Volume 52 No. 24 Organ of the SOCIALIST UNITY CENTRE OF INDIA (COMMUNIST) Page - 1August 1, 2019 Founder Editor-in-Chief : COMRADE SHIBDAS GHOSH Price : Rs. 2.00

Comrade Shibdas GhoshThought illumines the path

5 August 1923 – 5 August 1976

“So, the cultural-moral degeneration that you witness at presentis not just an accident — not something spontaneous. It is not justlike something pre-ordained, something fatalistic, fait accompli —as if destined to happen and is so happening. If you can see throughthe game you will note that, though it is happening beyond theknowledge of the people, there is, behind it, a calculated move ofthe ruling clique, a definite patronage. In their pulpit speeches theyare asking the people to be good and honest. But at the dictate ofpetty, sectarian party interest, and on the plea of practical politics,not the ruling party alone but even many pseudo-revolutionaryparties are inciting the base instincts in man. In the name ofmilitancy and class struggle they are giving indulgence to such traitsas cowardly violence — a gang attacking a lone individual — andshowing extreme intolerance to polemics and ideological battle.Greed, avarice and meanness, which make a man inhuman and spoilfortitude and self-respect in him, are now being encouraged. Thecadres of political parties are being engaged in exchange of moneyto do regular party or union activities and even election work. Andall these have been going on in the name of ‘practical politics’. Thewhole of the country teems with millions of unemployeds, peopleare left with no means to fill their empty stomach. Taking advantageof this misery of the people, political parties are using them,providing them with this kind of so-called employment.

You all know that man has both virtues and vices. Only by

NIA and UAPA amendments Draconian and Fascistic

Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(C) issued thefollowing statement on 29 July 2019 :

We strongly disapprove and condemn the ‘ Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019 ‘ passed recently in the Lok Sabhawith the brute majority of the BJP led NDA government at the Centre. TheBill amends the ‘ Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,1967 enacted by thethen Congress government and all the subsequent amendments to it todesignate any individual suspected by the government to be a “terrorist”. Inanother enactment amending National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, theCentral Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency has been empoweredto straightaway investigate any offence deemed to be falling under thecategory of terrorism without involving police administration of theconcerned state, forfeit property of an individual which the agency feels tohave been acquired from proceeds of terrorism and extends the provisionof remand from 14 to 30 days. All these amendments on the plea ofweeding out root of terrorism in the country, will, without any shadow ofdoubt, vest absolute power to the central government to muzzle any voiceof dissent or protest against the existing exploitative system and ruthlesslysuppress democratic mass movements branding them as anti-national,seditious and acts of terrorism paving the way for further centralization ofpower and consolidation of administrative fascism in our country.

We call upon all left and democratic parties and forces as well as allwell-meaning democratic-minded individuals to come forward to unleash aunited organized powerful militant mass movements across the country toresist this draconian fascistic attack.

AIDSO protestsSFI hooliganism in Kerala

University College, Thiruvananthapuram is one of the major colleges in Kerala, that was once famous for being home to unhindered creativityand political consciousness. But for years, the college has lost itsdemocratic atmosphere because of the violent politics of SFI. Labelling the

Contd. on page 8Contd. on page 8

Against the attack on the Unnao rape case victim on 28th July, in which twoaunts of the women died and the women herself and her advocate were seriously

injured by hitting a car — a protest was organised by several students' andwomen's organisations in Delhi in front of UP Bhawan. The protest was

addressed by Comrade Ritu Kaushik, Secretary, AIMSS Delhi and ComradeShreya Singh, Secretary, AIDSO Delhi among others

Protest Against attack on Unnao rape victim

PAGE TWO AUGUST 1, 2019 PROLETARIAN ERA

In Kerala, in the just concluded parliamentelection, out of the 20 seats the Congress-led UDFhad won 19. Even the UDF leadership did notexpect such a victory. In the Idukki parliamentseat, before the election the UDF leadership hadpredicted a lead of 15,000 votes. But when theresults came, the lead was 1.75 lakh. Factors suchas weakened organizational position, inabilityeven to perform the duties of an opposition etc.had created an unfavourable situation for the UDF.Even then in 10 seats, the UDF won with marginsof over 1 lakh votes and in two seats, the marginseven crossed 2 lakhs. In the lone seat won by theCPI (M)-led LDF, the lead was less than 10,000.How did the UDF achieve such a dazzlingvictory? Does it mean that the UDF has become apro-people political force overnight? No rightthinking person in Kerala would think that way.In fact, victory was dropped on the head of analmost dead UDF.

After all, the UDF is not a pro-people frontthat could inspire the people to give such a verdictin its favour. Its history is of running governmentsto protect the interest of the capitalist forcesleaving behind the people in misery and penury.There were occasions when the Congress and itsUDF partners had greatly lost people’s faith dueto their self-seeking politics of going to any extentto fulfil selfish interests. Being known for its anti-people politics, the people did not have anyexpectation from the UDF. But still the peoplevoted for the UDF in a big way. It was not becauseof the faith in the UDF politics, but it was theanger, hatred and fear for the opponents of UDFthat compelled the people, particularly theminorities to vote for the UDF. It was not a votein favour of the UDF, but an anti BJP-LDF vote.

There has been large scale vote loss for theLDF. The vote share of the LDF declined from43% in the 2016 assembly election to 35% now.That is a loss of 8%. In the case of BJP, the voteshare increased by 5% from the 2014 parliamentelection and only by 0.6% from the 2016 assemblyelection. But for the UDF, it was an increase of8.65% over the votes it polled in the last assemblyelection and an increase of 5.26% from the lastparliament election. In Kerala, the usual differencein vote shares between the LDF and the UDF, thetwo contesting combinations and sharing poweralternatively, has so far been around 2 to 3%. Butthis time the difference has been quite big. In 2004when the UDF was reduced to just one seat, thevote difference was only 5.62%. But this time, theUDF has got 12.16% more votes than the LDF.Usually the winning front used to get about 4 lakhsvotes more than its principal rival. But this timethe UDF got 24 lakhs more than the LDF. It isnecessary to objectively examine how could theUDF achieve such a huge victory.

