LALGARH BURNS: December 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

P. CHIDAMBRAM SPEAKS IN THE LANGUAGE OF TRINAMOOL CONGRESS

D.O. No. 119-CM

December 28, 2010

Dear Shri Chidambram,

Kindly refer to your secret letter dated 21/22 December, 2010 which had been published in the media before it reached my office on 27.12.2010 at 11 A.M.

Your assessment of the situation in the State of West Bengal is surprising and is far from an impartial overview of the situation. Maoists have spread from across the bordering states and with the help of small section of local people are creating problems mostly in 28 police stations in three districts of West Bengal. They are trying to create their own areas of dominance. They are indiscriminately killing political opponents and even innocent people. They are attacking police stations, police camps and looting arms. They are also engaged in large scale extortions and other unlawful activities.

You are fully aware of these activities of the Maoists. The greatest challenge is how to contain the Maoists and defeat them finally both administratively and politically.

In recent times State and Central Police through their joint efforts have achieved major successes. Peace and normalcy have been restored in vast areas. People who were evicted earlier are going back to their homes. Govt/Panchayat office are functioning normally and so are the schools, markets and shops. Life is gradually coming back to normalcy in these areas but still we have problem in the areas bordering our state. Trinamool Congress which was earlier maintaining secret contacts with Maoist leaders and outfits are now openly organising meetings with them.

CPI (M) and it allies are trying their best to resist the Maoists by mobilizing people against them and in the process have lost more than 170 of their workers and leaders. Unfortunately, you are now blaming them for the present state of affairs. I am afraid it will divert the attention of all concerned who are struggling against Maoists, the greatest threat to our internal security.

As regards political clashes mentioned in your letter I would like to correct your figures. 32 Trinamool Congress supporters have been killed and 601 have suffered injuries while CPI (M) have lost 69 of their cadres and another 723 have been injured. Indian National Congress has lost one of their supporters and 111 have been injured during the period mentioned in your letter. I, however, agree that it is not a happy situation and I am doing my best to stop these senseless killings. I have repeatedly appealed to all the opposition parties to cooperate. All the parties except Trinamool Congress have come forward to cooperate. Trinamool Congress has refused to talk to administration. I am trying to disarm and demoblise all armed groups engaged in violence in some pockets of the state.

I strongly object to your using the word “Harmad” to mean the CPI (M) party workers without knowing the actual meaning of this nasty word coined by Trinamool Congress leaders.

More when we meet.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

Sd/-

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Shri P. Chidambram

Union Home Minister

New Delhi-110 001

Monday, December 27, 2010

CPI (M) DEMANDS: RESOLVE FARMERS PROBLEM URGENTLY IN ANDHRA PRADESH

AS the indefinite fast undertaken by the TDP President and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu entered the fifth day, his medical condition is precarious with doctors emphasising the urgent need to give fluids to prevent a tragedy. As the talks held by a group of three state ministers with Naidu failed, the former chief minister is adamant on continuing the fast till the government yields to the demand for a special package to the farmers who lost their crops due to severe rainfall recently.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and state secretary, B V Raghavulu was among the host of leaders who called on Naidu in the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) hospital and expressed solidarity on December 21. RSP leader Abani Roy, CPI state secretary K Narayana also called on Naidu.

Later, speaking to reporters Raghavulu urged the government and the Congress to see the farmers problem from people's standpoint instead of as a political issue. He wanted the government to urgently find a solution to the problems of farmers who have suffered severe losses and many of who are committing suicides. He reminded that earlier also when such indefinite fasts were undertaken, the governments had found solutions and resolved the issue. Raghavulu also called on the central government and Congress high command to respond on this issue. He warned about a united opposition intensifying the agitation further if the governments do not respond.

At the time of writing this on December 22, activists belonging to TDP, CPI (M) and CPI were conducting siege of district collectorate offices across the state protesting governments careless attitude on this issue. In Warangal, the police resorted to lathicharge and arrested TDP MLAs and Left parties leaders during the agitation resulting in tension in the area.

Source: www.pd.cpim.org/

Saturday, December 25, 2010

STAND DILUTED IN CANCUN

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on December 10, 2010.

THE stand taken by the environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, at the Climate Change Conference in Cancun that India is willing to commit to legally binding emission cuts, is a blatant shift away from India’s stand. The UPA government had assured the parliament that India would not accept any such binding commitments.

Such a statement by the environment minister cannot be seen as an individual one. It should be taken as representing the view of the UPA government. As in many other matters, the Manmohan Singh government is all too willing to align itself with the interests of the United States, even if it means going against the vital interests of the country.

The Polit Bureau demands that the UPA government reiterate the stand that it cannot agree to any legally binding emission cuts.

Source: www.pd.cpim.org/

STATEWIDE PROTESTS IN BENGAL AGAINST UPA GOVT’S CORRUPT WAYS - B PRASANT

A SERIES of meetings, rallies, factory gate meetings, and marches are being held across Bengal under the aegis of the Bengal Left Front and the CPI(M) from 5 until 20 December against the unprecedented corruption of the UPA-II regime.

Bengal CPI (M) secretary and Bengal Left Front chairman Biman Basu told PD that the programmes would expose the conspiracy being hatched to cover up these massive scams that have unfolded in the recent past. He stressed that the Trinamul Congress was involved as a partner in the frauds that were being uncovered. The outfit was also a partner in the anti-people policies of the central government.

In Kolkata, the district Left Front is currently engaged in distribution of lakhs of leaflets that tell the story behind the central government’s corrupt ways. Meetings are being held every day at the locality and neighbourhood levels.

Postering has been done extensively as has been wall-writing. A central wall-writing programme was held at the B B D Bagh on 12 December, and sit-in demonstrations would be held in front of central government offices including telephone exchange offices on 15 December.

18 and 19 December shall witness 30 rallies held in different places in the city. On 20 December, the central rally would be held as a march to the Kolkata Telephone Bhavan. Here, two large rallies would congregate near the Bhavan from the Subodh Mullick Square and the Birla Planetarium.

Addressing a rally at the Shahid Nagar in Jadavpur, state secretariat member of the CPI (M), Rabin Deb said that the Left alone spoke for carrying out struggles and movements against corruption and exploitation. That is the reason why the Left is under attack. criticising the Trinamul Congress, the speaker said that the outfit represented terror, murder, and mayhem.

The speaker also said that the so-called ‘Maoists’ and the Trinamulis were hand-in-glove as recent events had again exposed. The Trinamulis were also partners of the UPA-II government, which represented price-rise, corruption, and disinvestment.

Lives and livelihoods of the people were under attack. The CPI (M) and the Left Front have remained amidst the people fighting against the anti-people policies of the central government and the terror-tactics of the ‘Maoist’-Trinamul combine. The arena of the ongoing struggle must be widened in the days to come. Among others who addressed the meeting were Shamik Lahiri (CPI-M), and other Left Front leaders.

Source: www.pd.cpim.org/