Opening up the transport sector for big monopoly capitalists

The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2017 was passed by the Lok Sabha on 10th April 2017 and is pending in the Rajya Sabha. The original Motor Vehicles Act was enacted in 1988.

Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 12th August, 2018

The cities and the countryside are resonating with the mounting protests of workers and peasants. They are fighting to halt and reverse the anti-social program of globalization, liberalization and privatization. They are demanding immediate implementation of measures to ensure prosperity and protection for all.

India will be truly independent only when people are empowered

Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 1st August, 2018

Our people are fed with false promises on every Independence Day. From the “socialistic pattern” of Jawaharlal Nehru to “garibi hatao” of Indira Gandhi, and from the “capitalism with a human face” of Manmohan Singh to the “sab ka vikaas” slogan of Narendra Modi, one Prime Minister after the other has been marketing empty dreams every 15th of August. They are trained to say whatever the people like to hear, while implementing the agenda set by the Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis and other capitalist monopoly houses.

May 5 this year marked the 200th birth anniversary of Karl Marx, the founder of scientific socialism. On this occasion, a meeting was organized by the Communist Ghadar Party in New Delhi.

Karl Marx was the first to give socialism and the working class movement a scientific foundation. He and his comrade-in-arms, Frederick Engels, published in 1848 the Manifesto of the Communist Party, which has remained the most influential political document in the world since that time until today.

Thousands of workers militantly demonstrated in the streets and organised meetings in different parts of India and in different countries through-out the world. Workers shouted slogans and held banners reiterating their demands.

Peasants in Tamilnadu, like their brothers in other states, are on the warpath. Faced with dire drought conditions, the failure of the crop insurance scheme dashed all their hopes of getting any compensation.

The news media has been carrying out 24X7 coverage of the alleged use by Cambridge Analytica, a British company, of personal data of millions of Facebook users to influence elections in favour of political parties which buy their services.

The 21st Bi-annual Regional Convention of the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) held on 18-19 March 2018 in Muradabad was a resounding success.

Representatives from the Delhi, Muradabad, Lucknow, Meerut, Jind, Firozpur, Pathankot, Ambala, Panipat, Dehradun and Bareilly branches and bodies of the AILRSA vigorously participated in the Convention.

In the early morning of Tuesday 20th March 2018 at 7 a.m, thousands of apprentices who had completed their apprentice training in the Indian Railways occupied the railway tracks between Dadar and Matunga on the Central Railway lines in the heart of Mumbai city. They remained on the tracks till 11 a.m, completely paralysing the morning rush hour train movements on the Central Railways.

As reported in February 16-28, 2018 edition of Mazdoor Ekta Lehar, at the call of the All India Guards Council, Guards of Indian Railway all over India wore black badges on the 18th, 19th and 20th of January 2018 to protest the anti-worker policies of the Railway Authorities and the Central Government and presented their charter of demands.

The Communist Ghadar Party of India organised a meeting in New Delhi on February 18 to mark the 25th anniversary of an important milestone in the history of our Party and in the history of the class struggle in our country. Members and activists of the Party, some of whom had actively participated in organising and leading the rally 25 years ago, as well as a large number of young women and men, who have joined the ranks of the party since that time, enthusiastically participated in the meeting.

Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) is one of the world’s largest metro transport corporation. It is managed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and caters to the needs of more than 30 lakh commuters every day. On 12th February 2018, the BEST management committee announced its decision to hire 200 mini non-AC buses, 200 mini-AC buses and 50 midi-buses on wet lease from private contractors. Under this type of arrangement, buses are leased from private contractors along with driver and are also maintained by the contractor.

Maharashtra Anganwadi workers are furious as the promises given by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra are being violated. These workers are mainly responsible for running more than 97,000 Anganwadi’s in Maharashtra through which more than 73 lakh children are provided with food supplied by the Maharashtra government.

Crores of workers demonstrated and courted arrest across the country on 30th January 2028 in support of their 12-point demands.

The Joint Platform of the Central Trade Unions (CTU) had given a call to the class to carry out this country “satyagraha”.

Heads of state or government of the ten ASEAN member countries -- Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei – were the Chief guests at the Republic Day parade on January 26, 2018.

Twenty five years, ago, the Indian state announced its “Look East” policy and began to actively strengthen economic and political relationships with the countries of South East Asia. This was immediately following the end of the Cold War and the end of the bipolar division of the world.

During these twenty five years, the ten member ASEAN has emerged as an important multilateral trade grouping. China has emerged as the biggest trading partner of ASEAN, followed by Japan, the US and South Korea.

Union Budget exercise - I

With reference to the article entitled `Union Budget 2018-19: Promises development for all but fulfills monopoly capitalist greed', this article was written before the budget was announced and its predictions have essentially been borne out, thereby vindicating the high level of theoretical and practical development of the revolutionary theory and practice of our party.

Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 10th January, 2018

The Republic of India will be 68 years old on 26th January this year. The experience of almost seven decades has revealed that this Republic does not protect the right to livelihood, right to conscience, right to life and other human and democratic rights of all members of society. According to Indian political theory or Raj Dharma, a raja who fails to ensure protection and prosperity for the praja loses his right to rule. Judging on the basis of this principle, the Republic of India has no legitimacy whatsoever.

On January 26, the Indian state will once again display its armed might to the people of India and the world. On show will be the latest acquisitions of military hardware by the Indian Armed Forces. This is being accompanied by incessant propaganda about the threat to India from foreign powers and the necessity to produce and acquire the most sophisticated arms to combat this threat.

The recommendation of Niti Aayog to privatise Air India through “strategic disinvestment” is motivated by the private greed of the monopoly capitalists who control the Indian and global airline industry. Ministers and officials of the Government of India try to justify this decision by presenting various assertions, prejudices and so-called arguments, which are not convincing.

Escalate the struggle against the anti-worker, anti-peasant, anti-social and anti-national offensive of the big bourgeoisie!

Organise to establish workers’ and peasants’ rule!

What was the situation in our country 40 years ago, when we took up the task of building such a vanguard party of the working class? It was a time when the system of parliamentary democracy was in deep crisis. The fascist underbelly of the Indian State had been exposed by the declaration of National Emergency in June 1975 and the suspension of democratic rights and civil liberties. Widespread mass protests broke out among the working people and youth of the country.

The Keynote Speech by Com. Lal Singh, General Secretary of the CGPI delivered on the occasion of the Party Conference to commemorate the Centenary of the Great October Revolution has drawn very clear lessons for Indian communists, while hailing this great event and the leadership of the Party in this.

The growing anger and discontent of the masses of peasants in all parts of the country manifest in numerous struggles over the past few months, burst out in a massive united show of strength on the streets of New Delhi on November 20 and 21, 2017.

A major boiler explosion took place in the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) power plant at Unchahar in Rae Barely, UP on 1st November 2017. More than 100 people were griviously injured in the explosion. The death toll has passed 40 and many are still not out of danger.

