Thursday, November 28, 2013

Campaign in Hanumangarh - Rajasthan

Jagjith Singh Jaggi - Sangaria
Raghuveer Verma- Hanumangarh
 Hanumangarh district of western Rajasthan,  once considered a bastion of the Left under leadership of legendary communist and Kisan leader Com. Sheopat Singh appears to be seeing a sort of revival of fortunes. For the elections slated on 1st December, the CPI(M) is contesting all the five assembly seats in this district. This also includes the mainly urban Hanumangarh seat, held more than once by Com Sheopat Singh himself. After a break of ten years, the Party has put up young advocate and DYFI state president, Raghuveer Verma from here. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha, Sitaram Yechury campaigning for Verma, addressed an impressive meeting at Dhan Mandi in Hanumangarh town.
Addressing large and responsive crowd including big number of poor women, Yechury terming BJP’s divisive politics, politics of Dussashan (ill-governance) and Congress’s ruling class politics, politics of Sinhasan (throne), appealed for strengthening politics of Jansashan (people’s rule) represented by the CPI(M). Predicting a hung assembly Yechury also called for sending larger number of CPI(M) members in the new assembly so that opening is created for pushing ahead decisions and policies favouring  poor and working masses. Beside candidate Raghuveer Verma and other local leaders , CPI(M) central secretariat member Hannan Mollah and CPI(M) Haryana state secretary and central committee member Inderjeet Singh also addressed the meeting.

Balwan Punia - Bhadra
Ridhrikaran - Nohar
Establishing itself as the main political force fighting for people’s interests, one of many sustained struggles CPI(M) has launched in this district is that of NREGA workers. In a district where leaders of both leading bourgeoisie parties actually want to see NREGA stalled to depress  rural wages, party has fought  for keeping it going, expanding work under it, increasing number of work days to 200 in a year and daily wage rate of Rs. 300. No surprise that poor rural women workers, largely from socially weaker section in large numbers are working actively for CPI(M) candidates. Similar is story of scheme workers. Beside various issues concerning peasantry, CPI(M) here has also taken up issues including declaring district rice belt, utilizing Ghaghar water, making toll roads more accessible to local rural people and even improving law and order situation.

Balwan Punia, contesting from Bhadara is said to have a distinct edge over his Congress and BJP rivals. A recognized Kisan leader of the area, he has led the struggle on question of water and electricity. Beside government repression for these agitations, leading the fight against liquor mafia and it’s antisocial activities, he has also faced a nearly fatal physical attack from the same mafia. Besides large number of kisan workers, students and youth in huge numbers are campaigning for CPI(M) candidate here. Last election Punia had polled more than 15 thousand votes. CPI(M) district secretary Rameshwar  Verma said that Maniram, the party candidate from Pilibanga and Jageet  Singh Jaggi, the Party candidate from Sangaria are also putting up a good fight.

Massive Rally against Dharmasthala Rapes And Unnatural Deaths Of Women

 
A huge mass rally was held on 26th November 2013 before the Deputy Commissioner's Office, Mangalore to mark the culmination of the  two padayatras which had started on 21st November from Belthangady and Sullia and covered every part of the Dakshina Kannada district.  These Jathas were organized by the CPI(M) District Committee to demand the Government of Karnataka that all the cases numbering over 450 recorded as unnatural deaths over a period of more than 3 decades in Dharmasthala and Ujire Villages be entrusted to CBI for investigation along with the one-year old case of rape and murder of Soujanya.
 
The Jatha which started from the banks of river Nethravathi in Belthangady was inaugurated by senior CPI(M) leader U. B. Lokayya and led by B. M. Bhat and K. Yadava Shetty, District Secretariat Members of CPI(M).  The other Jatha which started from Sullia was inaugurated by Shri Siddabasava Kabirananda Mahaswamy of Gulbarga Singarahalli  Marula Shankara Devara Gurupeeta and led by CPI(M) District Secretariat Members Vasantha Achari and Sunil Kumar Bajal.  The inaugural function was presided over by CPI(M) state secretariat Member K.R.Sriyan.
 
In the face of Statewide protest unleashed by CPI(M) and spontaneously joined by vast sections of  the people, the State Government announced that Soujanya issue will be entrusted to the CBI. By then, more than 13 months had elapsed since the rape and murder of Soujanya and all  traceable evidence including two eye witnesses had been eliminated. One Ravi Poojary, said to be an eye witness to the Soujanya case had died under mysterious circumstances and the case was treated as suicide. Very recently, one Dinesh Gowda who was active in the protests   demanding CBI probe, was killed by dashing a vehicle   against   him and  it was treated as an accident.  A domestic servent of one of the accused persons died under suspicious circumstances.
 
 Vinaya Kumar Sorake, a Minister of the State Government openly declared in a public meeting at Dharmasthala that the Government will not allow this case to be treated as one of rape and murder. Shamelessness, thy name is Vinaya Kumar Sorake! Your  Government has already announced its decision to entrust Soujanya case to CBI! 
 
