NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Gujarat Assembly Elections : BJP lost but Congress could not win
Anger of the people
demolishes Gujarat Model
The corporate manufactured and their media propagated ‘Gujarat model
of Development’ lies in shambles in the very state to which it owes its
name and origin. It was punctured by the widespread anger among the
peasantry which spoiled the victory march of RSS-BJP duo of Narendra
Modi and Amit Shah.
Congress fought these elections as a substitute and not as an alternative
to RSS-BJP. Using the anger of the people, it sought to recover the ground
it has lost to BJP as the principal party of the ruling classes. Naturally
Congress uttered not a word which goes against the interests of these
classes. Congress tried only to project that it would deliver where BJP is
failing.
Three angers defined the political discourse in Gujarat. Anger among
the peasants, anger among the youth and anger among the traders. Whilst
the first got expressed in the elections the latter two could be seen during
the campaign. That the latter two did not find expression and the first only
an inadequate expression in the results is largely due to the fact that
opposition Congress represented nothing different on these aspects. If,
despite this, peasant anger got expressed, it is largely due to the serious
crisis in which peasants find themselves. Peasants are being crushed by
the rising cost of inputs, crop failures and inadequate prices of their produce.
These three angers pertain to the deepening economic crisis which is sharply
and adversely affecting the agrarian and manufacturing sectors. Modi led
RSS-BJP’s promises with regard to doubling the income of peasants and
generating employment are lying unfulfilled, rather peasant incomes and
employment generation have further declined under RSS-BJP rule. Traders
who have been the traditional base of BJP in northern and western India,
could not have expected such sharp blows from a RSS-BJP Govt., which
only demonstrate the difference between its class character and its social
base. RSS-BJP represent the big capitalists and big landlords and serve
imperialist interests and hence treat traders as an expendable commodity.
December,, 2017
While BJP started this campaign taking these elections as a victory
stroll, people’s anger soon made itself felt. The deepening of economic
crisis and RSS-BJP Govt. policies in favour of the profits of the corporate
at the expense of the people made RSS-BJP reckon with the people's
anger. Over two decades of BJP rule has shown the truth of the so-called
Gujarat model. The overwhelming majority of people, workers and peasants
are groaning under rising cost of living and declining incomes. Gujarat which
has been among the ‘developed’ states of India since 1947, has seen
largesse distributed to corporate houses and frank robbery of the peasants
and workers. Education and health services demand attention. Unemployed,
particularly educated unemployed, cry for jobs. A whole generation has
waited patiently for the benefits of a corporate friendly model of development
to trickle down to them. What has fallen to their share is growing
unemployment, declining standards of living and higher and higher doses
of religious fanaticism.
The deepening economic crisis reflected in declining economic growth
and no growth in employment generation has disillusioned the most ardent
supporters of this Hindutva rate of development. This crisis had caught up
with Manmohan Singh Govt. whom the ruling classes particularly corporate
dumped when it became incapable of delivering the results they wanted, in
other words reforms they deemed necessary. They brought a new product
to the market, the so-called Gujarat model of development, in which they
sought to combine interests of the corporate and concerns of the people,
drive for increasing profits for big capital, foreign and domestic and hope
for rising income for the working people, in short concrete policies for the
corporate and promises for the people. They changed the method of
calculating GDP to claim higher rate of growth.
Peasants and workers have been the worst sufferers of this RSS-BJP
Gujarat model of development. In essence it is the continuation and also
intensification of the exploitation of these labouring sections by the foreign
and domestic corporate. Modi led RSS-BJP sought to implement Manmohan
Singh Govt.'s neoliberal policies with greater vigour. Peasant anger was
sharpest where the impact of these policies was also greatest i.e. in the
areas of cash crop production. Deepening of agrarian crisis has made even
the land owning peasants restive. Share of agriculture in the GDP has
declined but the people dependent on agriculture have remained
dispropotionately high. Privatization of education has put a lot of economic
1 2 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
burden on these sections for educating their children while no good jobs or
more often any jobs are available. This has resulted in the clamour for
reservation for these sections which is also being backed and even
spearheaded by ruling class parties. The real reason behind this is growing
agrarian crisis and peasant distress which the ruling class parties do not
want to address. The deepening economic crisis has also had diverse effect
on the different sections of these social groups which has led to a sort of
class divide among them with poor and middle sections growing restive
while affluent sections enjoying riches and power being satisfied. The restive
sections are spurning the established parties of the ruling classes but have
as yet not made complete break with them to side with the struggling
masses. Division among Patels in Gujarat is due to the worsening conditions
of peasantry, poor and middle sections among Patels. It was in Saurashtra
that, because of the anger of cotton and ground nut growing Patel peasants,
BJP suffered a setback in the region.
Hindutva in essence is upper caste chauvinism. It aims at enforcing
the privileges and practices of caste system. Under RSS-BJP rule there is
intensification of attacks on Dalits. The present system itself preserves
and perpetuates the privileges and power of the upper castes. It is amply
demonstrated by the Supreme Court putting a cap of 50% on reservations
while sections covered by reservations constitute the overwhelming majority
of the population of the country. Further, the way reservations are
implemented practically amounts to reserving half of the seats for the
candidates from upper castes. However, RSS-BJP stand for unbridled and
brazen dominance of upper castes. In the name of Hindu religion, they
wish to impose archaic and discriminatory code over the people. Not only
totally sidelining the minorities particularly Muslims, Hindutva forces attack
Dalits and women, imposing their caste code on Dalits and patriarchal code
on women. With RSS-BJP coming to power at the Centre, there has been
escalation in the attacks on Dalits. Over the past years, gau rakshaks
have been unleashed on them. One such incident in Una in 2016 led to
state wide protests and galvanized Dalits into struggle.
In the run-up to Gujarat assembly elections, RSS-BJP and Narendra
Modi had given up even pretense of talking about development and had
resorted to what they are seasoned practioners of, i.e. communal
polarization. Adversity is the true test of character and Modi’s case has
shown this in ample measure. Faced with a new situation, new since RSS-
December,, 2017 3 4
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
BJP had stomped to power in Gujarat in the last decade of the last century,
he has gone to the basics learnt by rote in the Nagpur school.They brazenly
stoked the fires of communal frenzy and religious bigotry. But communalism
is vote catching when couched in the language of 'nationalism'. Hence,
Pakistan was brought into the picture as engineering the defeat of RSS-
BJP. This again was no novelty as RSS-BJP and Narendra Modi have
been doing this repeatedly in Gujarat. This time, a meeting at the house of
Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer where former Pakistan diplomat was
present and which was attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and former Army Chief, Deepak Kapoor, was protrayed as a planning session
to execute Pakistan's plan to defeat RSS-BJP in Gujarat. All sorts of
communal symbols were used to deepen communal polarization for the
electoral benefit. A Pakistan and Muslim scare was sought to be created
to polarize majority Hindu voters in favour of RSS-BJP.
Though RSS-BJP faced people's anger, Congress, the only other
contender for power, failed to offer any alternative and hence could not
capitalize on this anger to dethrone BJP in Gujarat. This gap was very
clear in the drop in the polling percentage. Generally when such sharp
electoral struggle is fought, there is a rise in polling. But in Gujarat polling
percentage declined by over 3 percent. It was enough to have resulted in
severe drubbing of RSS-BJP. Moreover the number of NOTA votes was
quite high in this election. Nearly 5.51 lakh voters opted for NOTA which
amounted to over 1.8% of the votes polled. Votes going for NOTA were
higher than the difference between the winning and second placed
candidates in 31 constituencies. Of these 16 were won by BJP while it
secured only seven seats more than the number required for majority. Drop
in the polling percentage and votes polled by NOTA showed that there was
a large section of people who were opposed to BJP but were not willing to
vote for Congress.
BJP could just manage to secure a majority. It was largely due to its
overwhelming majority in four metropolitan cities- Ahmedabad, Surat,
Vadodara and Rajkot. There BJP secured 46 out of 55 seats while it got
only 53 seats out of the 127 of rural and rural dominated seats. Even the
increase in vote share of the BJP came from these four cities where lack
of support for Congress and organizational machinery of RSS increased
the votes polled by BJP.
Congress lost because it had nothing new to offer. The question of
December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
genocide of Muslims in 2002 was not even raised. Rather, Congress fought
these elections as a Hindu party. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi went from
temple to temple to demonstrate his Hindu credentials. He proclaimed
himself a "shiv bhakt". Even pretension of secularism was nowhere to be
seen. Muslims were made to feel that it was in their interest to vote for a
mild Hindu party (Congress) to defeat an aggressive and violent Hindu
party (RSS-BJP). Gujarat elections demonstrated the limits of ruling class
secularism in the country, particularly of the Congress.
Congress tried to cash in on the anger of traders who had held very
large protests against GST. But in that respect too, Congress had little to
offer. GST was being pushed by Congress led UPA Govt. for a long time
and Congress had even supported this GST in Parliament. Though Rahul
Gandhi dubbed the GST imposed by RSS-BJP Govt. as Gabbar Singh Tax
as opposed to its own version of GST, Rahul Gandhi or Manmohan Singh,
who had addressed a large number of meetings on this issue, could not
spell out in what way their GST was different. Regarding GST rates, Modi
led Govt. had manipulated the Election Commission to defer the
announcement of Gujarat elections and utilized the time gap to lower the
rates of GST on some items which were specially important for Gujarat.
Congress did not want to make any specific commitment on GST as it too
acts in favour of the corporate who are behind this. In this situation most of
the traders fell back on their traditional party, BJP and those who were
very angry chose not to vote.
Like BJP, Congress too has little to offer to youth who are grappling
with falling opportunities of employment. They both implement the policies
which generate unemployment.
Gujarat elections have demonstrated that anger among the people is
building. It has demolished the so-called Gujarat model of development. It
has shown the limits of communal polarization. Moreover, it has seriously
dented the efforts of RSS-BJP to show that they are to stay in power for a
long time. Their efforts to show that there is no alternative to Modi have
floundered in the very state from where he sprang as a contender.
Gujarat results underline the need to intensify people's struggles. Gujarat
also shows that people's anger can jam the wheels of the best oiled fascist
machinery. It has showed the potential for need and people's movements.
December,, 2017 5 6
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Socialist Constr uction in
Construction
So viet Union
Soviet
D.V. Krishna
1917 Bolshevik Revolution had ushered in a new chapter in the history
of mankind. While all hitherto revolutions had established one exploitative
system in place of another, the Russian October Revolution, for the first
time in history eliminated the very exploitative system itself and established
socialist society. For the first time was established the rule of the majority,
the rule of the toiling workers and peasants under the leadership of the
working class, in place of the rule of the minority exploiting classes. It had
solved the contradiction between production and distribution by disbanding
private ownership of the means of production and turning it into social
ownership or ownership of the whole people. Thus, it had solved the
contradiction between the productive forces and productive relations. By
implementing the principle of ‘one for all and all for one’, it created a new,
socialist human being. It established equality between men and women
and amongst all nationalities. In a word, the October Bolshevik Revolution
was the dawn of a new era.
Conditions in Russia prior to 1917 Revolution
Russia of those days, territorially, was the largest country in the world.
Population-wise, it formed one-sixth of the world population. But if its
economic development is taken in to consideration, it was the most back-
ward country in Europe. It was called the ‘sick man’ of Europe. Foreign
investments were dominant. It was heavily indebted to foreign countries.
Mineral resources, grain and other agricultural products used to be exported
at cheaper rates to foreign countries. The living conditions of workers and
peasants were most horrible. The soldiers, disgusted with continuous wars,
were seething with discontentment. National chauvinist Russian Government
subjected the minority nationalities in the country to barbaric oppression
and suppression. Feudal exploitation and oppression ruled the roost in the
villages. Autocratic monarchical political system was in vogue in the
country. Neither was there any trace of democratic rights nor did any people’s
representative institution existed. (Tsar formed a nominal parliament (Duma),
December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
soon after the 1905 Revolution. It had no authority or power).
Russia severely lagged behind Britain, France, Germany and America,
in industrial development. When compared to the production of Industrial
goods by Russia, Britain produced 150% more, France 20% more and
Germany 200% more. Further, American production was 8 times more than
that of Russia.
In 1913, Russian per capita production of steel was 17% that of Britain,
and 9% that of Germany. Per capita coal production of Russia was 5% that
of Germany, and 3% that of Britain. Per capita cotton textile production of
Russia was only 7% that of Britain.
Before the Revolution, Russia used to import half the machines and
tools it required. It imported 80% of metal Harvesting machines, 60% of
threshers and 80% of chemical fertilizers. Ordinary agricultural implements
such as ploughs, drill ploughs were imported.
According to the 1910 census, 86% of Russian population inhabited
rural areas. One crore wooden ploughs and 1.8 crores drill ploughs were in
use. Peasants, very often, faced droughts and famines. It was very common
for peasants to undergo bankruptcies. Most of the peasants were illiterate.
News papers of those days estimated that it would take 250 years to
eradicate illiteracy in the country. Rural areas were mired in the darkness
of ignorance.
The wages of the urban workers were horribly low. Bread, potato and oil
formed their main food. The monthly wages of workers employed in mines
and factories in 1913 were 20 to 25 Rubles (or 20-25 English shillings),
less than half the wage of British workers. However, there used to be large
variance in wages of workers of different sectors. The wages of workers in
textile industry were around 16 to 17 Rubles per month, in mines were
around 35 Rubles, of the rural worker during busy season of harvesting
used to be less than 20 Rubles per month. The wage rates in the rural
areas were not more than half to 2/3 rd of the rates in big industries.
The residences of workers were horrible. Only a few workers, like those
employed in metal industry, lived in permanent houses built in towns. But
most others used to take shelter in temporary dwellings raised for the
purpose in the cities. An engineer described the inhabitations of workers in
Briyonks in 1890 as ‘cattle sheds’. In 1890s, 50 thousand workers in Moscow
lived in slums in underground constructions which were unbearably
December,, 2017 7 8
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
congested. A number of families were forced to share a single room
separated by curtains, in textile industry in 1908. The workers had to adjust
themselves with 10 square yards of space per family. One observer
described the dwellings of mine workers in Urals as ‘fish in drums’.
In short, the living conditions of urban workers in Russia prior to the
first world war resembled the living conditions of British workers prevailing
a century ago, during the industrial revolution. These were in no way
comparable to the living conditions of western workers in 20 th century.
Devastation caused by the First World War
The First world war severely devastated the Russian economy. Industrial
production declined to 23 percent and agricultural production to 12% of
that in 1913.
Sharp shortage of energy, coal and metals occurred because of the
policies followed by the Russian monopoly companies. By 1916, 20 Rolling
Mills and 36 steel foundries were closed. The prices of all commodities
sky-rocketed.
The number of milk-cattle sharply declined during the war period.
Compared to the year 1913, number of horses declined 33% in 1917. number
of cows declined 24%, number of sheep and goats declined 13%, and pigs
declined 41.5%. The production of agricultural machinery declined 85% by
the year 1917. Cultivated land also declined.
Russia spent 2,57,00,000 Rubles per day as war expenditure in the
initial years. This expenditure increased to 4,84,00,000 Rubles per day by
1917. For meeting this expenditure, Russian Government secured loans in
a big way from within the country and outside.
The Tsar increased the army's strength to 15 million for conducting the
war. But weapons were 1/3 rd to half of the requirement. Machine guns
were only 12% of the requirement. Transport facilities were worse and hence
supplies could not reach properly.
