Tuesday, October 8, 2013

CPIM Press Communiqué

 
Press Communiqué
 
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on October 6, 2013. It has issued the following statement:
 
Railway Fare Hike
 
The Polit Bureau strongly opposed the 2 per cent hike in rail fares in express and mail trains for all categories of passengers. The freight tariff has also been increased by 1.7 per cent. This hike is consequent to the decision to periodically hike the rail and freight fares. The Polit Bureau demands the rescinding of the fare hike and an end to the system of periodically increasing the passenger and freight fares based on the fuel prices.
 
Privatisation of Airports
 
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) condemned the decision of the government to hand over the running of the two metro airports of Chennai and Kolkata owned by the Airports Authority of India to private parties. Along with this 12 other airports are to be similarly outsourced to private companies.
 
In both Kolkata and Chennai it is the Airport Authority of India which built the new terminals and these public funded airports are now to be handed over to private companies. Apart from handing over public assets, the future of the employees of the Airport Authority of India will be jeopardised.
 
The central government should immediately scrap this privatization plan.
 
 
Allocation of Resources to States
 
The allocation of resources and funds to the states has always been a contentious issue. The CPI(M) has been demanding that fifty per cent of the central taxes and revenues should be allocated to the states.
 
The Raghuram Rajan Committee report on indexing backwardness of the states has been submitted to the government. The recommendations of this report should not be implemented without first consulting the state governments.
 
The Finance Commission is the constitutionally set up body for devolution of resources to the states. The question of equitable allocation of resources to the states and also taking into account the backwardness of states should be decided only after consultations with the states.
 
PM’s Washington Visit
 
A joint declaration on defence cooperation has been issued after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s talks with President Obama in Washington. Steps for deepening defence cooperation include buying more US weapons and joint production. This will open the way for American arms companies to set up joint ventures in India. The clear intention is to make India a close ally of the US.
 
The CPI(M) is against India being drawn into such a close military collaboration with the US. It will adversely affect our national sovereignty, carrying out an independent foreign policy and our strategic autonomy.
 
West Bengal Attacks
 
Attacks on the CPI(M) and Left Front cadres and activists are continuing in West Bengal. The Trinamul Congress under the aegis of the state government is responsible for this violence against the opposition. After the results of the panchayat elections, six cadres and members of the CPI(M) have been killed, the latest being the brutal murder of a member of the zonal committee of the party in Bardaman district.
 
The Polit Bureau demanded that such attacks should be stopped forthwith and the state government must take steps to end this violence against the opposition. The Polit Bureau appealed to all democratic forces in the country to protest against this violence and attacks on democracy.
 
Muzaffarnagar Riots
 
The Polit Bureau expressed its deep concern at the major outbreak of communal violence in Muzaffarnagar on September 7-8. Forty five people were killed, hundreds injured and some women were raped. Around forty thousand people had to take shelter in camps.
 
This communal violence has come in the background of the systematic efforts to raise communal tensions and provoke violence by the RSS outfits. The Uttar Pradesh administration was not vigilant and did not intervene promptly to prevent the situation from developing into such a conflict.
 
In this connection, the Polit Bureau wants the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill to be taken up expeditiously and adopted.
 
Convention for People’s Unity And Against Communalism
 
The Polit Bureau extended its full support to the holding of a convention on October 30 which is meant to mobilize the people to maintain people’s unity and to combat the communal forces.

CPIM Representation to the Prime Minister regarding Bengal Financial Frauds


Representation to the Prime Minister of India concerning
Financial Fraud by certain Financial Companies/Chit Funds
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India
New Delhi
Hon’ble Prime Minister,
Kindly refer to our letter of May 9, 2013 regarding the alarming financial irregularities of Saradha Group, the reply letter of June 2, 2013 of Union Minister of State for Finance  (Expenditure and Financial Services), and our subsequent letter on July 15, 2013 pointing out inadequacy of action on the part of Central Government  against this financial scam.
This inadequacy has now resulted in a situation where despite the massive fraud by this Saradha Group, with closing down of all its offices and default on repayment of at least 17 lakh depositors, no action has yet been taken on the part of the SEBI and the Government of West Bengal to attach the properties of this Saradha Group and for arranging in a  legally appropriate manner disposal of these  properties for repayment of dues to the depositors. Instead, without having any Constitutional and legal basis and in deviation from the Order of the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court (July 26, 2013 page 70), the State Government has just allotted and also released a sum of Rs. 50 crore from the State budgetary resource as grant to the Inquiry Commission recently, set up by the State government itself, for starting payment to a section of depositors (Memo issued by the Home Department, September 23, 2013).  Providing such grant for compensation instead of disposal of assets of the Saradha Group is again violation in terms of reference (No. 8) of the Inquiry Commission itself (Gazette Notification April 24, 2013). 
Under these circumstances, we urge upon you to intervene in this matter so that payment to all depositors is made with adequate promptness, by attaching the properties of Saradha Group in accordance with law and as also directed by the SEBI (April 23, 2013) and not by giving grant through the Commission which is not legal, as mentioned above.  This process should start immediately with focus on attachment and disposal of properties, along with punishment for the offending Group.
For completing the entire process, a comprehensive list of properties, including the `banami’ properties, would be essential.  Since this Saradha Group reportedly has properties in several states as well as abroad and since states like Tripura, Odisha and Assam affected by the activities of this Group, have already decided to involve CBI, the government of India should immediately move the Hon’ble Supreme Court, by joining a litigation already being heard in the Apex Court in this matter, in favour of intervention of CBI for investigation under the order as well as supervision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.  It would be appropriate to forge coordination between the efforts of CBI with those of SFIO and ED and also the State agencies, when required.
Of late, there have been reported allegations by one Trinamul Congress (AITC) Member of Parliament  against another AITC MP for having irregular financial relation with this Saradha Group.  These are all the more reasons for immediate induction of CBI for inquiry with overall supervision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court for reasons of neutrality.
Similar action should be initiated by the Government of India regarding other financial groups/chit funds where frauds have been detected by SEBI or SFIO, with punishment for the offending companies and beginning the process of attachment of properties and disposal in a lawful manner for compensation of the depositors. 
Along with the campaign at all levels against the activities of these irregular companies, it is also important for Government of India to bring back the attractiveness of small saving schemes and to  take more expeditious steps for spreading banking network in West Bengal and in several other states.
(Surjyokanta Mishra)                                (Sitaram Yechury)
Leader of Opposition                                   Leader, CPI(M) Group
West Bengal Assembly                                 Rajya Sabha
Copy to : Sachin Pilot, Minister of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi