(Adopted at the Central Committee meeting held on October 27-29, 2023 at New Delhi)

 

INTERNATIONAL:

Israel’s Genocidal War on Gaza:
Israel is intensifying its unprecedented inhuman assault against the Palestinians. The Israeli defense forces have begun their ground invasion of the Gaza strip in the name of retaliatory action against the Hamas attacks in Israel. This operation has been mounted in which more than 8,000 people, 4,000 whom are children, have been killed so far. Most gruesome has been the Israeli bombings on hospitals, schools, churches and human shelters. The intention is clear, Israel seeks to convert Gaza into a rubble expelling all Palestinians to move into neighbouring Egypt and other countries and formally annex the Gaza strip as part of Israel.
As a result of a gigantic imperialist conspiracy and fraud, the Palestinians are continuously denied their right to their homeland. The most rightwing Netanyahu government in Israel has, in recent months, intensified the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, patronized the creation of private armies by the illegal Jewish settlers in the West Bank and now threatens to launch a war of extermination. 
World imperialism led by the USA has pronounced unabashed support to Israel in this enterprise. Biden, Rishi Sunak, Macron and the German Chancellor Olaf Scolz visited Israel to personally express solidarity with Netanyahu. The USA has established, over the decades, Israel as its outpost in West Asia and has been funding it to the tune of more than $4 billion a year apart from providing it with the most advanced military technologies and armaments.
It is shocking that India abstained on a Resolution overwhelmingly adopted by the UN General Assembly calling for a humanitarian truce titled “Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations” in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza.
India’s abstention on a resolution that was overwhelmingly adopted shows the extent to which Indian foreign policy is being shaped by being a subordinate ally of US imperialism and the Modi government’s actions for consolidating the US-Israel-India nexus.  This negated India’s longstanding support to the Palestinian cause.

Global protests against Israeli attack on Gaza are being held in many places around the world. In London, more than 3,00,000 people had gathered and rallied against the attacks on Palestine. Huge protests took place in Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Rome, Dublin, Glasgow, Geneva, Sydney, Toronto, Sweden, Denmark and many other countries across the world. France and Germany have banned any sort of solidarity protest actions for Palestine and even to display the Palestinian flag. In spite of the ban, protests are being held. In the US, protests against Israel were led by Jewish groups, who marched into the Capitol Hill in Washington. Similar protests were held in New York, Los Angeles and Detroit. Communist MPs in Israel are suspended from Knesset, the Parliament in Israel, for supporting Palestine and demanding an immediate end to these attacks.
The growing public opinion across the world against Israel’s war in Gaza and for an immediate ceasefire must be further strengthened to force Israel to accept the implementation of UN mandated 2-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders.

Global Economy:
The crisis in the global capitalist economy continues to persist. As noted in our last Central Committee meeting, neoliberalism repeatedly demonstrates its bankruptcy in offering any solution for a way out of this crisis. But at the same time, it zealously continues to realise its objective of predatory profit maximization. This is leading to a further accentuation of inequalities. The living condition for the vast majority of people in terms of growing hunger and poverty worsened.

IMF World Economic Outlook Report October 2023, retained its July forecast for global growth to slow from 3.5 percent in 2022 to 3.0 percent in 2023 and 2.9 percent in 2024, well below the average of 3.8 percent, seen during 2000-19. Advanced economies are expected to slow down from 2.6 percent in 2022 to 1.5 percent in 2023 and 1.4 percent in 2024.
Poverty: According to the UN, almost 700 million people around the world live in extreme poverty, subsisting on less than $2.15 per day. At current rates of progress, the world will likely not meet the global goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, with estimates indicating that nearly 600 million people will still be struggling with extreme poverty then. According to a report of the World Bank-UNICEF, children are more than twice as likely as adults to live in extreme poverty. They comprise more than half of those living in extreme poverty, yet their share of the total population is just 31 percent.

Global Hunger:
The 2023 Global Hunger Index (GHI) shows that progress against hunger world-wide remains largely at a standstill. As the effects of crises multiply and intensify, more and more people are experiencing severe hunger, with the situation expected to worsen throughout the year. The prevalence of undernourishment has been on the rise, and the number of undernourished people has climbed from 572 million to about 735 million.

