PROTEST rallies and demonstrations were held across the country on July 20 on the call of CPI(M) and other Left parties to expose corruption at high levels in the BJP-led central government as well as in various state governments. Thousands of Left activists and supporters took to the streets and expressed their anger against rampant corruption and nepotism of BJP ministers and chief ministers and demanded their resignations. The Left parties demand that a thorough CBI investigation under the supervision of the judiciary must be conducted into these cases and the guilty should be booked and punished. The CPI(M) also questioned the silence of an otherwise vocal prime minister in these cases including the Lalit Modi controversy, the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, and the PDS scam in Chhattisgarh.
All the claims made by the BJP-led central government and the prime minister that during the course of this one year that the NDA government has offered a corruption-free administration are being thoroughly exposed by the day, with cases like the Lalit Modi controversy, the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, and the PDS scam in Chhattisgarh coming to the light.
The admission and recruitment scam in the state of Madhya Pradesh – Vyapam scam – has exposed the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government as having perpetrated one of the worst corruption cases in the state ever. Officially 27 people associated with this case, including nine important witnesses, have died under mysterious circumstances. A senior journalist, reporting on the scam, has also been victims of such mysterious deaths. Nearly 47 inexplicable deaths of people connected with this scam in one way or the other have been reported.
In the Lalit Modi-IPL scam, union minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje have figured as persons grossly misusing their office to help a fugitive from Indian law, Lalit Modi. The union minister for human resource development, Smriti Irani, has given a false statement regarding her educational qualifications. Cases of misuse of office for pecuniary gains have come up in the BJP-ruled state of Maharashtra, involving two BJP state ministers. In BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, the PDS scam has exposed high level of corruption.
At a meeting in New Delhi on July 5, leaders of six Left parties – CPI(M), CPI, AIFB, RSP, CPI(ML)-Liberation and SUCI(C) – decided to hold the All India Protest Day. Thousands responded to the call and participated in protest rallies and demonstrations across the country.
Delhi
In the national capital, Left parties -- CPI(M), CPI, AIFB, RSP, SUCI(Communist), CPI-ML(Liberation), and Communist Gadar Party – organised a rally from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. Thousands of Left activists from different parts of Delhi gathered at Mandi House. The protest march was led CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Brinda Karat and Hannan Mollah and other Left leaders. The protest march was converted into a public meeting at Jantar Mantar, which was conducted by CPI (M) Delhi State Secretariat member Anurag Saxena and CPI state joint secretary Dinesh Vasneya.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury addressed the public meeting, besides other Left leaders. Yechury demanded that there must be an independent enquiry by CBI under the directions of Supreme Court into various scams and till then all the ministers and chief ministers involved in these scams must resign. Questioning the silence of an otherwise vocal prime minister in these cases, Yechury said Modi must open his mouth on these issues of corruptions. Among the others, the meeting was addressed by D Raja of CPI, Avani Roy of RSP, Debabrata Bisvas of Forward Bloc, Kavita Krishnan of CPI-ML(Liberation), Satpal Singh of SUCI (C) and Praksh Rao of Communist Gadar Party. After the meeting, an effigy of the Modi government was burnt.
Kerala
Hundreds of thousands of people of Kerala enthusiastically took part in the massive nationwide protest called by Left parties against the mounting corruption of BJP’s central and state leaders. The Left Democratic Front organised huge dharnas in all 140 Assembly constituencies of the state. The unprecedented corruption in the United Democratic Front government in Kerala was also highlighted in the protests.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan inaugurated the dharna in Thiruvananthapuram. He said that Congress and BJP helping each other to save themselves from the corruption cases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was highly vocal on the Congress leaders’ corruption cases, has now became a ‘mouni baba’, Balakrishnan said. CPI(M) Central Committee members M C Josephine and P K Sreemathi inaugurated the dharnas in Eranakulam and Kannur, respectively.