Currency in circulation increased drastically. While 153 crore Rubles
were in circulation in July, 1914, it increased to 1717 crores 5 lakh rubles
by October, 1917.
Extreme food shortage occurred. Although rationing was introduced in
December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
1916, Rationing Authorities of Moscow city could supply 37% of the bread,
44% of the meat, 70.7% of the grain and 13.3% of the butter required by
the inhabitants.
War Communism
Soon after the victory of the October Revolution, the imperialist countries
of entente alliance-Britain, France, Japan and America - colluded with the
White Guards of the erstwhile Tsar Army. These countries (actually 14
countries) sent their armies to launch an aggressive war against the
Bolshevik Peoples' Army. Germany, a rival power to entente countries,
which had concluded a peace treaty with Soviet Russia, also extended its
indirect support to the armed intervention of its rivals. This interventionist
war continued for three years, the aggressive forces occupied large parts
of Soviet Russia. Because of this, economy of Soviet Russia was in
shambles. Most of the transport routes, railway lines in particular, were
destroyed. Imports from foreign countries, direly needed for the running of
industries, stopped. As a result, several industries were altogether closed
or their production sharply declined.
By 1920, 80% of the length of the rail roads came within the purview of
military activities. Soviet Government assessed that 3600 Railway bridges,
1200 mile long permanent Rail Roads, 380 Engine Depots, 8300 ordinary
bridges, and 50 thousand mile Telegraph and Telephone lines were directly
destroyed, rendering transport and communication facilities very difficult.
Because of shortage of energy, raw materials, and food grains, industrial
production dangerously declined. Because of hunger and starvation, workers'
concentration on work and their productivity had steeply fallen. The number
of workers in 1920 were only half of the prewar period. Their monthly wages
were hardly sufficient to purchase food materials for 11 to 13 days and
they made good this short fall by legal and illegal methods. In those hard
times, the Government used to supply bread equal to 1/8 th of a pound as
ration for every two days to each worker. 1/4th to 1/3rd of the workers
migrated to villages. We can understand the extremely difficult conditions
prevalent in those days, if we know the fact that half of the population of
Moscow left the city.
A number of soldiers of imperialist armies opposed continuing the
interventionist war against Soviet Russia, having been enlightened about
its reactionary and aggressive nature by the People's Army and the Soviet
December,, 2017 9 10
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Government. The working class and the progressive forces in the aggressive
imperialist countries opposed this intervention and conducted massive
demonstrations, decrying it. Workers in the shipyards declined to load the
war materials to Russia. Revolutionary struggles broke out in Germany,
Austria and Hungary. “Hands off Russia” committees were formed in several
countries and struggled against the interventionist war. Above all, Peoples
army and the people struck death blows to the aggressors despite all odds.
With all these developments, armies of the interventionist forces withdrew
in January, 1920. However, the armies of the Poland Government and the
forces of General Wrangel continued their fighting from April to December
of 1920 and Japanese intervention in the far east continued up to 1922.
In these testing conditions, the Soviet government had to enforce a
policy popularly called ‘War communism’. The first and fore-most concern
of the Government was to provide the minimum necessities of life equally
to all people in the country from the scarce resources available. First it had
to acquire food grains and other daily necessities from the producers and
then distribute them to the consumers. For this, the Government enforced
compulsory procurement of food grains available with the peasantry in
excess of their domestic requirement. It procured other items of daily
necessity, prohibited private trade in these items and itself under took the
trade (the distribution). Thus, it took steps to avoid black marketing and
price rise. It enforced compulsory labour service and also mobilized half of
the army (25 lakhs out of a total of 50 lakhs) for production. Thus, industries
and agriculture were revived, roads and railway lines were reconstructed
on war footing.
The leadership of the Bolshevik party and the Soviet Government pretty
well knew the level of the productive forces (workers and peasants) and
their consciousness. These were not in keeping with the principles of
communist stage. Only as an emergency measure, ‘war communism’ was
implemented. Hence, measures and policies which were in consonance
with the consciousness and level of the workers and peasants, were soon
put in place of ‘war communism’. In place of procurement of all surplus
grain, a fixed quantity of grain was procured, leaving the rest for sale by
the peasants. In the same way, while the trade in daily necessities remained
in the hands of the state, trading by small merchants was also allowed with
necessary controls. Small scale production was also allowed under the
strict control of the state. This policy was called New Economic Policy.
December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Reconstruction of Agriculture and Industry
The first long term plan was formulated for nation-wide electrification in
February 1920, with the initiation by Lenin. A long term plan for
comprehensive economic development, was also prepared. A Commission,
consisting of experts of different fields, was formed to prepare these plans.
Known as ‘Goelro’, there were 200 members in this Commission, comprising
highly qualified scientists, engineers and others. ‘Goelro’ prepared an
estimate of economic resources available and needs and requirements of
the country. It prepared an assessment of likely production of coal, steel
and oil and their consumption estimates for 10 years. A plan was prepared
for the development of heavy industries. It was planned to build 30 electricity
generation plants in different places of the country. The ‘Goelro’ plan was
approved in 1920 December, in the 8th congress of the Russian Soviet
Federation. This plan stipulated the following production targets for 10 years:
1. Coal : 623 Lakh Tonnes
2. Iron Ore : 196 Lakh Tonnes
3. Pig Iron : 82 Lakh Tonnes
4. Steel : 65 Lakh Tonnes
5. Electricity : 17.5 Lakh Tonnes
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
The famous English novelist H G Wells visited Russia in the year 1920.
He visited Moscow and Leningrad and described what he had observed in
his book, ‘Russia in Blue Shadows’. He mentioned that he had seen ‘streets
covered by fog, closed factories and electricity plants and empty markets’.
He met Lenin during his visit. Lenin explained to Wells their plan to electrify
the whole country and the fundamental changes they intended to bring
about in the country, through this. Wells described Lenin in his book as a
“Dreamer”. Wells visited Soviet Union once again after eleven years. He
saw ‘a new world’, the success and over fulfilment of ‘Goelro plan’. He
could see the speedy development of industries. He applauded Lenin and
conceded that “Dreamer’s dreams had become a reality”.
Five year plans
The Central Planning Commission of Soviet Russia (Gosplan) was formed
on February 2, 1921. The Gosplan had the responsibility of preparing a
unified economic plan for the whole country. There were 40 members in
Gosplan in the beginning. Economists, engineers and others were included
in this Commission. Its numbers increased to 300 by the year 1923. In the
later days, branches of the Planning Commission were formed for different
sectors and for different levels in the Soviet Union.

However, many people held the opinion that the above targets were Gosplan, at first, prepared a food grain production plan for the year
excessive and impractical because the actual production figures of either 1921-22. It also prepared plans for different industrial sectors like Steel,
industrial raw materials or electricity generation in 1920 were far lower than Textiles, Sugar and Rubber in 1922. Afterwards, it proposed a long term
in 1913 and the ‘Goelro’ targets were several times higher than the 1913 plan for the relief and development of drought-hit areas, formulating an
production figures. Actual production figures of 1920 and their proportion in annual plan for Agricultural and Industrial development of these areas. It
1913 figures as follows: prepared an assessment of resources available in the country and an
S.N. Item 1920 %age of produc- assessment of the opportunities for development in different sectors and
tion in 1913 different areas. These were discussed in the entire country and were also
improved.
1 Electricity (Lakh kilowatts) 5000 26%
Good results could be achieved because of this planned development.
2. Coal (Lakh tonnes) 87 30% Industrial production for the year 1926 surpassed the level of production of
3. Oil (Lakh tonnes) 39 42% 1913 by 8%. Agricultural production in 1926 reached 99.6% of 1913 level.
4. Steel (Thousand tonnes) 200 5% On April 4th 1927, the 4th congress of All Russia Soviets was held. This
5. Cement (Thousand tonnes) 40 2% Congress, taking into consideration the above achievements, directed the
Soviet government to prepare a National Five Year Economic Plan. The
6. Cotton Cloth (lakh metres) 1000 4%
government’s high level Economic Council and Gosplan prepared separate
7. Sugar (Thousand tonnes) 92 7% draft 5 year plans. Special conferences were also held on various national

December,, 2017 11 12 December,, 2017

 NEW DEMOCRACY
economic issues in which prominent scientists, economists, intellectuals
and workers participated.
The First five year plan was formulated for the years 1928 - 32. Production
targets were decided for the government agricultural farms and for collective
agricultural farms. In the same way, production targets were decided for
different industrial sectors. Labour force was also divided between different
departments and different industries. Special plans were formulated for
different areas and sectors. Yearly development targets were also decided.
The First five-year plan was completed in 4 years and 3 months, i.e., 9
months ahead of the 5 year period. In this plan period, Turkistan-Siberia
Rail line was constructed within a very short period. By 1932, Soviet Union,
for the first time, could develop its own tractor industry, automobile industry
and engineering Industry. These industries were built by workers
volunteering over-time work without receiving any remuneration. They
encountered several hardships in building the above industries but workers
learnt to manufacture quality machines, to repair them themselves and to
run the machines without breakdowns. Production meetings used to be
held at factory shop levels. Workers used to discuss and take decisions
about the quality of machines and their operation. Young workers became
experts. They invented new methods of production.
By the end of the First five year plan, the biggest dam in the world was
constructed on river Dnieper in the west. In the north, ‘Kuzbas Steel City’
was built. The biggest Tractor Factory in the world, was becoming ready in
Stalingrad. The world’s biggest heavy machine plant was getting ready in
Swerdlock city. The first conveyor in the country was being built near the
Tractor Factory at Stalingrad. All these could be described as the wonderful
creations of the ‘New Soviet man’.
The first five year plan had totally transformed the ancient agricultural
system of Russia, which was fraught with low productivity and drought
prone. In it’s place, it introduced revolutionary collective agricultural system.
Tractors and modern equipments were introduced in Agriculture. The system
of grain procurement was modernized. The congress of farm champions
brought to Moscow the ‘Champions’ from the best farms, publicising their
works and honouring them so that they would spread their success stories
in the whole areas. ‘War against drought’ was declared and irrigation ditches
were dug, as in North Caucasus slope, measuring thousands of miles.
December,, 2017 13
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
The Second five year plan was implemented from 1933 to 1937. The
remaining exploitative classes were eliminated. Their properties were
socialised. All peasant families were brought into collective farm movement.
Thus, a strong foundation was laid for socialism.
Industrial production had increased 120 percent by 1937 as compared
to 1932 production. Production of agricultural products increased 25%.
Stable resources, so important for a country’s economic development,
doubled. Production rates of some important food grains, however did not
increase as per expectations.
The Second five year plan introduced universal, compulsory, primary
free education. It also introduced universal polytechnic education. Students’
strength increased in primary, secondary and technical schools in a big
way.
By 1935, agricultural collectivization had been consolidated.
Electrification was almost complete. The area under Beet Sugar Cultivation
had doubled. Cotton production, when compared to the past, had increased
continuously for three years, at the rate of 15-20 million tonnes per year.
Peasants had not only learnt reading and writing, they also acquired
knowledge in Natural Sciences and Arts. In Ukraine alone, 7 thousand
rural laboratories were established in the short period of 2 years. Here the
peasants studied their crops, comparing their results with the findings of
the government laboratories. Almost every collective farm established its
own gliding, parachute jumping clubs and aviation training facilities. It is
no exaggeration to say that the peasants transformed qualitatively.
The third five year plan was implemented from 1938 to 1942. This plan
was called ‘Special Five Year Plan of Chemical Sciences and Steel’. In
this plan, schemes were formulated for the speedy development of Heavy
Industries, Electrical Engineering, Iron, Steel and Chemical Industries.
Targets were fixed for increasing the total industrial production by 92%,
Heavy Industrial production by 107%, Engineering Industries by 120%,
Chemical Industries by 137% and Electricity generation by 106%.
The target of increase of agricultural products was fixed as 52%. It was
aimed at increasing the technical and cultural levels of the collective farm
peasants and the workers in a big way. It was aimed to achieve universal
secondary education, country wide. It was also aimed at eradicating regional
disparities.
14 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
This Plan had achieved 86% of its target of industrial production within
three and half years of the plan period. By 1940, 91% of the target of grain
production was achieved. But the targets for Iron, Steel and Chemicals
could not be fulfilled.
With the German attack on Soviet Union in 1941, the execution of this
plan had to be suspended. Tasks of the plan were modified in accordance
with the war needs. In this period, yearly plans were formulated.
The Soviet Union was put to tremendous loss of property and human
lives in the Second World War. Industrial and agricultural production had
declined. The Fourth five year plan, which was executed between 1946
and 1950, aimed at the revival of war ravaged industries, agriculture,
transportation and communications. By 1950, Soviet industrial production
not only reached 1940 level, but also increased by 73%. This was 17%
more than targeted. It could be achieved only because of the sharp increase
achieved in the production of raw materials and engineering industry.
Production of pig iron and steel increased by 130%. Production of rolled
stock increased by 150%. Production of tractors, turbines, coal, oil and
electricity had increased dramatically. Production of light industry had also
registered growth rates higher than the pre-war production. Production of
consumer goods increased by 23% in 1940 over the pre-war production
level. However, the targets could not be fulfilled in agricultural sector. To
correct this, the Soviet government announced special incentives to
collective farm peasants and the workers of government agricultural farms.
Well known writer and specialist on China matters, Anna Louis Strong,
had described the peasants of collective agricultural farms as “New-People”.
She explained their special character as the ‘spirit of innovation and
creation’. She further explained how the illiterate peasants of one time had
developed into farm scientists, amateur actors, parachutists, aviators and
so on. The people of backward nationalities had also developed in a big
way in Soviet rule.
The Soviet Union was ahead of other developed countries in publication
of books. It was publishing books in a hundred languages by the end of the
first five year plan. It was publishising more books than published by
Germany, France and Britain combined.
Women achieved equal development along with men in all fields of public
life. They surpassed men in the fields of pharmaceutical manufacturing
December,, 2017 15
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
and education. Eight lakh women provided their services in the war front
during 2nd World War.
The wages of Soviet workers in 1930s were double that of the wages
they were getting prior to revolution. 7.20 hours of work per day and 5 days
week came into vogue. The hours of work per day for young persons and
those employed in hazardous industries (Mines and Chemical Industries)
were only 6 hours. Under the social security schemes full salary was being
paid during ill health, accidents, unemployment, old age and during
pregnancy and delivery. Nutritious food was being provided to workers.
Illiteracy was totally eradicated in towns and villages.
Superiority of Socialism & Bankruptcy of Capitalism
The great world economic crisis of 1930 had shaken all the capitalist
countries. Industrial production of America in 1933 was 46.9% of its 1929
production. Its production in 1932 was only 53.8% of 1929 production.
Germany’s industrial production in 1933 was 66.8% of its 1929 production.
France's in 1933 was 77.4% of its production in 1929. England's in 1933
was 86.1% of its 1929 production. On the other hand, the Soviet Union’s
Industrial production in 1933 was 201.6% higher or double the production
in 1929. The production figures of 1933 of the advanced capitalist countries
are only marginally higher than their 1913 figures (America 107.6, and France
110.2%). On the other hand, Soviet Russia’s production figures for 1933
are 391.9% higher than its 1913 figures i.e. nearly 4 times higher.