Ukraine War:
For more than 600 days the war in Ukraine continues. Despite the failure of the Ukrainian counter offensive, US imperialism and the NATO allies are financing and arming Ukraine fully prolonging the war hoping to reduce Russia to bankruptcy. Reportedly there have been many civilian casualties in this war. From 24 February 2022, which marked the start of the large-scale conflict, to 24 September 2023, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 27,449 civilian casualties in the country: 9,701 killed and 17,748 injured.

Rightward Political Shift:
While the general tendency in world politics remans the political rightward shift, in some countries in recent elections, the far right suffered setbacks. This indicates growing popular discontent against the authoritarian rightwing governments and their anti-people economic policies.

Poland:
In the general elections held in Poland, all the opposition parties together have secured enough votes to oust the ruling right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party. Though the PiS won 35.38 percent votes, ahead of centrist opposition Civic Coalition which secured 30.7 percent, it would not be in position to form the government. The Civic Coalition is in discussions with centre-right Third Way and New Left parties and is trying to form an alliance. PiS has lost 41 seats since the last election and even if it did form a coalition with the far-right Confederation party, it would be 19 seats below the required number. The election witnessed one of the highest voter turnouts after the dismantling of socialism, with 74.38 percent voting. Majority of the youth and women voted against the existing right-wing government.

Slovakia:
An early parliamentary election was held in Slovakia on 30 September 2023 to elect members of the National Council. The social democratic, Direction – Social Democracy (Smer-SD), led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico, emerged as the largest party, winning 42 seats. The social-liberal and pro-European, Progressive Slovakia (PS) came second, with 32 seats. Social-democratic, Voice – Social Democracy which split from Smer-SD in 2020, came third with 27 seats. The conservative, OĽaNO and its allies won 16 seats, less than a quarter of their total in the 2020 election. As no singular party or alliance reached the 76 seats needed for a majority, a coalition government may be formed. The major election issues were high inflation and Slovakia’s position on the war in Ukraine. The Smer-SD campaigned promising to end the country’s support to the war in Ukraine.

Guatemala:
Progressive candidate Bernardo Arévalo won Guatemala’s presidential election held on 23 August, but the same day the government ordered his political party suspended on the allegation that they did not submit valid signatures for registering their party. The vote for Arevalo is a reflection of the desire of the Guatemalans for a change, as they have grown disillusioned with endemic corruption. Arévalo and his supporters faced waves of judicial attacks in an attempt to disbar them from contesting the elections. He obtained 60.9 percent of the votes cast, against 37.2 percent for the right-wing Sandra Torres, but his party won only 23 seats in the 160-seat Congress. Plots to assassinate the president-elect by the country’s ruling classes are seeing light. Arevalo is the son of former president Juan José Arévalo, who was ousted in a CIA inspired coup in 1954.

Argentina:
Argentina went to polls for a general election on 22 October. Javier Milei, a far-right leader of the Liberty Advances party was the front runner in the August primary. However, in the October 22 poll, the far right suffered a big setback. The Peronist coalition candidate Sergio Massa polled over 6.6 per cent more votes (36.6 per cent) than Javier Milei (30 per cent), thus, a runoff election became inevitable which is slated to be held on November 19.

Maldives:
Opposition candidate Mohamed Muiz won the presidential runoff with more than 53 percent of the vote. The election has turned into a virtual referendum on whether India or China will have the bigger influence in the small nation. Muiz promised he would remove Indian troops from the Maldives and balance the country’s trade relations, which he said were heavily in India’s favor. The elections were also a reflection of the public anger against the government’s failure to meet economic and governance expectations.

