COMRADE JYOTI BASU BIRTH CENTENARY
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Saturday, August 2, 2014
CPI(M) Organises Jyoti Basu Centenary Lecture
New Delhi, 30th
July - THE
Communist Party of India (Marxist) organised a lecture by noted economist Prof.
Prabhat Patnaik on "Capitalism, Inequality and Globalisation" in New
Delhi's Constitution Club on July 30, as part of the Jyoti Basu birth centenary
celebrations.
In his short welcome
address, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said Jyoti Basu symbolised the
working class movement in India and its achievements. He said Basu, who was
first elected to the Bengal Provincial Assembly in 1946 from the Railway
Workers constituency, was an outstanding leader of the Communist movement in
India.
Giving the Jyoti Basu
centenary lecture, in the light of French economist Thomas Piketty's empirical
book Capital in the Twenty-First Century which has attracted much international
attention, Patnaik said "inequality has a tendency to increase under
capitalism", and it is intimately linked to the process of globalisation.
Patnaik argues, though
Piketty's hypothesis that inequality is set to rise in the coming year is
agreeable, his theoretical basis -- the "neo-classical" paradigm --
within which his argument is set is a largely discredited one; and even within
this paradigm his specific position is based on assumptions which are highly
untenable.
The theoretical basis of
Piketty is "wrong" having "dangerous political
implications", he says.
The
"neo-classical" paradigm, Patnaik said, blames trade union activities
for persistent unemployment and advocates for "labour market
flexibility". He says it is a pity that Piketty, despite his concern with
wealth inequality, adopts this theory that only serves the agenda of corporate
capital. He said the votaries of capitalism want to stamp out trade unions
through "free hire and fire", which the BJP government in Rajasthan
is at present trying to introduce.
Patnaik says mobility of
capital in the present age of globalisation and large-scale privatisation have
contributed to the weakening of trade unions. In support of his claim, he says
while, in the USA, 33 percent of workforce in the public sector is unionised,
it is only seven percent in the private sector.
He says the expansion of big
capital across the world and, on the contrary, restriction of workers'
movements to a particular country have further weakened the effectiveness of
trade unions.
Patnaik says while world
wealth and income inequalities are all set to rise sharply in the coming years
as Piketty prognosticates, but, he argues, these are for reasons which are
exact opposite of what the French economist believes.
He argues that the rise in
income and wealth inequalities could not be attributed to, as Piketty has done
in his Capital, the slowing down of world population growth leading to
tightness in world labour markets, but for precisely the opposite reason –
namely that there will be no tightness in world labour markets and no
diminution in world labour reserves.
The programme was well
attended. Veteran CPI leader A B Bardhan was among others who attended the
lecture.
Labels:
2014,
CPI(M),
DELHI,
PRABHAT PATNAIK,
PRAKASH KARAT
Location:
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Jyoti Basu’s Birth Centenary - Call to Defend Democracy
KOLKATA, 8th
July, 2014: The birth centenary of Jyoti Basu - one of the most revered
Communist leaders, was celebrated in West Bengal on 8thJuly with a
variety of programmes including blood donation camps, seminars and cultural
programmes. A central public meeting was organized by Jyoti Basu Birth
Centenary Committee in Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata, attended by thousands and
addressed by Left leaders and intellectuals. Jyoti Basu's photos were garlanded
outside CPI(M) offices and those of its various mass organisations in the city
and the districts
The public meeting began with a
short documentary on Jyoti Basu. The meeting, presided by veteran Forward Block
leader and Chairman of the centenary committee Ashok Ghosh, witnessed the
presence of people from all sections of life and leaders of various left
organizations.
Biman Basu, addressing the meeting
highlighted the sacrifice of Jyoti Basu in his early life when he travelled to
all parts of Bengal to develop the trade union. Biman Basu said, Jyoti Basu
left personal happiness and luxurious life to serve the toiling people. Biman
Basu also deliberated how Jyoti Basu fought ceaselessly to defend democracy.
His thoughts and ideas on the struggle for democracy are important now as West
Bengal and the country are facing an attack on democracy.
Elucidating the contribution of
Jyoti Basu to parliamentary democracy, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee said, Jyoti Basu had brought the struggle of peasants and working
classes to the centre of politics in West Bengal. “He brought the issues
of peasants and the workers to the fore in parliamentary democracy. Its origins
lay in the workers movement which was followed by strikes and protest in
factories. These protests turned into a phenomenon which engulfed the entire
industrial sector and workers were successful is ascertaining their rights,”
Bhattachrarjee said. When the Left Front assumed office, unlike any other
Chief Minister, he made it clear that the government will have to stand for the
rights of farmers and agricultural workers. “The fight for land went ahead with
giving pattas (land rights) to the farmers and then identifying the rights of
share croppers,” Bhattacharjee said.
