P.B. Communique

December 10, 2017

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on December 9 & 10, 2017. It has issued the following statement:

 

Cyclone Ockhi:

Central Government Must Provide Adequate Relief

 

Cyclone Ockhi has caused immense damage in the states of Kerala and Tamilnadu. In Kerala over a hundred people have been reported as dead and nearly a hundred are still missing. Thousands of houses, mechanised and country boats of fishermen have been damaged. In Tamilnadu thirty people have been reported killed while over a thousand are missing There has been largescale damage to houses, crops and property.

 

Given the fact that there are a large number of people still missing, the central government should ensure the continuation of the search and rescue operations in sea by the navy, air force and coast guard for some more days. It is also pertinent that the National Disaster Management Authority should be revamped to ensure that warnings are conveyed to the concerned states in time.

 

The Kerala State government has requested the central government to declare cyclone Ockhi as a calamity of severe nature and provide an immediate assistance of Rs. 1843 crores.

 

Hate Crime Condemned

 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the brutal killing of a migrant labourer Mohd. Affrazul in Rajsamand, Rajasthan. Affrazul comes from the state of West Bengal. The Polit Bureau demands that the alleged killer identified as Shambulal Regar must be severely punished in accordance with the law.

 

The atmosphere created by the politics of hate and the Hindutva Brigade continues to rampage across the country attacking Muslim minorities and dalits. The patronage provided by the BJP governments both at the Centre and in the states are actually encouraging and protecting such hate crimes. The killers of Akhlaq have been given jobs in the public sector NTPC. BJP MPs hail such killers. The culprits named by Pehlu Khan in his dying declaration have all been set scot free. The victims of attacks are being booked under the law while the culprits roam around freely with impunity.

 

The CPI(M) Polit Bureau reiterates its demand that this BJP Central Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi must by legislation ban such private armies of gau rakshaks and ‘moral policing’ spreading havoc across the country.

 

FRDI Bill

 

It is clear that this Modi government is rushing through the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill in the coming Winter session of parliament. This is a blatant attack on crores of common depositors who save their life long earnings in bank deposits. This only helps the banks and the financial institutions to recoup their health at the expense of the depositors. While these banks have given humongous loans to the corporates which are not being returned, the consequent loss to the banks is sought to be made up through savings of crores of depositors.

 

This Bill falls in line with the recommendations of international finance capital which prescribes that in order to prevent any future global financial meltdown like that one happened in 2008 banks and financial institutions must ensure a process of “bail in” rather than “bail out”. The huge bail out packages given by various governments to banks and financial institutions to over come the global crisis of 2008 converted corporate insolvencies into sovereign insolvencies. This has crated a new crisis for global capitalism and this continues to plague the global economy.

 

In case a bank reaches a state of collapse this FRDI will have the power amongst others to exercise any one of the three measures to protect the bank. These are – sale to any other financial firm, including foreign corporates; the incorporation of a bridge institution (merger of banks as is currently being proposed by this BJP central government) or initiating a ‘bail in’ process.

 

If this comes into effect as law then the RBI’s mandate would shift from supervision, regulation and monetary policy to ensuring financial stability in the country. This would mean in fact that the interests of the ordinary depositors in the banks would be sacrificed in favour of protecting, both, the banks facing collapse and the corporates who have heavily borrowed from the banks.

 

The power to ensure that a failing bank can be recapitalized with depositors money and material without the depositors consent. There is no guarantee for protecting the depositors money.

 

The CPI(M) will oppose this legislation in parliament in the current form and will seek the support of all other parties to do the same in the interests of tens of crores of our people whose life long savings are jeopardised.

 

Preparations for 22nd Party Congress

 

The Polit Bureau finalised the schedule of state conferences and the central leaders who will be attending. 25 state committees will have their conferences in the run up to the 22nd Congress to be held at Hyderabad from April 18 to 22, 2018.

 

The Polit Bureau discussed the Draft Political Report for the 22nd Congress. These discussions will now be placed for the Central Committee’s consideration at its forthcoming meeting from January 19 to 21, 2018 at Kolkata.

 

 

P.B. Communique

August 8, 2009

Press Communique

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on September 17, 2004. It has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau discussed the overall political situation. It heard reports of the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur and the north-eastern region. The extremist groups are utilising Bangladesh territory to conduct operations in the neighbouring states. In Jammu & Kashmir, the UPA government should work out a fresh initiative with a clear political content which can elicit a favourable response for a dialogue with all concerned groups within the state. This should accompany the Indo-Pakistan dialogue which will be carried forward after the recent Foreign Ministers meeting in Delhi.

The Polit Bureau welcomed the decision of the Cabinet to repeal POTA. The Polit Bureau urged the UPA government to ensure that the ongoing POTA cases be brought under the purview of the repeal. Cases which need to be continued can be pursued under the relevant provisions of the IPC.

BJP’s Communal Agenda

In the recent period, the BJP has once again shown by its stance and activities that it has nothing to fall back on but its communal agenda. On the Savarkar issue, the BJP-RSS combine is engaged in glorifying a person who symbolised the ideology of communal hatred which resulted finally in the conspiracy to assassinate Gandhiji. In the Uma Bharati affair, the BJP has sought to wrap itself around the national flag when the actual incident in Hubli was part of the typical RSS ploy of creating Hindu-Muslim tensions in sensitive places. Uma Bharati had been used for such a provocation at the Idgah maidan.

The BJP’s campaign on such issues has not found any popular response. It only shows how desperate the BJP leadership has become after their defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.

Both these campaigns underline the necessity to firmly counter and expose the disruptionist ideology and politics of the forces which draw sustenance from Hindutva. The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) calls upon all the secular and democratic forces to firmly counter the efforts of the BJP to introduce the communal idiom in politics in some garb or the other. A special responsibility devolves upon the UPA government and the Congress leadership in this regard. They have to show the political will and the ideological firmness to rebuff all such attacks on secular-democratic values.

Maharashtra Elections

The CPI(M) will contest in the assembly elections with the aim of defeating the Shiv Sena-BJP combine. The Maharashtra state committee of CPI(M) has drawn up a list of seats to be contested where the Party can put up an effective fight and to rally the Left and democratic forces to project alternative policies. The Party’s endeavour will be avoid the division in the secular votes to the extent possible.

Implement Pro-People Measures In The CMP

The Polit Bureau discussed the issues which are of immediate concern to the people and which require the implementation of the pro-people measures in the Common Minimum Programme. As a priority, the proposals for employment generation such as the Employment Guarantee Act, increase in public investment in agriculture and revival of the public sector units and increased public expenditure in education and health have all to be taken up in a time-bound manner. The Left parties have already decided to discuss the implementation of the CMP proposals in the next meeting of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee.

The Polit Bureau is of the firm opinion that measures such as raising the FDI caps in telecom and insurance and the privatisation of the airports in Delhi and Mumbai do not conform to the direction set out in the CMP. The needless controversy created by the inclusion of representatives of the World Bank and other international agencies in the consultative bodies of the Planning Commission shows a lack of awareness of the popular feelings in the country.

Organisational Matters

The Polit Bureau discussed a draft document on mass organisations which will be placed before the next Central Committee meeting. It also finalised some guidelines for the conduct of Party conferences.
The next meeting of the Central Committee will be held from October 29 to 31, 2004.