Volume 48 No. 21 Organ of the SOCIALIST UNITY CENTRE OF INDIA (COMMUNIST)June 15, 2015 Founder Editor-in-Chief : COMRADE SHIBDAS GHOSH Price : Rs. 3.00

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Hitler had once said that if hecould control the text books, hecould control the state. What hemeant was that if the arena ofeducation could be brought underthe direct command of his fascistadministration, it would be easy forhim to control the very pattern ofthinking of the countrymen, regimentthe thought process, turn the mindsinto a mystic alley of blind faith,fanaticism, jingoism and thusfacilitate the process of fascizationof the society. He was right.Science and scientific temper,secular values, shaping of a rationalthought process and fostering ofhuman values, ethics, morality andquality are the backbone of anydignified education system ofmodern times. It is in this sense thatthe destiny of the nation is shaped inthe classroom of the country. So, ifeducation could be stripped of itsessence and disoriented from its goal

of man making, the rulers who fearenlightenment of the people lest thatshould trigger rebellion against theiroppressive regime, feel safe andsecure, at least for the time being.Hence is the eagle’s eye oneducation. And now fascism being ageneral feature in almost allcapitalist-imperialist countries,education is under attackeverywhere in varying degrees.Capitalist India is no exception.Rather, things are worse in Indiacompared to many other countries.

Academic autonomy is targetedAlongside changing the course

content in such a manner that thereis nothing but mere assemblage offacts which does not provide thefaculty to discern truth, the rulingcapitalist class is working itsstratagem to convert education intoa lifeless commodity subject to thelaws of capitalist market. Rabid

commercialization, closing thegateway to learning to the crores ofoppressed people through variousmeans including exorbitant hike inthe fees, dragging the country to theage of medieval darkness in thename of Indianization andspiritualization of education and suchother sinister moves on the part ofthe ruling dispensation mark themurky scenario of education in ourcountry. Side by side, there is ablatant move to s1ubvert theacademic autonomy. The power thatbe has been making all possibleattempts to turn the field ofeducation into an appendage tothe government-administration.Autonomy of the educationalinstitutions, it is worth mentioning,constitutes an important aspect ofsecular, scientific and democraticeducation and of democratic rightsof the people. If that is in jeopardy,true pursuit and dissemination of

knowledge is bound to suffer. Evenduring the days of our freedommovement, the demand forprotecting academic autonomy hadbeen voiced by the doyens of IndianRenaissance, the renownededucationists and intelligentsia. Yet,in recent years, we have beenwitnessing insidious attacks bydifferent governments on theautonomy of educational institutionsacross India, in varying degrees andforms – be it under cover of high-sounding words and pretexts, orthrough exertion of indirect pressureor even by open and nakedinterference.

CPI (M) government in WestBengal showed the way

One of the earliest and mostnaked attacks on academicautonomy was brought down by theformer CPI (M) government of

The question of ‘Net Neutrality’has captured headlines in the recentpast. Internet users have beenvehemently opposing any violationof Net Neutrality which, as manyhave been saying, would be akin todepriving people at large fromderiving benefit of a scientificdiscovery that has brought a seachange in the arena of informationgathering as well as disseminationthereby facilitating many humanactivities particularly in the realm ofcultivation of knowledge. When theinternet was created, the scientistswho conceptualized it and wereresponsible for the technologicalinnovation that made it possible,visualized it as a free medium ofexchange of ideas and informationamong all members of humanity.So far it has been running thatway. That is why anybody cancreate a website, put whateverideas or information one wants toconvey to the others, and anybodyin the world has full access tothe information. Before theadvent of the internet this wasunthinkable: one had to depend onpublishers and a marketing

network to make their ideas knownto others.

Internet—a boon for humanityHumanity has reaped rich fruit

out of this technologicaldevelopment. Now anyone can sendand receive messages through e-mail, which is a service that hasbecome possible only after theadvent of the internet. One can nowlook for and obtain any informationthrough the Google search engine,download music and video, and caneven read literature free or at a verylow cost. To see what freeexchange of information canachieve, take the example ofWikipedia. The founders ofWikipedia simply created an openplatform through which anyone canput in anything that one knows, andtrusted humanity’s collectivewisdom. The result is that peoplefrom all over the world go on addingto the treasurehouse of knowledgethat is freely available to everybody,and now it is a gigantic body ofinformation that would have beenimpossible for any single agency tocreate. Science has also reaped

great benefit out of thisdevelopment. Earlier one had tobrowse for hours in a library toobtain the information necessary fora certain line of research. It used totake weeks or months for a newresearch to be published, and theprinted copies of the journals to bedistributed across the world and toreach the library shelves. Now, onecan browse the information on theinternet and can obtain it with thepress of a button. This has greatlyaccelerated the exchange ofscientific information.

People across the globehave already leveraged internet as ameans of mass action against unjustpolicies. Social media-drivencampaign has played an importantrole in mass movements such as the“Occupy Wall Street” movement,the Arab Spring and the anti-corruption movement in India,whatever may be their weaknesses.

Internet has so far been an‘open platform’

All this has been possible notonly due to a few technologicaladvances, but also due to a

“principle” followed by those whoprovide the service. The principle isthat all traffic and content aretreated as equal, withoutdiscrimination. The Internet ServiceProviders (ISPs) have to abide bythis principle, because the internetwas created as an open platform,where anyone could set up and hosttheir site anywhere, and be availableacross the globe. This “openness”means that the internet usersanywhere in the world are free touse the internet in whatever formthey choose—text, image, voice orvideo—and the ISPs were notallowed to discriminate between onetype of data and another, betweenone provider of the data and another,and could not levy discriminatorycharges based on that.

What is ‘Net Neutrality’‘Net neutrality’ precisely means

what has just been described. Itsignifies application of the well-established “common carrier” rulesto the Internet in order to preserveits freedom and openness. Commoncarriage prohibits the owner of a

On the issue of ‘Net Neutrality’

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Resist Insidious Attacks on Autonomy in Education

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Ruling bourgeoisie trying to deprive common peopleof reaping benefit of a gift of modern science

network that offers itself to all users,from discriminating againstinformation by halting, slowing, orotherwise tampering with thetransfer of any data except forlegitimate network managementpurposes such as, what is technicallyknown as, easing congestion orblocking spams and phishing.Common carriage, it may be added,is not a new concept—these ruleshave centuries-old history. Theyhave long been applied to facilitiescentral to the public life andeconomy like canal systems,railroads, public highways, andtelegraph and telephone networks.So, legitimacy demands that allthose who are licensed to providethe carriage should treat everyoneequally and without anydiscrimination. Naturally, the normalexpectation is that these commoncarrier rules should be followed in alltelecommunication systems includingthe broadband internetcommunications. But now the “free”and “nondiscriminatory” form of theinternet is under attack. Now thereis a proposal to divide the internetinto “fast” and “slow” lanes. If thisproposal goes through, the internetservice providers will offer fasterdownload speeds to rich companieswho pay them and will offer veryslow speed for those who cannotpay.

Why this attack on ‘NetNeutrality’

Any student of social scienceknows that those who controleconomy also control all otherspheres of life including the arena ofapplication of science. Ours is acapitalist society with the capitalistclass in power. And to the capitalists,what matters most is maximizationof profit no matter how much itcauses hardship to the people atlarge. So far, internet as a gift ofmodern science has been availableto the users without any stringsattached to it. But now the profit-seeking capitalist class is out torestrict the use of internet and istrying to put in place certainpractices that would enable the richcorporates or individuals to cornerthe benefits against heftier fees.

Even though the egalitarianphilosophy of the internet seems tobe inimical to capitalism, the fact isthat capitalism has benefittedimmensely from it, mainly becauseof three reasons:

(a) Creation, processing,dissemination and storage ofinformation became faster, cheaperand better, which has resulted in

significantly lesser labour andadministrative cost for capitalists.This also means employmentopportunities are significantly less.

(b) Online commerce came upin a big way which is far cheaperthan the traditional ‘brick-and-mortar’ commerce resulting inhigher profit margins.

(c) As the internet and its user-base grew in size web-basedcompanies such as Google,Facebook, Yahoo that offered freeservice to the people earned billionsof dollars in advertising revenue andInternet Service Providers (ISPs)like Airtel and Reliance earnedfabulous profits in data servicecharges.

At a time when the shrinkingmarket put the capitalist world in anirresolvable market crisis, theinternet opened up the scope of awhole new opportunity ofinvestment and profit. A new terme-commerce was coined where avendor could directly contact clientsand transact sale online. Webmarketing was increasingly resortedto. New portals like E-bay, Amazon,Alibaba, etc., opened up to reapprofit from net-based business.Even though the initial euphoriaepitomized by the so-called “dot-com bubble” did not live up to theexpectation and all investments didnot fetch expected returns, on thewhole capitalism benefitted from theinternet boom.

But, as we know from theteachings of Comrade ShibdasGhosh, Founder General Secretary,SUCI(C), and one of the foremostMarxist thinkers of the era, the crisisof capitalism is now an hourly one.Capitalism is trying to somehowstave off a crisis only to tumble intoanother bigger crisis. This hashappened here also. E-commerce isalso facing the spectre ofdiminishing return. So, crisis-riddencapitalism is desperately trying tofind newer avenues from where itcould fetch maximum profit. It hasnow an eye on manipulating theinternet service, doing away with thepractice of unrestricted use ofinternet for collecting anddisseminating information and thusopening up a new route to a sectionof the IT monopolists andbehemoths for squeezing peoplethrough slapping of differential andtier-based tariffs for the use ofinternet. That is why the “free” and“non-discriminatory” form of theinternet is under attack.

Apart from this economicreason, there is also a politicalreason behind the move to controlthe internet. It is true that apart from

deriving economic benefits, theruling capitalist class which, in adesperate attempt to prolong itsmutilated existence, is hell bent ondemolishing the moral backbone ofthe people particularly the youth,found in internet a very convenientmode to spread harmful contentslike pornography, sex-perversion,violence and such other degradingthings that fuel moral depravity. Butat the same time, people across theglobe have also been leveraginginternet as a means of mass actionagainst unjust policies.

