlined the current political challenges before the country, with special reference to the mega corruption scams of the UPA-2 regime, the neo-liberal economic policies of this government and the threat of terrorism and communalism. While analysing the scourge of corruption, he said that it was not merely a question of the moral degeneration of some individuals in high places; it was a question of the degeneration caused by the entire neo-liberal economic system, which had led to the creation of a thoroughly corrupt nexus between big business, bourgeois politicians and bureaucrats. It was only the Left, he said, that had remained untainted and therefore had the moral and political stature to lead a concerted anti-corruption movement across the country. He also said that this movement must be dovetailed to the struggle on burning issues of the people.

A special and enthusiastic session in this party class was devoted to handing over to Sitaram Yechury the first instalment of Rs 6.58 lakh collected as the West Bengal Solidarity Fund from the party and mass organisations in Maharashtra. An on-the-spot fund collection was made from the participants of the class itself and it came to Rs 28,652. (See the box alongside.)

In the concluding session of the class, CPI (M) state secretary Dr Ashok Dhawale placed the decisions of the state committee meeting that had concluded the previous day under the guidance of Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury and K Varadha Rajan. He briefly outlined the main points of the resolution “Party Rectification in Maharashtra” that had been adopted. He reported on the decision to set up broad-based forums to increase the party’s influence among the dalits, adivasis and minorities. He set out the schedule of party conferences at all levels that had been decided. Due to the statewide local body elections from December 2011 to March 2012, it has been decided to hold the party’s state conference at the end of March 2012, at Akole in Ahmednagar district, a relatively new and vigorously growing centre of the party. He reported the decision to hold the first-ever statewide study class and workshop for wholetimers of the party and mass organisations in Mumbai from November 1 to 3, 2011. The entire party in Maharashtra, he said, must now bend its efforts in the next few months to make a success of the following three tasks: 1. The party’s rectification campaign, 2. Party conferences at all levels, and 3. political campaign for the ensuing local body elections.

At the outset of the class, CPI (M) state secretariat member and Mumbai district secretary Mahendra Singh welcomed the participants. State secretariat member Manohar Muley placed the condolence resolution. State secretariat members Ajit Abhyankar and ex-MLA Narsayya Adam chaired the two sessions respectively. Narsayya Adam made a spirited concluding speech in which he called upon the participants to work with grit and determination to strengthen the party in the state. State secretariat member and ex-MLA J P Gavit and Mumbai secretariat member Shailendra Kamble proposed the vote of thanks.

The CPI (M)’s Mumbai district committee, party volunteers from Mumbai and the management of Adarsh Vidyalaya (Kerala People’s Education Society) had spared no efforts to make excellent arrangements to ensure the success of this state level party class.

A sum of around Rs 50,000, being the amount for 250 subscriptions to the party weeklies Jeevanmarg, Loklahar, People’s Democracy and The Marxist, was collected in this party class. There was also a good sale of books worth Rs 12,000 at the two bookstalls of the party and progressive literature that had been set up by the CPI (M) and by the AIDWA at the venue.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy