[Marxistindia] Polit Bureau Communique

[news from the cpi(m)]

March 27, 2023

 

Press Communique

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi
on March 25-26. It has issued the following statement:

 

Persecution of Opposition Leaders

 

The Polit Bureau condemned BJP's usage of the criminal defamation route to
target opposition leaders and disqualify them as MPs. The sentencing of
Rahul Gandhi and the haste with which he was disqualified is a blatant
display of the levels of intolerance to criticism and reflects the abhorrent
authoritarian character of the BJP.

 

This comes on top of the already brazen misusing of the Central agencies to
target leaders of the opposition parties. The RSS/BJP has also lodged FIRs
and filed cases in several states against political opponents on the
flimsiest of grounds. AAP leader and Delhi Dy. CM Manish Sisodia was
arrested and is in jail. Among others lately being targeted and harassed by
the ED/CBI are Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and family (RJD), Ms.
Kavitha (BRS) and many others. 

 

Put Adani in the Dock

 

The Hindenburg Report exposed the nefarious manner in which the
corporate-communal nexus that has come to rule India since 2014 has been
operating. When Modi government assumed office in 2014, the Adani group had
a market capitalization of $7.1 billion according to Forbes. This zoomed to
a $ 200 billion by 2022. In the international ranking, Adani was at 609 in
2014, astronomically growing to become the world's second richest person in
2022.

 

The BJP government is shamelessly defending the Adani group's acts of brazen
misdeeds, acts of omission and commission. It is its nexus with crony
capitalists that has facilitated the looting of thousands of crores of
rupees of people's hard-earned savings from nationalized financial
institutions like the State Bank of India and the Life Insurance
Corporation. Its blatant refusal to hold any sort of enquiry into the Adani
saga is exposing it to the core. 

 

The Polit Bureau reiterates its demand for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary
Committee into the Adani group's acts of misdeeds. The Adani group should be
proceeded against as per provisions of the law.

 

BJP Paralyzing Parliament 

 

Unable to face questions on its ties with the business conglomerate that has
seen a meteoric rise during its tenure in office, the BJP is adamant in its
refusal to have a discussion in parliament or concede to a demand for a JPC.

 

It is unprecedented that the Lok Sabha was stalled by members of the ruling
party for days together using the ruse of a statement made by Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on the state of Indian democracy. This also led to the
guillotining of the Union Budget without any discussion.

 

Undermining Constitutional Authorities

 

Apart from paralyzing Parliament, the attacks on the judiciary continue to
be mounted with repeated statements made by the Union Law Minister and the
Constitutional authorities like the Vice President. The efforts to impose an
executive control over the judiciary must be defeated. 

 

Governors continue to play the role of furthering the BJP's political
objectives in non-BJP ruled states. 

 

Sharpening Communal Polarization 

 

The Polit Bureau noted with grave concern the rising incidents of
orchestrated attacks against members of the minority communities. Killings
of Muslim youth by cow vigilantes continues unabated. Attacks on churches
and members of the Christian community, particularly Christian Tribals, are
reported from several states.  Various new false narratives and histories
are being created, especially in poll bound states to heighten communal
polarization. 

 

The Karnataka BJP government decided to scrap reservations for Muslims under
the OBC quota. This comes at a time when the state is on the eve of the
assembly elections. Widespread attacks and harassment of the Muslim minority
is intensifying in the state.  

 

 

Growing Economic Burdens

 

The Polit Bureau condemns the passage of the Union Budget 2023-24 without
any discussion. The budget miserably fails to address the issues of the
economic slowdown, job generation or increasing the purchasing power of the
common people.  On the contrary, it squeezes the government expenditures to
reduce the fiscal deficit while giving further tax concessions to the rich.
This comes at a time when the Oxfam report shows that the richest 1 per cent
in India have cornered 40.5 per cent of the wealth generated in the last 2
years. It is, thus, a contractionary budget which will only aggravate the
economic crisis.  

 

Further burdens are being imposed on the people with yet another hike in the
LPG prices. Unemployment and hunger continue to mount while inequalities are
widening to obscene levels.