Furthermore, the open internet isa powerful medium in the hands ofthe people for organizing protestsagainst the ruling class, someexamples of which we have earlierdiscussed. It allows people toeffectively spread the ideas forsocial justice, and to reach a largenumber of people within a shorttime. So the capitalist class wants tocontrol the internet and use it for itsown interest and block criticalthoughts and prevent dissidentvoices from speaking freely online.

Attack on net neutrality in IndiaIn India the first attempt to

subvert the neutrality of the internetsurfaced in December 2014, whenthe internet service provider Airteldecided to charge higher rates for“Voice on Internet Protocol” (VoIP)services like Skype, Whatsapp, andViber. They argued that, due to theavailability of these services, peopleare using sms (‘short messagingservice’ on cellphone) less, and sothey are losing revenue. But a littleinvestigation of the actual figuresshows that their revenues as well asprofit margins due to data serviceshave consistently increased. So, theargument is not tenable. Control ofinternet cannot be vested in thehands of the ruling class, and theprofit-hungry Telecom behemothscannot be allowed to dictate theconsumers’ choice of technology.

Then in April 2015, Airtelannounced a scheme called “AirtelZero” that is aimed to providepreferential access to companiesthat signs a deal with them. Soon thee-commerce firm Flipkartannounced joining the “Airtel Zero”scheme, by which web-access toFlipkart would enjoy a faster speedthan other sites. It resulted in anoutrage and people felt that if thisattempt is not blocked, it willinevitably lead, in course of time, to‘blocked sites and fast lanes’. Userswill be restricted to a few ‘islands ofdata’ as decided by the Telecomcompanies and not the entire‘universe’ of the internet. The

websites of the smallerestablishments based on ‘open andfree’ model (such as Wikipedia) willbecome very slow, and theseventures will be forced to latch upwith one of the corporate houses inorder to survive.

People must press for enactinglaws to protect net neutrality

We are happy to note that theoutburst of peoples’ protest hasforced Flipkart to pull out of thedeal. The youth of the country andthe scientific community have stoodat the forefront of this successfulcampaign with over 10 lakh peopledemanding the Telecom RegulatoryAuthority of India (TRAI) to keepthe internet free. Airtel’s move tocharge extra (about 5 times) forVoIP services also led to a massiveconsumer backlash and Airtel wasforced to reconsider the move,though it has not really beenwithdrawn.

But due to intense lobbying bytelecom giants, TRAI is still planningto allow them a violation of netneutrality, putting at stake peoples’freedom in the use of the internet. InMarch 2015, TRAI released aconsultation paper for obtainingpeoples’ feedback on ‘NetNeutrality’, but many feel that itmight have been eyewash. The waysuch “consultations” wereconducted earlier on the issues like‘National Education Policy’ or the‘genetically modified seeds’, theoutcome of the consultations may beindependent of the feedbackreceived from the people. With Modigovernment overtly serving thesinister class interest of the rulingcapitalist class, there is apprehensionthat the central government mayactually favour the telecomcompanies’ demands. It isnoteworthy that while PrimeMinister Modi waxes eloquent onthe “Digital India Initiative”, he hasnot spoken up on this raging issue ofnet neutrality despite such a massiveoutpouring of anger.

To protect the internet users’right to information, we demand that‘Net Neutrality’ should be enshrinedinto a Law. It is important to notethat four countries—USA, Brazil,Holland and Chile—have alreadymade ‘Net Neutrality’ a Law. Theydid not do that out of goodwill; thesecountries had to adopt the ‘NetNeutrality’ law due to strongexpressions of peoples’ opinion. Inour country also, what is needed isan enactment of a ‘Net Neutrality’law, and only an organized powerfulpeople’s movement can force thegovernment to do that.

PROLETARIAN ERA JUNE 15, 2015 PAGE THREE

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Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya

Through ceaseless cultivation and correct application ofMarxism-Leninism-Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought, hasten up

the process of accomplishing socialist revolution in IndiaComrade Asit Bhattacharyya calls out at Guwahati on 24th April

Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya setout with explaining the significanceof observance of the FoundationDay of the Party. He emphasizedthat this observance is by no meansa formal ritualistic programme to us.Its fundamental significance lies inour collectively taking the pledgeafresh to carry out quickly andefficiently the specific responsibilitythat has been laid historically uponus. It further entails correctevaluation of the latest national andinternational situations as well asthreadbare scientific analysis of theprevailing economic- political-social-cultural situations in thecountry and abroad and then ontheir anvil, it involves, highlightingthe correctness of the political andtactical lines of the Party and, alongwith that, hastening up the processof anti-capitalist socialist revolutionin the country; over and above, itrequires affirming once again ourpledge to identify ourselves to thecause of revolution and therevolutionary Party: all thesecharacterize the significance ofobservance of this Day.

International situationPresenting a brief and objective

analysis of the latest national andinternational situations, ComradeAsit Bhattacharyya said that theentire world is presently under theshackles of capitalists-imperialists. Itmust not be forgotten even for amoment that it is capitalism that liesat the root of the intense crisis ineconomic-political-cultural fields inall capitalist countries of the world.He added further that in thosecountries including the ones ofEurope and America the all-outeconomic crisis and the political-social-cultural crisis is stemmingfrom the capitalist rule which isassuming a terrible shape in thesecountries. It is being reflected indifferent ways every day in onecountry or other. Danger of outbreakof war prevails in the entire MiddleEast, ongoing war in Iraq, Syria,Yemen, Libya, and in thesurrounding countries have assumeda dangerous dimension. If not adeclared war a war like situation is

(This is an abridged and edited version of the speech delivered byComrade Asit Bhattacharyya, Member, Politbureau, SUCI(C), inAssamese in Guwahati on the occasion of observance of 68th PartyFoundation Day on 24 April. Responsibility of translation error andinadequacy of expression, if any, lies with the Editorial board,Proletarian Era)

haunting the whole region. Itsdestructive outcome is ruiningmillions of people in these countries.And what is happening in countriesof Europe or America is no lessalarming. What is coming out in allcapitalist ruled states is that totallybogged in crises and without findinga way out, people, at the instigationof the capitalists and theirhenchmen are getting involved inbloody fratricidal ethnic wars or arethinking of bringing self-ruination byother means; all these are spreadinglike wildfire. In no country there isany semblance of security in life forthe people. The USA is trumpeted asthe most developed country in theworld. But even people of thatcountry are not spared from thecrisis. They are also suffocating.The sub-prime crisis that cropped upin the US economy in recent timesand more menacing crises thatstemmed from it – were simplyunprecedented. It is clear enoughthat finding no way out the USimperialism is again leaning towardswars, direct or indirect, and fanningup wars and war like situationsacross the world. Of course itshould be noted alongside that theAmerican people are bursting out inresentment against all these, sointensely that the US rulers are nolonger being able to hold them back.The state of American economy issuch that they are spiraling downinto debts and debts without whichthey cannot make their ends meeteven for a single day; by this theyhave turned themselves as thegreatest debtor nation of the world.A host of countries, like Iran, Iraq,Afghanistan, Libya, Lebanon andmany others have fallen victim totheir design. But the US economy iscollapsing in spite of these. You musthave heard about the prosperity andwealth of European countries intheir good old days. But thosecountries, Great Britain, France,Germany and such others, none ofthem is free from economic crisisthese days. It is reflected even intheir political developments.Plunged in crisis, the more thecapitalists are bringing down theirattacks on people, the stronger is the

resentment with which people arebursting out now and then, virtuallyevery day. The governments ofthose countries are facing terribleresistance from people. Such is thedepth of the crises and consequentanger of people that capitalist rulersare finding it extremely difficult tostick to their seat of power.In manycases it is becoming almostimpossible to complete their tenure.What is more astounding is that theruling capitalist governments in orderto cope with the situation aresometimes forced to grant somerelief measures. But it is being foundthat the ruling capitalist class isopposing those moves. So, many of

countries are not finding ways outfrom that tangle. What is the realitytoday all over the world? On oneside there is the cruel, unbridledexploitation of the capitalist classand emergence of a handful ofpeople as owners of billions ofrupees. On the other there are morethan 90% of people forced to live asub-human life, barely living.Nobody can deny this truth. Noteven the subservient parties or thepundits and experts who have beenincluded in the pay roll of theirmasters, to help the latter, so thatthe capitalists and capitalism remainin power.

National scenarioThe scenario in India is virtually

the same with hardly any difference.In fact the barbarous exploitation ofthe capitalist class for over 68 yearshas brought more than 80% ofpeople below the poverty line. Morethan 77% earn less than 20 rupeesa day. People cannot make outways to live on. What does theincident indicate when a peasanthangs himself from a tree in publicin the heart of the capital itself? It ismerely a single instance. Suchthings are happening every day atmany places in the country. Unableto find any way out, peasants aretaking loans at exorbitant rates tocarry on their cultivation; but theycannot realize proper price for theirproduce. So, as I told earlier, with noway out for paying back their loans,lakhs of peasants are rushingtowards taking their own life. Not tospeak of new industries andfactories, the handful ones that wererunning somehow or other, havebrought or are bringing their shuttersdown one after another. Suchbarbarous atrocities on women,such ghastly rapes that areassuming menacing form in allcapitalist countries of the world,were not to be found even 10 or 15years back. No woman can restassured that such atrocities wouldnot overtake her if and when shesteps out of her house. But theycannot even sit back in their housetoo. They do not have food for theirchildren, nor money, no resource atall. And not only outside, they arehardly safe even within their housetoo. They have to go out to earnlivelihood even holding their life anddignity at stake; and they are alsopaying for that. But look at how the

the governments are being forced toresign in the face of massresentment. But the point to note isthat, lest there was created acondition which would put theexistence of the ruling class at stake,lest there was a mass uprising, thecapitalist class itself is conspiring todrag people into repeated electionsas a diversionary tactics. And inthose elections it is the economicissue which is coming out as thesingle most important issue.As aresult of this, in some elections onebourgeois party is being dislodged byanother of the same flock. Thenagain when the latter faces crisis,another election is being scheduledto repeat the process in favour ofanother party. The capitalist class isafter this game all over the worldincluding Europe. To their advantagethey have a number of subservientparties at their disposal; so they donot find it at all difficult to place thisparty to power or that in its place.

