March 5, 2003
The
Central
Committee
of
the
Communist
Party
of
India
(Marxist)
met
in
New
Delhi
on
March
3
and
4,
2003.
It
has
issued
the
following
statement:
Oppose
War
On
Iraq
The
Central
Committee
of
the
CPI(M)
expressed
its
strong
opposition
to
the
feverish
war
preparations
being
made
by
the
United
States
to
launch
a
military
attack
and
occupy
Iraq.
Such
an
act
of
blatant
aggression
is
against
world
public
opinion
which
has
been
dramatically
manifested
through
huge
anti-war
mobilisations
around
the
world.
The
United
States
is
currently
engaged
in
bullying
and
pressurising
members
of
the
Security
Council
to
get
a
second
resolution
adopted
to
authorise
its
illegal
war.
The
majority
in
the
Council
is
against
the
war.
Three
permanent
members
of
the
Security
Council
--
France,
Russia
and
China
--
have
reiterated
their
opposition
to
war
and
for
the
UN
inspectors
to
continue
their
work
in
Iraq.
The
Iraqi
cooperation
with
the
weapons
inspectors
has
led
to
the
process
of
destruction
of
its
Al
Samoud
short-range
missiles.
Despite
the
strong
possibility
of
failure
to
get
Security
Council
backing,
Bush
is
determined
to
go
ahead
with
the
war.
Bush
and
the
British
Prime
Minister,
Tony
Blair,
want
nothing
less
than
the
removal
of
Saddam
Hussein
and
abject
surrender
by
Iraq.
The
Security
Council
has
not
succumbed
to
the
US
pressures;
the
United
Nations
cannot
become
party
to
aggression
against
a
member
country
and
violation
of
its
national
sovereignty.
The
BJP-led
government
has
refused
to
take
a
firm
and
categorical
position
in
opposition
to
the
US
war
efforts.
Neither
in
Parliament,
nor
at
the
NAM
Summit
in
Malaysia
has
the
Vajpayee
government
taken
a
firm
stand.
As
the
Prime
Minister
himself
has
said,
his
government
has
adopted
a
"middle
path",
which
is
an
euphemism
for
tacit
connivance
with
America's
war
plans.
The
Central
Committee
called
for
a
powerful
anti-war
mobilisation
all
over
the
country.
All
Party
units
must
take
up
this
task
as
a
priority
and
with
all
other
Left
and
democratic
forces,
build
a
powerful
protest
movement
against
America's
aggression
and
demand
that
the
Indian
government
take
political
and
diplomatic
measures
to
oppose
the
war.
National
Situation
After
the
Gujarat
elections,
the
BJP-RSS
combine
has
aggressively
sought
to
push
the
communal
Hindutva
agenda.
The
most
glaring
illustration
of
this
stance
is
the
VHP's
revival
of
the
Ram
temple
agitation
and
the
Central
government's
response.
The
Centre's
move
to
get
the
Supreme
Court
to
vacate
its
stay
order
on
the
status
of
the
acquired
land
at
Ayodhya
is
a
partisan
step
to
meet
the
VHP's
illegal
demands.
There
can
be
no
alteration
of
the
status
of
the
land
acquired
by
the
Central
government
around
the
site
where
the
Babri
Masjid
stood,
till
a
final
decision
is
arrived
at
through
the
judicial
process.
The
Central
Committee
of
the
CPI(M)
strongly
condemned
the
planned
efforts
to
rake
up
issues
which
can
create
communal
tensions.
The
"bhojshala"
issue
at
Dhar
in
Madhya
Pradesh,
the
mass
distribution
of
trishuls
in
Rajasthan
and
Madhya
Pradesh
and
the
mischievous
attempts
to
create
communal
tensions
in
various
centres
in
Maharashtra,
Karnataka
and
Rajasthan
are
all
part
of
the
design
to
intimidate
the
minorities
and
to
create
a
communal
divide.
Thus,
the
BJP
was
hoping
to
cash
in
on
the
Gujarat
election
results
and
to
repeat
"Gujarat"
in
other
parts
of
the
country.
