“...We Communists are people of a special mould. We are made of a special stuff. We are those who form the army of the great proletarian strategist, the army of Comrade Lenin. There is nothing higher than the honour of belonging to this army. There is nothing higher than the title of member of the Party whose founder and leader was Comrade Lenin. It is not given to everyone to be a member of such a Party. It is not given to everyone to withstand the stresses and storms that accompany membership in such a Party.
THOUSANDS of road transport workers from all over India gathered at Jantar Mantar on December 18 and staged a dharna at the call of all the trade unions. The area resounded with the slogans – “withdraw the Road Transport and Safety Bill 2014”; “Today dharna and next, strike in first week of March 2015”.
Sitaram Yechury, MP and Leader of CPI(M) Group in the Rajya Sabha had written the following letter to the president of India on December 24, 2014 requesting him not to sanction any ordinance bypassing parliamentary procedures. The CPI(M) has always opposed such `ordinance raj’. Below is the text of the letter.
I am writing to you to express my deep concern on a matter, which in my opinion, constitutes a grave violation of the conduct of business in the houses of parliament, under the accepted rules.
THE recently concluded Kathmandu SAARC summit has not been a very good advertisement for regional unity or cohesion. The 18th SAARC summit was held in the backdrop of renewed tensions between the two most powerful members of the regional grouping, India and Pakistan. The coming to power of the BJP in India and that too with a massive majority has put India’s role in the region under renewed scrutiny. Only one important agreement, relating to energy connectivity was signed and that too at the eleventh hour.
THIS week too both Houses of Parliament began with an uproar on the issue of religious conversion. In Lok Sabha, during the Zero Hour the House saw uproar with the Congress and the Left parties protesting against the government’s decision to keep schools open on Christmas to observe ‘Good Governance Day’. While Rajya Sabha saw a washout with a united opposition demanding a debate on religious conversion. CPI(M) Leader in Rajya Sabha Sitaram Yechury pointed out that we are not a “talking shop” where we go on talking which is meaningless.
THE Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), an open political organisation of the outlawed NLFT outfit, which let loose blood bath annihilating several hundred people, both Bengalis and tribals, for more than a decade in Tripura, has again started playing with fire raising demand for a separate state in the name “Twipra Land” with the territorial area of existing TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council). On 23 August last, they organised an aggressive and violent procession in Agartala town and spewed most provocative anti-Bengali hatred.
NEARLY 1700 workers of Foxconn India Limited, a Taiwan based MNC, have started massive struggle from December 22 to save their jobs. It may become a long protest since the management has notified that it would offer severance package or VRS to THE workers.
THE 17th Manipur State Conference of CPI(M) was held at Comrade Soyam Satradhari Khul & Comrade Loushambam Yaima Hall in Imphal from December 15 to December 17. The conference concluded successfully with a resolute determination to multiply the strength of the Party and mass organisations and strengthen the Left and Democratic movement simultaneously. The conference was attended by 44 delegates including five women, drawn from the state’s four districts.