The violent communalism and hatred for otherreligions practised by the BJP has created muchfear among the minorities. In the name of cowvigilantism, poor people are being lynchedthroughout the country. During the last 5 years ofModi Government, a fearful situation has beencreated in the country where any criticism of theruling party or the government policy is equatedwith anti-national activity. A condition has arisenwhere the minorities can save their life only if theycan prove every minute their patriotism on theyardstick prescribed by the arch Hindu communal

RSS-BJP and Sangh Parivar. Many of thoseincluding well-known rationalists who raised theirvoice for democracy and freedom of expressionhave been shot dead. India has become a countrywhere there is no place for dissent. No time in thehistory of the country, the minorities have beenalienated so much. The only way before the toilingpeople, particularly the minorities to lead afearless and decent life was to somehow throw theBJP out of power. So a big section of the peoplein the state of Kerala chose the common sensepolitical logic of providing the Congress themaximum number of MPs to fulfil this objectiveat the national level. This led to the highest levelof minority polarization in the history of the state.This was one of the major reasons for the victoryof the UDF.

Next is that seeing the CPI(M) and CPIaligning with the Congress and the MuslimLeague in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, theordinary people felt that the anti-Congress stanceof the CPI(M) was a hypocrisy. This created asituation where the ordinary people who do notgenerally make any deep political analysis did notfeel the necessity of a strong anti-Congress standand did not feel anything immoral aboutsupporting the Congress. Added to this, when aclear and distinct left politics was not established,the way was cleared for a UDF victory.

Generally, when there was no visible wave infavour of any of these two fronts, the smallpercentage of voters who alternated their supportbetween the two, decided the electoral fate. It istrue that this section voted for the UDF this time.But the kind of victory margin that we have seencannot be created by this vacillating section. So itis clear that some bigger change has taken placethis time. This serious change is that a not sosmall section of the people who traditionally votefor the LDF has deserted the LDF. This is areflection of the weakening of leftist thinking inthe society. Today, if this section alienated fromleftist mindset has supported the Congress, wecannot say tomorrow it will not go to the far morerightist camp!

Why did the LDF suffer this much loss of thevote share? If the CPI(M)-led left front does nottruthfully evaluate and rectify the limitations, theleft-democratic movement will suffer greatsetbacks. West Bengal has given that lesson. TheLDF rule in Kerala rejecting leftist values andpolitics is a major factor that influenced the peoplein giving such a verdict. Imposing the centralgovernment’s GST more heavily on the people inthe state; increasing the state tax on petrol andthereby causing unbearable price rise, giving freehand to the private managements of educationinstitutions violating norms, the aggressive landacquisition in the name of road development, theshameless support given to the big capitalists inannexing publicly owned land and forest as wellas even helping them out in court cases while onthe other hand paying no heed to the genuinedemands of adivasis and poor people for a pieceof land for their living space, throwing thecontractual workers onto the street, continuing thecontributory pension scheme implemented by theUDF government, brazenness and rude behaviourof the leaders, undemocratic politics of physicalattacks on opponents – all these anti-people stepsand approaches of the LDF had become factors

that influenced the people in giving a verdictagainst it.

When the Sabarimala issue cropped up, wehad shown at that time itself that the way theCPI(M) handled it was with a narrowparliamentary aim. By giving an opportunity forthe BJP to make maximum gain, therebypresenting the BJP as a force, the CPI(M) aimedat weakening the vote share of the Congress. Butthat actually backfired. It is true that the BJP couldget the support of a small aggressive section ofthe ordinary believers. This is one of the reasonsfor the BJP to get more votes than in the lastparliament election. The extent of the damage tothe secular mindset of the people in the state dueto the stand taken by the CPI(M) on theSabarimala issue is clear from the 16% vote sharethat the BJP got in spite of the strong anti-Modigovernment mood of the people. But a section ofthe religious minded people, who understood thatthe BJP was trying to make political gain out ofreligious belief, supported the UDF. That thisincluded a good number of traditional left votersis clear from the vote loss for the LDF. Theultimate result was the creation of a harmfulsituation that influenced a big section of thepeople to vote on the basis of religious belief. TheCPI(M) had a big role in creating this situation,but the Congress leadership also had a no less role.

The Kerala election result is of great concernto the people who are serious about socialprogress and to the people who are left-minded.Kerala is going back to reaction andbackwardness. The forces trying to ignitereligious blindness and communalism arespreading darkness in the society by misleadingthe common people. The left parties like the CPI(M), CPI who are expected to struggle for socialprogress and secular-democratic values havethrown away all those lofty ideals for the sake ofnarrow parliamentary interest and power. In thissituation, there is no time to wait for building uppeople’s democratic movements and creating acounter current of cultivation of higher values andculture in the society. However difficult it may be,if the democratic minded people and humanistscan come forward to take up this task, the darknesscan be removed. It is heartening to see that inrecent times many a people's struggle, built up ontheir own strength that did not have the backingof established political parties and was abovecaste and religion, had become victorious. If theleft-democratic forces who have abandoned thepath of movement for pelf and power come backto the path of people’s struggle, the progressivemovements will be strengthened and the socialenvironment will brighten up with higher values.The unity of the people will become so firm thatnobody will be able to break it. The secularoutlook will become a strong social factor incementing the unity of the people. It is only thisway that a situation will arise where people wouldnot be isolated, persecuted and attacked in thename of religion. The minorities should realizethat social security is not something that can begifted by any political party. Dignified life ispossible only in a society where secular -democratic values are firmly established. TheSUCI (Communist) appeals to one and all fortaking up this task with dedication anddetermination.

