Raman Singh's Fascist Rule And Its Brutal Oppression Are Responsible For the Recent Counter Attacks of PLGA

Stop Operation Green Hunt Immediately!

Resist Deployment Of Army In Bastar! Oppose Proposed Huge Land Grab In The Name Of Army Training schools!!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST)

DANDAKARANYA SPECIAL ZONAL COMMITTEE

Press Release

June 10, 2011

The exploitative ruling classes have been stung by the continued tactical counter-offensives carried out by PLGA especially from the month of May in Dandakaranya. The representatives of corporate media have joined in chorus and started shouting that the 'Maoist attacks suddenly picked up' expressing 'concern'! Prakash Singh, Arnab Goswami, Shekhar Gupta, Chandan Mitra, PV Ramana and all other bankrupt intellectuals are screaming in TV channels. Someone is saying that the government has no effective policy to deal with the Maoists and another says that the government has not willed to. But, naturally, none of these is ready to accept the fact that it was the logical outcome of the government's repressive policies.

But on the other hand... the people of Dandakaranya are welcoming the PLGA's counter-offensives. Especially those people, whose houses were burnt down, whose family members were killed, who were all looted, whose mothers and sisters were insulted, the children of whom became the victims of police brutality, whose nears and dears have been languishing in prisons particularly during these two years of Operation Green Hunt, have expressed their happiness over these counter-attacks.

On 17th of last month in Dantewada district at night, one of our squads blew up CRPF's vehicle with a land mine near Borgudem. Seven mercenaries were killed and one wounded in that explosion.

On May 19, our PLGA carried out a heroic ambush near Nargonda village in Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) district. Chinna Venta, a wild beast (C-60 commando squad commander) was killed and two others injured in that incident. Although in this ambush two of our brave comrades had to immolate their lives. On the same day 3 more mercenaries were annihilated by PLGA near Tadigaon village in the same district. Chinna Venta was synonymous with terror and hardly any village or family left in Gadchiroli district which has not become a victim of his tyranny. From beatings to sexual assault on women, fake encounters, lootings and bribery all such heinous acts used to be a daily routine for him. After hearing the news of Chinna's killing, a festive atmosphere has created throughout the district.

On May 23 - the 44th anniversary day of Great Naxalbari uprising - In Raipur district (Gariaband police district), our PLGA heroically ambushed a police party on the Odisha border killing 9 policemen including an ASP (Assistant Superintendent of Police) Rajesh Pawar. Slain ASP used to misguide and bribe the tribal youth to turn them into informants and he used to gather information from such people. His conspiracy was that on the basis of specific information attacks could be carried out to harm the revolutionary movement. People will never forgive such persons who attack and conspire against the just movement.

Yesterday, on June 9, at seven in the morning the red fighters of PLGA ambushed a police party near the CAF (Chhattisgarh Armed Force) camp of Jharaghati village in Narayanpur district in which five mercenaries died. Two sofisticated weapons were taken away from them. It's noteworthy that this camp was very recently set up under the second phase of Operation Green Hunt. And last night in Katekalyan area of Dantewada district, our red warriors of PLGA blew up an MPV (mine proof vehicle) of police in which total 10 police personnel, including 7 SPOs (Special Police Officers) were killed and 3 others injured. Some weapons were also taken away.

Also in recent days, in Chhindgarh, Tongpal, Bande, Gudse and in some other places PLGA carried out some small and medium type of actions by annihilating some notorious SPOs and policemen.

Why are these counter-offensives taking place?

In fact, Sonia-Manmohan Singh-Chidambaram gang and exploitative rulers like Raman Singh, Shekhar Dutt are responsible for these attacks, who are waging an unjust war - Operation Green Hunt - against the people of the country of which now the second phase being told. As part of this in undivided Bastar region, atrocities and brutal oppression by police, paramilitary, STF, CoBRA, Koya commando and SPOs have increased immensely. The terror campaign unleashed in four villages of Chintalnar area - Morpalli, Timmapuram, Pulanpad and Tadimetla by government armed forces is a recent example. In this barbaric act carried out from March 11 to 16, nearly 300 houses were burnt down; three villagers were killed; six women were raped; two people have been missing; thousands of quintals of food grains were burnt by the so-called security forces. The true measure of this destruction is just impossible.