Tens of thousands of peasants came from all parts of India to participate in a massive protest action at the Parliament in New Delhi on 20th November 2017. The protest action was organised by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), consisting of over 180 organisations. Peasants came in large contingents from all corners of India.

For three days, November 9, 10 and 11, wave upon wave of workers from every state of the Indian Union joined in the massive All India workers protest (mahapadav) outside parliament.It was a veritable sea of workers. Red flags, placards proclaiming the demands of workers and banners of the participating unions adorned the mahapadav. It was literally a workers festival. Leaders of the working class addressed the workers, cultural workers sang songs in different languages inspiring the workers to step up their struggle for a society free from all forms of exploitation and oppression.

Call of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 3 November, 2017

The 3-day Maha Padav outside Parliament, starting on 9th November, is a massive protest action which is being organised by the National Convention of Workers, consisting of trade unions and their federations covering workers in diverse sectors. They include workers in steel, coal, electricity, petroleum, machinery and machine tools, defence production, railways, banks, road, air and water transport, telecom and IT industries. The 3-day action in Delhi has been preceded by mass campaigns all over the country, in every state, district and block, and in every industrial area.

A militant demonstration and rally was organized in New Delhi on November 8, 2017, exactly a year after demonetisation was brutally imposed on our people by the BJP led central government. The demonstration was organized by the seven communist parties – Communist Ghadar Party of India, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Socialist Unity Centre of India – Communist, All India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party.

The devastating effects of the sudden banning of 500 and 1000 rupee notes, announced by Prime Minister Modi one year back on November 8, 2016, are still being felt by the people of the country, though people were asked to suffer “temporary pain” only in exchange for “long-term gain”. In a country where the majority of people relied heavily on cash, the withdrawal of 86% of the currency in circulation caused havoc in the lives of workers, peasants, small and medium size producers and traders.

On 28th June, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its “in-principle” approval for a “strategic sale” of the central government’s ownership share in Air India to a private company. Finance Minister Jaitley justified the decision to privatise Air India by claiming that it is a waste of public money to keep operating this loss-making airline.

The trade unions in Delhi organised a convention to make preparations for the Grand Strike to be held 9 to 11 November. The convention was held in Ram Mohan Roy hall on 7 October 2017.

The Code on Wages Bill, 2017 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 10 August 2017 by the Modi government. The new bill is to replace the Payment of Wages Act -1936, the Minimum Wages Act – 1949, the Payment of Bonus Act - 1965 and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976. The Wage Code Bill is a part of the so called labour law reforms that the government has undertaken by “rationalisation” of 38 Labour Acts.

September 2017 witnessed several waves of strikes of workers in France against changes to the country’s labour laws. The changes, which are being fast-tracked via executive orders, are designed to give employers more flexibility to negotiate pay and conditions with their workers while reducing the costs of firing staff. More specifically, the “reform” will make employee dismissal rules more flexible by reducing severance costs and loosening the country’s legal procedures around dismissal. The second area where businesses will be allowed more freedom is the regulation of hours of work.

Job sites have recently witnessed a 20-25% increase of applications from workers in IT and e-commerce companies. Business and trade papers further report that the Indian technology services sector is facing its worst growth period in close to a decade as the demand for their services has shifted from traditional outsourcing work to newer areas such as digital and cloud. In addition, automation through applications of robots are fast replacing human being in routine maintenance work of customer applications or IT infrastructure. This is in area where new recruits are usually employed.

The Economic Survey is an annual document presented by the Ministry of Finance. It reviews developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months. It highlights recent policies of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term. It is presented to both houses of Parliament during Budget Session.

On Saturday, August 19, 2017, 14 coaches of the Kalinga Utkal Express travelling between Hardwar and Puri went off the rails near Muzaffarnagar, UP, killing 23 people and seriously injuring hundreds. Within three days of this, the Kaifiyat Express travelling between Azamgarh, UP and Delhi collided with a dumper that was crossing the tracks, near Kanpur, leading to derailment and injuries to many. Over the last 5 years there have been 586 train accidents out of which 53% or the majority were due to derailments.

The recent tragedy in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and the earlier many such tragedies which occur with predictable frequency, some reported, some highlighted, and mostly ignored and forgotten are the hallmark of present public health system in India. It has once again exposed the criminal callousness of the state authorities and those who rule.

Women workers at PepsiCo in Argentina have been organizing militant protests against retrenchment, long hours of work in harsh working conditions. The protests began in June this year. They arrived at work June 20 to find a note on the door saying that the plant would be relocated and that workers were out of a job.

Government employees and teachers under the banner Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations – Government Employees Organisations (JACTTO-GEO) staged demonstrations across the central region on Friday urging the State government to implement their various demands.

As Mazdoor Ekta Lehar goes to the press, on 13 September 2017, angry peasants had once again taken to the roads to press for their demand of waiver of loans and other demands. The mahapadav organised by the All India Kisan Sabha and other peasant organisations on 12 September had forced the Rajasthan government to take notice of the more than 10-day long agitation and invite the leaders of agitating peasants for a meeting in the evening in Jaipur. An eleven member delegation took part in the talks. Talks went on till late in the night, however, it did not result in an agreement. Soon after that the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti met and announced chakka jam throughout Rajasthan.

The Assam government has enacted the Industrial Disputes (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2017, which authorises employers to retrench up to 300 employees without seeking approval of the government. As in Rajasthan, which was the first among states to pass anti-labour legislation, Assam has legislated this in the name of “labour reform”. The Assam assembly passed the bill by a voice vote on 7 Sept.

Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 23 August, 2017

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of India’s independence from colonial rule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the people to support him in building a “New India” over the next five years, an India without poverty, corruption, communalism or caste discrimination.

The Goods & Service Tax (GST), implemented in July 2017, is a single all-India tax which replaces a number of different indirect taxes that were levied so far on the sale of goods and services. It replaces the excise duty, special excise duty, special customs duty, central sales tax (CST), service tax, various surcharges and cesses levied by the central government. It also replaces most of the indirect taxes levied by state governments including the value added tax (VAT), luxury tax, entertainment tax, entry tax and purchase tax.

The regional comprehensive economic partnership (rcep) held its19th round of negotiations between 18th-28th july in hyderabad. The RCEP was set up in 2002. It is a forum of16 countries, to negotiate their mutual terms of trade, i.e. how much of the trade between them should be free of barriers like import duties, etc. The Partnership includes the10 countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar and Philippines and six other countries – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, who have entered into trade agreements with the ASEAN.

Vivo India Pvt. Ltd hit the headlines as a case of “labour unrest” following clashes in the factory premises at Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh on July 25, 2017. As always, the monopoly capitalist controlled media distorted the events. The workers of Vivo were blamed for bringing a “bad name” for India and creating problems for the “Make in India” initiative of the ruling bourgeois class.

