NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Build a br oad based
broad
movement a
mov aggainst ffascist
ascist
of
offfensive of RSS-BJP
ensiv
Fascist offensive of RSS-BJP is assuming sinister proportions and
assuming ominous form. RSS-BJP serves corporate- foreign and domestic
and defends landlords and has become a preferred choice of these ruling
classes for increased extraction of surplus from the labouring masses,
disrupting their struggles through communal polarization and suppressing
democratic rights under the guise of their ‘nationalism’. At present the
danger of fascism comes from RSS-BJP. RSS-BJP is the target of present
campaign against fascist offensive.
Formation of a majority Govt. by RSS-BJP with Narendra Modi as Prime
Minister has signified increased offensive of the ruling classes against the
people of the country. Over the past four and a half years of its rule, this
Govt. has attacked workers, peasants and other sections of the people. It
has intensified attacks against minorities particularly Muslims. This ruling
group is the most reactionary section of the ruling classes of the country
and represents its brazen offensive against the toiling people, communist
revolutionaries being its main target. It has intensified repression on the
revolutionary movement and struggles of oppressed nationalities. In fact
support of Indian ruling classes to RSS-BJP signifies their offensive against
all sections of toiling people and is also born out of the increasing struggles
of the people against their exploitation and oppression which has prompted
the ruling classes to bring this fascist organization to power.
RSS-BJP rule marks significant increase in the exploitation of workers
and peasants. Contractualization of work force has been given a big fillip.
Peasants are being further squeezed with rise in the cost of inputs and
prices of produce not keeping pace. Conditions of landless and poor
peasants including agricultural labourers have further worsened. To facilitate
the plunder of the land of the peasants particularly tribals, RSS-BJP Govts.
in the states have amended the 2013 LARR Act. Class contradictions are
getting aggravated.
December, 2018 1 2
RSS-BJP’s Hindutva is essentially upper caste chauvinism
(Brahmanism). It not only targets minorities particularly Muslims, but also
Dalits, other oppressed castes, tribals, women. Since their advent to power
they have formed extortionist murderous fascist hordes in the name of
Gau Rakshaks who kill Muslims in the name of their transporting cows.
Bahu Beti Izzat, Love Jihad, Gau Raksha, and such other slogans are
raised in furtherance of their murderous drive. RSS machinery converts
every local dispute into communal conflict. Lynching of Muslims is being
done by RSS cadres with the help of police. There has been a sharp increase
in the attacks on Dalits under various pretexts. When they rise to protest
upper caste oppression and for demanding their rights they are being targeted
by state machinery. Incarceration of thousands of Dalit youth after Bhima
Koregaon protests, Maharashtra Bandh and April 2 All India Bandh has
demonstrated Brahmanical upper caste chauvinist character of their rule.
Tribals are being dispossessed of their land and means of livelihood.
Due to mineral resources in the land they live on and with a view of absorbing
them into lowest rung of Hindu society, they are being relentlessly attacked.
Women too are being subjected to increased attacks. They are being forced
to conform to patriarchal norms and being systematically attacked for
violating them.
Communist revolutionaries are their special target even as they attack
all the people’s struggles. They are increasingly using draconian provisions
of UAPA and PD Act against the revolutionary forces, even all the struggling
forces. They have created a ‘spectre’ of Urban Naxalism which is aimed at
crushing the democratic rights movement particularly democratic rights'
activists standing up against the violation of democratic rights of the
oppressed people.
This grave situation calls for communist revolutionary organizations
who are fighting for New Democratic Revolution in India to lead the fight
back against this growing fascist offensive and project a revolutionary
alternative before the people. Communist Revolutionary Organizations
should mobilize the people against RSS-BJP fascist offensive. Communist
revolutionary forces should also make attempts that more and more forces
join this move. Given the nature of the initiative there is need to mobilize
broader sections of the people including those outside the fold of communist
revolutionaries.
December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Entry of Women Into Sabarimala
Temple-Fertility a Bane in the
Religion of Mother Goddesses?
By a four is to one majority judgement given in September 2018 by a
bench headed by the erstwhile CJI Deepak Mishra, the Supreme Court
allowed entry of women of age group 15-50 years (others were already
allowed) into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. This was following several
mobilizations of women practising Hinduism to be allowed entry into the
temple and the subsequent appeal by some of them to the highest Court
after the Kerala High Court disallowed their petition. The Kerala High Court
judgement stood on the ground that ‘the nature of the deity is celibate’!
The Supreme Court upturned the High Court order and in the course of its
hearings had also sought the opinion of the Kerala state Govt. where the
LDF Govt. is in power. This Govt. stated in its affidavit that it supported
the entry of all women into the temple. The Supreme Court, in its judgement,
upheld the right to entry under the clauses of the Constitution which
disallowed gender discriminatory practices and upheld the right to gender
equality. Justice Chandrachud noted, ’’The right of a denomination must
be balanced with the individual rights of each of its members. It would be
impossible to conceive of the preservation of liberal constitutional values
while at the same time allowing group rights to defy these values.”He was
referring to the rights of the women devotees of the deity.
Initially the Judgement was welcomed by both the BJP and the Congress
parties, but that was before they remembered that the State Govt. affidavit
had recommended the entry. Sensing the opportunity for effecting a
patriarchal-communal mobilization to strengthen their electoral position in
Kerala the RSS-BJP suddenly began opposing the Judgement, targeting
the State Govt. for not having considered the will of the people and of the
Temple trust before filing its affidavit. The Temple Trust and the feudal
families involved with it also supported the RSS. Fearing loss of patriarchal
Hindu support, the Congress too jumped on to the bandwagon, with the
laughable position that its Kerala unit is into agitation against a decision
which the Party supports in the rest of the country, while its President
says that both sides have ’a point of view’! The patriarchal mobilizations in
the area surrounding the temple have been mounted on every day of worship
December, 2018 3 4
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
(which is allowed for specific periods) chiefly by the RSS and so many
women have been violently attacked and even forced to turn back from the
base at Pampa. The sequence of events since the Judgement includes
‘purification’ of the temple by the energized priest after two women were
publicly known to have entered the temple. This in a country whose ancient
texts carry fertility rites as the productivity of the earth was essential for
survival, where the Earth and the country are referred to as mother figures
and where mother goddesses have been worshipped over centuries.
Interestingly the Manuwadis claim to revere the mother figure; a mother
without menstruation is only possible in the realm of mysticism and miracles
or concretely as a surrogate mother. The lowest point in the period- more
shameful than even the ‘purification’- was the Prime Minister of India roaring
from a public meeting in Kerala and openly committing contempt of the
highest Court apart from upholding patriarchal chains for Hindu women.
The most revealing event politically, was the Highest Court failing to issue
a notice of contempt to the Prime Minister.
The restriction of women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala Temple
does not-repeat, does not- derive from some centuries old practice, but is
comparatively new and dates to the some sixty years earlier. This is
substantiated by records of the entry of young queens of the local royal
family into the temple in the 20 th century. TKA Nair, former Principal
Secretary to Dr. Man Mohan Singh, has stated that his mother visited the
Temple in the child bearing age (as quoted in an article in HT, 20th January
2018).The Maharani of Travancore visited in 1939-40, when she was in her
forties. The ‘’celibate character’’ of the deity, which is much in discussion,
is however part of the standing narrative of the temple and the tale is open
to several interpretations. Apparently a female deity in a nearby temple
wants to marry the Ayyappa deity of this temple. Thus menstruating women
are not to be allowed into the temple so that that particular deity does not
sneak in and corrupt the Ayyappa’s celibate vows. The narrative is all too
familiar for Indian women. It is the woman who is the seductress, it is the
woman who is in the wrong, if a woman is sexually harassed or molested
or raped it is her own fault. Women are just out to nab the men and what is
the poor man’s fault? Celibacy is what great men practise when no women
in reproductive age groups are visible and if they become visible the
"celibate’s" vows are in imminent danger and that is all the fault of the
women. Thus was violence against women by the powerful explained away
for ages and ages in Caste society; thus were women confined to homes in
December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
the name that their very sight should not unsettle men and thus was the
purity of the progeny and hence of inheritance, ensured. The specified age
group for Sabarimala is interesting, signifying either that women above 50
years of age were no longer interesting (a truly sexist position) or that
assaults on/by non reproductive women did not carry the threat of detection
by pregnancy.
The minority judgement in the Supreme Court was delivered by the sole
lady judge (both in the bench and in the Court), Justice Indu Malhotra, who
in her judgement stated that religion was not a science and could not be
dictated to by logic. In this she resonated the Ram Janambhoomi arguments
which state that the importance is not whether Ram existed or was born at
a particular point or not, but whether it is believed so. While her premise
can easily be demolished in its entirety, the problem with her argument is
that the issue before her was not any religion really but a particular
discriminatory practice. Her second argument was that the practice was
determined by the ‘character of the deity’ and could not be likened to the
discriminatory practice of shutting women and/ or Dalits out of temples. As
already stated, this a severely patriarchal practice and is only sanctified
by a Manuwadi discourse which is discriminatory to both women of upper
castes too and to all Dalits. However the Judge has made an important
point that the issue would be misused to interfere into the practices of
minority religions.
There have been mobilizations of Dalits to force temple entries against
discriminatory practices and there are many examples of this over the last
100 years. Similarly women practising Hinduism have been fighting to be
allowed entry into temples where they are forbidden by feudal practices
and Sabarimala has been one such temple. These women have organized
big demonstrations in the recent past at least 30 years. The talk of the
‘’reaction of the people’’, of taking the opinion of the ‘’Ayyappa devotees’’
is misplaced and is to cover up the reality. Mobilizations are undertaken by
political parties and other communal and fundamentalist organizations on
all sorts of regressive agendas, stoking the backwardness of the people
and invariably offering material incentives too. What is the RSS talking of,
showing off its mobilization of women against the entry of women into
Sabarimala?- who has forgotten the mammoth mobilizations of women in
Rajasthan especially and in other parts of North India in support of murders
called Sati after the murder of Roop Kanwar in Rajasthan in one such ‘’sati’’
December, 2018 5 6
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
staging? Who has forgotten that prominent leaders of Congress and BJP
promoted worship of the sati mata against the law of the Land to preserve
his patriarchal upper caste constituency and never a case was registered
against him? If mobilizations be the issue then the Left Front Govt. of
Kerala did not, though very belatedly, do too badly with the massive women’s
chain across Kerala, in support of gender equality. The point is Patriarchy
There must be some discussion on the role of the CPM led Kerala
Govt. which has consciously adopted a dual policy. On the one hand it
gave an affidavit to the Supreme Court upholding gender equality. After
that, instead of roundly enforcing the Supreme Court decision both due to
the Court order and also its own supposed convictions, the state govt.
spoke of being bound to enforce the Court decision, but in the name of
police ‘’being overwhelmed’’ by the protestors, it pumped energy into them
and thus tried to assuage the Hindu vote base. This is to make a mockery
of state power and it fools no body. In Haryana it was clearly demonstrated
that when the Court would brook no dilly dallying, Dera Sachcha Sauda
Chief could be taken from the court to the jail without hitch despite the
large mobilization gathered by his apparatus to prevent the same.
Later, when the Left Govt. began being criticised in progressive circles
for its obvious inaction, it swiftly placed two women very much inside the
temple despite all the priests (who were claimed to have blocked two earlier
women at the very steps of the inner sanctum) and the protests which
were there on all days. Then the women of Kerala were mobilized for a very
significant human chain and thus was criticism set at rest. Decisive action
by the Govt. and state machinery from the very first day would have sent
out a clear message, decelerated the mobilizations against the entry and
facilitated the entry of the women devotees who actually wanted to enter.
Why shouldn’t they want to use this new opportunity if they were practising
the religion- The reason why activists had to come to the forefront- whether
or not they were genuine practising Hindus- is mainly because it was actually
like fighting a battle rather than going for worship. Finally two women have
come to the Supreme Court for protection for women devotees who seek to
enter after two other women were prevented (they were part of a group of 9
devotees) and one who had entered was beaten by her woman relative-
either out of backwardness or maybe even to protect the family from being
beaten by the protesting Hindutwa elements.
December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
The Temple Trust which includes the feudal family who were the erstwhile
royals (and are even now intimately connected to the temple and its
ceremonies, with the ornaments of the deity normally being kept in the
palace premises and the palace representative being allowed worship on
an extra day after the shrine is officially closed) and the priests have
opposed the entry. Not only that, the priests were powerfully backed and
so dared to carry out a purification ceremony when two women entered the
Temple. It is the reality of the stranglehold of feudal patriarchal culture that
despite this outrage of the constitutional promise of equality of gender,
neither the Supreme Court nor the Central govt. nor the parliamentary
political parties decried this daring offense. No FIR has been lodged against
the priests. It must make all those who stand for and also those who fight
for equal rights for women face how massive is the task of breaking the
feudal patriarchal cultural chains. This designation of women and of Dalits
as ‘impure’ is an upper caste chauvinist patriarchal concept in the Indian
context and must be fought unitedly by democratic organizations and also
by organizations of these sections.
There are many ancient stories and old rituals associated with the forest
area in which the Sabarimala temple is situated and with this deity.
Apparently there are several Ayyeppa temples in the ring of temples in
this area and apparently the same restrictions do not apply on them. The
initial keepers of these temples were tribals. Concepts and practices have
changed with time as the feudal practices were enshrined.
Many Hindutva adherents immediately speak of how Masjids prevent
the entry of women and how no democratic organizations are discussing
these. This aspect was one of the fears expressed by the Lady Judge’s
dissenting opinion, though one does not agree with her solution. The point
is, are women who are practising Muslims seeking entry into the masjids-
if yes, they must be protected and defended under the same laws. Similarly,
there must be protection for women practising that religion who fight biases
and unequal provisions in any of their religious places. This is not
interference in religion, when the women of that religion are themselves
seeking redressal under the right to equality of gender promised by the
Constitution of India. Thus was the bar on entry of women lifted in the
Shani Shingarpur temple in Maharashtra and into the Haji Ali Dargah.
However in the absence of movements many discriminatory practices are
continuing enshrined in different religions, whether in temples or masjids
December, 2018 7 8
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
or women not being allowed to be the granthis of prominent gurudwaras or
women not allowed to become priests in catholic churches or so many
other such practices. It is the women practising these religions who must
demand the change and lead from the forefront.
Finally, the fight against patriarchy has to be advanced through building
widespread progressive organizations and advancing both their
consciousness and struggles. Patriarchal values must be fought and
democratic values advanced in all democratic fighting organizations of any
section. All religious practices- even of religions which were born out of
reaction against undemocratic practices-enshrine feudal patriarchal
practices. The struggle against Patriarchy needs also to be advanced through
women participating in and also women’s movements strengthening the
revolutionary movement to overthrow the forces sustaining the feudal
patriarchal culture and for a new democratic culture.
States' Amendments in the Right
to Fair Compensa
Fair tion and Land
Compensation
Acquisition and R esettlement and
Resettlement
Reha bilita
ehabilita tion Act 2013
bilitation
Ashish Mital
The Central LARR 2013 Act had been passed under pressure of anti
Displacement movements of the peasantry all over the country which also
saw a large number of martyrs in police firings. The demands of the peasants
all over the country had highlighted three aspects – “No to Forced
Displacement”, “No Land to MNCs” and “No Industry/ Big Dams/ Commercial
December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
development on Agricultural land”. These movements took place in the
wake of attempts by ruling classes to uproot peasants, tribals in particular,
from their dwellings and snatch their means of livelihood in the name of
development, which was essentially development of the large Corporate
and MNCs.
Amongst the meaningful provisions in the LARR 2013, which were not
provided for in the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 are: the provisions of land
acquisition, consent, compensation and R&R (Relief and Rehabilitation)
would apply to land taken by private companies also who would have to
take consent of 80% of affected persons and in PPP models where land is
in the name of the govt, permission of 70% of affected persons would be
necessary; affected persons are those who owned land and other properties,
agricultural labour, tenants, share croppers, artisans living in the area for
past 3 years prior to the acquisition, SCs, STs and other Traditional Forest
Dwellers and families whose primary livelihood has been dependent on
forests or water bodies; A Social Impact Assessment (SIA) (Chapter 2)
will have to be carried out which will assess social impact of the project
including estimating the number of affected families, the extent of land,
houses, settlements affected, alternative lands available, livelihood
affected, ameliorative measures that need to be taken, ensure that the
land being acquired is the bare minimum required, that no previously
acquired unutilized land is lying in the area, the acquisition serves public
purpose, ensure that a public hearing is held and also seek approval of
experts group. It will determine market value as per stamp duty rates,
average sale price or consent value agreed, whichever is larger; ensure
that irrigated land is not acquired; appoint an Administrator for R&R to
prepare a scheme, ensure a hearing in every Gram Sabha, appoint a
Commisioner R&R; return the land to original owners if it remains unacquired
after beginning of the process or remains unutilized for 5 years after
acquisition (section 102); give 40% of returns to the original owners if it is
transferred for a consideration to a third party without development (Section
103); Punish the guilty officials who have done malafide or given false
information in the process of acquisition, etc. These provisions created a
better balance for the displaced than the earlier Act.
After coming to power the Modi Govt, committed as it was to the MNCs
and Corporate, had made several attempts to make changes in the LARR
Act 2013, by undermining important measures through first proposing the
December, 2018 9 10
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
LARR (Amendment) Bill 2015 and also passing an Ordinance to that effect
four times. It was forced by peasants' anger and protests to relent, but it
gave direction to state govts to make these changes in their State Acts.
After this 11 states have made rules or published clarifications on select
sections as per powers under the Act to undermine the provisions, while
Rajasthan drafted a separate bill.
Through these state level changes the govts. have stopped compulsory
Social Impact Assessment and Environment Impact Assessment (Chapter
2) before starting the Acquisition process. They undermined compulsory
payment of 2 to 4 times the value of the land apart from paying for other
assets. They tried to permit private purchase of peasant land prior to
acquisition to preempt the consent and R&R implementation. They tried to
water down all the Compulsory Rehabilitation and Resettlement measures
and its enforcement as in the Act and tried to undermine the punitive clauses
on officials guilty of malafide conduct.
The LARR provided for a compensation of 1 to 2 times the award value
of land for rural areas, i.e. the assessed value plus equal amount as
solatium, (total 2 to 4 times). The state govts. which made changes include
Andhra Pradesh which will pay only 1.25 times the award value in rural
areas and 1.5 times in Scheduled areas and also Haryana which pays only
the award value.
A number of states including Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan, AP, TN
and Jharkhand inserted a separate sub-section which lists a large number
of categories of acquisitions made in the name of infrastructure for all
kinds of works and exempts them from compulsion to conduct the SIA as
well as to follow the provisions of Food Security, particularly ban on
acquiring Irrigated Multi Crop Land (Chapter 3). Several states have altered
the quorum requirements of Gram Sabha meetings called to give consent.
Private purchase provisions totally undermine the SIA, EIA
(Environmental Impact Assessment), consent as well as R&R provisions.
Separate limits have been set out by each state. AP provided for 5000
acres land not having any settlement in it, Bihar kept this at 1000 acres,
Chhattisgarh at 4 hectares in rural areas, Jharkhand at 2000 hectares,
Karnataka at 500 acres dry and 50 acres wet land for industry and 100
acres dry land for housing, Kerala at 101 hectares, Odisha at 200 acres,
December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Telangana at 2000 acres, Tripura at 10 acres. These have been done under
a ‘Consent Land Purchase Policy’ in Chhattisgarh and MP allowing land to
be purchased by paying only twice the value, effectively making that as
the total net burden of acquisition, i.e. with no R&R burden. Gujarat govt
has given freedom to acquire up to 1 km of land on either side of Railways
and Highways. Karnataka has limited consent to only Gram Sabhas of
Scheduled areas with provision of reservation in Group C and D jobs for
them.
Rajasthan Govt. of Vijayraje Scindhia had passed its own SIR or Special
Investment Region Bill and Land Pooling Policy which did away with the
consent provision and authorized a ‘designated authority’ to enter any land
or building once the state govt had declared it to be ‘a special investment
region’. They also passed rules to allow for all R&R to be paid out in cash
in a one-time deal at the rate of 10% of the Acquisition value in Public
projects and 30% in Private projects, rather than ensuring livelihood,
housing, education, employment, health care, etc. They have thus monetized
the R&R and also set out One Time Settlement limits. Similarly Chhattisgarh
has set out monetary limits for R&R at the rates of Rs 6, 8 and 10 lakhs per
acre of barren, non irrigated and irrigated lands respectively.
In the rules framed by the Chhattisgarh govt., they levied an
administrative cost of 5% each for compensation paid and for R&R and Rs
5 lakhs or actual expenses incurred on Social Impact Assessment. Similarly
MP levied a 5% administrative cost on acquisition.
Prohibition on acquisition of Irrigated Multi Crop Lands (IMCL) as per
Food Security Chapter, too has been changed by some states and ceiling
limits of 2% of IMCL in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand along with limits of 1%
and 25% of Net Sown Area have also been changed. Limit in Karnataka
was of 5% of Net sown area (1% in each District) while it was 2% of Net
sown area in each district and 5% in the state in Kerala, of 50% of net
sown area in MP and 15% of present cultivable area in Telangana. Odhisa
has left the limit to its agriculture department and the acquiring body is to
reclaim equal amount of land and deposit the development cost of such a
land or just deposit the entire market value of the IMCL acquired. Similarly
in AP, rules have been changed to allow acquisition of IMCL provided that
the market value is to be deposited with the state agricultural department.
These percentages are for the district or state as applicable.
December, 2018 11
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
The LARR also clearly stipulates that if after 5 years of acquisition the
land is not used for the purpose for which it has been acquired, then the
land will be returned to its original owners or their legal heirs. States have
also made changes to the land to be returned in case of delay in acquisition
by adding to the limit of 5 years the time lost in litigations and by transferring
land to a state land pool instead of the original owner in Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Odisha and Telangana. Telangana and Karnataka also have an
alternative of returning the land to the owner if current market value is
returned or in case of Telangana if compensation plus 9% interest is realized.
Some states like Gujarat have watered down the punishment clauses
for officials who misinform or have a malafide conduct during acquisition.
Some states have also imposed punishments for obstruction, going upto 3
to 6 months imprisonment or fine or both.
These changes will have a far reaching impact on the rights of the
people over natural resources, housing and livelihood. Modi govt. is already
in overdrive for Make In India. For this not only is he hard selling India’s
resources and strengthening the repressive machinery in order to prevent
people’s protests, the National Green Tribunal, the official safety valve for
environmental safety, has been going overboard in granting clearance to
big projects. Now with undermining of the role of Gram Sabhas, of consent
from affected people, of Social Impact of the project, of the possibility of
return of land when it is simply taken over for real estate purpose and not
‘developed’, of punishment to officials for cheating the people and of
reduction in amounts to be paid as compensation and spent on Resettlement
and Rehabilitation, the peoples’ struggle is bound to see a fresh round.
There are no long term solutions for people within the system. Placebos,
legislative securities don’t last long and it is the Congress itself, which is
projecting itself as the champion of the peoples’ demand against forceful
acquisition, which will be in the forefront of betraying its claim. People of
Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have continuously fought
against the erstwhile BJP govts on these issues, both in urban and rural
areas, but the Congress, which has been the main beneficiary of people's
anger against BJP’s anti people rule, has spoken very little on this issue.
It has preferred ‘cow sheds’, ‘Ram Path’ and ‘restoration of temples’, not
of peoples’ rights over their land and livelihood.
12 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Middle Classes lend Support and Media takes Note calibre presentation, its content being unrelated to the movement, most
participants remained disinterested. The impressive display of Bhangra dance
Mar
Marc ch byP
by easantr
Peasantr
easantryy Pushes by the ex Servicemen’s Organization was the most liked item.