Such being the situation, the CPI(M) State Committee come to the conclusion that justice to Soujanya can be ensured only if all the cases of unnatural deaths which occurred in Dharmasthala  and Ujire Villages during the last four decades including those of Padmalatha and Vedavalli are handed over to CBI for investigation.  The cases closed by the police as unnatural deaths in these two villages during the last two decades amount to a total of more than 450 according to information collected by some organizations. Therefore the two Jathas demanded that along with the investigation into the rape and murder of Soujanya already handed over to CBI,  all the cases of  unnatural deaths of the last four decades in these two villages should be reopened and handed over to CBI.  This demand caught the imagination of the people of the district who braved all threats and welcomed the Jathas everywere in large numbers. 
 
Violation of fundamental rights is national issue – Basudev Acharya:
 
Addressing the huge protest rally before the Deputy Commissioner's Office, Basudev Acharya, Central Committee Member of CPI(M) and leader of the party in the Lok  Sabha pointed out that Right to Life is a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution. Unnatural deaths of more than 450 persons in Dharmasthala over the last more than three decades is nothing but a clear violation of fundamental rights.  It is therefore  not an issue confined to Dakshina Kannada District or Karnataka State.  It is definitely a national issue and he declared that he will raise it  in the Lok Sabha. 
 
Let land grab issue also be entrusted to CBI
 
There are widespread complaints of grabbing of lands belonging to poor backward and dalith families by powerful forces of Dharmasthala.  Many of the cases of unnatural deaths are alleged to be related to persons who resisted grabbing of lands enjoyed by them for generations. Basudeva Acharya demanded that all the cases of land grab in Dharmasthala also be entrusted to CBI.  
 
CPI(M) Central Committee Member and leader of AIDWA, Vasuki, said that it is strange that in the land of the great social reformer Basavanna who propagated "kalabeda, kolabeda, husia nudialubeda" (don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t tell lies)  all these vices are being perpetrated in a place called the "seat of dharma"! She said that in order to ensure un-hindered investigation, it should be done under the aegis of the Supreme Court.  She said that the police officers responsible for distorting the process of investigation should be punished.  It is strange that political parties like Congress, BJP and JDS are keeping mum on this serious issue, she pointed out.  
 
Addressing the gathering, G.V.Srirama Reddy, State Secretary of CPI(M), called upon the Chief Minister to clarify the Government's stand in the context of the Minister Vinaya Kumar Sorake openly supporting the killers of Soujanya.  He declared that the struggles will continue till the demands of the people are conceded by the Government.  
 
S.Shankarappa, eminent lawyer of Karnataka also addressed the gathering and pointed out the legal contradictions in the reports submitted by COD and CID.
 
The meeting was presided over by CPI(M) district secretary B.Madhava and participated among others, by  State Secretariat Members K.R.Sriyan and K.Shankar, State Committee Members J.Balakrishna Shetty, Vasantha Achary and Udupi Balakrishna Shetty and District Secretariat Members Yadava Shetty, U.B.Lokayya, B.M.Bhat, Krishnappa Salian, Sunil Kumar Bajal and writer  Athrady Amritha Shetty. The parents of Soujanya, Chandappa Gowda and Kusumavathi  were also present on the dias.
 
At the outset, B.M.Bhat and Vasanth Achary, leaders of the two Jathas spoke and narrated their experiences of the jathas.

CPIM Kerala State Pleenum


 
CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said that CPI(M) and the Left alone can conduct a credible struggle against the Neo Liberal policies of Congress and the communal polarisation agenda of the BJP. While inaugurating the three day state plenum of CPI (M) Kerala state committee on 27th November at Palakkad, he said that people are fed up with the policies of Congress led UPA government which caused unprecedented price rise and inflation. The Congress has lost the confidence to challenge the threat posed by the BJP.  
 
“We have seen massive high level corruption in public space and government. The outbreak of such corruption is not accidental but an inevitable outcome of Neo liberal regime. The reign of UPA for the last nine and a half years is associated with high price rise, growing unemployment, massive corruption. People are looking for an alternate to the bankrupt policies of Congress” he said.  
 
In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is projecting itself  as the alternative. The class nature of BJP is no different from that of the Congress. In every area of economic policy BJP supports Congress, including in the reforms in banking sector. BJP helped and supported the UPA government to privatise pension funds. The BJP did not oppose the UPA government decision to double the price of gas favouring Reliance.
 
The  BJP led by Narendra Modi was getting unprecedented support from big corporates and business houses as it had given clear signals that it would serve their interests better than the Congress-led UPA if voted to power. This signals that the BJP would be a better servitor of the corporate than Congress.  
 
Another danger posed by the Modi-led BJP was that it stood for implementing communal agenda. We have seen for the last one year all over the country a systematic communal polarisation for the electoral gain for BJP and Narendra Modi, he said.
 
 Prior to the inauguration, Opposition leader and central committee member V S  Achuthanandan hoisted the red flag in EMS Nagar. Politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who presided over the inaugural session presented the martyr resolution and condolence resolution. State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan presented the organisational report.
 