Any in-depth analysis of thecontemporary situation would provethat aggressive capitalism has drivenits roots fairly deep into thecountries of the world, big or small.So much so that people of those

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Contd. from page 3governments are behaving. Both theunion and state governments standunperturbed; of whichever party thegovernments may be they have noconcern, they are simply nonchalant.Thousands of abjectly poor peopleare committing suicide unable to ekeout a living; the capitalist class andtheir governments are only saying:No worry; let things run on as theyare; some compensation will mendeverything right. Compensation fordeath! Unthinkable how such wordscan be uttered at all. So you see foryourself, not a single person standsa chance to be spared by thiseconomic crisis generated bycapitalism. It is very urgent that werealize this truth afresh on thishistoric day.

Capitalism is mounting heinousattack on culture and morality

Pointing at the unfathomabledegeneration and destruction thatcapitalism has brought in its trail tothe social-cultural fields ComradeBhattacharyya said that as far backas in 1848 Karl Marx warned thatthe world capitalism has not justexploited people economically, itdegrades all kinds of humanrelations into mere monetaryinteractions. This truth has beenamply demonstrated in one and allcapitalist countries. Nowhere, in nofamilies is there anything calledpeace. All relations, be it betweenchildren and their father or mother,between brothers and sisters, orhusband and wife, all these havedegenerated into pecuniary relations.Children do not feel anycompunction and responsibilitytowards their parents, nor dobrothers for their sisters. Father iscommitting rape on his daughter.What more of degeneration wouldwe have to see? The capital Delhi isrocked by a question: The CMKejriwal was holding a publicmeeting and as it was on, a poorman hanged himself from a tree atthe same venue. Nobody cared forthe minimum humanitariancompunction of shopping themeeting. There was not anyslightest stir and effort to save theman among people assembled there,not to speak of the police andsecurity on duty there. Can there beany more heart-rendingphenomenon? Just think whatextent of erosion and downfall ofhumanity could give way to such aphenomenon. I am not casting blameupon people; I am just trying to letthem get at the question: what is the

cause. Because it is extremelyurgent to diagnose the cause ofsuch a poisonous environment,which has vitiated the entirescenario to such an extent. Startingfrom Karl Marx, all the leadersgreat Engels, great Lenin, Stalin,Mao Zedong and Comrade ShibdasGhosh, everybody has laid utmostimportance upon this correctdiagnosis of the cause. They haveardently urged all to realize thisissue at its depth that it is capitalismwhich is the main enemy of themankind today.

Comrade Bhattacharyya said, onone side there is intense economiccrisis and on the other this abjectdegeneration of morality-ethics andhumanity. Then wherein lies theremedy? In such a strangulatingsituation in every capitalist country,there is no alternative to takingpledge for overthrowing thecapitalism that is sucking blood ofmillions of people every day. It cannever be that capitalism will bringpeople to total peril by exploiting andoppressing them and the exploitedpeople in their turn will enjoy it.Inevitably now and often people’sindignation and resentment will burstout, but in absence of correctleadership it will only meet still moreperilous end. People will be draggedinto still deeper crisis. There cannotbe any compromise between thecapitalist class and the workingclass. Either the working class willuproot capitalism; or otherwise theexploited people will have to die likecats and dogs unwept and unsung.So to those who still think of bringingsome good to people, it will bemeaningless to conceive of people’sgood bypassing this truth, ignoringcapitalism itself. Long back it wasthe great Karl Marx who, foremancipation of exploited, oppressedpeople laid out his call to build upgenuine communist party in everycountry of the exploited classes andoverthrow capitalism in each andevery country, as the vanguarddispensation without falling victim toany treacherous and hypocriticalpath. It is only when 90/95 percentof the exploited people attain highlevel of revolutionary consciousness,it is only then capitalism will have tospend sleepless nights. But this is tonote carefully that in all countriescapitalism is conspiring in differentways only to cover up this truth.Lenin emphasized that in thisdecadent age, capitalism can offernothing good to the masses of itscountry; but that does never meanthat it does not have its fearful

power to bring down attacks onmillions of exploited people. You willfind how true the words are: inevery country the ruling capitalistclass and their subservientgovernments do not hesitate tocrush hundreds of thousands ofpeople either by firing upon them, orby leading them to starvation or byany other means. Robbing people ofeverything they have, their food,clothes, education, health andeverything, they are inciting peopleto take their own life. Lest themounting resentment of people wasdirected against the capitalists, thelatter are taking to thousand and onemeans to confuse people and leadthem to astray. They are instigatingone community against another. Tocrush the minimum vestiges ofmorality, ethics and ideology that stillpersist they are hatching designs,one after another. They are bringingdisunity among people in the nameof religion, creed, language orregionalism. Side by side, to protectand serve their interests they aresetting up political outfits and parties,investing money, using propagandamachinery and with the help ofthose, the rulers are attempting tokeep people confined within thebourgeois vote politics. ComradeBhattacharyya said that the idea ofelections had emerged nearly twohundred years back during the daysof emergence of capitalism itself.But today the more there areelections in every country, more arethe unbearable pain, pathos andsuffering of the 90% poor people ofthe country. The main point is thatvotes can change a government in acountry. But it is impossible to bringabout fundamental change in thestate or its production system.Capitalism cannot be overthrownthrough elections. Even if there ischange of governments throughelection, capitalist rule andexploitation remains intact, the statemachinery unscathed, the owner-worker production relationuntouched. So today to think ofbringing an end to the oppressivesituation, to eradicate poverty or tocast new light upon people’s lifethrough votes simply means to dragpeople into still deeper quagmire.

Remedy lies in Marx’sthoughts

Indicating what could be theway to bring an end to suchdevastating onslaughts of capitalismall over the world, Comrade AsitBhattacharyya emphasized that theremedial way has already been

there in Marx’s thoughts. Need ofthe hour lies in realizing this greattruth and in building up genuinecommunist party in one countryafter another on the strength ofcorrect understanding of Marxism-Leninism, in raising people’sconsciousness and making themconscious and ideologically equippedagainst the capitalist class, and inforging unity of exploited andoppressed people on the basis ofconsciousness steeled with iron-strong discipline throughrelentlessly organizing massmovements and class struggles.

But the tragedy is that acommunist movement based oncorrect ideological understanding ispathetically absent these days.Albeit temporarily, clutched in thegrasp of modern revisionism theworld communist movement has lostits vigour, dynamicity and creativitytoday. It is not being able to face thepresent situation with requiredideological standard andorganizational strength. ComradeBhattacharyya then brought forththe main fundamental principles offounding a communist party whichwere enunciated by Lenin andwhich were further elaborated andconcretized by great leader of theproletariat Comrade Shibdas Ghoshon the soil of India thereby enrichingthe treasure of Marxism- Leninismitself. By way of that ComradeBhattacharyya explained that it isthe basic lesson of Marxism-Leninism that whoever comeforward to found a communist partymust first engage themselves in anall-out socialist movement amongthemselves covering all fields ofideological world and embracing allpersonal aspects of life including sexand love. They must lay thefoundation of ideological centralismthrough intense and ardent struggle.Second, it must be realized thatconcrete and personified expressionof collective leadership cannot bedeveloped without developing insidethe party one process of thinking,oneness in approach, uniformity ofthinking and singleness of purpose.And without accomplishing this taskit is neither possible to give shape tothe final organizational structure of acommunist party. Third, throughrelentless struggle within the partythere must appear a band ofprofessional revolutionaries whowould take up the task of building upof the revolutionary party. Whilebuilding up the party they willengage themselves in conducting an

Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya’s speech

Capitalism is the root of the intense crisisin economic-political-cultural fields

PROLETARIAN ERA JUNE 15, 2015 PAGE FIVE

Members of the Presidium, Leadersof the Central Trade Union on thedais, Comrades and Friends,

The charter of demands whathad been placed before the formerCongress government and is beingrelentlessly pursued by us for lastseveral years, is surely not unknownto the present BJP government. Youknow and the whole country knowsthat all the demands included in thecharter are highly legitimate – a factwhich even former Prime MinisterDr. Manmohan Singh could notdeny. The BJP government alsocould not deny that, but made onlysome hollow assurances. But ifthese demands are legitimate, thenwhy is the government, whether ofCongress or of BJP, not acceptingthem?

Only a year has passed sinceMr. Modi has come to power. Notto speak of accepting the demands,this government has gone furtherahead in taking steps virtually todeny them. Going still further thegovernment is now bringing severalso called reforms of some existingimportant labour laws and toimplement some measures that we

Comrade Krishna Chakraborty’s speech at theNational Convention of Workers in New Delhi on 26 May, 2015

and demands of our movement havealready come to the house. Youknow of that no less than me.Naturally, I don’t think furtherelaboration of these demands are atall necessary. What I will try to dois to go a little deeper, to placebefore you the reason for which thegovernment is not accepting thedemands and why it is very difficultto make the government acceptthese. Because, unless we know thecause of the disease, we cannotcure the patient. Disease lies in thevery ruinous policy of globalization,liberalization and privatization. Thatis the source which has changed thewhole concept of jobs. Previouslywhat was there? You gotemployment, then confirmation, thenperiodic increment, then promotionand so forth; and when you retire,you get so many retirement benefitslike provident fund or gratuity,monthly pension, etc. Now nothingof this will be available. Contractualjob will have a consolidated pay andfor a definite period, mostly a shortperiod. According to the polices ofglobalization, all jobs will be oncontact basis. Manmohan Singh

During Mr. Vajpayee’s rule a specialministry was created and that wasdisinvestment ministry and Mr. ArunShouri was made the disinvestmentminister. This ministry was supposedto facilitate disinvestment of publicsector units.

As is known to all, the policy ofglobalization was first introduced bythe Congress government led byNarshima Rao. Mr. ManmohanSingh was then the finance minister.Same policies were continued bythe Vajpayee government. Thenagain when the Manmohan Singhgovernment took over, theglobalization policies wereimplemented more speedly. Andnow the BJP government isimplementing these policies in anexceptional speedy way.