ON KERALA PARLIAMENT ELECTION RESULT

PROLETARIAN ERA AUGUST 1, 2019 PAGE THREE

Contd. on page 4

The World Bank predicted about 10 yearsback that the future wars would be water wars.This prediction, corroborated also by researchesand surveys, appears to be coming true, eventhough water is abundantly available and thereought not be any scarcity. Globally we are usingsix times more water than we used 100 yearsago, driven by population growth and changes indiets and consumer habits. Yet, a large part ofthe world population has been suffering fromacute shortage of water. India is no exception. InIndia alone, 1 billion people live with waterscarcity during at least one part of the year.“Over 96 million people in India have no accessto a safe water supply, and the situation is onlygetting more serious. The general forecast is thataround 20 Indian cities would run out ofgroundwater by 2020 affecting almost 100million people.” 3 As per NITI Aayog report2018, 54 per cent of India’s groundwater wellsare declining. Depletion of groundwater is themain worry today. As per the ‘Water Aid ReportMarch 2019’, India's use of groundwater isabout 24% of what is used globally - more thanthat of China and US combined. That is thereason the rate of groundwater depletion hasincreased by 23% between 2000 and 2010. Indiais the third largest exporter of groundwater- 12%of the global total. India is currently ranked 120among 122 countries in the water quality index,with 75% of households that lack drinking watersupply in their premises. 2 This is how excessiveuse of ground water has led to today’s drinkingwater problem in most of the Indian cities.Further ‘Water Aid Report March 2019’ saysthat 70% of groundwater is contaminated,poisoned, with harmful chemicals seeping frompesticides used in agricultural purpose, causingall types of cancers among the people. As peranother study, the sudden increase in cancercases in India is because of the contamination ofground water caused by these chemicals,pesticides used in agriculture and the effluentsreleased by the industries entering water bodies–rivers, streams and ponds. “As much as 55% ofIndia’s total water supply comes fromgroundwater resources. 60% water for irrigation,30% urban water supply, and 70% of rural watersupply comes from groundwater. In urban areas,where the demand of 135 liters per capita daily(lpcd) is more than three times the rural demandof 40 lpcd, the scarcity assumes menacingproportions. The rapid growth of population andits growing needs has meant that per capitaavailability of fresh water has declined sharplyfrom 3,000 cubic meter to 1,123 cubic meterover the past 50 years. The global average is6,000 cubic meter” (Live Mint:28April 2015).One in nine people do not have access to cleanwater close to home, and just under two thirdsof the world’s population – 4 billion – live inareas of physical water scarcity, where for atleast part of the year demand exceeds supply.Water scarcity exists for two reasons. Physicalscarcity means there is not enough water to goaround. Socio-economic scarcity means there iswater present, but it is not available to allbecause of lack of investment and political will.Not only the villages, even the sprawlingmetropolis like Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi,Mumbai, Jaipur, Nagpur and States like Gujarat,

Threatening Water Crisis in IndiaBihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan, and Punjab are facingsevere drinking water crises. Already 80% ofKarnataka and 72% off Maharashtra have beendeclared drought-affected besides traditionallydrought-prone states like Gujarat and Rajasthan.Even after 72 years of independence, manyvillagers have to travel 13-14 km to fetch a potof potable water. 14 of 24 states score below50% on water management imperilling foodsecurity. Of late, besides Rajasthan and southernHaryana, the entire Vidarbha area ofMaharashtra is reported to be turning into desert.Underground water level is so depleted that itcan hardly be replenished in near future ifpositive measures are not adopted by thegovernment agencies.

Water scarcity is being driven by twoconverging phenomena: growing freshwater useand depletion of usable freshwater resources.What are the measures taken by the governmentto tackle the intensifying water crisis? It isdecided by lottery as to who would fetch waterfrom the well. Many hotels, restaurants,students’ hostels have been shut down inChennai. School vacation in Karnataka has beenextended. Many people in Maharashtra have lefthome and are staying in relief camps.Government is claiming to be sending water-tanks to supply drinking water to drought-affected areas. Then what would happen to otherhouseholds? The government has of course notdeclared any area as drought-affected. There isnow a newly constituted Ministry of Jal Shakti.All water-related departments including those ofthe Ministry of Water Resources, RiverDevelopment, Ganga Rejuvenation, Drinkingwater and Sanitation have been merged andbrought under one umbrella claiming that itwould remedy the problem. But the union BJPirrigation minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawatsitting in the capital city claims that there is noscarcity of water or drought in the country.

People are rising into protest. For long, thehapless peasants starved of adequate irrigationfacility were first resenting and then burst intoprotest. But the authorities remained unfazedsave and except making certain hollow promisesand customary assurances of taking remedialsteps. Now, the urban dwellers have come outon the streets. Millions of people are running outof usable water in the southern Indian city ofChennai, which is experiencing major droughtsand a rapidly worsening water crisis. At least550 people were arrested in the city ofCoimbatore for protesting with empty watercontainers in front of the municipalgovernment’s headquarters, accusing officials ofnegligence and mismanagement. Meanwhile,four reservoirs that supply Chennai, the statecapital and India’s sixth largest city, have runnearly dry.

The BJP Prime Minister has talked ofproviding piped water for all by 2024. But thegovernment did not spell out how it would planto protect the sources of water, stop theoverconsumption, wastage and intenseoverexploitation of groundwater and strengthen(and in many cases re-establish) the linkbetween groundwater and surface water. TheBJP Finance Minister in her recent budgetspeech also reiterated the customary promise

that water for all would be provided by 2024and the government would focus on integratedmanagement of piped water, including focus oncreating local infrastructure (rainwaterharvesting, groundwater recharge and so on).But, she did not elaborate on the details nor didshe talk about how much funding this would get.Also “Indian government is committed to theUnited Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6— which promises that by 2030 everyone willhave access to clean water — decent sanitationand good hygiene” 2. But this could be a dreamlike any other failed schemes of the government.

Hence the obvious question is, why thiscrisis? Is it a natural calamity or man-made? Toany discerning person, it would be obvious thatthis crisis is indeed man-made. Many projectswere announced to tackle drought, problems ofirrigation and ensure supply of potable water.But facts show that all these projects have eitherbeen defective or not implemented because oframpant corruption and pilferage, faultyplanning, engagement of incompetent persons.These question the intent itself. Dams werecreated using public money to store water duringrains and release them when there is drought orshortfall of monsoon or for irrigation purpose.But we find when it rains, the dam reservoirsoverflow and water is released to cause flood.On the other hand, when there is scarcity, damwater is not made available. Why so? Becausethere is no proper maintenance, cleaning ofaccumulated silt in the reservoir. Because offaulty irrigation projects by the governments asalso forced change of the path of the rivers,natural flow of rivers and accumulation ofunderground water through seepage has beendisturbed. So, people have not got water buthuge public money has been drained out. Mega-irrigation projects have failed to meet the needsof irrigation. Rather, these have disturbed, if notdestroyed ecological balance.

