Repeal Hike in Petrol Price and Bring Down Prices of Essential Commodities! Revoke Decontrol of Petrol pricing; Repeal Neo-Liberal Policies! Mobilize the Masses and Make 31st May Bharat Bandh a Great Success!

Dear comrades,

The UPA government’s declaration hiking the petrol price by Rs. 7.50 at one stroke is another arrogant attack on the masses who are already reeling under ever-intensifying and unprecedented rise in prices of all essential commodities and services. After decontrolling the petrol pricing without even getting it passed in parliament, prime minister Manmohan Singh is ridiculing the people by saying that it is done by the companies, and the government has no control over it. Similarly, if is happening because of the fall in Rupee value in relation to dollar, as the government shamelessly justifies, it is due to the neo-liberal policies imposed under imperialist dictation. So will the government  repeal these anti-people policies?  It should not be forgotten that even when the international finance capital crisis was intensifying for last three years or more, this government was repeating that everything is ok and that the resilient Indian economy will not be affected. Now they justify the crisis in the economy and hike in petrol price sighting the Euro zone crisis and what not. All these self-contradictory talks are for       hoodwinking  the people. It is abundantly clear that as Indian economy is getting increasingly integrated with the imperialist finance capital system under globalization, any crisis in the imperialist system will be soon transmitted to the economy of countries like India which are under increasing neo-colonial plunder. The worsening economic plight of the masses including the price hikes are the result of  these policies blatantly imposed by the government, and it alone is responsible for its consequences like price rise.

In this situation, the people have no other way out but to unleash their fury to compel the government to repeal of the petrol price hike and to revoke the decontrol of petrol pricing. This struggle should be expanded to a mighty struggle for revoking the reactionary neo-liberal policies themselves. But as far as the opposition parties are contended they are only interested in cornering the UPA government for their future electoral gains. They have no basic differences with the Congress or UPA government regarding the neo-liberal policies and servitude to imperialism. While campaigning and mobilizing for the bandh, these differences between the approach of the parties from BJP to CPI(M) who implement the very same policies of the UPA government whenever and wherever they come to power, with that of the revolutionary left forces should be highlighted. The CPI (ML) appeals to all genuine left and democratic forces to make the Bharat Bandh a great success and get prepared to use it as a stepping stone to carry forward the struggle to the very revocation of all these anti-people policies.

K.N.Ramachandran,

General Secretary, CPI(ML).

Dated 24^th May, 2012.

Kerala: Criminalization of CPI(M)

The responsibility for the dastardly murder of com. T.P. Chandrasekharan (TP), leader of Revolutionary  Marxist Party (RMP) of Onchiyam in Kozhikpde district on 4^th May night was first denied by the CPI(M) leadership. Still many of its own rank did not believe this denial, as they are well aware of its past record in dealing with the dissidents, especially when they try to persist in a left stand. Unlike numerous others from M.V.Raghavan to recent dissidents like Murali of Shornur, who after leaving CPI(M), went over to Congress led UDF side, in spite of the offer of Vadagara parliament seat by Congress in 2009 elections, com. TP had stood firm exposing the degeneration of CPI(M) and taking leftist positions. The later arrest of a number of its local leaders of CPI(M) for conspiring and murdering him, as a “renegade” according to the statement of its state secretary Vijayan, has convinced that it is the latest in the series of its ‘political’ murders, for which Kerala has already become notorious. With the statement of CPI(M) leader V.S.Achuthanandan, the former chief minister and present opposition leader of LDF, condemning Vijayan’s statement and calling TP a “brave communist” has once again taken the contradiction between these leaders to yet another flash point. Whether VS will stick to his stand and fight against the criminalization of his party as a part of its over all degeneration, or once again surrender to the central party leadership, limiting his fight to yet another opportunist bout against Vijayan, is yet not clear, though this time he has ostensibly moved to a position of no return. Only when the by-election in Neyyattinkara constituency in southern Kerala, where a CPI(M) MLA after resigning from the party is contesting as a UDF candidate, is over in early June, the CC of the CPI(M) will meet and the fate of the internecine conflict will become clear.