In Narayanpur district, on April 19, in village Chinari, a fourteen-year old boy named by Rajnu Salam was picked up and shot dead by the police and paramilitary forces and announced as an encounter. Before this, on March 23, in the same district, after an encounter took place in Kullenar village, two PLGA comrades Ramesh and Prabhakar were caught alive and were killed after being subjected to brutal torture. In Bellamnendra and Vimlaguda villages of South Bastar, the government forces created havoc. In this vast region of Dandakaranya, stretching from Rajnandgaon and Kanker districts in the north to Dantewada district in the far south, hundreds of adivasis have been arrested and tortured. They have been languishing in jails with false cases implicated. To put in a nutshell, in throughout Dandakaranya, government armed forces have been continuing their oppression and terror campaign incessantly. Recent counter-attacks should be seen in this background.

In fact, the only goal of Operation Green Hunt being carried out in many parts of the country, especially in the tribal areas, is to wipe out the Maoist movement and to convert these areas into grazing land for the plunderers - the comprador capitalists and the MNCs. Especially in the forest areas of Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal the governments have signed hundreds of MoUs with corporate companies. Of late, government has announced the privatization of Raoghat mines and invited foreign companies to loot precious iron ore reserves. Since the Maoist movement stands as the biggest obstacle in their way, they are waging this war to wipe this out. Now the process of Army deployment has also been started. Although the army is being brought in the name of 'training', but even school going children can also understand this as part of a conspiracy to crush the just mass movements.

On the one hand, the Raman Singh's BJP government in Chhattisgarh is hell-bent on large scale suppression of the struggling people and on the other hand, it is suppressing every voice raised against it. Human rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen was arrested in treason case and sentenced to life imprisonment only for speaking out against the atrocities of government forces and the Salwa Judum's terror. Himanshu Kumar's 'Vanavasi Chetana Ashram' was demolished with the same reason and Raman's government has driven him away not only from Bastar, but also from Chhattisgarh. Every team that had come for fact-finding of massacres of adivasis carried out as part of Operation Green Hunt was blocked from entering into Bastar. Even a woman team was badly harassed and forced to get out of Bastar region. Recently, Swami Agnivesh was also beaten and forced to leave Bastar while he was trying to reach Chintalnar area to meet the victims of state terror. Chhattisgarh home minister Nankiram shamelessly announced that his government is just going to impose ban on PUCL and that even Swami Agnivesh would be barred from entering Bastar region. To understand the nature of fascistic 'police raj' in Chhattisgarh one example of Kalluri, the notorious ex-SSP of Dantewada would be quite sufficient. In a press conference Kalluri openly declared the cash reward of Rs one lakh to a Koya commando commander who had killed a villager by the name of Maoist. And he surprised everyone by saying that he would continue to give cash rewards in the same way for each Maoist's death. He also vowed that he would not take salt in his food until at least 12 Maoists killed!

What the police tell is the law here! What Home Minister or Chief Minister says is the Constitution in Chhattisgarh! "Democracy" has been reduced to a lewd joke here. PESA Act, 5th schedule etc. have become a mockery. In these circumstances the people have no option but to resist in their self-defense.

We appeal to police, paramilitary forces and SPOs that you are not our enemies. This battle is not aimed against you. The exploiting ruling classes have pushed you into this unjust war against people. So, you do not take part in operations carried out against people and do not perpetrate acts of terror against the people. Identify the real enemies of the country - the corrupt, scamsters, gangsters and compradors who are ruling our country in the name of democracy.

Communist Party of India (Maoist) Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee calls upon the country's entire toiling people and democrats to demand for --

« Stop Operation Green Hunt immediately!

« Oppose the deployment of Army in Bastar region and resist the proposed acquisition of 750 sq km land in the name of Army training!

« Demand for stringent punishments to all police officers including SSP Kalluri, IG Langkumer and DGP Viswaranjan and all other CoBRA and Koya commandos involved in the atrocities and acts of terror committed against the people of Chintalnar area!

« Demand for unconditional release of all imprisoned adivasis!

(Gudsa Usendi)

Spokesperson

Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee

CPI (Maoist)

__._,_.___

Watch Film on Sri Lankan Genocide on Channel 4 - by Saba Navalan

TODAY  at 23:05 the shocking “killing field”  will be shown on Channel 4

It is a must for you to watch how the world stood by while this genocide was going on. The world cannot say that we were not aware of it,for we kept all nations and United Nation informed well ahead and also during the genocide. United Kingdom, USA, France, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Libya, Malaysia and other nations provided arms and other support for this genocide. 

Now it is your turn to turn around and help us to bring those responsible to justice. Our point is what did you gain? There is nothing to gain from Sri  Lanka.

We request all people in all nations to come together and ensure justice is done. This is the time you are the people to stamp out state sponsored terrorism and genocide so that it will not be repeated any where else.

Is this an example for eliminating the resistant politics,for the international power? Is this the new feature of new world order? Will it be the general phenomena of the world’s power ?