Secondly, the so called modernizedagriculture of cash-crops which the governmenthas been stressing upon for the sake of fabulousbenefits for multi-nationals and monopolyhouses who have virtually taken over entirecontrol of producing and distributing essentialagricultural inputs and compelling the peasantsto go for cash crop cultivation on contract, areusing excess water. Reckless use of groundwaterfor such purposes as well as mushrooming ofrealty business and urbanization are among themajor factors behind the water crisis. Evendesalination plants are miserably less in number.Giant multi-nationals like Pepsi and Coca Colawho found a lucrative area in bottled water andsoft drink business for minting huge profit arepumping groundwater at will. Privatization ofwater resources is another main problem in thecities. When the Government does not providedrinking water, people are forced to buy it at anabnormal cost. Bottled water has become themain stay in city life, offices and socialfunctions and demand for it is increasing everyday due to the growing population. It hasbecome another way of making super profit bywater companies. In most of the cities drinkingwater suppliers are doing lucrative business. It isinteresting to note that most of municipalities

PAGE FOUR AUGUST 1, 2019 PROLETARIAN ERA

and city corporations in Bihar and UP havetaken up the task of large scale digging thesubmersible bore wells in the localities, to cope-up with drinking water shortage by spendinghundreds of crore of rupees in which traders andcontractors are minting money. But they alsounderstand this is a short term solution and infew years all these borewells will dry up, whenwater level goes further down. Some of thecities like Jalandhar in Punjab have banned theseborewells.

First we killed our water resources. Now weare paying heavy price for the same water fromwater mafias. Cities are most affected because ofland mafia in connivance with politicalestablishments in all states have destroyed landand filled all the lakes, water bodies, ponds,tanks, river-beds and catchment areas which notonly helped drainage but were the natural waterstorage at time of rains, and could recharge theground water, our wells and kept level groundwater high. But indiscriminate covering of theselow lying land and water bodies, by the builders,real estate mafias, then selling the lands forconstruction of buildings, houses, roads have ledto a situation in which today most of the highrise buildings, apartments, palatial houses standon the beds of these lakes and ponds and rivers.Encroachment of public land has become ournational abuse. Conversion of cities intoconcrete jungles has left no space for rainwaterto percolate for recharging of ground watertable. This is the case in most of our big andsmall cities of the country.

So, the issue of water scarcity is linked withpolicies on land use and water management.Unwarranted mindless land use affects surfacewater sources and thus also groundwater. So,land use policy must pay attention to judicioususe of land for urbanization, agriculture,development of industrial and residentialcomplexes etc.

Why this? Because, crisis-ridden capitalismwhich finds no scope for profit maximization,except from arms industry, speculation and usuryare now seeking to grab the essential sectors ofsurvival like water aided by the slogan of‘liberalization’ by its pliant governments. Thetheme of neo-liberalisation policy is to ‘reducesocial problem into individual problem’, and letthe people search for solution individually. Noone can survive without water. So if water canbe made scare artificially, it would be anextremely paying proposition for thesemonopolist sharks and the pocket of the rapidlypauperizing countrymen could be squeezedfurther. So there is talk of installing watermeters. There is no objection if these meters aremeant for preventing wastage. But that is notwhat is up the sleeves. This is another move torecover excess money in the form of watermeter rent or fine for wastage. The World Bankonce stipulated to West Bengal government thatit gave financial aid, provided the governmentinstalled water mater. But the latter then had toabandon such plan fearing public resistance aswell as inability to put in place necessarytechnology.

Agriculture is another area that needsattention for judicious use of ground water.

“Increasing demand for water in agriculturesector puts heavy strain on our water resourcesand ground water resources are over-exploited.In some districts of Punjab and Haryana, theground water level is falling at an alarming rateof over one metre per year”. “ArunachalPradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland andSikkim have negligibly low level of groundwater development. These areas receivesufficient amount of rainfall and are thicklyforested. Moreover, agriculture is not as intenseas in Punjab and Haryana”. “Goa also receivessufficient rainfall and surface water resourcesare enough to meet the requirement. Therefore,the ground water resources are not muchexploited. Hilly and mountainous terrain inJammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh isnot much favourable for developing groundwater resources”.1

In Maharashtra much of the irrigation wateris diverted to industries thus depriving thefarmers their due share of water. Paddy,sugarcane and wheat occupy about 40 per centof gross cropped area of India. The waterguzzlers paddy and sugarcane, consume morethan 60 per cent of irrigation wateravailable in the country, leaving over little forother crops. Relatively water abundant easternstates of India, lag behind in the production ofrice and sugarcane because they have beenunable to set up suitable procurement structuresfor rice or attract sugar mills in the area. Incontrast to Punjab and Haryana, states likeChhattisgarh and Jharkhand which displayhigh irrigation water productivity for rice havelow irrigation coverage (32 per cent and 3 percent respectively) and consequently, lower landproductivity. Sub-tropical belts of TamilNadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and AndhraPradesh have high land productivity but lowIWP (Irrigation Water Productivity) forsugarcane.” 6.

Situation in other parts of India is nodifferent. “Punjab is the third largest producer ofrice in India, grows paddy using nearly 100%irrigation cover. As a result, while Punjab topsin land productivity, it uses more than threetimes the water than Bihar and more than twicethe amount of water than West Bengal, toproduce one kg of rice. What is more alarmingis that 80% of the water used for irrigating thepaddy fields in Punjab is drawn fromgroundwater source. It is no wonder then, 76%of administrative blocks in Punjab face over-exploited groundwater situation. Punjab andHaryana has led to indiscriminate groundwaterexploitation (depleting water table at the rate ofalmost 70 to 120cm/year as per the World Bankreport, 2010) and non-judicious water use inagriculture. On the other hand, states likeAssam, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, whichhave plenty of rainfall and are better placed togrow these water intensive crops, do not havesufficient incentives for farmers to grow thesecrops due to procurement and other marketrelated inefficiencies.”7. Further “according toan ICRIER study (Indian Council for Researchon International Economic Relations) waterguzzling crops like sugarcane and paddy aregrown in states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh(UP) and Punjab, using up lakhs of litres of

irrigation water per hectare on sugarcaneproduction.