Bhattacharjee reflected on how Mr.
Basu ensured that the State remained insulated from the communal strife in 1984
after the murder of Indira Gandhi and 1992 after demolition of Babri Masjid.
“He was secular to the core of his heart. He knew that Communist movement and
secularism has to go hand in hand,” Bhattacharjee said.
“Jyoti Babu has an unwavering
faith in democracy.. Despite himself being arrested a number of times for false
charges when the Left Front government came to power in 1977 all political
prisoners across political lines were freed. It was like a general amnesty,” he
said.
Referring to present times
Bhattacharjee said that it is clear that the politics in the country has taken
a “right turn” with the alliance of corporates and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha
(RSS) ruling the nation but added that it is imperative for the Left forces to
take lessons from Jyoti Basu's life and put up a fight.
Noted economist Prabhat Patnaik
outlined the features of contemporary Indian politics and said, neo liberal
policies have created a situation where growth of industrial production has
reached almost negative, rate of inflation has risen to almost ten per
cent. Corporate elite have chosen Modi to come out of their own crisis. On the
other hand, the rapid growth of unemployment has contributed to growth of
lumpen proletariat. The dangerous repercussions of the process is already
evident in West Bengal where the attack on women and criminal activities are on
rise. This situation can give rise to fascism. Only the Left can counter the
threat of fascism through struggle on alternative policy trajectories.
Patnaik said, unlike P Sundarya,
Jyoti Basu was born in an elite family. But he identified himself with the
working people of the country. He was one of the most popular Communist leaders
after Castro brothers. The crisis in Bengal was the backdrop in which the Left
movement in Bengal developed and leaders like Jyoti Basu emerged. The Left
could play its role as real initiator of Bengal renaissance.
Veteran CPI(M) leader Hasim Abdul
Halim, CPI leader Manjukumar Majumdar, RSP leader Khisti Goswami, intellectual
Azizul Haque emphasized the need of Left unity in this hour of difficult
struggle.
Labels:
2014,
BIMAN BASU,
BUDDHADEB,
CPI(M),
PRABHAT PATNAIK
Location:
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Tripura Remembers Jyoti Basu
By Haripada Das
AGARTALA, 15th
June: THE
life and legacy of Comrade Jyoti Basu would always be the guiding light for the
party so as to come out of the hard days that the party is facing today, and to
carry forward the cause of the toiling masses that the party has been striving
for. This was the essence of the points made by speakers at an overflowing hall
meeting on the occasion of observance of Jyoti Basu’s birth centenary year at
Rabindra Shatabsrshiki Bhavan, Agartala on June 15.
Biman Bose and Manik Sarkar,
both Polit Bureau members of the CPI(M), addressed the hall meeting that was
presided over by the party’s state secretary Bijan Dhar. At the outset, floral
tribute and homage was paid at the image of the departed leader by the Polit Bureau
members, Central Committee members, state secretariat members and state
committee members present in the auditorium. Then followed the inaugural songs
performed by two cultural units, namely Gandiv and Krishti Kala Kendra.
Biman Bose, the CPI(M)’s
West Bengal state secretary and Polit Bureau member, presented a brief life
sketch of Comrade Jyoti Basu. Biman Bose narrated the atmosphere in Jyoti
Basu’s family which was very much friendly with the freedom fighters. This
deeply motivated young Jyoti to take to a jihad against British imperialism. A
young boy, whom his parents sent to London to build up a bright carrier, thus
got involved in India’s freedom struggle and came in touch with communist
leaders like R P Dutta in London. Basu ultimately came back to India to become
a party wholetimer and dedicated his whole life to the cause of the workers,
peasants and other toiling masses of the country. While a party wholetimer, he
adopted the Bengali language which he was never taught in academic institutions,
Biman Bose informed.
Bose also referred to Jyoti
Basu’s role in the Tebhaga movement, in raising up women’s defence squads, his
work among the railway workers, his guidance in the 1946 naval workers strike
and all-India employees’ strike, his role in combating communal riots in 1946,
his style of functioning underground when the party was banned in 1948, his
leadership in the movement against the Bang-Bihar merger plan, his contribution
in the relief work during the 1946 famine, his work as the party’s state
secretary since 1953, his exemplary work as a legislator in West Bengal
assembly which attracted people’s attention to the party’s work, and his
leadership in the United Front governments in 1967 and 1969.
