The View from the Left

The Left parties, stuck to their stand during their meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that India’s vote on the Iran issue at the IAEA was a “serious departure from an independent foreign policy”. The statement announced plans for launching a national campaign for an independent foreign policy along with other political forces, organisations and eminent personalities.

Two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan

In an editorial, the weekly says the “decision to undertake a survey of Sir Creek and to consider options for the demilitarisation of the maritime boundary is (sic) a step forward”. The editorial says that “among the confidence building measures, the demilitarisation of Siachen is the crucial one which should be taken up seriously by the government of India.” While the weekly welcomes the reiteration by the two foreign ministers about their commitment to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, it says the recent action by the UPA government vis-a-vis Iran had raised doubts whether it would pursue the project.

Significance of Sept 29 strike

In a signed cover page article, CITU president and CPM politburo member M.K. Pandhe details the success of the strike, how it “paralysed” the financial sector and the airports and got more government employees to take part this time compared to earlier strikes. Pandhe also points to weak links in the trade union movement. “The railway workers who strength is over 13 lakhs have not joined the strike action which indicates a serious shortcoming in our TU movement,” writes Pandhe. Two major port federations did not join the strike “despite threat of privatisation and downsizing manpower”. The response from the steel industry and the IT sector was lukewarm too, says Pandhe.

CAMPAIGNS AHEAD

Tribal Bill

The CPM will hold a national campaign demanding that the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 to be tabled in Parliament in the next session.

Delhi Jal Board’s actions still under watch

While DJB may have withdrawn its loan application to the World Bank for privatization of water supply in the city, the CPM believes that the announcement does not, in itself, mean abandoning the privatization process. So, the CPM has set out demands from the Delhi government —- that water distribution will not be handed over to any private party whether foreign or India; the 24×7 water supply scheme should not be reintroduced in a new form; PWC recommendations on water privatization should no longer be used; unequal water availability in different parts of Delhi must be rectified.

IN THE NEWS

Civil Aviation Ministry pulled up

People’s Democracy reports that the parliamentary standing committee of the Civil Aviation Ministry, headed by Nilotpal Basu, has pulled up the government on the privatization of the Delhi and Mumbai airports for not firming up the financial requirements of the projects and quoting different cost estimates at different stages. The standing committee does not agree with the Civil Aviation Ministry that a resource crunch is the main reason for inviting private sector participation for the modernization of the two airports, and believes that investing huge money in the modernization of Mumbai airport “will be a waste”. However, it quotes the committee to say that the option of greenfield airport projects should be explored at both places to meet growth of air traffic.

Left wins Asansol Lok Sabha by-election

CPM candidate Bangsa Gopal Chaudhuri wins seat by 2.3 lakh votes, defeating Trinamul Congress and Pradesh Congress candidates.

ON THE IDEOLOGICAL FRONT

Communists surge forward across the globe

CPM’s feisty state secretary in West Bengal, Anil Biswas, writes a two page-long thesis on the rise of communism. He says there is panic in the western world about this and refers to the efforts by a representative of the Council of Europe to tell people about the “crimes of communism”. But the Left is turning victorious everywhere. “The working class has organized themselves across continents to raise the Red banner of protest against the forays of international capital,” writes Biswas. He refers also to victories in European elections, the growing anti-war movements and their re-establishment in former Socialist republics in Europe as evidence that “the communists surge forward at the head of massive movements across the globe against the onslaughts of imperialism and neo-liberalisation”.

Compiled by Ananda Mazumdar