India is not a water poor country, butinefficient use of water resources and itsmanagement cause this basic problem. The bestsolution for drinking water crises would be torecreate and revive all our natural water bodieslakes, rivers, streams and ponds all over thecountry. “Groundwater level can be improved byrainwater harvesting and artificial groundwaterrecharge in states like Rajasthan, Haryana andPunjab at war footing, as well as in rest of India.Nearly 65% of the rainwater in India is notharvested and runs off into the sea, creating soilerosion on its way. One of the major steps tosave water could be to encourage cultivation ofless water consuming crops like maize, pulses,and oilseeds in water stressed regions and waterguzzler crops in water rich areas.7

But over and above these, it must beremembered that in a capitalist system, thegovernments are the least bothered about solvingthe people’s problem. So the people have toultimately organize resistance movements forimmediate relief from the mounting drinkingwater crisis. This movement cannot succeeduntil and unless we recognize the real devil, thecapitalist system and the ruling monopolist classrunning it. So the movement against water crisisshould be viewed as part and parcel of the anti-capitalist mass struggle, which must garner itsstrength uniting all sections of exploited peoplenot only of the affected areas, but also of thecountry as a whole.

References :

1. India’s Ground Water Resources and itsAvailability by Smirit Chand online sharedarticle. http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/water/indias-ground-water-resources-and-its-availability/20886

2. Water Aid Report, Beneath the Surface: TheState of the World’s Water 2019, March 22,2019 — World Water Day.

3. “India’s Water Crisis: What Needs To BeDone” Team Yahoo IndiaTrivone, 20 June2019

4. Live Mint-28 April 2015 : https://www.livemint. com/Opinion/97fuaF2aQkO9IjPiPAjMyL/Six-charts-that-explain-Indias-water-crisis.html

5. Cities across India have started waterrationing- Down to Earth 20 November2018. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/water/cities-across-india-have-started-water-rationing-62187

6. WATER PRODUCTIVITY MAPPING ofMAJOR INDIAN CROPS- Report byBharat R. Sharma, Ashok Gulati, GayathriMohan, Stuti Manchanda, Indro Ray, andUpaliAmarasinghe by - NABARD

7. Misaligned agriculture: A major source ofIndia’s water problems BY HARITHASARANGA AND SPOORTHI ANANDAKUMAR (INDIA FORBES). JUL 10, 2018

http://www.forbesindia.com/article/iim-bangalore/misaligned-agriculture-a-major-source-of-indias-water-problems/50693/1

Contd. from page 3

Threatening Water Crisis in India

PROLETARIAN ERA AUGUST 1, 2019 PAGE FIVE

On the Karnataka scenario Comrade KUma, Secretary Karnataka State Committeeof SUCI (Communist) has issued the followingstatement on 24 July 2019:

Current political developments in the statelike a fractured verdict in the last assembly pollsto the state assembly held in 2018 leading to theformation of the Congress-JDS coalitiongovernment followed by surfacing of mutualbickering over power and pelf between thepartners and then again a united fight in the LokSabha polls in 2019 did make people ofKarnataka disgusted.

The BJP did not accept this position lyingdown. Aided by the central government, theykept trying to pull down the Congress-JD (S)government and regain power. All the sixattempts towards that before the Lok Sabha pollshad failed. But enthused by the ‘overwhelming’victory at the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, the BJPtook advantage of the squabbling between theCongress and the JD(S) and resorted to horsetrading, to make renewed effort to climb togovernmental power.

More than 15 MLAs belonging to both theparties were allured and safely ‘preserved’ at a 5star hotel in Mumbai. They were ‘protected’ bythe BJP-led Maharashtra government and itspolice round the clock. It is reported thatthousands of crores of rupees are involved in thisoperation. Umpteen number of attempts weremade by all the three concerned parties viz, BJP,Congress and the JD (S) to woo the dissentingMLAs towards their side.. Finally, the speakercalled for voting to decide upon the vote ofconfidence moved by the Chief Minister, SriKumaraswamy on 23 July and it was defeated.

It is to be noted that all the while peopleparticularly of Karnataka, cursed all the threeparties for the ‘game’ being played at their cost.All types of slanders, mud-slinging, lies, etc wenton unbridled while the suffering people watchedhelplessly. When the burning problems of thepeople were multiplying on account of theirresolvable crisis of moribund capitalism as wellas due to the pro-capitalist, anti-people policiespursued by central and all state governments, andpeople were wanting some relief from thedevastating conditions of life, the ‘people’srepresentatives’, each one in his or her own way,was busy in making maximum out of thesituation. , the so-called largest democracy on theearth was there for everybody to see.

The scenario of the so-called largest

AIKKMS calls theUnion Budget 2019totally anti-peasant

Comrade Satyawan, President, AIKKMS,in a statement dated 5 July 2019, called theUnion Budget 2019 as anti-peasant and anti-poor. Imposing additional duty and cess onpetrol-diesel would raise the cost ofagricultural inputs and push up general priceline. Curtailment of irrigation budget wouldworsen the condition of the drought-affectedpoor. He called upon the peasants to unite andbuild up organized powerful movements.

Jharkhand

Madhya Pradesh

Delhi

Demand of the ‘Hul’ Day—Right of the poor tribal people cannot be taken away‘Hul’ Day was observed with due solemnity

on 30 June last throughout the country tocommemorate 164th anniversary of the revolt ofthe Santhal people against the then British EastIndia company under the leadership of braveSidho and Kanho. On 30 June 1855, around 50,000 tribal people belonging to Santhalcommunity of Chhotonagpur area (NowSingbhum and adjacent districts of Jharkhand)marched towards Kolkata, then the headquartersof the foreign rulers, to press for their legitimatedemands. The British rulers opened fire on themkilling many on the spot. This revolt is known inhistory as ‘Hul’ revolt. This year, the principaldemand raised on the ‘Hul’ Day has been to stopforcible snatching the right of the tribal people onthe forest-water-land they have been living for

centuries together. Alongwith the commonpeople, SUCI(C) activists also participated in theobservance programmes and supported the justdemands.