NATIONAL:

INDIA Bloc:
Party attended the third meeting of the constituents of the INDIA bloc held at Mumbai and decided to work for the further consolidation and expansion of INDIA bloc to strengthen the efforts to safeguard the secular democratic character of the Indian Republic, the Constitution, Democracy and People’s fundamental rights and civil liberties. This requires that the BJP must be kept away from controlling the Union government and State Power. The Polit Bureau decided to further strengthen these efforts and reiterated the CPI(M) position at the last three meetings of INDIA bloc in Patna, Bengaluru and Mumbai to organize a series of public meetings across the country and to mobilize the people to ensure the defeat of the BJP in the forthcoming elections. Efforts should be focused to further expand the INDIA bloc and also to draw in significant sections of the people’s movements in this effort. While all decisions will be taken by the leaders of the constituents, there should be no organizational structures that will be an impediment for such decisions.

Manipur:
The situation in Manipur continues to deteriorate. The Modi government is refusing to intervene and remove the Chief Minister, whose handling of the situation has actually worsened ethnic tensions and violence.
In the last Central Committee meeting, we noted that the BJP, with the agenda of sharpening polarization across the North East, is also seeking to give a communal color in Manipur by merging ethnic and religious identities.
Officially, the state police have declared a death toll of 175 (in reality, the figure will be much higher) and stated that at least 96 bodies remain unclaimed, with an additional 32 officially listed as missing. Official records show 5,172 cases of arson, including 4,786 houses and 386 religious places. Though a total of 5,668 firearms were looted, only 1,329 of these have been recovered.
Chief Minister Biren Singh must be immediately sacked, and the mayhem in Manipur must be brought to a halt.

Indian Economy:
With the cementing of the corporate-communal nexus under the Modi government, the bulk of the wealth generated in the country is cornered by the cronies. Tax concessions and incentives given to the rich and corporates are widening the gulf between the two India’s – the rich and the poor. Real income of the top 1 per cent rose by 30 per cent from Rs 7.9 lakh crores in 2019 to Rs. 10.2 lakh crore in 2022, while real income of the lowest 25 per cent fell by 11 per cent from Rs. 3.8 lakh crore to Rs. 3.4 lakh crore.
A relentless propaganda continues to boast of India’s economic resurgence. The recent G-20 Summit was used to project India as an emerging economic powerhouse in the world. But the truth is that India has the lowest per capita GDP amongst the G-20 countries; ranks the lowest in terms of Human Development Indices and records the lowest Labour Force Participation Rate, reflecting very high levels of unemployment.
The continued decline in people’s purchasing power is impeding economic growth as this leads to declining levels of domestic demand. This, in turn, leads to declining levels of investments. This means potentially further declining levels of employment generation. New proposals for investment in the economy have rapidly declined over the last year – 72.5 per cent in government investments and 79.2 per cent in private investments.
Massive propaganda blitz is launched over the grand success of ‘Make in India’. Its target for manufacturing sector growth over this decade was 12-14 per cent. The reality is that since 2013-14, this averaged 5.9 per cent per annuam. The share of manufacturing in GDP was targeted to reach 25 per cent. This, however, remained stagnant at around 16.4 per cent. Between 2011-12 and 2021-22, jobs in manufacturing sector declined from 12.6 per cent to 11.6 per cent.
Deepening rural distress is reflected in the demands for jobs under the MGNREGS. Last year, this grew by 15.3 per cent and compared to 2019-20, this grew by 29.4 per cent.

Unemployment:
Modi government boasts of a 6-year low unemployment rate in 2022-23. However, in August 2023, the unemployment rate was estimated as 8.1 per cent. Youth unemployment (15-24 years) was 23.22 per cent. Among graduates, it is a whopping 42 per cent. Nearly 2 crore families demanded work under MGNREGS.
The recent data released by Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFFS) for July 2022 to June 2023 showing a six year low of unemployment at 3.2 per cent is explained by the same data as being due to an increasing share in self-employment. From around 52 per cent in 2018-19, the rate of self-employed people rose to 57.3 per cent in 2022-23. Self-employed consists of two categories the artisans and hawkers and unpaid family labour. The share of the latter, has increased the most from 17.3 per cent in 2020-21 to 18.3 per cent in 2022-23. The reality is that since there are few jobs available, most people have stopped looking for employment and are forced to be self-employed. The decline in jobs in the casual jobs category is resulting in a reverse migration to rural areas and hence greater demand for jobs under MGNREGS. An important element is that massive number of women have dropped out of the workforce returning to work as unpaid family labour. The most distressing trend the PFLS survey shows is that the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and Worker Population Ratios (WPR) of Muslims sharply declined.  The LFPR declined from 35.5 per cent in 2020-21 to 32.5 per cent in 2022-23 and WPR from 33.9 per cent to 32.5 per cent. The Muslim minority appears to have simply stopped looking for jobs as they are failing to find employment.
The CMIE data which does not consider unpaid family labour as employment shows a rise in the unemployment rate.