Starting from 16 August, 2017 the strike called by the rural postal workers is continuing across India. This strike has been called under the banner of All India Gramin Dak Sevak Union (AIGDSU).

According to the reports and press releases appearing in the media the strike began on 16 august and is continuing in all the regions across India.

On 14th Aug, 2017, train drivers raised their demands and held demonstrations at the crew lobbies and divisions of various zones under the leadership of the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA). The decision to hold these demonstrations was taken in a meeting held by the central executive committee in Nagpur between 3-4 Aug, 2017. 48 representatives from the 16 zones of Indian Railways participated in the meeting. In the meeting, workers decided to hold massive dharnas to fight for their demands in the crew lobbies and various zones of the railways on 24th Aug.

More than 10 lakh bank workers went on a strike on 22 August 2017 to oppose the anti-people banking reforms, write-offs of corporate NPAs and increases in banking charges.

The All India action was lead by United Forum of Bank Unions

An all India Convention of Workers was held on 8 August 2017, at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. The Convention was jointly organised by AITUC, CITU, INTUC, HMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, UTUC and LPF. More than 6000 delegates from different federations of workers and employees from the defence plants, steel plants, coal mines, railways, banks, insurance, and many other sectors of the economy participated in the Convention. A delegation of the Mazdoor Ekta Committee actively participated in the Convention.

It is now more than a month since the imposition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 1st July.The days leading up to and following it witnessed country wide protests against its imposition. Shops and workshops across several sectors downed their shutters. Several unions joined in the protests.

Under the banner of Karza Mukti Andolan Sangharsh Samiti, farmers from across Rajasthan took out demonstration on July 17 and started a Traffic Jam Campaign. 39 farmers’ associations of Rajasthan are involved in this Sangharsh Samiti. As a result of the protest, on 22nd July the government invited the representatives of all 39 organizations from the Sangharsh Samiti, to discuss the problems being faced by the farmers.

Call of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, July 12, 2017

Peasant brothers, you have come here to Delhi from every corner of India to declare to the whole country that you will fight against injustice and for your rights. The Communist Ghadar Party of India stands firmly in defence of your struggle.

Hundreds of peasants’ organisations and many organisations fighting to protect the interest of working people have called for a rally in New Delhi on 18 July 2017. The rally has been called to demand that the government takes necessary steps to address the crisis that is devastating the lives of peasants across the country.

An estimated 120,000 people from across Germany and different parts of the Europe, gathered in militant protest actions at Hamburg, Germany, on the eve of the G-20 Summit which began on July 7. Various protest actions had begun in Hamburg nearly two weeks before the Summit. These protest actions demonstrated the resentment of the world’s peoples against imperialism, the capitalist system, the plunder and devastation of nations, militarization and war.

The Indian IT industry alone employs more than 45 lakh people. Despite packages that may seem attractive, the working conditions of these professionals are very damaging to their physical, mental and social well-being.

In June 2017, Tamizhaga Vivasayeegal Sangam (Sangam) organized a meeting of peasants near Pasuvandanai in Thoothukudi district of Tamilnadu. Peasants belonging to the nearby villages took active part in this meeting. Besides Sangam leaders and activists, the leaders and activists of Communist Ghadar Party, Workers Unity Movement and Unorganized Workers Federation also took part in this meeting.

The United Forum of Bank Unions has decided to observe July 19, the 48th anniversary of nationalisation of major banks, as 'Save public sector banks' day.

All members will wear a commemorative badge on the day, display posters in front of all branches, distribute leaflets and hold rallies/demonstrations.

The Union Government has announced its clear intention to accelerate on the privatization program. The aviation and defence sector public sector enterprises are high on the list of its privatization program. State governments are withdrawing from their responsibility to ensure safe, reliable and affordable public transport system, by privatizing road transport.

Nearly 5-7 lakh farmers from different districts of Maharashtra including Ahmadnagar, Nashik, Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Nanded and Jalgaon have launched an agitation since 1st June 2017. They are demanding remunerative prices and guaranteed procurement for their produce as well as waiver for their debt.

Modi-led government has continued to justify demonetisation and refute even bourgeois economists’ assertion that it has hurt the economic growth. It has refused to accept that crores of workers lost their livelihood for months and lakhs of small and medium sized enterprises were forced to shut-down in the absence of cash post-demonetisation.

It is not usual to find organisers of teachers, farmers, government employees and of women and youth all participating actively in a joint political discussion. Such an event took place recently, at the initiative of the Rajasthan Council of Lok Raj Sangathan, a non-party political organization committed to the cause of bringing people to power.

The India Exclusion Report 2016, released by the New Delhi-based Centre for Equity Studies (CES) on 12th May 2017, citing Labour Ministry Data, says that says that employment creation in 2015 plummeted to 135,000 jobs compared to 930,000 in 2011. Even worse, existing jobs, especially in the IT sector, are being lost as thousands of workers were laid off in 2016, and the trend is set to continue this year.

On 4th April, the Madras High Court directed the Government of Tamilnadu to waive all farm loans accessed through cooperative banks. This comes at a time when farmers from drought-stricken Tamil Nadu have been agitating in New Delhi for several weeks. Their terrible plight has been visibly on display in all major TV news channels.

Build and strengthen the working class opposition to the capitalist offensive!

Call of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India, 2nd April, 2017

Comrade workers,

We are approaching May Day this year in the midst of growing mass protests against the draconian sentence of life imprisonment imposed on 13 Maruti-Suzuki workers, whose only crime is that they stood up for the rights of workers and dared to form a fighting union.

As many as five Bills were tabled in the Lok Sabha during March as “money bills”. They consist of the Finance Bill and four bills related to the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Finance Bill 2017

The Finance Bill is a piece of legislation that is tabled in parliament every year, along with the Union Budget. Taxation, expenditure and borrowing targets proposed in the budget become operational once the Finance Bill is approved by the Parliament and signed by the President.

The crisis facing banks in India has been brewing for some years now. A large and growing share of the outstanding loans extended by commercial banks has turned into bad loans or Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). Any loan for which the principal or interest payment has remained overdue for a period of 90 days or more is called NPA. It is a loan which the borrower is not paying back as agreed.

Global economy in trouble

The first month of 2016 witnessed a sharp fall in stock markets all over the world, reflecting the expectation of falling production and profits across a wide range of sectors on the world scale.  The price of crude oil in world markets has fallen steeply to below 30 Dollars a barrel, the lowest in 12 years.  The decline in oil prices initially began

The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 12th March 2015. With this, the cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector has been raised to 49% from 26% hitherto. At the same time, FDI in pension funds will also get raised to 49% since the Pension Fund Regulatory Bill links the FDI in the pension sector to that in the insurance sector.

