Dr Sarma rightly suggests

Kumari Mamata Banerjee had come to our house, amongst other houses as she was contesting election against a CPM giant like Somnath Chatterji and sought our support to win in the Parliamentary election in 1984. She won the election in a comfortable margin. I remember that in talking to my mother she went to the kitchen. As my mother was cooking on a coal-oven, Mamata  sat on the floor of the kitchen to be able to talk to my mother while my mother was squatting on the floor to make things ready for cooking. That demonstrated her simplicity. There is no doubt that her unquestionable honesty is the backbone of her strength. I think people like Sekhar Roy needs to associate with her for her success.

Bengal To Breath Fresh Air

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Thirteenth May Change (TMC) as some people love to call it now. What a wonderful match for Trina Mul Congress Party that is slated to dislodge the ruling Marxist Communists (CPIM) from the state of West Bengal after 34 years of unstinted enjoyment of state power and privileges. The change comes relying on its supremo Kumari Mamata Bannerjee who rose to the political height during my youth. 

My first meeting with the lady in 1984 was not pleasant. I sought her help in extending support to a section of unorganized workers and handed over a memorandum signed by a few hundred workers of her own parliamentary constituency. The workers were then bulldozed by a combine of owners and CPIM party cadres. She took the signed papers and assured nothing. Never ever she recalled those suffering workers. The next election she fought and won from the neighboring constituency and became a Union Minister. Her chariot never stopped and moved onwards until she made a situation to unseat the ruling CPIM. 

I was simply charmed with her so simple personal life style  which was not visible in case of the so-called communists ruled the state for decades. I paid respect to her devotion, honesty and simplicity. She was the real example of underclass that challenged the authoritarian rule and endangered her personal life many a time. With the grace of God and good wishes of the people she survived.  

Mamata proved that nothing was impossible to achieve on the Earth provided one fixed the target and fought to the last.  Already she proved herself to be an efficient administrator being the country’s Rail Minister. Her success as a Chief Minister of West Bengal will speak for itself. People in this part of the globe may find some fresh air to breath for some years after she takes over charges.

Bye Bye Marxists

Bengal Marxists are in coma stage counting their days to perish from the state power in West Bengal. The party parted away from the communist party of India in 1964 and formed a separate forum called CPIM that started struggle for landless and oppressed working class to enhance their support base with a view to ultimately raising to the state power. After so many ups and downs the party succeeded in retaining its power for long 34 years in an Indian state which has found place in guineas book of world record. With the rise of natural anti-incumbency factor and certain mishandling in acquisition of farm land for setting up new industries and unleashing reign of white terror among the oppressed class, the hero of many times became zero within a few years. Its days are numbered for fall of the great Berlin wall. The state election started in phase and record percentage of polling (85%) has been recorded across the state that clearly indicates farewell to the Marxists from the state power. It is a poll to oust CPIM  and not to support the opposition, but the opposition alliance will be the obvious beneficiary to regain the sate power. The change may not be always good but change is obvious-whether you like it or dislike.The general feeling in the state is that the honesty of the underclass is more trustworthy than dishonesty of the ruling elite class in disguise of the communists.

Dr Sen out of Prison

The observation of Supreme Court division bench indicated Binayak Sen was neither a Maoist nor a traitor of the nation. The trial court was asked to release him on bail which has been complied but on certain unfair condition of depositing his passport and not leaving the country etc. It seems the spirit of the Apex Court observation was not taken in a spirit that should have been. The highest court's order proved that Dr Sen, a medical practitioner who rendered free service to the poorest of the poor, was wrongly put behind bar. The judgement for life imprisonment passed by Chattisgarh High Court based on police documents leaves many reasonable doubts. But Binayak by this time spent 4 years in confinement which will never come back to his family life. Yet he has to run from pillar to post for acquittal from the fake charges labelled against him. In causing suffering to the great soul of the country by the state judiciary and local police, an opposition political outfit called BJP has already damaged its creditability at the national level. Their credibility will be at stake if they continue to behave arrogant over role of the NGOs in tribal dominated rural India. Their hot head policy in opposing Maoists will be counter productive. Still they are reluctant to reverse their policy in the matter as because, I think, this party prefers to sit in the opposition bench all the time to come, thanks to the beneficiary ruling the nation presently.