Price Rise:
Modi government propaganda claims that runaway inflation is under control and has come below the RBI threshold level of 6 per cent. However, the official Whole Sale Price Index shows that prices have risen on an average by around 30 per cent in May 2023 compared to May 2014. Wheat price has grown 53 per cent, rice by 43 per cent, pulses by 56 per cent, fruits and vegetables by 43 per cent, milk by 42 per cent and eggs by 45 per cent. This is the average over this decade. There have been periodic spikes taking some essentials beyond the reach of the common man.
Constant hiking of prices of petroleum products contributed to the overall growth of inflation. The Central government share of taxes on petroleum products has grown from Rs.  1.26 lakh crores in 2014-15 to Rs. 4.32 lakh crore in 2021-22 – a growth of 243 per cent. This is happening when the global oil price is markedly lower today than in May 2014. India’s crude imports costed $107 for a barrel in May 2014. In May 2023 this was less than $ 75. While global price has dropped by around 30 per cent, the domestic prices of petrol rose by 35 per cent and diesel by 60 per cent. Non-subsidized LPG prices more than doubled since September 2016.
The net result of this rise in cost of living is reflected in the decline in the financial assets of households as a percentage of GDP. This dropped from 15.4 per cent in 2020-21 to 10.9 per cent in 2022-23. The net financial assets for households plummeted from 11.5 per cent to 5.1 per cent of the GDP. The consequence is the mounting indebtedness of households.
With people’s incomes on the decline, rising prices, soaring unemployment, it was only natural that India’s ranking in the global hunger index plummeted down to 111 out of 125 countries. India’s child wasting rate, at 18.7 percent, is the highest child wasting rate; its child stunting rate is 35.5 percent; its prevalence of undernourishment is 16.6 percent; and its under-five mortality rate is 3.1 percent.

Vishwakarma Scheme:
With great fanfare Modi announced at the Red Fort on Independence Day that the government would spend Rs.13,000-15,000 crore for development of skilled artisans. However, what was announced in the Parliament, subsequently, was a Rs. 13,000 crore package of loans to be disbursed over the next 5 years with a 5 per cent interest rate. Hence, Modi’s announcement at the Red Fort was totally misleading. Further, in the name of promoting skilled artisans what is being perpetuated is the hereditary occupation of such families that are based on caste divisions which define their occupations.

Adani Affair:
Fresh evidences that have emerged about Adani group’s manipulation of stock prices of its companies’ calls for a serious probe and the Supreme Court which is seized of the matter has to ensure that there are no cover ups. The Financial Times and The Guardian have, based on inputs from the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, revealed how two close associates of Vinod Adani used an investment fund in Bermuda and set-up shell companies to buy millions of dollars of shares in the Adani companies. This is a total violation of existing regulatory provisions.
The reports also show that the SEBI was looking into the matter of offshore funding of Adani companies in 2014 but had closed the enquiries subsequently.
Later, in October, the Financial Times exposed another detailed investigation pointing to using ‘offshore intermediaries’ to import $5 billion worth of coal at prices that were at times more than double the market price.  The rates of electricity charges are fixed in India on the basis of the price of imported coal. Thus, crores of Indians have been overpaying for electricity fattening the profits of Adani.
Adani’s links with Prime Minister Modi have so far ensured that the regulatory authorities do not take any action against such widespread fraud and manipulation.