Just some months after this Sri Lankan humanitarian disaster, India, a country regarded as one of the biggest democratic powers,has started to massacre in order to evacuate poor hill country forest inhabitants from acres and acres of their own land for exploitation of mines.

Similar atrocities of power against the innocent poor people and against those who resist, is becoming social recognition in the other parts of the world. The war between the business power and the innocent is the real Avatar.

The oppression creates unrest; the ignorance of democratic forces creates the fundamentalism, ultra nationalism, destructions and so on.

Are we all going to remain silent or raise our voice? 18th May 2009, 2 years ago, the Sri Lankan government committed the accused war crime and genocide.

The world constructs a new world order with a new power configuration. If we fail to stand together, we will be the victims. Sri Lanka is just the laboratory for the power to learn how to handle the resistance.

PLEASE WATCH  TODAY AND THEN FORWARD WORLDWIDE.

Do not forget to forward. The film will be screened on the margins of the UN Human Rights Council session. 

It will air on Channel 4 on 14June.  [2011, at 23:05 hours on Channel 4TV, UK - Wm.]

Note:   British government is sending back 400 asylum seekers   to Sri Lanka (The killing field)  in a weeks time.

Song from the Heart - Broken Dialect

Speakers Corner - Brixton - Next Speakers Corner 17th June 2011

Second Edition of Operation Green Hunt - India's War on the People published to coincide with Arundhati Roy Visit to London

TO BUY THIS BOOK VISIT:

http://www.alternativebookshop.com/BookDetails.php?bookid=1579

Short Report on Arundhati Roy Meeting on 12th June - My Impressions by Nickglais

Arundhati Roy spoke to an audience of about 500 people at Friends Meeting House in Euston about the War on the People of India by the Indian State on 12th June 2011.

My impressions of the meeting are very positive has Arundhati's resistance to the murderous activities of the Indian State is an inspiration and listening to her energises you for further struggle.

She told the audience about her recent speech at School of Oriental and African Studies when she was confronted by a hostile questioner who said she should be thankful she was born in India the worlds largest democracy has if she had been born in China she would be in prison.

Arundhati's answer was that if she was not the world renowned Indian Author with the name Arundhati Roy, winner of the Booker prize  she should would be sitting in an Indian prison along with the thousands of others unjustly imprisoned in India for resisting the crimes of the Indian State exposing the hypocrisy of Indian Democracy.

Arundhati clearly explains the two Indias, the middle class one so loved by the Western Media and the poor India, but Arundhati's heart and mind are deployed with the 850 million Indians who live on 38 cents a day. She explains how the mineral rich areas are also the tribal areas and the Indian State has a plan of urbanisation to drive 500 million people of the land into the cities. It is employing all weapons of war including starvation to drive the tribal people from their land to benefit the multinational companies who are hungry for India's raw materials.

She read out the UN definition of genocide which so well describes the Indian State's activities against the 100 million tribals of India but also stated that when speaking to the United Nations representative they indicated that what India did in its own borders was its own matter has India was the blue eyed boy of the international community and world capital.

I was also pleased that Arundhati Roy made the point that she had requested a Sri Lankan speaker on the platform for this meeting  ( even though there was not one present ) because she saw Sri Lanka has the laboratory for the "invisible" killings that the elites in South Asia aspire to carry out.

She criticised the Left and progressive forces in India including Tamil politicians for failing the Sri Lankan people - her criticism could be extended world wide has the media black out which was a cover for mass murder in Sri Lanka was not exposed in the West either, in fact the Western powers are deeply complicit in the Tamil massacres.

The thrust of his remarks of the Nepalese Speaker at the meeting Comrade Kailash representing Nepalese in Europe was to emphasise the relations between Nepal and India, especially the unequal treaties which give Indian capitalists advantages over Nepalese ones in trade between the two countries. Also he mentioned the interference of the Indian state in Nepalese affairs, especially in supporting the Nepalese Army and other reactionary elements against the Maoist revolutionaries. He emphasised that the future of the revolutionary struggles in the two countries is closely related.

Jan Myrdal addressed the question of building and international solidarity movement with the peoples of India, and cited examples of successful solidarity movements and less successful ones.

The question that arises from the meeting with Arundhati Roy is while her visit to London has made the peoples struggle's in India visible - what happens when she returns to India do these struggles become invisible again ?

If they are not to become invisible again and the light of exposure is to stay on them there needs to be meetings on India in several British Cities in the coming year and articles in the media exposing the crimes of the Indian State.

