[Marxistindia] CC Communique

[news from the cpi(m)]

January 19, 2020

Press Communiqué

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met at  
EMS Academy, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, from January 17 to 19, 2020.  
It has issued the following statement:

Repeal CAA

The Central Committee hails the ongoing countrywide protests against  
the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) and demands that it should  
be repealed immediately. The CAA is anti-constitutional by legalizing  
grant of citizenship on the basis of the religious affiliation of an  
individual. The CAA undermines the secular democratic foundations of  
the Indian Republic as enunciated in our Constitution.

The ongoing people’s movement consisting of students, youth, women and  
ordinary citizens, clearly shows that people realize the threat posed  
by the CAA to our Constitution. These protests are continuing every  
day in various locations in the country for nearly two months.

Condemn Police Violence & Brutality

Protests are Peaceful; Police Unleashes Violence: The Central  
Committee condemns the brutal repression unleashed by the BJP  
governments on peaceful protesters all across the country. Police  
atrocities in Jamia Millia University; police facilitating the entry  
of armed goons from outside to rampage and brutally attack students  
and teachers in Jawaharlal Nehru University; the police vandalism and  
serious injuries to students in Aligarh Muslim University and  
elsewhere are strongly condemnable.

Most of the violence has occurred in BJP ruled states or in Delhi  
where the police is directly under the Central Home Ministry. The  
states where deaths have occurred are Uttar Pradesh (21), Assam (5)  
and Karnataka (2) – all have BJP state governments.

Most brutal repression was unleashed in Uttar Pradesh with police  
firing on peaceful protesters, ransacking homes, blaming the  
protesters for the violence done by them and on that basis filing  
false cases on innocent people and imposing fines, reminiscent of the  
British repressive rule in India. The Central Committee condemns the  
call given by the BJP Chief Minister of UP for revenge (badla) against  
protesters which is the inspiration for the ongoing police repression  
in the state.
CAA-NPR-NRC Package
As per the amendment passed by the earlier BJP government of Atal  
Behari Vajpayee in 2003, the National Population Register (NPR) has to  
be compiled which will be the basis for the NRC. The gazette  
notification informs that the NPR process will take place from April 1  
to September 30, 2020. The NPR and the NRC prepared on that basis will  
affect millions of poor people, tribals, dalits, homeless, disabled,  
transgenders and other marginalized communities and targeting the  
minority Muslim community. Many of these sections will find it  
impossible to produce documents to have their name entered into the NRC.
The Central Committee called upon the people not to answer any  
questions concerning the NPR when the enumerators come to their  
houses. These enumerators will have two sets of questions – one for  
the Census and one for the NPR. While the questions related to the  
Census may be answered, the questions related to the NPR must not be.  
CENSUS YES – NPR NO.
NPR –“We Shall Not Answer” (Jawaab Nahi Denge)
For the NRC the answer will be “Hum Kagaz Nahi Dhikayenge” (We shall  
not show Papers).