One Nation-One Election:
The high-level committee set up by the Union government, under the chairmanship of Ram Nath Kovind, former President of India, to examine the implementation of this proposal has now sought the opinion of political parties and asked for their viewpoint in writing by the 18th of January 2024, keeping in mind the general elections a few months later. The Central Committee has, already, taken a clear-cut position against this proposal. This proposal would constitute a twin assault on Parliamentary democracy and Federalism as enshrined in our Constitution. Apart from significant amendments to the Constitution, such a proposal would entail either curtailing or extending the life of State Assemblies to synchronize them with Lok Sabha elections. When a government loses its majority on the floor of the House, its continuation is illegal. If Central rule is imposed, denying people their right to elect a government, then it is anti-democratic.

Women’s Reservation Bill:
The special session of Parliament, convened with its agenda shrouded in secrecy, was designed to spring a surprise move to enact the women’s’ reservation bill hoping that it will give the BJP an extra mile in the 2024 general elections. First, it has come after a long wait of 27 years. Secondly, it has come at the far end of the Modi government’s second term, despite Modi promising that this shall be the first Act of his government when elected in 2014. Thirdly, and importantly, though the legislation has been adopted by Parliament its implementation will have to wait probably well beyond the next general elections scheduled for 2029. This is because the legislation states that reservation of seats in Parliament and state assemblies will be done only after the next census operation and subsequent delimitation of seats which is slated to begin in 2026 are carried out. This is clearly a move to delay the implementation of Women Reservations. These reservations need not wait for the census and the delimitation exercise. As and when these happen the appropriate changes can be incorporated.
Clearly, this Bill was brought in for gaining electoral milage, but has been received by the people as a gimmickry and a sense of being cheated.
The RSS/BJP who promote the values of a Manuvadi social order based on caste and gender oppression consider providing equality for women as an anathema.

NCERT Text Book Recommendations:
NCERT recommended that only the name Bharat should be included in the textbooks and not what the Constitution defines the name of the country being `India that is Bharat’. The LDF government in Kerala has rightly rejected the NCERT proposal. In July, the NCERT notified a new committee for developing new text books to be loaded with the `ancient knowledge of India’. Various BJP led state government have suggested the deletion of all history connected with the Muslims or the British rule in India to be replaced by the essence of the Upanishads, Bhagawat Gita, Mahabharat and Ramayana. In short, the effort is to replace the rich syncretic history of India with Hindu mythology and the equally rich cross currents of Indian philosophy with Hindu theology.

Attacks on Expressions of Dissent:
The largescale attacks on democratic rights and civil liberties, guaranteed to every Indian by the Constitution, continue to intensify. The media that speaks truth to power showing the reality rather than promoting the orchestrated propaganda and spin of the Modi government is particularly targeted. The latest is the attack on NewsClick whose founding editor and HR head have been arrested under the draconian UAPA. This is a brazen attempt to suppress this news portal that is critical of government’s policies and Hindutva communal politics of sharpening polarization. Apart from the two arrested, the houses of nearly 50 journalists and others associated with NewsClick were raided and laptops and mobiles were seized. Acting directly under the Union Home Ministry, the police questioned all those raided regarding their coverage of the historic farmers’ struggle; anti-CAA protests and the Delhi communal violence. Prior to these raids and arrests, the ED initiated legal proceedings against NewsClick alleging money laundering and over foreign investments and funding. Not a single charge was tenable in the courts. Unable to prove any of these, a New York Times article on the investments made by an American millionaire now living in Shanghai, China, to various entities including NewsClick was used as a pretext for the UAPA to be invoked on charges of being anti-national. Clearly, these actions are a result of a political agenda to target, isolate and attack any media organization that does not bow to the demands of servile conformism demanded by the BJP.

Caste Census:
The Central Committee asked the Modi government to conduct a caste census enumerating socio-economic status along with the 2021 General Census, which is long overdue. Such a caste census is necessary to ensure that legal entitlements, including reservations, reach all those who deserve them the most.
Bihar has conducted a state-level caste survey, and some other states have declared their intention to do so. The decision on conducting state-level surveys is the prerogative of the elected state governments. However, these cannot be a substitute for an all-India caste census, which is the essential basis to determine the disbursement of entitlements.