Finance capital is spreading its tentacles over hard earned savings and pension of workers

Important amendments to the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 have been proposed by the Labour Ministry of the NDA government.

I am writing to thank you for the excellent and informative article entitled `Union Budget 2015 – “Achhe Din Kiskke Liye?” in the March 16-31, 2015 issue of MEL. It analyses the political and economic phenomena unfolding in the country drawing from the facts and figures.

Sir,

It is with great interest that I read the article entitled `The debate on “Black Money” and its recovery” in the November 15-30, 2014 issue of MEL, and it is my view that this article should be compulsory reading for all those in the revolutionary camp, as well for all those who are interested in knowing what are the nuts and bolts of the economy.

“Economy on a dangerous course”

Mazdoor Ekta Committee and Lok Raj Sangathan jointly organized a meeting on the Indian Economy.

Finance capital would invest further in India only if its investments are going to fetch big returns. Finance capital moves into those countries or sectors of the economy where it can secure maximum capitalist profit through the exploitation, ruin and impoverishment of the majority of the population, through the enslavement and systematic robbery of the peoples and, lastly, through wars and militarization. It would invest in India if its calculations show that by investing in India, it could earn higher profits than if it invested elsewhere. This would be its motivation, not the well-being of the Indian people

Attempt to turn the country into a centre of cheap youth labour

BJP led NDA government passed the Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014 on the last day of the recently concluded session on 14^th August 2014. Since the passing of the Apprentices Act in 1961, there have been four amendments in 1973, 1986, 1997 and 2007. This is the fifth amendment.

The two main parties of the ruling class, BJP and Congress, are fully in favour of further privatising and opening up the Insurance Sector to foreign capital. It is the working class which has been vigorously opposing this course. The main aim of the privatisation of insurance and pension sector is to provide access to Indian and foreign bourgeoisie to the huge savings of people accumulated in the form of insurance funds and pension funds. The big bourgeoisie wants to control this massive capital, as well as expand it. Foreign insurance giants have the same interests. Increasing the FDI limit in insurance is aimed at joint exploitation of the insecurities of the people by the parasites of finance capital.

Fear and insecurity are fundamental to the insurance business. The more the people of a country are living in fear and insecurity, the greater will be the profits of insurance companies.

The Central government has announced increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the defence sector from 26% to 49%. It has done away with the requirement of licences for defence manufacturing for all but 16 items. It has called for turning India into an arms exporter in the world arms market.

What is the solution?

Persistently high food price inflation is a sign that the capital-centric orientation of the economy is incompatible with providing even the most basic necessities for all.  The solution lies in reorienting the economy by bringing social production under social control.  Only by putting an end to the anarchy of capitalism and the domination of profiteers over the market is it possible to ensure adequate availability of nutritious food for all, alongside a stable and secure livelihood to all those who till the land. The solution lies in establishing the control of workers and peasants over the production, procurement, trade and distribution of essential commodities, eliminating the space for private profiteers in this sphere of the economy.

Sir,

Sir,

I am writing this in response to the statement of the CC of the CGPI entitled `Opening doors wider to Foreign Direct Investment is a Dangerous Coursei: BJP led NDA government is gambling with the fate of our country to serve the imperialist drive of Indian capital to join the global big power club' issued on 16th July, 2014 and carried in the August 1-15, 2014 issue of MEL.

Rail Minister Sings the Mantra of Privatisation of Railways

The Budget for 2014-2015 of the Indian railways, presented by the Railway Minister Shri Sadanand Gowda represents the continuation of the course of privatization of the railways reflected in the budgets presented by the railway ministers of the UPA government.

The Union Labour Minister, Shri R.S. Tomar, has advised the workers’ unions not to act in a way that blocks industrial growth in our country. He says that his Ministry’s role is to “harmonise the interests of industry and labour”.

Sir,

Statement of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India, 4th June, 2014

"Sab ka saath, sab ka vikaas!" (Together with all, for the development for all!) This is the slogan with which the BJP led by Narendra Modi has swept to power at the centre, capturing 52% of the seats and reducing Congress Party to a small minority in the Parliament.

A very important document for the working class

The document that was published on 23^rd March, and distributed widely across the country among the working class, youth, toilers and intelligentsia and published in Mazdoor Ekta Lehar, is very important for the proletariat and toilers.

There have been numerous massacres of people of the Muslim faith in Assam, the most recent being during the ongoing elections. The Nellie massacre in 1983 during the Assam agitation against "foreigners" in which thousands of people died cannot ever be forgotten.

According to the  Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) wages as percentage of net value added has been declining over the last two decades.

Solution to the problems of society can be found only on the basis of the discoveries of Karl Marx

The global economy has been sinking deeper and deeper into crisis over the past five years. Unemployment, poverty, inflation and all the diseases of the capitalist system are growing from bad to worse.

Ukraine is being relentlessly pushed into deeper and deeper crisis, threatening its very existence as a sovereign country. The US imperialists and their NATO allies are directly responsible for this terrible situation. They set loose their fascist agencies in Ukraine to spread anarchy and violence in the capital Kiev and other cities.

The teachings of Lenin are extremely relevant today

April 22 is the birth anniversary of V.I. Lenin, the great revolutionary leader and teacher of the working class. Developments in India and all over the world reaffirm the extreme importance and relevance of his fundamental teachings today.

I am writing to thank you for carrying the landmark interview with Com.

The Call of the CC of the CGPI on the occasion of May Day 2014 which carries the byline `Build the united front of the working class and toiling masses around the program to ensure prosperity and protection for all!’ in the columns of MEL and on the web-site of the party organ, is a rallying cry that I endorse.

Interview with
Comrade Lal Singh, General Secretary of Communist Ghadar Party of India
by Comrade Chandra Bhan, Editor of Mazdoor Ekta Lehar

In the last two months, there have been several high level Japanese visitors to India. In November there took place the first ever visit by an Emperor and Empress of Japan to India. In early January, the Japanese Defence Minister visited Delhi. This was followed by the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was also the Chief Guest at the Republic Day ceremonies.

The Singapore government introduced a new bill in parliament on January 20, giving police special powers to “maintain public order” in Little India, a hub of Indian-owned businesses, eateries and pubs, where migrant workers from India and other South Asian countries get together in their rest time.

More than 15,000 workers, i.e. about 80% of the work force of the state owned Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) went on strike on December 9, protesting against steps that are being widely perceived as preliminary to privatizing the rail service – a plan by the management to sell off to private hands the most profitable slice of its business.

Encouraged by the covert and overt backing of the imperialists of US and Germany, the anti-government protestors led by the opposition parties in Ukraine have been trying to overthrow the government of President Viktor F. Yanukovych by carrying out one provocation after the other.

The 44th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) brought together more that 2000 corporate executives, prime ministers, presidents and other government leaders, heads of central banks and social celebrities at the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos, from January 22-25.