 

Decimating the MGNREGS

 

The Polit Bureau demanded the immediate scrapping of the National Mobile
Monitoring System APP made mandatory by the government for the MGNREGS.
Reports suggest that workers have lost at least half of their wages owing to
technical glitches in the APP. Women workers who constitute bulk of MGNREGS
work force are forced to take loans to buy smartphones to use the APP. Along
with the slashing of budgetary allocation and long pendency of wage payments
the introduction of the APP is rendering the MGNREGS ineffective. 

 

Recent Assembly Elections 

 

The Modi government with its control over the media ecosystem is projecting
itself electorally invincible. This is totally misleading. In the earlier
round of assembly elections while BJP retained Gujarat, it lost its sitting
government in Himachal Pradesh and also the Delhi Municipal Corporation
which it had controlled for the last 15 years.

 

In the recent elections in 3 North Eastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and
Meghalaya the BJP won only 46 seats out of 180. In Tripura its MLAs declined
from 46 to 32. In Nagaland, it was a distant number 2 winning 12 seats. In
Meghalaya it could win only 2 seats losing deposits in all the other 58
seats. In terms of votes polled, BJP secured 38.97 per cent in Tripura;
18.81 per cent in Nagaland and 9.33 per cent in Meghalaya. However, with the
local regional parties it is in government in all three states. 

 

In the assembly by-election at Kasba Peth in Pune district, BJP's sitting
seat which it had won continuously for two decades was wrested by the
Congress candidate of MVA. 

 

In the assembly by-election at Sagardighi, West Bengal, a seat TMC has been
winning since 2011 it lost to the Congress. In 2021 the TMC had won this
seat by a margin of over 50,000 votes over the BJP. The Congress-Left
candidate won by nearly 23,000 votes pushing the BJP to a distant third
position. 

 

Tripura Assembly Elections 

 

The Polit Bureau made a preliminary analysis of the results of the elections
held to the Tripura Assembly. It noted that the elections were held under an
extraordinary situation where the opposition parties were not allowed to
function and were under continuous attack and sought to be terrorized during
the course of the last five years. It thanked all the voters who had come
out to vote in favour of the opposition parties braving terror and physical
attacks. 

 

The failure of the BJP to perform as it had expected has led to its
unleashing of a horrendous attack targeting the opposition after the
declaration of the results.  The Polit Bureau condemned the continuing
attacks in which the CPI(M) is the main target. Over a thousand incidents of
terror, intimidation, loot and setting of offices and homes on fire,
destroying properties and livelihood instruments like rickshaws and
three-wheelers etc., destroying crops, particularly rubber plantations,
poisoning fish ponds etc. etc. have occurred. 

 

That even the seven-member parliamentary team of MPs from CPI(M), CPI and
Congress which visited Tripura to take stock of the situation was attacked
by the BJP-RSS in the presence of the police speaks volumes of the extremely
dangerous situation existing under the BJP government in the state.

 

Denounce the Targeting of Kerala LDF

 

The Polit Bureau strongly denounced the targeting of the LDF government and
the Chief Minister of Kerala who is subjected to personal slanders and
vilification. The Congress led UDF in Kerala indulges in similar activities
playing in tandem with the BJP. The people of Kerala will give a fitting
rebuff to such efforts.   

 

 

 

 

 

Growing People's Struggle

 

The PB noted the growing people's struggles amongst various sections of the
people.

 

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) successfully held a largely attended Kisan
Maha Panchayat at Delhi Ramlila Maidan on March 20 and gave a call for
nationwide protests against growing corporate control over agriculture. 

 

The Maharashtra Kisan Sabha launched the third long march on March 12 from
Nasik to Mumbai. Well before the march reached Mumbai, the Shinde-BJP state
government was forced to accept all demands including a subsidy of Rs. 350
per quintal for onions; waiver of loans of over 88,000 farmers etc.

 

In several states the electricity workers embarked on strikes forcing the
BJP government to bow before the united and determined trade union actions.
The state governments employees, the Anganwadi workers and Scheme workers
went on strike actions in many parts of the country.

 

The PB reiterated the Party's solidarity and support to the April 5
Mazdoor-Kisan March to Parliament. 

 

Central Committee meeting

 

The next Central Committee will meet on 27, 28 and 29th of April at New
Delhi.

 

 

 

 

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