Thus the bankruptcy of the capitalist system and the undisputed
superiority of socialist system is clearly proved. These statistics were
mentioned by Leontiev in his book on Economics. Basing on these facts,
Prof. R.R. Palmer, a bourgeois economist stated “It is clear that a new
economic system had been created (in Soviet Union) by 1939.”
Unleashing the initiative and creativity of the Masses is the Secret
of the success of Socialism
October Revolution was successful only because the overwhelming
majority of the toiling people, workers and peasants, were moved into action
by the Bolshevik party. Broad masses, workers, peasants and soldiers
were organized in mass organizations and soviets. Civil war and armed
intervention of the imperialists could be defeated by mobilising the whole
toiling people into action. The Bolshevik leadership knew that only by
16 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
mobilizing the whole toiling people could socialist construction be
successful. For mobilizing the broad masses for socialist construction,
necessary material conditions have to be created. These material conditions
were created with the establishment of workers' and peasants' political
power on the one hand, and by socializing the chief means of production
(big industries) on the other hand. In agriculture public ownership was
established by organizing state farms and by forming collective farms.
Workers and peasants became the masters of the country and masters of
production also. This is why the initiative and the creativity of the broad
masses, the toiling people, could be unleashed for socialist construction.
The workers and peasants knew that the fruits of their labour will be
distributed directly (in the form of wages, DA, Bonus etc) in the form of
social benefits (Insurance, Provident Fund and Health facilities to the
family and Educational facilities to the children etc.), community facilities
(Construction of Roads, Rail Lines, other communication facilities etc) and
the capital investment for the future (which also will create future benefits
for the people). Hence, toiling people were enthused to work to the best of
their ability. Toiling people were also enthused to work for the collective
interest of the whole society, sacrificing their self interest. A spirit of sacrifice
was inculcated, since they were inspired with the idea that societal interest
is their own interest, they are not working for creating profits for any body.
They are working for their own interest. This spirit creates a new socialist
human being. This creates wonders.
Inspired by the ideals of socialism and communism, in 1919 workers of
the chief repair shop of the Moscow-Kazan Railway started a movement
called ‘sabbotniks’ or ‘communist Saturdays’ . Workers in the work shop
used to work on Saturday, a holiday, without payment. This was a voluntary
action of the working class. This movement spread through out the country.
Workers were inspired to work freely in addition to normal working week in
order to defeat the enemies in the Civil war.
Again, another movement called ‘Stakhnovite movement’ was launched
by the workers in 1935. This movement led by the communist party, was
aimed at reorganizing the division of labour and developing team work to
achieve higher and quality output. This movement was also aimed at
achieving higher techniques and technology. This movement spread to
large sectors of industry, mining and transport. Several movements and
conferences were held from shop level to country and sector levels.
December,, 2017 17
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
As a result of all these mass movements, the production and productivity
increased extraordinarily. Targets of three five year plans were over fulfilled.
Martin Nicolaus, a US Marxist writer observed “Such mass initiatives brought
about extremely rapid increase in labour productivity. During the first five
year plan beginning in 1929, the labour productivity had risen 41%; during
the second five year plan, it leaped 82%; and it grew another 33% on top of
this higher base during the third plan period. By this time, unemployment,
the chief spur to greater worker effort under capitalism and also the chief
result under capitalism of technological `rationalization’, had ceased to
exist in the USSR”.
It is not a surprise that workers and toiling people of the world and the
progressive intelligentsia were thrilled by socialist construction in the USSR.
But bourgeois politicians, statesmen and writers had to appreciate this.
Prominent personalities of the world like Sun-Yat-Sen, Jawaharlal Nehru,
Rabindranath Tagore, Bertrand Russel, Bernard Shaw, social reformer
Periyar Rama Swamy Naiker and several others hailed not only Russian
Revolution but also the socialist construction there as worthy of emulation
by other countries.
R.R. Palmer commented in his book “A History of the Modern World”,
“However one judged the USSR, no one could dismiss its socialism as
visionary or impracticable”. He further commented on the economic advance
of USSR during 1929-39 period “No ten years in the history of any Western
country ever showed such a rate of industrial growth”.
Rabinderanath Tagore described the Russian Revolution as “the greatest
sacrificial fire in history” (Prabasi – March-April, 1918). He had also said
“this is an age of transition. The dawn of a great tomorrow is being through…
and the call of new life comes with its message…” (in an essay written in
“Modern Review magazine in July, 1918).
Tagore’s communts made in his letters written to his friends while he
was on a visit to USSR in 1930, are very significant. He wrote “This is not
like any other country at all. It is fundamentally different. They have roused
the entire humanity equally, all along the line. Their message of the
Revolution is true for all the world. Here is a people on earth today, who put
the interest of all man kind above their own”. He was so deeply stirred that
he commented that his "life’s pilgrimage would not have been complete
18 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
with out the visit to Russia”.
The uniqueness of mass participation was not limited to socialist
construction alone. The Bolshevik Revolution itself was unique in the direct
participation of lakhs and lakhs of workers, peasants soldiers and
intelligentia in hundreds and thousands of revolts, strikes and
demonstrations. The uniqueness of Russian Revolution is also evident in
the civil war. It is particularly illustrious in Second World War. Sacrifice of
two crore lives in the anti-fascist war, bearing of unbearable hardships by
the whole population-men and women, young and old alike - is
unprecedented and unique in the history of man kind. Even the British
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Roosvelt had to
accept that “Soviet Union not only saved itself, it saved the whole humanity.”
Howard Smith, an American Journalist based in Switzerland, who was
in Moscow at the time when Moscow city elections were being conducted
in 1934 (in which polling of votes hiked to 85%, from 51% in 1926) exclaimed
at this election and commented “You get the impression that each and
every little individual was feeling pretty important doing the pretty important
job of building up a state. The atmosphere reminded me of a word. It was
Democracy”. The people enjoyed real Democracy, i.e. Socialist Democracy.
That is the secret of all the victories of socialism that is the proof of the
superiority of socialism over capitalist exploitative system.
The Soviet constitution adopted in 1936, guaranteed ‘universal, direct,
equal and secret’ elections. It ensured the right to work, to leisure, to
education and to material support. The right to liberty was expanded into
six paragraphs, including freedom of conscience, of worship, of speech,
of press, of assembly, of demonstration and organization, freedom from
arbitrary arrest, inviolability of home and of correspondence, irrespective
of nationality or race’.
Roman Roland from Geneva said about the adoption of the above
constitution “This gives life to the great slogans that until now were but
dreams of mankind – liberty, equality and fraternity”.
The relevance of the Bolshevik Revolution to present conditions
and to our country
With the fall of Soviet Union in 1991, Fukuhama confidently pronounced
the end of history, meaning the end of socialism and communism and
December,, 2017 19
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
inevitability of capitalism. Though socialism has been temporarily defeated
and remains physically no threat and challenge to capitalism and its
incarnation in the present stage imperialism, it is facing chronic crisis and
struggling for life, because of its own internal, irreconcilable contradictions.
This crisis is such that if the contradictions of capitalism are not solved
through a socialist revolution, there is every danger of outburst of either an
environmental catastrophe or a nuclear world war or uncontrollable social
anarchy which may threaten the very existence of mankind itself. Hence, a
big debate is taking place in the world with regard to the alternative to be
followed. Failing to find one within the capitalist system, the debate is
interestingly turning to Socialism and Marxism once again.
Whatever is dealt with above, proves beyond doubt that the socialist
system and Marxist ideology are the only alternative to capitalism and are
the hope for mankind’s future.
The experience of the Bolshevik Revolution also proves that the
revolution in India, or in another country for that matter, has to follow the
same path of involvement and participation of overwhelming majority of
toiling masses i.e. workers and peasants in the main. It has also proved
that the proletariat has to lead the revolution. The ideology to be followed is
none else than Marxism - Leninism Mao Zedong Thought. The alliance of
the workers and peasants is a must, to be achieved. All necessary forms
of struggles are to be combined, parliamentary and extra parliamentary,
legal and illegal and peaceful and armed, taking non-parliamentary, illegal
and armed forms as principal. The Bolshevik Revolution proves that concrete
conditions have to be taken into account and concrete tactics and strategy
have to be followed in each country.
While monopoly capitalism and Finance capital developed in individual
countries at the beginning of the 20th century, to-day, monopoly multinational
companies and finance capital developed at world level. The contradictions
between the working class and the capitalists are intensifying in almost all
countries of the world. The neo-liberal policies that have been imposed by
the imperialist countries, have intensified the class contradictions within
the countries, between the imperialist and backward countries and within
the imperialist countries. The economic inequalities, unemployment, poverty,
have climaxed all over the world, in advanced as well as backward countries.
Material conditions for revolution are ripening just like these had matured
in Russia in the beginning of the 20th century. The strength of the working
20 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
class world over has increased manifold, compared to Russia on the verge
of revolution. The working class and peasantry these days are more
knowledgeable, with the opportunities for communication, interaction and
unity among the toiling people of different countries far developed with the
development of transport, tele-communications and electronic media.
Coming to India, the neo liberal policies being pursued by the ruling
classes in power successively are resulting in intensifying contradictions
within the country. Agricultural crisis is sharply aggravating, leading to
lakhs of peasant suicides. India is the number one country in the world in
income and property inequalities.
Unemployment and under employment are rampant. India is at a
shamefully lower place in Hunger index and Human Development Index
(HDI). Modi government is trying to divert the people from their real issues
by provoking religious and upper caste chauvinism and resorting to fascist
politics. Working class, peasants, students and women are coming into
struggles more than ever.
The broad masses of Indian toiling people, the working class and the
peasantry in particular, should take inspiration from the 1917 Bolshevik
Revolution, take lessons from its glorious experience and advance along
the path blazed by it. That is the Lode-Star for the people of India and the
world in eliminating the exploitative system and in establishing a system
free of all exploitation and oppression. That is the fitting tribute we can pay
to the Bolshevik Revolution at its centenary celebration.
References:
1) Soviet Economic Development by Mauris Dobb
2) Socialism is the Future by Dr. Rex Sargunam
3) Soviet economic victories and their importance to developing countries by
D. Chellappa
4) Ray O’ Light’s essay title “The October Revolution and the working class of
Russia and the world achieve unprecedented victories”, carried in Ray O’ Light
News letter, May-June 2017 (No.102)
5) Tagore and the October revolution-an essay. By Jayanta Kumar Ghosal
published in ‘Mainstream’ dated May 27, 2017.
December,, 2017 21
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Fourth Anniversary of the October
Revolution
V. I. Lenin
The fourth anniversary of October 25 (November 7) is approaching.
The farther that great day recedes from us, the more clearly we see the
significance of the proletarian revolution in Russia, and the more deeply we
reflect upon the practical experience of our work as a whole.
Very briefly and, of course, in very incomplete and rough outline, this
significance and experience may be summed up as follows.
The direct and immediate object of the revolution in Russia was a
bourgeois-democratic one, namely, to destroy the survivals of medievalism
and sweep them away completely, to purge Russia of this barbarism, of
this shame, and to remove this immense obstacle to all culture and progress
in our country.
And we can justifiably pride ourselves on having carried out that purge
with greater determination and much more rapidly, boldly and successfully,
and, from the point of view of its effect on the masses, much more widely
and deeply, than the great French Revolution over one hundred and twenty-
five years ago.
Both the anarchists and the petty-bourgeois democrats (i.e., the
Mensheviks and the Socialist-Revolutionaries, who are the Russian
counterparts of that international social type) have talked and are still talking
an incredible lot of nonsense about the relation between the bourgeois-
democratic revolution and the socialist (that is, proletarian) revolution. The
last four years have proved to the hilt that our interpretation of Marxism on
this point, and our estimate of the experience of former revolutions were
correct. We have consummated the bourgeois-democratic revolution as
nobody had done before. We are advancing towards the socialist revolution
consciously, firmly and unswervingly, knowing that it is not separated from
the bourgeois-democratic revolution by a Chinese Wall, and knowing too
that (in the last analysis) struggle alone will determine how far we shall
advance, what part of this immense and lofty task we shall accomplish,
and to what extent we shall succeed in consolidating our victories. Time
22 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
will show. But we see even now that a tremendous amount—tremendous
for this ruined, exhausted and backward country—has already been done
towards the socialist transformation of society.
Let us, however, finish what we have to say about the bourgeois-
democratic content of our revolution. Marxists must understand what that
means. To explain, let us take a few striking examples.
The bourgeois-democratic content of the revolution means that the social
relations (system, institutions) of the country are purged of medievalism,
serfdom, feudalism.
What were the chief manifestations, survivals, remnants of serfdom in
Russia up to 1917? The monarchy, the system of social estates, landed
proprietorship and land tenure, the status of women, religion, and national
oppression. Take any one of these Augean stables, which, incidentally,
were left largely uncleansed by all the more advanced states when they
accomplished their bourgeois-democratic revolutions one hundred and
twenty-five, two hundred and fifty and more years ago (1649 in England);
take any of these Augean stables, and you will see that we have cleansed
them thoroughly. In a matter of ten weeks, from October 25 (November 7),
1917 to January 5, 1918, when the Constituent Assembly was dissolved,
we accomplished a thousand times more in this respect than was
accomplished by the bourgeois democrats and liberals (the Cadets) and by
the petty-bourgeois democrats (the Mensheviks and the Socialist-
Revolutionaries) during the eight months they were in power.
Those poltroons, gas-bags, vainglorious Narcissuses and petty Hamlets
brandished their wooden swords—but did not even destroy the monarchy!
We cleansed out all that monarchist muck as nobody had ever done before.
We left not a stone, not a brick of that ancient edifice, the social-estate
system even the most advanced countries, such as Britain, France and
Germany, have not completely eliminated the survivals of that system to
this day!), standing. We tore out the deep-seated roots of the social-estate
system, namely, the remnants of feudalism and serfdom in the system of
landownership, to the last. “One may argue” (there are plenty of quill-drivers,
Cadets, Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries abroad to indulge in such
arguments) as to what “in the long run” will be the outcome of the agrarian
reform effected by the Great October Revolution. We have no desire at the
moment to waste time on such controversies, for we are deciding this, as
well as the mass of accompanying controversies, by struggle. But the fact
December,, 2017 23
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
cannot be denied that the petty-bourgeois democrats “compromised” with
the landowners, the custodians of the traditions of serfdom, for eight months,
while we completely swept the landowners and all their traditions from
Russian soil in a few weeks.
Take religion, or the denial of rights to women, or the oppression and
inequality of the non-Russian nationalities. These are all problems of the
bourgeois-democratic revolution. The vulgar petty-bourgeois democrats
talked about them for eight months. In not a single one of the most advanced
countries in the world have these questions been completely settled on
bourgeois-democratic lines. In our country they have been settled
completely by the legislation of the October Revolution. We have fought
and are fighting religion in earnest. We have granted all the non-Russian
nationalities their own republics or autonomous regions. We in Russia no
longer have the base, mean and infamous denial of rights to women or
inequality of the sexes, that disgusting survival of feudalism and
medievalism, which is being renovated by the avaricious bourgeoisie and
the dull-witted and frightened petty bourgeoisie in every other country in
the world without exception.
All this goes to make up the content of the bourgeois-democratic
revolution. A hundred and fifty and two hundred and fifty years ago the
progressive leaders of that revolution (or of those revolutions, if we consider
each national variety of the one general type) promised to rid mankind of
medieval privileges, of sex inequality, of state privileges for one religion or
another (or “religious ideas ”, “the church” in general), and of national
inequality. They promised, but did not keep their promises. They could not
keep them, for they were hindered by their “respect”— for the “sacred right
of private property”. Our proletarian revolution was not afflicted with this
accursed “respect” for this thrice-accursed medievalism and for the “sacred
right of private property”.