Tamil Nadu & Puducherry
Anti-corruption protests were organised across Tamil Nadu. Thousands of cadres of CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation and SUCI(Communist) jointly staged demonstrations in all the districts including Madurai, Karur, Thirunelveli and state capital Chennai. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and state secretary G Ramakrishnan led a massive demonstration in Madurai. Addressing the gathering, he said there was no difference between Congress and BJP at the Centre and AIADMK and DMK in the state when it came to corruption. The Left parties are the only alternative to the corruption-ridden Congress and BJP at the Centre and the AIADMK and the DMK in the state, he said. Like the BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the AIADMK regime in Tamil Nadu was trapped in corruption and the state’s natural resources like sand, garnet and granite were being plundered, he said.
Referring to the suicide of Tamil Nadu Agricultural Engineering Department official Muthukumarasamy, Ramakrishnan said the official was forced to end his life as he could not withstand the pressure from former minister Agri Krishnamoorthy to collect bribe in lieu of jobs in his department. Even in the recent memorandum of understanding signed with Adani’s company, the Tamil Nadu government has agreed to pay a higher price for the power to be purchased from its solar plant. “The state government has to bear a huge loss on this account,” he said.
CPI state secretary R Mutharasan led the protest in Karur. CPI(M) central committee member T K Rangarajan and CPI(ML) Liberation state secretary Balasundaram and other leaders led the demonstration in Chennai. In Thirunelveli, CPI (M) leader in the state legislative Assembly and central committee member A Soundararajan led the demonstration.
In Puducherry, CPI(M) pradesh secretary R Rajangam and CPI secretary R Viswanathan led the protest. They criticised the ruling All India NR Congress government for extending support to the BJP-led NDA. Despite the ruling party being in alliance with the NDA at the Centre, Puducherry has been let down on all critical issues.
Andhra Pradesh
In response to the “Protest against Corruption” call given by CPI(M) Polit Bureau, demonstrations and dharnas were held at various centres in all districts of Andhra Pradesh. Rallies, dharnas and demonstrations were held at many places in Krishna, Guntur, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Nellore, Prakasam, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Anantapur, and East and West Godavari districts.
Addressing a seminar in Gandhinagar, Vijayawada, CPI(M) state secretary P Madhu asserted that the TDP government in the state and the NDA government at the Centre have no moral right to continue to rule and should step down. He brought to the notice of the people the land grabbing in Amaravati, the state’s most fertile region, by the state government in the garb of setting up a capital. He said Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu himself is in the middle of the ‘note-for-vote’ scam in the Legislative Council elections and his most trusted aide, Revanth Reddy, is in CBI custody in connection with the case. CPI state secretary Rama Krishna and CPI(ML) state secretary S Murthy also addressed the gathering among others. A massive rally was held in Visakhapatnam from Saraswati Park to Gandhi Statue in GVMC. In Visakhapatnam, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member B V Raghavulu said the tainted ministers should resign till their names are cleared.
Karnataka
Protests and demonstrations were held across Karnataka too. A joint demonstration was organised in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Mangaluru, as the part of the nationwide protest against the graft of the BJP leaders at the Centre and in some states. CPI(M) Dakshina Kannada district secretary Vasantha Achary said that this mask of tall talk of corruption-free government by the BJP has been exposed and grafts of crores of rupees have come to the open. The BJP government, which implements the policy of liberalisation, cannot give a corruption-free government. He also questioned the silence of the Prime Minister on all these corruption cases. CPI Dakshina Kannada district secretary V Kukyan, addressing the protesters, said that scams by BJP leaders are coming to the fore one after another on completion of one year of the Narendra Modi government. H V Rao, Sitharam Berinja, B Suresh of CPI, and U B Lokayya, J Balakrishna Shetty, Yadava Shetty, Sunil Kumar Bajal, Krishnappa Salian of CPI(M) led the agitation.