Hate speech in Parliament:
The spread of poisonous campaigns of hate speech against minorities, Muslims in particular, promoted and patronized by the ruling BJP found reflection in the special session of the parliament and in a sense heralded the ambience that would dominate in the new Parliament building under a BJP government. A BJP MP from Delhi unleashed the most foul and crude anti-Muslim epithets against a Muslim BSP MP in the Lok Sabha. The speech laced with the filthiest language and unrepeatable abuses should have normally led to the Lok Sabha Speaker taking strong action against the offending MP. Many opposition MPs were suspended earlier on flimsy grounds. Clearly, this is an open patronage and protection being provided by the ruling BJP encouraging such incendiary anti-Muslim hatred.
Calls for a genocide against the Muslims are regularly voiced in ‘Dharm Sansads’ across the country particularly in BJP ruled states. Lynching and broad daylight murders of Muslim youth over allegations of cow smuggling; supplying beef etc. are regularly occurring in BJP ruled states. The hatred has reached such levels that a school teacher calls upon fellow students to slap a Muslim boy; shooting dead Muslims by a Railway Protection Force constable in a moving train; threatening economic boycott of Muslims etc. Downright provocative public insulting of Muslims leading to violence and riots are becoming common place.
According to the United Christian Forum (UCF) there have been 525 attacks against Christians in India in the first 8 months of 2023. This data does not include the violence and destruction of Churches in Manipur since the ethnic violence started in May 3. Most of these are vigilante attacks and mob violence. From 151 attacks on Christian minorities in 2014, these have steadily increased to 599 in 2022 and 525 in the first 8 months of 2023.

Jammu and Kashmir:
Despite all tall claims of economic development and end to terrorism, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has markedly deteriorated. Democratic rights are severely restricted.  There are high levels of unemployment. The Union government is refusing to hold assembly elections even after the completion of the delimitation exercise, the publishing of the electoral rolls and claims of establishing peace and normalcy.
Dissatisfaction and disillusionment are increasingly being expressed in Ladakh region which consists of Leh and Kargil districts. A coordination committee of Leh apex body and Kargil Democratic Alliance has been formed in support of their four-point agenda which include: full-fledged statehood for Ladakh; constitutional safeguards under the 6th schedule of the Indian Constitution, early recruitment process & safeguarding of land rights.
In recently held Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil elections for 26 seats, only 2 seats were won by BJP, while NC-Congress alliance won 22 seats and 2 independents who got elected have expressed their support to the alliance. Despite desperate attempts and misuse of official machinery by the BJP, electorate has conveyed a message that they will not be hoodwinked by the nefarious policies of the BJP government anymore.
All measurers eroding the domicile status of the permanent residents of J & K must be reversed and their land rights must be protected.
Democracy must be restored with the release of all political prisoners and the withdrawal of cases under draconian laws foisted on political persons and media.

Growing Popular Struggles:

Vachathi Struggle:
Thirty-one years after the might of the State was unleashed against an adivasi community in Vachathi village in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district, the Madras High Court in its order on September 29, 2023 upheld the verdict of the trial court, holding the surviving 215 (of the original 269) officials guilty of charges under the IPC and atrocities under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
On June 20, 1992, a joint force of the Forest, Police and the Revenue Departments descended on the tribal village in an ostensible “crackdown on sandalwood logging”. The raid left in its wake, a trail of gendered violence, with the rape of 18 tribal women and the pillage of a village, including poisoning of its wells.
The verdict assumes importance as government after government in the state unabashedly used all its might in seeking to protect the perpetrators of this heinous crime. It was only after the Madras High Court was approached by the then CPI(M) State Secretary A Nallasivan that the FIR was lodged and the case taken over by the CBI. The stellar role played by the Tamil Nadu Tribal Association and the legal team that painstakingly and steadfastly fought the case has to be appreciated. The courage and determination with which the victims fought the system overcoming threats, intimidation and terrible hostility is commendable.

Against Price Rise and for Employment:
Responding to the call of the last Central Committee to observe a protest week throughout the country against price rise and for job creation, significant protest actions took place all across the country. With the relentless increase in the prices of essential commodities, this campaign resonated with the people.