Indebtedness
btedness,, P
Indebtedness easant Suicides
Peasant Suicides,, The evening witnessed some drama with the Delhi police refusing to give
permission for the rally, highlighting a latest Supreme Court limitation of allowing
MSP Issues on to the National only 1000 persons at Jantar Mantar (5000 earlier) and several limitations for
protests at Boat Club. Ultimately, around 1 am next morning they relented
Political Agenda
Agenda after being told that the peasants will march and the Govt. can give whatever
message it wishes to.
More than 20,000 peasant from all over the country, sporting flags of several
colours, various trends of Red as well as various combinations of Green and Next morning at 10 sharp the rally began with everyone marching behind
White and others assembled in the Ramlila Maidan on the 29th of November, the main banner supported by one leader from each member organization of
2018. They came in varying numbers from almost all states of India except the Working Group. The rallyists, marching in organized contingents, shouted
J&K and the North East. They arrived from the morning onwards. Most who slogans raising their main two and other demands, highlighting the plight of
arrived from the south marched from their assembly point in Sarai Kale Khan the peasantry under NDA rule and condemning the RSS-BJP govt under Modi
(Gurudwara Balasaheb), some marched from Bijwasan in the West, at least for betraying the peasants after having made tall promises, all through the 4
two groups from the North from Sabzi Mandi Station and Majnu ka Tila and a km march up to the Parliament Street. Short of half of all flags were Red while
contingent from the East from Anand Vihar Railway Station. They walked almost an equal number were various combinations of green. The participation
between 5 to 18 kilometres and arrived by late evening to witness a cultural of left groups included both the AIKSs, AIKMS, AIKM, BKU Dhakaunda,
evening, ‘Kisano ke Naam, Ek Shaam’, at the Ramlila Maidan.
They came with one explicit demand –a Special Session of Parliament to
pass the two bills presented in Parliament on behalf of AIKSCC on Complete
Debt Waiver and Guaranteed Profitable MSP of 1.5 times the C2 cost of
production.
The major contingents which had arrived in reasonably good numbers were
from Tamil Nadu sparsely clad bodies in green cloth sporting with their trade
mark human skull and bones, from Karnataka, Kerala, AP, Maharashtra,
Gujarat, UP, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana. There were minor participations from
election going states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, MP and Telangana and from
Himachal and Uttarakand, Goa, Odhisa, WB, Jharkhand. Cultural presentations
in the form of songs, skits, dances, tableaus, plays, folk presentations from
most of these states exposed the nexus between the big corporate, big traders
and corrupt govt officials and the misery of the hapless peasants, leaving the
spectators mesmerised and enthused. Ruling class section within the AIKSCC
had also organized a Bolywoodrap performance to create an ‘ecstatic
atmosphere’ and make the ‘farmers dance’. Though the performance was a