After the inaugural ceremony the organisational report was presented by Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the party plenum. It insists on Communist value systems for all party members by following the Marxian ideology of dialectical materialism.

The report bars the party members from working in religious and caste organisations. “They should not become the office-bearers of religious institutions and worship places,” it says. 

Briefing presspersons on the report presented in the plenum here on Wednesday, party Polit Bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the party members holding positions in religious and caste organisations should quit them if they wanted to continue in the party. The members should fight against superstitions and other unscientific customs and practices, he said.

The report aims at a qualitative change in the membership of the party in the State. “Party leaders and members are now convinced that the era of factionalism has ended in the party. Now, everyone has to follow the party decisions and implement them. All those who left the party in the name of factionalism and difference of opinion will have to be brought back if they have not already become the enemies of the party,” Mr. Balakrishnan said.

He said the organisational report chalked out a plan of action to bring more members of minorities into the party fold. The party would take up issues affecting the religious minorities. Despite Malappuram district having four Ministers in the State government, the district continued to be very backward. 

The party, Mr. Balakrishnan said, would strive to bring more members from the fishermen community, the Scheduled Castes, and the Scheduled Tribes into the party.

The report said the party members should follow the high standards of Communist values and become examples for society. They should also have high moral values. The report said a small section of party members were found to be in the habit of drinking. They should stop if they wanted to continue as members as drinking had become a major social disease in the State. He said the party leaders and members should not maintain any links with people in the real estate business, the blade mafia, and other types of business that bring a bad reputation to the party and its members. The party members should give details of their assets to the party every year.
 

Monday, November 25, 2013

CPI (M) wants Cyclone Phailin to be declared national calamity


Activists of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) staged a demonstration in the Bubaneswar on Saturday 24th November demanding that the Central government should declare devastation caused by cyclone Phailin and consequent floods as national calamity. 

Thousands of people who took part in the demonstration demanded that those affected by the twin-calamities be paid compensation for the losses they had suffered and necessary support be extended to the victims for restoration of their livelihoods.The demonstrators who came from different parts of the State further demanded that an all-party committee be formed to oversee the restoration works in the areas affected by the cyclone and floods.

Claiming that the twin-calamities had caused losses amounting to over Rs. 20,000 crore, the CPI(M) as well as the leaders who addressed the gathering demanded that the Centre should release a sum of Rs. 5,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund without delay.

The party leaders further demanded that the farmers whose crop had been damaged in the cyclone and flood be compensated adequately, and all the affected families be provided essential commodities, and employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for 200 days.

The leaders further demanded that the Chief Minister should lead an all-party delegation to New Delhi to appraise the Centre about the need for additional Central assistance to help the affected population. 

Among others who addressed the rally include CPI(M) State Committee secretary Janardan Pati, and senior leaders Ali Kishore Patnaik, Jagannath Mishra, Santosh Das, Bishnu Mohanty, Dushmanta Das, Sishir Hui and Suresh Panigrahi. 

It was announced at the end of the rally that a delegation of the party leaders would go to New Delhi on December 5 to urge the Centre to declare the disaster as national calamity and release Rs. 5,000 crore for restoration work in the affected areas.
(Source : The Hindu)

Sudden Demise of Comrade Shyamali Gupta

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses its deep grief at the passing away of Shyamali Gupta, member of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the All India Democratic Women’s Association till recently.  Shyamali Gupta  fell ill at the AIDWA All India Conference held in Bodh Gaya and died after she returned to Kolkata.  She was 68 years old.
 
Shyamali Gupta joined the Communist Party in 1963 after being active in the student movement.  She played an important role in the Bengal Provincial Students Federation.
 
After a stint as a college teacher, Shyamali Gupta began work in the women’s movement in the 1970s.  She became the key organizer of the Ganatantrik Mahila Samiti. She was elected as its General Secretary in 1983 and served in that capacity till 1996. 
 
Shyamali Gupta became the All India General Secretary of the AIDWA in 1990 and played a major role in the development of the women’s movement at the national level.  She  was elected as the President of the AIDWA in 2010, a post she held till the eve of her death. 
 
Shyamali Gupta was a dedicated Communist leader.  She became a member of the West Bengal State Committee in 1985 and was a member of the State Secretariat from 2010. She was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI(M) in 2002. 
 
As a women Communist leader, Shyamali Gupta made a valuable contribution to the development of the democratic women’s movement.  She served the Communist Party with devotion and sincerity for five decades.  Her death is a big loss for the Party and the women’s movement.
 
The Polit Bureau conveys its heartfelt condolences to her son and other family members. 

