July 2011 – New Socialist Alternative

Report on “Indian State and the Art of fabricating False Cases”

31 July 2011

prafulla — Prafulla Samantara addressing the convention. Photo: pics4news.com

With the marked increase in the brutality of the Indian state in cracking down on dissent, whether on people’s movements or on the marginalised sections of society, this convention in Bangalore on the topic “Indian State and the Art of Fabricating False Cases” organised by several groups (that includes the New Socialist Alternative) brought together well known activists from across India. Though some of the most high profile activists in recent times such as S.A.R Gilani (Delhi University Professor wrongly accused in the parliament blast case in 2001) and Teesta Setalvad (well known activist from Gujarat fighting for justice in the Gujarat riots of 2002 and herself facing the prospects of being jailed by the Narendra Modi government) could not make it to the convention, it nevertheless attracted over 150 people. read more

Cash instead of food!

31 July 2011

A ploy to deceive the poor and enrich the profiteers

One year after setting up of the 2nd National Advisory Council (NAC), the brainchild of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi (whose is also the chairperson of the NAC) , which is sort of a engagement between the government and civil society on revival of basic social services and rights of marginalized groups, the recent government draft proposal on the National Food Security Bill constitutes a betrayal from the stated goal of universalization of Public Distribution Service (PDS) and in effect dismantling the existing system. The extreme ineffectiveness and inadequacy of the current system notwithstanding, the government draft favoring direct cash transfer instead of the current system of providing certain essential food commodities (at subsidized rates) such as rice, wheat, sugar, cooking oil, kerosene through the fair price (ration) shops, is in tune with the government’s aggressive line on neo – liberal reforms and further slavishly toeing the agenda of the World Bank and IMF through targeting. read more

Indian State and the Art of Fabricating False Cases

27 July 2011

Convention on July 30, 2011 in Bangalore.

Two spectres are haunting the civil society in India – the spectres of communalism and globalisation.

As a part this invasion on people, minorities are attacked as it happened in Gujarat or Kandhamal and many other places in the recent past. Multinationals, the World Bank, ADB, IMF and other international organisations decide on the policies of the Indian Government today. Land, forests, hills, lakes, rivers and seas are sold to the corporates. Prices are rising and the corruption level has reached the peak as never before, due to such policies. read more

मhaaहामंदी पश्चात भारतीय अर्थकारणाचा वेध

26 July 2011

दैनंदीन कामकाजाचा भाग म्हणुन सरकार अनेक निर्णय घेत असते. मात्र त्यापैकी काहींना प्रत्यक्ष त्या निर्णयाच्या सदृश कक्षेपलिकडेही विशिष्ट असे धोरणात्मक महत्व असते. गेल्या वर्षी पेट्रोलच्या kiकिंमती नियंत्रणमुक्त करण्याचा घेतलेला निर्णय हा असाच एक महत्वाचा धोरणात्मक निर्णय होय. १५ मे रोजी सरकारी तेल विपणन कंपन्यांनी पुन्हा एकदा पेट्रॊलच्या किंमतीत ५ रु. वाढ केल्याने हा विषय एरणीवर आला आहे. वास्तविक दोन दशकांची जागतिकीकरणाची वाटचाल व मनमोहनसिंग यांच्या नेतृत्वाखालिल (?) पुलोअ–२ सरकारची नव–उदारमतवादी भांडवलशाही (neoliberalism) प्रती असणारी निष्ठा लक्षात घेता हे केवळ त्या मार्गावरील आणखी एक पाऊल ठरावयास हवे hoहोते. मात्र भारतीय अर्थ–समाजकरणातील पेट्रोलियम पदार्थांचे महत्व व या कालखंडाची विशिष्ट जागतीक पार्श्वभुमी लक्षात घेता हा निर्णय लक्षवेधी ठरतो. कच्च्या तेलासंदर्भात देश बहुतांश (८५%) आयातीवर अवलंबुन आहे. या अनुषंगाने आंतरराष्ट्रीय बाजारातील तेलाच्या किंमतीचा राष्ट्रीय अर्थकारणावर प्रभाव पडणे स्वाभाविक आहे. तसेच पेट्रोलियम पदार्थांच्या उर्ध्वगामी किंमतींचा महागाई निर्देशांकावर प्रतिकुल परीणाम होतो. एकीकडे कच्च्या तेलासंदर्भातील परावलंबित्व व दुसरीकडे त्याचा महागाईशी असणारा घनिष्ठ संबंध लक्षात घेता १९७३ पासुन पेट्रोलियम पदार्थांच्या किंमती नियंत्रणाखाली ठेवल्या गेल्या. १९९१ मध्ये अर्थव्यवस्था खुली केल्यानंतरही दोन दशकं या नियंत्रणास हात घालण्याचे कॉंग्रेस व भाजप सरकारांनी कटाक्षाने टाळले. आणि म्हणुनच जुन २०१० मध्ये घेतलेला हा निर्णय एक प्रकारे राजकीय धाडसाचा ठरतो. या धाडसाचे गुपित काय याचा शोध घेत त्या आनुषंगाने भारतीय अर्थकारणाचा वेध घेण्याचा हा प्रयत्‍न. read more

JOINT STATEMENT CONDEMNING ATTACK ON PEACEFUL PROTESTERS OF NUAGAON

20 July 2011

*(Anti-POSCO Struggle Area Odisha)*

On 16th July 2011 Saturday eight platoons of police attacked and lathi charged peaceful protesters in the village of Nuagaon, Jagatsinghpur District, Odisha. The protesters, despite being mainlywomen, were attacked by an entirely male police force, resulting in injuries to several and serious injuries to one woman, who has now been hospitalised. The protesters were seeking to protect their forests and trees from being cleared by the police as part of the government’s land grab for the POSCO project. After the lathi charge the entire village joined the protest, eventually drivingthe police back and forcing them to retreat. read more