December, 2018 13 14 December, 2018

 NEW DEMOCRACY
Jamoohri Kisan Sabha and others, while the other major mobilizations were
by RKMS, mostly from UP, the Shetkari Swabhiman Sangathan from
Maharashtra, as well as by the Lok Sangharsh Morcha- Maharashtra, the
Karnataka Rajya Rytu Sangha, Jai Kisan Andolan, NAPM, etc.
The march ended at the meeting venue in front of the Parliament Street
Police Station where the crowds heard their leaders speak from the dais.
Several leaders of AIKSCC National Council member organizations had been
called up to the dais, but only 19 WG members and two guests, P Sainath
from Nation for Farmers and General Satbir Singh from the One Rank One
Pension movement addressed the gathering. The Nation for Farmers had
conducted campaigns in several academic institutions and mobilized urban
citizens, shopkeepers, lawyers, doctors, teachers and others to support the
peasant struggle in major cities, drawing a good response.
Sustained protest programmes by AIKSCC have also contributed in pushing
the twin issues of Peasant Indebtedness and Guaranteed Profitable Support
Price on to the national agenda. The latest protest on 29th and 30th November,
though not much bigger than the protest held last November, was not only
given better media coverage, it inspired the middle classes throughout the
country and forced large number of parliamentary parties to speak up on the
issue openly to try and hog the limelight, so crucial it has become for them to
be seen as supporters of the peasants’ cause, so close to the national elections.
That this protest evinced such a response is firstly a result of the sustained
peasant struggles and also the effort of AIKSCC which was formed in the
wake of 6 peasants being shot dead in Mandsaur, MP in June 2017. The
AIKSCC undertook All India Yatras in 2017, drafted two bills on Debt Waiver
and Guaranteed Profitable MSP, held consultations in state capitals with
intellectuals and peasant leaders, held a massive protest in November 2017
and passed these bills, presented them to parliamentarians and parties,
introduced them in the parliament and then continued the protests in 2018
demanding a special session to pass them.
During this period the AIKSCC not only kept together its unity, it grew from
the initial 70 organizations to 210 under its umbrella. Secondly this period saw
other big mobilizations, particularly two long marches in Maharashtra, one by
AIKS in March and one by Lok Sangharsh Morcha in October. Both these
were largely tribal mobilizations fighting displacement and for implementation
of FRA, 2006, but their commitment to walk, their deprivation and misery
December, 2018 15
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
drew wide attention of the people and media, who sympathised with their
plight and expressed anger at the failure by the Govt. to address the issues.
Apart from these, the country has also witnessed movements for Dalit
land rights in Punjab and Gujarat, of Adivasi land rights in Telangana and
other states, repeated protests of cane farmers in Karnataka and Maharashtra,
of milk producers in Maharashtra, against debts in Punjab, of soyabean
producers in MP for better rates,apart from mobilizations for solving water
scarcity in some states.
A notable protest during this period was by BKU (Tikait), presently close
to the ruling setup, on the border of Delhi. They came on October 2 to demand
loan waiver, reduction in electricity and fuel prices and removal of NGT ban
on old tractors, but were denied permission to enter Delhi. While their leaders
tried to work out an assurance to be given directly by the Home Minister, the
peasants refused to leave and protested. An altercation resulted in cane
charging and tear gas and water cannons being used. Though the peasants
went back, they declared on boards placed outside their villages that the BJP
leaders would not be allowed to enter.
In the speeches delivered in the first half of the public meeting on November
30, the AIKSCC Working Group leaders raised several issues with emphasis
as per political orientation. Revolutionary sections raised the issue of govt.
policy in the context of the peasantry versus Corporate (MNC) penetration,
stressing on the rising input prices, of promoting MNC penetration in
agriculture,organizing “Krishi Kumbh” as in UP to help MNCs, of using bank
capital to fund industry and MNCs and of waiving corporate loans worth 3.16
lakh crores, while refusing to waive loans of the peasants, and of promoting
communal politics to disrupt the unity of peasants and create an atmosphere
of undemocratic rule, etc. Ruling class sections, NGOs and revisionists raised
the details of and logic behind the two issues. They stressed that if parliament
can meet at midnight to pass the GST, why can it not hold a special session
for peasants and pass the two bills, They directly warned the ruling party that
if bills are not passed the peasants will see them in the 2019 general elections.
Forces leading movements stressed that whichever govt is formed, if problems
are not solved, the movement will continue.
The second half of the public meeting was dominated by the political leaders
of parliamentary parties, all of who criticized Modi govt, congratulated the
peasant movement and gave assurances.
16 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
That the AIKSCC campaign was geared to and it allowed the ruling class
electoral forces to take centre stage was scripted in the moves made by the
AIKSCC itself. It is no surprise hence, nor a hoodwinking, as it was destined
to happen, considering the character of the main forces leading the front and
the process of presenting the two bills to parliament and trying to rally the
parliamentary parties.The conduct of the mass meeting was as per decision,
with the revolutionary section leaders leaving the stage and only those
hobnobbing with parliamentary forces being present.This apart, there are
aspects of this movement that are worthwhile for the revolutionary movement
to take note of.
The entire move began in a phase when the current RSS-BJP dispensation
ruling in the Centre and gaining ruling positions in the states began transforming
and undermining existing peasant securities in agriculture in a larger way than
the previous govts. It pushed through withdrawal of fertilizer subsidies causing
prices to rise every year, almost 25% in the last year. It has been pushing up
input prices of diesel by raising taxes (313%) and it has sharply raised electricity
prices to help profits of private companies and increase govt revenue.
It has deliberately allowed further penetration of MNCs into agriculture,
Retail trade sector, intimately linked to foodprocessing and privatisation of
AIKSCC Leaders in the Peasant March
December, 2018 17
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
govt mandis. It has been pushing through e-naam to provide instant sale
rates for cheapest procurement by big traders and exporters. It has been
promoting export of agricultural produce, trying to promote production of
exportable products over basic needs. It has been openly promoting Walmart
and agro-trading giants from Japan and Israel, organizing for them targeted
cluster farming across each district.Each of these is to be catered to by one
company which shall hold the monopoly in the district. It has been promoting
land pooling and Farmers’ Producer Organizations to intensify production of
the targeted commercial crop and link the FPOs to specific Corporate. It has
also been undermining the cooperative sector and related securities, particularly
in milk and sugarcane.It has failed to ensure payment of cane prices to farmers
who have been coming onto the roads for payment of arrears and also to
demand better prices. It has been reducing govt. procurement by forcing state
govts to partially foot the bill as well as promoting private storage and marketing.
It has launched a PMFBY(Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) to provide
insurance for crops through private insurers, each private company being
given district wise monopoly to ensure captive premium collection and prevent
competitive bidding. These companies have cornered both the premium paid
by the peasants as well as the contribution of the Govt. and they pay only a
minor part of the claims by peasants, earning almost Rs. 10 to 15,000 crores
per year. It is a new sector for corporate profits.
Its demonetization and GST measures have caused severe losses to the
peasantry apart from small traders.
The Central Govt. has been promoting more acquisition of agricultural land
and forests, providing for easier clearance from MoEF for mining, big dams,
industry and urbanization. On the other hand there has been virtually no
improvement either in basic irrigation or in drinking water facilities. Not only
this, the Govt. has made serious moves to undermine govt welfare, particularly
ration (under pressure of WTO), pension and MGNERGA while promoting only
ODF, a World Bank sponsored program, making highly inadequate and
incomplete provision for sanitary latrines. To top it all, its rule has seen the
steep rise in all round corruption in welfare programmes.
In order to project a growing agriculture scenario, the Govt. has changed
the calculation basis for GDP, substituting Gross Value Added for incremental
measurement of farm produce, which also helps it to better justify commercial
agricultural trade and to divert focus from food security to commercial security.
18 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
All this has led to increasing and widespread antipathy towards the Govt.
and its agricultural policies. The formation of AIKSCC, under the
circumstances, came at a time of rising peasant restiveness in areas and an
increase in ruling class contradictions due to increasing disenchantment of
the people. Though the AIKSCC demarcated only two demands,they assimilate
many larger issues of this crisis. What has been achieved by these protests
is that several organizations, reflecting a very wide range of the political
spectrum are together and are mobilizing peasant masses to some extent.
They have brought the peasant crises on to the National political agenda.
They have generated wide sympathy from non-peasant masses. Rather than
stand aloof, to the extent we have moved, the revolutionary peasant forces
are also part of this script, which we are not in a position to do on our own. It
has also provided us the opportunity to raise some fundamental aspects related
to the landless and poor peasants on the twin issues of debts and prices.While
this participation has definitely given us opportunity to propagate these issues
in our areas, the task of building the movement in areas under the leadership
of revolutionary forces remains.
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CPI(ML) Or
Orgg ans
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Upsurge in France is
Against Deepening Class
Divide and Pro Rich Rule
Aparna
The Yellow Vests or ‘Gilets Jaunes’ of France captured headlines on
the last weekend of November 2018 when over one lakh thirty six thousand
of them came out onto the streets in several cities of France while President
Macron of France was at the G20 meet in Argentina. Typically, over 5000
walked down the Champs de Elysees in Paris shouting ‘’Power to the
People’’ while calls for Macron’s resignation resonated through the country.
The Champs de Elysees is the main artery of Paris and leads to the Champs
Palace, the traditional residence of Presidents of France. Paris was also
marked by outbursts of violent attacks by several rallies on posh
neighbourhoods and villas, elite shopping malls and upper class hotels,
with vehicle burning and trashing of historical landmarks- the Arc de
Triumphe that day- as they fought off riot police.

New Democracy English The protestors in Paris were in groups of few thousands and were mainly
poor middle class and working class, both from small towns and rural areas.
Pratirodh Ka Swar Hindi The local people mostly stood around and supported the protestors. It has
Voice of New Democracy Telugu been pointed out by several publications, which also published eye witness
(Telengana) accounts, that the violence in Paris that day was provoked by police violence.
This aggressive attitude of the police has been a feature of the Macron
New Democracy Bulletin Telugu administration’s response to all movements. On this day it used tear gas,
(Andhra Pradesh) rubber bullets, stun grenades and water cannons freely. There are videos
of gangs of riot police chasing and viciously beating up isolated unarmed
Biplabi Ganaline Bengali protestors. The protestors in turn blocked highways and disrupted supplies.
Inquilabi Sada Rah Punjabi Oil majors and several big supermarket chains like Carrefour, highway
operator Vinci, hotel chain Accor and others had to shut down while services
Lok Yudh Marathi of the national carrier Air France were disturbed as protests had been on in
Sangrami Ekta Oriya small towns over the earlier two weeks. The police considered calling in
the Army in Paris while the Cabinet considered and discarded the possibility