Democracy and Class Struggle will initiate and support such meetings

Sri Lanka committed genocide of Tamils: Arundhati Roy - Meeting on 11th June 2011

Taking part in a meeting organized by a London based Tamil media association in Southall in London on Saturday, celebrated writer Arundhati Roy termed the war on Eezham Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka as genocide that was allowed to happen by the world. "The most horrific things I have seen and testimonies I have read are from Sri Lanka," she said. Ms. Roy, known for championing the cause of the Aathivaasis (indigenous tribes), emphasized how similar sorts of patterns of annihilation were taking place in India too. "There is a whole universe of fractured morality between what people say and what people do. As the Indian military, and platoons and platoons of policemen are displacing the Aathivaasis in the back of everyone's mind are the graves of Tamils in Sri Lanka," she said.

"When I visited Sri Lanka, it horrified me to see how everything had closed over that war." She observed how in all the celebration of the booming economy, "there was a deep silence over what happened."

The meet was organised by International Association of Tamil Journalists (IATJ) in London.

Roy also spoke on how the West found "moral reasons" to attack few regimes, and why certain "war crimes" were acceptable whereas others were not. She also lamented the manner in which the Sri Lankan model of genocide was inspirational to other states in the region. "Other governments are looking at the Government of Sri Lanka and thinking, if not talking: If they have done it, why can't we”, Roy said.

She also pointed out that while people have the right to resort to arms, one should also look into what are the values of the people who have picked up arms. When somebody does that [resort to armed resistance], they are also responsible for what happened to the Tamil people.

"The most horrific things I have seen and testimonies I have read are from Sri Lanka" she said and expressed her angst over how the Sri Lankan state forces targeted hospitals, and bombed people after forcing them to move into a No Fire Zone. "The world allowed this to happen, and it will continue to allow this to happen" she said.

While Roy suggested that she was "somebody who believed in the diversity of resistances" she also spoke about the need to ask serious questions about violent resistance. She said it was strategically important to ask, "What went wrong." She asked, "Was it the concentration of power in too few hands."

"There is no point into looking for condemnation or sympathy—because it is merely lip service," she said. Speaking of the need to enter a process of introspection, Roy said, "It is not just life that has been destroyed, but also a form of resistance."

She attacked mainstream Tamil politicians in Tamil Nadu who have made their careers talking about Eelam. She labelled their concern as "rubbish" and said that they had done little beyond whipping up hollow identity and cashing it. She spoke of how Eezham Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu were "treated like animals", and of the hardship they had to face on a daily basis. "I have visited those camps and it is a terrible sight to see," she said and contrasted how the normally vociferous Tamil politicians were silent on the plight of the refugees.

Responding to questions from the audience, she charmed them with her sharp insight on resistance struggles and expressed sympathy to the sufferings undergone by Eezham Tamils. She shared the experience of struggle for self-determination in Kashmir, Manipur and Nagaland, and also the struggle against big dams and against corporate take-overs of forests.

OPPOSE THE ARMY DEPLOYMENT IN BASTAR! TALK OF 'TRAINING' IS NOTHING BUT A PLOY TO DECEIT THE PEOPLE! GIVING POWERS TO THE ARMY TO ATTACK IN THE PRETEXT OF 'SELF-DEFENSE' IS NOTHING BUT FREE-HAND FOR MASSACRES AND ATROCITIES ON ADIVASIS!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST)

DANDAKARANYA SPECIAL ZONAL COMMITTEE

Press Release

June 3, 2011

OPPOSE THE ARMY DEPLOYMENT IN BASTAR!

TALK OF 'TRAINING' IS NOTHING BUT A PLOY TO DECEIT THE PEOPLE!

GIVING POWERS TO THE ARMY TO ATTACK IN THE PRETEXT OF 'SELF-DEFENSE'
IS NOTHING BUT FREE-HAND FOR MASSACRES AND ATROCITIES ON ADIVASIS!

As the first column of the Indian Army arrived in Kanker, the formal process of Army deployment in Bastar has commenced. But hiding this fact from the eyes of the people, the rulers are propagating falsehood that the Army was coming here just for training and not to fight the Maoists. It's being said that in the name of `self defense', the ministries of Defence and Law had issued `guiding principles' for the Army, but nobody is ready to reveal the details. It's noteworthy that the Air Force was already given the right to attack in `self-defense'.

The Central and State governments have been hiding the fact that this was obvious deployment and have been telling the world that they were just coming here for a training as part of their ploy of deceiving the people and pacifying those democratic forces who have been outrageous against Army deployment. The glaring fact is that the Army is now deployed in the ongoing war against people of our country. After Kashmir and North-East regions, now the Indian Army is going to wage a brutal war against most oppressed people of India. Now the apprehensions seem to be realized that the draconian law - AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) would also be proclaimed in Bastar.

