Expressing condolences to the army personnel died in border clashes, The border tensions are result of the expansionist ambitions

Statement : 

   The country means not the soil, but the people who toil, produce wealth and create culture on the soil. The national sentiments of the people should not be transformed into national chauvinism. Depicting the neighboring countries as demons should not be equated with patriotism. The BJP that raised the curtain of Hindu communalism has been raising the curtain of national chauvinism. China is trying to expand its dominance. The people of both countries are observing these developments with keen eyes. The leadership of Indian big bourgeoisie had thrown the five principles of peaceful co-existence (Panch sheel) to winds and abandoned the policy of non-alignment and acted in the interests of imperialism as early as 1950s. It acted in favour of US imperialist desire to gain a grip over South Asia. It extended the facility of refueling US war planes that were engaged in suppressing the national liberation movements in Vietnam, Laos and Kampuchea. Even it sent an Indian actress to participate in programmes that entertain American soldiers. These had exposed the hollowness of India's non-aligned posture. In 1962,  large sections of CPI who later organized themselves into CPI (M) appealed that India and China should resolve the border dispute by peaceful means of negotiations. The then government detained 1600 leaders the section of CPI, branding them as pro-China and accusing them that they did not support India's military actions and not branded China as the aggressor. As  Communists with international orientation and responsibility, these Comrades acted correctly at that time.

   By 1960, the US imperialism was pursuing the neo-colonial policy of aggression, bully, and threat and cajole. It resorted to many conspiracies to degrade the socialist states into capitalist ones. There were some leaders in Soviet Russia who favoured capitalism. As it could not find such leaders in China at that time, US imperialism used the method of bullying it into submission. This was the root cause for the border clashes of that time. The Defence of India Act became a tool for the neo colonial exploitation of imperialism. The government of big bourgeois class branded the patriots as traitors; asked the toiling masses to scarify for the country and exhorted the working class to work more without demands and strikes. Thus the "nationalist, socialist and peace loving' Nehru government got acclaims from the comprador bourgeoisie and US imperialism. Some of the socialists and communists believed Nehru as a friend. But it proved to be an illusion. This had stunned many intellectuals and democrats. During the later decades, though tensions arose at India-Pakistan and India-China borders, they used to be defused by negotiations.

    The then government of China was deeply engaged in the task of building socialism. It waged ideological struggle against the communist parties of certain countries that were  distorting the socialist ideals and the principles of Communism. Precisely at this juncture of time, the border clashes occurred between India and China. Talks were held between the Indian Prime Minister Nehru and Chinese Prime Minister Chou en Lai. The toiling people and progressive intellectuals hoped that the border disputes could be resolved through bilateral negotiations and friendship between India and China will be strengthened. But the forward policy of Nehru led the country into an atmosphere of war. As the then foreign minister Krishna Menon tried hard, but in vain, to establish friendship between the two countries. Later he was forced to resign from the cabinet. 

    After Modi came to power at the Centre, Ms.Sushma Swaraj appeared to have tried for friendly relations with the Chinese government. Many dignitaries travelled between Beijing and New Delhi. After Modi came to power for a second term, the Home Minister had indulged in the talk like liberating Pak- occupied Kashmir and it only was meant to rake up national chauvinism. The bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into Kashmir and Ladakh had divided the people of the state into Hindu majority and Muslim majority areas. This meant to peg a wedge and deeply divide the people on communal lines and to strike a blow on the unity achieved by the people through generations of toil and living.

      Today's China is not that of Mao's and Chou en Lai's time. It is now competing with the US and other imperialist powers for a share in the market. The commodities produced by the Chinese people who have the tradition of hard work and discipline developed in the course of building socialism came to be widely accepted in the world. India also is importing Chinese goods. The US tried to contain China by imposing higher tariffs on imports from China which led to retaliatory measures by China. This triggered trade war between the two. They have set on a course of head on collision in their scramble for markets. Trump and Jin Ping have not stopped at this.

      The US imperialism is striving to retain its dominant position in the Asia-Pacific region. It entered into strategic alliance with Japan, Australia and India and is roping New Zealand, Philippines and South Korea into this fold in a bid to isolate China. It upgraded the status of India in its military alliance NATO, and is strengthening its military relations with India. ON ITS PART China is expanding economically and militarily into the South China Sea, Myanmar, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Iran. It is extending financial and technical aid as well as constructing ports in these countries which are said to be used as naval bases also. It is constructing roads and buildings along the border with India. China may argue that these are defensive measures in the face of assault from the US. But is it not a part of their completion to expand their markets?