December, 2018 19 20 December, 2018

 NEW DEMOCRACY
of imposing Emergency. Had it been imposed, it would have been for the
third time –there was Emergency imposed in 1968 against the massive
social upheaval that ended in several social reforms and then again in
2005 when suburban youth of Paris rose in revolt against discriminatory
policies and poverty.
The protests were precipitated by announcement of fuel tax hike which
was to take effect in 2019. On the 2 nd of December 2018, the Yellow Vest
protestors blocked several highways in southern France and access to a
major fuel depot near Marsellies. The same day, Prime Minister Eduard
Phillipe announced a six month suspension of all the tax hike measures
which were to go into effect in the new year. The protestors were dissatisfied,
with one spokesperson dismissing the gesture by saying ‘’The French don’t
want çrumbs’’ and warning that the move would continue. That weekend
three people were killed in the protests,260 were injured and 400 people
were arrested. The protests have continued every weekend, with messages
of ’do not forget’ going out over the social media. Eventually Macron
addressed the people, admitting that there was a severe social and
economic crisis. He announced a meagre increase in minimum wage of
100 euros a month which works out to less than a dollar an hour and
cancellation of hike in taxes for retirees who get less than 2000 Euros a
month as pension. He also declared that overtime payments would not be
taxed in 2019. There was widespread criticism of his speech, with the
need of the hour being what has been described as moves which would
embody a ‘revolutionary gesture’. Failing that, the protests have continued
and the latest posters say, ’Listen to the Anger of the People’. The weekend
prior to Macron's speech saw about 61,000 protestors come out in various
big cities including Paris. Over 700 were arrested, taking the total number
of arrests to 2000, though there have been no further deaths. Protests
occurred in Nice, Marsellies and Nantes apart from Paris. In Paris the
protestors broke down the barricades put up over the closed shops and
again marched down the Elyees till they were dispersed by tear gas and
stun grenades. Shops had been closed as had been historical monuments
in Paris and there was 8000 security police deployed in Paris (double that
the first time) and 89,000 force in the entire country. It is stated that more
than 75% of France supports the Yellow Vest protestors. After Macron’s
speech, the demonstration on the weekend of 15th December saw the same
number of police and 35,000 demonstrators, There were reports that opinion
polls were divided evenly on whether the protests should continue after
December, 2018 21
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
the concessions. Others have also suggested a change in place and form
due to the big presence of security forces in the major cities. There is now
discussion on holding big protests in small towns and rural areas. However,
protests are expected to continue into the new year.
The immediate issue of the protestors is the increase in fuel taxes on
diesel and gasoline from January 2019 which was announced by President
Macron a few months earlier as part of his move to decrease carbon
footprints. The hike will actually amount to a few cents a gallon, but it is
the policy direction it embodies that has fuelled the protests. It is thus
being stated that the protestors are those who reject the tax and also those
who reject the injustice behind the tax. There were also to be increased
taxes on electricity and gases as well as stricter vehicle emission norms
imposed. Diesel is the most popularly used automobile fuel in France. It
has become 23% costlier over the past year. Macron has already raised
the hydrocarbon tax this year despite the fall in global oil prices in recent
weeks.
The protests on this issue initially began online from October 2018 and
this is similar to Macron’s own social media based electoral campaign.
They matured to protests in various cities with the protestors wearing the
yellow vests compulsory for drivers to keep in their vehicles to signal
emergencies. On the 17th Of November, over 3 lakh people from smaller
towns and rural areas participated in demonstrations led by people wearing
yellow vests. They opposed the escalating cost of living especially the
above mentioned coming tax hike on automobile fuels. The seat of the
anger, in fact, is in the small towns and the rural areas from where people
have to drive long distances to reach their workplace. This is also due to
the curtailment of effective railway services. Those hit are the working
class and poor middle class, typically factory workers, secretaries, IT
employees, care givers, delivery workers. Especially hit are women and
single mothers. These sections do not qualify for the supports extended to
the poor. However with stagnant wages and increasing prices, they are
getting increasingly squeezed and the fuel tax hike was a move that made
it seem impossible to make ends meet any more. Thus the movement is
being described as ’not a working class movement but a consumer
movement’ fuelled by the shared experience of diminishing purchasing power
and the rising spectre of hunger. There have been big movements against
taxes in the history of France. Describing the current one, the Mayor of the
22 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
8thDistrict of Paris is quoted as saying, ’We are in a state of insurrection.
I have never seen anything like this in my life’.
Shopkeepers, craftsmen and women are spoken of as being more
predominant in the protests. A feature of the protestors is that they are
markedly white. There is an absence of Muslims in their robes or the black
youth of the suburban areas of Paris who were the protestors in 2005. Yet,
though this form of protest is now spilling over into other European countries,
in France the difference is that there are absolutely no xenophobic or identity
related slogans.
The Yellow Vest protestors have no openly declared leaders and appear
as a destructured movement. There is talk in all reports of the Far right
and also the Left supporters taking part in the movement. While this may
be so, the far right or anarchists as they are called can, it is being reported,
be distinguished as fit young men dressed in black and called ‘’casseurs’’
who are coming into protests in groups and are in areas where more violence
is being reported. Of the 2000 arrested in the country since the first weekend
protest in the last weekend of November, most are reported to be first
timers and are the slightly fat middle aged men of small towns and not the
young, fit right wing anarchists.
Anger Against Pro Rich Policies
The anger is against decades of rising prices, years of austerity and
stagnant wages, declining welfare services and is bringing out the
frustrations against the chronic injustices of French society. In addition
workers’ rights are under attack, there is promotion of contractualization of
labour and labour rules are being changed. Also, Macron’s police lets loose
violent repression against all protests, with the police violence in the last
protest being compared to the violence against anti austerity measures’
demonstrators in 2017. This police violence further fuelled anger.
Macron came to power as a sort of liberal in an atmosphere which had
Trump winning in America and right wing forces on the march in Europe. In
2016, he had written a book titled ’Revolution’ and said he would do away
with the policies responsible for 35 years of stagnation and take up ‘radical
reforms’. He is a former Rothschild banker and in the first round of votes
he polled 24% with 21% for the far right of Le Pen and 19% for the left
candidate. He seems to have forgotten this round and only remember his
December, 2018 23
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
comfortable win in the second round when there was only the hated far
right as adversary and his win became a victory for ‘liberals’. Soon after
victory he showed that he was simply going to ram down the old policy
thrust and his victory was a boon for finance capital and ‘war profiteers’.
He removed the wealth tax; it used to be termed ISF and in 2017 was
applicable on 0.9% of the people. He lowered the tax on the richest
companies and individuals and made a flat tax rate for the wealthy of the
country. This was supposed to be an incentive to develop business and
create jobs. While there are 2.5 million unemployed and no job creation, it
is this policy which caused one Yellow Vest protestor to say that Macron
is targeting the people and not airlines, shipping lines and other wealthy
people. Along with is Macron’s arrogant attitude towards the people and
their concerns. It has earned him the comparison to Marie Antoinette (Queen
of Louis XVI) and the Director of Media Part newsite has described, ’his
way of exercising power embodies a politics of one quality..’. The whole of
France can tell what quality. Even now, when he announced certain
concessions to the protestors the package is being spoken of as amounting
to 15 billion Euros (17 billion USD) which the govt ‘would have to borrow’.
There are prompt comments that the Govt. can recover this money by
reimposingt the wealth tax.
Minimum wage has remained unchanged in the main and retirement
benefits and other social welfare schemes are frozen. Nearly half of the
Retirees live on less than 1200 Euros a month (1360 dollars) while a quarter
live on 800 Euros. In this situation Macron moved to attack labour laws to
increase ‘labour flexibility’-the phrase being used around the world to attack
jobs and rights of workers but which has nowhere led to the revival of
businesses but has only strengthened super profits. Labour dispensability
has definitely been strengthened by Macron’s policies. Secondly with
stagnant wages, taxes under different heads are on the rise while France
is already one of the highest –tax countries even without the taxes proposed
to be added from 2019.
Earlier in 2018 there were strike actions by public sector workers, civil
servants and railway staff. Public sector workers number 5.4 million and
were protesting wages as well as the changes in labour rules in 2017 that
facilitated right to hire and fire. Macron speaks about implementing policies
through ‘consultations’ but he refused to negotiate with the trade unions
and simply stared down their organized protests. In May 2018 there were
24 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
months of rolling strikes by railway workers against retrenchments along
with the other common demands. Macron simply waited out through the
strike, using repression and public fatigue with the inconvenience to allow
the movement to peter out. Since mid 1990s, French unionized workers
are around 8% and there are four main trade unions. Macron has remained
adamant on his pro capitalist polices despite the trade union movement
and refused to back down before any protest or even to negotiate with the
union leadership. Now that the destructured yellow vests movement is on,
the leadership of the trade unions has held aloof while the working class is
into the struggle. Macron has, for the first time, been forced to take back
some of his announcements. The movement is increasingly calling itself
’’the people’’, the French words also being translated as ‘’the unwashed’’.
One of the protestors in the initial round, a 42 year old unemployed computer
technician, has been quoted as saying, ’Macron is our Louis XVI and we
all know what happened to him’. The comparisons to the 1968 upsurge, the
youth protest in the suburbs of Paris in 2005 and even to the pre revolutionary
days of1789 are being freely made.
Spreading Movement
Many other sections in France are also moving simultaneously on what
appear to independent demands but which all add up to defiance of pro
capitalist policies. Alongside the Yellow Vests on the last weekend of
November appeared the ambulance workers and para medics, with
ambulances lined up in protest outside the Assembly building in Paris.
They were opposing the fuel tax and also protesting a range of social security
and health care reforms. In the last few weeks of 2018, student organizations
in a number of universities called meetings against proposed fee hikes,
limited access to prestigious courses and introduction of selection criteria
for courses in universities. Over the last week of November 2018, students
of 300 high schools occupied their buildings. Over 100 schools remained
partially or fully blocked nationwide at the time of the end November
protests. In Marsellies, student protestors targeted by the police were
protected by stewards in red shirts from one of the trade unions. In a high
school in a suburb in north Paris, students were forcibly removed and
arrested by the police. The trade union centres also are now moving, though
slowly and have given a call for a ‘Great Day of Action’ on 14th December
this year for immediate increase in minimum wage, pensions and social
benefits, though there are rising demands for a general strike. In fact many
December, 2018 25
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
branches like FNIC,UD13 and UD 31 had supported the yellow vests’
demonstrations, wearing red vests themselves in some places while CGT,
one of the four main unions, stated that it shared the ‘’legitimate anger’’ of
the yellow vests.
The outbreak of struggles, the unstructured nature of the yellow vests
protests ,have prompted talks of insurrection and revolution in describing
the struggles. Many are calling for the movement to elect general assemblies
in the areas and give shape to the movement. It is widely accepted that
forces of the far left are active in the movement including the Unbowed
France Party led by Melenchon who had contested the Presidential election.
The far right section, which always shows itself as the spokesperson of
the issues of the common people, is also active in the movement and
states its support. Even now Macron is speaking against the protestors,
talking about how they only wanted to wreak chaos. Initially he said he
refused to bend to them, all of which is adding grist to the description of
the government as pro rich, pro capitalist, pro wealthy and anti worker.
Thus apart from calls to give an organized peoples’ form to the movement,
there is also a suggestion for a Grenelle –a sort of open multi Party debate-
being called, as was after the 1968 movement, to address the issues.
After that earlier one, the minimum wage rose 65%. But after Macron’s
watery attempt to address the issues in his address to the people, the
pitch is picking up for a Referendum on the policies and on Macron himself,
with demands and calls for his resignation resonating with the powerful
calls to Let the People Decide.
Europe is seeing many movements against attacks on rights and jobs
and also stagnant wages. A strike by railway employees of Germany is on
even now. The Yellow vest movement of France is spreading to other
countries in Europe like Netherland, Hungary and Belgium. These too are
mostly against cut in welfare measures and in social securities, lack of
jobs and stagnant wages. On 8th December, 400 yellow vests were detained
in Brussles. In Netherlands they protested on the same day in Amsterdam,
Rotterdam and the Hague against the high cost of living. In Hungary, on
12th December a protest in yellow vests was held outside Parliament
protesting against a new law which increases the overtime hours workers
can be called upon to do- the 'slave law' as it is being called. In Poland
yellow vests blocked a highway demanding compensation in a case of
swine flu outbreak. In Germany, yellow vest protestors were in an anti
26 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
migrant rally in Berlin on 1 December.
st
Joint Call of Fighting Trade Unions
There have been several movements on these issues in Europe but
increasingly, the continent is being marked with a far Right stance to the Ensur
Ensuree Success of All India Strike on
Strike
demands, with the immigrants and refugees being blamed for cornering the
stagnant benefits. The issues are really twofold- one that the imperialist 8th and 9th Jan
Januar
anuar y 2019 F
uary or Def
For ence
Defence
policies are forcing the migrations of people being pushed by imperialist
sponsored wars to leave their homelands and second that the benefits are of Wor
orkker s’ J
ers’ obs & Rights
Jobs
stagnant while super profits are not. The Far right and Govts and the
movements they infiltrate are targeting Muslims for both coming in as
migrants and for terror attacks. The Yellow vest movement of France is Intensify Str ug
Strug
ugggles a gainst
ag
distinguishable for this difference. It is in the best revolutionary traditions
of France, it calls itself the call of the ‘Great Unwashed’ and its target is Centr al Go
Central vt’s Pr
vt’s
Govt’ o- imperialist,
Pro-
pro rich policies. The day after Macron addressed the country, a shooter
opened fire in Strasbourg killing three and the police stated that he had Anti Wor
orkker and Di visi
Divisi ve P
visiv olicies
Policies
done so for Islam and to attack unbelievers. Using this, the Macron
administration called for end to the protests of the Yellow Vests-a totally Since the assumption of power by the BJP at the Centre in 2014, the
unrelated movement- pointing to the threat of ‘terrorists’. The movement attacks on the working class have intensified and it is becoming more and
has not paused because of this, though overall the mobilizations are less more challenging today to retain our jobs and our hard won wages and
than before Philippe announced suspension of the tax hike. rights. In the last four and a half years there have been many workers'
Engels is being widely quoted now for saying that class struggles in struggles at the local levels in the country in defence of their rights and for
France are fought to the finish. It remains to be seen whether the suspension better conditions of life. There have been sectoral struggles in this period
in the fuel tax will allow the movement to fitter away, whether the anger will and in the past three years two one-day general strikes were organised on
remain channelized against Macron’s policies alone or expand to address a charter of demands touching the issues of all sections of workers. But
the real questions of the causes of the injustices in French society and for the Modi'sarkar, under the facade of ache din to the common people,
an alternative social order. continues to put into effect its anti-worker policies which are in essence
pro-management ,pro-big business. Ease of Doing Business is more “ache
din” for the corporate and foreign capital and not for the workers at large.
The various anti-worker policies— from making changes in the existing
labour laws to extending fixed term employment contract to all sectors—
are being pushed through aggressively by the Central Govt of RSS-BJP.
While it is a known fact that existing labour laws are rarely implemented,the
government at the Centre had been making serious attempts to make
amendments in these laws in favour of the managements.It has codified
the 44 labour laws into four codes. The BJP ruled states,starting from
Rajasthan, have already made changes in the Contract Labour, ID Acts
etc effectively putting a large mass of workers outside the purview of benefits
under the laws on the one hand and giving a free hand to the managements

