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Central Committee Statement
The recent statement of CPI(M) central committee

New PB of CPI(M)
The new Politbureau of CPI(M) has been elected

SBI moves to shift office
SBI tries to move its forex transaction office from Calcutta

Communist Party of India (Marxist) decided to persue the efforts to bring all left, democratic and secular forces together in the mass to struggle and BJP Govt.'s economic polices.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on December 15 and 16, 1998. It has issued the following statement to the press:

The Central Committee noted that the results of the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi constitute a decisive rejection of the policies and the performance of the Vajpayee government at the Centre. The BJP lost both in the states where it had governments and also where it was in the opposition, underlining the fact that this verdict is against the BJP. The people have voted against the BJP primarily for two reasons. Firstly, the BJP government's economic policies have resulted in severe price rice of essential commodities and other hardships for the people. Secondly, the intolerant pursuit of the Hindutva agenda marked by efforts to communalise the educational system, attacks on Christian minorities and efforts to foment tensions about places of religious worship have alienated large sections of the people.

The popular verdict has been more a rejection of the BJP and not an endorsement of the policies which have been pursued by the Congress party. It is pertinent to note that the alienation of the people has been largely due to the impact of the policies of liberalisation and privatisation pursued by the BJP-led governments at the centre and the states.

The defeat of the BJP in its strongholds has significantly weakened the BJP-led coalition at the Centre. Already within eight months, the image of the government had been seriously damaged with the internal conflicts and divergent positions being taken by the partners of the coalition. The significant defeat is intensifying the internal strains with its resultant effects on governance.

The loss of political legitimacy of the Vajpayee government is accompanied by the steady worsening of the economic situation. The economy is in doldrums. The recession in industry continues with industrial production registering less than half the growth recorded in the previous year. The trade deficit is expected to double in the current year to around Rs 50 thousand crores, leading to a serious balance of payments crisis. Exports are continuing to register a decline. The lack of public investment in agriculture is creating serious problems for the farmers.

The worst attack on the living conditions of the people is taking place through the all-round price rise of essential commodities. There is no let up in the rising consumer price index particularly of food items. The hallmark of the Vajpayee government has been its pro-trader bias and the refusal to check hoarding and profiteering.

Faced with this dismal situation instead of taking corrective measures and reiterating its economic policies, the Vajpayee government has decided to brazen it out and go ahead with policies to appease international finance capital and multinational corporations. All talk of "Swadeshi" is abandoned.

The Central Committee strongly opposed the Insurance Regulatory Authority Bill which has been introduced in parliament. The insurance sector has long been coveted by the foreign financial companies who want to capture the massive resources which are now being garnered by the LIC and GIC. They will utilise these resources for their own commercial interests and for repatriating profits abroad. By providing for 40 percent foreign equity in companies which can enter the insurance business, the BJP is betraying its own commitment to the people. The Vajpayee government has shamelessly offered this concession to the USA during the secret talks between Jaswant Singh and Strobe Talbot in the hope of some relaxation of sanctions.

The Central Committee resolved to mobilise all sections of the people to fight the attempt to open up the insurance sector and financial sector liberalisation which will create havoc for the economy just as in the SouthEast Asian countries.

The Vajpayee government is implementing the harmful policy of disinvestment in profitable public sector units. It is selling off shares of such companies to foreign financial institutions and banks cheaply and they will profit by selling these shares in the market when conditions improve. The Vajpayee government faced with a burgeoning budgetary deficit wants to sell of the PSU assets cheaply in a desperate bid to bridge the deficit. The arbitrary action taken by the ministry of civil aviation in disbanding the Indian Airlines and Air India boards shows the callous manner in which the BJP government deals with public sector undertakings.

The dismantling of the public sector cannot be allowed as this will knock out the basis of a self-reliant economic development.

The Central committee noted with concern that the BJP-led government has introduced legislation to amend the Indian Patents Act to allow exclusive marketting rights to foreign companies and providing for product patents. The government is in a hurry to introduce this bill due to the pressure of the multinational companies. The amendments to the Patents Act will adversely affect the agricultural sector and public health. These are state subjects and the Central government has no right to sign away vital interests in these matters without having consultations with all state governments.