More than two lakh government employees of Haryana participated in a successful strike for 72 hours from 20th-22nd February, under the leadership of an Employees Coordinating Committee.

The Loco Running Staff of the Southern Railways organized a protest demonstration on 22nd of Jan, 2014, in Chennai to highlight their key demands. A dharna was held in front of the Moore market near the Central Station. it was addressed by various union leaders and activists including Comrades V.R. Prakash, President of AILRSA, R. Murali, Zonal secretary of AILRSA, R.

On December 25, 2013, the Communist Ghadar Party of India completed 33 years since its founding. The occasion was marked by celebrations organized by the party organizations in different regions of the country. The Central Committee had previously planned to organize a series of Party Schools in different regions.

Oppose all foreign interference in Bangladesh!

Elections to the Bangladesh parliament were held on January 5, 2014 in the backdrop of a severe political crisis in that country. The 28 party opposition coalition headed by the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) of Khaleda Zia boycotted the elections.

Another attack on the working people

On January 1, 2014 the price of non-subsidized cooking gas (LPG) was raised by Rs. 220, one of the steepest hikes so far. Following the increase, a 14.2 kg non-subsidized cooking gas cylinder will now cost Rs. 1,241, while it earlier cost Rs. 1,021.

In the year that has gone by, one of the biggest burdens on the masses of working people has been the sharp and continuous rise in prices of vegetables. This added to the burden the people were already facing because of the rise in the prices of a whole host of other essential commodities. The rise in prices was particularly severe in the case of onions, and also potatoes and tomatoes.

Selling out to global finance capital in the name of reform

In November 2013, the Reserve Bank of India issued a new policy for foreign banks in India, which allows them to take over existing Indian banks if they satisfy certain conditions.

“Why should we, the people of India, not elect a new Constituent Assembly to formulate a new Constitution to enable Hindustan to march on the high road of civilisation in this 21^st century?”

There has been a lot of noise in recent weeks about the external exchange value of the Rupee, which has fallen by nearly 10 percent in the last one month and nearly 20 percent since April 2013. The prices of imported goods have risen and this has had a cascading effect on prices across the spectrum of commodities.

In the constant, day to day struggle between capital and labour, the capitalist class tries to increase the degree of exploitation of workers and thus increase the surplus value extracted from the labour of workers, by depressing the wages of workers and by increasing the length of the working day.

Devastating floods in Uttarakhand as well as Himachal Pradesh, following heavy rains in northern India since June 13, have already claimed thousands of lives and left behind a terrible trail of destruction. Men, women and children, their homes and belongings, whole villages, roads and bridges have simply been washed away by the raging flood waters.

Paving the way for accelerated loot and plunder of people’s assets

The UPA government is claiming that it finally has achieved an “all-party consensus” on the proposed new land acquisition bill, titled the Right to Fair Compensation, Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Bill, 2011.

On May 22, the UPA-2 government “celebrated” its fourth anniversary and congratulated itself for its performance on delivery of services to the people. However, the facts speak otherwise. The UPA government is yet to deliver on its promise of implementing a plan to ensure food for its people.

The existing law and official definitions create artificial divisions among workers

The following is the third part of a series of articles on this question, which has been an important topic of discussion within the Communist Ghadar Party and in the working class movement in recent times.

Working class must go for political power to reorient the economy to provide for all!

Call of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India on the occasion of May Day 2013

Comrade workers!

Delivering maximum profits for capitalist corporations and bitter medicine for the workers and peasants

The Finance Minister of the UPA government, Shri.P. Chidambaram, while presenting the 2013-14 budget on 28thFebruary said, “Faced with a huge fiscal deficit, I had no choice but to rationalise expenditure. We took a dose of bitter medicine.”

Speech of Comrade Lal Singh, General Secretary of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, in the meeting organised by Lok Awaz Publishers and Distributors to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Ferozeshah Kotla rally

Comrades!

Red Salute to the country’s working class for a successful general strike!

The Indian working class carried out a successful general strike on February 20-21 under the leadership of the Trade Union organisations for their demands to put a stop to the price rise, for increasing the minimum wages, against the contract labour system and against the privatisation of public property.

After consulting with the capitalist associations in India and abroad, Chidambaram also held day-long talks with the Congress Working Committee.  The aim of this exercise was to figure out what so-called concessions he ought to highlight in his budget speech, so as to fool the working people and not lose too many votes for the Congress Party in the coming state assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

On the morning of 9 February, under the cover of utmost secrecy, the Indian state hanged Mohammed Afzal Guru and buried him inside Tihar Jail in Delhi.  His family and the rest of the country came to know only after the fact.  The execution of Afzal Guru was a shameless and cowardly act that cannot be justified in the name of law and justice.  On the contrary, the evidence shows

On 22^nd February, 1993, the opening day of the budget session of Parliament 20 years ago, organisations of workers, women and human rights activists jointly staged a bold protest rally at Ferozeshah Kotla, condemning the criminal deeds of the principal parties in Parliament.  They appealed to all men and women of conscience to take joint action for bringing about a fund

We, the undersigned, note that this Budget session of the Lok Sabha is being convened at a critical moment in the history of India. The blood of thousands of innocent victims of organised violence has not yet dried on the streets of Bombay, Surat, Delhi and other places, while lakhs have fled their homes, and returned penniless and destitute to the far corners of the country.

Uncompromisingly oppose privatisation in all forms and under any name

Thirteen years ago, in February 2000, led by the Mazdoor Ekta Committee, the workers of Modern Foods India Limited (MFIL) carried out a bold protest action in New Delhi on the opening day of Parliament.

A convention of activists was held on 30 January 2013 in the Mavlankar auditorium by the United Workers Organisations of Delhi. The convention was organised in the context of the call given by the central trade unions to make the all India strike on 20-21 February a success. More than a thousand activists took part in this convention.

India needs a modern democratic state

Statement of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India, 22nd January, 2013

The glaring contradiction between the voices being raised on Raj Path and on the jan path, between those in Parliament and those on Parliament street, reflects the inevitable clash between the forces of the Old and the forces of the New.  The old order is crumbling.  A new order is struggling to be born.  Those who benefit from the old order are using their power to prolong its life, to postpone its end for as long as possible.

Let us work unitedly to make the All India General Strike a success!

The working class is resolutely combating the attacks it is facing. In order to guarantee maximum profits for the capitalist class, the government is relentlessly implementing measures that are resulting in continuous increase of prices of essential commodities of daily consumption.

The hysterical warmongering against Pakistan witnessed in the first half of January brought India and Pakistan dangerously close to another military conflict.

The Justice J.S. Verma Committee, which was constituted by the government following the brutal gang-rape and subsequent death of a 23 year old woman in New Delhi on December 16, 2012, and the nation-wide agitations that followed demanding that the government take stern steps to prevent crimes against women, released its recommendations on January 23, 2013.