But in order to consolidate the achievements of the bourgeois-democratic
revolution for the peoples of Russia, we were obliged to go farther; and we
did go farther. We solved the problems of the bourgeois-democratic revolution
in passing, as a “by-product” of our main and genuinely proletarian -
revolutionary, socialist activities. We have always said that reforms are a
by-product of the revolutionary class struggle. We said—and proved it by
deeds—that bourgeois-democratic reforms are a by-product of the
proletarian, i.e., of the socialist revolution. Incidentally, the Kautskys,
24 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Hilferdings, Martovs, Chernovs, Hillquits, Longuets, MacDonalds, Turatis
and other heroes of “Two and-a-Half” Marxism were incapable of
understanding this relation between the bourgeois-democratic and the
proletarian-socialist revolutions. The first develops into the second. The
second, in passing, solves the problems of the first. The second
consolidates the work of the first. Struggle, and struggle alone, decides
how far the second succeeds in outgrowing the first.
The Soviet system is one of the most vivid proofs, or manifestations,
of how the one revolution develops into the other. The Soviet system
provides the maximum of democracy for the workers and peasants; at the
same time, it marks a break with bourgeois democracy and the rise of a
new, epoch-making type of democracy, namely, proletarian democracy, or
the dictatorship of the proletariat.
Let the curs and swine of the moribund bourgeoisie and of the petty-
bourgeois democrats who trail behind them heap imprecations, abuse and
derision upon our heads for our reverses and mistakes in the work of building
up our Soviet system. We do not forget for a moment that we have
committed and are committing numerous mistakes and are suffering
numerous reverses. How can reverses and mistakes be avoided in a matter
so new in the history of the world as the building of an unprecedented type
of state edifice! We shall work steadfastly to set our reverses and mistakes
right and to improve our practical application of Soviet principles, which is
still very, very far from being perfect. But we have a right to be and are
proud that to us has fallen the good fortune to begin the building of a Soviet
state, and thereby to usher in a new era in world history, the era of the rule
of a new class, a class which is oppressed in every capitalist country, but
which everywhere is marching forward towards a new life, towards victory
over the bourgeoisie, towards the dictatorship of the proletariat, towards
the emancipation of mankind from the yoke of capital and from imperialist
wars.
The question of imperialist wars, of the international policy of finance
capital which now dominates the whole world, a policy that must inevitably
engender new imperialist wars, that must inevitably cause an extreme
intensification of national oppression, pillage, brigandry and the strangulation
of weak, backward and small nationalities by a handful of “advanced”
powers—that question has been the keystone of all policy in all the countries
of the globe since 1914. It is a question of life and death for millions upon
December,, 2017 25
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
millions of people. It is a question of whether 20,000,000 people (as
compared with the 10,000,000 who were killed in the war of 1914-18 and in
the supplementary “minor” wars that are still going on) are to be slaughtered
in the next imperialist war, which the bourgeoisie are preparing, and which
is growing out of capitalism before our very eyes. It is a question of whether
in that future war, which is inevitable (if capitalism continues to exist),
60,000,000 people are to be maimed (compared with the 30,000,000 maimed
in 1914-18). In this question, too, our October Revolution marked the
beginning of a new era in world history. The lackeys of the bourgeoisie and
its yes-men—the Socialist-Revolutionaries and the Mensheviks, and the
petty-bourgeois, allegedly “socialist”, democrats all over the world—derided
our slogan “convert the imperialist war into a civil war”. But that slogan
proved to be the truth—it was the only truth, unpleasant, blunt, naked and
brutal, but nevertheless the truth, as against the host of most refined jingoist
and pacifist lies. Those lies are being dispelled. The Brest peace has been
exposed. And with every passing day the significance and consequences
of a peace that is even worse than the Brest peace—the peace of
Versailles—are being more relentlessly exposed. And the millions who are
thinking about the causes of the recent war and of the approaching future
war are more and more clearly realising the grim and inexorable truth that it
is impossible to escape imperialist war, and imperialist peace (if the old
orthography were still in use, I would have written the word mir in two
ways, to give it both its meanings) [In Russian, the word mir has two
meanings (world and peace) and had two different spellings in the old
orthography. —Translator] which inevitably engenders imperialist war, that
it is impossible to escape that inferno, except by a Bolshevik struggle and
a Bolshevik revolution.
Let the bourgeoisie and the pacifists, the generals and the petty
bourgeoisie, the capitalists and the philistines, the pious Christians and
the knights of the Second and the Two-and-a-Half Internationals vent their
fury against that revolution. No torrents of abuse, calumnies and lies can
enable them to conceal the historic fact that for the first time in hundreds
and thousands of years the slaves have replied to a war between slave-
owners by openly proclaiming the slogan: “Convert this war between slave-
owners for the division of their loot into a war of the slaves of all nations
against the slave-owners of all nations.”
For the first time in hundreds and thousands of years that slogan has
grown from a vague and helpless waiting into a clear and definite political
26 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
programme, into an effective struggle waged by millions of oppressed people
under the leadership of the proletariat; it has grown into the first victory of
the proletariat, the first victory in the struggle to abolish war and to unite
the workers of all countries against the united bourgeoisie of different
nations, against the bourgeoisie that makes peace and war at the expense
of the slaves of capital, the wage-workers, the peasants, the working people.
This first victory is not yet the final victory, and it was achieved by our
October Revolution at the price of incredible difficulties and hardships, at
the price of unprecedented suffering, accompanied by a series of serious
reverses and mistakes on our part. How could a single backward people be
expected to frustrate the imperialist wars of the most powerful and most
developed countries of the world without sustaining reverses and without
committing mistakes! We are not afraid to admit our mistakes and shall
examine them dispassionately in order to learn how to correct them. But
the fact remains that for the first time in hundreds and thousands of years
the promise “to reply” to war between the slave-owners by a revolution of
the slaves directed against all the slave-owners has been completely
fulfilled—and is being fulfilled despite all difficulties.
We have made the start. When, at what date and time, and the
proletarians of which nation will complete this process is not important.
The important thing is that the ice has been broken; the road is open, the
way has been shown.
Gentlemen, capitalists of all countries, keep up your hypocritical pretence
of “defending the fatherland”—the Japanese fatherland against the American,
the American against the Japanese, the French against the British, and so
forth! Gentlemen, knights of the Second and Two-and a-Half Internationals,
pacifist petty bourgeoisie and philistines of the entire world, go on “evading”
the question of how to combat imperialist wars by issuing new “Basle
Manifestos” (on the model of the Basle Manifesto of 1912[1]). The first
Bolshevik revolution has wrested the first hundred million people of this
earth from the clutches of imperialist war and the imperialist world.
Subsequent revolutions will deliver the rest of mankind from such wars
and from such a world.
Our last, but most important and most difficult task, the one we have
done least about, is economic development, the laying of economic
foundations for the new, socialist edifice on the site of the demolished
feudal edifice and the semi-demolished capitalist edifice. It is in this most
December,, 2017 27
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
important and most difficult task that we have sustained the greatest number
of reverses and have made most mistakes. How could anyone expect that
a task so new to the world could be begun without reverses and without
mistakes! But we have begun it. We shall continue it. At this very moment
we are, by our New Economic Policy, correcting a number of our mistakes.
We are learning how to continue erecting the socialist edifice in a small-
peasant country without committing such mistakes.
The difficulties are immense. But we are accustomed to grappling with
immense difficulties. Not for nothing do our enemies call us “stone-hard”
and exponents of a “firm line policy”. But we have also learned, at least to
some extent, another art that is essential in revolution, namely, flexibility,
the ability to effect swift and sudden changes of tactics if changes in
objective conditions demand them, and to choose another path for the
achievement of our goal if the former path proves to be inexpedient or
impossible at the given moment.
Borne along on the crest of the wave of enthusiasm, rousing first the
political enthusiasm and then the military enthusiasm of the people, we
expected to accomplish economic tasks just as great as the political and
military tasks we had accomplished by relying directly on this enthusiasm.
We expected—or perhaps it would be truer to say that we presumed without
having given it adequate consideration—to be able to organise the state
production and the state distribution of products on communist lines in a
small-peasant country directly as ordered by the proletarian state.
Experience has proved that we were wrong. It appears that a number of
transitional stages were necessary—state capitalism and socialism—in
order to prepare—to prepare by many years of effort—for the transition to
communism. Not directly relying on enthusiasm, but aided by the enthusiasm
engendered by the great revolution, and on the basis of personal interest,
personal incentive and business principles, we must first set to work in
this small peasant country to build solid gangways to socialism by way of
state capitalism. Otherwise we shall never get to communism, we shall
never bring scores of millions of people to communism. That is what
experience, the objective course of the development of the revolution, has
taught us.
And we, who during these three or four years have learned a little to
make abrupt changes of front (when abrupt changes of front are needed),
have begun zealously, attentively and sedulously (although still not
zealously, attentively and sedulously enough) to learn to make a new change
28 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
of front, namely, the New Economic Policy. The proletarian state must
become a cautious, assiduous and shrewd “businessman”, a punctilious
wholesale merchant—otherwise it will never succeed in putting this small-
peasant country economically on its feet. Under existing conditions, living
as we are side by side with the capitalist (for the time being capitalist)
West, there is no other way of progressing to communism. A wholesale
merchant seems to be an economic type as remote from communism as
heaven from earth. But that is one of the contradictions which, in actual
life, lead from a small-peasant economy via state capitalism to socialism.
Personal incentive will step up production; we must increase production
first and foremost and at all costs. Wholesale trade economically unites
millions of small peasants: it gives them a personal incentive, links them
up and leads them to the next step, namely, to various forms of association
and alliance in the process of production itself. We have already started
the necessary changes in our economic policy and already have some
successes to our credit; true, they are small and partial, but nonetheless
they are successes. In this new field of “tuition” we are already finishing
our preparatory class. By persistent and assiduous study, by making
practical experience the test of every step we take, by not fearing to alter
over and over again what we have already begun, by correcting our mistakes
and most carefully analysing their significance, we shall pass to the higher
classes. We shall go through the whole “course”, although the present state
of world economics and world politics has made that course much longer
and much more difficult than we would have liked. No matter at what cost,
no matter how severe the hardships of the transition period may be—despite
disaster, famine and ruin—we shall not flinch; we shall triumphantly carry
our cause to its goal.
October 14, 1921
Endnotes
[1] The Extraordinary International Socialist Congress that sat in Basle
on November 24-25, 1912, adopted a manifesto on war, which warned the
peoples that an imperialist world war was imminent, showed the predatory
objectives of that war and called upon the workers of all countries to make
a determined stand for peace. It included a point, contributed by Lenin to
the resolution of the Stuttgart Congress of 1907, that if an imperialist war
broke out the socialists should utilise the economic and political crisis
stemming from it to accelerate the downfall of capitalist class domination
and to work for a socialist revolution.
December,, 2017 29
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Modi Govt’s attack on
Food Security
Bhala Chandra Shadangi
150 years have passed since the Naank Durvikhya (The infamous
Famine) of Odisha in which the state had lost more than one third of its
population (one out of three million) during 1866. This year also marks the
75th year of the infamous Bengal famine in which more than 2.1 million
people died due to starvation. These two big famines which occurred during
colonial rule have been a great reminder of our poverty and hunger resulting
from the anti people policies of the rulers. These tragedies had a wide
spread impact on the social and cultural lives of these two regions. Many
stories, poems, paintings, dramas, folklores flood the literature and culture
of these two regions depicting the horrific situation of human beings during
these famines.
But surprisingly, even so many years after these famines, we are
witnessing the same famine like situation in many parts of the country.
Last year there was a sensational news in the media about the Nagada
village of Odisha’s Jajpur district where 19 tribal children belonging to the
Juang community died in a single month due to starvation and malnutrition.
But not only Nagada, we have thousands of Nagadas in our country
particularly in the vast tribal belt even after 70 years of so called
independence. The recent starvation death of 11-year-old Santoshi Kumari
from Jharkhand’s Simdega district has reminded the country that hunger
and starvation of young children is still a reality in India. Again, this was
not the first such incident. Last month, three brothers in Karnataka also
died under similar circumstances. The children died not only due to lack of
food, but also because of the apathy of a government which has put all its
efforts into denying the story and framing flimsy excuses rather than
addressing the issue.
It is also a grim reminder of the huge disconnect between India’s so
called high levels of growth (GDP) and its low rank on human development.
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2017 once again reminds that this growth
does not deal with the millions of challenges that the poor face in their day-
to-day lives. While we may quibble about the ranking, the methodology of
30 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
comparing countries has remained consistent over time. And based on
these, there is no denying the fact that India not only is home to the most
number of malnourished and hungry people in the world, but its progress in
combating hunger and malnutrition has been slower than countries with
similar levels of income.
The index is based on a combination of calorie undernourishment
(percentage of population below the recommended nutritional intake) and
child wasting, stunting and being underweight. Brought out by the
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), GHI has seen
increasing coverage with more data being made available. By the latest
GHI 2017, India ranks 100 out of 119 developing countries. It does not
include most of the developed countries where the extent of hunger is
insignificant. But among the countries for which information is available,
India has seen the least improvement among these countries taken together.
More than the level of hunger and malnutrition, it is the slow progress in
resolving them despite the so called rapid growth of the economy which
should put the rulers to shame. Today almost a quarter of the world’s
children, especially in Asia and Africa, do not get adequate food. Our country
being home to the largest starved and undernourished population in the
world, over 190 million people go to bed hungry every day. Forty eight
percent children below five years of age are malnourished and very much
prone to diseases. While the food grain stocks keep piling up in Govt.
godowns, much of it are eaten and damaged by rats and pests respectively
but people are left hungry and malnourishment haunts a large part of our
population. Only about 20% of our infants and young children are fed
adequately.
But in spite of this precarious situation the Govt, instead of ensuring
the food security of the people by taking strong policy measures for food
distribution, is doing the opposite. Recently PM Narendra Modi, while
meeting the MPs of northern states, said that after the successful (?)
implementation of Cash transfer of food subsidy in two union territories of
Chandigarh and Puducherry, the Govt. is considering implementing it at
the national level. This would mean that the Govt., instead of distributing
subsidized food grains, will directly transfer the cash amount equivalents
to the accounts of the beneficiaries. Soon after his statement the BJP
Govt. in Jharkhand also introduced cash transfer of food subsidies replacing
food grain distribution.
December,, 2017 31
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
The right to food is a universal and fundamental survival right of all
human beings. In today’s modern world and the technological advancement
level, this right must be and can be fulfilled without any bounds. It is not
being done only due to anti people govt. policies which favour food trading
companies at the cost of people.
According to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, food security is
said to exist when “All people, at all times, have physical and economic
access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs
and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (FAO, 2008). As per
this definition there are four aspects of food security – food availability,
food access and food utilization; the fourth aspect is the stability of the
first three aspects in perpetuity. Accordingly, policies directed at ensuring
food security ought to be designed to impact favourably on all these aspects.
