Come elections and we are
assured that everything would be free and fair. But experience tells us that the
polls are becoming more and more unfree and unfair.
Let us take two basic
parameters to judge the relative fairness of an electoral battle – whether the
oppressed poor are able to exercise their right to vote and how freely
opposition parties are allowed to conduct their election campaign.
It is well known that in
many parts of rural India, the oppressed poor still do not have a vote in real
life. In parts of Bihar the poor had managed to win the vote through organised
resistance and immense sacrifice, and the forces of feudal reaction and kulak
aggression are still not able to accept this new fact of life. And more often
than not, the official measures announced to in the name of ensuring free and
fair elections end up serving precisely the opposite purpose.
Booths where the rural
poor are expected to resist the booth looters are generally identified as
‘highly sensitive’ ones and the security forces deployed in these booths often
join the booth looters to intimidate and suppress the poor. If some booths where
the rural poor are still not organised enough to beat back the booth looters
happen to be included in the ‘sensitive’ list, the security forces would
invariably be found ‘securing’ the booths for the looters.
And now the so-called
‘rationalisation’ of booths to facilitate voting by machine has brought down the
number of booths by at least a quarter, locating booths away from the hamlets of
the rural poor and thus making it more difficult for the latter to exercise
their rights.
The EC has sounded a
welcome caution on the brazen misuse of taxpayers’ money by parties in power in
the name of publicising their ‘achievements’. Parties in power must also be
prevented from using the official machinery and other privileges and
prerogatives enjoyed as ministers for the purpose of election campaign.
Contrary to this basic
principle of fairplay, the BJP which never tires of making loud claims about
transparency and probity has now requested the EC to allow LK Advani to enjoy
prime ministerial benefits during the campaign period. The very post of a deputy
prime minister has no constitutional sanction, and now the BJP uses this plea to
demand prime ministerial treatment for its two main campaigners. One hopes the
EC shows the courage to turn down this plea and enforce stricter norms to
prevent the misuse of the powers of a caretaker government.
This centralised
squandering of resources and misuse of governmental machinery and power is
reinforced by a more widespread and decentralised application of the
governmental machinery to target the opposition in general and leaders of
revolutionary democratic movements in particular.
Take the case of the
Koderma constituency in Jharkhand. Over the last three years the Giridih-Koderma
belt has emerged as the centre of a powerful people’s movement against
institutionalised corruption, rampant criminalisation and unbridled police
repression. The BJP-led repressive regime tried to crush this movement by
unleashing police brutalities, killing four activists and subjecting many others
to incarceration, torture and harassment. But the movement has succeeded in
getting the erring police officials transferred and inquiries initiated into the
incidents and in one case the government has had to pay compensation to the
victims’ families.
Now on the eve of the
elections, the killer officials are being brought back and one Dipak Verma,
notorious for his barbaric record of human rights abuses, has been posted as the
SP of Giridih district to implicate and arrest CPI(ML) leaders.
It is this criminal
misuse of the administration which promotes the phenomenon called
criminalisation of politics. Take the case of Siwan, where the reigning MP who
runs one of the most notorious crime syndicates in the country is technically in
‘jail’. The former DGP of Bihar was eased out of his post because he went to the
extent of suggesting that all the cases involving the crimelord be reopened and
tried outside Siwan. It is an open secret in Siwan that Sahabuddin while still
being technically in ‘jail’ moves around freely in the district thanks to the
active connivance of DM RK Mahajan and SP Jaglal Chaudhry.
It is not necessary for
Sahabuddin to try and escape from the jail because he has much more freedom and
security than his ‘free’ opponents who remain shackled in terror, insecurity and
official harassment.
Will the EC show the resolve
of backing its own pronouncements with some real teeth and actual
implementation? Will the democratic opinion show a greater degree of alertness
to oppose this state-sponsored criminalisation and intimidation and bolster the
morale of the people who are fighting the grim battle for democracy on the
ground?
AISA organised a national
convention against the 'Model Act' proposed by the UGC for the 21st Century' in
the Tagore Hall of Delhi University campus on Feb 11. It was participated by a
large number of students from DU, JNU, Jamia, AMU, BHU and Allahabad University.
Dr. Vishwanath Tripathi, Prof. Jayati Ghosh, Prof. Dinesh Mohan, Prof. Rizwan
Kaisar and Prof. Abdul Wahid addressed the convention.