Worker-Kisan Joint Convention:
Thousands of workers and farmers converged in Delhi on August 24 for a convention aimed at strengthening joint struggles against the anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-people neo-liberal policies pursued by the current BJP government. On the anniversary of the historic kisan struggle and the All India trade union strike call, a three-day nationwide protest action will take place from November 26-28.

Women’s March:
Over 7,000 women from 23 states across the country gathered in Delhi to protest the BJP government’s policies, opposing the Hindutva Manuvadi ideology and the pernicious communal polarization that is intensifying. The clarion call was to oust the BJP government. 

Murder of Democracy in Tripura:
Unleashing of widespread terror and complete rigging by the ruling BJP marked the recent by elections to Tripura assembly constituencies. An extraordinary situation of terror was created under the direct supervision of the state government and law enforcement authorities. Total rigging was resorted to. These elections ought to have been countermanded and fresh polls under strict security arrangements should have been held.

G-20 Summit:
Following the 1999 Southeast Asian economic collapse, the G7 was expanded to the G20 when the world’s richest countries brought in emerging economies to share the burden of the economic crisis that inevitably followed the neo-liberal economic reforms trajectory. The initial ministerial-level consultation was elevated to the heads of government summit following the global financial meltdown in 2008. Since then, an annual rotational presidency method was adopted, which has little to do with the state of the domestic economy or the socio-political situation in the country assuming the presidency.
The last summit meeting in India was a significant propaganda blitz for the Modi government, portrayed as a great achievement under Modi’s leadership. Over Rs. 4,100 crore was spent on massive publicity materials, exceeding the budgetary allocation of Rs. 990 crores for hosting the summit. The international media quickly noted that this propaganda aimed to project Modi as a central figure on the international stage. The British paper, The Observer, editorially commented on Modi’s “blatant use of the summit to boost his personal image and his chances in the next year’s Indian election.” The USA and all its Western allies viewed this as a summit to cement India as a crucial ally in their efforts to isolate China and advance the latest edition of a new Cold War. This strong desire by imperialist allies allowed the adoption of a joint declaration, smoothing the sharp divisions over naming Russia as the aggressor in the Ukraine war.
There was another reason why the USA was eager to allow Modi to boost his personal global standing. The USA finalized the defense contracts agreed upon during Modi’s visit to the US earlier for the purchase of jet engines, armed drones, and other military arsenals. Major decisions on deepening military collaboration between India and the USA were reached. India also agreed to reduce customs duties on apples, almonds and other agreed commodities from the USA, to the detriment of Indian farmers. The USA took the initiative to create the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMSE) as a counter to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, the details of financing such a project and its economic viability were not worked out.
On all other major issues facing developing countries, little tangible progress was made, especially on issues like climate change and financing the transition to greener technologies for developing countries. No concrete decisions were made regarding the outstanding debt of poor countries, which increased by $800 billion over the past year,  due to hikes in interest rates by the USA.

G 77 Summit:
Following the G 20 Summit, Modi government projected itself as the leader of the ‘Global South’. Yet, the Indian Foreign Minister who had announced his participation at the G-77 Summit in Havana, Cuba absented himself. Clearly, Modi government, as a subordinate ally of USA, chose not to have a ministerial presence at this most representative gathering of the ‘Global South’ – by travelling to Socialist Cuba in order not to annoy USA.

CC Calls:

  • The Central Committee called upon all our party units to step up solidarity actions with the Palestinian people’s struggle for a homeland and against Israeli genocidal aggression.
     
  • In a bid to privatize electricity, the Modi government is proceeding to install smart meters with prepaid arrangements for electricity consumers. This is bound to impose severe hardships on the people with higher rates and hand over electricity generation to private corporations for profit maximization. This will impose unbearable burdens on the poor and the farmers. Protest actions must be organized to stop the installation of such meters wherever it is being implemented.
     
  • The Central Committee decided to extend the Party’s support to the countrywide Kisan-Mazdoor Mahapadav being held between 26-28 of November.
     
  • The Central Committee decided to extend the Party’s support and solidarity with the Parliament March call given by the Dalit organizations and platforms on December 4, 2023.