KERALA

THE common people were the worst-hit by the rise in the price of essential commodities following the frequent fuel price hikes and neo-liberal policies followed by the  NDA government led by Modi, said Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI(M) state secretary. He was inaugurating a state wide CPI(M) protest march in front of Raj Bhavan in Thiruvanathapuram. He also urged the central government to pass the food security bill as early as possible. It will help in arresting price rise and poverty. Modi government assumed power two years back, even then no serious move is visible to pass this important bill, said Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. Another speaker Vaikkom Viswan, LDF convener and Central Committee member of CPI(M) said that the public distribution system in the country was in total disarray under the NDA government. He underlined that the LDF government in Kerala has allocated Rs 150 crores to strengthen the public distribution system. This shows the LDF commitment to the poor people, he added.  Party state secretariat member M V Govindan also spoke.

A number of demonstrations against Modi government’s wrong policies were held in the state. Thousands of people participated in the protest marches and dharnas in front of the central government offices, especially post offices and BSNL offices throughout the state on July 12. Protest marches were held in 206 centers in the state. Around half a lakh people took part in this agitation. In Kollam, Party Central Committee member P K Gurudasan inaugurated the agitation in front of the head post office.  In Eranakulam, Party Central Committee member M C Josephine led the agitation. CPI(M) Central Committee members A Vijayaraghavan (Malappuram), P K Sreemathi teacher, MP (Kannur), P Karunakaran, MP (Cheruvathoor in Kasargode district), Elamaram Kareem (Kozhikode) led the protests.

Party state secretariat members V V Dakshinamoorthy (Kalpetta in Waynad district), Aanathalavattom Aanandan (Alappuzha), Baby John (Thrissur), K J Thomas (Palaghat) led the protests.

(V B Parameswaran)

TRIPURA

 AT the call of the Central Committee of CPI(M), the week long campaign movement began in Tripura on price rise and unemployment on July 11.  The people of Tripura observed the week protesting against unbearable  hike in prices of the essential commodities and abnormal growth of unemployment in every sector in the country, through organising jatha programme in all parts of the state.

While chalking out the campaign programme, Tripura state committee, added the following burning issues of the state with the two core issues undertaken by the Central Committee:

1. Speedy maintenance of the Assam-Agartala highway, the only lifeline of the state. A portion of this highway in Assam has been so damaged that hundreds of vehicles on either side get stranded for several days. Such disruption of vehicular transport is going on for the last several years. Sometimes, particularly in rainy season, the entire state remains cut off from the mainland in respect of road communication. 

2. Upgrade the Agartala Airport to an International Airport. Air passengers and number of flights operating from this airport has increased many fold. Thus it requires upgradation to cope with the present rush of passengers which may further increase in future. 

3.  Make the Kailashahar Airport operative and resume air service in Kailashahar. The airport was abandoned in the seventies. 

4. Develop the telecommunication system in Tripura which is in a bad condition at present.

In every gram panchayat and village committee wards in the rural areas and municipal and nagar panchayat wards in urban areas including Agartala Municipal Corporation, innumerable jathas were organised highlighting the above demands. The demands were explained to the masses either before or after the jatha programme.  Most of the state level Party leaders including state secretary Bijan Dhar participated in these jathas. Apart from Party supporters and sympathisers, many opposition supporters joined the jathas in many places severing relation with the Congress or INPT/IPFT parties. Both tribals and non-tribal masses, youth, women of all sections of society massively participated in the jatha programme in their respective areas.

Monsoon has set-in in almost all parts of the state. It is a peak time for the rural masses particularly the peasantry to sow plants in the fields. In spite of that, the people massively participated in this campaign movement both in rural and urban areas.

Inaugurating this campaign movement at Kulai in Dhalai district on July 11, Bijan Dhar said, Modi cabinet comprises 75 members of which 72 are millionaires. They basically serve the interests of the imperialists and of the corporate capital at the cost of the livelihood of the common masses. This is the reason why direct taxes are being reduced and arrear taxes are being written off on one hand and indirect taxes are being increased, adding to the  burdens on the common masses. So far as employment is concerned, it depends on the growth of manufacturing industry which is declining in the country, thanks to the open door policy of the Modi government. These are the reasons behind price hike and abnormally high unemployment rates in the country.  To divert attention of the masses from their anti-people policies, they are resorting to the ‘divide and rule policy’ spreading religious hatred between Hindus and non-Hindus, Bijan Dhar said and urged the masses to remain alert against the hate campaign perpetrated by the RSS-BJP and keep the high tradition of peace and harmony of the state atop.        

One lakh leaflets explaining the demands were distributed among the masses and 20 thousand posters were printed and displayed throughout the state.

(Haripada Das)

MANIPUR

CPI(M) held rallies in front of the offices of Food Corporation of India and FCS, with the slogan, “Don’t steal people’s food - Reduce the prices of essential commodities”

On July 15, the Manipur Unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) went in a rally to the offices of Food Corporation of India and the Directorate of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution and shouted slogans – ‘Do not steal peoples’ food’; ‘Implement the National Food Security Act 2013 in Manipur’; ‘Do not play politics with people’s food’; ‘Take up schemes to give employment to every person’.

The rally was held under the leadership of secretariat members Kshetrimayum Santa, Yumnam Ratan, Sougrakpam Roma Devi and state committee members – Asem Binodini Devi and Ningthoujam Thoiba singh.

In the gate meeting held during the rally, Kshetrimayum Santa said that the present Manipur government is resorting to corruption in allocating the food meant for the common people, by colluding with the touts and black marketers. He cautioned that the thieves of the people’s food will be meted out exemplary punishment. He demanded a white paper from the government in the upcoming monsoon session of the Manipur legislative assembly, on this.

In the said gate meeting, Yumnam Ratan, secretariat member, said that as part of the countrywide campaign from July 11 to 17, 2016 every unit of the CPI(M) will stage meeting and rallies in the state. In this campaign, the Party will expose the misdeeds and corruption in respect of the Food Security Act before the people. The Party will continue its campaign to counter the escalation of the prices of essential commodities.