[Marxistindia] P.B. Communique

[news from the cpi(m)]

September 13, 2020
 
 
Press Communique
 
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met online on
September 12, 2020. It has issued the following statement:
 
Covid Pandemic; Grave Situation
 
India has reached a very grave situation with the Covid pandemic rampaging
across the country making India the country with the highest daily record of
positive cases in the world. The Central Government and the Prime Minister
Modi have virtually abdicated their responsibilities and left the people to
fend for themselves. As this rampage continues unabated, there is an urgent
need to augment health facilities and commandeer private health providers to
join this effort to combat the pandemic. The Central Government is doing
virtually nothing in this direction. 
 
Kerala LDF Government: In contrast, the LDF government in Kerala is
providing free treatment to all Covid patients right from testing to
hospitalisation and treatment. Consequently, only 2 per cent of the patients
are utilising private hospital facilities. The charges for the private
hospitals have also been fixed by the state government. 
 
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the Central Government must
expand hospital facilities and make provisions for the free treatment of all
patients and fix reasonable charges for private health facilities. 
 
Economic Devastation
 
The devastation of the Indian economy that began well before the pandemic
struck beginning with demonetisation and GST implementation has worsened to
the extent that amongst all major economies of the world, India has
registered the worst fall in GDP growth for the quarter April-June 2020 of
minus (-)23.9 per cent. 
 
Consequently, unemployment is galloping with even salaried jobs being lost
to the tune of 21 million. This is pauperising crores of Indian people
adding to their misery and agony. 
 
On top of this has come the backbreaking rise in prices particularly of
essential commodities, like food, vegetables, dairy products and fuel. 
 
Under these conditions, the Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands:
 
*	Immediate cash transfer of Rs. 7,500 per month for the next six
months to all families outside the income tax bracket. 
 
*	Immediate distribution of free foodgrains of 10 kg per individual
per month for the next six months for all the needy.
 
*	Expand MGNREGA to ensure at least 200 days of work a year with
enhanced wages.  Promulgate an Urban Employment Guarantee Act. Announce
unemployment allowance to all the unemployed. 
 
Kerala Contrast: The LDF government in Kerala is providing free food to 78
lakh people in the state and social security pension per month to 58 lakh
people. 
 
While the LDF government is most effecdtively meeting the situation in such
a manner, the opposition, the Congress-led UDF and the BJP are working in
tandem to destabilise the government and creating obstacles at every step in
the government's work to combat the pandemic and to provide relief to the
people.
 
Real Agenda of the Central Government
 
Instead of single-mindedly focussing on combatting the pandemic and
providing relief to the people, this BJP central government is aggressively
pursuing the RSS agenda that seeks to change the very character of the
Indian Republic undermining the Indian Constitution.
 
The Polit Bureau noted that during the past six weeks, the government has
gone about aggressively implementing neo-liberal reforms; further sharpening
of communal polarisation specifically targeting Muslim minorities;
intensification of authoritarian attacks on the rights of minorities,
marginalised sections with activists championing these causes being arrested
under draconian laws; the centralisation of authority negating federalism;
undermining all independent Constitutional authorities; destabilising
democratically-elected state governments through various methods including
large-scale horse-trading; and further cementing India's subordinate ally
status with US imperialism. 
 
There is a complete subversion of the criminal justice system with blatant
misuse of the agencies under the central government like the Delhi Police,
NIA, CBI, ED etc. to demonise political opponents in drawing up BJP's own
narrative, marking a full-fledged offensive on democracy.
 
The Polit Bureau demands the immediate stop to the arrest of innocent
minorities, activists championing the rights of the people especially the
marginalised like the Dalits/tribals on trumped up charges under draconian
laws like the UAPA, NSA and the Sedition Act.
 
Rights of States
 
The relentless drive for centralisation of all power and authority by this
BJP central government intensifies. The Polit Bureau reiterated that the
Central Government borrow, if necessary, from the RBI and pay the states
their legitimate GST dues. The Central government must transfer additional
resources to the state governments that are on the frontline combatting the
pandemic. 
 
Jammu & Kashmir
 
The Polit Bureau welcomes the meeting of six mainstream political parties
for the first time since August 2019 political lockdown in the state and
their declaration to restore normal political activities demanding the
restoration of state hood for Jammu & Kashmir and reinstatement of Article
370.
 
The PB demands that all those detained including the former Chief Minister
Mehbooba Mufti must be released forthwith; full communications restored
along with public transportation and other services.
 
India-China Stand Off
 
The meeting between the foreign ministers of India and China in Moscow on
September 11 resulted in a joint statement calling for disengagement and
de-escalation on the LAC and declared to continue the efforts for arriving
at a peaceful solution through diplomatic and military level engagements and
reiterated that 'differences should not become disputes'.
 
Following the June 15 clash that led to the loss of lives of our soldiers,
firing in the air by both sides has been reported recently. This is
happening after 45 years. The situation is tense and serious and needs to be
defused. The CPI(M) adheres to the approach of a peaceful resolution through
diplomatic and military talks.
 
Monsoon Session of Parliament
 
The CPI(M) is opposed to the eleven ordinances promulgated by the government
during this period of lockdown. Some of these particularly concerning Indian
agriculture are extremely dangerous and damaging to our farmers, Indian
agriculture and India's economic sovereignty. The CPI(M) has moved a notice
for statutory resolutions opposing these ordinances and demanding their
withdrawal in both houses of parliament.
 
The Polit Bureau decided that Party MPs will insist that major policy
decisions that the CPI(M) opposes as not being in the country's and people's
interests like the New Education Policy, National Digital Health Mission and
its associated programmes negating the protection of personal data and
privatization of health care, Environmental Impact Assessment and the New
Mining Regulations, must be thoroughly discussed and scrutinized by
parliament before their implementation.
 
The CPI(M) had already raised the issue of the BJP-FB nexus and called for a
thorough enquiry including a JPC.
 
Polit Bureau Call
 
The Polit Bureau decided to observe a national level protest programme from
September 17 to 22, 2020 when the parliament is in session.
 
Issues such as the intensification of communal polarization; targeting of
minorities; largescale attacks on democratic rights and civil liberties of
our people; against the mounting brutal attacks on women, Dalits, Adivasis
and other marginalized sections, loot of national assets through
privatization and scrapping of labour laws will be highlighted along with
demanding that the BJP central government urgently address the immediate
needs of the people.
 
This campaign will focus on the following demands:
 
 
1) Immediate cash transfer of Rs. 7,500 per month for the next six months to
all families outside the income tax bracket. 
 
2) Immediate distribution of free foodgrains of 10 kg per individual per
month for the next six months for all the needy.
 
3) Expand MGNREGA to ensure at least 200 days of work a year with enhanced
wages.  Promulgate an Urban Employment Guarantee Act. Announce unemployment
allowance to all the unemployed. 
 
4) Safeguarding the Indian Constitution and its fundamental guarantees of
liberty, equality and fraternity for all our citizens. 
 
 
 
 
For CPI(M) Central Committee Office
 
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