TP’s murder exposes the degeneration of the CPI(M) from Marxist positions to social democratic positions, to a bureaucratic establishment bereft of any communist values. The documents adopted by its recently held 20^th Congress in the same district with much fanfare, prove this degeneration from proletarian revolutionary positions. It has led to its criminalization for long, indulging in the murder of its political opponents, whether it is its own dissidents, RSS men or other political opponents, to continue its political sway. From the 1980s when the CPI(M)-RSS clashes started in Kannur district, CPI(ML) has exposed this criminal line pursued by these political forces including CPI(M) for petty political ends, while all of them are basically united in following the neo-liberal policies, turning the UDF and LDF in to two sides of the same coin.

An analysis of the political developments in Kerala from the second half of 1950s show that from the time the Congress had joined hands with the communal, caste-based, criminal forces and forged a front of reactionary parties to violently throw out the CPI ministry in 1959, Kerala had started sliding back from the advances it had made after breaking loose of its past when it was called a ‘mad house’’ by Vivekananda. As the famous ‘Kerala model’ was soon replaced by neo-liberal policies, it started becoming one of the worst show pieces of neo-colonization, a haven for land mafias, sex tourism and what not. Side by side, the criminalization with the spread of ‘quotation’ or mafia gangs, degenerating its socio-cultural-political life, was promoted by all the political formations: Congress- led UDF, CPI(M)- led LDF and BJP. Secular values were eroded, and majority as well as minority religious fundamentalism started dominating the social life. Along with this, the caste system was internalized in vulgar forms and started influencing all fields. Under the sway of post-modernism, all progressive cultural influences started getting weakened. In this degeneration, the right opportunist deviation influencing the CPI and then CPI(M) played a decisive role. As a result, though there are differences in details, the political scene in Kerala, like in any north Indian state, came under the sway of mafias. Commercialization of all walks of life became rampant. The brutality of the murder of TP with his face and head having 51 cuts with swords exposes the extent of this criminalization. The CPI(M), which still calls itself Marxist and holds the red flag, should be uncompromisingly criticized for indulging in this murder and becoming a part of this criminalization.

What is happening in Kerala after the murder of TP reminds one of what happened after the disintegration of Soviet Union on a larger scale after its degeneration to social imperialist path and later disintegration. Concealing that it had abandoned the socialist path long back, all the anti-communist forces led by the imperialists and their lackeys had then joined hands to unleash a furious attack on Marxism, shouting socialism has become obsolete. Similarly, for the sins of CPI(M), which has very little relation with Marxist values today, all the anti-communists, spearheaded by the Congress-led UDF, BJP, religious-caste leaders and reactionary intellectuals, have joined hands to attack Marxism, using TP’s murder as a cover. As those who claim to uphold his legacy, like the Left Coordination Committee (LCC) did not recognize the consequences of these attacks on Marxism by the rightist forces, two mistakes were committed. On the one hand, the platform for condemning the murder of TP was allowed to be utilized by anti-communists, UDF leaders and petty bourgeois opportunists who used the opportunity to attack Marxism in the name of attacking CPI(M). On the other hand, it has reduced the attack on the degeneration of the CPI(M) merely to an attack on Vijayan, as if it will be saved if he is thrown out, as their organ: Janasakthi gave title to its front article. Or, they refuse to go beyond what VS is ready to take up, even after TP’s murder. Both these approaches have weakened the ideological offensive needed to be waged against CPI (M) at this crucial juncture, to win over its cadres to Marxist positions from its criminalized, bureaucratic and social democratic positions, so that a left alternative which is capable of fighting against the neo-liberal onslaught with a people’s democratic outlook can be built up.

It is in this situation, severely condemning the brutal murder of TP and CPI(M)’s role in it, the CPI(ML) has organized a statewide political campaign against the criminalization of politics in the state, reducing the state to one of the worst examples of neo-colonization, with communal, caste, mafia forces dominating the socio-cultural-political scene. It has analyzed the transformation of CPI(M) in to a criminal, bureaucratic organization as a result of its degeneration to social democratic positions. While focusing the attack on CPI(M) for this murder, it has launched a powerful campaign against all anti-communist forces who are using this incident as a cover to attack Marxism. It has called on all genuine communist forces to struggle against the right opportunist positions of the CPI(M) led forces and petty bourgeois sectarian tendencies who easily become prey to the forces of reaction, and to join hands to build a revolutionary left alternative to the forces of reaction and reformism.