Then whose policies are these?Are these the policies of theCongress or of the BJP? Evenwhen the United Front ministry wasformed in between, the samepolicies were pursued by it. Actuallythese are the policies of the rulingcapitalist class, the Tatas, Birlas,Ambanis, Goenkas, Adanis andothers. We must understand that. Ifany government refuses to obeytheir diktats, that government will bethrown out by the capitalist. This isthe reality. When we are preparingfor a movement, we mustunderstand this truth. Unless we candevelop a powerful movementagainst capitalist globalization, wemay, at best, achieve one or twodemands, but by that the generalcondition of the working class will

not improve at all. It cannot improve.So, we need to build up workingclass movement against the basicevil i.e. the policy of globalization,liberalization, privatization. Educationis going to be privatized andcommercialized. Hospitals are goingto be commercialized and privatized.Even in a country where water isavailable in plenty, we need topurchase drinking water. Evensupply of potable water is alsocommercialized and sold for a profitby the monopoly houses. Such is thesituation comrades.

I shall not speak more. If youunderstand this basic thing anddevelop really a powerful movementbased on that understanding, then Ican say confidently that themovement would be a historic one.This movement needs to be aprotracted one — powerful andmilitant which can force thegovernment to accept all thedemands and withdraw its proposedreforms. Such a historic movementwe need to develop. I believe youwill do that.

Thanking you allLong Live Revolution.

Apart from Comrade KrishnaChakraborty, President, AIUTUC,central leaders of AITUC, CITU,BMS, HMS, INTUC, AICCTU,TUCC, UTUC, SEBA and ALPF aswell as leaders of various the unionsand federations of Bank, Insurance,Railway, Defence, Central and Stategovernment employees also spoke inthe conference.

have been opposing for long.Reforms generally indicateimprovement of the existing things.Leave apart improvement, the BJPgovernment, in the name of reforms,actually intends to dilute and distortall the existing labour laws likeIndustrial Dispute Act, Factory Actetc. to make industrial relationsscenario even worse. It is proposedthat even there will be no moreinspection of the working conditionsof different work places – a demandthe ruling capitalist class had beenpressing for long by asserting that“inspection has become inspectionraj and it should go”. Thisgovernment is now going to obligethe capitalist rulers by doing that.Such grim and grave is the situation.

Discussion on different issues

consistently followed thesepolicies. Now the Modigovernment is also following thesame policies.

Two more anti-people policies,liberalization and privatization camein the wake of the policy ofglobalization. What is liberalization?All foreign capitals will freely enterthe country and exploit our people.The BJP government has gone astep ahead of the Congress, it hasinvited Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) everywhere even in therailways and defence sector. Thegovernment is exposing this mostcrucial sector to foreign monopolistsand MNCs. On the other hand,there is a spree of privatization of allkey and basic industries, theindustries of the public sectors.

Delhi AIDSO protestsanti-education policies

Delhi State Committee of theAIDSO organized a protest rally inDelhi University on 8 June againstCBCS, RUSA and CentralUniversity Bill. Students fromdifferent colleges of DelhiUniversity participated in the rally.Among others who spoke wereComrades Prashant KumarSecretary, AIDSO Delhi andKrishnendu Mukherjee, StateCommittee Member, AIDSO Delhi.

The speakers opined that in thename of so called reforms thegovernment is continuouslyimplementing such policies whichare diluting the public fundededucation system in India andopening the flood gates for therapid commercialization ofeducation. The speakers alsohighlighted how democratic rights

of students and teachers are beingsnatched away and the convertingdemocratic bodies are convertedinto an appendage to thegovernment.

AIDSO Delhi also organizedprotest demonstration on 4 Juneagainst the ban on and de-recognization of Ambedkar PeriyarStudy Circle (APSC) by the IIT -Madras authority reportedly at theinstance of the Union HRDMinistry Students from differenteducational institutions took partwith enthusiasm in thedemonstration held at JantarMantar against the Union HRDMinistry. A memorandum wassubmitted and an effigy of theUnion HRD Minister was burnt.Delhi AIDSO leaders addressed therally.

Comrade Krishna Chakraborty, President, AIUTUC, addressing

PAGE SIX JUNE 15, 2015 PROLETARIAN ERA

Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya’s speech

Marx warned that world capitalism degrades all kindsof human relations into mere monetary interactions

Contd. from page 4

all embracing socialist movement. Inthis way they will be able to riseabove everything related to thethinking pattern centering round‘self’ in exclusion of collectivethinking and collective way living. Atthe same time engaging themselvesunhesitatingly and happily inrevolutionary life struggle they willbe able to acquire higher and higherideological understanding. Withoutaccomplishing these imperative tasksto be performed one by one beforefounding the party, there cannotdevelop any genuine communistparty, any working classrevolutionary party. But it is a painfulreality that in our country theundivided CPI and presently theCPI (M) and the Naxalites ofdifferent shades were nowhere nearthis mark. As a result their attemptsto form a party without caring theleast for the scientific process offounding the communist party, asexplained above have met with theirinevitable outcome —failure fromtop to bottom, in giving birth to arevolutionary party. As the inevitableconsequence of this basic failure, theCPI, the CPI (M) and the erstwhileNaxalites have today turned out tobe social democrats. This is why wefind they are not hesitating to takerefuge even with the Congress,the most trusted party of thecapitalists.

Comrade Asit Bhattacharyyathen said that communism is not amere slogan or an instrument forwinning election. It is a philosophy oflife. It entails that on the strength ofcorrect understanding of revolution,covering all aspects of life, one mustfree oneself from private property,from the private property mentalcomplex and thousand and onecomplexities of mind and characterthat stem from those. Second, agenuine communist character cannotgrow without ceaseless collectivestruggle for changing oneself todevelop in him or her correctrevolutionary thinking and ideasembracing everything like personalrelations, relations within families,with spouse or children, alwayskeeping in sight incessant changesthat are taking place in this ever-changing world. Then again if suchcharacters are not attained on thisunderstanding of Marxism, it will notbe possible also to make peopleconscious and unite them. So to facethe present situation each and everysingle individual of the party mustimmerse themselves in an all-outcollective struggle going on at every

moment of life. Then to deepen andheighten their ideological standard,they will have to apply it concretelyand purposively in their lives firstand then amongst the oppressedmasses. Through this process theyneed to identify themselves withrevolution, revolutionary party andrevolutionary leadership. This is thehistorically determined course. Andon this crucial issue where do wefind ourselves? Till his last breathComrade Shibdas Ghosh triedutmost to drive at this point, wagedhis struggle to make it clear whatthe life of a revolutionary should belike. You will have to carry theseteachings in your heart, and withthat you should become immersed inthe masses and extend Partyactivities wide and far. It will bepossible for you to attain communistcharacter only when you will be ableto establish Party thoughts in themasses.Only then you will be able tofree yourselves from the influenceof vile individualism. And only thenthrough your own struggle you willbe able to totally remove remnantsof capitalist thoughts that are drivingtheir roots into the cadres may bethey being unaware of it. It shouldbe remembered that only then youwill be able to imbue exploitedmasses with higher consciousnessthat alone will pave the path ofushering in revolution.

Situation in AssamSpeaking very briefly about the

burning situation in Assam, ComradeAsit Bhattacharyya said that withregard to problems confronting thepeople of Assam, those have nofundamental difference from theextremely suffocating situationprevailing in the rest of the country,being the offshoot of the exploitativerule of capitalism. The nature ofexploitation and oppression ofcapitalism is the same in Assam asit is in Bihar, Gujarat or Odisha. Butthe problem that especially plaguesAssam in addition is the ferociousattacks being launched by thechauvinists, communalists,separatists and secessionist forcesone after another with the totalbacking of ruling capitalistclass.Since long this problem hascast its gloom over the social life inAssam. In the absence of anyresistance movement, these forcesare increasing their strength afreshand are thereby vitiating the life ofall sections of people cutting acrossethnicity- language- religion- casteor creed. The latest situation is thatin the name of preparing the so-

called National Register of Citizens(NRC), that too in Assam onlywithout being a national event,which it should be according to theConstitution.Then again they haveraised a dangerous bogey ofdefining so-called “Assamese”people with the same clear intentionto create a bloody cleavagebetween the Assamese speaking andnon Assamese speaking people aswas the case just before country’sindependence which led to largescale riot and ultimately partition ofundivided India. Spreading suchqueer but definitely designful ideas,they have created a highly explosivesituation in the state. When in 2010the work for the so-called NRC wasstarted in Barpeta district, weemphatically pointed out that it wasa rabid fanatic chauvinist conspiracyto rob the millions of genuine Indiancitizens belonging to the linguisticand religious minorities of theircitizenship. Many of you may recallthat we actually developed amassive and powerful movement inBarpeta district against thisconspiracy spewing heinous ethnichatred. Besides us, all other parties,namely Congress, BJP, AGP, UDFeven CPI, CPI(M) who masqueradeas Marxist parties did not onlyexpressed opinions in favour of theNRC, but even raised a campaign,and have still stuck to it, that theNRC would bring a solution to allproblems concerning ethnic hatred.In this connection I would like tomention that our opinion on the NRCattracted people like a magnet.Under pressure of that movementthe government had to retreat forthe time being, and had to withholdtheir attempt to set out withpreparing the pernicious NRC. Butthis time, the conspiracy has raisedits head afresh all at a time over theentire state. Five long years havegone by this time. In the meantimethe rabid chauvinist, utterlycommunal forces have consolidatedtheir strength and have becomefrantic to bring down another moreferocious attack on the linguistic andreligious minority people of Assam.To give effect to this obnoxiousdemand of AASU both the state andthe union governments stand on thesame footing. Even judiciary isfound to be very unusuallysympathetic to them. All tend tothink that the NRC must be framedsomehow or other. Neither the statenor the union government could denythat the citizens’ register of 1951and voters’ list prior to 1971 on basisof which they pretend to carry out

this ‘pious’ mission is not inexistence. The point is how can thena citizens’ register be updated on thebasis such non-existent documents?Under pressure of movements andawareness of the mass resentmentagainst the move, the state and theUnion government are resorting tomore deceptive means and subtletrickeries. Therefore they are talkingof several supplementarydocuments. But one must not missthe fact that in Assam, there havebeen so many ethnic riots, communalclashes, devastating floods andriver-bank erosion and because ofthose many even genuine Indiancitizens will not be able to producethose documents. Before 1971 theabjectly poor people did not eventhink of preserving or collectingthese documents. So it is glaring thatthe governments are listing thosedocuments with an ulterior motive,so that the minority poor section ofpopulation cannot produce them andthus lose their citizenship. Had theythe intention to ensure that not asingle genuine Indian citizen is leftout of the register, the governmentswould have accepted any reliabledocuments which definitely provethat the person concerned is agenuine Indian citizen. But they didnot do that. Besides it is veryimportant to note that one of thefundamental tenets of jurisprudenceis that circumstantial evidences alsoconstitute a vital yardstick indetermining truth and in dispensingwith justice. What is stunning to findis that not only the conspirators buteven, often the highest judiciary andthe government are not ready toaccept this tenet, rather are seekingto bypass that fundamental tenet.Even, in the present case ofpreparing the NRC, the governmentis also not going to accept theinternational law on automaticcitizenship by virtue of being born ina country. So it is clear as daylightthat there is a deep-rooted designbehind preparing this NRC. Loss ofcitizenship is as good as death.Naturally already there has croppedup tremendous apprehension amongthe linguistic and religious minoritiesof the state. The minoritycommunity people have been victimof different kinds of oppressionduring the last 30-40 years. Ifmillions of such people are robbed oftheir citizenship at the point of abayonet as it is in the hatching aconspiracy like this, one can wellassume what disastrous outcome itwill have: we should all realize that

Contd. on page 7

PROLETARIAN ERA JUNE 15, 2015 PAGE SEVEN

the fire of disunity, hatred, enmityand turbulence would not spareanybody. This is a very importantpoint to ponder deeply.