The sooner the oppressed people realize thetruth and come out of illusion of bright days underthis or that party but build up people’s alternativepower while fighting against burning problems oflife, it is better for them. Our Party which isseriously engaged in building up mass movementsfor long, likes to reiterate that, we have nothing toexpect from these three power hungry, pro-capitalist parties. If the working people cannotshed false illusions about these parties and getunited and fight for their just cause, a real changewould remain a mirage. We appeal to all rightthinking, democratic minded people of Karnatakato overcome their frustration centring round thisnasty bourgeois power politics but take initiativeto build up people’s struggle committees to fightfor redressing the burning problems of life as wellas defend people’s unity and hard-won rightswhich are subjected to constant attack under thepresent dispensation.

Comrade Prasanta Ghatak, StaffMember and Member of the West BengalState Committee of the SUCI (Communist),breathed his last this morning on 31 July2019.

democracy was there for everyone to seeRed Salute

Comrade Prasanta Ghatak

Protest Against attack on Unnao rape victim in Kolkata

PAGE SIX AUGUST 1, 2019 PROLETARIAN ERA

AIUTUC volunteers organized protest demonstration on 25 July in front ofGovernor’s House in Kolkata against privatization of Bengal Chemical and

other state enterprises and courted arrest

On 20 July, AIDSO organized Martyr Chandrasekhar Azad Birth anniversaryobservance programme in Mathura. UP. Dr Lokesh Palival, Principal, N S K

Easter College, Chandpur Kalan, presided over and Comrade Dinesh Mohanta,Council Member, AIDSO was the main speaker.

Martyr Chandrasekhar Azad DayAIDSO opposes inclusion ofRSS history in university syllabus

In a statement issued on 19 July 2019, AIDSO strongly criticizedinclusion of the history and role of RSS in nation-building in the RashtrasantTukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) syllabus. The RSS whichnot only opposed the anti-British freedom struggle of India branding it asreactionary but also supported and helped the British imperialist rulers tocrush the movement, labelled the revered leaders and martyrs of themovement as ‘traitors’.

However, after ascending to power, the BJP is trying to modify thesyllabus on the lines of arch Hindu communal RSS, its mentor therebysaffronising education stripping it from its desired scientific, democratic andsecular content. AIDSO urged upon the people of the country in general andthe students in particular to protest against this vile act.

Protest demonstration in Hyderabad on 5 July last organized by AIDSO,AIDYO, AIMSS against the most ghastly incident of raping a nine month old

girl child in Warangal, AP as well as growing crime against women and children

SUCI(C) strongly condemns ghastlykilling of ten poor tribals inSonebhadra district of Uttar Pradesh

Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(C) issuedthe following statement on 18 July 2019 :

We strongly condemn the ghastly killing of ten poor tribalvillagers including three women at Ubha village of Sonebhadradistrict in the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh when the organized goonsof local Gram Pradhan (village Head) resorted to indiscriminatefiring on them to forcibly occupy lands of the Tribal people. Factis that the local police administration was informed that suchmurderous attack would take place but no preventive action wastaken. Besides the reported deaths, many more people havesustained serious bullet injuries and as such the death toll is likelyto increase.

We demand immediate exemplary punishment to the culpritsinvolved in this heinous crime and adequate compensation to thefamily members of the deceased persons. We also demand of theState Government to bear all expenses of proper medical treatmentof the injured.

It is pertinent to mention here that wanton eviction of poortribal people from their age old home and hearths as well asruthless exploitation and suppression of theirs are growingunabated throughout the country with overt and covertpatronization of police and administration of the variousgovernments irrespective of hues.

We therefore call upon all concerned to build up democraticmass movements to effectively resist such attacks on the poor tribalpeople and observe all India protest day on 20th July, 2019 toprotest against the barbaric killing that occurred in Ubha village.

All India Protest Day on 20th July, 2019

Haryana

Delhi

UP

Odisha Tamil Nadu

Madhya Pradesh

in Mathura

PROLETARIAN ERA AUGUST 1, 2019 PAGE SEVEN

Beti Padao Beti BachaoThe Supreme Court has registered a suo motu

PIL (Public Interest Litigation) on the rise inchild rape cases and a corresponding lack ofinfrastructure and delay in the probe and trial ofthese cases. A Bench led by Chief Justice RanjanGogoi said the Supreme Court had prepared a listof child rape cases in the past six months, fromJanuary to June 2019, and found that out of the24,000 cases lodged in this period, only 900 hadcompleted trial and been disposed of.The statesranking next to UP in sequence are MadhyaPradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and WestBengal. Overall, only 911 cases have been heardin the court. But in Uttar Pradesh, only 3% of thecases of child rape filed has been settled. AfterUnao and Kathua incidents, it came to light that106 rape cases are reported per day.[The Hindudated 12 July 2019 and Hindustan (Hindi) and EiSomoy(Bengali) 13 July 2019]

Social evils such as dowry system are thebane of Indian society. Despite having a lawprohibiting the giving or taking of dowry in anyform (Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961) the practiceflourishes amongst all sections of the societyirrespective of their caste or class. Thus, going bythe latest data, India loses 21 lives to dowry everyday. Studies reveal that out of total number ofcases registered, 93 per cent of the accused werecharge sheeted but only one third resulted inconviction. This is despite having specialprovisions against the crime of dowry deaths.This raises pertinent questions regarding theeffective enforcement of existing laws and thedesirability of looking at legal solutions for socialproblems without first tackling them at theground level. (Times of India-03-04-19)

Apart from the rising number of femalefoeticide cases in India, gender bias kills morethan 200, 000 girls under the age of five in Indiaeach year.The figure is around 2.4 million in adecade.. Numbers are particularly higher innorthern states of UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, ofwhich in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, it is mostlydue to unwanted child-bearing and subsequentneglect.Excess female child mortality is alsofound in 90 per cent of the districts in thecountry.As many as 132 villages in the Uttarkashidistrict of the BJP-ruled Uttarakhand saw nofemale births in the last three months. Socialworkers alleged that zero girl child-birth clearlyindicated the prevalence of femalefoeticide. (India Today-15-05-18 and India TVand ANI dated 23-07-19)

Gujarat ModelA study conducted by the Gujarat state

government says that 81.47 percent of studentsbetween class III and VIII of state government-run schools cannot read or write Gujaratifluently. This inadequate knowledge of Gujaratihas been detrimental in learning subjects likemathematics and science. The same study revealsthat in November 2018, 93.73 per cent studentsbetween class VI and VIII scored less than 50 percent marks in science. The Gujarat governmenthas been vigorously promoting the ShalaPraveshotsav (school enrolment) and Gunotsav(quality education) programmes for several

years now, but figures of the study reflect a ratherdismal situation in government schools. (Times ofIndia 08-07-19)

Jobless or Jobloss Economic“Growth”?

