CLICK TO ENLARGEThursday, December 30, 2010
P. CHIDAMBRAM PLAYS DUPLICITY TO APPEASE MAMATA BANERJEE AND DEMORALISE JAWANS FIGHTING AGAINST MAOIST BUTCHERS
D.O. No. 119-CM
December 28, 2010
Dear Shri Chidambram,
Kindly refer to your secret letter dated 21/22 December, 2010 which had been published in the media before it reached my office on 27.12.2010 at 11 A.M.
Your assessment of the situation in the State of West Bengal is surprising and is far from an impartial overview of the situation. Maoists have spread from across the bordering states and with the help of small section of local people are creating problems mostly in 28 police stations in three districts of West Bengal. They are trying to create their own areas of dominance. They are indiscriminately killing political opponents and even innocent people. They are attacking police stations, police camps and looting arms. They are also engaged in large scale extortions and other unlawful activities.
You are fully aware of these activities of the Maoists. The greatest challenge is how to contain the Maoists and defeat them finally both administratively and politically.
In recent times State and Central Police through their joint efforts have achieved major successes. Peace and normalcy have been restored in vast areas. People who were evicted earlier are going back to their homes. Govt/Panchayat office are functioning normally and so are the schools, markets and shops. Life is gradually coming back to normalcy in these areas but still we have problem in the areas bordering our state. Trinamool Congress which was earlier maintaining secret contacts with Maoist leaders and outfits are now openly organising meetings with them.
CPI (M) and it allies are trying their best to resist the Maoists by mobilizing people against them and in the process have lost more than 170 of their workers and leaders. Unfortunately, you are now blaming them for the present state of affairs. I am afraid it will divert the attention of all concerned who are struggling against Maoists, the greatest threat to our internal security.
As regards political clashes mentioned in your letter I would like to correct your figures. 32 Trinamool Congress supporters have been killed and 601 have suffered injuries while CPI (M) have lost 69 of their cadres and another 723 have been injured. Indian National Congress has lost one of their supporters and 111 have been injured during the period mentioned in your letter. I, however, agree that it is not a happy situation and I am doing my best to stop these senseless killings. I have repeatedly appealed to all the opposition parties to cooperate. All the parties except Trinamool Congress have come forward to cooperate. Trinamool Congress has refused to talk to administration. I am trying to disarm and demoblise all armed groups engaged in violence in some pockets of the state.
I strongly object to your using the word “Harmed” to mean the CPI (M) party workers without knowing the actual meaning of this nasty word coined by Trinamool Congress leaders.
More when we meet.
With regards,
Yours sincerely,
Sd/-
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
Shri P. Chidambram
Union Home Minister
New Delhi-110 001
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
UPA GOVERERNMNT: STINGING PRICES, INSENSITIVE GOVERNMENT - G Mamatha
PRICES are stinging to put it mildly. It is not just onions that are bringing tears to the eye but tomato, cauliflower, cabbage, brinjal, and for that matter all the vegetables. Retail prices of vegetables have gone up by 25 to 60 per cent compared to prices around the same time last year. The government, which is supposed to monitor crop output, supply to markets and ensure that they are available to the people, is caught virtually sleeping. It took the onion, which sold at Rs 85 per kg to initiate some response from the government. In spite of the inaction, the minister responsible for food has the audacity to state that it would take more than three weeks for the prices to reduce and more than four months for the prices to reach the level they were a week ago. It seems the government is more intent on preparing the aam aadmi to accept the higher price bands for these vegetables than ensuring that they are available at cheap prices. The actions of the government, it appears, are intended to accrue benefit to the hoarders than the common people.
The government issued statement that it is banning export of onions with immediate affect and also reducing the import tariffs. These, of course, are needed. But the other actions of the government which have contributed to the price rise also need to be addressed. It has increased the prices of fuel eight times in the recent past. It had deregulated the price of petrol and publicly expressed its intention to increase the price of diesel too. A secretary in the food and supplies department of the government explaining the reasons for the price rise has stated, “There are costs involved in transportation. Diesel, besides handling and labour charges has become dearer. No wonder, prices are higher this year”. Thus it is not the lack of knowledge that is influencing the decisions of the government. The government hence is aware of the problems but is unconcerned for the common people or to use the term dear to its heart, the aam aadmi.
Another important step that the government is unwilling to undertake is banning the futures trade in essential items. The UN official in charge of the Food and Agricultural Organisation himself had stated that it is not lack of availability that is leading to higher food prices. He explicitly stated that it is the speculative trading involving food items that is responsible for the higher prices. Our economist prime minister who prides himself as a professor who lectures the heads of the states on 'how to tackle recession', is unwilling to accept this simple fact. He is 'unwilling' because, it contradicts his fundamental beliefs in neo-liberal ideology. Otherwise, how else can one explain his concern for the annoyance of industrial houses on phone tapping that had unveiled many an ugly act of the corporates and lack of it in dealing with the aam aadmi issues.
We should remember that it is not the prime minister alone who is responsible for this neo-liberal inclination of the government. The Congress as a party heading the ruling coalition is totally responsible. There are attempts at times from a section of the party and also the always willing media to portray the Congress president and the 'prince in waiting' general secretary, as more concerned about the aam aadmi. Of course, their speeches are always peppered with ample references to the aam aadmi and their problems. But we should always remember that these are the very two persons who always jump before anyone else in defence of the prime minister and his policies. Moreover, the resolutions adopted in the recently concluded AICC plenary session did not have a single expression of worry over the rising prices, although they have ample references in praise of the government and for further opening up of our market to foreign players and further deregulation. Thus, it is the UPA that is solely and entirely responsible for the price rise.
While the people are reeling under the affects of the rising prices of food items, the government it is learnt is 'keen' to increase the prices of diesel and cooking gas. It seems the uproar against the soaring prices of onions has compelled the government to postpone this decision. Otherwise cooking gas would have become dearer by Rs 100 and diesel by Rs 5. The government has made its intentions clear – it is not at all bothered with the problems of the common people and is more concerned for the interests of the corporates and the rich and mighty. Now it is upon us to make our intentions clear – whether we want this government to continue with these policies are force it to roll back these anti-people policies. The only way for the people to make their intentions known is by coming out onto the streets in protest.
Source: www.pd.cpim.org/
Sunday, December 26, 2010
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