Goa
Six Left parties observed ‘National Protest Day’ on July 20 against BJP governments’ corruption and nepotism. A programme was jointly organized by CPI(M) and CPI in Panaji. The Left parties said that our Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj should immediately write a letter to US President Barack Obama reminding him of his so-called personal chemistry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanding that the US administration officially disclose the names of the two Goa ministers to whom bribes are given by two convicted officials of US firm Louis Berger. The Goa CPI(M) also questioned BJP's inaction in the matter of the Rs 35,000-crore Goa iron ore export scam, unearthed by the Justice M B Shah Commission in 2012.
Maharashtra
Various programmes such as demonstrations and dharna were held at public places and outside the offices of district collectors and tehsildars in 17 districts of Maharashtra on July 20 to observe ‘Protest Day’ against corruption. Protests were held in Mumbai, Mumbai Surburban, Nagpur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Solapur, Thane, Chandrapur, Nanded, Parbhani, Nandurbar-Dhule, Latur, Yavatmal, Raigad, Amravati, and Jalgaon.
In Mumbai, protest was staged at the historic Azad Maidan, where CPI(M) Central Secretariat member Ashok Dhawle addressed the gathering. CPI(M) state secretary Narsayya Adam led the demonstration in Solapur. In Nagpur, CPI(M), CPI, FB, Bolshevik Party, CPI(ML) Liberation, SUCI(C) jointly organised a demonstration at the Sanvidhan Square. The protesters demanded resignation state ministers Pankaja Munde for irregularities in awarding of contracts worth Rs 206 crore for purchasing items chikki, mats and books for Aanganwadi children, and Vinod Tawade over the educational degree controversy.
Militant slogans were raised and memorandums to concerned government officials were handed over wherever the programmes were held before the offices. In a few districts, political parties such as Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharip and Samajwadi Party and JD(S) also participated in the demonstrations.
Jammu & Kashmir
Left parties staged a day-long dharna in Jammu against corruption in BJP-led central and state governments. Hundreds of Party workers from different parts of Jammu gathered at the Press Club, raising slogans against the Modi government. Addressing the gathering, CPI(M) Jammu regional secretary Sham Prasad Kesar said all the claims made by the BJP and the prime minister of a corruption-free administration are being thoroughly exposed by the day. Regarding the PDP-BJP coalition government in the state, Kesar expressed his serious concern over the unscheduled power cuts and drinking water crises. No improvement has been seen in water and power supply and it worsened after the coalition took over and the state government has failed on all fronts. He also demanded payment of adequate compensation to the people whose houses, land and standing crops were damaged in the recent floods and cloudburst. A similar demonstration was held in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Left activists raised slogans against corruption by BJP ministers at the Centre and in states.
Haryana
Hundreds of workers of four Left parties in Haryana staged protests and demonstration demanding a Supreme Court-monitored CBI inquiry into the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, the PDS scam in Chhattisgarh and other cases of corruption involving BJP ministers. After a demonstration in Panchkula, a delegation of Left parties -- comprising Surender Singh of CPI(M), Dariyao Singh Kashyap of CPI, Satyawan of SUCI (Communist) and Prem Singh Gahlawat of CPI(ML) -- met Governor Captan Singh Solanki and submitted two memoranda.
The memorandum raising corruption issues says that despite tall claims of BJP against corruption, Vyapam scandal by the MP government and PDS scam by the Chhattisgarh government expose their way of working. The involvement of Union minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhra Raje in the Lalit Modi case also raises serious concern. Probe should also be conducted into violation of standard norms by two Maharashtra ministers, and HRD Minister Smirti Irani submitting false affidavits about her educational qualification. All these persons should resign from their posts until they are declared innocent by investigating agency or court. The second memorandum sought intervention of the Governor in some important issue related to the state. The Left parties demanded minimum wage for workers, loan waiver scheme for farmers, compensation to peasants who suffered crop losses due to rain and hailstorm, and stringent action against those indulging in communal and caste polarisation. The memorandum cited the incidents of Kaimari in Hisar, attack on a Dalit basti in Sonepat by RSS people, and clashes in Atali in Faridabad and Tkri Bramhan in Palwal district, and sought immediate action against the culprits.