On 15 January the contract workers of Tehkhand Depot of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) went on strike to protest against the anti-worker attitude of the management and the Labour department.

The strike was led by Mazdoor Ekta Committee (MEC) and the All India Employees Trade Union.

Parliament is a tool of monopoly capitalist rule!

Fight with the aim of establishing workers’ and peasants’ rule!

Call of the Central Committee, Communist Ghadar Party of India, 13th Dec, 2012

Comrade Workers!

The winter session of Parliament began on 22^nd November.  The agenda includes several proposed new laws, cleared recently by the Cabinet, which require parliamentary approval. 

End the inhuman and unprincipled US blockade against Cuba!

On November 13, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution calling for an end to the more than 50 year long blockade of Cuba by the US.  The fact that the vote was 188 member states for the resolution with only 3 against, shows the complete isolation of the United States with regard t

In their attempt to justify the opening up of retail trade and many other sectors to foreign direct investment, the Prime Minister and many other so-called economic experts argue that increased inflow of foreign capital is essential to save our economy from sinking deeper into crisis.

Com A K Shrivastava is the Secretary General of the All India Guards’ Council (AIGC). Our correspondent met him to interview him about the effect of 20 years of the economic reform policy and to get information about the working conditions in this important sector.

The latest two packages of economic policy reforms announced by the UPA Government have been met with widespread opposition among the working class and people. These are measures to expand the space for the biggest capitalist monopolies, Indian and international, to collaborate in intensifying the exploitation and plunder of our land and labour.

On September 10, thousands of public school teachers in Chicago went on strike, opposing education reforms proposed by the city's mayor, which have been endorsed by the Obama government. Nearly 29,000 teachers were reported to be on strike.

In his address to the nation on 21^st September, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned the people not to “be misled by those who want to confuse you by spreading fear and false information.”

Report of Public Meeting on “Whither India?” held in Mumbai on 8^th September, 2012

Call of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India, 30th August, 2012

Working class representatives from all over the country are gathering on 4th September, at a time when a titanic struggle is going on in our country.  The struggle is between the majority of toiling and exploited people and a minority of exploiters.  It is between the majority whose lab

Ghadar jaari hai!

Statement of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India, 12 August, 2012

Sixty five years after independence from the British, who is free in India today? Workers, peasants, intellectuals, women, religious minorities, nations and nationalities are all oppressed. The big bourgeoisie has used the state of the Indian Republic to become the most dominant and ruling force of society, and is dragging the entire country onto a dangerous path – colluding and contending with other imperialist powers, and has grown rich not only by domestic but also through external plunder. The time has come to negate this state which negates the rights and aspirations of all our peoples. This can be done if and only if the working class takes the lead.  For India to be free and independent, it is essential that every part our country, every section of our people, is free from oppression or discrimination of any kind.  On the 65th anniversary of independence, the Communist Ghadar Party calls on all… to unite firmly around the program to reconstitute the Indian Union on a voluntary basis, redefine democracy to empower the people!

Let us make the September 4 convention of the working class a resounding success!

It is important for leaders and activists of working class, irrespective of the party or union they belong to today, to understand how and why the bourgeoisie is able to continue to attack the rights of the working class and people, despite knowing that the majority of the population is opposed to these attacks. The main reason lies in the fact that while the bourgeoisie is united around its one program of globalisation through liberalistion and privatisation, the working class is not.

As a newspaper and organisation that is partisan to the workers and toilers, we have been asking the leaders of the working people as to how the toilers of India view the reforms that were started 20 years ago. Whether the working class and people have benefitted from these reforms or have suffered?

In 2000-01, an auto worker spent 2 hours 12 minutes of an 8-hour shift working for his own subsistence and that of his family. He spent the remaining 5 hours and 48 minutes generating surplus for the capitalist. By 2009-10, the ratio had deteriorated: The auto worker now spent just 1 hour 12 minutes working for his own subsistence and that of his family, and the remaining 6 hours 48 minutes ensuring profits for the capitalist.

The strike of the pilots of Air India was withdrawn on July 3, 2012, following the intervention of the Delhi High Court.

This strike was called by the Indian Pilots’ Guild when the Central Government officers in charge of Air India went back on their promises on 7^th May.  It lasted for almost two full months.  The 440 youthful pilots who were on strike revealed great determination and resolve to fight for their rights in the face of organised slander propagated by the corporate media and the Central Government.

Fight for the complete withdrawal of this hike!

On May 23, 2012 the UPA government launched a savage attack on the livelihood of our people  by increasing the petrol prices by over 7.50 Ps per liter. This is the third hike in petrol prices in the past year, and the steepest ever, the previous steepest being Rs 5/- a litre.

Statement of the Central Committee of CGPI on the occasion of the 60^th anniversary of the Lok Sabha, 20^th May, 2012

A special session of both houses of Parliament was convened on 13^th May to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the first session of the Lok Sabha.

Defeat the privatisation and liberalisation program!

Call of the Central Committee, Communist Ghadar Party of India, on the occasion of May Day 2012

Comrade Workers!

As reported in the March 1-15 issue of Mazdoor Ekta Lehar, the Central Labour Ministry, New Delhi had appointed a one man National Tribunal, under Justice G.S Saraf, to look into the grievances of the Engine Drivers of Indian Railways.

It has come to light through newspaper reports that at a Railway General Managers Conference (there are 17 Railway Zones, each headed by a General Manager) on January 11, 12 in New Delhi, these “learned” gentlemen proposed to the Railway Ministry that in order to cut running costs of the Railways, the salaries including dearness allowance (DA) of the railway employees should be r

The BRICS grouping, just like other imperialist groupings, is wrought with contradictions between the member states. India and China for example have contradictions over unequal trade relations; they are competing for energy and other resources in Myanmar, South Sudan and other countries of Africa. They are contending with each other in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and South East Asia.

Call of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India, 1^stMarch, 2012

International Women’s Day, on 8^th March, 2012, comes at a time when more and more women are coming out on the streets, in our country and all over the world.

On February 28, 2012 the Indian working class, its trade unions and organisations gave a call for an All-India strike in opposition to the proposals of the UPAgovernment for labour reforms in the interest of the capitalists. The strike call was for the defeat of the programme of privatization and liberalization, and against the bail out for the capitalists at the expense of the people.

While tightening their economic pressure against Iran through punitive sanctions, the Anglo-American imperialists are simultaneously busy making preparations for outright military aggression as well. US president Obama’s recent statements about giving time to allow the sanctions to take effect are only a diplomatic ruse to fool world opinion.

We are publishing the interview with Birju Nayak, Secretary, Mazdoor Ekta Committee

MEL: Why has this strike been called today?

Birju Nayak: This strike has been called to oppose the anti-worker, anti-national, anti-people policies of the present UPA government.

Defeat the program of privatisation and liberalisation!

Fight with the aim of establishing workers’ and peasants’ rule!

