People's Democracy

THE Bengal state unit of the CPI (M) shall build up a statewide campaign-movement throughout the month of September against the anti-people, anti-national, and pro-imperialist policies of the BJP-led union government. Demonstrations will be held as part of this programme before all offices of the union government in the state on September 26.

The state unit shall also publish six booklets not only to expose the true nature of the BJP rule but also to make the people aware of the importance of making the anti-BJP government movement a resounding success.

This was the principle decision arrived at the meeting of the Bengal state committee of the CPI (M) held for two days on August 20 and 21 at the Muzaffar Ahmad Bhavan in Kolkata. The press briefing in this regard was organised late in the afternoon of August 22 where Anil Biswas, secretary of the state unit of the CPI (M), issued a press statement.

Presided over by polit bureau member of the CPI (M), Biman Basu, the state committee meeting was unanimous in severely criticizing the economic and financial policies of the BJP-led union government. The economic reforms launched by the BJP regime, the state committee of the Bengal CPI (M) believes are "driven by the need to provide boost to the imperative of the big business to maximize their profit." At the same time, the nation’s economy was being handed over on a platter to foreign corporate capital.

The alarming economic scenario has been further embarrassed by the exposure of swindles and scandals at the highest echelons of the administration.

The state committee also condemned the clearly pro-imperialist attitude evinced by the BJP-led government even in the core sector of defence. Talks have been carried out with the CIA chief by India’s national security advisor following the visit to the US by the country’s defence minister.

The additional impetus accrued by the policy of saffronisation of education and the stepping up of the attacks on minorities have correctly been responded to by the central committee of the CPI (M) with the battle cry of "scrap these anti-people policies or quit."

The campaign-movement against the policies of the BJP-led union government will be held over September 7and 21. Every section of the populace will be sought to be involved in the programme of action at every level.

Publicity material for the campaign-movement including booklets and posters will be distributed in adequate quantities. The circulation of the CPI (M) publications will be further stepped up in the state during the campaign.

It was also decided in the meeting that a state-level convention will be held at Midnapore on the problems faced by members of the schedules tribes. The state committee took up the issue of party Conferences. The guideline in this direction will be arrived at in the next meeting of the state unit to be held on September 25. As per the Party constitution no suspensions, expulsions, transfer of memberships, division of committees etc will be undertaken during the period without approval of the state committee. The work of the Party Control Commission will continue as usual.

Dr Surya Kanta Mishra placed a paper at the state committee meeting on Left Front government, developmental matters, and the panchayats. The paper iterated the earlier decision of the state committee more than two years ago to work according to priorities fixed beforehand with the central focus on an employment-intensive development. The Party, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the Panchayats and municipalities must work accordingly, the paper pointed out.

The issues that must be borne in mind while going about carrying forth a regime of developmental work will be: deprivation meted out to Bengal, limitations of the Left Front government, restructuring of the center-state relationship,

All attempts must be made to ensure that impractical expectations do not accumulate in the hearts and minds of the people. The projects affecting the people who are victims of class and social exploitations and disparities should be the main sectors of investments of the state government. The projects aimed at those who have the capacity to access the free market should, in the main, be the responsibility of the joint and the non-governmental sector.

The paper also raises the vital point of avoiding at all costs sectarian interests, opportunism, individualism, and immorality. A clear, class-based outlook must permeate the developmental work being carried out in the rural (as in the urban) areas. The election manifesto of the Left Front shall be the guiding light in this matter. All deviations contribute to the isolation of the Party from the people. The focus of the day-to-day developmental work gradually moves away from the involvement of the masses.

The paper also identified some emergent tasks for the Panchayat bodies.

And suggested that every gram panchayat must draw up a yearly plan with a five-year perspective for six area-specific subjects. These include education, public health, development of women and children, agriculture, animal husbandry, floriculture, horticulture, utilization of water bodies etc.

A strong plinth for these pro-people programmes will be built via a large number of self-help groups. An important aspect of these self-help groups will be the emphasis given to building up such groups for women only.

Chief minister and polit bureau member of the CPI (M) Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee apprised the state committee meting of the importance of enhancing awareness among the Party workers about ensuring larger participation of the people in the development programmes of the Panchayats and municipalities. He also dwelt on the present political, economic, and social situation prevailing in Bengal. He said that the coordination between Party and the left Front must increase in order to enable the Left Front government to function in a more efficient manner than at present. Bhattacharjee described the rowdy behaviour of the Trinamul Congress as a design to create a kind of chaos in the state, and to try and disrupt the process of development.

The state committee took up the issue of Subhas Chakravarty who is a member of the state committee. The state secretariat of the CPI (M) had earlier decided upon asking Party ministers not to comment on the functioning of another minister’s department in public. The state committee, too, has now adopted a similar resolution at this meeting. The state secretariat has discussed concerned issues with Chakravarty earlier and shall do so again, said state secretary of the CPI (M), Anil Biswas.

The state committee condoled the deaths of comrade Sailen Dasgupta, comrade Shailendra Shaily, Dum Dum civic body chairman comrade Sailen Das, Rabindrasangeet singer Pijushkanti Sarkar, littérateur Amiya Bhusan Majumdar, AIDWA leader Mukta Kumar, and other leaders and leading activists of the CPI(M).