Punjab
Four Left Parties -- CPI(M), CPI, CPM-Punjab and CPI(ML) Liberation -- organised anti-corruption protest demonstrations and dharnas across Punjab. Thousands of Left workers and supporters organised dharnas and demonstrations in all district headquarters in Punjab, demanding dismissal of the ministers and chief ministers of BJP involved in various scams. The protesters also demanded immediate settlement of the 15- point charter of demands of the Left Parties containing the burning problems facing the people of Punjab. After protests, Left leaders met the deputy commissioners and submitted identical memorandums. State secretaries of Left parties -- Charan Singh Virdi (CPI-M), Hardev Arshi (CPI), Mangat Ram Pasla (CPM-Punjab) and Gurmit Singh Bakhtupur (CPI-ML Liberation) addressed the dharnas at various centres.
Besides seeking probe into the scams and removal of the tainted ministers, the Left leaders while addressing the gatherings at various places demanded immediate settlement of the 15-point charter of demands of Left parties containing burning demands of the people of Punjab. The demands include allotment of 10 marla plots to houseless people, Rs 15,000 per month as minimum wage, enhancement of old age/widow pension to Rs 3,000 per month, round-the-year work to MGNREGA workers and Rs 500 as daily wage, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations for fixing minimum support price for agricultural produce, filling up of vacancies in government departments, and immediate arrest of political leaders having nexus with drug mafias. The Left parties had staged a dharna outside the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh on July 8 over the same demands. The Left leaders thanked the people for making the anti-corruption ‘Protest Day’ a success and announced that regional conventions will be held on these issues in Barnala (on August 10), Amritsar (August 17), and in Jalandhar (August 20).
Madhya Pradesh
Protests and demonstrations were also held across Madhya Pradesh. However, in the state the main protest action against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government over the Vyapam scam and subsequent deaths of people associated with it was a Left parties-sponsored strike on July 16. On July 16, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Subhashini Ali led a demonstration of the Left Parties in Bhopal. Addressing the gathering at Itwara Chowk of Old Bhopal, Ali said an impartial probe will not be possible unless the nucleus of this scam, Chief Minister Chouhan, tenders his resignation. She demanded the resignation of the Governor also. The previous Congress governments had indulged in various scams putting heavy losses on the state exchequer, but the BJP dispensation has sold the future of crores of children, she said, reiterating the demanded for a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe. The Left parties -- CPI(M), CPI, SUCI(C) and CPI(ML) Liberation – also observed a statewide Protest Day on July 8 on the same issue.
Bihar
Similarly in Bihar, Left parties observed a bandh on July 21 against the anti-people policies being pursued by the central and state governments, and corruption in BJP-led government at the Centre and in various states. The successful bandh was the culmination of three-month long lower level movements waged by CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation. SUCI(C), RSP, Forward Bloc, either independently or unitedly, that have galvanised the rural and urban poor, contract workers, teachers, vast number of scheme workers, peasants, agricultural workers and other sections of the society.
Uttar Pradesh
Protests and demonstrations were also held across Uttar Pradesh on July 20, as part of the nationwide ‘Protest Day’ against corruption in BJP-led governments at the Centre and in states. In state capital Lucknow, a demonstration was jointly organised by CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) and AIFB. Hundreds of Left workers and activists took part in the protest. Senior CPI(M) leader S P Kashyap led the demonstration in Lucknow. Senior Left leaders led the protest demonstrations in other parts of the state.
Jharkhand
Responding to the all-India ‘Protest Day’ call against corruption of BJP leaders, six Left parties - CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), SUCI(C), RSP and Marxist Co-ordination Committee - jointly staged a protest demonstration in front of Raj Bhawan in Ranchi. Later, a delegation submitted memorandum to the Governor, demanding punishment of BJP leaders including central ministers and chief ministers involved in different scams, crimes and corruptions at the Centre and in different BJP-governed states and to initiate a CBI enquiry under the supervision of the Supreme Court. The delegation also demanded constitution of enquiry against the Jharkhand health minister involved in a bribery case for withdrawal of suspension of a civil surgeon, the state urban development and housing minister for illegally getting allotment of government property, and against the food and civil supply minister for procuring sugar and salt at rates higher than market prices.