December, 2018 27 28 December, 2018

 NEW DEMOCRACY
to hire and fire. The policies of the Government have further hit hard at
regular employment and the process of contractorization has intensified.
The constitutional principle of equal pay for equal work, reiterated by the
Supreme Court recently, is brazenly violated bythe managements of both
public and private sectors with contract workers subjected to wage and
other discriminations. Added to this, through an executive order in 2018,
the Central Govt. extended fixed term employment contract which was
restricted only to the apparel industry, to all sectors of industry and services.
This was in order to facilitate “ease of doing business”. The Modi
government made tall claims of providing 2 cr jobs per year while the reality
is that job losses are on the rise. The MV Amendment Act passed in the
LokSabha in 2016 was aimed at privatizing road transport in favour of the
corporate and that would displace thousands of small transporters. There
are workers who are denied even the status of workers e.g. AASHA workers,
sanitary workers and other scheme workers.
Despite the Supreme Court rulings, all state Govt.s continue to sit on
astronomical amounts collected as construction cess and continue to create
new complications in the construction workers’ access to this money which
is meant only for their welfare. The Supreme Court observed that huge
amounts under the cess meant for welfare of construction workers are
frittered away and the BOC Act is flouted with impunity.
Throughout the country, so called ’accidents’ at workplace are on the
rise as the right to life of workers becomes more expendable. Labour law
enforcement staff is cut down and safety measures are not enforced both
in public and private sectors. Statutory rights of Minimum wages, ESI and
PF are also violated and accessed by a diminishing number.The Central
Govt. on its part, is disinvesting public sector built with public money and
also allowing 100% foreign investment in several sectors. Railways,defence
and other key public sector industries have been completely opened to
foreign capital. “Make in India” and sell whereever you want to is on, with
public assets being transferred to foreign and local corporate players. The
people of this country have also experienced the adverse effects of
demonetization and GST.
This Government is unleashing alround attacks on the people. This
Central Govt stands for and backs attacks on people on caste and
communal lines to push through its anti-national, pro- Corporate policies.
Patriarchal norms are upheld as are lynchings, mob killings to advocate
December, 2018 29
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
upper caste chauvinism. Let us never forget that the first victim, Mohd
Aqlakh, was also an ex contract worker at an MNC in Noida (UP). We are
also witnesses to the various forms of state terror on peoples' movements
as seen in Thootukudi killings.
An All India strike of Working Class has been called for on the 8th and
9 th of January 2019 by several trade union centres, but they have been
sectarian as usual and not included all trade unions in this Call. It is a must
to ensure that all sections of struggling workers strike together and deal a
mighty blow against these anti worker policies. The real fight must be further
developed. As always, we call on the working class to strike together on
the 8 th and 9 th of January to strengthen our common struggle. Come
comrades, hold powerful strikes on both days!
Charter of Demands:
1. Contain price rise. Universalize PDS. Cut taxes on petrol
and diesel.
2. Strict enforcement of all labour laws especially statutory
laws.
3. No amendments to labour laws. Withdraw all circulars
issued by Central Govt and also various state govts which change the
law implementation by changing procedures. Strengthen the labour law
enforcement machinery;
4. Minimum wage of Rs 18,000 per month and linked to price
index.
5. Accord the status of workers to so-called voluntary workers
like AASHA workers.Minimum wages should be paid to them.
6. Assured pension of not less than Rs 3000 per month for all
workers and should also be linked to minimum wages in the states.
7. In cases of accidents at workplace, since these are all
cases of wilful negligence, cases under non bailable sections should
be lodged against the employers. Punitive action should also be taken
against concerned factory inspectors. There should be compulsory jail
term apart from fines for the guilty employers.
30 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
8. Stop contractualization of jobs, outsourcing and temporary
appointments and regularize all contract and outsourced workers. Equal
pay, benefits and allowances must be implemented for equal work. Scrap
Fixed Term Employment.
9. Remove ceiling on eligibility and payment of bonus, PF
and increase quantum of gratuity.
10. Ensure universal ESI coverage and PF facilities.
11. Withdraw new pension scheme for govt employees.
12. Implement reservation in private sector jobs.
13. Stop state sponsored attacks on minorities, Dalits and other
sections. Ensure punishment to the guilty.Stop false encounters.
14. Scrap UAPA and other repressive laws. Release all falsely
arrested civil rights activists and trade union leaders booked under such
charges.
15. Stop FDI and revoke FDI in retail, railways and defence.
16. Stop disinvestment of public sector undertakings. Revoke
mergers of public sector banks.
17. Compulsory registration of trade unions within 45 days of
submission of application
18. Compulsory registration of all construction workers, issuing
of safety kit to each registered worker,Rs 10 lakh for each case of
death in accidents. Separate labour machinery to deal with the registration
and claims of these workers in a time bound manner.
19. The new governments in Rajasthan,Chhattisgarh and
Madhya Pradesh under the Congress party should repeal the anti-worker
amendments in labour laws brought in by the previous BJP governments.
[This call has been issued by Indian Federation Trade Union (IFTU),
New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), New Democratic Labour Front
(NDLF), ECL(Asansol-Durgapur) Thika Sramik Adhikar Union
(ECLTSAU) and All India Federation of Trade Unions (AIFTU-New)]
December, 2018 31
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Recent Inter na
Interna tional and
national
National De
National velopments
Dev
(Approved by the Central Committee of CPI(ML)-New
Democracy in December, 2018)
Past few months have been marked by growing resistance of the people
against neoliberal economic offensive. The efforts of the ruling big
bourgeoisie in imperialist countries to divert the people’s anger into
sectarian, majoritarian, xenophobic, anti-immigrant and neo-fascist
movements are being challenged by the massive mobilizations of the
working masses and the people against the offensive against their jobs,
wages, social security and rights.
Crisis of the imperialist system is deepening. World financial-economic
crisis which exploded from 2008 continues and this manifests in different
ways. Developed capitalist countries have increasingly embarked on debt-
driven growth. Total global debt had reached US$ 184 trillion by the end of
2017 which was 225% of the world GDP. World’s biggest economies- USA,
China and Japan- have accumulated huge debts. Economic indices show
that world economy is being propelled towards another precipice. There is
increasing dearth of opportunities of productive investments despite
availability of money at very low interest rates. Unemployment is rising.
Even the jobs created are casual/temporary in nature, low paid and devoid
of social benefits.
Declining rates of profit of Capital on the one hand and drive to maximize
profits on the other is giving rise to rapacious loot and plunder of resources
and labour power of third world countries and cut in wages and social sector
expenditure in developed capitalist countries. The old social contract in
the developed capitalist countries has long since been discarded. The 'rule
based order' of imperialist globalization which was ushered in after the fall
of erstwhile Soviet Union and advent of uni-polar world, has been undermined
and protectionism has risen in developed capitalist countries as shown by
the policies of Trump Admn. in USA and Brexit. The economic burden of
the crisis is falling on the shoulders of working people and they are rising in
32 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
protest. These protests are not being able to be contained within the so-
called liberal framework of western bourgeois democracy. Working people
are unable and unwilling to tolerate attacks on their employment and their
declining standards of living. These protests are laying bare the real
character of bourgeois democracy and the working people are resisting the
rise of rightist trends promoted by the ruling big bourgeoisie.
Yellow Vests Protests in France
There has been an upsurge of people’s protests against neoliberal
economic policies of Macron Govt. The protests erupted on the issue of
fuel tax hike announced to be implemented from January 1, 2019. They
took this name from the yellow vests mandatorily kept in vehicles in France.
The protests are not limited to fuel tax hike, but encompass the whole
range of issues of the working people, e.g. minimum wage, issues related
to pensioners and even higher costs of education, in fact everything that is
wrong with the present system. The protests spread like wild fire bringing
hundreds of thousands of people onto barricades. These Saturday protests
brought the Govt. to heel. Abandonment of proposed increase in fuel prices,
measures to increase pensions and increase in minimum wages have been
announced. Yet the anger of the working people continues though
participation in protests has progressively declined. Over 70 percent of
people of France support the protests. This mobilization of working people
in a principal European country is significant. It targets the Govt. policies
favouring rich and big capitalists. The protestors combining both urban and
rural working people, have not blamed immigrants.
Not long ago, Macron used to pride himself on being a leading proponent
of neoliberal policies and not ready to bow to working class struggles. He
has been a queer mix of Hollandean socialism and American neoliberalism.
But a sharp upsurge of working people has crippled the swagger of this
neoliberal dwarf who was pretending to be the leader to save European
liberalism. He just cannot shrug off the label of the “President of the Rich”.
As the ruling big bourgeoisie intensify their attacks on the working people,
their struggles are rising in different European countries. Hundreds of
thousands came out in protest in Hungary against rise in mandatory overtime
dubbing it as a ‘slave law’. Workers in Greece are striking against austerity
measures being imposed by Syriza Govt. Mobilizations of working people
in European countries against neoliberal attacks are increasing in intensity
December, 2018 33
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
and appeal. These protests have the potential to increase the appeal and
reach of the revolutionary forces in these countries.
US Elections
Democratic Party has seized control of the House of Representatives
in US though their victory was not of the scale that was being predicted.
Republicans could increase their Senate majority due to elections being
held mainly in Republican dominated states. While broad sections in America
are rejecting reactionary, anti-immigrant policies being implemented by
Trump Administration, working masses are repelled by the neoliberal policies
of the Democratic Party establishment. The anger against these policies
can be gauged by the fact that the Democratic Party lost a majority of the
seats where votaries of these policies, Obama and Hillary Clinton,
campaigned in these elections.
Trump had won the Presidency by harnessing the anger of the working
people and putting forward his protectionist, anti-globalization programme.
His victory was ensured by rising disillusionment of the working people
with the ruling section of the establishment, with the endless wars of US
imperialism and job losses and declining standards of living of the majority
of the people. Trump has sought to refashion the US imperialist strategy
by tearing up the multilateral agreements and renegotiating those in the
economic sphere. His America First policy is to pressurize other countries
to buy US goods. He has used the weapon of trade war to gain success in
this. His policies articulate the interests of big capitalistswho also have
interests in the manufacturing sector based in US.
Trump is aware of the deep dis-satisfaction of US people with the wars
being conducted by US imperialism. He has sought to change the focus
from military to economic affairs. In pursuit of this he has sought to build
bridges with Russia while intensifying contradictions with China and other
trading partners of USA. This is being opposed by sections of the
establishment deeply entrenched in both the main ruling class parties in
USA. His announcement of total withdrawal from Syria and his plans to
withdraw half of the US forces from Afghanistan is facing opposition from
this section. He has asked the Afghan Govt. and Taliban to expedite their
negotiations. Recent meeting between Taliban representatives and US
Admn. in UAE is a step in this direction. Trump Admn.’s hard line towards
Pakistan also indicates its preparation to scale down its ambitions in
34 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Afghanistan. Trump Admn.’s announcement of withdrawal from Syria has
been welcomed by Russia and Iran. It is an abandonment of the regime
change policy in Syria being pursued since Obama period. In fact with
relation to US hegemonic strategy, Obama pursued the same goal as Bush
i.e. preserving the uni-polar world though with different means while Trump
signifies an adjustment for pursuing US imperialist interests in multi-polar
world. Trump’s assertion that US is not the policeman in the Middle-east
clearly shows that.
Middle-East : Changing Contours
Gradual military withdrawal of US imperialism from the endless wars in
the Middle-east and growing anger among the people of the Arab countries
characterize the responses of the ruling monarchies of the Arab world and
influence developments in the region. Gulf monarchies encircled by the
base enjoyed by Muslim Brotherhood (MB) among Sunnis and Iran among
Shias, both opposed to monarchies and Wahabbism, have long depended
upon overarching US military presence in the region for their survival. With
this presence being scaled down, Gulf monarchies are drawing close to
Israel, the biggest military power in the region. They have always sacrificed
the interests of Palestinians but now are openly doing so and pressurizing
the Palestinian leadership to forgo their national aspirations and accept
Israel’s grabbing of Palestinian land. Qatar has been the only exception to
this as its monarchy has kept good relations both with MB ruling in Turkey
and the regime in Iran.
With the backing of US Admn. Saudi monarchy had embarked on military
adventure in Yemen. In the name of combating Iran supported Houthis,
Saudi and UAE monarchies have been conducting war against Yemen in
which tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. Due to blockage of
its ports, the biggest human catastrophe is unfolding in Yemen where people,
including children, are dying due to lack of food and medicines. However,
killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who had left Saudi Arabia
just before the arrest of princes by the Crown Prince Salman, in a most
brutal manner in Saudi consulate in Istambul, has turned the spotlight on
the barbaric regime in Saudi Arabia. This barbaric murder and the most
brutal military campaign in Yemen have turned public opinion against Prince
Salman even in USA. Trump Admn. has openly backed the Prince saying