On the other hand like addinginsult to injury the chauvinists arelaunching another offensive againstthe minorities. There has alreadydeveloped serious complexities onthe question of defining who is anAssamese. Such absurd thinking isnot going to be found anywhereelse, in any other state. Defining anethnic community is reallyunhistorical, impractical sometimesan evil intentioned proposition. Anystudent of history knows it well thatthe process of assimilation and theprocess of unification are the maintrends in the process of evolutionof human society. It is through thatprocess that tribes have appearedfrom primitive clans, and thenthrough integration of tribes theredeveloped nationalities whichthrough their unification emergedinto a nation and a national statewithin a particular geographicalterritory. The necessity ofunification arises right from the factthat in the interest of fulfillingcontinuously increasing demands oflife, disintegration stands in the wayof attaining and maintaining higheradvanced way of life, covering allspheres, like economic, political,social and cultural. The theory ofnegation of negation asserts thatsometime in future even thepresent nations would not exist. Theworld human society will evolvefollowing inexorable historical laws.In his novel Shesh Prashna (FinalQuestion) even the greathumanist novelist SaratchandraChattopadhyay had put these wordsin that famous novel “Well! May bemy identity will not remain as anIndian, but can it be less significantthat I will be one of the worldhumanity?” During theindependence movement the thenleaders of Assam Association got itmerged with the Indian NationalCongress and by that way theyidentified themselves with theIndian national movement. At thattime the independence movementwas conducted on the edifice ofone single sense of giving birth toan Indian nation all throughout thecountry including Assam. Thosedays the eminent personalities ofAssam like Jyotiprasad Agarwala,Nabinchandra Bardoloi, TarunramPhukan and many other celebritiesdid not raise the question ofdefining who is ‘Assamese’.On the

contrary they raised the slogan of‘Bandemataram’. They said ‘weare all Indians’. Then see, in thename of preserving the identity ofthe Assamese people, whatdevastating condition these fanaticchauvinist forces are trying tocreate by treading a totallyunhistorical path simply to fulfilltheir nefarious fascistic design.Whenever these treacherous forcesraised the question of identity, wemade it clear that identity isintimately linked with economic andclass positions. There cannot ariseat all a mischievous slogan ofidentity devoid of economic contentand considera-tions. Because thisquestion of who is what is relatedto the existing production system,with respect to productionrelation.Only on the basis of thatcriterion we can determine wheredo the 90% of people of thecountry belong to economically. Ina class divided society peoplebelonging to the exploited masseswho constitute 90% of thepopulation do not endanger theexistence of one or another sectionof oppressed people. The same istrue with regard to questions oflanguage or culture. Toiling peoplegenerate wealth wherever theymay be living; they do not exploiteach other. They do not endangerany other peoples’ language andculture. It is the exploiter thatexploits: and who are thoseexploiters these days? It is thecapitalist class. Today 68 yearsafter independence the capitalistclass is endangering the existenceof 90% of the people, the exploitedmasses, irrespective of theirlanguage, religion, race, ethnicityetc. The fanatic forces, in theirturn, are continuously conspiring toconceal this fact of exploitation bythe capitalist class and bringdisunity among exploited people.These parochial thoughts of thefanatic chauvinist forces arenothing but the thoughts of thecapitalist class. Today, these aredangerously affecting the unity ofdiverse people of Assam.Separatist, sectarian and communalthoughts are indirectly helping therule of the capitalist class to persist.The direction in which blood-shedding incidents of Assam todayare moving bear the ominousprobability of grading into thefratricidal conflict between theHindus and the Muslims thatcropped up in India in 1947,ultimately leading to partition ofundivided India. The Assam

incidents bear the omen ofgenerating such a worst kind ofseparatist condition. Repeatedly infragmented Assam such conditionsare being created that thegeographical existence of Assam isnow seriously threatened. Besides,one must keep in mind that at onestage an unjust attack will give birthto a counter-attack. Much moreblood will be spilt in Assam. Furtherfragmentation will becomeinevitable. If people cannot have aleadership to guide them with acorrect ideology, Assam willbecome a still more devastatinggraveyard than what it is today. Theentire state and its existence willface unthinkable danger. We findnone others than us to make peopleconscious of these features that areproving so extremely detrimental tothe state. So my appeal to my partycomrades, members, supporters andsympathizers – remember that you

Comrade Asit Bhattacharyya’s speech

Cultivate Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought assiduously todeal a deadly blow upon blood-thirsty reactionary forces

Contd. from page 6 will have to carry the Party’sthoughts, Comrade Shibdas Ghosh’steachings to the people. In theideological sphere you will haveto deal a deadly blow upon theblood-thirsty reactionary forces.SUCI (Communist) must bestrengthened to uproot theirpernicious thoughts.

With this call Comrade AsitBhattacharyya ended his speech.

At the beginning of theproceedings the president of themeeting and Secretary AssamState Committee ComradeChandralekha Das presented abrief account of the disastrousactivities of fanatic chauvinistforces. She called for strengtheningSUCI (Communist) to eradicatethese political demons on thestrength of our assimilationof Marxism-Leninism-ComradeShibdas Ghosh Thought.

Statement of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal(Marxbadi)—BASAD (Marxist) — on the eve

of the recent visit of Modi to BangladeshCalling upon the workers and leaders of all levels of the party, its

frontal organizations and the people of Bangladesh to raise their voicein defence of the interest of the country, Comrade Mubinul HaiderChowdhury, General Secretary, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal(Marxbadi)—BASAD (Marxist)-- in a statement issued on the eve ofthe recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Modi to Bangladesh said:“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming on an official visit toBangladesh on 6 June, 2015. In this visit, Modi in the interest of theIndian monopolists would sign a slew of agreements on ‘connectivity’,duty free entry of 23 items produced in India into Bangladesh, settingup of ‘electricity corridor’ through Bangladesh to benefit India,exploiting the sea resources of Bangladesh (Blue Economy),establishing Indian control over the natural fuel and mineral resourcesof Bangladesh and above all, signing up a good number of ‘nationalsecurity treaties’ to further firm up and consolidate the grip of Indianimperialism on this land.

In reality, through these treaties and agreements, the economy ofBangladesh will be more dependent on Indian imperialist economy anda crisis centring on the security and sovereignty of the country will becreated which the countrymen will see for themselves in the days tocome. In the circumstances, it is the duty of all patriotic citizens to risein protest against such self-destructive decisions of the government andthe aggression of Indian imperialism.”

He further said in the statement that “the demand of just share ofwater of all the undivided international rivers including the Padma andthe Teesta based on ‘historical and natural legitimacy’ and equality isbeing totally ignored. India has kept Bangladesh encircled from all sideswith barbwire and is continuously flouting the human rights of 16 croreof Bangladeshi citizens. Despite so many rounds of discussions, borderkilling is going on unabated. Without resolving all these issues, theeuphoria of the Grand Alliance government led by Awami League overModi’s visit is nothing but an act of robbing people’s rights creating asmokescreen of hurly-burly.” At the end of the statement, ComradeMubinul Haider Chowdhury appealed to all to build up powerfulmovement raising vehement protest against the policy of capitulation ofthe Bangladeshi rulers and the aggressive moves of Indianimperialism as well as with a view to firmly protecting and establishingtheir rights

PAGE EIGHT JUNE 15, 2015 PROLETARIAN ERA

People who really have‘Achhe Din’

As per the Forbes list 2014, the 100 richestpeople in India are all billionaires ($ 1 billion isequivalent, now, to over Rs 6,400 crore). This is45 more than the figure of 55 in the same list in2011. The combined wealth of these 100billionaires comes to $ 346 billion. According toa Credit Suisse Report, the top 1 percent ofhouseholds in India owned 36.80 percent of thetotal wealth of all households in 2000, while in2014 their share has increased to 49 percent,which is higher even than the average for theworld as a whole (48.20 percent in 2014)

Rising hunger and farmers’suicide mark Modi’s

“visionary steps towardsending poverty”

When World Bank President Jim Yong Kimhas congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modion completion of one year of “visionary stepstowards ending poverty” India, it has come tolight that India is home to the highest number ofhungry people in the world, at 194 millionaccording to United Nations annual hungerreport. (ndtv-28-05-15) Moreover, the countryhas seen a 40% jump in the number of farmer’ssuicide. (dna-27-05-15)

Endowment of capitalism inChina

Following completion of counter-revolution inChina in 2004, courtesy the revisionist capitalist-roaders, China forsaking the path of socialismand renouncing great Mao Zedong, had turnedcapitalist. And the festering sores of decadentmoribund ruthlessly exploitative capitalism havebeen appearing with all virulence. China is having36 million people, including four million childrenbelow six years, living in ‘extreme’ poverty, anofficial survey said. China’s Poverty Alleviationand Development, (PAD) said under the formulaof the dollar a day, over 82 million people inChina officially remained below poverty. Thenumbers could scale up to 200 million going bythe World Bank’s calculation of USD 1.25 a day.(Hindu-27-05-15)

On the other hand, the number of high networth individuals (HNWIs) in China passed theone million mark for the first time last year, theChina Private Wealth Report said. In China in thefirst three months of this year, a new billionairewas created almost every week, the reportsaid. (Times of India 28-05-15)

Industrial barons owe Rs6000 crores to poorsugarcane peasants

The Central government needs to control thesugar prices which are continuously falling. WhenModi addressed the rally in Meerut ahead of theparliamentary election last year, he raised theissue but he is yet to do anything. The Centreabolished its control on the sugar market becauseof which the prices are continuously going down.But what is the reality? When open market priceof sugar is spiralling—thanks to the manipulation,hoarding and black marketing by the infamous

sugar lobby— the poor producers of sugarcane,the principal crop for sugar production, arevirtually consigned to doom. Several sugarcanefarmers in Uttar Pradesh have committedsuicide.