The Central Committee decided that all units of the Party all across  
the country will conduct a house to house campaign explaining the  
linkage between the NPR and the NRC and calling upon the people not to  
answer the NPR questions.
The Central Committee called upon the Chief Ministers who announced  
that they shall not conduct the NRC in their states to also stop the  
NPR as the NRC is based on the NPR.
The Central Committee hailed the Kerala state government for its  
unequivocal stand in this regard. The Kerala state Assembly resolution  
opposing the CAA must be emulated by all non-BJP state governments.  
The Punjab Assembly has now done so.
No Detention Centres
The Central Committee demanded that the Central Government withdraw  
the directions to the state governments to construct detention  
centres. It called upon all state governments not to construct such  
detention centres. The Central Committee demands that the existing  
detention centres in Assam be dismantled and the people be allowed to  
live normally.
Outrageous Statement of CDS
The Central Committee expressed its strong disapproval of the  
statement made by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Bipin Rawat that  
“de-radicalisation” camps are needed for people including young  
children who are being radicalized in the country, particularly in  
Kashmir. Shockingly, he indicated that such camps are already  
functioning.
The Modi government must immediately clarify if such camps exist in  
Jammu & Kashmir. According to the CDS it appears that they do and the  
army is running these camps.
The CDS must clarify if such camps are being set-up and run at the  
initiative of the Indian Army. These are totally illegal and  
constitute a violation of human rights.
Jammu & Kashmir
The Central Committee demands the restoration of the state of Jammu &  
Kashmir honouring the assurances made to the people of J&K at the time  
of its accession to India. It is now more than four months since most  
of the political leaders including three former chief ministers and  
thousands of others had been detained. Some of them are being detained  
under the draconian Public Safety Act. The Central Committee demands  
their immediate release.
The restrictions on communications and public transport continue  
despite the announcement to ease some restrictions. There has been a  
disastrous impact on the J&K economy and the daily lives of the  
people. This is marked by growing misery and continued disruption of  
normal life.
The Central Committee demands the complete lifting of the restrictions  
imposed on the state; the release of all political leaders and others  
detained; the restrictions on internet and communications should be  
lifted and the democratic rights and civil liberties guaranteed by the  
Constitution should be restored.
Economic Distress
The Central Committee condemned the economic policies pursued by the  
Modi Government that have led to the economy entering a virtual  
recession with continuous decline of the GDP. This has resulted in  
heaping unprecedented burdens on the vast majority of our people,  
deepening agrarian distress, sharp rise in prices (retail inflation  
6.35 per cent – a five year high), growing unemployment (the highest  
in last half a century), large scale “closures” of industrial units  
and the laying-off of lakhs of workers.
This economic crisis has been caused by the sharp decline in the  
purchasing capacities of the vast majority of our people. Consumer  
spending in rural areas declined by 8.8 per cent in 2017-18. The  
solution for a turn around in the economy lies in providing the people  
with the capacity to purchase, thus increasing the levels of domestic  
demand which may lead to revive all closed factories.
Instead the Modi government is giving hefty concessions to the rich  
cutting corporate taxes. This package of 2.15 lakh crore, if used for  
public investments instead, would have built our much needed  
infrastructure and created lakhs of new jobs, provided employment to  
our distressed youth. Once they start spending their earnings, this  
will lead to domestic demand rising providing the required kick-start  
for an economic turnaround.
However, the Modi government is committed to providing greater avenues  
for profit maximization to foreign and domestic corporates and is  
rejecting this people’s oriented alternative thus pushing the vast  
majority of our people into languishing misery.
Discrimination Against Kerala

The Central government is adopting a discriminatory and negative  
attitude to Kerala’s fiscal requirements. Kerala is entitled to Rs.  
24,915 crores as public borrowing for the year 2019-20.  This has been  
unilaterally reduced by the Centre to Rs. 16,602 crores in the name of  
neutralizing the alleged increase in public account debt in 2016-17.

The GST compensation of Rs. 1,600 crore due in December has not been  
paid.  The arrears on account of MGNREGS is Rs. 1,215 crore and for  
payment for paddy procurement is Rs. 1,035 crore.  Kerala has been  
denied any allocation for natural calamity relief despite submitting a  
claim for Rs. 2,100 crore.

The Central Committee demands an end to this discriminatory approach  
by the Centre.  The Kerala government should get the funds due under  
the various accounts.  The Central government should also provide  
allocation under the natural calamity relief fund to the state which  
had suffered from serious floods in 2019.
Central Committee Call

1.	Extend full support to and active participation in all the joint  
protest calls against the CAA/NPR/NRC and to safeguard the Indian  
Constitution.

2.	Actively support and strengthen the call for joint actions on the  
following, all across the country:

a)	 January 23 is the birthday of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.  The  
slogan coined by the Indian National Army under his leadership has  
become the regular greeting of all Indians, “Jai Hind”.  The historic  
INA trial at Red Fort reverberated with the slogan “Sehgal, Dhillon,  
Shahnawaz” that galvanised the Indian people and bolstered the  
communal unity of our people during those difficult times of 1945-46.
b)	January 26 is the Republic Day.  Readings of the Preamble of the  
Constitution and taking oath to safeguard it in all habitations across  
the country must be held.
c)	 January 30 is the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi. Observe it by  
highlighting his relentless campaigns in pursuit of communal harmony.

In the fitness of the current developments, these three significant  
days must be observed, in an appropriate manner,  form and peacefully  
at maximum number of locations across the country.

3.	Campaign Intensively on:
•	No to NPR – We shall not answer (Jawaab Nahi Denge)
•	Call upon the Chief Ministers opposing the NRC to also halt the NPR  
as this forms  the basis for the NRC, like the state government of  
Kerala and Punjab have done.
•	Conduct house to house campaign explaining the NPR-NRC linkage and  
asking the people to answer the census questions but not to answer the  
NPR Questions.
•	This house to house campaign will culminate on March 23 marking the  
martyrdom of our immortal martyrs – Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev  
and to join the efforts to realize Bhagat Singh’s vision of an  
exploitation free, inclusive new India.
•	Demanding dismantling of the existing detention centres and stop  
construction of new ones.
•	The mass fronts of the Party while participating in these house to  
house campaigns will raise their issues of immediate concern regarding  
livelihood conditions of our people.


(For CPI(M) Central Committee office)