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Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Red Flag Challenges Enemies of the People
Mammoth Rally at
Sahid Minar Maidan Warns TMC and BJP
Kolkata: IN another
sign of Left’s resurgence, tens of thousands of people marched into the heart
of Kolkata on December 16, at the call of CPI(M) North 24 Parganas district
committee. They came from faraway forest areas of Sundarbans, from working
class habitats of Barracpore industrial area, from middle class suburbs like
DumDum. With red flags held high, stream of humanity overflowed Sahid Minar
Maidan.
This was the fourth
large gathering by the Left in a fortnight in Kolkata. On December 2, thousands
rallied demanding interrogation of the chief minister in Saradha scam. On
December 6, another rally marched through the streets at the call of 17 Left
parties, denouncing communal forces. A militant gathering broke through police
barricade in a protest action on December 11. And, on the top of them, the
mammoth gathering in Sahid Minar, that too from a single district, has clearly
indicated towards the invincibility of red flag in West Bengal.
Undivided district of
24 Parganas, and now North 24 Parganas has been one of the strongholds of the
Left movement, carrying the legacy of many historic battles of the working
class and the peasantry. The political influence of the Left, the social -
cultural impact of the Communist movement runs through the veins of this
district. The Left activists and supporters in this district faced brutal
terror in the last three and half years and many areas were still ‘prohibited’
for them. CPI(M) district committee launched an intensive campaign for more
than one month in preparation for this historic rally. Hundreds of public
meetings took place in the entire district. Massive door to door campaign was
organised to put forward the political stand of the Party. The rally in Kolkata
was the successful culmination of this determined political mobilisation.
Addressing the rally
Biman Basu and Surjyakanta Misra called upon the people of the state to
intensify resistance against the onslaught of the TMC government in the state.
Biman Basu said that we did not favour implementation of Article 356 and,
instead would expose this anti-democratic, anti-people regime to its core. Surjyakanta
Misra referred to the TMC’s involvement in Saradha scam and said that Mamata
Banerjee and her government have brought shame for the state.
Both Basu and Misra
challenged the BJP and said that there were no forces on earth who could take
away red flags from the people of West Bengal.
CPI(M) district
secretary Gautam Deb had to address the gathering through video as he was
recuperating from a surgery. Deb denounced the designs of communal forces and
said the people of Bengal would never polarise on religious identity and would
fight anti-people policies unitedly.
Families of 19
martyrs were felicitated and monetary help was handed over to them in the
rally. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee met the relatives of the martyrs and assured
them that the Party will always stand by them. The money was collected from
millions of households in North 24 Parganas.
The rally, as was
announced, marched towards the Nabanna, the state secretariat, led by a
delegation. The police blocked them and immediately roaring waves began to
sweep the barricades away. However, the CPI(M) leaders appealed to the people
for restraint and went to submit the deputation in the state assembly house to
senior cabinet ministers.
West Bengal Left Front Memo to PM on Financial Scams
Monday,
December 22, 2014
NEW DELHI: A Left
Front Parties delegation led by Biman Basu (Chairman, Left Front Committee,
West Bengal), Sitaram Yechury (MP, leader of the CPI(M) Group in Rajya
Sabha), Abani Roy (Ex-MP, Revolutionary Socialist Party) Surjya Kanta Mishra
(Leader of the Opposition, Legislative Assembly of West Bengal), Pallab
Sengupta (Communist Party of India) and Ali Imran Ramz (Member, Legislative
Assembly of West Bengal, Forward Bloc) met the Prime Minister today on the
issue of financial irregularities and fraud committed by financial companies in
West Bengal. The delegation submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister.
The text of the memorandum given below:
Dear
Hon’ble Prime Minister,
We, the
undersigned, draw your attention to the alarming financial irregularities and
fraud committed by about 186 financial companies (`Chit Funds’ or `ponzi
schemes’ as per local parlance) in the state of West Bengal. In the
communications with earlier governments, it was pointed out, inter alia,
the inadequacy of action on the part of the State and Central Governments in
this matter. It was urged to involve and forge coordination between
various investigation agencies under the Central Government like SEBI, SFIO,
CBI and ED along with the State agencies.
Along
with the letter No. 990/L.O./2014 dated 28.11.2014 from Dr. Surjya Kanta
Mishra, Leader of the Opposition, Legislative Assembly, West Bengal, seeking
this appointment, we had enclosed copies of a memorandum dated May 9, 2013 from
the Left Front Committee, West Bengal addressed to Dr. Manmohan Singh, the then
Prime Minister of India, a detailed reply from Shri Namo Narain Meena, the then
Minister of State for Finance (Expenditure & Financial Services), letters
dated July 15, 2013 and October 7, 2013 to the then Prime Minister of India on
this issue.
Though
some progress has been made in the investigations in this fraud under the
Supreme Court supervision and some action against some of the culprits has been
taken, this is inadequate.
Hob’ble
Supreme Court upon a Public Interest Litigation directed the C.B.I. to
investigate into the matter of cheating the common man being a part of larger
conspiracy wherein involvement of officers of different regulatory
agencies and the political personalities/parties could not be ruled out.
This larger
conspiracy can only be unearthed and the guilty punished if all these
fraudulent chit funds which operate in many other states of eastern India
(Odisha, Assam, Tripura, for instance) are thoroughly investigated.
We
apprehend that there may be an all out endeavour on behalf of the beneficiaries
of this massive fraud to misdirect and/or throttle the investigation. The
arrests of some Hon’ble MPs and a senior State Government Cabinet Minister
raises genuine apprehensions of the involvement of the highest level in the
State Government and the ruling Party in the state. Many such names, including
the Hon’ble Chief Minister, have been reportedly mentioned by those
interrogated so far.
We are
seeking your intervention in order to ensure that all these fraudulent schemes
in various states of eastern India are thoroughly investigated by the Central
government and its agencies.
The
Left Front parties are very much concerned about the repayment of the life long
savings of millions of poor people who invested in these fraud `ponzi
schemes’. It becomes the responsibility of the Government of India to
identify the people involved in the larger conspiracy and attach their
properties, movable and immovable, and ensure return of the deposits to the
people so defrauded. The state government had appointed the Justice
Shyamal Sen Commission to identify and compensate those defrauded. This
Commission has since been wound up. It’s investigations and report,
however, have not been made public. These materials must be taken over by
the CBI to facilitate the ongoing enquiry.
We
reiterate our position mentioned in our earlier letters for making the
National Saving Scheme more attractive and taking expeditious steps for
spreading banking network in West Bengal and in several other States by
the Government of India. This, along with banning of such fraud `chit
funds’, is the only way to guarantee the security of small investors.
A
faulty Bill, `The West Bengal Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial
Establishment Bill, 2013’ moved by the present State Government after a
legislation moved by the earlier Left Front Government and unanimously passed
by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in December 2009 was withdrawn on 30
April, 2013 and sent to the Hon’ble President of India for his assent. But, for
reasons beyond our knowledge this was withdrawn and a new Bill has been passed
in the Assembly on 12 December, 2013 which is still pending with Government of
India and awaiting the Presidential assent.
Given
the huge number of victims, we sincerely hope that you will urgently intervene on
their behalf and also in order to put in place corrective mechanisms
and regulations, so that such frauds cannot be committed in the future.
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