that US has much to gain financially from the Saudi regime. Other western
powers have been cleverer in their utterances though pursuing the same
December, 2018 35
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
course. Under the pressure of public opinion in the western countries,
particularly USA, Saudi and UAE monarchies have been forced to accept
a cease-fire with Houthis in the port of Hodeida, the main gateway for the
foreign aid.
US decision to completely withdraw from Syria is meant to re-adjust
the US policies in the Middle-east. Over past few years, with ouster of
Assad regime looking more distant and US supporting Kurds in its campaign
against IS, Turkey had drawn close to Russia and Iran. With their approval,
it has embarked on military take-over of Kurd areas in Northwest Syria and
has repeatedly announced its resolve to enter Northeast Syria where US
military was collaborating with Kurds. Now with US withdrawing from Syria,
though it maintains military forces in neighbouring Iraq, Kurds are feeling
let down. Trump decision is an acknowledgement of the failure of regime
change policy in Syria. It is also an attempt to heal rifts with Turkey. It will
affect the balance of power in the region particularly that between Iran and
Saudi Arabia. Saudis have lost much of their leverage in Lebanon despite
arrest of Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Palestinians are facing severe repression by Israeli security forces.
Palestinian school children are being killed, maimed and imprisoned on a
large scale. However the Palestinians are setting new examples of heroism
in their struggle against Zionist aggressors.
Anger among the Arab people recently erupted in sharp struggle against
increased taxes on fuel in Sudan. More than ten people have already been
killed in police firing. Hundreds of thousands are participating in
demonstrations against the Govt.
Intense Rivalry in Indian Ocean : Increasing Difficulties of
Chinese Social-imperialists
Indian Ocean, through which much of the oil supply to China and
merchandise from China pass, has since sometime becoem a zone of
contest between China and America. US imperialism has roped in India,
Japan and Australia under Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) to police
the sea routes. China has responded by increasing its influence in the
countries lying along the sea route. China has tried to increase its influence
in Indian ocean states and has made considerable investments in these
countries. Chinese investments are generally in infrastructure projects.
36 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
These projects increase the debt of the recipient countries while their ability
to pay back remains limited because of lack of development of agriculture
and industries. Failure of repayment has led China to take control of
Hambantota port in Sri Lanka. Indebtedness resulting from Chinese
investments in infrastructure projects is leading to growing resentment in
a number of countries. Malaysia, which has been a close ally of China over
several years, has voiced concern over growing Chinese debt. Change of
the Govt. in Malaysia signals decline in Chinese influence. Maldives, a
small island state in the Indian Ocean, has recently seen election of Solih
as the President, defeating Yameen who had tried to steer his country
away from India and America and closer to China. This is a clear setback
to China. In Srilanka pro-China Mahinda Rajpakshe was defeated by a
coalition allegedly stitched by India. This coalition broke down due to
contradiction between China and India-US. President Sirisena dismissed
the Prime Minister Vikramsinghe and appointed Rajpakshe as the PM. But
Rajpakshe could not secure majority in the Parliament and Vikramsinghe
was reinstated as PM due to judicial intervention. Though this amounts to
failure of the attempt by pro-China section of the ruling classes, Rajpakshe
has much support among the people as shown by the results of local body
elections. However, Chinese influence in Indian Ocean states has faced
serious challenge.
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a move by Chinese rulers for investment
of surplus abroad and to carve out zones of investments in Asian and
African countries besides increasing their share in the markets of European
countries. This huge investment (nearly a trillion US$) is an omnibus
package encompassing agriculture and industries as well. It is a neo-
colonial project of Chinese social-imperialism. Pakistan is an important
arena for this investment, given its increasing problems with US Admn.
and continuing conflict with India. China also wishes to increase its influence
in Pakistan and Afghanistan to keep Sinkiang region of China peaceful.
This is also necessary for China to increase its influence in Central Asian
countries and secure land route to Europe. However, increasing stranglehold
of China is leading to rising resentment among the people in a number of
countries.
Kartarpur Corridor
Recently Pakistan Govt. has started work on a corridor to facilitate
December, 2018 37
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
pilgrims to Kartarpur Gurdwara, a revered site for Sikhs, where the founder
of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, had spent the last eighteen years of his life.
Indian Govt. has shown its discomfort on this initiative but could not openly
oppose it for the fear of antagonizing Sikhs. Indian Foreign Minister did not
go but sent two junior ministers. She also made clear that no dialogue with
Pakistan can be started. Similarly Punjab Chief Minister, Amrinder Singh,
said that this was a conspiracy by Pakistan Army but permitted his minister
Navjot Singh Sidhu to go. The main ruling class parties made it clear that
they are not happy with this and do not wish to let go any occasion to whip
up anti-Pakistan sentiments.
Kashmir : Intensified offensive by Security Forces
RSS-BJP have long used the Kashmir issue and struggle of Kashmiri
people for their communal campaign all over India, including Jammu region
of the state. They have misrepresented and slandered the movement and
Kashmiri people in order to deepen communal division in the country. In
June 2018 BJP brought down the coalition Govt. it had with PDP and imposed
Governor’s rule over the state. PDP-BJP Govt. had become an obstacle to
the RSS drive of communal polarization in the country. BJP unsuccessfully
tried to encourage defections from PDP. But when, to foil these RSS-BJP
designs, PDP, NC and Congress joined hands, Governor dissolved the
Assembly on November 21, 2018 thus preventing a Govt. of this coalition.
It was a blatantly undemocratic act.
Since imposition of Governor’s rule, RSS-BJP Govt. at the Centre has
increased repression by the security forces. Army Chief is on record to
say that those sympathizing with separatists are also ‘terrorists’ and will
be dealt as such. Security forces have been firing on innocents, not leaving
even bystanders. Recently in Pulwama, six unarmed civilians were killed
by the security forces. In protest there was a complete shutdown in the
Valley for three days besides big protest demonstrations. There is deep
and growing alienation of Kashmiris and RSS-BJP Govt. has a vested
interest in the growth of this alienation.
RSS-BJP Govt. has withdrawn a Govt. scheme whereby pasture lands
were granted (given ownership for payment of certain fees) to tribal
communities to graze their animals. This step is to deprive the tribal
communities traditionally engaged in wool trade and thus throw them out of
the Jammu region. This is an attempt to change the demography of the
38 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
region as these tribal communities are Muslims.
RSS-BJP Attempt to Capture all State Institutions and curb
People’s rights
As a part of their fascist drive, RSS-BJP have intensified their attempts
to capture different institutions of the state. Hindu communal forces already
control most of these institutions. Their control over IB is well known. RSS
functionaries are deputed to different ministries and departments to oversee
their functioning. RSS functionaries are supervising over educational
institutions including universities. RSS-BJP Govt. has moved to control
CBI. They appointed as Special Director a person who had been close to
BJP Govt. in Gujarat. This interference gave rise to severe infighting in
CBI. The Govt. has removed the CBI Director from his duties, clearly in
violation of rules governing his appointment and removal. Govt. did not
want to allow CBI to function outside its control. RSS-BJP Govt. has already
amended Prevention of Corruption Act, making Govt. permission mandatory
for investigation of corruption cases.
RSS-BJP Govt. has moved to curb democratic rights of the people. It
is seeking to amend Right to Information Act thus negating the right earned
by the people through their struggle to get information about Govt. decisions
and actions. RSS-BJP Govt. has issued orders giving authority to several
security agencies to snoop on the phones, mobiles, internet and even check
the computers of any person. This blanket power enlarges the surveillance
of security agencies over the people and strengthens the police raj in the
country. In India, people have very few democratic rights. RSS-BJP Govt.
has moved to deny them even those rights and safety from police
surveillance which was hitherto available. All this is being done in the name
of national security.
RSS-BJP Govt. has moved to increase and centralize all security and
intelligence agencies. It has constituted a committee under National Security
Advisor Ajit Doval which has the Cabinet secretary, heads of armed forces,
intelligence and security agencies and key economic ministries including
RBI chief. This all powerful committee is to oversee the strengthening of
police state in the country.
RSS-BJP Govt. has sought to take control of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI). Central Govt. has already crossed the target of fiscal deficit it
December, 2018 39
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
had kept in the Budget. Now the Govt. wants RBI to hand over its reserve
funds to the Govt. RBI has always been handing over its profits to the
Govt. but now the Govt. wants it to hand over those funds which RBI
officials feel necessary, to ensure solvency of the banking system. In fact
Central Govt. wants RBI to relax its norms of lending by the public sector
banks (PSBs) particularly to non-Banking Financial institutions which are
a big contributor to the rise of NPAs. Central Govt. had already diluted
control of the RBI over the Monetary policy by appointing a monetary
advisory committee. RBI Governor resigned and Central Govt. has appointed
a bureaucrat who has scarce knowledge of Economics to head the RBI.
Now Govt. wants to take direct control over RBI thus increasing its ability
to control purse strings to benefit select business houses.
Peasant Rally : Peasant Distress
On November 29 & 30, AIKSCC held a two day programme in Delhi.
This programme, in which over twenty thousand peasants participated,
attracted support from middle classes and attention of the media. Protest
programmes of the peasantry, including this one are helping to bring peasant
distress on the national agenda. These programmes, coupled with expression
of peasant anger in the defeat of BJP, has made this as a single most
important issue even for the media. Performance of RSS-BJP Govt. is
being criticized for ignoring peasant distress and going back on the promises
made to the peasants. AIKSCC has gained in reputation as an umbrella
platform of different peasant organizations.
Peasant activists participated mainly from UP, AP and Punjab with
some activists from Telengana and Bihar. Cultural teams from AP and
Delhi performed in the cultural evening on 29th. CPM affiliated intellectuals
had run a campaign in support of the rally.
The programme also included a session (30 th November afternoon)
wherein leaders of the ruling class parties participated. AIKSCC has many
organizations and leaders affiliated to ruling class parties and they argue
for such sessions to facilitate passage of Bills on loan waiver and MSP.
But this is affording a platform to ruling class opposition parties who have
implemented the policies which are at the root of this distress. Allowing
them to these platforms only helps to provide a cover to their anti-peasant
policies. Ruling class parties mouth platitudes when they are in opposition
but implement similar anti-peasant policies when in power.
40 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
Peasant distress has been deepening over the past years and has
engulfed the land owning peasantry. Nearly half of the people (workforce)
in India is directly engaged in agriculture and more than two third (rural
population) are directly or indirectly dependent on it. But the share of
Agriculture in the GDP has been declining and now less than one sixth
comes from Agriculture. Real income of peasantry is declining and the
suicides by peasants continue to be high. Central Govt. has stopped
publication of the data on peasant suicides since 2016 to hide their utter
failure to address the issue.
Two issues are dominating the discussions on the peasant distress.
First the loan waivers and second the MSP. Loan waivers are obviously
not a solution but only a temporary though necessary relief. Nobody says
anything else. But the corporate media is running a campaign as if loan
waiver is only a populist measure and is being seen as a solution to agrarian
crisis. The same media has never even publicized the huge sums of taxes
waived for big business and loan waivers to corporate running into lakhs of
crores every year. Corporate’s opposition to loan waivers to peasantry stems
from their belief that they alone have claim over Govt. funds. They
deliberately ignore that hard working peasants are pushed into indebtedness
due to terms of trade being adverse to agriculture, high costs of inputs
including tax burden and lack of institutional support to peasants because
of which they are forced into usurious loans. The loan waiver by the ruling
class parties' govts. does not cover all the loans and mainly benefits the
big land owners but this only highlights the need to make loan waivers
comprehensive both in terms of sources of loans and the applicability to
sections taking loans. Loan waiver should cover private loans as well and
loans of tenant peasants and agricultural labourers should also be waived.
Loan waivers by the Govts. are in fact grossly insufficient and do not address
the concerns of large sections of people engaged in Agriculture.
The second important issue is raising the income of peasants. AIKSCC
has demanded implementation of Swaminathan Committee
recommendation i.e. cost of production (C2) plus 50%. Ruling class parties
try to fool the peasantry by manipulating the cost of production. Congress
Govt. had refused to implement this recommendation. Modi had promised
this in 2014 but RSS-BJP Govt. told the Supreme Court that this could not
be implemented. Even now Congress is talking vaguely of increasing the
MSP but not committing itself to implementation of Swaminathan
Committee recommendation. Ruling class parties’ opposition to this formula
December, 2018 41
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
stems for their support to corporate. Agriculture is the source of food and
raw materials for Industry. Higher prices for agricultural produce impact
the wages of workers as well just as prices of raw materials impact the
profits of capitalists including the corporate. Rise in the prices of their
products adversely affects their demand and hence also the profits. Further
Indian ruling classes want to attract FDI citing cheap labour as the attraction.
Addressing the agrarian crisis and peasant distress demands
comprehensive restructuring of the economy. Raising MSP as demanded