The net per capita food output and food grains available for per capita
consumption in the country have been declining over the years. In fact the
highest per capita food grain output and availability in the country was
observed in the period 1897-1902 at 201.1 and 199 kg respectively. (“Food
Stocks and Hunger: The Causes of Agrarian Distress”. Social Scientist,
Vol. 31(7/8): pp. 15- 41.by Utsa Pattanaik). This achievement was in spite
of the British exporting 475 million tons of food grain from India during this
period. After 1947 the highest triennial average per capita availability of
food grains was reached in 1990-91 at 176.6 kg i.e. on the eve of the neo-
liberal economic reforms.
Even as the Government committed itself to achieving the Millennium
Development Goal of banishing extreme poverty and hunger from the
country, the net per capita yearly food grain availability touched 151.9 kg
in 2001 which is equivalent to the levels seen in early fifties. Average food
grain availability in the first decade of the 21st century has been 162.6 kg,
equal to the average availability in the sixties, which was a decade of
perpetual food crisis. Again these figures are only availability and not actual
consumption, for indeed there has been a growing divergence between
availability and the purchasing power of the people which has been falling
over the years. Only to bring out the gravity of the situation it may be
reminded that even the Famine Commission appointed by the British
administration in 1880 held the per capita yearly availability of 200 kg of
foodgrains to be the minimum required for staving off famines (Bajaj and
Srinivas, 2002).
32 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Alongside declining food grain production, the agricultural sector has
been starved of investments. Investment in agriculture and allied services
(at current prices) as a percentage of GDP (at factor cost at current prices)
declined from 0.6 % in 1990-91 to 0.4 % in 2000- 01 and was only 0.5 % in
2009–10 (calculations based on figures in tables 1 and 107 in Handbook of
Statistics of Indian Economy, Reserve Bank of India, 2011-12), whereas
Agriculture’s contribution to India’s GDP has been much higher; varying
from more than 50% during the first five year plan period to about one fifth
during the eleventh plan period. Besides, Agriculture forms a firm foundation
for growth in other sectors of the economy. The share of public sector in
capital formation (such as expansion in the irrigation systems, seed
production and research and development of infrastructural facilities etc.)
in agriculture, declined from 33% at the beginning of 1990s to a mere 24.2%
in 2000 – 01 and 17.1% in 2009-10.
The situation of the food stocks has in general been good even as the
people consumed food grains at much below the poverty line level. Beginning
from 1998 there was a sharp increase in stocks which peaked at close to
60 million tonnes around 2002-2003, while the per capita food grain
availability during this period dipped from 173.5 kg per year in 1996- 98 to
162.6 kg per year in 1999-01 before recovering to a level of 169.7 kg per
year in 2002-04
To provide food security, universal PDS was established in India in
1965. It integrated food grain procurement from peasants at minimum
support price and distribution of the grain across the country through the
public distribution system (PDS). This policy was formed as market forces
neither moved food grains to all areas, nor did they ensure cheap food.
They generally purchased food grains at low prices from the peasants during
the harvest and sold to the consumers at high rates later. The policy was
formed on the basis of experiences that showed the market to be a poor
substitute for state action in moving food grains.
In the period after 1965, the outcomes of state intervention in the food
economy were mixed. On the one hand, the PDS acted as a check against
exacerbation of regional disparities in food grain consumption. On the other
hand, the PDS was not serving a large section of India's population and its
performance across States, judged by the off-take of grain, varied
considerably. Thus, by the 1990s, the challenge was how to extend the
PDS to more regions and sections. However, the official policy after the
December,, 2017 33
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
economic reform of 1991 took the PDS on a different trajectory. In their
commitment to phase out state subsidies, consecutive Govts at the Centre
tried to weaken this public distribution system. Excepcially after India
became a signatory in the World Trade Organization, there has been
tremendous pressure to wind up both procurement and distribution of food
grains by the Govt which the imperialist countries and their food MNCs
consider as trade barriers. As per WTO diktats, the Govt has weakened
the ration system by cutting Govt. subsidies and opening the food trade to
private companies. It is a different matter that imperialist countries
themselves give huge subsidies to their own farmers and heavily subsidize
food for their own citizens. The U.S. gives 100 billion dollars of yearly
support for food aid programs (2012), but objects to the meagre support
given by India which is budgeted at only Rs 1.30 lakh crores ($20 billion),
but in reality even this is not spent. Actually as Indian peasants face a big
burden of high Govt. taxes on inputs like diesel (cost Rs 25/ltr and sale
price Rs 58-60/ltr) effective subsidy is even less. We have the burden of
providing food support to 830 million hungry people, which is more than
twice America’s total population.
The WTO agreement signed by India’s subservient, unpatriotic rulers
allows rich countries to give subsidies to their own agriculture but prevents
poor countries from doing so. Ensuring food self-sufficiency is fundamental
to national sovereignty of any country. America and Europe know this but
Indian rulers are not bothered. These rich countries want to control India’s
food production and supply to subjugate our economy, our resources and
our labour force and to increase profits of their MNCs.
The game to do away with ration began with the World Bank-IMF-WTO
policy to replace the universal PDS with targeted PDS (TPDS) in the name
of directing food subsidies only to the poorer section of the society. In this
process, in 1997 Above Poverty Line (APL) and Below Poverty Line (BPL)
households were created and only BPL households were given subsidized
food grain. But due to lack of transparency, a large number of the poor
people got excluded and corruption in BPL cards increased many fold. In
this period, Expert committees, Planning Commission and Govt. agencies
in their reports and studies highlighted the problem of people facing acute
poverty and hunger. So the UPA Govt was forced to enact the National
Food Security Act in 2013. It actually brought down the provision of providing
monthly food grain of 35 kg per family to 5 kg per person. But since only
14% families of our country have 7 members or more and 86% families
34 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
have less than seven members so the actual supply of food grain to the
people decreased after the implementation of National Food Security Act.
On the other hand, as each adult requires a minimum of 14 kg food grain
per month (ICMR), Govt’s so called ‘Food Security Act’ resulted in their
deprivation.
The existing Food Security Act is totally incomplete and inadequate in
providing food security to the people. The Act, instead of ensuring complete
food security of a person by providing dal, edible oil and vegetables along
with sufficient food grains, only limits the food security to a monthly
availability of 5 Kg of food grains. Currently, the per capita five Kg food
grains (either rice or wheat) provided by the Govt. under the National Food
Security Act make up anywhere between half to one fourth of the monthly
food grain intake of a family.
But while the Govt. has restricted a citizen’s food security to a monthly
five Kilograms of food grains only, it provides rice, dal, vegetables and
other pretentious food at a very subsidized rate to the MPs and MLAs,
army and police. Crores of peasants and workers of this country are deprived
of genuine food security. But in spite of all the short comings of this existing
Food Security Act, still the food grains provided through the public distribution
system (PDS) are certainly a lifeline for a large and vulnerable section of
our society. So the PDS serves as a significant safety net for a large
percentage of the population, who rely on their food entitlements for daily
sustenance. But Govt’s decision to replace rations with cash transfer (DBT)
will only create a bigger disaster for the nutrition of the people and will
further undermine protein and calorie intake and peoples’ health.
Secondly, money is fungible. In food subsidy, whatever may be the
cost in the market, the cost of food grains at the ration shop remains the
same i.e One rupee per kilo for rice or wheat. But in case of cash transfer
of food subsidy, the price of food grain will no more be constant and only
the subsidy amount will remain static, the food price will be totally dependent
on the market. That is why for any household, a cash transfer would by no
means ensure an equivalent quantity of food purchase or calorie intake.
Again in countries like India since most of the population is living in poverty,
there is urgent need of cash in case of health problem and other problems.
So the subsidy amount given in cash may be utilized for such unavoidable
purposes. In both these cases, food security cannot be guaranteed.
Again, since in our country the food grain procurement and distribution
December,, 2017 35
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
is inter-connected and dependant on each other, so any dismantling of the
PDS would also end procurement and Minimum Support Prices. The end of
this important institutional support to the peasantry will push them to depend
on the mercy of the market forces like MNCs, big traders and middlemen.
Contract farming being promoted by the Govt. is also for the same end. It
will be a disastrous step for our agriculture and peasants.
MNCs want to capture our vast food grain market. They have been
pushing the Govt. to withdraw food and agricultural subsidies. Immediately
after coming to power, Modi had appointed a committee led by Shanta
Kumar which has suggested dismantling the PDS and FCI in its report. In
the WTO’s Bali Ministerial Conference of 2014, the Indian Govt of Modi
had agreed to withdraw food and agricultural subsidies and sought 4 years
time (by 2018) to abolish or substantially reduce all the food distribution
and procurement subsidies. So the time of foreign exploiters and their Indian
compradors has come and they are ready to attack the food security of the
people. Since the poor are already angry with corruption and non functioning
of ration shops and there is a huge resentment among peasants with the
inadequate procurement, so the Govt. is pushing only a transitional
arrangement of DBT. Ultimately it will completely withdraw the food subsidies
as has happened in the case of LPG, kerosene oil and fertilizers.
It is true that the earlier PDS had suffered due to large leakages and
Govt reports have suggested that as much as 45% of all the grains do not
reach the intended beneficiaries. But who is responsible for that? The unholy
nexus between ruling politicians, bureaucracy and storage agents is solely
responsible for this sad state. No one is daring to curb this nexus and to
reform this system to ensure that the leakages in the indispensable
government support are plugged. But the Govt’s move to dismantle this
system will not serve the purpose and will be like throwing the baby out
along with the bath water.
There is a steady decline in agriculture and peasants' security in our
country. Due to continuous rise in the input costs, indebtedness and lack
of remunerative price for their produces, lakhs of peasants have been
committing suicide throughout the country. After the privatization of
education, health care and electricity the expenses of peasants have
increased many fold. So in this situation instead of taking strong measures
to bail out the peasants, Modi Govt’s latest push for withdrawing food
subsidies will make the situation worse.
36 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)

Peasants hold a big It has been a major achievement of the AIKSCC to rally this large coalition
trying to change the discourse on agricultural crisis. This conglomeration

protest in Delhi
established their desire and determination to fight back and assert their
problems.
Having organised this protest as a culmination of its Kisan Mukti Yatras
Several tens of thousands of peasants assembled in the Capital from covering nearly 10,000 kms over three months, holding road shows and
19th November onwards and camped in Ramlila Maidan, Ambedkar Bhawan mass meetings in rural areas of several states the AIKSCC campaign has
and Gurudwaras Rakabganj and Bangla Sahib. On the morning of the protest, deepened the consciousness among the agricultural communities about
20th November, they marched towards Parliament street sporting flags, the attacks on agricultural sector in India. Thus the Kisan Mukti Sansad
banners, festoons, placards, badges, sashes, head scarfs and arm bands was a milestone which registered the plight of the peasants and their
of their organizations and raising slogans. By far the biggest contingent demands.
marched over the Ranjit Singh flyover from Ramlila Maidan and it was
The yatras went through meeting venues in 6 states in the West, 5
overwhelmingly red, which was also the dominant colour in the gathering at
states in the South, 3 in UP phase and 5 in the East phase, while the North
Parliament street. Other contingents kept arriving from the other venues
phase was postponed. There were corner meetings welcoming the yatris
as well as from the railway stations throughout the forenoon.
who addressed the assembled peasants and at some places larger meetings
Led by their respective organizations the peasants had assembled from were held. At these places the local organizations had campaigned for the
21 states of the country, rallying under the joint banner of the All India yatra and the issues involved. These issues also included those related to
Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, AIKSCC. These included earlier displacement by big dams and Thermal Power Plants, crop damage due to
supporters of the NDA like the Swabhiman Kshetkari Kisan Sangathan
(part of erstwhile Sharad Joshi organization) of Raju Shetty (MP), the
Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan of AIKSCC Convenor VM Singh,Tamil
Nadu Farmers’ Association earlier associated with RSS, erstwhile supporters
of Nanjundaswamy of Karnataka, i.e. two groups of Karnataka Rajya Rythu
Sangha, KRSS, one led by Kodahalli Chandrashekhar and the other by KT
Gangadhar; the socialists and the NGOs, Jai Kisan Andolan led by Yogendra
Yadav and Avik Saha, NAPM, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic
Agriculture, ASHA, Rytu Swarajya Vedika (Telangana), Dr. Sunilam led
Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (MP) and the Lok Sangharsh Morcha of
Maharashtra led by Pratibha Shinde; the parliamentary left forces under
the two AIKS (AIKS Ashok Road and the AIKS called Ajoy Bhawan), All
India Kisan Mahasabha (AIKM), All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan
(AIKKMS); and the revolutionary peasant organizations under banners of
All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS), BKU (Dakaunda), AIKKS, AIKMKS
and several others, totalling 187 organizations. It was the first time in the
history of the country that such a wide range of organized peasantry had
assembled in the Capital and from such far off distances. Their anger
reflected their misery. November 20, 2017. Peasant Assembly at Parliament Street

December,, 2017 37 38 December,, 2017

 NEW DEMOCRACY
pests and weather, loss of work and mafia rule, wages, MNREGS, housing
and others. On AIKMS initiative, well attended meetings were held at
Khammam, Suryapet, Anantpur, Bhubhaneswar and Allahabad and a
successful meeting of intellectuals in Allahabad.
Since the advent of the New Economic Policies, dictated to India and
to other third world countries by the World Bank and assiduously
implemented by all sections of India’s ruling classes, including the ‘left’,
the peasantry has been left in increasing distress. While peasant
organizations could not build up effective agitations against these policies,
the hapless peasants faced brutal humiliation by both money lenders and
officials and committed suicides. More than 3.2 lakh land owning peasants,
between 12,000 to 18,000 per year, and an equal number of landless/
agricultural workers, have been forced to end their lives. Taking advantage
of the disaffection of the peasantry, Modi had skilfully utilized it for electoral
support, promising to double peasants' incomes, MSP at 1.5 times the
cost of production, complete freedom from debt and preventing farmers
from dying. There are a number of video clips of this as proof. But RSS
and BJP led by Modi betrayed and defaulted completely as the policy
initiative of Imperialism and its comprador Indian corporate held sway. In
that, there is no scope for such relief. When BJP’s MP govt. fired on and
killed 6 peasants on June 6, 2017, the anger reverberated all over and
several organizations began to hold protests in their areas of work as well
as come together. They not only rallied on just the two below stated
demands, but they also asserted some other related aspects.
As outlined, these demands include a MSP of 1.5 times cost and
complete loan waiver, which represent only partial attempts to save
agriculture and an alternative to the current policy based on WTO diktats.
As more organizations joined the move, other aspects came to the fore.
The move had actually begun based on the anger against and a determination
to fight the state which was killing its peasants. It now also incorporated
the demand to waive private loans including those of landless peasants,
share croppers and tenant peasants with a mechanism to convert them
into bank loans and the Govt. repaying them. It pressed for reduction in all
input costs putting the blame for high fuel cost squarely on the Govt. It
demanded continuation and expansion of PDS and called for a campaign
for food security on World Food Security Day on October 16, opposing the
WTO diktat to wind up food security and storage holding them against free
December,, 2017
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
trade. It gradually clearly outlined its main thrust with the slogan stating
‘Corporate ko Chhoot and Kisano ki loot’ is unacceptable.
In Delhi, on November 20, the rallies converged and assembled in front
of a giant stage at Parliament Street. The meeting started with paying
tribute to the peasants martyred in Mandsaur and in other police firings, to
peasants who committed suicide, and to peasants of Yavatmal, who died
due to pesticide poisoning.