Today it is not the first
time, Biman Bose said, that semi-fascist terror has been let loose against the
party in West Bengal. It was unleashed in 1972 and was combated and finally
defeated by the party. Jyoti Basu’s work in those days would remain the guiding
force in our endeavours to resist the ongoing all-out attack perpetrated by the
ruling Trinamool Congress on the communists in West Bengal today.
Referring to Comrade Jyoti
Basu’s performance as a chief minister with the so far longest tenure, Biman
Bose said Basu played a vanguard role in pressing for restructuring of the
centre-state relations and organised several conclaves with the opposition chief
ministers. This resulted in the setting up of Sarkaria commission which
recommended several positive measures to protect the rights of the states
against the centre’s whimsical attitude born out of political antagonism. Land
reforms ensuring distribution of excess land to the poor farmers and
establishment of barga rights in West Bengal were unequivocally appreciated by
one and all, and became a model for the country. Basu won nationwide respect
for his valiant stand during the anti-Sikh riot in Delhi in 1984 and Babri
demolition in 1992. His flexible attitude but ideological firmness in leading a
coalition government for 23 long years is a great lesson for all of us, Biman
Bose said.
Explaining the new situation
in the country, Manik Sarkar said a pro-Hindutva party has now come to power in
Delhi with the so far biggest share of seats in its life with a minority share
of votes. In fact the BJP subtly and craftily exploited the fallouts of the
Congress led UPA government’s misrule, which unleashed all-out attacks on the
lives and livelihood of the common people of our country over the last ten
years, coupled with huge scams involving trillions of rupees of the government
exchequer. The BJP also had the blessings of the corporate lobby which lavishly
poured out money for its poll campaign, Manik Sarkar said.
However, Sarkar said, there
is no reason to take this change as permanent or think that everything has been
lost. The fact is that 69 percent of the voters did not support the BJP. We
have to reach out to those sections of the people; we have to bring about a
change in their thinking and consciousness. There is no room for getting
frustrated. Comrade Jyoti Basu’s life and deeds teach us to go to the masses
again and again. We must also approach the vast masses who do not support us.
All the questions raised by them must be answered politely, with facts and
reason. They must be imparted class consciousness and drawn to the mass and
class organisations. The BJP has nothing good to render to the people. Rather
it is committed to compensating the big corporate houses which helped it come
to power. Our national unity and communal harmony are now under severe threat
from the RSS, the hardcore Hindutva force that has always been controlling the
BJP from behind the curtain. The CPI(M) alone cannot combat this danger. We
must rally all the like minded secular forces with us. If we successfully do
it, that would be the true homage to late Comrade Jyoti Basu, Manik Sarkar
asserted.
As for Tripura, Manik Sarkar
said, Jyoti Basu always paid special attention to our state, particularly
because of the extraordinary ethnic bonding of tribal and non-tribal masses in
the state; this is something uncommon in other states of the country. He would
cite this feature of the state while addressing the people in other states.
Expressing deep respect for
late Comrade Jyoti Basu in his opening speech, Bijan Dhar said Jyoti Basu was a
beloved leader of the people of Tripura. He started visiting Tripura since 1951
and came here many times till 2005. He came here in our victory as well as in
our hard days during 1988-93. He helped the state unit of our party with his
valuable suggestions and advices on many occasions. If we look back upon the
history of the Indian communist movement, we will see the communist party
moving forward while facing one crisis after another. Referring to the poor
performance of the party in Lok Sabha elections, emergence of the BJP as the
ruling party with an absolute majority in the parliament, and the semi-fascist
attacks let loose on the communists in West Bengal, a strong base of the party,
Dhar said we are now undergoing yet another crisis, but that is no reason to be
frustrated. The teachings of Comrade Jyoti Basu would show us the path to
overcome this crisis, he concluded.
The hall meeting ended with
the rendition of Internationale in chorus.
Peoples Democracy, 22nd
June, 2014
Labels:
2014,
BIMAN BASU,
BIRTH CENTENARY,
CPI(M),
MANIK SARKAR,
TRIPURA
Location:
Agartala, Tripura, India
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
CITU Observes Jyoti Basu Birth Centenary
By R Karumalaiyan
People's Democracy, November 24, 2013
HELD at Kannur in Kerala, the last national conference
of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) had called upon all its affiliates
to observe Comrade Jyoti Basu Birth Centenary in a fitting manner throughout
the year, starting from July 8, 2013. Accordingly,
the Tamilnadu state unit of the CITU has chalked out a series of
programmes to take the Comrade Basu’s message to the mass of workers.