is a part of the solution. But it also needs addressing of the vast
unemployment and underemployment issues, particularly the latter. It needs
generating employment in the rural areas and supplementing the income of
peasants, particularly poor peasants and agricultural labourers, given the
small size of land holdings of the vast majority of peasants and seasonal
nature of employment. This entails shifting industries to these areas and
developing appropriate industries on a wide scale in the rural areas. British
colonialist rulers had ruptured the relation between Agriculture and Industry
in India which needs to be restored. And most importantly it needs radical
land reforms so that poor and landless peasants can have their own land to
work on. It is one of the biggest employment generators and enhancers of
agricultural production. These issues do not figure in the agenda of ruling
class parties who only pay lip service to peasant distress and remember
them at the time of elections.
Assembly Elections
In November-December, elections were held to assemblies of five states.
These were a major electoral exercise prior to general elections scheduled
to be held by May next year. Results of these elections dealt a blow to
RSS-BJP, which lost in the three Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. All these states have sizable tribal populations.
Election results expressed serious dissatisfaction and anger among
the peasants including tribal peasants. RSS-BJP lost in the rural areas
though it suffered losses in the urban areas as well. In Gujarat assembly
elections held a year ago, RSS-BJP had lost in the rural areas though they
could scrape through with majority thanks to their sweep of urban areas.
Besides anger among peasants due to deepening agrarian distress,
there is anger among the people due to rising unemployment. RSS-BJP
have betrayed their promises on improving the lot of peasantry and on
42 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
employment generation. The problem of unemployment has assumed huge
proportions.
Though BJP lost lost seats in all the states except Mizoram where it
had none before these elections, its loss in erstwhile Madhya Pradesh-
now Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh- is particularly significant as RSS-
BJP have been ruling in these states for the last fifteen years. RSS-BJP
have lost even in Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh which is the oldest
mass base of RSS. These election results have given a serious blow to
RSS-BJP game plan of securing a majority in Rajya Sabha by 2022.
Sensing anger among the people particularly peasantry, Dalits and tribals,
RSS-BJP had embarked on intensifying communal polarization. It fielded
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the purpose besides Narendra Modi
and Amit Shah. RSS-BJP raised communal slogans like name changing
and spreading venom against Muslims. But the communal game plan of
RSS-BJP was grounded by the peasant anger. Madhya Pradesh has seen
sharp peasant struggles including in Mandasaur where six peasants became
martyrs in the police firing. Dalit anger against Supreme Court verdict against
SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act was also very sharp in these states.
Besides Dalits have been targeted by RSS goonda gangs.
All these states have sizable population of tribals who are the worst
sufferers of the Govt.'s policies. Their land and means of livelihood are
being taken away in the name of development. The Forest Rights Act is
shoddily implemented. Their forest produce does not fetch them
sustenance. Their struggles are crushed by the security forces brutally. In
Telengana, KCR Govt., in the name of Haritharam, has embarked on
dispossessing them from the lands they have been cultivating for
generations. They are being robbed of their world and ruling classes want
to absorb them in the lowest rung of Hindu society.
Congress, which was among the main contenders for power in all the
states, has been trying to fashion itself as a Hindu party. It wishes to
counter RSS-BJP Hindutva with its own brand of Hinduism. Top leaders of
Congress have articulated the necessity of rebranding their party as a Hindu
party. Their manifesto, particularly in Madhya Pradesh, was full of cow
protection and Ram path. Though Congress cannot match RSS-BJP in
aggressive communal politics, nor their rebranding themselves has
apparently played any role in defeating RSS-BJP in the three Hindi heartland
December, 2018 43
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
states, their stance does illustrate that the ruling classes need the weapon
of communalism to keep the struggles of people under check.
Though peasant anger has propelled Congress to power in these three
states, Congress has not articulated any specific policy framework for
improving the lot of peasantry beyond loan waiver which is the fire fighting
instrument of the ruling classes and is very narrowly implemented. In
particular, Congress has not committed to implement Swaminathan
Committee’s recommendation on MSP, nor it has committed to bring all
the crops and all the produce of the peasants under MSP protection.
The ruling class media has portrayed these losses as due to anti-
incumbency, a term they have coined for the ruling class parties for making
promises which they do not intend to keep. It is a term which seeks to
justify making such false promises by projecting people’s anger against
their non-fulfilment as a routine unavoidable political phenomenon.
In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh the difference between Congress
and BJP in terms of number of seats and also votes polled has been small,
which shows that people’s anger was not fully channelized to the Congress
though it was this anger of peasants, tribals and Dalits which propelled
them to power. Congress visualizes itself as the main party of Hindu upper
castes and to remain so it scuttled alliance with BSP in MP though it could
have resulted in more comprehensive defeat of BJP.
In Chhattisgarh, BJP was defeated comprehensively despite a large
chunk of votes polled by Ajit Jogi-BSP alliance (over 11 percent). People
of Chhattisgarh, particularly tribal people of the state, have rejected
Narendra Modi led RSS-BJP attacks on the tribal people and their campaign
against Naxalism. RSS-BJP has fared very poorly in tribal areas and the
anti-people character of their anti-Naxal campaign has been exposed.
Mizoram is ruled under AFSPA and the ruling elite there chooses the
Party which is at better terms with the Govt. at the Centre which commands
the security forces. As BJP did not have any organizational structure,
MNF won from the state.
In Telengana, TRS came back to power with increased number of seats
on the strength of pro-Telengana sentiments of the people of the state.
Congress’s alliance with Chandrabadu Naidu allowed KCR to utilize Naidu’s
anti-Telengana image to paint the picture of Andhra contractors once again
44 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
ruling the state. On the other hand, settlers from Andhra areas have
abandoned TDP. Though some of them did not support creation of
Telengana, but they wish to stay and work here, have integrated into society
and have no contradictions with other people of the state. Besides,
Telengana sentiment, TRS was also helped by a number of schemes their
Govt. launched in its tenure and because impact of its policies have been
not been fully exposed. TRS spent much money and misused police
machinery against opposition parties during election campaign. Despite
much investment of energy and money, BJP seats were reduced from five
to one in this election. Victory of TRS may lead to intensified attacks
against tribals and attempts to dispossess them from their traditional lands.
It calls for broad mobilization of democratic forces against these attacks.
Results of the elections to five state assemblies are a setback to RSS-
BJP particularly its loss in three Hindi heartland states. This is a setback
to their fascist offensive. At present the fascist danger comes from RSS-
BJP as other ruling class parties are not in a position to foist fascist
dictatorship over the country. Here we should differentiate between fascist
repression which is the routine way of ruling by the ruling classes in semi-
feudal semi-colonial India and fascist dictatorship which is sought to be
imposed by RSS-BJP, which targets even the existing rights of the people.
Fascism is a different form of the state though serving the same ruling
classes.
However, this setback comes in midst of rightward shift of the politics
of ruling classes. In particular Congress has openly embraced plank of
majority religion. This will only strengthen the ideological base of majoritarian
communal forces. Communalism is a weapon of the ruling classes and it
cannot gain strength only on the strength of RSS-BJP. There is a definite
setback to fascist offensive of RSS-BJP but the social base of this
offensive- majority communal outlook- has not been weakened, rather has
become broader.
In the run up to 2019 elections, communal conspiracies of RSS-BJP
are going to intensify. They well realize that their plank of so-called
development is only for the gullible, they have been working for the foreign
and domestic corporate and landlords and against the interests of the
people. They have betrayed every one of the promises that they had made
to the people which cannot but increase people’s anger against them.
December, 2018 45
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
Hence, these results further highlight the need to mobilize the people
against Hindutva fascism, its attacks against minorities, particularly
Muslims, Dalits, tribals and women. Hindutva is a weapon of the ruling
classes, serves imperialism and represents the interests of big bourgeois
big landlord ruling classes. Its strength shows the weakness of the ruling
classes, their realization that they cannot rule in an ordinary way and need
fascist force to drive the attack on the democratic rights of the people. It
hides its subservience to imperialism and corporate under the garb of its
pseudo-nationalism. It hides its championing of the feudal forces under the
garb of social harmony and religious identity. Its policies are unleashing
serious miseries on the workers, peasants and other toiling sections.
Communist revolutionaries and struggling sections should unitedly launch
a broad based and militant campaign against their attacks on the working
people, on tribals, Muslims, Dalits, students and women and confront the
fascist hordes of RSS-BJP when they attack the minorities and Dalits.
Only such a broad-based militant struggle can ensure that fascist forces
are defeated and attacks of the ruling classes against the people are
effectively challenged.
Court Judgements on Women's Issues
In the recent past Supreme Court has given several judgements which
impact women's issues. Supreme Court has invalidated the prohibition of
entry of women of reproductive age into Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
Through another judgement Supreme Court has also decriminalized adultery.
Supreme Court order on Sabarimala is definitely a victory for women
who have been fighting for being allowed entry into the Temple. However,
RSS-BJP have sensed in this an opportunity to enlarge their base in Kerala
and have unleashed a violent campaign against the women's entry into the
Temple. The main opposition party in Kerala, the Congress, has also come
out in support of the ban on women's entry. LDF Govt. in Kerala, after
initial vacillation, has supported the Supreme Court order and has taken
programmes to counter the RSS-BJP campaign on the issue.
46 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
The Journey of American
Immigrants proves that ‘Workers
Have No Country of Their Own’
- D V Krishna
Marching along the paths
Crossing over the habitats
Move past the fortresses
Rivers and rivulets
Forests and hills
And deserts, would they be able to impede us?
March forward
Rush ahead
- Mahaprasthanam, SriSri
A caravan of thousands of immigrants from the Central American states
of Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala descended on the American border
after an arduous trek they began a month and a half ago from the Honduran
city of San Pedro Sula. The Trump government deployed 5000 troops along
the US-Mexico border to prevent their entry into the USA. Another 10,000
of its troops were kept ready for further deployment. Trump warned the
Mexican government to stop these immigrants from entering the US.
Elections were held in Mexico recently. The incumbent president Enrique
Peña Nieto lost the elections and the Socialist party leader Andrés Manuel
López Obrador won. The new government will take power in January 2019.
The outgoing government didn’t dare to take tough measures to stop the
marching immigrants. Even as it allowed the caravan of the immigrants to
December, 2018 47
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
march within Mexico, it took resolute measures to prevent them from
crossing the borders. The marching immigrants demanded that they be
allowed to enter into the US and provided asylum. When some of them
attempted to cross the borders forcefully, US troops used teargas to prevent
them. Some were apprehended. The Mexican government was forced to
announce that it would provide temporary work permits and accord them
refugee status.
This caravan of migrants from Central American countries received
media attention and the television channels covered their journey
continuously. The images of the arduous journey of the desperate migrants,
carrying their children on their shoulders along with their belongings, were
shown on channels. There were moving visuals of motorists and truck
drivers offering them rides and volunteers providing them food, clothes,
money and help.
This caravan bears testimony to the miserable situation of broader
masses of Central American states and their poverty, unemployment and
their vulnerabilities. And this is not an isolated phenomenon. While the US
is facing the issue of these migrants seeking asylum, the European
countries are witnessing waves of migrants from the Middle East and Africa.
Millions of migrants from these countries are risking their lives to cross
the Mediterranean sea and are seeking asylum in European nations. The
European nations are at a loss to deal with the problem of these migrants
even as they are grappling with the financial crisis, poverty, unemployment
and inequalities. The fact of the matter is that this migrant question is a
direct result of the conflicts and wars whipped up by the American and
European imperialists as part of their plan to gain control over the resources
- oil and natural gas – within the Middle East. With the concentration of
Petro-Dollars the Arab countries have gathered millions of migrants from
the developing countries of Asia and Africa. The volatility of the oil prices
have adversely affected the lives of these migrants and the economies of
their respective countries.
It is pertinent to note that the ‘migrant question’ has arisen as an
important contradiction that is deepening the crisis of global capitalism.
With the rise of capitalism, the question of large scale migration of
people from one country to another, one region to another, came to the
fore. The development of capitalism would not have been possible without
48 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
the movement of peasants from agriculture to industries and migration of
people from rural areas to urban areas. Hundreds of thousands of people
ofhave shifted from agriculture to industries. They are migrating from
underdeveloped states to those that developed industrially. And we are
witness to the right wing, reactionary forces inciting regional chauvinism in
the name of migrants causing unemployment in those areas. Trump’s
electoral plank was to incite predominantly white workers against the migrant