The proceedings began with the first session being 'Mahila Kisan Sansad',
to assert the rights of women peasants as equals in agriculture, their special
role in agriculture and to highlight their misery and plight, especially in the
face of suicides. Several peasant widows and women peasant leaders spoke
and the sympathetic crowd heard them with rapt attention, shedding tears
on hearing their woes, egging them on when they said they had come to
demand justice and taking a pledge with them to spread the message that
‘we will not commit suicide, we will fight back’. Many women carried
photographs of their husbands claimed by the crisis and an indifferent
government.
Medha Patkar, leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan, chaired as Speaker
the assembly of 543 women peasants and women peasant leaders of various
organizations. Kavita Kurungati, convener ASHA, put forward the issues
and emphasized the need of presenting the two bills (which were presented
later).
This formation of the Mahila Mukti Sansad brought together peasant
women from all over the country discussing their issues demanding
betterment of the lives of all peasants, agircultural labourers, adivasis,
landless, tenant peasants, fisherfolks and the like and condemning the
Govt. for displacing more than 10 crore peasants from all over the country
for various projects. They declared the current policy disastrous for peasants
and labourers and said 'we want development, not disaster'.
In this 'Sansad' several peasant widows gave their accounts of what
led to the suicides of their respective relatives. These shocking stories
revealed the inhuman humiliation suffered by the affected peasants'
families. They expressed the hope that now that the movement is growing,
no other family will face consequences which will lead to peasant suicides.
One explained the insurmountable loss due to failure of their cotton
39 40 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
crop while another spoke of the suicides of both her parents, as they could
not repay the loan borrowed from moneylenders. The sharks kept harassing
them for repayment. “We had to borrow from them because we could not
access bank credit as tenant farmers,” she said.
Another from Bidar in Karnataka said her brother had committed suicide
because the input costs had shot up, and the remunerative prices for the
produce was so low that he came under debt. “We are unable to educate
our children properly due to paucity of funds and income,” she said.
When Kantabai from Maharashtra narrated her story, many participants’
eyes welled up. Her daughter committed suicide as she did not want to be
a burden on her parents and increase their debt with her education fees.
She added that women peasants are not only trapped in economic
exploitation, they are subjected to social exploitation as well.
Another explained that in Gujarat, after disasters due to floods and
other calamities, no compensation is paid and when the crops are lost,
suicide is an easy escape.
Ramadevi of Andhra Pradesh shared her personal experience of how
December,, 2017 41
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
many young girls like her fall prey to trafficking rings, especially in drought
prone areas where no effective disaster support is available.
Ponnuthai of Tamil Nadu emphasised how corporatization of agriculture
is taking away resources like water and seeds from peasants. She said
that water was being diverted for big industry and the peasants were without
water to irrigate their crops. She said that women peasants do not want
chemical pesticides or GM seeds. The speakers also complained that the
entire PM Fasal Bima Yojana is helping to enrich the Insurance companies.
Addressing the Mahila Mukti Sansad on behalf of the 30 women
delegates of AIKMS, Com. Charanjeet Kaur from Punjab spoke against
senseless mechanization in agirculture which she said has been done by
enticing peasants to take loans to help corporate sell their tractors and
other products and has left most peasants' land mortgaged. She said the
Govt. should have made provision for requisite machinery instead of
burdening the peasants. She said Punjab's agriculture was known for its
prosperity with every house having milk and butter, but today peasant
households have corpses from suicides. She condemned the rampant
privatization that is taking away land from the peasantry. She urged the
movement to demand progressive land reforms to take away land from the
landlords and distribute it to the poor and landless peasants. On behalf of
AIKMS, Comrades Jhansi, Shail Kumari, Sehdei, Sushma and Shyamkali
also participated.
At the end of this two hour 'sansad', the women peasants raised their
hands and approved a bill to be presented for discussion.
Then began the expanded session of the Kisan Mukti Sansad where
the Krishi Upaj Labhkari Daam Guarantee Bill, 2017 was presented by MP
Raju Shetty and The Farmer's Freedom from Debt Bill 2017 was presented
by ex MP and AIKS GS Hannan Mollah. The plan for finalizing these bills
after receiving suggestions from different parts of the country and then
presenting them in Parliament was placed. Thereafter, one by one, leaders
of each organization spoke amongst cheers and sloganeering by the
massive crowd. This session lasted two days, ending on the first day at 6
pm and reassembling the next day. At the end it approved these bills for
discussion. Then the Convenor called upon the people and organizations
to continue the campaign all over the country. The steps announced were
to hold discussions, Kisan Mukti Charchas, amongst the peasants and
42 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
intellectuals including lawyers at district and state level, to jointly present
copies of the two bills to the local MPs urging them to support these bills
when they are presented later by the MPs associated with the AIKSCC in
the parliament as private members bills, to prevent sale of crops below
MSP in the mandis through Kisan Mukti Morchas and in this way to intensify
the campaign.
Addressing the peasants, AIKMS President Com. V. Venkatramaiah
said that BJP had promised to double the income of peasants whereas
they are actually keeping the support prices lower than the actual cost of
production. The MSP of 9 out of 17 Khariff crops has been kept lower than
the CACP determined production cost. Central Govt. is not implementing
its promises and due to this peasants will only fall into debt trap. Thus we
are demanding comprehensive loan waiver. Govt. says that economy of
the country will weaken due to peasants' loan waiver which is completely
wrong when the Govt. itself is providing lakhs of crores rupees of subsidy
to corporates. He added that every year the Govt. foregoes lakhs of crores
of taxes due from corporate. In 2015-16 it was Rs 6.11 lakh crores. He
pointed out that just few days ago the Govt. had announced recapitalization
of banks with Rs 2.11 lakh crores to compensate for the NPAs and bad
loans of the corporate houses.
AIKMS GS, Com. Ashish Mital said that seeds, fertilizers and pesticides
produced by corporate are very costly. Govt. never tries to control their
prices and asks peasants to buy these costly products by mortgaging their
lands. The price of diesel in India is 58 rupees per litre whereas it is only
49 rupees and 41 rupees respectively in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Foreign
companies are being called to buy agricultural produce at low prices by the
governments. They are being called to do corporate farming and establish
agro processing industry, a sector which till few years back was reserved
for small scale sector and has been a huge employer in rural areas. He
demanded lowering of all input costs and waiver of all loans. He also
criticised the Govt. for blaming only stubble burning by peasants in Punjab
for smog in Delhi, saying that peasants must be compensated. Issues like
reduction in tree cover and excessive construction activity leading to
increase in suspended fine particulate matter in the air are any way not
being addressed.
In the various addresses, leaders of different organizations criticised
the Modi Govt and clarified that the Modi Govt. has submitted an affidavit
December,, 2017 43
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
in the Supreme Court that it is not in a position to implement its promise on
MSP; Union Agriculture Minister has claimed that Modi had never promised
loan waiver during the election campaigns which is totally wrong; that Modi
Govt. has opposed waiver of loans by various BJP and Congress govts
stating that peasants shall not reap any benefit from this, etc. Speakers
also said that Demonetization and GST have harmed peasants and
agricultural trade and decreased sale price of crops.
Included amongst those who addressed the people were Yogendra
Yadav, Atul Kumar Anjan- President of AIKS (Ajoy Bhawan), Rajaram Singh
of AIKM, Butta Singh Burjgil of Bhartiya Kisaan Union (Dakaunda), Pratibha
Shinde of LSM, Kondahalli Chandrashekhar of KRSS, Dr.Sunilam of KSS
and NAPM, Satyavan of AIKKMS, Kiran Vissa of RSV, Rampal Jat, Avik
Saha, KRSS MLA K Putanaiyah, Ayyakannu from TNFA, Chukki Nanjul of
Swami Shivakka, Vedant of KMSS Assam, ex MP from J&K Sheikh Abdul
Rehman, Prof Prakash Pople, Dr AK Khan of KSS, Com Jhansi of AIKMKS,
Advocate Aradhana Bhargava, Dileep Patidar and Parmanand Patidar from
Mandsaur, progressive film producer Narainmurthy.
The Kisan Mukti Sansad also demanded unconditional and immediate
release of Akhil Gogoi, leader of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, who has
been in prison for a year under sedition charges and National Security Act.
Of special attraction in the protest were the display of dances, songs,
skits by various groups including Nishant Natya Manch and the display of
human skull and bones by the semi clad Tamil Nadu peasants who have
been holding protests in Delhi for past several months to demand loan
waiver and irrigation in their state.
Sunilam, Pratibha Shinde, Kavita Kurungati, Darshan Pal, Ashish Mittal,
Prem Singh Gehlavat, and Avik Saha (convener of Jai KisanAndolan)
moderated the Kisan Mukti Sansad.
This massive peasant protest has played an important role in placing
the crises facing peasantry and Indian agriculture on the political agenda.
44 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
AIKMS condemns Assam Govt.
attack to evict people
On 27th November armed police of the BJP-RSS Assam Govt resorted
to brutal lathi-charge and fired tear-gas and rubber bullets to disperse
several hundred protestors in order to evict people from the Amchang Wildlife
Sanctuary. The Govt. used 2,000 policemen, 20 excavators, 20 Executive
Magistrates, Forest department, State Disaster Response Force, etc.
Forest department claimed that constructions were encroaching on the
Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary, located on the eastern edge of Guwahati city.
7 protestors were grievously hurt- 35 year old Malati Das with a live bullet
injury and Amina Khatun and Rashida Ahmed too were grievously injured
and admitted to the ICU in Guwahati Medical College. A total of 75 persons
were injured.
Poor tribals and forest dwellers have been living there since decades.
Over 400 houses were flattened by mid-day and a total of 700 over the
next two days. This drive deprived nearly 3000 families of their dwellings.
Junu Sangma, the matriarch of a Garo family in the area, said her family
had lived there for longer than she remembered. She said that "We are
tribals and have paid the annual land taxes from 1977 to 1990. Isn’t there
a new law which protects the rights of forest-dwellers?” she asked?
Several settlers who belong to the state’s Mising tribe had moved to
the area in the winter of 1997 as their home and fields in a village on the
north bank of the Brahmaputra river in Dhemaji district had been washed
away. They had come to Guwahati hoping to get some work and feed their
children.
This eviction is yet another example of the government’s brazen policy
of weakening the environmental laws and using the MoEF as a clearance
ministry for industries of corporate. In Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary the
state government had earlier ordered another eviction drive in August which
was suspended after two days because of massive protests. The people
say that the forest department has never delineated the boundary of the
sanctuary nor demarcated the protected area as distinct from the residential
parts. Neither has any eco sensitive area been declared.
This eviction drive was partly triggered by a complaint from an
December,, 2017 45
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
organization called Early Birds which claims to work for environmental
protection. It had written to the Guwahati High Court in 2013 which treated
it as a public interest litigation. In August the court disposed off the case
in the “hope and trust” that the squatters will be evicted, but it did not
specify the date. The question arises then that what was the urgency for
the Government to take this action? The Govt. has not even bothered to
follow any rehabilitation norms.
The truth is that huge corporate like the cement companies AG Cement
and Raksha Cement, Tea Gardens, coke calcination, brick kilns are
functioning in this area and they are the real encroachers who create havoc
with the environment. The anti people Assam Govt has taken no action
against these industries and big people, but it has chosen to attack the
tribals.
Only in the previous week the state conducted another eviction drive in
Sipajhar in the Middle Assam district of Darrang. People say that this move
to clear villages in Sipajhar was dictated by the state’s old suspicion of
Bengali Muslims, often cast as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
These eviction drives reached their crescendo in Kaziranga last year
when two residents were shot dead by the Assam Police while resisting an
eviction drive. The protest was not covered well by the national media, but
a subsequent BBC documentary showed that the park was a highly
militarized zone with shoot-at-sight orders which led to the ban on the BBC
team in Assam.
Apart from failure to secure the environment, the BJP government has
complete failed the people when it comes to housing rights.
Even the earlier Congress government had been conducting eviction
drives in the name of freeing land from encroachers and illegal occupants.
This was the reason perhaps why the Congress leaders met with opposition
when they landed in Amchang to extend support.
CEC of AIKMS condemns this brutal attack stating that it is a clear
violation of the Forest Right Act, which gives certain rights to the people.
A question is being asked that if the natural resources of Assam are not
the wealth of its communities, who exactly do they belong to and what
purpose do they serve?
46 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Arrests of Leaders of Resistance
Movement, Com. Linganna and
Com. Gopi, Condemned
CPI(ML)-New Democracy strongly condemned the arrest of Com. Linganna
by Telengana police from Raghunathapalen in Khammam on December 7,
2017. Com. Linganna is Secretary of Kothagudem District Committee of
CPI(ML)-New Democracy. He is also a leader of the party’s regional committee
and a member of its Telengana Provincial Committee.
Com. Linganna has been a senior leader of the resistance movement of
the Godavari Valley. He has been leading the movement of tribals and non-
tribal poor people in the agency areas of Telengana particularly those of
Kothagudem district.Com. Linganna has been working in the self defense
squads for nearly last three decades. He is a tribal.
Arrest of Com. Linganna as that of other comrades before him shows the
intensified offensive of TRS Govt. of Telengana against struggle of tribals
and other forest dwellers. TRS Govt. is particularly and systematically targeting
the revolutionary movement. It is part of the offensive of the state govt. to
take away tribals' lands and suppress their struggles for a better life. TRS
Govt. has been targeting leaders of CPI(ML)-New Democracy which has been
leading the struggle of the tribals and non-tribal poor living in forests. Com.
Linganna has been a leading organizer of the resistance movement of these
areas and a popular and respected leader of tribals of the area.
There is widespread anger among the people and cadres against Com.
Linganna’s arrest. Demonstrations were held at different centres in Kothagudem
district and at centres in neighbouring districts- Mahbubabad, Jaishankar-
Bhopalpalli and Warangal covering agency areas. Demonstrators denounced
Com. Linganna’s arrest and demanded his release.
Earlier, another senior leader of the resistance movement of the Godavari
Valley, Com. Gopi (Dhanasari Sammaiah) was arrested by the police from
Mahabubabad on November 30th 2017. Gopi had gone on 29th November
night to a house where his wife was staying. The house was encircled by a
big contingent of the police.
December,, 2017 47
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Having come to know of the police encirclement from a comrade, Com.
Gopi went away from the house. However, police searched the house, and
found some belongings of Com. Gopi. They arrested his wife and son.
Police which had surrounded the place in large numbers, followed him and
was able to arrest him at around 6 PM.
Arrest of Com. Gopi angered the people and cadres. Demonstrations
were held on 30.11.2017 at Mahabubabad, Bayyaram, Garla, Gundala and
Maddivancha condemning the police raid on the house and arrest of Com.
Gopi. Demonstrators demanded his release.
Police also raided the house of Com. Pullanna on the mid night of
30.11.2017 and broke the doors.They also encircled Gurmilla village,
searched all the houses and threatened the people with dire consequences.
Protest demonstrations and processions were also held on December
1st 2017 at Mahabubabad, Narsampet, Illendu and Guduru demanding the
release of Com. Gopi. Rasta Roko was held at Korivi, the Mandal Head
Quarters, where Gopi was kept in the police station.
Com. Gopi is a senior leader of the movement in this agency area and
is working in the self defense squads since the last 30 years. He hails from
the Koya tribe. Now, he is the secretary of the Mahabubabad district
committee and a member of the Regional and Provincial Committees.
