Central Committee Communiqu�

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi from October 23 to 25. After the Lok Sabha polls, this was the first CC meeting that took stock of the national political situation as a whole. After the meeting, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat addressed a crowded media conference at the Party headquarters, A K G Bhawan, on October 25.

Karat said the UPA-2 was also following the same old neo-liberal policies and more and more aligning with the United States of America. Criticising the economic policies of the government, he said it was bent upon disinvesting even the profit making public sector enterprises including the navratnas like the NTPC. He said that the government had contracted a two billion dollar loan from the World Bank and the said disinvestment is as per the World Bank�s conditionalities. The government also wanted to raise the FDI cap in the insurance sector and push through a legislation for inviting FDI in the education sector. On the other hand, it was giving hefty gifts to the bourgeoisie in the form of cuts in corporate tax, property tax and capital gains tax.

Referring to the uncontrollably rising prices of essential commodities, Karat said the government was adamantly refusing to check the price rise. Food prices are constantly going up at a time when a large part of the country is reeling under the impact of a severe drought and floods have created havoc in another part of the country. He informed that the CPI(M) and other Left parties were making preparations to launch a powerful countrywide agitation on the price rise issue. In this regard, conventions are taking place in various states, and state level rallies have been planned in November.

Flaying the government�s capitulation before the US and other western powers, the CPI(M) leader said it was under their pressure that the government was reneging on its known stand in the WTO�s Doha round of negotiations or in those on the climate change.

About the rectification process, Karat said the CC had planned a campaign against the wrong tendencies and shortcomings in the Party�s ranks. He emphatically made the point that it was not a move for any purge in the Party, as some media organisations were propagating, but a campaign to change the outlook of the Party members in accordance with the Marxist values.

Karat sharply condemned the murders the Maoists are committing, adding that the CPI(M) would fight against them through a political campaign in the whole country. He pointed out that Maoists were assassinating the cadres of the CPI(M) and other Left parties not in West Bengal alone but in other places too. They, for example, killed a CPI(M) activist in Chhattisgarh quite recently. Karat said the CPI(M) does not recognise the Maoists as a left force, and justified the actions the West Bengal government has been taking against the Maoists.

Refuting the claims of tension with China, Karat pointed out that the governments of both the countries had categorically denied any tension between them. Two things are clear in this regard, he added. First, Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and, secondly, both the countries must solve any issue of mutual concern through talks.

The Central Committee communiqu�, which the CPI(M) general secretary released on this occasion, follows.

ALARMING PRICE RISE

The Central Committee expressed its serious concern at the continuing relentless price rise of food items and of all essential commodities. The unprecedented rise in the prices of food grains, dal, sugar, edible
oil and vegetables is causing immense hardships to the people. Inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (Industrial Workers) stood at 11.72 per cent in August and the Consumer Price Index (Agricultural Workers) stood at 13.19 in September 2009. Currently India has one of the highest consumer price inflation rates in the world.

In the face of this alarming price rise, the attitude of the Congress-led government is shockingly callous. All that it promises is that the prices will come down some time in the future. The demand made
by the Left parties to prohibit speculative futures trading in essential commodities and a crackdown on hoarding have been ignored.

The inaction of the government on the price front has resulted in increased suffering for the ordinary people.

AGRARIAN SCENARIO

The peasantry and the rural poor have been badly hit by the severe drought which affected nearly 300 districts across the country. There has been a shortfall in the cultivation of paddy and many other crops.
The provision of drought relief by the centre and the concerned state governments has been either tardy or non-existent.

At the advent of the Rabi season many states are facing a situation of unprecedented floods and destruction of standing crops. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal and parts
of Kerala have witnessed loss of standing crops due to heavy rainfall and floods.

The Central Committee resolved to continue with the campaign against price rise, for drought relief and for food security. In this connection, the Left parties have been holding conventions and state level rallies will be held in the month of November.

UPA GOVERNMENT�S ECONOMIC POLICY

The Central Committee noted that the second UPA government is bent upon pursuing the same neo-liberal policies. The Central Government has embarked upon disinvestment in profitable public sector units including navaratnas like the NTPC. The Government has taken a $ 2 billion loan from the World Bank to recapitalise some public sector banks. Given the World Bank conditionalities, this is a precursor for disinvestment of shares in public sector banks.

The Direct Taxes Code Bill proposed by the government has several regressive provisions and would lead to a significant loss of revenue. The corporate tax rate is proposed to be reduced from 30 per cent to 25
per cent and other measures such as reducing the rate of wealth tax and capital gains and give more relief to the upper bracket of tax payers. The UPA government wants the rich to be richer by cutting taxes. This
also exposes its lack of commitment in raising resources to fund social welfare measures.