workers, holding them responsible for the unemployment within the US.
His hate speeches accused the migrant workers and alleged that their low
wages robbed the white workers of their jobs and migrants were the root
cause for poverty, crime and terrorism within the US. He campaigned that
the migrants were a threat to the security of the US as a nation.
The countries of South America have long remained as colonies of
European nations and they received formal independence in the 19th century
as a result of nationalist movements. But the US, as it emerged as a world
power, has managed to maintain these countries as neo-colonies till the
end of the 20 th century. It considered the entire south American continent
as its backyard and as its sphere of influence. The US installed its lackeys
as the rulers in these countries and carried on its loot in an unfettered
manner. The Latin American countries were mired in deep debts as a result
of this plunder. The natural resources in these countries were pillaged and
they turned into dependent and poverty stricken states.
Samir Amin described this plunder as follows,
“The exploitation of this first periphery of historical capitalism was
based on setting up a system of production to export agricultural (sugar,
cotton) and mineral products.”
“Independence, when gained by the local white ruling classes, did
not change that setup. Latin America (with today a mere 8.4 percent of
world population) and Africa have small populations, relative to East,
South, and Southeast Asia, but are endowed with fabulously rich natural
resources (in mineral deposits and potentially arable land). For that reason
those regions were doomed to remain subject to systematic grand-scale
pillage, exclusively for purposes of capital accumulation in the dominant
centers—Europe and the United States.”
“…. In the nineteenth century the integration of Latin America into
December, 2018 49
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
the world capitalist system was based in part on the exploitation of its
peonized peasants. They were subjugated to a regime of brutality
perpetrated directly by the biggest agrarian land owners, and also their
exploitation in mines by the foremost American and European mining
companies. The Porfirio Diaz system, in Mexico, was one of its finest
exemplars.”
“In the twentieth century the deepening of this integration resulted in
the “modernization” of poverty. The exodus from the countryside
accelerated, both earlier and more striking in Latin America than in Asia
or Africa, replacing the previous forms of rural poverty with the modern
world of urban “favellas.” Alongside this development, political control
over the masses was also “modernized” with the imposition of fascistic
dictatorships. This included abolition of electoral democracy, outlawing
of political parties and trade unions, specialized police services—with
“modernized” investigative techniques—together with the extra-legal
authority to arrest, torture, and “disappear” any real or potential
opponents. These dictatorships served the local reactionary coalitions
(latifundiary landlords, compradore bourgeoisies, and middle classes
profiting from this mode of “lumpen development”) and the dominant
foreign capital, that of the United States.”
“To this day the continent retains the stigmata of the brutal super-
exploitation to which it has been subjected. Social inequalities are even
more extreme there than elsewhere. Brazil is a rich country (for example,
the ratio of arable land to population is seventeen times that of China)
where only the poor can be seen, while China is a poor country where
extreme poverty is much less visible. But in Brazil, as a consequence
of its early and deep peripheral-capitalist development, merely 10 percent
of the population is still in the countryside: poverty has become urban.
In Venezuela, petroleum has completely destroyed both the economy
and society: there is neither agriculture nor industry, and everything is
imported. The very rich and the very poor live—or survive—only from
oil rents.”
“In these conditions, reconstructing an agriculture able to feed the
population adequately, as well as constructing coherent and efficacious
industrial systems, requires specific long-range policies that will certainly
differ from what one can imagine for Asia or Africa.”
50 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
-Latin America Confronts the Challenge of Globalization, A
Burdensome Inheritance, Samir Amin, Analytical Monthly Review, Dec
2014
Leo Huberman wrote this about the exploitation of Latin America,
“On NBC Television News, last Friday night, pictures were shown of
American refugees who had fled from Panama following the rioting there.
One woman, relating the frightening experience of her husband, said:
“His car was overturned, rocks were thrown at him, and he barely made
it into the Canal Zone.”
Another woman said, “I wish the American people would take an
interest in what is going on there. We just give and give and this is what
they do to us.”
“I, too, wish the American people would take an interest in what is
going on in Panama and in the rest of Latin America.”
Leo Huberman wished that the American people do not blindly believe
in the propaganda fed by the American press and media that the Latin
American people are villainous and immoral.
He further elaborated on the exploitation of Latin America by the US
imperialists with revealing statistics.
“For Latin America in general we have other revealing figures from
the U.S. Department of Commerce: For the period 1950–1961, net new
private U.S. investment came to $2,962,000,000 but the profit and
interest on that sum came to $6,875,000,000; which means that well
more than double the amount put in, was taken out.”
“Ah, yes, you may point out, but those figures pertain only to private
investment, and in that same period the U.S. government was giving
and giving and giving to the countries of Latin America. To present a
true picture you must include, in addition to the amount of private capital,
the amount of public capital poured into Latin America.”
“Quite correct. Let me now include the amount of public capital—
again the figures are from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. United States
aid and loans came to the truly munificent sum of $3,910,000,000. But
the repayments and the interest thereon, were also munificent—they
December, 2018 51
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
come to $1,554,000,000 to date, and more still to come. So, adding up
both private and public capital poured into Latin America by the United
States, against profits, repayments, and interest poured into the United
States by Latin America, we find a net capital movement to the United
States of over two billion dollars.”
- Latin America and Underdevelopment, Leo
Huberman, Analytical Monthly Review, Oct 2013
The last decade of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century
witnessed the rise of militant struggles against US hegemony and its inhuman
exploitation. There were armed resistance struggles led by communists.
There were struggles on both parliamentary and extra-parliamentary terrains.
Anti-(US) imperialist governments were established in Venezuela, Bolivia,
Brazil and Argentina. There were attempts to unite the Latin American
countries under the leadership of Fidel Castro in Cuba and Chavez of
Venezuela. The US imperialists resorted to many a conspiracies to foil
such attempts. And they could achieve some success. Thus many a Latin
American countries saw the return of right-wing regimes in the recent times.
These developments point to the limitations of bourgeois reformism in
fighting capitalism and imperialism.
The US had a shortage of labour from the beginning. Its agriculture was
developed by the millions of black people who were forcibly abducted from
Africa and subjugated as slaves. The industries thrived again with their
labour after the abolition of slavery. It is an irrefutable fact that the
agriculture, industries and the service sectors flourished with the labour of
millions of immigrant labourers from Mexico and other South American
countries (predominant among them were from the Central American states).
It is estimated that there are 1.2 million ‘illegal’ immigrant workers, apart
from those millions who have migrated ‘legally’. The domestic workers who
work on very low wages are predominantly from the Central American
states. The modern US grew with immigrants from Europe. Its development
is intricately linked with the African people who were forcibly abducted,
and the low wage workers from Latin America and millions of workers and
employee immigrants from Asia. Thus the US was referred to as a ‘land of
immigrants’. The truth is that the capitalists and their governments in the
US have consciously encouraged immigration in both legal and illegal forms
to further their interests.
52 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY
The US annexed large areas of Mexico after its war with Mexico during
1846-48. It violated the treaty and captured the Mexican farmlands and
turned the peasants into agricultural workers. The US government has
extensively employed the Mexican agricultural workers in the western and
south western parts and in its mines, agricultural farms, construction of
railway lines during the latter half of 19 th century and early 20 th century.
The Gatekeeper Border Policy
As the American citizens were drafted into the military during the World
War I, the rural areas faced a shortage of labour. However, Immigrant
Mexican workers were deployed as workers not just in agriculture but in
industries as well to meet the need. Thus ‘illegal’ immigration was fostered
both by the US and the Mexican governments. This is referred to as
‘Gatekeeper Border Policy’. Its main intent was to allow Mexican and other
South American workers to cross the borders freely when there is demand
and to restrict such entries during the times of recession.
Thus the workers from Mexico and Central American countries were
turned into American capitalism’s reserve army of labour. This led to
situations when there was a deluge of migrant workers and times when
they were deported.
The Bracero Program
The US implemented the ‘Bracero Program’ during the years 1942 –
1964, to overcome the shortage of labour (the term Bracero in Spanish
means a ‘manual labourer’ or “one who works using his arms’). The US
government allowed the agricultural workers from Mexico to enter the US
for temporary work. 450,000 Mexican workers entered the US by the year
1952. Around 4.6 million Mexican workers entered the US to fill the labour
shortage under this Bracero program. There was large scale mechanisation
in the US agricultural sector in the 1960s. The need for agricultural workers
went down with this mechanisation. The US repatriated the Mexican workers
through ‘Operation Wetback’ during the 1950s as it faced a recession. A
million of Mexican workers were sent back in the first year of this operation.
Maquiladoras – Undisguised Exploitation
The exploitation for Mexican workers didn’t abate with this. The US
December, 2018 53
Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
government initiated the Maquiladora system as a way of exploiting the
Mexican workers. This new system is all about establishing the industries
along the US – Mexico border and squeezing Mexican workers. There were
120,000 workers employed in the 1980s when these industries were
initiated. Within ten years this number increased five folds and reached
600,000. This further increased in the 1990s. By the year 2000, there were
1.3 million workers in 3000 industries.
Immigrant workers from Mexico and Central America played a key role
in developing the agriculture, industry, services, construction and transport
sectors in US and in making it a dominant global power. The US imperialists
implemented an ‘Open Border’ policy for long to squeeze the Mexican and
Central American workers with low wages. It continued to maintain them
as ‘illegal’ (not with documents) workers to exploit their poverty,
unemployment and vulnerabilities. The immigrant workers were constantly
blackmailed under the threat of deportation. They were subject to appalling
working conditions and very low wages. It implemented ‘Guest worker’
programs as part of this plan. Such guest workers are allowed to be in the
US only till the duration of work/ contract. They remain purely temporary
workers and they become ‘illegal’ workers once the project/ contract duration
expires.
During the 1990s, with the implementation of the US led neoliberal
policies, the industries in US moved to South Asia where cheap labour is
abundant. Unemployment in the US increases as a result of this shift. The
unemployment is further accentuated by automation and robotization. The
US working class was made to perceive the prevalence of immigrant labour
as the cause of increasing unemployment. Donald Trump used this insecure
feeling effectively in the presidential elections of the US in 2016. He
promised deportation of ‘illegal’ immigrants from Mexico and central
American countries and stopping the influx from South America through
building a wall along the US-Mexico border. The South American countries
were impoverished by the unabated US imperialist exploitation in the last
180 years. They became indebted. Poverty, unemployment and inequalities
reached their zenith. The US imperialists and the local dictatorships propped
up by them killed thousands innocent people in the name of suppressing
terrorism and eliminating drug trade. Thousands of young men and women
went ‘missing’. The people in these countries do not have jobs and they
are deprived of security and livelihood. It is in these miserable conditions
54 December, 2018
 NEW DEMOCRACY Organ of the Central Committee, CPI(ML)
that the 10,000 people from the countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El How does it end?
Salvador took to this march towards the US border. They marched over
100 miles trekking an arduous path. They demanded that they be allowed by Marge Piercy
to enter and work in the US as it is US imperialism that turned their native (Oct 01, 2018)
lands into a grave yard and it is their labour that contributed the riches of
the US. From Guatemala, from El Salvador,
Unemployment and inequality have peaked and wages have plummeted Honduras they travel overland
in both developed and developing countries. This is a result of the structural with little, with nothing but hope
crisis of capitalism. The workers in the underdeveloped world are looking out of terror, from rape and murder
at the developed countries for jobs as they are deprived of employment
opportunities in their native lands. The trade war between US – China, with daughters and sons, babies
intensification of cold war between US and Russia, the human rights crisis they hope they’re carrying to safety.
in the conflicts of Palestine and Yemen, ecological crisis and the debt
situation of the governments – all these exacerbate the immigrant crisis. They believe the old promises.
People at large are now compelled to consider the socialist and Marxist Here you will be safe, here there’s
alternatives to the capitalist system. This is the time for the communists
to work resolutely to win over the broad masses. work no white American wants.
You’ll save to save family members.
(Articles by Samir Amin, Leo Huberman and Richard D Vogel were
This will be a home forever.
useful references for this article. Samir Amin breathed his last recently.)
Here you will not cower in fear.

They cross and are treated

worse than thieves, shoved
into overcrowded camps, into
cages like dogs no one wants.

Here the children they fled so far

to save are ripped from them
penned like sheep, alone in crowds
crying, confused, terrified again.

Oh, Emma Lazarus, could you see,

would you recognize this country?
France, you must take back that lady
with her now extinguished torch.

December, 2018 55 56 December, 2018