Central Committee of CPI(ML)-New Democracy had strongly condemned
the arrest of Com. Gopi.
Police has launched a serious offensive against the revolutionary cadres.
It is raiding different places to arrest the revolutionary cadres and leaders.
Police is also harassing the people and sympathizers of the revolutionary
movement. It is deliberate policy of the TRS Govt. to suppress the revolutionary
movement in the agency areas and to hand over the resources of these areas
to the corporate. Its suppression of the revolutionary movement is designed
to achieve this anti-people objective.
These arrests are part of the offensive of TRS Govt. of Telengana
against struggle of tribals and against the revolutionary movement. TRS
Govt. has been targeting leaders of CPI(ML)-New Democracy. CPI(ML)-
New Democracy has been leading the struggle of the tribals and non-tribal
poor living in forests for several decades.
48 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
TRS Govt. is specially targeting CPI(ML)-New Democracy because of
our Party's opposition to TRS Govt.'s 'Haritharam' which is aimed at taking
away that land from tribals which they have been cultivating for generations.
TRS Govt. aims to hand over these areas to corporate after dispossessing
tribals of their land. The area is rich in mineral resources and coal which
corporate and the Govt. is intent on exploiting. CPI(ML)-New Democracy
has also been strongly opposing open cast mining for coal in this area.
CPI(ML)-New Democracy has been opposing open cast mines which the
Govt. is opening in place of underground mines for coal as it severly damages
the environment and renders the land uncultivable. Govt. is replacing
underground mines with open cast mines to maximize profits while
measures after operation of mines to be taken are mostly disregarded.
Party has built movements and mobilized the people against open cast
mining which TRS Govt. is intent on pursuing. CPI(ML)-New Democracy
has extensively exposed the anti-people character of TRS Govt. for pursuing
these policies. As CPI(ML)-New Democracy has a strong presence in the
area, TRS Govt. is trying to suppress the Party and eliminate the resistance
of tribals against these anti-people and pro-corporate policies.
Central Committee of CPI(ML)-New Democracy strongly condemns the
offensive by the TRS Govt. against the revolutionary movement, CPI(ML)-
New Democracy and the struggle of tribals and other forest people. TRS
Govt. is increasingly displaying its anti-people character and is targeting
our Party. TRS Govt.’s attacks will neither be able to dampen nor stop the
revolutionary people from intensifying their struggles against exploitation,
oppression and suppression, and for new democratic revolution.
(Report based on the statements issued by the Central Committee,
CPI(ML)-New Democracy on December 1, 2017 on Com. Gopi's arrest
and on December 8, 2017 on Com. Linganna's arrest.)
December,, 2017 49
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Homage to Com. Khudan Mallik
One of the prominent leaders of the historic Naxalbari armed struggle,
Com. Khudan Mallik passed away on 29th November 2017 at about 8 AM
in North Bengal Medical College because of lung infection. He was 77
years old. He was a member of the Central Committee and also West
Bengal State Committee and Darjeeling District Committee Secretary of
CPI(ML)-Class Struggle. He was also Vice president of All India Khet
Mazdoor Kisan Sabha (AIKMKS) and West Bengal President of the same.
He was born in 1941 in village Rambola Jote in Kharibari Thana area of
Darjeeling District. He was from a rich peasant family.
At an early age he was attracted to the communist movement and
became a member of the communist party led Kisan Sabha at the age of
14 in 1955. An important meeting for the revolutionary upsurge in 1967
(Naxalbari Uprising) was held in this very Rambola village and Com. Khudan
Mallik along with his elder brother Com. Kadam Mallik was in the Central
Core committee of the upsurge. In 1967, after the start of the uprising he
was sent to socialist China along with Com. Kanu Sanyal and they met
Chinese Communist Party leadership including Com. Mao Zedong. Com.
Khudan Mallik has all along been with the revolutionary movement. He led
a very simple life and was very modest. He was popular among people and
revolutionary ranks. He aspired very much for the unity of the communist
revolutionaries and was very open hearted and straight forward. With his
death, the revolutionary movement has lost almost all the core leaders of
historic Naxalbari Upsurge. He has left behind 6 sons and 5 daughters.
CPI(ML)-New Democracy pays its homage to the revolutionary leader
and vows to carry forward the struggle for new democratic revolution along
the path illuminated by Naxalbari peasant uprising.
CPI(ML)-New Democracy also pays its homage to Com. Mohan Reddy
(Kotaiah), a member of the Central Committee of CPI(ML)-Class Struggle
and a leader of the peasant organization-AIKMKS. Com. Kotaiah breathed
his last in December 1 , 2017.
50 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
th
Call on 16 December 2017
Sway of Patriarchy over Judiciary
must be Fought
Five years down from 16th December 2012 and the subsequent struggle
highlighting the grip of patriarchy over all wings of the State and over society,
little has changed. One aspect under the scanner then was the Judiciary.
This year there is sufficient reason to use this day to focus on how the
courts of India are keeping alive patriarchal chains on women while even
robbing women of hard won rights. On December 16th this year, we should
highlight the role of judiciary in defending and perpetuating the patriarchy
in the society.
There are examples galore of the way judges at different courts at different
levels pass remarks justifying dowry, explaining away beating up of wives
by husbands as “correction”, commenting on “misuse of laws” by women
to terrorize the in laws and husbands. Women activists in every state can
find examples galore of such experiences in the various lower courts in
their states and at the level of the High courts. But it is important to see
the example set by the highest Court in this regard, because it is followed
by the lower judiciary.
Over the past three years, there has been focus on the Supreme Court’s
restraint on immediate arrests under Section 498A. While other situations
also come under this Act, it was pointed out that this provision allows
immediate relief to women who are victims of domestic violence as it allowed
immediate arrest of the accused. The Court not only did not provide for
exemption, in July this year it even provided guidelines for a sort of parallel
policing, with provision of neighbourhood committees to ascertain need of
arrest of husbands and in laws guilty of violence against the daughters in
law. Facing continual protests by women’s organizations and scathing
criticism, the Court has recently remarked that perhaps its position needs
revisiting, but it is yet to do so. In this entire issue, the Court has undoubtedly
been guided by the notion that women use legal provisions wilfully and
baselessly to trouble their families, ignoring the reality of this country. For
every woman who does manage to approach the police and /or courts for
December,, 2017 51
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
protection, there are so many others who are unable to do so for a variety
of reasons.
The situation of the family courts and courts dealing with maintenance
is so depressing. There are long delays, inadequate personnel with the
courts lead to long delays in even recovery of women’s clothing from the
home she has been forced to leave and also the attitude of the judges
undermines the women’s right to lead safe lives by underlining the need of
“compromise” and “patience” by women in the interests of the families
involved. Utterances by judges often directly and indirectly underline the
patriarchal belief that the honour of the family is tied to the women’s choices
and sacrificing themselves for the “good” of the families is the real purpose
of their existence.
The issue which has invited the most patriarchal response from higher
courts is that of the marriage of Akila who had earlier converted to Islam
and has taken on the name of Hadiya. Opposing her adult decisions, her
parents took the plea that she had been “brainwashed”, recruited by a terror
organization and that her husband belonged to an Islamic political party.
The party in question is not banned in India or in the state of Kerala from
which Hadiya hails. Kerala, it should be remembered, is a state where
Hindutva forces and a section of Christian clerics had even earlier cried
wolf over ‘love jihad’ to oppose inter-religious marriages. There was a formal
enquiry into these allegations by the then Govt. of the state and the claims
of ‘love jhiad’ were refuted. However, the High Court of Kerala annulled
Hadiya’s marriage, declaring that children should be guided by their parents
when marrying. It then handed over “custody” of the adult homeopath
woman doctor to her parents. Hadiya’s husband approached the Supreme
Court. Supreme Court did not strike down the High Court’s decision, only
changed the adult woman’s guardian in answer to her demand for
independence, did not comment on her right to marry whom she chose and
postponed further decision till the next hearing, during which period the
NIA will carry on investigating ‘love jihad’ and terror organizations in Kerala.
Is it the law that an adult woman may not marry a so called ‘terrorist’? Are
marriages by adults without the consent of parents, illegal? These are
issues the women’s movement is fighting all over the country. Love Jihad,
bahu beti izzat, so many other terms are the weapons to restrict freedom
of marriage especially to women. The Supreme Court’s procrastination in
commenting on the Kerala High Court’s judgement is doubtless
52 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
strengthening the patriarchal forces who want women to be “regulated” as
they are “repositories of honour” of families, religions and castes in
patriarchal India.
Discussion on patriarchy in the courts of India is incomplete without
touching on the issue of sexual harassment at workplace. The Supreme
Court of the country has no effective redressal mechanism for the women
who work there; it must be remembered that two law interns who dared to
speak out about the involvement of two judges of this Court were ultimately
quietened, with one of the judges even getting a high profile post. Women
lawyers face sexually explicit comments not only from colleagues (which
of course they should unite to fight) but also some male judges at various
levels.
Violence against women continues to be rampant in society and the
figures released from time to time by govt agencies show that conviction
rates in various heads continue to be woefully dismal. This is despite many
studies that show that post the 2012 struggle, women in cities at least are
daring to speak out against patriarchal violence and even go to police
stations with their complaints. Neither does judiciary penalize police for
shoddy investigations, nor does it even provide relief to women through
fast and effective supportive measures at least- like recovery of clothes,
defence in partitioned conjugal home, protection in inter caste and inter
religious marriages and so many other measures.
On 16th December 2017, let us highlight the role of Judiciary in supporting
and perpetuating patriarchal practices and ideas, while we strengthen our
resolve to fight violence against women, fight patriarchy.
December,, 2017 53
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
US-Israel-Saudi offensive
against Palestinians
At times a day encapsulates a whole gamut of developments. Such
was November 4 in relation to Saudi Arabia. The day began with Prime
Minister of Lebanon Saad Hariri announcing in Saudi capital Riyadh his
resignation as the Prime Minister. In the afternoon, a ballistic missile had
been intercepted near Riyadh airport. The missile was launched by Houthis
of Yemen bringing the war into the very capital of Sauds. By the evening
11 princes, 4 ministers and a number of businessmen had been arrested
by Saudi security forces. The day demonstrated the internal and external
contradictions in which Saudi rulers are embroiled as well as their attempts
to wade their way through them.
Two developments have shaped the fast moving developments in the
Middle-East. First, there has been a rise of disillusionment, unrest and
anger among the Arab masses against their conditions of life and lack of
democratic rights. Second, US power in the region has declined, this the
latter due to failure of the US war of occupation in Iraq and the explosion of
world financial-economic crisis which has increased weariness of the people
of America towards increasing military deployments abroad. These two
factors have particularly unsettled monarchies in the Arab world, particularly
that of Saudi Arabia and its close ally, the United Arab Emirates. These
factors are posing an existential threat to these rulers. They cannot trust
their own people, hence they cannot arm them. Secondly, US imperialism
though ready and eager to supply deadly weaponry, is not willing to commit
military deployment which has been the corner stone of their absolute rule.
Obama Admn. was trying to achieve its hegemonic aims through other
means, giving up unilateralism of Bush period and prodding on its allies
from Western Europe and Middle-East to take an active role in preserving
and strengthening US led architecture of the region. Trump Admn. has
changed the modus operandi of pursuing hegemonism. It has given up
pretences and is openly pursuing imperialist interests. It has put a price
tag on saving the monarchies and other unpopular rulers. Its open
proclamations and continuation of earlier policy gives rise to apparent
contradictions in the US stance or stances of different wings of US Admn.
54 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Intensification of the contradiction among imperialist powers and their
regional allies and growing contradiction between imperialism and people
of the countries of the region has led to and is further leading to growing
conflicts in the region, growing wars, drawing and redrawing of boundaries
and forging and re-forging of alliances. The most significant aspect is that
US Admn., Zionist rulers of Israel and Gulf monarchies led by Saudi Arabia
(Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain) are openly standing on one pole against
the people of different countries of the region. Saudi monarchy and its
allies have since long been a strong pillar for US imperialism, the other
being Zionist Israeli rulers. This alliance has come out in the open due to
the necessity of the present situation. The machinations of US and its
allies especially Saudi Arabia, for regime change in Syria have failed and
Basher Assad Govt. has emerged stronger in which military intervention of
Russia and support of Iran have been important factors. Developments in
Iraq have also led to strengthening of Iranian influence in that country. The
recent referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan and subsequent military action by
Iraqi Govt. along with Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs) backed by Iran
have further consolidated Iran’s influence. Though US also retains powerful
influence on Iraqi Govt. but it has to increasingly contend with Iran for
influence in that country. These developments have led to increasing
influence of Iran in the region. Recent fracture in the US led alliance with
Turkey & Qatar along with Muslim Brotherhood (MB) are charting their own
course. They are working with Russia and Iran in Syria. Cooperation among
them further increased while facing blockade of Qatar by Saudi led group
of Gulf monarchies. Iran’s increasing influence is emboldening the dissident
forces among these monarchies which see an opportunity in this change in
the power equation in the region. These Gulf monarchies exploit the rich
natural resources of their countries in league with imperialist powers and
they fear rise of their own people. Hence they are very alarmed by any
situation which may lead to emboldening of domestic opposition. In view
of US imperialism not committing to deploy adequate forces to sustain
their anti-people monarchial rule nor any other imperialist power being in
that position, Saudi led Gulf monarchies are enlisting the Israeli forces for
the purpose. They need a big military power for sustaining their rule and
weakening of all regional powers whose rise in influence may spur challenge
to their rule. Their attempts to forge a force from among the Muslim majority
states in the course of their aggression against Yemen has been a dismal
failure. Saudi led war has made no advance while their killing of civilians,
December,, 2017 55
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
destroying the infrastructure and blockading that country has drawn
worldwide condemnation. Of late that war has reached Saudi interior as
rocket launched at Riyadh on November 4 and another even more recently
amply proved. While Saudi led Gulf monarchies have always been in league
with Israel through their subservience to US imperialism which has been
the main protector of Zionist rulers and their expansionism, their reliance
on Israel has grown and their alliance has become more open.
Saudi attempt to browbeat Saad Hariri into resigning due to his allegedly
not confronting Hizbollah in Lebanon has now been exposed as Saudi
blackmail. Saad Hariri has since returned to Lebanon and assumed his
position as Prime Minister which he had got after an understanding was
reached with Hizbollah. This was a failed Saudi attempt to make Lebanon
a battleground for its influence in the region.
Zionist rulers of Israel on the other hand, do not want the rise of any
military power in the region which is not aligned to them. Whether it was
Egypt or Iraq or now Iran, Israeli rulers want these countries to fight amongst
each other and none to become strong enough to challenge continuous
aggression of Zionist rulers against Palestinians. Apart from direct military
challenge from any rising military power in the region, Zionist rulers are
apprehensive that rise of any power in the region will embolden the
Palestinians and will encourage the organizations willing to challenge Zionist
rulers’ aggression. This will put obstacles in the way of Zionists gobbling
up more and more land from Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli rulers
are now targeting Iran which has little to do with Iran’s nuclear programme
but is related to the steady rise in its strength and in that of its allies in the
region. Thus US allies, rulers of Israel and Saudi led Gulf monarchies, are
projecting as dangerous Iran’s growing power in the region, to suppress a
challenge to their drive. This is particularly urgent for them in view of the
successful military intervention of Russia in Syria which has changed the
course of war there. It has given Russia further opportunity to increase its
influence in the different countries in the region and emerge as the dominant
power in the regions where US led interventions have resulted in disarray
and chaos as in Libya.