Now it is revealed that the peasants are yetto get more than Rs. 6,000 crore owed to themby some of the country’s top corporates for thiscrop season alone. The corporate houses thatowe the State’s farmers money include Bajaj,Birla, Modi group and the liquor baron PontyChaddha-led Wave group. These privatedefaulters, which own 40 of the 103 sugarcanemills, have left the farmers in a state of crisis.

The top defaulter is Bajaj group which is yetto pay Rs. 1598 crore to the farmers. TheMawana group, which owns three mills in theState, has defaulted on the payment of Rs. 524crore. The Birla group, which owns five mills,owes Rs. 376.5 crore, the Modi group, with twosugar mills owes Rs. 406 crore. The Yadu group,owned by UP political strongman D.P. Yadav hasdefaulted on payment of Rs. 50 crore. TheDalmiya group which owns three mills is yet topay Rs. 94.3 crore. There are 20 others in the listwith smaller outstanding amounts.

But Modi is unfazed because he has beenbrought to power by these defaulter monopolistswho thrive on the hunger and suicides of the poorpeasants. This is how Modi is “worshipping hisBharat mata”(Source: The Hindu-06-06-15)

A tip of the iceberg :revelation of institutiona-

lized bribing in IndiaAn average urban household in India pays

around Rs 4,400 annually as bribe, while ruralhouseholds have to shell out Rs 2,900, agovernment-commissioned study on unaccountedwealth by National Council of Applied EconomicResearch (NCAER) has revealed. A series ofsurveys showed that black money is generatedthrough bribes and pay-offs to bureaucrats andpoliticians, which could range from award ofcontracts to leakages from development schemes,mining, sale of oil products and settlement of non-performing loans by banks. Pointing out that bribeis rampant in rural areas, especially in schemesmeant for the poor, the report has revealed howhalf the beneficiaries of government schemesincluding rural job guarantee scheme (MNREGS),public distribution system, Indira Aawas Yojna,social security programmes and scholarships hadto offer money to get their entitlement. It alsohighlights the extent of corruption, whichultimately generates black money, so far as publicsector investment is concerned. Based oninterviews of retired government officials, thereport suggested that public sector investment isan easy source of illegal funds for politicians andbureaucrats. The unaccounted money earnedcould be 2-10% of the project cost and it couldcross 20% due to delays. The report estimatedthat 5-10% of the additional cost in siphoned off.Based on a sample survey of private contractorsin 15 states, the report says on an average 9% ofthe project cost is paid as bribe. The report hasalso brought to light how on an average peoplerunning roadside vends and eateries payapproximately Rs 1,100 per month.

Another study conducted by Centre for MediaStudies and MDRA shows that in 60% cases,cops and officials extort money from truckers bystopping them without giving a reason. It has also

revealed that around 90% of the bribe goes topolicemen and transport department personnel.These government agencies issue illegal tokens,passes and stickers to allow vehicles to passwithout checks. In many cases, governmentofficials use holograms on bribe receipts todistinguish “original” from “fake”. While 77% ofthe truck drivers felt police were the biggestirritant, 73% said it was harassment by transportdepartment officials. Share of corruption is: Police(45%), RTO (43%) and others (12%). (Source-Times of India 24-05-15)

Relevant to recollect is that voters inMaharashtra on the eve of last assemblyelections were reportedly asking each other,“How much is your vote worth?” No sooner hadthe Election Commission begun to look intorumours that the buy-a-vote rate in theGangakhed constituency was Rs 900, than theresultant buzz on the grapevine caused the priceof votes to go up to Rs 1,500 in Bhosari and Rs2,000 in Aurangabad. It seemed that many votersin Maharashtra had taken to heart – or rather,taken to pocket – the unsolicited pre-poll advicegiven to them by BJP minister and formerPresident of the BJP Nitin Gadkari, that theyshould accept ‘bribes’ from all electoralcandidates. If what might come to be called the‘Maharashtra model’ catches on, voters acrossthe country might unite to demand from electoralcontestants a minimum support price, suitablyadjusted to accommodate inflation, for theirballots. (Source: Times of India—18-10-14)

Recession rich: Britain’swealthiest double net worth

since crisisBritain’s billionaires have seen their net worth

more than double since the recession of 2009,with the richest 1,000 families now controlling atotal of £547bn, a rise of more than 112%,. Whileaverage UK incomes have yet to recover fromthe worst economic crisis since the GreatDepression, with thousands still flocking to foodbanks, the financial elite have emerged not onlywith their fortunes intact, but holding a larger thanever slice of the cake. In contrast to the soaringincomes of the richest, median household incomein the most recent financial year was at aroundthe same level as it was in 2007–08 before therecession, though still more than 2% below its2009–10 peak. A comment by Duncan Exley,Director, Equality Trust, is worth noting. He said:“Inequality at this scale is hugely damaging forsociety. Multiple studies show that living in a moreunequal country means you’re more likely to havepoorer education, suffer from poor mental health,trust people less, be the victim of violent crimeand even die earlier.” This is just a glimpse of theendowment of dying capitalism—‘Some have thegap, some stick in the gap’.(Source-TheGuardian-26-04-15)

Sex crimes rise in UKEngland and Wales recorded 32% jump in sex

offences. There were 26,703 allegations of raperecorded in 2014, an increase of 39 percent onthe previous year. Recorded allegations of othersexual offences rose by 28 percent to 53,559.This shows that crime on women is spiraling inthe imperialist-capitalist countries as culturaldegeneration and misogyny are soaring there.(Source-rt.Uk 23-04-15)

PROLETARIAN ERA JUNE 15, 2015 PAGE NINE

Academic autonomy

If academic autonomy is in jeopardy, true pursuitand dissemination of knowledge are bound to suffer

Contd. from page 1

Contd. on page 10

West Bengal way back in late 1970sthrough political and governmentalinterference in the administration ofeducational institutions in the formof appointment of pliant persons asheads of institutions like Vice-Chancellors and increasinglyestablishing governmental controlover governing bodies responsiblefor running the schools, colleges andall institutes of higher learning – atrend which with time became allpervasive, reaching down toprimary level schools fromuniversities. In fact they brought abill to curtail autonomy of CalcuttaUniversity and increase governmentcontrol on the functioning of theuniversity. But this was not acceptedby the awakened conscience of theeducation-loving democratic-mindedpeople and the luminaries.Renowned educationists, litterateurs,scientists, historians, jurists,journalists and artistes of WestBengal as well as of other parts ofthe country not only raised voice ofprotest but even came down to thestreets to thwart such a perniciousmove of a government which calledthemselves leftists-Marxists. Afterthat, following the trail of the CPI(M) government, the governments,both at Centre and in the states, alsobegan rolling out the process ofsubverting academic autonomy as apart of the grandiose design tooverhaul education in the interest ofthe ruling bourgeoisie.Systematically, various reforms havebeen brought in to ensure firmer gripof not just governments but even theruling parties on educationalinstitutions.

TMC government is followingCPI (M)’s footsteps morenakedly

In this respect also, WestBengal has surfaced prominently.From the days of ascending topower, the Trinamool Congresswhich once lambasted the CPI (M),for establishing party control onvarious educational institutions,obviously for playing to the galleryand brighten electoral prospects,began following the footsteps of theCPI(M). Not to speak of theuniversities and colleges, there ishardly any school in the statewhich is not having a definite TMCman or a group of TMC loyalists atthe helm of governance. Even thevarious education bodies likePrimary Education Board,Secondary and Higher Educationboards, Joint Entrance Examination

Councils are all having knownTMC person at the top. Not justTMC leaders and ministers, orruling party nominees with hardlyany background of education, evennotorious criminals and anti-socialshave been made heads of thegoverning bodies of colleges andschools. These criminals have beengiven unbridled power to dowhatever they want, right fromdeciding who would be theteachers, who would run students’unions, to who would get contractof preparing midday meals, ofbuilding construction, of supply ofvarious stationery items and soforth. Even these criminals havebeen deciding who would bepromoted, who would be theinvigilators during the examinations,where mass copying should beallowed freely and what marks tobe awarded to which students. Theschool and college authorities havebeen made totally cipher andreduced to passive onlookers.

But that is not all. Now the TMCgovernment has passed a ‘WestBengal State Council of HigherEducation Bill 2015’ in the Assemblyriding roughshod over vehementopposition by our Party as well asother opposition parties, well knowneducationists and intellectuals. TheBill granted legality to appointment ofthe Education Minister (in place of aneducationist with proven credential)as Chairman of the Higher EducationCouncil. Apart from that, in terms ofthis Bill, the Council is also vestedwith the power to conduct commonentrance tests, if any universitymakes such requests to it. Curiouslyenough, Partha Chatterjee, the TMCEducation Minister, justified suchwresting of control of theautonomous bodies by thegovernment by putting forth the pleathat this would make the Councilmore responsible and accountable.He also justified it by pointing to theprecedents set by Gujarat, followedby Karnataka and Kerala, as well asMaharashtra in this matter.