Protest demonstrations also took place in several areas including Ranchi, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Koderma, Sahebganj, Dumka, Jamtara, Saraikela, Godda, Latehar, East Singhbhum, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Gumla, Lohardaga, Garhwa & Daltonganj. Dspite incessant rain, a large number of people participated enthusiastically in the programmes.
The dharna in Ranchi was addressed by Dipankar Bhattacharya, All India General Secretary of CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(M) state secretary G K Baksi, CPI state secretary K D Singh, Siddheswar Singh of SUCI(C) and Sushanto Mukherjee of Marxist Co-ordination Committee among others. Left leaders including Baksi made scathing attacks against neo-liberal policies of the Modi government, wherein corruption and anti-peasant and anti-worker instances are inherent. They also demanded judicial enquiry against the high-level corruption of ministers of Jharkhand and punishment against those found guilty.
Odisha
Protests were also held in several places across Odisha. CPI(M) state secretary Ali Kishore Patnaik led a demonstration in Bhubaneshwar. The demonstration in the state capital was jointly organised by six Left parties. Addressing the gathering, Patnaik came down heavily on the central and state governments.
West Bengal
Thousands of people marched through Kolkata on July 20 protesting the massive corruption in the country. Seventeen Left parties jointly organised the protest march in Kolkata. The march started from College Street in north Kolkata and assembled for a public meeting in Rani Rasmoni Avenue in the heart of the city. While there were slogans and banners against the Lalit Modi controversy and Vyapam scam, the protestors were vocal against the Sharda chit fund scam and corruption in the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority in the state. There was particular anger against the Modi-Mamata collaboration to hush up investigations in these massive corruptions.
Addressing the public meeting, CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra warned the TMC government that though they have been successful in closing the eyes of Modi who once rhetorically thundered against the chit fund scam and now became silent, the people of the state were watching with alert eyes. Mishra said, while the Prime Minister is silent about scams around him, the Chief Minister of Bengal is silent about the events in the state. Recently, the Chief Minister has sent a bucketful of mangoes for the Prime Minister. It may so happen that Modi is savouring those fruits with closed eyes. But even if the cat drinks milk with closed eyes, people can watch. Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi have decided to shut their eyes to corruptions of each other. Mishra said that promoting neo-liberal policies has intensified corruption in the country and that neo-liberal policies are not liberal to toiling people, but extremely liberal for loot by corporate.
Left Front Chairman Biman Basu said a horrendous crime like Vyapam has never been experienced in the country. In West Bengal, no one is immune from extortion by the thugs of the ruling party. CPI state secretary Probodh Panda, RSP leader Manoj Bhattacharya, SUCI(C) leader Tarun Naskar, Forward Bloc leader Naren Chatterjee, CPI(ML) Liberation leader Partha Ghosh were among other speakers.
Tripura
With the entire country, in Tripura also the Left parties staged protests against the rampant corruption and nepotism under the Modi regime. The central programme of protest was organised in Agartala. Here apart from the four Left parties -- CPI(M), CPI, RSP and AIFB, CPI (ML) Liberation also participated. Around 3 PM, the protest march led by CPI(M) Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar, Party Central Committee member Rama Das and other leaders of the Left Front started and after passing through different areas of the city culminated with a meeting in front of the Rabindra Bhaban.
Here Bijan Dhar, CPI(M) West District secretary Pabitra Kar, CPI leader Milan Baidya, RSP leader Dipak Deb and AIFB state president Dr Brajagopal Ray addressed the gathering. Dhar said the fight against corruption cannot be separated from the fight against the neo-liberal policies which is the fountain head of these corruptions.
The leaders called upon the people to intensify the fight against the neo-liberal policies of the Modi government which are making India a breeding ground for corruption and putting additional burden on the livelihood of the common people. The fight against corruption and neo-liberal policies must go hand-in hand. (END)