In fact the government gave free-hand to the Army and Air Force to attack the people in the name of `self-defense', as there are no measures defined for clear-cut demarcation between a Maoist combatant and an ordinary citizen. Since 2005, first in Salwa Judum and now in Operation Green Hunt, state armed forces set ablaze more than 700 villages; murdered more than 1500 people; raped hundreds of Adivasi women; burnt down the crops; looted the villages; and forced tens of thousands of people to flee from their native places. Recent carnage of Chintalnar was just an example of ongoing state terror in Dandakaranya. And now, with the Army taking part in this onslaught and with all powers granted to it in the name self-defense, the massacres of Adivasis and brutalities would increase manifold. This would pose a big question mark on the very existence of the Adivasi community. Particularly, the Jal-Jungle-Zameen and the ancient cultural heritage of theMariya tribes, the indigenous residents of Maad, would be vanished.

A heated discussion is going on across the country on the issue of land grab these days. Particularly, in the context of Uttar Pradesh incidents, all political parties belonging to the ruling classes including Congress and BJP have been portraying themselves as the `champions of peasants' and vaguely speaking against the forceful land acquisitions as part of promoting their vested political interests. But all these `champions' are keeping themselves mum on this huge land grab taking place in one of the most backward Adivasi areas of the country in the name of Army training. BJP's Raman Singh government has decided to uncaringly give away as much as 750 square kilometers of land in the Maad area of Narayanpur district for one of the three proposed training schools to be set up. Raman Singh, the man who has been trumpeting his cheap tactic of selling one kilogram of chana per month for 5 rupees to each adivasi family in Bastar region, is completely unmasked now. There has neither been any debate nor been any discussion about the decision of giving away such a huge portion of precious land and forest. Laws like PESA (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas) and 5th Schedule have become a joke here. The local Mariya people of Maad region are completely unaware that the land on which they have been living for thousands of years and the forest with whose support they have been able to survive till this day, are no more of them. One fifth of the total 4,000 square kilometers area of Maad region would now be given away to the army. It would be expanded further according to the reports coming in media. As Army vehicles started moving into Bastar, the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has declared that the Raoghat mining project would be privatized and a global tender notice would be issued. This makes the picture very clear now. On one side there would be a vast Army base and on the other side of the Maad region the MNCs would fall in line in a rush to plunder the precious iron ore from Raoghat hills. The mining mafia would become active with their pending mining projects and the lands of the tribal people would be acquired forcefully. Now it's not at all difficult to realize who is coming with what intension and what the interrelation between them is!!

Politically, today the Maoist movement is posing a serious challenge to the pro-imperialist neo-liberal policies being implemented by the servile rulers of our country. The struggles of Adivasis and the Maoists who are leading them have become gravest threat for the ruling classes of India and their imperialist masters, who are hell-bent on looting huge deposits of precious minerals from the Adivasi regions in particular. In Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and other states, hundreds of MoUs that were signed by state governments and the corporate houses are not getting implemented due to the opposition posed by people. Particularly in Dandakaranya, several projects of big corporate houses, such as mines, big dams and heavy industries have been held up due to organized protests and resistance struggles of the people. To sum up, in Dandakaranya the exploiters' juggernaut of `development' has not been able to move forward. That's why they have been waging this brutal war against the people in which now the Army is involved.

The Bastariya Adivasis have never bowed their head to exploitation, injustice, suppression and alien rule. They have a glorious history of several rebellions against the British colonialists. In 1910, at the time of Mahan Bhumkaal, a great tribal uprising, the British rulers had deployed the army against the people of Bastar. Now, after a hundred years, the rulers have once again sent the Army so that their just struggles could be crushed cruelly. We call upon the people of Dandakaranya to face this challenge boldly. People are the creators of history! So, the ultimate victory will only be theirs!!

Our Special Zonal Committee appeals to all democrats, human rights organizations, anti-displacement movements, Adivasis' organizations, and well-wishers of Adivasis, intellectuals, writers, Artistes and media persons to raise their voice against setting up of Army training schools in Bastar and the proposed huge land grab meant for this purpose. Come forward to build agitations with the slogan - "Indian Army, Go back from Bastar". Oppose the deployment of the Army in the ongoing war against people in the name of training schools. Demand to scrap all those MoUs signed by the government of Chhattisgarh with big corporate houses and all those projects of forceful land acquisition.

(Gudsa Usendi)

Spokesperson

Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee

CPI (Maoist)

CPI MAOIST PRESS STATEMENT: OPPOSE THE RAOGHAT RAILWAY LINE AND THE MINING PROJECT WHICH WOULD DE-RAIL THE VERY EXISTENCE OF BASTARIYA PEOPLE! CLAIM OF SAVING BHILAI STEEL PLANT IS NOTHING BUT TRICKERY! ENSURING THE PLUNDER OF BASTAR'S WEALTH BY MULTI-NATIONAL COMPANIES IS REALITY!!

