[Marxistindia] P B Communique
news from the cpi(m)
marxistindia at cpim.org
Sun Dec 20 12:10:29 IST 2020
December 20, 2020
Press Communique
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met online
on December 19, 2020. It has issued the following statement:
Hail Kerala Victory
The Polit Bureau hailed the victory of the LDF in the local body
elections in Kerala and saluted the people of Kerala for once again
reposing their faith in the LDF.
The LDF has won 11 out of the 14 district panchayats bettering its
tally from 7 in 2015. In the municipal corporations, out of the 6 the
LDF has won 5, improving from the 4 it won in 2015. At all levels
there has been an improvement in LDF performance.
Kisan Struggle
The Polit Bureau hails the unity among the 500 plus strong
organisations who are peacefully with grit and determination
continuing the massive Kisan struggle demanding the repeal of the
retrograde agri laws and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The Polit Bureau extends the CPI(M)’s continued support to and
solidarity with the struggle. The Polit Bureau called upon all Party
units to organise solidarity actions in support of this glorious
struggle in defence of Indian agriculture and our annadatas. The
struggle has entered the 25th day. The Polit Bureau salutes the
martyrdom of 31 kisans in this struggle. Despite the severe cold wave
sweeping across North India, more kisans are pouring in to join and
strengthen the struggle further.
The Polit Bureau reiterated the CPI(M)’s demand that the central
government repeal these agri laws and then sit to discuss agrarian
reforms with the kisans and other stakeholders and on that basis fresh
enactments may be made in parliament.
Crippling Price Rise
On top of the unprecedented miseries mounted on people’s lives and
livelihood by the pandemic, unplanned and unprepared lockdowns, comes
the crippling rice in prices of essential commodities, worsening the
plight of the people.
The prices of petroleum products, petrol and diesel have been
continuously hiked. This pushes up the overall inflationary spiral due
to increase in transportation costs. India today has the highest rate
of taxes on petroleum products in the world. The central government is
garnering resources at the expense of the people’s misery.
On top of this has come the massive hike in the prices of cooking gas
cylinder. Between November and December 2020 the cost of one gas
cylinder has increased by Rs 100/-
The miseries imposed due to the pre-pandemic economic slowdown has
worsened during the course of this year. Prime Minister Modi and his
government seem totally unconcerned about imposing further burdens and
miseries on the people.
Alarming Hunger &
Escalating Job Losses
The latest National Family Health Survey has shown an alarming rise in
malnutrition, particularly among our children, the future of India.
This signals a hunger alert in the country that is destroying the
health of our people.
PM Modi and the central government refuse even in the face of
exponential job loss and growing hunger to give cash transfers and
free food to all needy people. More than 10 crore tonnes of foodgrains
are rotting in the FCI godowns but the government refuses to
distribute free food.
The Polit Bureau reiterates the Party’s demand for an immediate cash
transfer of Rs. 7500 per month for six months and distribution of free
food grains of 10 kg per individual for the next six months.
Central Vista
Instead of using the available resources to feed our people and
provide them with some means of livelihood, this central government is
squandering our country’s resources in constructing new buildings and
the Central Vista including a new parliament. In the midst of this
pandemic and mounting people’s woes, the Prime Minister laid the
foundation for the construction of the new parliament.
The CPI(M) demands that this project of the Central Vista be scrapped.
The money allocated for this must be transferred to provide free food
and cash transfers to our beleaguered people.
Cancelling Winter Session of Parliament
The Polit Bureau strongly denounced the unprecedented cancellation of
the Winter Session of Parliament using the pretext of the Covid
pandemic. The pandemic is not any problem for the BJP to organise its
election campaign and rallies but it has chosen to avoid being
answerable to the parliament. It is thus abandoning its constitutional
responsibility of being accountable in the parliament.
Clearly, the Modi government is escaping answering questions over its
allround failure in tackling the pandemic effectively and the economic
recession while mercilessly attacking the livelihood of the people and
destroying the rights of the working people and the peasantry. The
people shall make the government answer.
Wistron Workers Protest
The Polit Bureau noted that the protest by workers and the incident
that occurred in the Wistron company factory near Bengaluru was a
result of the non-payment of wages to contract workers for four months
and making them work for 12 hours without any overtime pay. The
multi-national company is a contractor for making I phones of Apple
corporation. More than eighty per cent of the 10,000 workers employed
in the factory are non-permanent contract employees. Such violations
of existing laws are the norm in enterprises owned by the MNCs. When
the new labour codes come into effect, it will be an open invitation
to violate the rights of workers.
It is strange that the Karnataka Chief Minister is condemning the
workers and supporting the company when The Apple Corp. itself has
found its supplier company had violated norms.
The Polit Bureau condemns the widespread arrests and police repression
on workers. The Modi government must stop adopting an anti-worker
stance in its eagerness to attract FDi into the country.
Next Central Committee Meeting
The Polit Bureau decided to convene the next Central Committee meeting
of the Party on January 30-31, 2021.
P.B. Calls
The Polit Bureau called upon all Party units:
• To organise solidarity actions with the ongoing struggles of the
kisans demanding repeal of the agri laws.
• To support the actions of the working class in the ongoing struggles
against large-scale privatisation, the scrapping of labour laws and
the loot of India’s national assets.
• To conduct a rigorous campaign against the barrage of disinformation
being unleashed by the central government on the ongoing people’s
struggles.
For CPI(M) Central Committee Office
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