Call of the Central Committee, Communist Ghad

The polling of votes for the UP state assembly has been organised to take place in seven phases between 8th February and 3rd March. UP is a huge state with a 20-crore population. It has played a significant role in our country’s revolutionary politics.

The initiating speech, at the working class conference on the Way Forward held on 23-24 December 2011, was made by comrade Lal Singh, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India.

62 years ago, on 26 January 1950, the present-day Republic of India was proclaimed. This marked the consolidation of the state power of the Indian bourgeoisie, which had taken over power from the British colonialists when they were forced to leave because of the mounting struggles of the people of India.

Comrades, we have launched an important initiative to engage all communists in discussion on the urgent necessity for preparing the working class to take political power into its own hands. I call upon you to take up this task and spare no effort in taking this widely in every region of the country.Let us put pressure on everyone calling themselves communist to take a clear stand on this question— are they or are they not agreed on the urgent necessity to prepare the working class to take political power and establish proletarian democracy in place of capitalist democracy?

The 31st birth anniversary of the Communist Ghadar Party of India was celebrated in grand and colourful style in Delhi on 25th December 2011. The entire program was managed from beginning to end by the youthful comrades of the Party.

Way Forward: One Aim, One Program for Political Power!

An important and path breaking two-day conference was organized by Lok Awaz Publishers and Distributors in Delhi on 23-24 December, 2011. It was attended by activists and organisers of the working class, belonging to numerous trends and parties in the communist movement.

Recent data show that the rate of economic growth has turned negative in many advanced capitalist countries, while it is slowing down in all the others. Serious concern is being expressed by multilateral institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund that the global recession may sink into a double-dip depression.

Greece is considered to be the birthplace of European political thought, with the longest history of democratic forms of political power dating back to the stage of slave society. Today, in the early 21st century, the people of Greece are confronted with a State that openly places its duty to its external money-lenders above its duty to its own citizens.

Less than a mile away from Wall Street, the heart of global capitalism, the U.S. and the world have for the past three months witnessed a phenomenon unseen in almost four decades.

In more than 8 districts of Vidarbha & Marathwada regions of Maharashtra, tens of thousands of cotton farmers are involved in mass protests at this time. They are demanding that the minimum procurement price for cotton be revised to at least Rs.6000/- per quintal.

As a newspaper and organisation that is partisan to the workers and toilers, we have been asking the leaders of the working people as to how the toilers of India view the reforms that were started 20 years ago. Whether the working class and people have benefitted from these reforms or have suffered?

Statement of the Maharashtra Regional Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, November 2011

The result of the two decades of the so-called economic reform program since 1991 – the globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation program - has been highly uneven and lopsided economic growth.

The conditions in our country are crying out for a reorientation of the economy and reconstitution of political power.  These together constitute the program for the Navnirman of India that our Party advocates.

We, as a paper and organization partisan to the working class and toiling people, are asking the leaders of the toiling people what India Working think are the consequences of the reforms that were initiated 20 years ago. Have they benefited the working class and toiling masses? Have they harmed the working class and toiling masses?

A draft of the Land Acquisition and Relief & Rehabilitation Bill (LARR) was approved by the Cabinet and tabled in Parliament on September 7, 2011 and referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee on September 15. The Standing Committee is to submit its report on the draft in 3 months.

On September 30, representatives of 13 Unions and organizations met in Mumbai.  The leadership of Lok Raj Sangathan, All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA), Indian Commercial Pilots Association(ICPA), Air  India Aircraft Engineers Association(AIAEA), Western Railway Motormen’s Association(WRMA), All India Service Engineers Association(AISEA),  All India Railwa

Withdraw customs and excise duties on oil and all its products, to bring down the retail price!

Statement of the CC of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 23 September, 2011

Whenever the price of petrol or diesel is raised the government claims that it is because of the “unaffordable subsidy”.  This is a blatant lie because petroleum product consumption is being heavily taxed in our country and not at all subsidized.  The “subsidy” in the central budget is less than one-tenth the total taxes collected from petroleum products.

An attack on one is an attack on all!

Statement of the Delhi Regional Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, September 19, 2011

This is a decisive struggle which will have bearing on workers rights all over the country. Because the workers are fighting for the right to organize themselves into a union of their choice, a union that will defend their interests..

If long-term discouraged workers are also counted, as was officially done in 1980, the unemployment rate was 22.7% in June. In other words, between one-fifth and one-fourth of those willing to work are without jobs.

The legal battles reflect the contradictions among the biggest monopolies and financial groups, and between states that represent rival imperialist interests.  Such conflicts are growing acute alongside the contradiction between finance capital and the broad masses of working people.

Statement of the Delhi Regional Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, September 9, 2011

Private companies have taken over the massive infrastructure, equipment, offices, substations and real estate belonging to the Delhi government for a song. New meters have been forcibly installed, which the workmen who install say are doctored. The workers who come to fix lines are contract labour. The only permanent staff is those who are near retirement, or are collecting bills.

The Government of India is trying to mislead the toiling majority of people by claiming that capitalist monopolies in retail will help to control food prices. The real objective of the monopolies is not to provide essential items at affordable prices but to reap maximum profits at the expense of the producers. The real aim of the government is to enable this to happen. It does not want to accept its responsibility of ensuring that the livelihood of producers is secured, that food is available to people at prices they can afford through efficiently managed procurement and distribution and not allowing trade in essential items to be a profit making activity.

The Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) has pointed out that “Youth are being denied a future.  They are being blocked from having any say in shaping the future. The state itself promotes violence and anarchy; and then blames the youth”.

Confirmation of the crimes of the management and the government

The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Air India covering the period 2005-10 has unequivocally indicted the management and the government for the purchase of 50 Boeing aircraft.

Statement of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India, 18 August, 2011

The struggle against corruption is part and parcel of the struggle to change the political and economic system in our country.  An important and immediate aim of this struggle is to reclaim from Parliament what belongs to the people, namely  — sovereignty, the supreme decision making power.

The III Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India was convened in the third week of July 2011.

Support the 5th August Strike of over 10,00,000 bank workers!

The United Forum of Bank Unions, consisting of nine unions of employees and officers of all state-owned banks, has called a one-day strike on 5th August. The workers’ unions are fighting against intensified exploitation and attacks on their rights and working conditions.

Interview with Comrade Ramanand about the upcoming Strike of Bank workers

Following the call for an all-India strike on 5th August by the United Forum of Bank Unions (5 employees’ unions and 4 officers’ unions), correspondents of Mazdoor Ekta Lehar interviewed one of the most senior leaders of bank workers in Delhi on 13th July, 2011. Comrade Ramanand is General Secretary of the Delhi State - Bank Employees Federation and one of the leading members of All-India Bank Employees’ Association

Interview with Comrade P.K. Sharma about the Strike of Bank workers

The Confidentiality Act is a legacy of British colonial rule, like the Land Acquisition Act.  The law exists from the epoch when we were enslaved to the white man.