---

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST)

DANDAKARANYA SPECIAL ZONAL COMMITTEE

Press Release

June 7, 2011

OPPOSE THE RAOGHAT RAILWAY LINE AND THE MINING PROJECT
WHICH WOULD DE-RAIL THE VERY EXISTENCE OF BASTARIYA PEOPLE!

CLAIM OF SAVING BHILAI STEEL PLANT IS NOTHING BUT TRICKERY!

ENSURING THE PLUNDER OF BASTAR'S WEALTH
BY MULTI-NATIONAL COMPANIES IS REALITY!!

The moment when the process of deploying the Army in Bastar is just underway, the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), one of the biggest Public Sector Units of India, has declared that the Raoghat mines would be privatized. These two acts not just coincided, but there was a conspiratorial coordination between them. Raoghat hills are located just 25 kilometers away from Narayanpur (in Maad region), a district headquarter town, where the Raman Singh government of Chhattisgarh has given permission to the Army to acquire 750 square kilometers (i.e. 185,250+ acres) of land. Now so many notorious MNCs will rush into this area to rob the iron ore which is known for its best quality. From one side, the Army and from other side, the corporate companies are trying to gulp down the whole Maad region which is the motherland of Mariaand Gond adivasis, the primitive tribal communities of Bastar.

In 2006, before the Raoghat project is commenced, some accusations were made against the management of BSP that it had illicitly leased out some of the deposits of Raoghat mines to Tata and NECO companies. People believed strongly that the BSP management was acting as paw in the hands of big business houses such as Tata, Essar, Jindal, NECO etc. But then it had cleverly managed it and stated that there was no such thing. But lately the chairperson of the SAIL, Chandrashekhar Verma himself has declared that they are going to privatize Raoghat mines and global tenders would be invited for this. (Source: Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, May 24, 2011). With this, now the game of hide-and-seek is over! Intentions of the exploitative governments are very clear! With the neo-liberal policies dictated by the imperialist masters getting implemented so openly, the MNCs would capture not just Raoghat mines; they would even buy the BSP or buy the SAIL itself. The recent examples of POSCO, Vedanta etc. of other states also clearly indicate this trend.

It's believed that Raoghat hills are having 7.4 billion tonnes of iron ore which is known for finest quality with 62 percent Fe grade. BSP is supposed to excavate 511 million tonnes of iron ore. Construction of Dalli-Raoghat-Jagdalpur railway line is underway for this purpose. Government has already started grabbing the lands forcefully from the peasants between Dalli and Raoghat. But it's facing stiff resistance from the local people.

This project in fact is an old one. In 1992, government was forced to give up implementing this project due to massive protests of people. In Antagarh, ten thousand adivasis had taken a massive procession to register their strong opposition to the proposed mining project. But the state had responded with repressive methods as always happens. A police camp was set up on the top of these hills. That camp is still present there. Our Party has been actively supporting this just struggle.

Local people are opposing this project because 3,278 hectares of forests would completely be destroyed. Apart from this, large portions of adjoining forests would also be destroyed. River Mendhki and so many other streams flowing through the region would get polluted. The farming will be destroyed so much that it is difficult to quantify. Local people see these mountains as their cultural centers and ritual faith. After the opening up of the mines these will be buried for ever. Many environmentalists believe that environment and monsoon from the perspective of Bastar, Raoghat Mountains are extremely important. With Raoghat mining project the existence of 23 villages will immediately be endangered. Further, 13 villages of adivasis might be uprooted in Chargaon area, next to this mine proposed by a private company of NECO Jaiswaals. (And now if you add the proposed massive acquisition of land by the Army - bloated 750 square kilometers - you can't imagine that the existence of how many villages is going to disappear!)

On the issue of where to setup township for the proposed mines, an ugly tussle is going on amongst the business classes of Narayanpur and Antagarh. These selfish people do not worry at all about how many villages will be destroyed, how many thousands of tribals will be displaced, how much forest will be cut, how many rivers will be polluted and to what extent the tribal culture will be destroyed, when the mining work is started in this region. Overall, they don't bother about the oncoming destruction in this region. They are supporting the government's false claims of 'Bastar development' because they think that their own business will grow with this at the price of whatsoever.