So far, 6.8 lakh establishments have closeddown in the country. On 1 July 2019, this wasstated in the Parliament in reply to a question.According to Registrar of Companies, this is36.07% of the total registered companies.

The decline in growth in the auto industryover the past 11 months has affected thecomponents industry as well. It has resulted inthe laying off of 8-10 lakh contract employees inrecent months in the auto parts sector.Accordingto a senior official at the Automotive ComponentManufacturers Association of India (ACMA), thejob losses are happening largely because of theslowdown in the auto industry and in the majorhubs including the Gurugram-Manesar belt ofHaryana, Pune, Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) andsome parts of Pithampur (MadhyaPradesh).Without giving details about the majorcompanies that are cutting jobs, ACMA DirectorGeneral Vinnie Mehta told: “The job cuts arehappening around the hubs and by at least 10-15per cent in each of the companies. The entireHaryana belt is suffering. There are around 50lakh workers in the auto components industry andaround 70 per cent of them are on contract.”

Before election, the railway ministry talkedof recruiting 1.20 lakh employees. But now, it islearnt that the Railways would retrench 3 lakhemployees. Similar instructions for sheddingnumber of employees have also been issued byother ministries. (Hindu Business Line—24-07-19 and Ananda Bazar Patrika –30-07-19)

Data Discrepancy in Budgetand Economic Survey

Most of the numbers stated in the budget2019 as the “Revised Estimates” for 2018-19 donot tally with the government’s own estimates ofactual revenues and expenditure in that year, asshown in the Economic Survey.When financeminister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budgetspeech omitted numbers relating to thegovernment’s overall revenue and expenditure,for both the previous and current years, this waswidely commented on. After all, these numbersare the reason for having a Budget speech in thefirst place – to provide parliament and the generalpublic a quick overview of the state of the

appendix, in which Table 2.5 on Page A59provides the receipts and expenditure of theCentral government. The last column of this tableprovides the ‘provisional actuals’ – that is to say,the real amounts as per the finance ministry’sown calculations – for the year 2018-19. (Sincethis Survey was brought out in July, rather thanin February or March, it gave ample time for theministry to record the actual receipts andspending of the fiscal year that ended on March31, 2019.)In other words, most of the numbersstated as the “Revised Estimates” for 2018-19 donot tally with the government’s own estimates ofactual revenues and expenditure in that year, asshown in the Economic Survey.The biggestdiscrepancy – and shortfall – is in the taxrevenues retained by the Centre, which wereactually lower than the revised estimates by awhopping Rs 1,65,176 crore, or as much as13.5% of the revised estimates of total taxrevenues.(The Wire 09-07-19)

Honouring electoralpromise—the BJP way

In its 45-page manifesto for the 2019elections, the BJP mentioned women 37 times,expressly promising to give women’s securitygreater priority. “We have constituted theWomen’s Security Division in the Home Ministryand have made strict provisions for transferringthe laws in order to commit crimes againstwomen, in particular in a time-bound investiga-tion and trial for rape,” the document said. “Insuch cases, forensic facilities and fast track courtswill be expanded to bring convicts to justice.”

But, accusations of rape and murder againstBJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar hint at achilling abuse of power and it is surprising thatthe BJP has continued to support him despite thechilling sequence of rape and murder allegations.In 2017, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the BharatiyaJanata Party MLA from Uttar Pradesh allegedlyraped a teenager. Afterwards, the teenager’sfather died in police custody, allegedly afterbeing beaten up by Sengar’s brother. Sengar wasalso accused of framing the girl’s father in a falsecase in order to get him into police custody. InApril, during the election campaign, ChiefMinister Adityanath shared a stage with Sengar’swife. After the results were declared, BJP MPSakshi Maharaj visited Sengar in jail andpublicly thanked the accused for helping ensurethe BJP’s victory. As the Sengar episode shows,the BJP is yet to come good on its promises.(scroll.in-30-07-19)

MEDIA SAY SO

AIDSO Strongly Condemns theHooliganism of ABVP in Delhi University

In a statement dated 17 July 2019, Comrade Ashok Mishra, GeneralSecretary, AIDSO strongly condemned hooliganism of ABVP, students’wing of RSS-BJP, in Delhi University on 16 July with the support ofadministration and NDTF, the teachers’ front of Sangh Parivar. TheABVP goons threatened those opposed to planned saffronization ofsyllabus of dire consequences and thus has been using terror as a weaponto bully everyone to submit to them. Calling it a blow to the democraticprinciples of educational institutions, Comrade Mishra appealed to thecommon students and education-loving people to launch a militantmovement to save the democratic fabric of academic arena.

Central government’sfinances. Her responseto this criticism wasthat all these numbersare available in thesupplementary materialprovided in the Budgetdocuments, so there isno need to go into themin the speech. Theproof of this comes inthe finance ministry’sown Economic Surveyof 2018-19. Volume IIcontains a statistical

RNI No. 13932/67P. R. No. KOL / RMS /145 / 2019-2021PAGE EIGHT AUGUST 1, 2019

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF : PROVASH GHOSHEdited & Published by Asit Bhattacharyya from 48 Lenin Sarani, Kolkata 700 013 and printed by him at Ganadabi Printers and Publishers Private Limited, 52B, IndianMirror Street, Kolkata 700013. Phone : 2249-1828, 2265-3234 E-mail : cc.sucicommunist@gmail.com, proletarianera@gmail.com, Website : www.sucicommunist.org

SUCI(C) vehemently protests demandingforthwith annulment of undemocraticamendment to RTI Act, and calls upon right-thinking people to unleash a powerfulmovement against this butchering ofdemocracy

Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(C) issued the followingstatement on 24 July 2019 :

How despotically and flagrantly the BJP-led central government is butcheringdemocracy is once more exemplified in the way the RTI Act has been arbitrarilyand suddenly amended to turn the statutory Central and State InformationCommissions into an appendage of the central government and reduced the RTIbody to a puppet organization of the government. The amendments hurriedlypassed in the Parliament on 22 July ignoring the countrywide voice of dissent andwithout any proper debate in the Parliament. These amendments involve grantingabsolute right to the government to nominate as well as fix the salaries, tenuresand other terms of service of the Information Commissioners at the states andCentre. Thus the right to information is being virtually reduced to elimination ofthe right to information and making a mockery of whatever little scope the peopleat large so far had been enjoying to know certain facts and data regarding deedsand misdeeds of the government as citizens of the country whose rulers boast it tobe the ‘largest democracy of the world’.

