April
17,
2003
The
Polit
Bureau
of
the
Communist
Party
of
India
(Marxist)
met
at
New
Delhi
on
April
15
and
16,
2003.
It
has
issued
the
following
statement:
The
invasion
of
Iraq
by
the
US
and
British
troops
has
led
to
large-scale
destruction
and
a
terrible
toll
of
lives
of
the
Iraqi
people.
This
brutal
and
criminal
war
has
been
exposed
for
what
it
is
in
the
past
four
weeks
–
a
blatant
conquest
to
occupy
a
sovereign
Arab
state
and
to
capture
its
valuable
resources.
To
achieve
this,
the
US
has
used
lethal
weapons
of
mass
destruction
in
the
form
of
cluster
bombs,
fuel-air
explosives
and
thousands
of
missiles.
The
massacre
of
innocents
in
Baghdad
and
other
towns
has
been
condoned
by
the
American
and
British
leaders
as
part
of
the
exigencies
of
war.
History
will
not
forgive
George
Bush
or
Tony
Blair
for
their
unpardonable
crimes.
The
pretext
for
this
war
has
been
thoroughly
exposed
and
blown
to
pieces.
There
are
no
“weapons
of
mass
destruction”
that
have
been
found,
nor
were
the
Iraqi
people
waiting
to
be
liberated.
Instead,
the
Iraqi
forces
put
up
determined
resistance
against
the
over-whelming
and
wanton
use
of
military
force.
The
loot
of
the
Iraq
National
Museum
has
destroyed
at
one
stroke
the
precious
heritage
of
the
Iraqi
nation
and
mankind
–
artifacts
and
cultural
products
of
the
world’s
most
ancient
civilizations.
The
fact
that
the
US
troops
allowed
this
pillage
makes
them
culpable
for
this
act
of
cultural
genocide.
The
world
is
witnessing
the
shameful
spectacle
of
an
occupation
regime
being
put
in
place
with
an
American
general
acting
as
the
proconsul.
Now
Iraq
will
be
“reconstructed”
by
the
destroyers
utilizing
the
funds
generated
from
Iraqi
oil.
The
United
States
has
rejected
calls
for
allowing
the
United
Nations
to
play
the
major
role
in
the
post-war
set-up,
disregarding
even
the
views
of
its
loyal
ally,
Britain.
The
Polit
Bureau
of
the
CPI(M)
demands
that
the
Vajpayee
government
give
up
its
double-faced
attitude
to
the
American
aggression.
It
should
demand
that
the
United
Nations
be
handed
over
the
responsibility
for
running
an
interim
administration
and
the
withdrawal
of
the
occupation
forces.
The
Government
,apart
from
extending
humanitarian
relief,
should
not
participate
in
the
so-called
reconstruction
under
the
US
occupation
regime.
Getting
sub-contracts
to
profiteer
from
Iraq’s
misery
is
not
acceptable
to
the
Indian
people.
The
Supreme
Court
has
refused
to
entertain
the
Vajpayee
government’s
request
to
vacate
the
order
prohibiting
any
activities
on
the
acquired
land
and
for
maintenance
of
the
status
quo.
With
this,
the
Government
has
no
other
option
but
to
firmly
uphold
the
law
and
prevent
any
activities
by
the
VHP
which
are
inimical
to
the
Court
order.
The
BJP
efforts
to
assist
the
VHP
in
its
activities
to
subvert
the
law
must
stop
forthwith.
In
this
context,
the
Polit
Bureau
strongly
condemned
the
provocative
speeches
and
activities
of
VHP
agitators
like
Praveen
Togadia.
It
supports
the
Rajasthan
government’s
step
to
prohibit
the
trishool
distribution
ceremonies
and
the
measures
taken
to
enforce
them.
The
Polit
Bureau
noted
the
heinous
moves
of
the
extremist
groups
to
disrupt
the
efforts
to
restore
peace
in
the
state
after
the
Mufti
Mohd
Sayeed
government
was
formed.
The
Nadimarg
massacre
of
24
Kashmiri
pandits
was
part
of
this
design.
Instead
of
loose
talk
about
preemptive
strikes,
which
apes
the
illegal
stance
of
America,
it
would
be
better
if
the
Vajpayee
government
take
steps
to
strengthen
security
in
the
state
in
cooperation
with
the
state
government.
The Polit Bureau heard a report about the preparations for the panchayat elections to be held on May 11 by the Party and the Left Front. The sixth panchayat elections involves 59000 seats in the three-tier system. The Party is confident of victory for the Left Front for the sixth successive time. It is in the face of this certain outcome and the steady erosion in its mass base, that the Trinamul leader, Mamata Banerjee has begun making wild charges which have no credibility whatsoever.
Kerala
Situation
The Polit Bureau strongly condemned the severe repression unleashed by the Antony government against the LDF opposition. The brutal lathi charges which injured hundreds of CPI(M) and LDF leaders and activists on March 17 is unprecedented in the history of Kerala. The anti-democratic posture of the Antony government was evident in its refusal to accept the minimum demand for a judicial enquiry into the Muthunga police firing. Such repression is resorted to by a government which is facing increasing opposition for policies which seek to reverse the progressive gains made by the state.
It is in this background that a division surfaced within the Congress party which was reflected in the elections to the Rajya Sabha seats. A rebel nominee was able to muster one-third of the Congress party’s legislative members.
The Polit Bureau fully endorsed the steps being taken by the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) to intensify the movement against the anti-people policies of the Antony government.
Change In Election Procedure For Rajya Sabha Seats
The Polit Bureau expressed its strong opposition to the legislation to amend the procedure for election of members to the Rajya Sabha. The bill proposes to make the election of Rajya Sabha members by the Members of Legislative Assembly by open ballot instead of the present secret ballot system. Secondly, the legislation does away with the requirement that a candidate of the Rajya Sabha belong to the state concerned. This goes against the basic premise of the Rajya Sabha that the Rajya Sabha is the Council of States as provided in the Constitution. The upper house represents the states, recognizing the federal principle. The new system will be a perversion of the Constitutional and federal principle. The secret ballot system cannot be given up because of some parties inability to exercise minimum discipline over their MLAs. Floor crossing and bribery cannot be checked by giving up the principle of secret ballot. Though the bill has been passed in the Rajya Sabha with the support of the Congress and other parties, the CPI(M) appeals to all political parties not to abandon the basic principles. The bill should not be proceeded with.
Support
to
21st
May
General
Strike
The Polit Bureau extended its full support to the strike call given by the central trade unions on a six-point charter of demands to be held on 21st May. Various other mass organisations of the peasants, agricultural workers, women, students and youth have decided to join this protest action in support of their own demands and in solidarity with the working class.
The Polit Bureau called upon all its Party units to extend help to the preparations for the strike and to rally the widest support for this all-India protest action. The 21st May strike will be a clear signal to the Central government that its policies of privatisation, cutting public investment and not providing relief to the people will be strongly resisted.
Review of Work on the Agrarian Front
The Polit Bureau discussed a draft document reviewing the work of the Party on the Kisan and agricultural workers front. After finalisation, the draft will be placed in the next Central Committee for discussion and adoption.
Next Meeting of the Central Committee
The Polit Bureau decided to hold the next meeting of the Central Committee at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 7th to 9th June 2003.