Palestinian struggle against Zionist aggression and for their national
rights is a sore point in forging this alliance openly. Plight of Palestinians
is etched in the psyche of Arab people and their struggle enjoys wide spread
56 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
sympathy among the people. Hence, for the US-Israel-Saudi axis to be an
open alliance, this issue has to be resolved. And under the present
conditions, it has to be solved on the terms of Israel. It involves two main
questions- whole of Jerusalem going to Israel which claims it to be its
eternal and indivisible capital and Palestinians foregoing their right to return
to their homes (in present day Israel) which is guaranteed under UN
resolution. Despite facing the biggest power in the world (US imperialism)
and in the region (Israel), Palestinians are not willing to concede these
issues as these are existential questions for them to exist as a nation and
are the core of their national rights.
Rulers of Saudi Arabia and their allies in Gulf, particularly UAE, cannot
openly endorse these positions of Israel. But they wish to proclaim a solution
to the Palestinian problem for their alliance with Israel to be openly
proclaimed. Hence, tremendous pressure is being brought upon Palestinian
leadership to accede to Israeli demands. Recent arrest of Jordanian
billionaire, Masri, was also to pressurize the Palestinian leadership besides
browbeating Jordan’s King on his opposition to Israel’s claim over whole of
Jerusalem. Saudi rulers are angry at Jordan King's attendance in the meeting
of Organization of Islamic States convened by Turkey.
The present drive to solve the Palestinian problem on terms of Israel is
being orchestrated by JSZ- two sons and a son-in-law- Jaryd Kushner, real
estate magnate and son-in-law of US President Trump who is also Trump’s
senior advisor, Crown Prince Salman, son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia
and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (UAE) Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan.
Prince Zayed’s advisor is Yousef al-Otaiba who is UAE’s ambassador to
USA since 2008. He is close to the Jewish lobby in Washington and his
role in portraying Qatar as a sponsor of ‘terrorism’ came into the open
when Saudi-UAE-Bahrain imposed a blockade on Qatar. UAE has been
playing an important role in the present drive as Doha has become a centre
of Israeli influence in the region. UAE is an active participant in the offensive
against Yemen and has deployed its Army in the South of Yemen. UAE is
not in favour of Mansour Hadi, official President of Yemen based in Riyadh,
whose visit to Yemen have been banned by Saudi rulers in deference to
wishes of UAE which sponsors a number of Islamist groups controlling
parts of South Yemen. UAE also played a role in disrupting the alliance
between ex-ruler Saleh and Houthis which resulted in the clashes between
the two leading to death of Saleh. Saleh’s son, Monsour, who was interior
December,, 2017 57
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
minister in Saleh regime, has been living in Doha for the past five years
and UAE maneuvered Saleh through him. This attempt was however
thwarted by the Houthis who gained quick control over the capital, Sana’a
and have retained control over most of Yemen. A number of units of Yemen
Army which were loyal to Saleh, are still with Houthis.
Saudi Arabia and UAE cannot openly accept the conditions of Israel
lest it sees outburst from people in their own countries. So they want
Palestinians to accept these conditions which they would then support as
respecting the will of Palestinian people. Rulers of Saudi Arabia and UAE
are also suppressing all sections in their country which may take advantage
of any resentment among the people with their open betrayal of Palestinian
cause. Arrest of a large number of princes and officials in Saudi Arabia
was part of this drive. Besides arrests of princes, one of them was killed in
the clash over his arrest and another died mysteriously in an air crash.
These arrests were made in the name of combating corruption while the
anti-corruption body which steered the arrests was formed by King Salman
barely four hours before these arrests. A section of clergy is also target of
the attack for the similar reason. Saudi Arabia and UAE have also intensified
repression against MB activists who may utilize the people’s anger in these
states. It is not surprising that main leaders of MB are on the list of ‘terrorist’
entities given by Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain to Qatar to take action.
All these steps are being taken in close co-ordination with US president
Trump and his advisors. Trump has been supporting Salman’s moves, giving
him certificate of fighting against ‘terrorism’ and against ‘radical Islam’.
Trump’s son-in-law Kushner is working on a ‘peace plan’ embodying the
above points. This plan is scheduled to be presented in the beginning of
2018. But before that Palestinians have to be coerced into being prepared
to accept this plan. There has been intensified activity for forging unity
among different sections of Palestinians, particularly Fatah and Hamas.
But behind the scene, attempt is to force leadership of Dahlan over the
Palestinians. He was the same official who was chased away by Hamas
from Gaza and who had close links with Israeli intelligence. For last five
years, this Dahlan is based in Doha, capital of UAE. Egypt has been roped
in to mount pressure on Hamas and their only land opening (Rafa) is under
Egyptian control. This Cairo unity declaration between Hamas and Fatah
is to change the Palestinian leadership and force them into accepting the
Israel supported US ‘peace plan’.
58 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
US president Trump’s declaration to move US embassy in Israel from
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is geared towards this objective. Though Saudi Arabia,
UAE and Bahrain voted in UN General Assembly for the resolution against
Trump Admn’s move, Saudi Arabia and its allies were neither its sponsors
nor chose to speak in the Assembly on the resolution. It is also noteworthy
that while US General Assembly was debating this resolution, a Bahrain
delegation was in Israel and an Israeli delegation is scheduled to visit Bahrain
soon. UN General Assembly passed a resolution against US move, despite
open threats and blackmail by the US Administration. It shows the anger
this move has generated among the people in the world, particularly in the
Middle-East. This development has created complications for the US-Israel-
Saudi plan for the Palestinians. Palestinian Authority President, Abbas,
has declared that he would not even consider a peace plan proposed by
the US as he does not consider US to be an honest mediator. That US was
never a neutral mediator is besides the point here.
It is clear that US-Israel-Saudi offensive is meeting resistance in the
region and among Palestinians. Ground situation in the Middle-East is
changing though it continues to grow more complex due to machinations of
different imperialist powers. One thing is becoming increasing obvious,
that due to US-Israel drive to gobble up more and more Palestinian territories
expelling Palestinians from their homes and Saudi and their allies’
acquiescence with this drive in the interest of saving their rule and riches,
is rendering two state solution i.e. Israel and Palestine in historical Palestine
increasingly implausible. At this rate there would be no land left for the
state of Palestine and US-Israel-Saudi would like Palestinians to disappear
in the deserts of Arabia. But the people cannot and would not disappear.
They would claim their rights. Their just struggle would be victorious. Not
they but this excrescence of history, Zionist Israel, may be assigned to
the dustbin of history. Hitler could not exterminate Jews, and Zionist rulers,
even with US backing, would not be able to make Palestinians disappear.
December,, 2017 59
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
IFTU Condemns the ban on
Mazdoor Sangathan Samiti
The National Committee of IFTU strongly condemns the ban on Mazdoor
Sanghatan Samithi (MSS) by the Jharkand government on the grounds
that it is helping the Maoists, that it had called Varavara Rao to address a
meeting and that it is imposing levies et al.
The MSS is a trade union organization engaged in organizing the workers
in various industries in the state of Jharkand. It is a leading trade union
fighting for the realization of the legitimate demands of the workers. A
legal and open workers organization as the MSS cannot be dubbed as a
frontal organization of the Maoists and a ban imposed on it merely because
Varavara Rao was called to address a meeting. This is very strange as
Varavara Rao has been addressing meetings in many states and nothing
like banning the organizations that invited him has been happening.
As a registered trade union MSS has the right to receive subscription
fee from its member workers and contributions from various sections of
society for conducting its activities. Therefore the basis on which the
Jharkand government imposed the ban is utterly false and motivated to
favour the managements against whom the workers are fighting under the
leadership of MSS. MSS cannot be punished by way of a ban merely for
airing its views on the policies of the government. Suppression of normal
democratic activity by the government amounts to curtailing civil rights of
the people.
The IFTU demands the immediate revocation of the ban on MSS and
calls upon all democracy-loving people to voice their protest against the
ban.
(This Statement was issued by IFTU President Com. Aparna and General
Secretary Com. Pradeep. A statement questioning imposition of ban on
MSS and demanding its withdrawal was also issued by the Joint Platform
of Coal Contract Workers Unions(JPCCWU). It was signed by Dugai Murmu,
President, ECLTSAU; Somnath Chattarjee, General Secretry AIIECLWEU;
Shailen Bhattacharya, General Secretary ECLCSU; A. Venkanna, President
SCGWU; Thangaraj, General Secretary NDLF; B. Pradeep, General Sectrary
IFTU and Gautam Mody, General Secretary NTUI.)
60 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Berhampur (Odisha)
State le
State vel Emplo
lev Employyees'
Convention a
Conv aggainst Outsour cing
Outsourcing
Hundreds of employees working in different departments of the Odisha
state Govt assembled in Town Hall, Berhampur on December 10 under the
banner of Odisha Outsourcing Employees' Federation in a state level
convention demanding equal pay for equal work and an end to the anti
worker outsourcing system. 330 delegates from 25 out of 30 districts of
Odisha, belonging to 41 Govt departments like Education, Health, Labour,
Forest, Agriculture, Soil conservation etc. along with University employees
participated in the Convention. A rally was also held before the convention.
Convenor of the Federation, Prasant Maharana, gave the introductory
speech. Chief Guest of the programme, Com. B. Pradeep, General
Secretary IFTU said though contractual employment was there in the past
but due to the neo liberal policies it has increased to a great extent. Earlier
both in Govt and private sector, except a few contractual employees
majority of employees were regular but over the last 26 years of economic
liberalization the number of permanent employees has decreased while the
number of employees engaged under contractual and outsourcing basis
has increased to a very large degree. Though there is Contract Labour
(Abolition and Regulation) Act of 1970 but it is not implemented. Forget the
abolition of contract employment, even regulation of the contractual system
has become a mirage. Crores of contractual workers in the country are
living in abysmal conditions and are being denied the rights and facilities
provided in the Act. Though contract workers are entitled to get minimum
wage, EPF and ESI like benefits, but they are being deprived of them.
Recently the Supreme Court has given a ruling restating the law on the
issue of equal pay for equal work. But this is not being implemented by all
the Govts and industrialists. Rather the Modi Govt at the Centre and his
party’s Govts in Rajasthan and Haryana have already started amending
the hard earned labour rights including the Contract Labour Act in the name
of labour reform. Their so called labour reforms are to help make super
profits for the corporate by allowing ruthless exploitation of the labour of
our workers and employees. Odisha Govt led by Naveen Patanaik is not
different from others in implementing these anti worker policies. Nearly 1.7
December,, 2017 61
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Com. Pradeep addressing
the Convention
lakh employees working in different Govt departments of Odisha are under
contractual and out sourced employment. Many of them are not getting
even minimum wage for months together. The so called service provider
agencies are not depositing the EPF and ESI money. Nearly one fifth or
18% of their wage released by the Govt is being cut as service tax or GST.
There is no holiday even on national holidays. Com. Pradeep congratulated
the leaders of different unions assembled there under the Odisha
Outsourcing Employees' Federation to take up this issue by organizing the
most exploited section of the employees.
State Spokesperson of CPI (ML) New Democracy, Com. Bhalchandra
said that the state Govt is continuously claiming that they have a surplus
budget but everyday peasants of Odisha are committing suicide and lakhs
of workers and employees are living a substandard life. When Odisha Govt.
is paying Group C employees a mere 7000 rupees per month instead of
Rs. 40,000 then it is obvious reason for the Govt to have a surplus budget.
The real question is to end this exploitative contract and outsourcing system.
Leaders of different employees unions like Premananda Patel of Odisha
Adarsha Vidyalaya Employees Union, Rajendra Rath from Odisha
Outsourcing Medical Employees Union, Mihir Biswal from Odisha Panchayat
Raj Outsourcing Employees Union, Prasant Maharana on behalf of Odisha
Outsourcing ICDS Employees Union, Padma Charana Nayak from Odisha
Outsourcing Municipal Employees Union spoke on behalf of their respective
unions and conveyed their willingness to carry forward the struggle. Veteran
rationalist leader Raja Suresh, Odisha Un-organized Workers Union’s
Working President Comrade Pratap Chinara, Odisha Non Govt Employees
state leader Pradip Sahu also spoke at the programme and conveyed their
solidarity for the just demands of out-sourcing employees.
62 December,, 2017
 NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
The 2G Scam co operation in not furnishing evidence against the accused, but he went
ahead to whitewash the whole crime.

Judiciar
udiciaryy Washes the The country has seen and is seeing widespread corruption by the Govt.
machinery - not only fleecing money from the people, harassing them to
Cor
Corrr upt Clean extract money or taking bribes. This pervasive corruption sits along with
collusive corruption to loot and plunder the resources of the country –
collusion between foreign and domestic corporate and ruling politicians and
The acquittal of all the accused in the 2G scam by a Special CBI Court bureaucrats. They are plundering not only the present but also the future of
has once again reaffirmed that the ruling classes use the Judiciary as a the country. That the whole exercise was conducted under the supervision
laundry to clean the dirt of corruption and ill deeds. of the Supreme Court shows the limitation of the efforts to eliminate
corruption through bureaucratic means like Lokpal etc.
Judge O.P. Saini has blamed the prosecution of being directionless
and diffident. The Special Court judge remarked that the prosecutors were Learning from this, people should wage a determined struggle against
not willing to pursue even the pleas made before the Court, witnesses different forms of corruption-extortion, loot and plunder. The struggle against
contradicted in their testimonies what they had said in their respective corruption should be linked to the struggles of peasants, workers and other
statements and no legally admissible evidence was produced. This leaves sections of thee people as a part of struggles of the people for new democratic
no doubt that the Govt. and its ‘caged parrot’ CBI made sure that no case revolutionary transformation. Struggle against corruption is an important
is made out against the accused. It is pertinent that the investigation was struggle of the people against their enemies-the ruling classes.
supervised by the Supreme Court and that has made no difference.
The later part of the trial was held in the period when the Modi Govt. is
in power. It is obvious that the CBI must have continued to act as usual,
on the direction of now the Modi Govt. Whether it was a payback to the
UPA for ‘exoneration’ of Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah in the cases of fake Read and Subscribe
encounter in Gujarat, or whether it has been done with a view to Tamil
Nadu politics or both, is open to speculation. Or, is it more pertinent that
CPI(ML) Or
Orgg ans
the corporate involved in that loot are also supporters and financiers of the New Democracy English
Modi Govt? Moreover, the corporate and the media controlled by them Pratirodh Ka Swar Hindi
played a very important role in bringing the Modi Govt. to power and the
Govt. knows the importance of their continued support for remaining in Voice of New Democracy Telugu
power. (Telengana)
Besides acquitting all the accused, the Judge has gone to the extent of New Democracy Bulletin Telugu
claiming that there was no scam (corruption). The Judge ignored what was (A.P.)
already on record- change in the date and giving of only an hour for
submitting drafts, besides the Rs. 200 crore given to Kaliangar TV by
Biplabi Ganaline Bengali
those linked to Swan. All these undisputed facts were brushed aside to Inquilabi Sada Rah Punjabi
claim that they pertained to a matter of policy and not corruption. Hence,
the judge was not only a helpless witness to CBI's (and Govt.'s) deliberate
Sangrami Ekta Odia

December,, 2017 63 64 December,, 2017