     Has India fallen behind in this respect? Or has it also started its preparations for it or not? As per the latest news reports, India is also constructing roads and buildings along the Line of Actual Control. Defending our borders is commendable. It is not made public how Santosh and other army men had died and how non-armed conflict occurred. ("may be' military secrets) Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders have been stressing on these questions. But they too are not sharing the information if they have any with the people. They are asking only one question -has China crossed into Indian Territory or not. As part of the contradictions among the ruling classes who are in the service of US imperialism, they are trying to prove themselves as more patriotic than the other.

    As the Communist Revolutionaries we are asking the government: Cannot we stand independently in the economic and cultural systems? Or must we remain as mere pawns in the scramble for markets going on among the world powers? Cannot we act independently without joining any military alliance and without acting in favour of one power? Cannot we develop friendly relations with our neighbors on our own? Cannot we resolve border disputes through peaceful negotiations? The talks between the military officials of both countries and maintaining agreed distance from the LAC are only temporary measures; yet commendable measures.

    Indian people want peace and friendly relations with the people of neighboring countries; not armed conflicts or wars. The relations between India and China had a long history. Hu yen sang and Pha Hiyan praised India. Chinese people accepted Buddhism that flourished in India. We fondly accepted silk and printing technique from China. The peasants of India and China had a rich culture of toil that cultivated vast tracts of lands sustainably over centuries. Both the people are against occupation and war. They want to live a self-sufficient and independent life. The border conflict will not be able and must not be allowed to break the friendship between the people of India and China.                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                          Viswam

General Secretary

July 17, 2020                                                                                                   CC, C P I (M L)

 

Lockdown - Unlock - Let them die!

    The response of Narendra Modi's government to the Corona virus crisis appears haphazard, but has sinister motive. The lockdown was clamped abruptly without any early warning for the people to get themselves prepared. Though first corona case registered on January 20, it kept open all the doors for the entry of virus for about 60 days, during which time it maintained covid-19 is not a problem for India despite the warnings from the WHO. It is a standard practice during the breakdown of an epidemic to clamp lockdown of the affected areas, followed by aggressive testing, isolation and treatment. The lockdown meant for gaining time to prepare the administrative and medical systems to deal with the epidemic. If it were extended for a long time, it would be counter-productive. It is not a panacea. The sudden imposition of lockdown without proper planning and without follow up measures had not helped in containing the virus.

    The geographical spread of Corona virus and its severity has concentrated around four metropolitan cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Chennai and later spread to metros like Benguluru, Pune, Hyderabad and then to other cities. This clearly indicates the entry of virus and the failure of the government to contain it in initial stages.

    The government spokesmen time and again claimed “The original purpose of the lockdowns was to delay the spike so we can put health services and systems in place, so we are able handle the spike [when it comes]…That objective, to a large extent, has been met.” News reports such as those titled “Corpses in Hallways, Patients on Floor as Virus Overwhelms Mumbai,” hardly instill confidence in those preparations during the lockdown period. It is obvious that complimentary measures have not been taken fully to prepare the people for when the lockdown is finally lifted.

    Narendra Modi addressed the country five times. Every time he exhorted the people to do the tasks given by him - observing janata curfew, clapping and clanging the utensils, turn off lights and come out into balconies with lighted candles. But he did not tried to tell the people what the government is going to do to relieve them from the situation resulted from his government's mishandling of Corona virus pandemic. The grandiose announcements over five days like the serial episodes of a soap opera had not offered anything substantial for the people who are facing hunger and lack of job.

    Modi's lockdown has been disastrous for the overwhelming part of the populace, most of the workforce that is employed in the informal economy. So, continuing the lockdown in the way it was imposed by the Indian government appears to have no sense. In fact the implementation, and now the lifting, are both largely ill-thought-out exercises and just mimicked those of imperialist powers.

    To cover up this failure, the government led by Modi adopted anti-China rhetoric unleashed in the West Europe and North America by the imperialist powers that China wantonly spread the virus from its laboratories. It focused on the congregation of Tablighi Jamat at Nizammuddine as an epicenter of corona spread in India and tried to rake up anti-Muslim hatred to divert the peoples attention. Yet it was not able to dupe the people and the people have seen the real play through these smoke screens.

    Though the pandemic came handy for the Modi to hide the already set in economic crisis in the country and to blame corona for all the ills of economy, during the four phases of lockdown it became clear that deaths due to starvation would surpass many times than those caused by the Corona virus. Then the leaders in government, including the PM, and media began to engage themselves in spreading the canard of inevitability of living with corona. With this plea, the really failed lockdown was lifted.

Learning to live with corona indicts the failure of every claim made by the Modi's government that it would protect the life and livelihoods of the people. The very arguments, borrowed from the west, tantamount to asking every individual to behave with utmost responsibility if he wants protection from corona and wants to live. This is nothing but individualizing the responsibility that has to be discharged by the community and its organizations, in the present case the state and central governments. In other words, it stood by the side of neo-Malthusians allowing the people to suffer from corona, economic deprivation and exploitation; that is, let them die.

