[Marxistindia] Polit Bureau Communique

[news from the cpi(m)]

May 22, 2018

 

Press Communique

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi
on May 21, 2018. It has issued the following statement:

 

Karnataka Assembly Elections

 

The Polit Bureau welcomed the developments in Karnataka where the BJP/RSS's
attempts to cobble a majority through horse-trading have been thwarted. The
BJP had made it a practice to form governments even after losing elections
like they have done in Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya and entering the Bihar
government, betraying people's mandate. The parties assuming office now in
Karnataka together command a support of 56.6 per cent of the people who
voted in these elections as against the 36.2 per cent polled by the BJP.

 

CPI(M) General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury, along with Polit Bureau Member
and Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, will be attending the
swearing-in ceremony at Bengaluru on May 23, 2018.

 

Unbearable Economic Burdens 

 

The Polit Bureau expressed serious concern over the continuous attacks on
the livelihood of the vast majority of our people by the policies pursued by
this BJP government. The prices of petrol and diesel have skyrocketed,
reaching the highest ever levels. Rural distress continues to aggravate. The
rural economy has never seen such disastrous conditions in independent India
as under this government's rule in the past four years. Rural wage growth is
the lowest recorded during the last three years. Prices of cooking gas
cylinders have also gone up significantly, even as advertisements appear
claiming of subsidies being provided to the needy. The economy is unable to
recover from the double whammy attack of demonetization and the GST. 

 

At the same time this BJP government continues write off unpaid bank loans
to crony corporates who are today refusing to return over Rs. 11 lakh crore
of loans taken from the banks. 

 

The Polit Bureau called upon all its units to mobilise the people and
organize protests against these relentless attacks on people's livelihood.

 

Attacks in Tripura Continue Unabated

The Polit Bureau noted with serious concern the continuing attacks in
Tripura on the CPI(M) and the Left Front by the BJP/RSS ever since it
assumed office in the state. 

Two comrades have been killed during this period; nearly 50 offices of the
Party have been demolished apart from eviction/forcible occupation of Party
and mass organization offices. In the face of these unabated attacks nearly
500 comrades have had to shift from their homes and are temporarily
accommodated in camps at Party offices.

Apart from physically targetting Left cadres, even programmes and events
conducted by the Party and the Left have come under attack. Even May Day
celebrations were sought to be disrupted in various parts of the state. The
Party run daily Desher Katha has become a target with transporters carrying
the paper as well as subscribers being threatened. 

Pradhans, Chairmen and elected members of various local bodies including the
Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) are being coerced
either to resign or join the BJP. 

 

The complicity of the state administration is revealed by the fact that
Party leaders are being attacked even inside the police station where they
go to lodge complaints. 

 

West Bengal

 

The situation in West Bengal is nothing short of outrageous. The recent
panchayat election has exposed the depths to which authoritarian onslaughts
can degenerate and undermine democracy.  What people have witnessed for the
first time is the open forcible occupation of counting booths and not just
rigging but changing the final result issuing certificates to candidates who
were actually defeated in the counting process. From pre-poll to post-poll,
40 people have lost their lives.  Those who protest, particularly election
officials, are being targeted and false cases slapped.  It is ironical that
the Chief Minister seems to be showing solidarity with those who have
restored democracy in Karnataka after having initially, on the basis   of
early counting trends, congratulating the BJP's CM candidate.  

 

In West Bengal, the Chief Minister is presiding over the complete
obliteration of distinction between the ruling party, the state
administration and the state Election Commission leading to the complete
destruction of democracy.  

 

Assam

 

The Polit Bureau expressed its serious concern over the developments in
Assam and the North East. The fragile unity of people belonging to immense
diversity in the region has come under a severe additional strain due to the
central government's efforts to amend the Citizenship Act on the basis of
religious affinity of the people. Linguistic minorities are under severe
pressure due to incomplete and deliberate discrimination in the process of
the updating of the national register of citizens (NRC) and the category of
doubtful voters.

 

The unity of the people belonging to different religions, languages and
ethnicity must be the foremost objective. Playing with emotive issues for
electoral gains by the BJP/RSS is worsening the situation.

 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) reiterates that the Assam Accord must be
strictly adhered to and its gains must be consolidated. The proposed
Citizenship Act (Amendment) Bill must be withdrawn. The CPI(M) in parliament
will oppose any amendment based on the religious affiliation of the people
to determine their citizenship. This is completely unconstitutional. 

 

Jammu & Kashmir

 

The Polit Bureau expressed its grave concern over the situation in the state
of Jammu & Kashmir and the complete sense of alienation among the people of
the Kashmir valley. While the Prime Minister has announced a ceasefire
during the month of Ramazan, this is accompanied by certain conditions which
by themselves can lead to a rupture of the ceasefire. 

 

The Polit Bureau demands that the central government should implement the
assurances it had made earlier to urgently enforce confidence building
measures and start a political process through dialogue with all
stakeholders. The Central Government must initiate talks with Pakistan to
ensure cross border terrorism is stopped by a mutually agreed ceasefire
along the Line of Control. The situation in Jammu & Kashmir cannot be
allowed to deteriorate further.

 

JNU

 

This BJP government continues to attack institutions of higher education and
research in the country with its ideological project of replacing the study
of Indian history with Hindu mythology. Efforts are on now to communalise
the syllabus in the central university. The JNU Academic Council, despite
wide opposition to it, has proposed to introduce a course on "Islamic
Terrorism". This will play havoc with the country's unity and integrity. The
wide spread notion is that if at all such a course has to be introduced it
should be on "religious fundamentalism" not specifically targeting any one
religion. The Polit Bureau demands that this proposal must be withdrawn
immediately.

 

Division of Responsibilities

 

The Polit Bureau discussed the division of responsibilities and work amongst
the Polit Bureau and Central Committee members. These proposals will be
placed before the next Central Committee at its meeting from June 22 to 24,
2018, for finalization.

 

 

 

 

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