AISA also released a
'Demand-Charter of Students and Youth' for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections
on this occasion. The charter condemns Vajpayee govt. for making false promises
like providing employment to a crore every year, free education to girls at
higher levels and raising budgetary provision for educatin to 6 % of GDP. It
says that despite the hype of 'feel-good' electioneering BJP dared to attack on
the students and youth as it has brought forward a Model Act meant towards
commercialisation of higher education. Moreover, the so-called 'popular' interim
budget of the govt. gives nothing to the student community. Students and youth
feel a sense of betrayal and resentment against this govt. and AISA will express
their voice in the coming Lok Sabha elections by active campaigning.
The charter demands for an
active and competent National Youth Commission that can address problems like
privatisation of education, fee hike, huge unemployment, etc. which is severely
affecting todays students and youth, the largest population segment in the
country. It also demanded to reject Model Act that follows WTO dictates and is
against the interests of the nation. Demands to arrest the murderers of
Chandrasekhar, Satyendra Dubey, Manju and Sarita; Against the saffronisation of
education; to raise allocation on education to 10% of GDP; to hold elections in
AMU, BHU and Jamia University; to accord the status of Central University to the
Allahabad University; to repeal POTA; to declare America enemy no. 1 of the
people of the world and to include ideology of Bhagat Singh in the syllabi to
encourage the propagation of the worldview and thoughts of this great
revolutionary, etc. have also been included in the charter.
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Comrade Dipankar
Bhattacharya addressed a cadre convention organised as preparations for the
coming electoral battle in Mairwa of Siwan district on Feb 14. He called upon to
take up an intensive election campaign with the slogan 'Atank-Apradh Par Chot Do - Bhakapa
Maley ko Vote Do' (Strike on terror and crime - Vote for CPI(ML).
Leading Party cadres took
part in this Convention in an atmosphere full of enthusiasm. Convention also
discussed the situation sprang up due to exclusion of thousands of names of
Party sympathisers from the voters' list by the administration which is working
as cadres of the history-sheeter RJD MP Shahabuddin who is presently in jail but
trying to bail himself out with the help of the state govt. It was decided to
launch an agitation on this issue. Comrades Nand Kishor Prasad and Ramji Rai
also addressed the Convention.
A district level cadre
convention was also held in Samastipur on the same day which was addressed by
Dhirendra Jha. He said that CPI and CPI(M) have made Left politics captive in
the hands of the parties of the ruling class and appealed to defeat the
Congress-RJD as well as NDA in the forthcoming elections.
A
'Samajik Parivartan Sammelan' was also organised in Daudnagar of
Aurangabad on Feb 15. This was Addressed by Party's State Secretary Ramjatan
Sharma.
You die of starvation
You, burdened with debt
met with suicide deaths
You face unemployment
with industries closed
and PSUs sold-out
You lose right to
strike
You may not deserve a work
or a minimum wage
You belong to dalit
or Muslim
or a weaker sex
and fell victim
No matter
feel good - feel good
Bush-Blair,
MNCs,
Corporate Sector,
Big houses,
Land mafia,
Scammers,
Speculators,
Criminals,
and Corruptioneers
All do feel good
with NDA rule.
Why not you?
Yet people at large feel
fool
for bringing BJP to the
rule
And pledge
not to be fooled again.
CPI(ML)
Calls Upon the
Workers, Employees and all Citizens:
Support,
Join, Succeed
24th
February
All
India General Strike
called
by Central Trade Unions
and
All
India Agrarian Strike
called
by
AIALA
Safegrard
the right to strike through a Bold Strike!
Say
"NO" to
Sell-out
of Public Sector;
Privatisation
and MNC-isation;
Closure
and Down-sizing;
Oust
BJP!
Resist
any attempt of pushing Workers and Employees behind Congress (I) and its allies
!
Strengthen
the Struggling Unity of Workers, Peasants, Employees, Students and Youth
!
Discard
Bourgeois-Landlord Parties !
Hold
High the Red Flag !!
Uphold
the CPI(ML) -
The party of the Revolutionary Proletariat !!!
Revlutionary
Youth Association
(RYA)
All
India Conference
Kodarma (Jharkhand)
21-22 February 2004
Rise up the Youth of Bhagat Singh's
Dream!
Oust the ruling-clique conspiring to mortgage our motherland to
US-Imperialists!
Punish those dark forces who have made a hell of the lives and living
of our people!
Deal heavy blows to the parties in power at centre and in states
who are playing mockery with the unemployed
youth!
March on for a Revolutionary Change!
March
on for a People's India!
Join Revolutionary
Youth Association
March to Koderma on 21 February
Note: Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary,
CPI(ML) will address the rally on the inaugural day.
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