Opposite views- New Pension Scheme (NPS)

Once a top brass in an autonomous body under Indian Government expressed his anguish over spending of huge money under unproductive head of accounts called Pension payable to the retired employees. He sought my support to stop this once for all and devise an alternative to lessen the burden of the organisation. He questioned why because of huge financial liability the organisation will not be able to divert its fund for productive purpose. He held the government responsible for duel policy for its own staff and for staff of autonomous/statutory bodies. The government will pass order that these bodies will decide payment of pension depending upon its own fund. That meant the government suggested otherwise to stop pension if its fund failed to cater. That meant you ought to have minimised your productive expenditure in order to maximise your unproductive spending. He opined the money could be better utilised for new employment generation in a country where half of the population remained unemployed. I gave patient hearing on the issue and left his room without any commitment for support to his 'noble venture'. The issue still remained controversial.       

Down with anti labour laws

Two-hour walkouts and demonstrations organised on 24th March to condemn the introduction of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) bill and demanded its withdrawal. Effigies of the bill were also burnt in some states. It is reported that state government employees organised the programme with success in Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Employees in Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal organised massive walkouts and demonstrations.

This bill, initiated during the NDA regime, could not be pushed through because of the opposition by the working class outside the parliament and by the Left parties in the parliament. But the left force is of the opinion that in a surreptitious manner the UPA government of the Congress party and its allies have kept the avenues open to the regulator for unlimited foreign investment in pension fund without requiring the parliament’s assent. This shows how the present government is in connivance with the major opposition party, the BJP, in surrendering to the pressure of the international finance capital.

the bill was part of the government’s neo-liberal pro-corporate agenda to change the concept of pension as “defined benefit” to the workers after retirement to a “defined contribution” by the workers. This makes a mockery of pension as a social security scheme, with the onus of funding and regulation of the scheme shifting from the government or employer to a regulator. The main objective is to divert the pension contribution by the workers to the share market and corporate equity funds.

Right from the early days of 2005, when the bill was first introduced in the parliament, MPs belonging to the Left parties in and the working class all over the country have been relentlessly fighting against the blatant attempts of the governments and that is why the bill could not be passed in the parliament. Yet the central government and many state governments are implementing the new pension scheme through administrative orders, without the sanction of parliament. Only the Left ruled the states, viz, West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala, have declared that they will not implement the new pension scheme for their employees.

 

The central government employees unions' contention is that it is due to the pressure exerted by the World Bank, IMF and finance capital in and out the country that the successive governments at the centre, headed by the NDA and the UPA, were trying to privatise the pension funds by placing it at the disposal of private fund managers and thereby paving way for investment of the astronomical pension fund amount in share market speculations. Despite the fact that international experience has proved the privatisation of pension as being beneficial neither to the employees nor to governments, such shameless attempts are being pursued continuously in the interest of private entrepreneurs.

                                                                                                     source: Peoples Democracy

ANNA OUR CONSCIENCE

Anna Hajare the true crusader  has succeeded a step forward in his fight against corruption. He has made our government in New Delhi to agree to a new formation of Lokpal which is a committee against corruption to be half represented by the social activists outside the government. Anna the true follower of Mahatma Gandhi ended his fast unto death upon agreement that the government will table the Lokpal bill in the next session of the parliament with the power to prosecute the corrupt if found guilty. The prime minister and chief ministers may be summoned and prosecuted etc. etc. If it is done, it will revolutionize the Indian democracy after Right to Information Act. All done during the tenure of Dr. Monmohan Singh, the prime minister of India. Lets hope for the best.