On July 8, a state level seminar was organised in
Chennai to flag off the celebrations. Here, eminent parliamentarian Era
Sezhian, Justice K Chandru, senior advocate R Vaigai, former West
Bengal chief secretary B S Raghavan and CPI(M) Central Committee member T
K Rangarajan, MP, spoke on different facets of Comrade Jyoti Basu’s life and
work. CITU state president A Soundararajan, MLA, chaired the seminar.
It was followed by a series of district level seminars
and intensive political ideological classes for leading functionaries at
various levels of the organisation.
The port city of Tuticorin is the place
where Comrade Basu attended the national conference of Water Transport Workers
Federation on October 31, 1984, the fateful day when Smt Indira Gandhi was shot
dead by her own bodyguards. Here the centenary celebrations comprised
multifarious activities. The CITU formed a Comrade Jyoti Basu birth centenary
celebration committee, involving several class and mass organisations.
former VOC College principal Prof Maragathasundaram and CITU
district secretary V Balasubramanian were elected its chairman and secretary
respectively.
The activities here included drawing, elocution and
essay writing competitions for school and college students in the district,
with students from 82 schools and four colleges participating therein. On
November 8, there was a marathon race in which around 1,100 students
participated. Dr (Prof) Seethalakshmi, principal of
the APCV Mahalakshmi College, inaugurated the race.
On November 10, CITU national president A K
Padmanabhan, state CITU general secretary G Sukumaran and secretary R Russell
addressed a well attended seminar in Tuticorin. The centenary committee also
brought out a souvenir documenting the life of Comrade Jyoti Basu and carrying
articles from CITU leaders.
Similar programmes were organised in Tirunelveli,
Virudhunagar and Madurai on November 11 and 12, addressed
by A K Padmanabhan and R Karumalayan, assistant general secretary of state
CITU. At Tirunelveli noted Tamil literary critic
and SahityaAcademy award winner K A Sivasankaran, aged 90,
participated with all enthusiasm, recalling Comrade Basu’s finest qualities as
a role model for public life in independent India, along with E M S Namboodiripad. He
added, “I would be failing in my duty if I didn’t recall Comrade Basu’s
contributions to Bengal art and literature which has one of the
finest traditions in Indian diaspora.”
In all these events Cultural troupes from the AIIEA
and transport union along with local groups enthralled the audiences with their
creative performance. A K Padmanabhan took part in all these events,
urging the workers from this part of our country to carry forward the great
legacy of Comrade Basu and his unflinching ideological commitment to the
working class. He said contemporaryIndia has no parallel to him.
In the context of opposition to the neo-liberal
policies, the CITU president said the Left Front government of West
Bengal, under Comrade Basu, all along supported the national strikes called by
central trade unions since 1991.
CPI(M) district secretaries K S Arjunan (Tuticorin), A
Sekar (Virudhunagar), K G Baskaran (Thirunelveli) and B Vikraman (Madurai
Urban) and CITU leaders M Asokan, S Balasubramaniyan and Kovilpatti
town’s former chairperson Ms R Mallika also participated in these programmes.
In the first phase of the CITU state committee’s
intensive ideological political training programme for its leading
functionaries during the Basu birth centenary year, a three-day school was
organised for the CITU state committee members and federation leaders at
Virudhunagar on November 9-11. A K Padmanabhan took a class on ‘The
History of Working Class Movement in India with Specific Reference to
the Post-Independence Period.’ T K Rangarajan spoke on ‘Contemporary
Capitalism’ while noted economist Dr Venkatesh Aathreya explained the political
economy of Indian planning. Madukkur Ramalingam, editor incharge of TheekathirMadurai
edition spoke on communalism. CITU state general secretary G Sukumaran
inaugurated the session and state president A Soundararajan concluded with his
remarks on how to face the current challenges.
Earlier, a two-day camp was organised in Dindigul on
September 4 and 5 exclusively for women cadres working in trade
unions. Some state level federations also conducted separate educational
programmes as a part of Comrade Basu Centenary. TASMAC employees federation and
auto workers federation took the lead. Thiruvarur district unit of the
CITU organised a programme in September, in which A Soundararajan and state
CITU’s assistant general secretary Thiruchelvan participated.
Labels:
2013,
A K PADMANABHAN,
CITU,
CPI(M)
Location:
Kannur, Kerala, India
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