The question may be asked, towhom is the Council made more‘responsible and accountable’, to thecause of education or to thegovernment and ruling party? Thisanswer has also been given by theTMC Education Minister himself.The opposition parties called abandh on 30 April last against theterror tactics and large-scale riggingin the recently held MunicipalElections in the state. Our Party alsoextended support to that. On suchearlier occasions, apprehending the

dislocation of the transport systemand the possibility of confrontationbetween pro- and anti- bandh forces,the academic institutions usuallypostponed the examinations, so thatthe students do not suffer. But theTMC government in its bid to foilthe bandh ordered through anotification that examinations mustbe held as scheduled on that veryday. Such an unprecedentedsituation left almost 90 thousanduniversity students appearing invarious examinations in the lurchpushing them into needlessuncertainty and agony. Whenquestioned by the media if thegovernment move to enforceconduction of examinations by theuniversities on the bandh day was ablatant interference in academicmatters, the Education Ministerasserted that of course he has theright to interfere in the autonomy ofacademic institutes, as, after all, it ishe who has been paying all thesalaries to the University teachersand staff! What could be moredespotic and autocratic a stand tojustify brazen subversion ofacademic autonomy? Theseservitors of the ruling capitalist classare so arrogant because ofoccupying the seat of power thatthink they could get away sayinganything, trash or nonsense. Is therelation between a university and agovernment that of employer-employee? Is not the TMC ministeraware that the financial support thegovernment provide to universitiesor to educational institutions ingeneral comes from people’s moneywhich the government squeezes outof them as direct and indirect taxes?Is the government the owner or onlythe trustee of that money? In ademocratic and secular country, theduty and responsibility of thegovernment is restricted only tofunding the educational institutionsadequately. But the day-to-dayrunning, framing of syllabus, decidingon the methods of examinations andevaluation, etc. are exclusivepreserve of the autonomousdemocratically elected bodiesheaded by academicians. Anyinfringement on the functioning ordecisions of these bodies by thegovernment is tantamount to floutingacademic autonomy. It is nothing buta gangster’s logic that thegovernment has right to interfere inthe academic affairs of theeducational institutions because itfunds them. The incident providesanother example of how the TMCgovernment is bringing fresh attacks

on autonomy of educationalinstitutions, crushing whateverremnants of democratic functioningare there, to the detriment ofeducation itself. This very incident isalso an indication of what is theshape of things to come.

The BJP government is also notlagging behind

The BJP-led central governmenthas also not been lagging behind inextending its grip on the educationalinstitutions. In January last, KunwarBharatendra, MP from Bijnore, andan accused in Muzaffarnagarcommunal riot cases was nominatedto the ‘Court’ of Aligarh MuslimUniversity, the highest decisionmaking body of this reputedacademic institute. Nomination ofsuch a tainted ruling party man, thattoo with established communal bentof mind, to such a noble seat oflearning is highly undemocratic andunjust and besides other thingsdestined to infringe on the autonomyof the university. Similarly, the BJPgovernment has, of late, disbandedthe advisory committee of its journalcomprising 21 eminent historiansfrom around the world,including Romila Thapar and IrfanHabib, ostensibly with ulteriormotive to banish rational historiansfrom the principal academic body asthese historians were scathing intheir criticism of distorting historyand passing fantasy and myth ashistory in keeping with the idea of socalled Indianization and in pursuit ofsaffronization which the ruling RSS-BJP is flaunting to buttress theirarch communal political-culturalagenda. Amba Charan Vashishth,once part of the editorial team ofBJP mouthpiece ‘Kamal Sandesh’and known for his definite Hinducommunal bias has been made partof the publication department of theNational Council of EducationalResearch & Training (NCERT)violating the established procedureof such appointment. Appointment ofGajendra Chauhan, a known BJPman, as Director of prestigiousFTII, Pune, has invited wrath of allconcerned. The recent incident ofslapping a ban on the AmbedkarPeriyar Student Circle of IIT,Madras, by the central governmentfor having criticized some of theruinous anti-people policies of theBJP-RSS like land ordinance bill,beef ban in some states and forcedconversion also comes within theambit of subverting academicautonomy by forcibly muffling voice

PAGE TEN JUNE 15, 2015 PROLETARIAN ERA

Academic autonomy

Attempt to turn education into an appendage to governmentis aimed at serving ulterior political motive of the rulers

Contd. from page 11

of dissent even in the arena ofacademic discourses. Why shouldthe HRD ministry intervene into theday to day functioning of anautonomous institution like MadrasIIT, because someone claimed thatthe particular students’ organizationis spreading ‘hatred’ about Modi andhis policies? This is not the end. TheBJP government has now brought adraft IIM Bill, 2015 which, inter alia,states that “without prejudice to theforegoing provisions of this Act, theInstitute (IIMs) shall, for efficientadministration of this Act, be boundby such directions on questions ofpolicy, as the Central governmentmay give in writing to it from time totime.... The decision of the Centralgovernment whether a question isone of policy or not, shall be final,”The bill though says the board ofgovernors of each IIM will be the“principal executive body”, but goeson to grant the central governmentpowers which it may use to override

the board. Here is where the BJPand the TMC are strangebedfellows. But there is nothing‘strange’ in it as both are committedto implement the sinister classdesign of the ruling bourgeoisie.

Education-loving people mustact positively to stem the rot

That is the reason that suchnation-wide attack on autonomy ofeducational institutions goes hand inhand with the attempts onconcentrating bureaucratic powersin the hands of the administrationaimed at doing away with oppositionof any kind to the implementation ofthe contemplated educational policy-measures which, in the name ofrelieving higher education of itsailments and other fashionableslogans, are actually directedtowards turning higher education intoa mere market commodity and ameans to propagate unscientific,unhistorical, distorted views thatinstead of enlightening would cripple

the students intellectually. Glaringly,all the ruling parties are bent uponturning the education sector intowhat Rabindranath Tagore longback vehemently opposed by sayingthat “such an attempt to turneducation into an appendage to thegovernment is aimed at serving theulterior political motive of therulers.” While each ruling party hasits own agenda in this regard, it mustbe remembered that, as mentionedabove, it is all an integral part of thelarger bourgeois class design todestroy education. For, today anypolitical party, irrespective of hue,subserving bourgeois class interest isbound to move along that road.Should democratic minded peoplelet this go unchallenged? Should theynot realize that this no longerremains an issue merely ofeducation; it has much more

dangerous implications for the life ofthe entire nation, particularly, peopleoppressed and repressed underruthless capitalist exploitation?Should they not deeply ponder whatis in store if this class conspiracy isnot resisted in time? Should they notcome forward to build up organizedprotests against such disastrousattacks on autonomy and move forregimentation? If education-lovingdemocratic-minded people from allwalks of life close their ranks andunite to foil this class conspiracy,and stir up a whirlwind of discussionand debates on all such issues, thatcan ultimately create a tremendouscounter-current and might wellcrystallize into a mighty organizedsave education movement which isthe only way to resist this heinousattack on education and academicautonomy.

A Seminar was organized by SUCI(C), Jharkhand, in Ranchi on 22 May in observance of70 years of victory over fascism. Leaders of various left parties were speakers

Under the banner of the JointPlatform of Action, Haryana UnitedEmployees Manch includingAnganwadi Union and otherdifferent unions held a rally at KarnPark in Karnal on 7 June ondifferent long standing demands ofthe workers and the employees.They had assembled from variousplaces across the states likePanipat, Rohtak, Karnal, Kaithal,

Rewari, Hissar, Gurgaon, Jhajjar etc.They then proceeded to gherao theCM camp office. But the policestopped them en route. They handedover a memorandum to the SDMwho met them and assured them ofconsidering their demands. The rallyannounced to wait till 30 June afterwhich they would launch still greatermovements if the demands are notmet with.

Workers and employees of Haryana holdrally and take pledge for greater movements

‘Committee for Protection of Citizenship’ organized a mass law violationprogramme in Silchar, Assam, on 22 May in protest against the heinous

conspiracy of the government to deny afresh citizenship to innumerable numberof bona fide countrymen through renewal of so called National Register of

Citizens. About 400 protesters were arrested.

30,000 ASHA (AccreditedSocial Health Activists) workers ofKarnataka state went for anindefinite state-wide “Kaam Bandh”strike from 1 May demanding; 1)release of State government’smatching grants arrears pending formore than a year; 2) Centralgovernment incentive arrears; 3)Regular monthly payment onlinedirectly into the accounts ofASHAs; 4) Minimum wagesinstead of honorarium/incentives,etc.

On the 11th day of the strike theHealth Minister of KarnatakaCongress Government Shri U TKhader had convened a meetingbetween the top officials of theHealth department and the leaders

of “Karnataka State SamyukthaASHA workers’ Union” affiliated toAIUTUC. The government assuredthat all the eleven demands in thecharter would be met through time-bound concrete measures.Moreover, yielding to the pressureof the kaam bandh strike the stategovernment had already released aportion of the matching grantsarrears during the strike period itself.After this historic victory the strikewas called off and ASHAs resumedtheir work from May 12th in ajubilant mood. The union has notonly congratulated all the ASHAsfor this hard earned victory but alsothanked the rural people for havingstood with the workers during theperiod of the strike.

Historic Victory ofKarnataka ASHA workers!

Study Circle in village in DurgA three-day study circle was organized by SUCI(C) from 26 to 28

May at Kutela Bhater village in Durg, Chhattisgarh on the bookletMarxism and Development of Human Society by Comrade ShibdasGhosh, the great leader of the proletariat. The study circle held amidstgreat enthusiasm of the participants, was aimed at equipping the Partyactivists of the state ideologically.

PROLETARIAN ERA JUNE 15, 2015 PAGE ELEVEN

Being invited as a guest at theopen session of the 8th NationalConference of AISA held in NewDelhi on 10th May 2015, ComradeAshok Mishra, General Secretary,AIDSO, after conveying greetings tothe organizers, said that thisconference was being held at a timewhen both the central and stategovernments in the interest of rulingcapitalist class are not only curtailingthe scope of education but alsodestroying humanity, rational bent ofmind and snatching away the hardowned democratic rights of studentsand education community.

The anger and agony of thestudents are being manifestedthrough various movements in bothorganized and unorganized forms. Inorder to distract these movementsand to divert the peoples’ mind fromtheir burning issues, the Modi

government is playing the dangerouscommunal card, including mostreactionary unscientific discourse intext books, distorting history,claiming Hindu mythology asscience, appointing RSS ideologuesin the important Apex bodies likeICHR and so forth. All these arepaving way to establish fascism. Inpursuit of globalization policy, thegovernments, both central and in thestates, are either closing downgovernment schools or selling thoseto education merchants. Throughnewly-fangled policy of RUSA,there is a ploy to dismantle theuniversities. He appealed to all thestudents’ organisation to respond tothe call of the hour and to comeforward to develop a united militantleft democratic resistancemovement against the attacks oneducation and humanity.