Government still makes the argument in support of railway line and mine that the digging up of Raoghat mines is necessary as the mines of Dalli Rajhara which are supplying the raw material to the Bhilai steel plant are going to end up.  It's making dubious propaganda that if the mining will not start in Raoghat, BSP could be stopped due to the scarcity of raw material, threatening the future of the thousands of BSP workers. Thus, such an environment is created that anybody dares to oppose Raoghat mine will immediately be labeled as 'anti-development'. In fact, in the guise of this promotion, the government and administration have put a veil over many realities.

Dalli town today is in a position of almost desolation only because of the wrong policies of the BSP, particularly of indiscriminate mechanization. All rivers and streams of this area have been badly polluted. In Dalli and several surrounding villages, as red dirt coming of mines and roads turned on to the fields of farming, and the farming has been fully destroyed. In Dalli where 16 thousand workers used to work earlier, today the number has decreased drastically to 1200. Can the businessmen of Narayanpur and Antagarh and the contractors sitting in Raipur and Jagdalpur give the guarantee that after 20-25 years this region will not become another Dalli?

If the government is really worried that the 'BSP will be closed if it won't get raw materials supply', then why doesn't it stop selling iron ore of Bailadilla mines to the multinational companies of Japan, China and Korea? In fact, many sponge iron factories in Raipur and Bhilai have closed due to lack of iron ore supplies. They appealed to the government several times for supply of raw material from Bailadilla for them and to stop selling the iron ore to foreign companies. Doesn't this prove that the interests of big and foreign capitalists are paramount for the spineless rulers of our country? Isn't the government's "concern" about the future of BSP workers just a pose? Isn't this just a ploy being adopted to deal with the opposition putting up against proposed the Raoghat mine?

We urge all the workers, employees and other people who are concerned with the future of the BSP, that they should recognize who actually is a threat to the BSP. In 1960s, when the Bhilai steel plant was founded, the annual production was 1.5 million tonnes and the number of workers was 95 thousand. Today, the production has been increased to 4.5 million tonnes, but the number of workers is reduced to less than 37 thousand. Contracting, mechanization and partial privatization process are in full swing in BSP. Many facilities for workers have been taken back. New recruitment and compassionate appointment is closed. BSP is planning to increase the production to 7.5 million tonnes by 2012-13, taking up further modernization and expansion. This means even more layoffs and 'retirements' of workers will take place. And even there is a talk of selling out of BSP to Tatas, Mittals or Jindals! BALCO experience is before us. Overall, the policies of imperialist globalization which have been implemented by governments are responsible for this situation. So, you must fight against the anti-worker and pro-capitalist policies of the governments to protect the BSP. You should not fell prey to the designs of the ruling classes to inflict destruction to the Jal-Jungle-Zameen by opening mines in another area. You should fight against this too. Entire people of Dandakaranya will support your struggles.

The Special Zonal Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) calls upon all the workers and farmers of Chhattisgarh and democratic and patriotic forces of our country to demand the closure of Raoghat project; to register their protest to mechanization, contracting and all other anti-worker policies being implemented in Bhilai steel plant and other industries; to demand to stop selling the high quality iron ore to the foreign companies from Bailadilla; to lend support to the people of Dandakaranya who are fighting for the right over their Jal-Jungle-Zameen; and to oppose the Army deployment in Bastar to suppress their just struggles.

(Gudsa Usendi)

Spokesperson

Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee

CPI (Maoist)

Democracy is born in the Squares by Kris Giov

Democracy and Class Struggle is pleased to publish this article of Chris Giov which explains the functioning of the new democracy of the squares in Greece. 


The appeal to direct democracy in the movement of the squares evokes Ancient Greek Democracy but also the new working class democracy of the Paris Commune. The 21st Century is opening with the demise of the democracy of the elites and the rise of the democracy of the masses.

            There may be no better proof of the rupture that is brought about by the “movement of the squares” other than its open, participatory, directly democratic way of organising and functioning. Within a single week it has given birth to a political culture of a different type, one that literally overcomes all known models of organising and struggle to date.

            Even if the issue of its procedures is incomplete, it comes up again and again and comprises the most important legacy already left to the political and social life of the country. This does not mean there are no issues with disorganisation, inefficiency, delays. Taking into account however the explosive rhythm of its development, the lack of previous experience on the side of those who created it, along with the need to compile, step by step, heterogeneous and different opinions of all participants through open procedures, all this is to be expected. Even if time-consuming, its procedures are flexible and are altered by the day; they are self-criticised, adjusted according to mistakes, comments and suggestions deriving from them being tested in practice.

            The open, egalitarian and participatory character of the procedures and ways of organising derives from the will to find such procedures that can unite all who are affected by the crisis and dissatisfied with the current political system. The pacifist and non-party character of the original call-out was the condition that shaped a common public sphere where everyone would meet without any badges to co-decide by discussing at the same level.