Friday, November 22, 2013

AIDWA 10th National Conference



 
AIDWA's 10th National Conference being held in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, from 22nd to 25th November, 2013 got off to a rousing start with flag hoisting by AIDWA's national president Shyamali Gupta and homage to martyrs who sacrificed their lives for women's  emancipation and social justice. Com. Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, chairperson of the reception committee and veteran left leader, welcomed around the 850 delegates from all over the country gathered here to attend the conference. Com Manik Sarkar chief minister of Tripura, who was to deliver the inaugural address, could not make it to the conference due to his illness. He conveyed his message and greetings through his representative, Shri Jitendra Choudhary, Minister of Industries, Government of Tripura, who expressed concern over the anti-people and pro-rich disastrous economic policies of the present Congress regime.  The industry minister in his address on behalf of chief minister of Tripura, while focusing upon the developmental indices in the state which are way above the national average, highlighted the achievements of the Left Front government in Tripura in the field of total literacy, health policies, ICDS enrolment, position of women, self help groups, decentralisation of administration, and strengthening of the democratic rights of the all sections of society. Tripura stands first in the country with 94.64% literates, 98% enrolment of children in Anganwadi centres and highest electoral participation of 94% in the last assembly elections with women electorate surpassing the male voters by 2%.

The inaugural session featured a special session titled "Women against Violence: Fighting for Justice, Resisting Violence, Claiming Rights" wherein women from across the country who have been bravely fighting the battle against violence, discrimination and social injustice in various forms which includes domestic and political violence, sexual assault, fight for land rights, fight against caste and communal discrimination and against terrorism.

The women who spoke included representative of the Vachathi tribal mass rape survivor from Tamil Nadu, Prandhayi, who stood up against her sexual assault by forest and police officials for 19 long years and finally succeeded in getting justice. Sarita (name changed), a dalit student from Hissar district in Haryana, who was gangraped by upper class people of village Dabra and whose father unable to bear the shame and humiliation committed suicide, braved all odds in her struggle to get the accused convicted. Manwara bibi from Bardhaman disrict of West Bengal foiled the attempt of the Trinamool goons to seize the Panchayat elections by successfully contesting the elections in spite of the brutal killing of her husband and winning 83% of the votes. Bihar's Sushila Devi has been fighting a fierce struggle since 1992 for getting 8 acres of common village land out of the clutches of the landlord and former a IAS officer. Under her leadership, women have fought against police atrocities in which Sushila herself sustained physical injuries and more than 8 cases are still pending against her. Shamima Kausar, mother, and Musarrat, sister of Ishrat jahan who was killed in a fake encounter by Gujarat police in 2004, have fought a prolonged legal battle to clear her daughter's name from the stigma of being branded a 'terrorist' and to ensure justice for Ishrat through punishment for her killers. The struggle and determination of Arunima Sinha to assert her identity as a national volleyball player from UP and her fight against the demeaning attitude of the state towards her achievements and dignity inspired the gathering as she shared her story of scaling the highest peak with an amputated leg, becoming the first woman in the world to achieve this historic feat.

Ex-MP and AIDWA Patron Brinda Karat in her speech stressed that violence is the most important issue which has to be also seen in its various dimensions. She put forth demands, including a code of conduct for elected MPs and MLAs who should be named and shamed whenever they use objectionable language against women. She also reaffirmed the resolve to fight political violence, caste and class inequalities and the need to fight capitalist structures which force women into situations that make them more and more vulnerable. She ended by recalling the historic speech made by revolutionary communist leader Dolores Ibarruri at the Battle of Madrid where she challenged the forces of fascism by the raising the slogan of "No Pasaran" which means "they shall not pass".

Representatives of various national women's organisations, including Leila Passah of the YWCA and Vimal Thorat of AIDMAM, extended their greetings to AIDWA. The session concluded with Sudha Sundararaman, general secretary, placing the resolution on communalism.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Non-Congress, non-BJP parties will fare well in general election: Prakash Karat


Political parties other than the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will do well in the 2014 general elections as they have substantial support among the voters, Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said here on Monday.
Those who thought that the Congress and BJP were the only two forces and alternatives to one another were wrong as the two parties could not secure even 50 per cent of the votes in the last two general elections.

After the 2014 elections, there was the possibility of the “non-Congress, non-BJP” parties stitching together an alternative combination, though there may be a few pre-poll alliances at the regional level.

In these circumstances, the CPI(M)’s efforts would be to put forward alternative economic and political policies and work with all those parties to strengthen their electoral prospects, as the CPI(M) was confident that the “non-Congress, non-BJP parties” would fare well and be able to put together an effective alternative combination.
Mr. Karat was addressing a meeting got up as part of the centenary celebrations of former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.

The voters would reject the corrupt Congress and communal BJP and vote for secular democratic forces, some of which were successfully running governments in various States. And when the parties form the next government at the Centre, the Left would push for policies that were followed by Jyoti Basu during his continuous rule for seven terms in West Bengal.

Jyoti Basu was a clean politician who provided a corruption-free administration to the people of West Bengal, said State general secretary of the party G. Ramakrishnan. The party’s Member of Parliament from Coimbatore, P.R. Natarajan also spoke.

In a resolution passed at a meeting earlier in the day, the CPI(M) urged the Central Government to stop proceeding with the recommendations of the K. Kasturirangan Committee on protecting the Western Ghats. Aside from deleting the contentious recommendations, the Government should consider the suggestions and demands of the tribal people and labourers and then redraft the recommendations.