The Congress party has facilitated the tabling of the Patents Bill in the Rajya Sabha by extending full support to it. The Congress Party, if it goes ahead with support to the Patents Amendment Bill, opening up of insurance and indiscriminate liberalisation will be seen by the people as identified with policies harmful to the country. It is these same policies which discredited the Narasimha Rao government.

After seven rounds of secret talks between Jawant Singh and Strobe Talbot, the Vajpayee government has emerged as a supplicant trying to meet the terms set out by the United States. After the Pokhran tests, the Vajpayee government has succeeded in isolating itself internationally and becoming vulnerable to the increasing pressures being mounted by the United States. It is shameful that the Vajpayee government has not responded firmly to the blacklisting of 200 Indian organisations and companies by the United States even after the placatory steps taken by the government. The effort to sign the CTBT and trying to get the US accept India keeping a minimum nuclear deterrent is a policy which will end up capitulating to the USA and accepting its role as an arbiter in the South Asian region. The CPI(M) reiterates its opposition to the signing of the CTBT and to the policy of nuclear weaponisation. Both these steps are detrimental for the country.

The Central Committee demanded that the Union government expedite the enquiry into the criminal activities of Romesh Sharma whose links with some top politicians and mafia groups have been exposed. It is essential that the CBI enquiry uncovers the criminal-politician nexus. Firm action will have to be taken against all those political leaders who have been patronising Romesh Sharma and his criminal activities.

The Central Committee strongly condemned the massacre of seven adivasi men and women by the landlord gang at Nikharail village in Purnea district, The adivasi landless people have been struggling to cultivate lands illegally occupied by the local landlord. The attack leading to arson and killings were organised to suppress the rights of the landless on land. The CPI(M) sent a delegation consisting of Mehboob Zaidi and Subrato Mukherjee, Lok Sabha MPs and Subodh Roy, Member of the Central Committee to Purnea immediately after the news of the killings became known. The Central Committee demands swift action to arrest all the culprits. The state government should provide adequate compensation and assistance to all the victims.

The Central Committee congratulated the working class and all sections of the people who came forward to make the December 11 strike a big success. The general strike was a powerful expression of the people's opposition to the harmful effects of the economic policies being pursued by the BJP government. The total strike in insurance, banking, port & dock, public sector units, industrial areas, plantations, mines, educational institutions and mercantile offices in many parts of the country shows the depth of the popular discontent and anger against the policies of liberalisation.

The Central Committee taking stock of the response to the strike decided that the Party should actively work for taking up the immediate issues of different sections of the people and support efforts of the mass organisations to launch struggles to defend the rights of the people. The CPI(M) and the Left parties will take all measures to strengthen and widen all such movements and struggles. The CC called upon the Party to take up the following tasks:

1. Step up the mass struggles and joint movements against the BJP government's economic policies specifically on attacks on the public sector, the insurance bill, the patents bill and unemployment;

2. Build movements against price rise, demand for dehoarding, checking profiteering and strengthening of the public distribution system with provision for supply of 14 essential commodities.

3. Fight the BJP-RSS-Shiv Sena attacks on minorities, efforts to foment tensions in religious places and the RSS penetration of educational and cultural institutions.

4. Mobilise popular opinion against the surrender to US pressures on signing the CTBT and to oppose the sanctions and other hostile measures taken by the US

5. Take up issues concerning rights of women, rights of dalits, social oppression and problems of education and health facilities for the common people.

The support extended to the December 11 general strike by a large number of democratic and secular parties and the growing cooperation of these forces within parliament underlines the relevance and the necessity to reforge the third alternative. The Central Committee decided to pursue the efforts to bring all such Left, democratic and secular forces together. Three are number of issues connected with the defence of secularism, the harmful economic policies of the BJP government and the resistance to US imperialist pressures which form the basis for coming together of such forces. Secularism, the harmful economic policies of the BJP Government and the resistance US imperialist Presures which from the basis coming together of such forces.