The
results
of
the
Himachal
Pradesh
elections
have
shown
that
substantial
sections
of
people
do
not
subscribe
to
this
divisive
agenda.
Despite
all
the
communal
issues
being
raised
in
the
election
campaign
by
the
BJP
leadership,
the
people
of
the
state
have
voted
out
the
Dhumal
government
for
its
misrule
and
corruption.
But
the
communal
campaign
will
continue,
keeping
in
mind
the
forthcoming
elections
to
Rajasthan,
Madhya
Pradesh,
Chattisgarh
and
Delhi
assemblies
later
this
year.
The
Central
Committee
called
upon
all
its
Party
units
and
other
Left
and
democratic
forces
to
counter
this
communal
campaign
and
the
efforts
to
disturb
communal
harmony.
Compromising
Attitude
of
the
Congress
The
Central
Committee
of
the
CPI(M)
sharply
criticised
the
compromising
stand
and
vacillations
of
the
Congress
in
the
face
of
the
communal
offensive.
A
striking
example
of
this
tendency
to
compromise
on
communal
issues
is
seen
in
the
stance
of
the
Madhya
Pradesh
Chief
Minister,
Digvijay
Singh.
He
wrote
a
letter
to
the
Prime
Minister
demanding
a
national
legislation
against
cow
slaughter
and
a
ban
on
beef
exports.
At
his
instance,
the
Madhya
Pradesh
Congress
has
taken
up
a
campaign
on
these
issues.
Neither
has
the
Chief
Minister
taken
a
firm
stand
on
the
"bhojshala"
issue.
His
recommendation
to
the
Central
government
has
led
the
latter
to
announce
concessions
to
the
RSS-led
agitation
to
allow
puja
to
be
conducted
inside
the
monument.
Such
opportunism
and
efforts
to
out-maneouvre
the
BJP
will
only
further
legitimise
its
communal
agenda.
It
is
for
the
Congress
leadership
to
reverse
this
trend,
which
can
cost
the
country
heavily.
Economic
Situation
The
Central
Committee
of
the
CPI(M)
expressed
its
deep
concern
at
the
stagnant
economic
situation
with
the
GDP
growth
having
come
down
to
4.4
per
cent
in
the
current
fiscal
year.
The
severe
drought
in
2002
has
affected
agricultural
production
badly
with
a
negative
growth
of
3.1
per
cent
being
registered.
With
an
increase
in
world
oil
prices,
the
huge
import
bill
burden
will
upset
the
balance
of
payments
position.
It
is
in
such
a
situation
that
the
conditions
and
life
of
the
ordinary
people
is
deteriorating.
The
drought-affected
areas
have
seen
hunger
and
malnutrition.
The
after-effects
of
the
drought
continues
to
be
serious
in
many
states
where
the
peasantry
have
lost
their
crops
or
are
not
been
able
to
sow
them.
The
inadequate
relief
has
hardly
given
any
succour
to
the
farmers.
The
collapse
of
the
public
distribution
system
makes
a
mockery
of
the
huge
foodgrains
stocks.
The
Tenth
Plan
document
has
admitted
that
employment
potential
has
shrunk.
It
is
in
this
background
that
the
Union
budget
has
come
out
with
proposals
which
will
further
aggravate
the
situation
and
worsen
the
living
conditions
of
the
people.
Like
the
previous
budgets,
it
is
explicitly
pro-rich
and
anti-poor,
providing
major
fiscal
concession
to
big
business
and
the
rich,
and
implying
further
increases
in
living
costs
of
workers
and
peasants.
It
does
nothing
to
address
the
two
most
crucial
problems
of
the
Indian
economy
today,
that
is
the
crisis
in
agriculture
and
the
collapse
in
employment.
It
has
nothing
to
offer
to
the
peasantry
reeling
under
the
impact
of
price-crashes;
on
the
contrary
it
actually
raises
the
price
of
fertilizers
at
the
very
time
when
output
prices
have
crashed.