It said that the Government, in deciding to declare 37 per cent of the Western Ghats as protected area, had not correctly reviewed the people's suggestions.There was fear that development activities would be hampered. The Tamil Nadu Government had also opposed the implementation of the recommendations.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Contribution by Communist Party of India (Marxist) at the 15th IMCWP, Lisbon


Intervention of Sitaram Yechury
Member Polit Bureau
Head, International Department Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Presented by R. Arun Kumar
Member, International Department

Dear Comrades,
At the very outset allow me to thank the Portuguese Communist Party for hosting the 15th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers' Parties, and making such splendid arrangements. I also use this occasion to offer my humble homage and salute the memory of Comrade Alvaro Cunhal, legendary leader, not only of the PCP, but also of the international communist movement, on his birth centenary. 

Global capitalist crisis, that is plaguing the world, has not abated. The recently published IMF, World Economic Outlook Report, October 2013, states: “Global growth is still weak, its underlying dynamics are changing, and the risks to the forecast remain to the downside...old problems – a fragmented financial system in the euro area and worrisomely high public debt in all major advanced economies – remain unresolved and could trigger new crises...the global economy could grow by only slightly more than 3 percent a year over the medium term, instead of reaccelerating to over 4 percent...”It further states: “Industrial production recovered modestly in the advanced economies but is still slowing in the emerging market and developing economies. Together with the MENA region, the euro area is seeing another increase in an already high unemployment rate”.

The crisis has once again resoundingly demonstrated capitalism’s inherent oppressive and exploitative character. It is imposing greater miseries on the vast majority of the world’s population. This crisis is also increasingly demonstrating that imperialism, notwithstanding all ideological efforts to obfuscate its existence and role, is leading global capitalism in this offensive against humanity.

The internal dynamics of capitalism, as Marx has shown, leads to the accumulation and concentration of capital in a few hands. It is on the basis of a scientific analysis of the development of this tendency that Lenin identified the emergence and growth of imperialism from the stage of monopoly capitalism. The Leninist analysis of the politics of imperialism – the highest stage of capitalism – laid the foundations for correct revolutionary strategy and tactics for intensifying class struggles leading, for the first time in human history, to the triumph of the proletarian revolution – the great October Socialist Revolution of 1917.

Lenin, with penetrative clarity, anticipates that in the imperialist stage, with the rise of finance capital, ‘The “business operations” of capitalist monopolies inevitably lead to the domination of a financial oligarchy’. He defines imperialism with the domination of finance capital as the highest stage of capitalism where the supremacy of finance capital over all other forms of capital is established. Furthering the analysis of the feature of ‘export of capital’, Lenin anticipates the future saying, ‘Thus finance capital, literally, one might say, spreads its net over all countries of the world’. Further, ‘The characteristic feature of imperialism is not industrial but finance capital.’ Lenin, thus, anticipates not only the dominance and leadership of finance capital in the stage of imperialism, but he also shows that this process will lead to the enmeshing of all forms of capital under its leadership in the pursuit of profit maximisation.

This current phase of globalisation, within the stage of imperialism, led to gigantic levels of concentration and centralisation of capital and, hence, accumulation led byinternational finance capital during the last two decades. This led to a reordering of the world where this capital seeks unhindered access across the globe in its quest for profit maximisation. This, in itself, imposes conditions for the removal of all restrictions on the flow of this capital, the essence of financial liberalisation. The accompanying neo-liberal offensive of economic reforms, seriously threatens and undermines the economic and, hence, the political sovereignty of the nation-states, particularly in the developing countries. Trade libealisation displaces domestic producers engendering domestic de-industrialization, particularly in developing countries. This also happens in the developed countries due to relocation of production and business operations outside their countries. So also liberalisation of capital flows allows multinational corporations to acquire domestic productive assets abroad (like our public sector), vastly enlarging capital accumulation.

This preponderant domination of international finance capital, however, does not suggest the cessation of inter-imperialist contradictions. These not merely exist but are bound to intensify in the future, given the basic capitalist law of uneven development. This leads to conflicts of interests between capitalist centres given their relative future strengths often reflected, today, in the conflict of interests over control of world’s resources or in seeking a eordering of the world – a new re-division for creating specific spheres of influence.

Other ways of consolidating capital accumulation are through the imposition of deflationary policies like restrictions on government expenditures in the name of fiscal discipline (making availablelarger quantum of liquidity to IFC to multiply speculaive profits) which leads to the lowering of the level of aggregate demand in the world economy; a shift in the terms of trade against the peasantry in the developing countries; a rolling back of the State sector in providing social services globally, more pronounced in the developing countries, which increasingly become privatised and the opening up of huge new areas of public utilities for profit maximisation. Agriculture is increasingly being opened up to multinational seed and marketing companies leading to the virtual destruction of self-reliant agriculture in the developing countries, throwing the peasantry into acute distress. The removal of trade tariffs and imposition of Free Trade Agreements is leading to de-industrialisation in many developing countries. In direct contrast to the freedom of movement for capital, the strict domestic immigration laws in developed countries leads to intensified exploitation and oppression while maximising profits. Common public resources like forests, mines, water, etc., are increasingly being taken over as private property. Thus, a new feature of contemporary imperialism is the coercive prising open of new and hitherto non-existent avenues for profit maximisation.