    Modi and His government allowed the spread corona virus and used it: to grab all powers from the state governments; to implement imperialist dictated so-called reforms in agricultural and labour fronts; and to cover up the crisis that already set in with the guise of covid-19 spread and then throw the burden of crisis on the backs of people.

    Such a brazenly anti-people policies always couples with severe repression on people and their organizations; suppression of democratic rights and erasure of democratic values. See how Modi-Shah duo's move in this direction. Amulya Leona, still in her teens, has been in jail for three months now, charged with sedition and other serious crimes for simply shouting ‘Long Live Pakistan’ and ‘Long Live India’ from the stage of a public event in Bangalore. In many parts of India today, the right of the people to criticise their leaders no longer exists. The police in Madhya Pradesh registered a criminal case against a journalist for referring to the prime minister as a ‘gappu’, or braggart. In Agra, a man who called the Uttar Pradesh chief minister a ‘dog’ has been charged with sedition. A young photographer in Kashmir was threatened with arrest under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as a terrorist for a photograph she posted on Instagram in 2018. In Andhra Pradesh, a woman who asked a series of embarrassing questions about the recent industrial accident in Vishakapatnam was arrested by the police. The purpose these ‘individual’ cases serve is to scare others into silence. The amended UAPA has also given home minister Amit Shah the power to designate any individual as a “terrorist” without a trial or even the filing of charges. Forty five years after the imposition of Emergency by Indira Gandhi, the leaders of BJP continue to claim that they fought against the Emergency and restored democratic values. Contrary to these claims, Modi's government turned a genuine health emergency into a political emergency. Here various political parties of ruling classes are functioning normally - from horse trading in Rajasthan to mud-slinging and trading charges, while maintaining silence over the problems faced by people and alternative proposals. At the same time, the revolutionary and left parties as well as organizations that are working for the people are not allowed to function.

    With the threat of corona virus still in the air, citizens would be in a state of panic, is the expectation of Modi government. It hoped that it can effectively rush through all the anti-people policies without fear of collective action from various sections of people. Yet the people of India have shown their mettle; various sections of them have began struggle against these policies. It is the bounden duty of the communist revolutionaries and democratic and patriotic forces to lead and strengthen these struggles. Indian economy is in a deep crisis accentuated by the Covid-19. The great challenge it posed before the country is to restore the lost jobs and create newer ones. While most of the economists advised the government to spend more to enhance demand, the government took the other way. It refused to spend more and resorted to attract more foreign investment and integrate more with global supply chains, ironically in the name of aatma nirbhar. This strategy, being implemented for the past four decades, will lead to further foreign takeover of Indian economy, pillage of national wealth and destruction of peasants, small industries and small businesses.

    The only path that leads the economy out of crisis is to address the basic needs of the people immediately. The government should distribute foodgrains to each and every family to relieve them from hunger. This is possible as there are substantial stocks of foodgrains with the government agencies.

    Next is to regain the lost jobs. Instead of show piece schemes like Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan, the allocations for MNREGA should be increased so as to create employment in the rural areas. As the most of the installed capacity in the industrial sector is lying idle, they should be encouraged to restart production. For this, there is no need for fresh investment and savings from low oil rates can be used to incentivize production. These two measures in combination would raise the incomes of people and thus pushes the demand up and creates internal market.To sustain the internal market, structural changes in the existing system should be taken up. Instead of wooing the foreign investment and encouraging the growth of service sector, the manufacturing sector should be revived. More sustainable growth of the economy could be achieved only through the distribution of land to the tiller and coordinated development of agriculture and industry. There is no other way or short cuts to revive the economy with peoples perspective. The communist revolutionaries, democratic and patriatic forces should demand for such path to development.

CLASS STRUGGLE

Organ of Central Committee of CPI (M-L)

Vol. 12                 Issue : 2                July 2020

In This Issue

Editorial :

Lockdown - Unlock - Let them die

World Affairs :

1. Global Plight of Refugees

2. Us Imperialism : Where Life is subordinated to Profit

3. Great Britain : Corona Virus Act 2020 - Sharpening the Fangs of Suppression

4. Express Solidarity with the struggle of Palestinian People!

Communalism :

Henious Attempt to Malign History

Commentary :

1. FTA with US will Destroy Indian Peasants

2. Empty Stomachs - Tall Claims

Economic & Political Notes :

1. Assam : Ordinance to Grab Land

2. Coal Auctions : National wealth to foreign sharks

3. Railways : Privatisation to the fore

4. Employment : GKRA - Yet Another Mirage

5. Green Revoluution : Distrass of Peasantry

6. Locust Swarm : Foot Print of Environment Degradation

Document :

India's Economy in the Light of Covid (RUPE of Crisis)

Obituary :

1. P.K.Murthy

2. Gananath Patra