In the wake of these exposures, the government is now talking of revival of Air India. On the other hand, the capitalist associations are demanding its immediate privatization. They are saying government must not inject any money in Air India as it is allegedly a waste.

Central Postal Joint Council of Action (CPJAC) has declared that postal workers all across India will intensify their struggle. They may go on indefinite strike in July 2011.

The Fourth Congress of the Communist Ghadar Party of India was convened in the last week of October 2010.

The Report of the Fourth Congress was presented by Comrade Lal Singh on behalf of the Central Committee elected by the Third Congress. It was discussed at length and adopted by the Congress. It was been edited for publication by the decision of the Fourth Congress. This publication also contains the Resolutions adopted by the Fourth Congress

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Marked as a "Day of Protest against Price Rise", June 23 saw various trade unions of Delhi stage a joint protest against price rise at Jantar Mantar. The unions demanded that the prices of the various petroleum products which had been hiked up by the Congress led UPA government be reduced.

Greece has been under severe economic crisis for the past several years. The Greek government which did not have any foreign debt before it joined the EU in 2000, is now mired in debt. By 2009, the budget deficit stood at 15.7%, which is four times what is allowed by the EU and the external debt was 127% of the GDP. The primary reason for this situation was the easy credit offered to the Greek government by the "troika" of lending institutions, i.e., the IMF, European Central Bank and the European Commission. 

On June 9^th , 2011, 10 unions representing the different sections of the employees of Air India, including, pilots, aircraft technicians, ground staff and cabin crew, Aircraft Engineers, radio officers and flight officers,Service Engineers as well as the officers  came together at Mumbai and decided to form the “Core Committee of Joint  Forum of Air India and India

The Delhi High Court ordered the striking pilots back to work by declaring the strike illegal, and is initiating contempt proceedings since its order was not obeyed.  It has remarked that if its orders are not obeyed, then it would lead to anarchy and a discrediting of the institution, and then everyone would do as they liked. Why does not the Court also ask this of the management, and in particular of the MD, Mr. Arvind Jadhav? The latter has now been named in several allegations amounting to corruption of the worst sort, including those listed in the article, and more recently in the sale of valuable land to private players. 

In our country at the present time, the party that is promoted as “the Marxist Party” has turned Marxism into such a grotesque caricature that masses of working people are rebelling against its rule in West Bengal. Far from arming the working class to become the ruling class, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has committed itself to managing the rule of the capitalist class. It has merged with the existing capitalist state and its multi-party representative democracy. It has unleashed police repression and brutal violence against peasants and others so as to seize their land and hand it over to capitalist monopolies.

SCAMS UNDER ARVIND JADHAV

1. 32 PROFITABLE ROUTES WITHDRAWN TO BENEFIT PRIVATE AIRLINES.

2. FORCED STRIKE ON EXECUTIVE PILOTS, THEREAFTER HE WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR TALKS FOR FOUR DAYS (LOSS MINIMUM 100 CRORES).

3. AIRCRAFTS RE-PAINTED THRICE IN AS MANY YEARS.

4. 12 CRORES CROCKERY ORDERED.

(from the leaflet of striking Air India pilots)

Teachers and union members marched in the streets of Philadelphia to protest the state education budget that contains a massive 54 percent cut to public higher education spending. Education cuts lead to tuition fee hikes, making education unaffordable for many youth.

Employees of Hellenic Petroleum launched a 10-day strike on 3rd April 2011 that could disrupt the supply of the market with fuel in the coming days. The employees at EL.PE are striking in demand of "the safe staffing of the new units that are commencing operation at the (EL.PE) industrial installations in Thessaloniki and Elefsina". (ANA-MPA).

Hundreds of Finnish workers have started a two week strike at selected paper making plants aimed at speeding stalled wage talks. The trade union says the walkouts began in the first week of April 2011 and include some 1,000 members. They are expected to cause plant closures, mostly at UPM- Kymmene Corp.'s factories.

Increased allocation of financial resources for providing health care in the public hospitals. This is required for uninterrupted full supply of life saving medicines and instruments required for life saving procedures in the peripheral and district hospitals throughout the state. Currently there is a huge shortage of these items.

The workers of Voltas in Mumbai are on the path of struggle. Voltas is a profit making company belong to the Tata Group. The workers of Voltas have been fighting for revision of their wages and have put forward a charter of demands.

Thousands of film workers of Andhra Pradesh have declared they will go on strike from April 8.  The workers are demanding a hike in their wages, but Telugu film producers are refusing to discuss their demands. "Workers of all the 24 crafts will not participate in any shooting from tomorrow until our demands are met," leaders of the A P Film Industry Employees Federation (APFIEF) declared.

Contract workers in a steel making plant in Sanguem taluka in Goa began an indefinite strike on April 5, 2011. Over 250 workers gathered outside the factory gates shouting slogans against the management. The striking workers are demanding better working conditions.

All India Postal Employees Union has threatened to go on an indefinite nationwide strike in support of their demands.

The strike by workers of General Motors India (GMI) at the Halol plant in Gujarat continues.  900 temporary workers of the car plant are on strike since March 16, 2011.

Contract workers of ACC (Holcim), a multinational cement company, in Chhattisgarh, have started an indefinite dharna from April 3, 2011, demanding the implementation of a High Court order for their regularization and for implementation of the Cement Wage Board Award.

The Union Budget was presented by the Finance Minister on 28 February 2011 against the backdrop of the severest crisis of credibility of the UPA government.  

The National Advisory Council (NAC), headed by Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, has released an Explanatory Note on the proposed National Food Security Bill, and asked for comments on this note from all interested parties by 15th March.  This Explanatory Note is in support of a draft National Food Security Bill that would give conditional entitlements of fixed quantities of rice, wheat or coarse grains at subsidised prices to ‘priority’ and ‘general’ category households.

 A series of high profile corruption scandals have rocked the political establishment in recent weeks, engulfing both the ruling Congress and its allies, as well as the main opposition, the BJP.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and bourgeois economists in general try to hide the connection between the rise in National Debt and the rise in economic burdens that are piling up on the backs of workers and peasants at this time. In fact, the rising national debt is one of the major factors, and a permanent one, leading to ever increasing burdens being imposed on the toiling people, in the form of higher taxes and prices of everything they need to buy in the market.

The issue of what price the peasant is able to sell his marketable produce at is very critical in the face of rising input prices being paid by him - it is a question of his livelihood. This has become a matter of serious concern as increasing number of peasants face destitution and ruin.

A report released by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) reveals that in the past 16 years, the rich have grown richer and the poor poorer. According to the report, the top 20% of our country's population has more than 50% share of the national income in 2009-2010, as compared to the 36.7 % it had in 1993-1994.