Alongside registering vehement protest against this most atrocious amendmentand demanding immediate annulment of the same, we call upon all right-thinkingdemocratic-minded people who are outraged by such repeated instances ofslaughtering of whatever little relics of democracy are still in existence, to closetheir rank, come out in the open and unite on the platform of an organized,powerful and sustained protest movement throughout the country so that theautocratic government is forced to mend its ways, retrace from the path of adoptingone after another anti-people policies and we urge upon the people to feel andunderstand the importance of the pressure of rightful assertion of people’s power.

campus as their own ‘Red Fort’, SFI captured the controlof University College. No other organisations, are either allowedto enter there or to file nominations in students unionelections. Students are supposed to follow the orders of SFI unit.Otherwise, they are locked up in Union Office, which isnotoriously termed as ‘torture room’ and are attacked physicallyand mentally. A couple of months ago, a first year degree studenthad attempted suicide leaving a note detailing the tortures shehad to undergo at the hands of SFI leaders of the College Unit.But no action was taken from anywhere. The girl was forced towithdraw the case and so transferred from the college. Now, athird year degree student, Akhil Chandran was attacked andstabbed by SFI for humming in college premises withoutpermission of the unit leaders. This time students burst out likea volcano and marched to Secretariat demanding freedom fromSFI who have been indulging in a slew of malpractices keepinguniversity answer sheets and seal of vice principal in unionoffice apart from liquor bottles, weapons and so on. The policealso recoverd four bundles of university answer sheets and a sealof Physical Education Director from the house of the unitpresident of SFI.

In this backdrop, AIDSO organised Secretariat Marchdemanding restoration of democracy in University College,immediate arrest of all culprits. Police blocked the march metersbefore the University College. While leading the march,Comrades Binu Baby and P K Pabhash, President and Secretaryof state AIDSO respectively asked student community not toallow any attempts that tarnish the integrity of students politicsand accused police of blocking democratic students protestsinstead of arresting goons. They announced that AIDSOvolunteers would march to Secretariat even defying barricades.

AIDSO protestsSFI hooliganism in Kerala

is to inculcate in them a new ideology, makethem stand erect with indomitable spirit ofdefiance, transforming them into communists….So, unless the workers can change themselvesfirst they cannot change the world — such is theprincipal condition for the success of theMarxist or working class movement. That iswhy, the question of establishing the correctrevolutionary leadership on a correct basepolitical line as also on the edifice of proletarianculture is intimately connected with the successof revolution. Workers will have to grasp theinner law and character of class struggle andwill have to correctly analyse the socio-political-economic condition of the country with the helpof the only weapon or science at their disposal,i.e., Marxism-Leninism. The struggles that areconstantly developing within the society centringround deprivations, miseries, repressions andexploitations — to what ultimate goal they areto be led, who are the exploiters against whomthe struggle is to be directed — to know andrealize all these is the fundamental questionbefore the workers’ movement. You wantstruggle and, for this, an organization too. Andyou are happy when you get both theorganization and struggle.”

(Carry Proletarian Culture and Ethics tothe Workers, SW Vol. III, pp. 340, 350-51)

Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought illumines the pathdecadent culture acquired from the bourgeoissociety, they cannot organize revolution howevermuch their economic distress may aggravate.The evil influence of the bourgeois decadentculture reflected by the workers can by nomeans be called the proletarian culture simplybecause workers are carrying it. At one timesome people who joined the working classmovement with philanthropic ideas thought thatwhatever the workers do and reflect isrevolutionary. That is why all, from Marx toLenin, gave a good dressing down to this idea,reminding that proletarian culture could nevermean that the culture itself was proletariat! Theyshowed that picking up the language and habitsof the illiterate and backward sections of theworkers who are victim of decadence ofbourgeois culture which once grew on theedifice of humanist and bourgeois liberal valuesconducive to the bourgeois revolution should notbe mistaken for the assimilation and practice ofproletarian culture based on proletarian ideologyin this era of proletarian revolution. Proletarianculture is for freeing the workers, who arecrushed under the burden of a wretchedexistence and rotten bourgeois culture, who,having slipped into fatalism, have taken forgranted their miserable life as inevitable, whohave fallen victim to the vicious circle ofeconomism-opportunism, and proletarian culture

helping all the good aspects in a man to bloomfurther — that is his qualities like courage,valour, compassion, broadness of mind andsense of obligation to people — can his failingsand shortcomings be eliminated. Simply askingthem to shun their vices will not help them toget rid of their vices; simply asking them to begood and honest will not automatically makethem good and honest. But giving advice topeople to be good and honest on the one hand,and simultaneously inciting the base instincts inthem on the other, on the plea of practicalpolitics — whichever party it may be, whatevermay be its vocabulary, and it is immaterialwhether their leaders are personally honest ornot — they are, in reality, knowingly or not,helping the game of the bourgeois conspiracy topollute the ethical-cultural atmosphere in thecountry and to destroy the moral character of thenation… Only those workers can change theworld who have been able to give birth to thequality of revolutionary leadership, and that notin political battle alone or in slogans, but inbehaviour and lifestyle, in ethical-moralstandard, cultural tone and taste, by freeingthemselves from the narrow confines of vilebourgeois culture. So long as the workers are notfreed from the influence and impact of bourgeoisindividualism, bourgeois ideology and its

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