The
employment
scenario
is
likely
to
get
even
worse
as
a
result
of
the
dereservation
of
SSI
items,
and
the
whole
array
of
cuts
in
Customs
Duties.
The
reduction
in
peak
customs
duty
from
30
per
cent
to
25
per
cent
would
adversely
affect
small
industry
that
is
already
facing
the
problem
of
import
competition.
The
cut
in
the
interest
rate
of
small
savings,
including
the
provident
fund
rate,
will
affect
ordinary
people
and
pensioners.
The
50
paise
cess
on
diesel
will
have
a
cascading
effect
on
all
costs
and
prices,
including
in
the
agricultural
sector.
In
the
name
of
controlling
adulteration,
an
additional
excise
duty
of
Rs.
1.50
per
litre
has
been
imposed
on
light
diesel
oil,
which
will
further
hit
the
production
conditions
of
cultivators,
and
the
living
standards
of
all
ordinary
people.
The
Central
Committee
called
upon
all
its
Party
units
to
immediately
take
up
the
problems
of
various
sections
of
the
people
due
to
the
budget
proposals
and
launch
protest
actions
demanding
reversal
of
such
provisions.
On
Use
Of
Water
Resources
The
Central
Committee
of
the
CPI(M)
discussed
the
government's
proposal
for
the
inter-linking
of
river
waters
on
a
countrywide
scale.
The
shortage
of
water
for
agricultural
purposes,
the
problem
of
drought
and
floods
and
the
acute
scarcity
of
drinking
water
are
all
issues
which
must
be
tackled
on
a
priority
basis.
In
this
context,
it
is
necessary
to
have
a
comprehensive
and
scientific
study
on
how
to
tackle
the
problem.
The
Central
Committee
calls
for
the
setting
up
of
a
multi-disciplinary
expert
committee
to
go
into
the
whole
question
and
come
up
with
considered
proposals
which
should
then
be
taken
up
for
discussion
and
implementation.
The Central Committee condemned the police firing and repression on adivasis in Wynad district in Kerala. The UDF government has refused to hold a judicial enquiry into the incident. The Antony government has failed to provide land to the adivasis who are landless. The Central Committee endorsed the demand for a judicial enquiry raised by the LDF and other organisations.
Conduct
Coordinated
Movements
The
Central
Committee
welcomed
the
decision
taken
at
the
February
26
march
to
Parliament
of
the
national
trade
unions
to
conduct
a
one-day
general
strike
during
the
current
session
of
Parliament.
It
called
upon
all
mass
organisations
to
conduct
their
own
independent
campaigns
and
coordinate
their
movements
with
this
one-day
strike
call
so
that
a
powerful
countrywide
protest
can
be
registered.
The
Central
Committee
of
the
CPI(M)
decided
that
the
Party
should
conduct
its
own
campaign
and
struggles
on
four
major
questions
in
the
coming
period.
·
The
first
issue
is
the
imminent
threat
of
war
on
Iraq.
In
the
coming
few
weeks,
before
America
launches
its
attack,
all
Party
units
should
take
the
initiative
to
mobilise
all
political
forces
and
sections
of
the
people,
so
that
a
powerful
anti-war
movement
is
developed
throughout
the
country.
·
The
Party
will
conduct
a
widespread
campaign
against
the
machinations
of
the
RSS
and
its
front
organisations
and
the
BJP's
connivance
with
them
in
stoking
up
communal
tensions
and
campaign
for
defence
of
secular
values
and
maintaining
communal
harmony.
·
All
Party
units
should
organise
protests
against
the
attacks
on
the
livelihood
of
the
people
through
the
budget
proposal,
such
as
the
hike
in
price
of
diesel
and
fertilisers,
the
threat
to
small
scale
industries
and
employment
due
to
cuts
in
customs
duties
and
the
ongoing
privatisation
drive.
·
A
campaign
should
be
conducted
for
the
universalisation
of
the
public
distribution
system
and
till
then,
ensuring
the
distribution
of
BPL
cards
and
providing
adequate
quantity
of
foodgrains
at
cheap
rates
for
the
rural
and
urban
poor.