AIDSO in AISA Conference

Modi Magic of Petrol pricingIn May 2014, price of one barrel of crude oil in the international

market was $112 and the retail price of petrol in our country was Rs63 per litre. In May 2015, the international crude price had come downto $65 per barrel. But retail price of petrol here climbed to Rs 70 perlitre.

Next, the break-up given below shows how this price of Rs 70 perlitre is arrived at:—

Basic cost per litre— Rs 16.50Central tax – 11.80%Excise Duty— 9.75%Vat cess— 4%State tax— 8%

The total of this comes to Rs 50.05. And there is additionalrecovery of Rs 19.95 per litre to make the price Rs 70 per litre.

Incidentally, petrol price in India is much higher compared to manyneighbouring countries as can be seen from the following chart;—

Pakistan – Rs 22Bangladesh— Rs 26Nepal— Rs 34Myanmar— Rs 30

India’s chronicle of developmentOut of 133 countries rated on indicators of well-being such as

health, water and sanitation, personal safety, access to opportunity,tolerance, inclusion, personal freedom and choice India has secured the101th place. Even Nepal and Bangladesh rank higher than India on theSocial Progress Index (SPI) ratings. On the parameter ‘Tolerance andinclusion’ India ranks 128th and is at the 120th place on ‘health andwellness’. Certainly a mark of development!

"People-friendly" Modi governmentsnatches right to live of millions of tribals

On being exposed at each step that the BJP –led union governmentwas all set for serving to the interests of the corporate, the Modigovernment has of late been trying to present a people- friendly face ofitself. That the face and the mask are not the same, is once more beingproved from the attempts of the government to dilute and cripple theScheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of ForestRight) Act. It can not be missed that this was the Act that helped thetribal population of Niyamgiri in Odisha, through a decision of theirGramsabha, to thwart the aggression and encroachment of thecorporate- capitalist and the state upon their land-forest and water. Nowthe Modi government right from their coming to power has started totake moves that are going to tell upon the rights of the tribals, even bychanging the definition of what forests are. Set up by the government,the high-powered TSR Subramanium Committee on forest andenvironment has already recommended that only land with 70% covershould be considered as forests. According to the 2013 report of theForest Survey of India only 2.54 % of forests fall in this category. Themessage is clear the Committee recommends that the rest 97.46% offorests are not going to be considered as forests. Hence those will notbe under the purview of the Act and instead will be made open for thecapitalist land-sharks to extend their rule and regime. The Modigovernment does not rest merely at robbing the rights of the tribals. Itencroaches upon environment and wild animals too. The few steps maybe listed as follows: 1) Seeking public opinion on lands for extension ofcoalfields has been scrapped and any opposition are marked to invite afine of rupees 1 lakh; 2) Restrictions imposed upon industrial hubscausing pollution have been withdrawn; 3) “No-go” forest rule for mineowners and mining companies have been diluted; 4) Jurisdiction ofNational Board of Wild Life has been squeezed; 5) Power for orderingassessment of environmental impact has been curbed; 6) Lawsconcerning prospecting of ores and minerals and making quarries havebeen simplified.

India has a forest land of 21.05 %. The government data itself revealthat some 3 to 4 crore (i.e., 30 to 40 million) people depend on this landfor their livelihood; they live in 1,73,000 villages in forests or theiroutskirts. The people-friendly Modi government is busy in trampling theinterests of these people and in handing over the national wealth of forestat cheap costs to the capitalists.

Round Table discussion oneducation at Jabalpur, MP

All India Save EducationCommittee Jabalpur chapter held around table discussion on 29 May2015 at Rani Durgawati MuseumHall attended by a number ofintellectuals and education lovingpeople. Speaking on the occasionSmt. Sadhna Upadhaya, , renownedsocial activist and retired teacherseverely criticized the MPGovernment for its decision toprivatize 1.21 lakh governmentschools under the private-publicpartnership model and urged peopleto raise their voice against thisdecision. Smt. Vibha Shukla,Professor of local Hawa BaghCollege pointed out that backed bygovernment which works in theinterest of the corporates, education

today tends to make students becomeirrational and mechanical instead ofbeing logical. The main speakerComrade Pratap Samal All IndiaSecretariat member of AISEC saidthat today the all out attack by thegovernments at the center and stateis aimed at curtailing education forpeople and to make education a ripefield for corporate houses to reapmaximum profit. Along with that thenew central government is trying tocommunalize education. They aretrying to change and rewrite historyaccording to their whims and fancies,to promote myths as history. Thisway they are preparing ground forfascism. He urged people to buildup a mighty public movement to saveeducation.

Burning effigy of Land Acquisition Ordinance in Kolkata

Mid-day meal employees demonstrated at Bhiwani, Haryana on 25 May tosubmit a charter of demands to the SDO

RNI No. 13932/67P. R. No. KOL / RMS / /145 / 2013-2015

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF : PROVASH GHOSHEdited & Published by Asit Bhattacharyya from 48 Lenin Sarani, Kolkata 700 013 and printed by him at Ganadabi Printers and Publishers Private Limited,

52B, Indian Mirror Street, Kolkata 700013. Phone : 2249-1828, 2265-3234 E-mail : suci_cc@vsnl.net, proletarianera@gmail.com, Website : www.sucic.in

PAGE TWELVE JUNE 15, 2015

SUCI(C) vehemently protests move toprivatize railways, calls for powerful

movement to stall itComrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(C), issued thefollowing statement on 15-06-15:—

It is a matter of deep indignation that a Committee headed by ShriBibek Debroy, a bourgeois economist who is known to be extremelyclose and endearing to Prime Minster Modi, has come out with a blatantrecommendation for taking immediate drastic steps to privatize IndianRailways in fulfilment of the wish of the ruling capitalist class. Hitherto,phased privatization of the Indian Railways was being done in aconcealed manner through PPP route, large scale outsourcing and suchother ways keeping people in the dark. But now the veil has been takenoff and the sinister agenda of the BJP government to hand over railwayoperation to private capitalists has been effectuated by way of elicitingdesired recommendation from a pliant committee constituted for thisvery purpose. Indian railways built with the sweat and blood of thecommon Indian people is one of the largest in the world and is a nationalasset created with public money. Obviously, gifting this prime nationalasset to the private capitalists is impermissible and unacceptable.

So, there is urgent and imperative need to frustrate this perniciousmove by developing a countrywide powerful movement. Hence, we callupon the countrymen to come forward and build up that movement inright earnest to stall privatization of Indian railway. Our fervent appealis also to all the trade unions to unleash a militant working classmovement and force the government under pressure of movement torevise this out and out anti-people decision.

SUCI(C) flays government decision toraise service tax to 14%

Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI (C) issued thefollowing statement on 02-06-2015 : —

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi in course of celebrating his oneyear in the office is boastfully claiming to have ushered in ‘achhe din’(good days) in the country, common people now have another deadlyblow of that in the form of shelling out enhanced service tax of 14% witheffect from 01-06-2015 on almost all the services including essentialservices they consume. Not only that. With every likelihood of immediateimposition of a further load of so called Swachh Bharat tax of 2%, theeffective service tax would come to 16% making people bleed white moreprofusely while the industrial oligarchies and corporate barons will enjoynet tax concession of around Rs 2 lakh crore following the budgetdecision to reduce corporate tax from 30% to 25% and the publicexchequer will continue to be heavily deprived because of rising blackmoney accretion, tax evasion by the corrupt and powerful etc. Thisclearly shows for whom Modi and his BJP government is committed tobring achhe din at the cost of whom. This is not the end but just auguryof the worst fiscal savagery that Modi in naked subservience to thesinister class interest of the ruling monopolists, his mentors, is slated to letrave wild on people.

Our fervent appeal to the suffering people is not to lie low and bearthis increasing burden of capitalist crisis squarely passed on to them bythe Modi-led bourgeois government but rise in vehement protest closingtheir rank and cementing their unity and release a powerful movementround the country to repel this menacing economic onslaught.

Victorious joint struggle byRoad Transport Corporation Employees

of Andhra Pradesh and TelanganaIn June 2014 the erstwhile united

state of Andhra Pradesh wasbifurcated into two states namelyTelangana and Andhra Pradesh. Thestate road transport corporation isgoing to be split by end of May2015. Meanwhile the employeesfrom both the states numbering1,20,000 initiated a joint struggle forwage raise since a few months bysubmitting memoranda, organizingprotest programmes etc., Thoughboth Chandrababu Naidu in AP andChandrasekhara Rao in TelanganaState promised before the electionsthat they would increase the salaryof the RTC employees in par with

the state government employees,they did not care to fulfill it. Finallythe workers struck work for 8 daysstarting from 7 May 2015. Both thegovernments tried their maximum tosuppress the strike by using ESMA.The High Court also declared thestrike illegal and issued notices tothe leaders. Governments attemptedto confuse the public that yielding tothe demand of the workers willentail hike in the bus fares. Policewas used indiscriminately todisperse the protesting workers.Undeterred, the employeescontinued their battle unabatedlywinning the sympathy of the public.

The AP-TS unit of AIUTUCcampaigned vigorously andorganized various protestprogrammes jointly by all the majortrade unions. Finally after 8 days ofstrike both the governments wereforced to concede to the demand ofthe employees. The stategovernments of AP and Telanganaagreed for 43% and 44% fitment insalary as well as regularization ofservice of 6000 contract employees.This is a significant achievementwhich proved that working class ifunited and if all the other exploitedsections of the people express theirsolidarity, justice will triumph!

Haryana

State governmentyields to movement by

students- teachers-education-loving people

Under pressure of powerfulmovements initiated by AIDSOinvolving all sections of education-loving people of the state, HaryanaGovernment had to decide forwithdrawal of the Semester Systemwhich it had introduced earlier in theschools from classes IX to XII. Thisvictory against the flawed semestersystem created lot of enthusiasmamong all sections of educated-minded people and showed that it isonly through development of unitedpowerful movement that people canrealize their legitimate demands.

Shri Ganesh Haloi, renowned painter of national fame, delivering inaugural speech of the 3-day painting exhibition of Late Comrade Saurav Bose, Staff Member,SUCI(C), on 29 May at Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarshanalaya in Kolkata. Seated by his side is Comrade Manik Mukherjee, Member, Polit Bureau, and Chief Guest.