The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met at New Delhi on March 25-26, 2022.  It has issued the following statement on March 27.

UNBEARABLE PRICE HIKES

The prices of petrol and diesel have been hiked five times in the last six days. Each litre now costs Rs 3.75 more.  Along with this, the prices of cooking gas and other petroleum products have also been hiked.  This is imposing unbearable burdens on people’s livelihood who are already suffering from galloping price rise of all essential commodities, growing unemployment, poverty and hunger.

The Central Committee of the CPI(M) demands that the Modi government immediately scrap the huge cess/surcharges on petroleum products, generating phenomenal central revenues, and reduce the prices to provide relief to the people. 

The Central Committee calls upon all Party units to organise protest actions against these unbearable price hikes on April 2, 2022.

FILM: THE KASHMIR FILES

The CPI(M) had consistently strongly condemned the murderous assaults of militancy in the Kashmir valley in the 1990s. CPI(M) leader Mohd. Yusuf Tarigami was among the earliest to face murderous assault by the militants, for the first time, in December 1989.  Expressing solidarity with the plight of the Kashmiri pandits, the CPI(M) had in the past and later taken up issues concerning their welfare and rehabilitation.

However, the film depicting this agony is being used to whip up communal polarisation, which inevitably leads to a growing atmosphere of hate and violence against the minorities. This is not in the interests of India’s unity and integrity and people’s welfare. This will further deteriorate the already sharpening communal divisions. 

The Central Committee reiterates that the fight against militancy is the united fight of all Indians.  All communities have suffered the atrocities committed by the extremist forces.  The need is to unite and not divide in this struggle against extremist violence.

WEST BENGAL: SCRAP PRIVATE COAL MINE PROPOSAL

In Deocha Pachamai of the Birbhum district TMC state government is seeking to displace local communities, including overwhelmingly large tribal population, from their habitat for a private open cast coal mine. Earlier, Coal India Limited had declared the project unviable. This will bring no gains in terms of employment or the overall development of the area. On the contrary, it will destroy environment and habitat. This move has triggered a very broad based united movement against the government’s plan. The democratic forces demand the unambiguous shelving of the project.

CONDEMN GRUESOME BIRBHUM MURDERS

The nexus between illegal sand mining and other illegal activities have consolidated the mafia in the local TMC hierarchy and the police administration. This was exposed in the heinous burning down of several hutments and charring to death of ten people mostly women and children in Bogtui village of Rampurhat bloc. The death of the local TMC deputy chief of the panchayat and this murderous retaliation exposed the deep involvement of the TMC with the police looking the other way.

DELIVER JUSTICE: ANEES KHAN MURDER

Condemning the killing of a student activist, Anees Khan of Aliah University, by the police in Sharada village of Amta bloc in Howrah district the Central Committee demands that justice must be delivered immediately by speedily apprehending and stringently punishing criminals.

CPI(M) 23RD CONGRESS

The Central Committee adopted the draft political-organisational report for the consideration of the 23rd Party Congress, that is being held at Kannur, Kerala from April 6-10, 2022.