Under contemporary imperialism, the role of the State changes in accordance with its current needs to advance the interests of IFC and it often acts at its dictates. The State’s abdication of social responsibilities and obligations towards the people, therefore, does not mean its withdrawal from economic activities. Its role changes to brazenly advance the interests of IFC. In the process, not only does it relinquish its social responsibilities but also undermines democratic institutions, subverts people’s sovereignty over the law making processes and increasingly adopts an authoritarian character.In the absence of a powerful political alternative, capitalism will emerge from this crisis but at the expense of further intensifying exploitation and through the process of intensifying primitive accumulation. This manifests in the current imperialist aggressiveness in all spheres.

Following the shift in favour of imperialism in the international correlation of class forces, USA has embarked to consolidate its global hegemony. This new world order is designed to operate in all spheres. This, on the one hand, led to unleashing unilateral wars and on the other, it led to the strengthening of the US military machine. At the same time, the NATO, whose need for existence should have simply disappeared with the end of the Cold War, was further strengthened as imperialism’s global war machine.

In pursuit of its hegemonic designs, the US imperialism is now concentrating on Asian continent because it is host to two of the largest populated countries in the world – China and India – which means they constitute the largest market. The imperialist powers, need this region more than anything else today to come out of the deep economic crisis they find themselves in. And to their strategic concentration in this region is another vital class reason – socialist China, which imperialism considers is developing into a formidable foe and a threat to its hegemony.

All these reasons translated into prioritising Asia-Pacific as a region that deserves the attention of the US, both economically and militarily. The US, over the years had been developing its strategic plans to increase its presence and ensure its hegemony over the entire Asia-Pacific region. Outlining these priorities, US President Barack Obama during his visit to Australia, stated “After a decade in which we fought two wars that cost us dearly, in blood and treasure, the United States is turning our attention to the vast potential of the Asia Pacific region...As the world’s fastest- growing region – and home to more than half the global economy – the Asia Pacific is critical to achieving my highest priority...With most of the world’s nuclear power and some half of humanity, Asia will largely define whether the century ahead will be marked by conflict or cooperation, needless suffering or human progress...I have, therefore, made a deliberate and strategic decision – as a Pacific nation, the United States will play a larger and long-term role in shaping this region and its future...As we plan and budget for the future, we will allocate the resources necessary to maintain our strong military presence in this region...Our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in the region...” 

Accordingly, the US decided to reposition its Navy so that 60 per cent of its warships would be assigned to the Asia- Pacific region by 2020.

The increasing economic integration of South and East Asia has strengthened the strategic significance of the Indian and Pacific Oceans as a continuous throughway for global commerce and energy. The US intends to develop its strategic ties with India in this background. This explains some of the vital reasons for the Indo-US nuclear deal, several defence tie-ups and other accords on various other sectors like agriculture, education, etc. Moreover, to establish its global hegemony, USA needs the containment of China and for this it sees India as a potential ally. Asia-Pacific region has also become strategically important because approximately 90 percent of globally traded merchandise travels by these seas. As much as 50percent of the world’s container traffic and 70 percent of global energy trade now transits the Indian Ocean.

In order to improve its economic hold the US now intends to create the worlds’ biggest free trade zone in this region. Considering itself as a leader of all the countries surrounding the Pacific rim and Indian ocean it wants to seal strategic partnership with most of them. This is needed, to break the economic relations of China with these countries and prise open the markets of these countries for US goods and services. Accordingly the US is moving towards the goal of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to create the world’s largest and most demanding free-trade area in ways that deepen the economic integration of the US and its Asia-Pacific allies. This TPP zone, if created, will include countries from Chile in Latin America to Australia, Japan and all other countries in the Pacific Ocean. The US wants India too to be part of the TPP.

As a group, the TPP countries are the largest goods and services export market of the United States. US goods exports to the broader Asia-Pacific totalled $942 billion in 2012, representing 61 percent of total U.S. goods exports. US exports of agricultural products to the region totalled $106 billion in 2012, 75 percent of total US agricultural exports. US private services exports totalled $226 billion in 2011 (latest data available), 38 percent of total US private services exports to the world. The US is also promoting the re-militarisation of Japan in the region as a counterweight to China. To achieve its strategic opportunities, it is pulling India into its vortex and scheme of things as can be discerned through the joint naval exercises conducted in the Bay of Bengal by both the countries along with Australia, Japan, Philippines. The rising bourgeoisie of the advanced capitalist countries, in order to consolidate their class rule, had earlier championed national sovereignty as being sacrosanct.

Today, imperialism, is using FTAs and also its military might to subvert and negate national sovereignty of independent countries.

The ‘Global War Against Terror’ launched under the leadership of US imperialism is being used as the justification for brazen military intervention, and for trampling national sovereignty to impose a ‘regime change’ to suit its interests. Like the ‘war against Communism’ was used as the pretext during the Cold War to justify imperialist military intervention, the ‘war against terror’ is being used today to violate the national sovereignty of independent countries and the basic human rights of its people.