The UPA government is also in the process of implementing neo-liberal reforms in several areas. The proposal to amend the FDI limit in the insurance sector and the legislation to allow FDI in higher education
are among them.

The Central Committee strongly opposed the disinvestment of shares in the profitable public sector units. In this connection, the Central Committee fully supported the call of the central trade unions who are
observing a protest day on October 28 on this and other demands.

DOHA ROAD & CLIMATE CHANGE:

SUCCUMBING TO PRESSURE

The Central Committee voiced its strong disapproval of the way the UPA government is resiling from stated positions and giving in to pressure of the United States and other western countries. This is evident in the changing stance in the Doha round of the WTO negotiations and the Climate Change talks. The End Use Monitoring Agreement with the United States on arms purchased from it, is another instance of succumbing to pressures.

The Central Committee decided to mobilise public opinion against the government succumbing to such pressures and adopting positions which are not in the interests of the country.

The Central Committee adopted a resolution on Climate Change and the stand India should take in the Climate Change talks. (The resolution is being released separately.)

NUCLEAR LIABILITY LAW

The Central Committee noted that the proposed legislation on Nuclear Liability is being brought to favour the US companies which will supply nuclear reactors to India. Given the bitter experience of the accident at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal 25 years ago, any law for liability in the case of nuclear accidents should ensure that the suppliers of the reactors are made to pay adequate compensation and the liability cannot
rest on the operators and the Government of India.

3^rd December this year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The Party will observe this anniversary and highlight the necessity to ensure the liability of multinational companies who will
supply nuclear reactors to India.

MAOIST ATTACKS

The Central Committee strongly condemned the vicious violence unleashed by the Maoist squads in various parts of the country. In West Bengal, the Maoists have targetted the CPI(M) and have killed more than 60 members and supporters of the Party in the past few months. They have killed a CPI(M) cadre in Chattisgarh recently. The Central Committee decided to conduct a campaign against the disruptive activities and politics of the Maoists and to mobilise the people against such forces.

WEST BENGAL

Since the Lok Sabha elections, in West Bengal there have been continuing attacks on the CPI(M) and the Left Front. In a number of places the Trinamul-Congress combine have unleashed violence directed at the
CPI(M), its offices and houses of its supporters. Many families have been displaced from their homes. Such attacks are taking place in conjunction with the Maoist attacks in the border districts.

The CPI(M) will continue to organise the people for their legitimate demands and rights. At the same time, the Party will mobilise the people to resist such attacks. The Party units all over the country will step
up their campaign in solidarity with the Party and the Left in West Bengal and to expose the sinister nature of these attacks.

ASEAN FTA

The Central Committee reiterated the Party�s opposition to the terms and conditions of the Free Trade Agreement with the Asean countries which will prove detrimental to agriculture, fisheries and certain sectors of industry.

In this connection, the Central Committee congratulated the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) for organising a human chain across the state on October 2 which saw the participation of 20 lakh people.

HINDUTVA TERRORIST GROUPS

The recent death of two persons carrying explosives in Goa, highlights the threat from certain extremist Hindutva groups in the country. The Sanathan Sanstha which is responsible for collecting such explosives is part of the network which was uncovered after the Malegaon blast last year. Firm action should be taken against such groups to suppress such illegal activities.

SRI LANKA

In the situation obtaining after the crushing of the LTTE, two and a half lakh people of Tamil origin have been living in refugee camps in the Northern region. The Sri Lankan government had committed to
rehabilitate and return people to their homes within six months. Yet, this process has not taken place as planned. The Government of India must exert all efforts to ensure the speedy return of all displaced
people and their full rehabilitation. There are concerns about human rights violations which needs to be investigated and addressed by the Sri Lankan government.

The Sri Lankan Government has not yet taken any effective steps for a political solution to the Tamil problem by providing full autonomy in the Tamil-speaking areas. The Central Committee urged the Sri Lankan government to take meaningful steps in this direction. The Government of India should take political and diplomatic measures in this regard.

RECTIFICATION CAMPAIGN

The Central Committee discussed and adopted a document for initiating a rectification campaign in the Party. The process of the rectification campaign at the political, ideological and organisational level is to
remove the wrong trends and shortcomings so that the Party emerges more unified and strengthened. The recent document has updated the 1996 rectification campaign report and is based on the experience of the
Party in the last twelve years. 

The document has prepared guidelines for strengthening democratic centralism as the organisational principle of the Party, ensuring proper integration of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary work, maintenance of communist norms and values and remoulding the outlook of the Party members towards upholding progressive values. Guidelines for conducting the rectification campaign have been set out. The rectification campaign based on this document will be initiated at all levels of the Party.