            The refusal to assign or elect representatives does not only cause unease to the forces of the state who do not know how to deal with this, as it overturns their tactic of manoeuvring, of libelling and destroying popular expressions of rage. More than that, this “facelessness” as Pretenderis would have it [a well-know reactionary TV journalist — trans], is the best way for the movement to safeguard transparency in its organising, as well as the will for whatever is created to express everyone — not just its most so-called “vanguard” or “politicised” part.

            And so, the matter of procedures is not simply a matter of organising but a key issue regarding its political essence. An issue of safeguarding the conditions of unity, involvement, free participation to the right of speech and in the decision making process of the people’s assemblies; working groups, thematic assemblies and their immediate review and control. This understanding that rejects any kind of representation or mediation, is safeguarded by the constant circulation of revocable positions and runs through all structures and functions born by this movement.

            In this spirit, the stance of the movement toward Mass Media is also differentiated, with the refusal to engage with them, not even by way of issuing press releases. With the screening of what part of its procedures and organising is photographed or taped, and most importantly, with the creation of the movement’s own channels of communication — with its main website http://www.real-democracy.gr/ being the only medium-voice of its decisions.

The people’s assembly

            The daily people’s assembly of Syntagma square (at 9 pm), like the corresponding ones in other cities, is the only one that holds the right to decision-making. The topics in each popular assembly are defined according to discussion, the demands and the proposals submitted in previous assemblies.

            These are recorded in minutes that are published on-line. Suggestions are also collected, both on-line and physically in person and these are all grouped together in the corresponding topical groups and return in the form of specific proposals to the popular assembly for its consultation and approval.

            The final resolutions are shaped during the assembly according to the comments of the speakers and are put up for approval, always before midnight, in order not to exclude those who work and those who have to use public transportation to return to their neighbourhoods.

            Everyone has a right to speak and in the beginning of each assembly, after reading out and approving its topics, tickets are distributed to everyone who wishes to do so; speakers are selected by draw during the assembly. Usually speakers range between 80 and 100 in their number, while more than 2000 people take part in the assembly on a daily basis. Despite this element of chance, experience so far has proven this to be the best way to avoid any phenomena of imposition of specific agendas or the influencing of the assembly’s decisions by organised interventions.

            After midnight, which is the moment until when the assembly must make its decisions, the assembly continues as an open speaking forum.

The working groups

            At the moment, there are more than 15 working groups and 12 thematic ones. The working groups comprise the cornerstone of life at the square and their contribution so far has been priceless. Not only because they offer practical solutions and because so far they have responded, despite many problems and delays, to the ever-increasing needs for the shaping, the functionality and the procedures at the square, but most importantly because these groups themselves comprise the spirit of contribution of the people, their will to take life into their own hands and the capacities of their self-organising, without experts and capital, based on their own capacities. Thousands have joined up the group lists and this availability is the driving force of the movement even though it has not been utilised in the most effective of ways so far, partly due to the movement’s swift growing.

            It is indicative that despite the substantial financial needs and despite peoples’ offer to contribute financially in response, the idea of setting up a fund has been rejected. Not only because of the looming dangers in the management of the money but also in order to prove that there are other ways to get things done. And so, the practice is to propose instead for contributions in anything ranging from writing materials to food, PA equipment or film projectors. And the contribution of the people has exceeded all expectations.

            Until now, functioning groups include those of technical support, material supply, artists, cleaning, administrative support, canteen-nutrition, translation, respect (patrol), communication/multimedia, legal support, neighbourhood outreach, health, time bank and service exchange, composure and messengers. Each groups has been divided into subgroups according to each specialist work section. The groups meet in open assemblies every day at 6 pm and the messenger group makes sure that their needs and suggestions are known to all groups in order to safeguard the smooth cooperation and solving of any problems that may arise.

The thematic assemblies

The functioning of the thematic assemblies was born from the need and demand of the people, as expressed through the open channels of the assembly and the websites (real-democracy, facebook etc.) to have processes that will shape positions on the burning issues, on all those reasons that brought people to the streets and to the squares. They also serve the need for the shaping of appropriate conditions for a more extensive discussion of particular issues before their approval—something that the central popular assembly cannot, as a procedure, cater for. And so thematic groups have been formed for the crisis, for employment and the unemployed, education and students, health and insurance, environment, technology, solidarity, people with special needs, justice and legal issues, consultation of the debt. These assemblies meet daily between 7 and 9 pm and hundreds of people participate in some. Making their functioning substantial will largely aid and feed the discussion and topics covered in the main popular assembly, along with the attempt to articulate some concrete discourse for the overturning of the current system and the country’s escape from the crisis according to the will of the people.