State terrorism practised by imperialism and individual terrorism unleashed by fundamentalist outfits feed on each other. The fight against both these dangers, is necessary to build the unity of the working class and other toiling sections of the society and also to counter the growing threat of right-wing fundamentalist forces. We should remember that the devastation caused by the great depression of the 1930s was met in different ways by different capitalist countries. One of these ways laid the basis for the rise of fascism. Georgi Dimitrov, in his speech at the Communist International in 1935, underlined, “Fascism adapts its demagogy to the peculiarities of each country. And the mass of petty bourgeois and even a section of the workers, reduced to despair by want, unemployment and insecurity of their existence fall victim to the social and chauvinist demagogy of fascism.” Further, he explained how“it is in the interests of the most reactionary circles of the bourgeoisie that fascism intercepts the disappointed masses who desert the old bourgeois parties. But it impresses these masses by the vehemence of its attacks on the bourgeois governments and its irreconcilable attitude to the old bourgeois parties”.

Hence, how this economic crisis will be tackled and how the world comes out of it will determine the nature of social conflicts that arise as various sections of the people scramble for their share of the shrinking cake. The absence of a powerful communist-led counter attack, engenders the danger of the rise of reactionary forces.

It is hence the responsibility of the Communists and the progressive sections of the society not only to fight back the tendencies that lead to the growth of right-wing politics and neo-fascist forces, but also properly channelise the popular discontent.
This is one of the important steps that needs to be undertaken in the present juncture to strengthen the 'subjective factor' that Lenin had talked about and utilise the developing objective conditions to usher in a social transformation – a political alternative to capitalism – socialism.
Long Live Marxism-Leninism
Long Live the Unity of Communist and Workers' Parties
Thank You

15th INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF COMMUNIST AND WORKERS’ PARTIES


The 15th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties was held in Lisbon, on November 8-10, under the motto “The deepening of the crisis of capitalism, the role of the working class and the communists’ tasks in the struggle for the workers and peoples’ rights. Imperialism’s offensive, the realignment of forces at the international level, the national question, class emancipation and the struggle for socialism”.

In the Meeting, 75 parties, from 63 countries participated and greetings were received from an additional 14 parties which, for various reasons, were not able to participate. The Meeting analysed, among other main aspects, the development of the international situation in the context of the deepening of the structural crisis of capitalism and of a complex process of realignment of forces at the international level, alerting to the great dangers deriving from imperialism’s offensive.

At the same time, the participants saluted and valued the resistance and struggle of the workers and peoples, reaffirming the real potential that the current situation holds for the development of the liberating struggle, for profound changes in the anti-monopolist and anti-imperialist direction, for Socialism.

The Meeting noted the deepening of the crisis that exploded in 2008 with the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. A crisis that is far from over, belying the ruling class discourse on an alleged “recovery” and confirming the analyses of the communists about its nature and evolution which, among other aspects, confirms it as a crisis of over-production and over-accumulation of capital. A crisis that expresses the sharpening of capitalism’s contradictions – in particular its fundamental contradiction between the social character of production and its private appropriation – highlighting the historical limits of the system and the timeliness of the struggle for the fundamental alternative to capitalism – Socialism.

It denounced the aim of big capital, of the major imperialist powers and their international and supranational structures of imperialist concertation – such as the European Union – to impose on the workers and peoples a social regression of a civilizational dimension assaulting economic, labour and social rights, violently attacking the living conditions of the working and popular masses and declaring war on the sovereignty and independence of States.




It referenced in particular the harsh reality of the peoples and the impact of the crisis and of the capitalist offensive on developing countries, where the peoples find their right to economic and social development even more curtailed. In this framework, attention was drawn to the impact of capitalism’s crisis on agriculture and food, jeopardising still more the food sovereignty of numerous countries and dooming great masses of the world population to starvation and malnutrition.

It highlighted the dangers that arise from the intensification of the militarist, warmongering and interference policy of the major imperialist powers and NATO. It stressed that the wars of aggression, the processes of interference and instigation of internal conflicts, the strengthening of repressive, authoritarian, control and espionage measures are part of the force-based response by big capital to capitalism’s crisis, having as its central aims to maintain the control of the resources and sources of energy and contain the revolt, the struggle of the peoples and the inevitable social and revolutionary explosions that the current situation entails.

Participants expressed their solidarity with the ongoing struggles in all continents against the aggressive imperialist offensive, for social progress, independence and sovereignty, peace, the right to social and economic development, for the construction of alternatives of sovereignty and progress to imperialism’s hegemonic domination, the real fundamental alternative to capitalist barbarity - socialism. It reaffirmed the central role of the working class and its alliance with other anti-monopolist strata in defence of their rights, namely the right to employment, for labour and social rights, in defence of the social functions of States.

Participants valued and expressed their solidarity with all the peoples who resist imperialism’s policies of interference and aggression – especially to the peoples of the Middle East, saluting the ongoing struggles in that region against all forms of aggression and oppression, for sovereignty, democracy, social justice and national unity, as in Egypt and Tunisia. It reaffirmed its solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for national rights, as well as with other peoples in the region who are victims of aggressions and interferences, such as the Syrian people.

In a framework of continuing resistance and gathering of forces, but where the potential for the development of a revolutionary struggle grows, important factors emerge in various regions of the world to contain imperialism’s hegemonic domination. Participants saluted and valued the struggle of the peoples, of the communists and other progressive forces in Latin America, considering that the processes of struggle, progressive and of sovereign affirmation in this region, as well as the cooperation based on solidarity that is emerging in the region, constitute an important factor and stimulus for the development and strengthening of the anti-imperialist struggle. The participants reasserted their solidarity with Cuba and its socialist revolution, as well as with the Venezuelan people and their Bolivarian revolution, among others.

It stressed the importance of the struggle in defence of democratic freedoms, against the advance of the far right, against xenophobia and racism, against religious fanaticism and obscurantism, against anti-communism. It reaffirmed solidarity with other communist parties and all revolutionary forces that are the target of political persecution and anti-communist campaigns – namely in the European continent, which is carried out by several governments as well as by institutions like the European Union.
Concrete experiences of struggle in different countries and regions were present in most interventions, confirming that the workers and peoples do not conform and that, even in the current difficult conditions, liberating advances and achievements of an anti-monopolist and anti-capitalist nature are possible.

It was affirmed that socialism increasingly emerges as the real fundamental alternative to capitalism and its crisis. Drawing lessons from the delays, mistakes and distortions that countered basic principles of socialism, but valuing as highly positive the experiences of building socialism and what they meant and mean for Humanity, highlighting the achievements of the new social system, recognising that there are no models of revolution, the participants stressed the determining role of the masses in the construction and management of socialist societies.

It was stressed that the current international situation makes it particularly necessary to strengthen the cooperation among all progressive and anti-imperialist forces and, firstly, among communist and workers’ parties from all over the world, one of the most solid guarantees for the strengthening of the peoples’ struggle and the construction of the alternative of socialism. In this sense, the rich experience and advances made with the International Meetings of Communist and Workers’ Parties was highlighted, as a space for exchange of information, experiences and opinions, of possible convergence of positions and decisions on common and converging initiatives, reaffirming the importance of ensuring their continuity.

The Meeting adopted various lines and initiatives of common or converging action by Communist and Workers’ Parties to be materialised until the 16th IMCWP (which can be found at the end of this press release), having mandated the Working Group to stimulate and monitor their implementation and materialisation.

The International Meeting welcomed the existence of three proposals for the venue of the 16th Meeting. Its date, place and motto will be decided during the meeting of the Working Group of the International Meetings of Communist and Workers’ Parties to be held in due time.

15 IMCWP, List of participants

  • PADS (Algeria)
  • Communist Party of Argentina
  • Communist Party of Azarbeijan
  • Communist Party of Australia
  • Democratic Progressive Tribune (Bahrain)
  • Workers' Party (Belgium)
  • Communist Party of Belarus
  • Communist Party of Brazil
  • Brasilian Communist Party
  • Communist Party of Britain
  • Communist Party of Bulgaria
  • Communist Party of Canada
  • Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
  • Communist Party of Chile
  • Communist Party of China
  • AKEL (Cyprus)
  • Workers' Party of Korea
  • Communist Party of Cuba
  • Communist Party of Denmark
  • Communist Party in Denmark
  • Egyptian Communist Party
  • Communist Party of Equador
  • Communist Party of Finland
  • French Communist Party
  • Unified Communist Party of Georgia
  • German Communist Party
  • Communist Party of Greece
  • Peoples' Progressive Party of Guiana
  • New Communist Party of the Netherlands
  • Hungarian Workers' Party
  • Communis Party of India
  • Tudeh Party of Iran
  • Iraqi Communist Party
  • Communis Party of Ireland
  • Workers' Party of Ireland
  • Communist Party of Israel
  • Party of the Italian Communists
  • Lao People's Revolutionary Party
  • Socialist Party of Latvia
  • Lebanese Communist Party
  • Communist Party of Luxembourg
  • Communist Party of Malta
  • Communist Party of Mexico
  • Party of the Communists Moldova
  • Communist Party of Norway
  • Palestinian Peoples Party
  • Palestinian Communist Party
  • Peoples Party of Panama
  • Communist Party of Pakistan
  • Peruvian Communist Party
  • Communist Party of Poland
  • Portuguese Communist Party
  • Socialist Alliance Party, Romania
  • Communist Party of the Russian Federation
  • Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  • Russian Communist Workers Party
  • CPSU - Union of Communist Parties (Russia)
  • New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
  • South Arican Communist Party
  • Communist Party of Spain
  • Party of the Communists of Catalonia
  • Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain
  • Syrian Communist Party
  • Communist Party of Sri Lanka
  • Sudanese Communist Party
  • Communist Party of Tajikistan
  • Labour Party (Turkey)
  • Communist Party of Turkey
  • Communist Party of the USA