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Bicentenary of Karl Marx: New Democracy
Bicentenary of Karl Marx: New Democracy
Bicentenary of Karl Marx: New Democracy
Today the world is facing multiple environmental crises – pollution, To protect the revolutionary essence of Marxism, it should not be made
depletion of natural resources (including water), wiping out of species, a dogma. Those who did so tried to impose it mechanically on reality, and
climate change. Environmentalists are correct in fighting against all these when reality did not conform to their dogma, they discovered that revolution
processes. But they target ‘development’ or even ‘population’, and do not itself was not possible, or had to be postponed to the indefinite future, till
address the root cause of these problems, i.e., the nature of the present conditions were ripe. Whereas Marxism is a guide to revolutionary action,
social system. The question is, why does the capitalist system destroy and as such must constantly be applied to very varied conditions, and
the environment? Marx’s concept of the capitalist accumulation drive gives enriched in the course of revolutionary practice. Mao quotes Lenin as saying
us a most profound insight into the present global environmental crisis. that the most essential thing in Marxism, “the living soul of Marxism, [is]
What drives a Bill Gates or a Mukesh Ambani to accumulate capital? Marx the concrete analysis of concrete conditions”. This can be seen throughout
shows how the purpose of accumulation by capitalists is not consumption Marx’s work.
– neither their own nor that of any number of generations of their
descendants. Rather, the purpose of the accumulation drive is accumulation It is an essential concept of Marxism that the forms of organization
itself, no matter how nonsensical this may be to any rational being! must change with the objective situation. In Marx’s day, the vanguard of
the proletariat did not constitute itself as a separate party, but with the
This explains why capitalists are driving the world to environmental change of era in the late 19th century, the era of imperialism and proletarian
hell, even as they accumulate fortunes beyond imagination. Any rational revolution, it became necessary for the proletariat to forge the Leninist
person could tell them that the repercussions of their actions will not spare, party to lead the revolution. Much has changed in the objective situation
in the last analysis, their descendants, in whose name, presumably, the since then, but neither has the era passed, nor has this requirement changed.
wealth is being accumulated. But they are beyond all such rationality, since But to fulfill this requirement in today’s circumstances, we need, among
they are ruled by Capital. The only way to prevent multiple environmental other things, to grapple with the objective conditions of revolutionary practice,
disasters, or to salvage some semblance of human existence from these with the aim of changing them.
disasters, is to overthrow the capitalist system before it destroys all of us.
Some scholars rue the fact that, even in the midst of his great theoretical
Revolutionary essence work, Marx devoted a huge amount of his time and energy to building the
international working class movement and giving its practice theoretical
Words like “overthrow” and “revolution” have become uncomfortable for clarity. Thus Capital itself remained unfinished. Marx gave great importance
many current-day Marxists, who adopt many of Marx’s analytic methods to revolutionary practice. In his “Theses on Feuerbach”, he says:
without imbibing his revolutionary purpose. Because he grasped the
systemic nature of exploitation and oppression, Marx worked all his life for The chief defect of all hitherto existing materialism... is that
revolution and the “forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions”, and ...reality... is conceived only in the form of the object or of
Description by Paternal grandmother (Dadi) of the survivor Chacha Mahesh Singh said that he is in Delhi since the past 17-18
years. He has studied upto graduation. His father was a fitter and worked
The 65 year old Dadi of the survivor told us that her family and the in a private company. His household runs on the income coming from the
family of the MLA are of same caste i.e. Rajput. She and the survivor's family fields. The main reason for his shifting to Delhi was the false cases
elder sister aged 19 years and her two younger sisters together told us that lodged against him by the MLA and his family. The police and administration
on 3rd April, one Vinod Mishra jumped in from the roof of their house in were lodging false cases against him and his brother Pappu at the behest
On the basis of the facts we found, the team has reached the Recommendations
following conclusions 1. The PMS team thinks that the CBI team currently enquiring into
the case should conduct a full study of the events consequent to 4th June
1. The MLA and his brother are from an established feudal family and 2017. The facts behind the cases lodged against the relatives of the survivor
rule over the village. They settle disputes, dispense justice. The brother as also the circumstances in which they were lodged should be studied.
Atul is an accused in a case of the killing of a senior police officer. The The PMS demands that an enquiry should be conducted into why the minor
various cases lodged against Pappu Singh and Mahesh Singh seem to be was lodged in a mahila thana between 20th and 30th of June 2017. If the UP
at the instigation of the MLA and his brother. The police works on the side Govt. des not have provision of shelter homes for women the same should
of these powerful in the village. An example is the case lodged against immediately be provided for.
Pappu Singh on 3rd April though he was badly injured. No attempt was
made to record his statement and lodge any case on that basis. 2. PMS also demands investigation on why the concerned officials
regarding custody of minor victims in Uttar Pradesh State. from the campus of SR & BGNR College till the Pavilion grounds across
the Mayuri centre. The place of mass meeting was named after martyr
The team also feels that the trial of the case should be conducted not Com. Venkanna. PYL State President M. Hanmesh presided over the mass
in Unnao but in Delhi because the survivor resides in Delhi. meeting.
In view of the kind of comments that have emerged regarding the Umar Khalid –research scholar from JNU in Delhi and leader of the
statement under Sec 164, the PMS team suggests that all judicial officers Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Student Organization (BASO) was the main
in India should be instructed that when recording statement under this Speaker. Others who addressed the mass meeting included Com. P. Ranga
section, they should ask the women/children after the statement is recorded Rao- Jt. Sec of the State Committee of CPI(ML)- New Democracy, NBS-
in the context of the current case, whether they have ever suffered sexual PYL Coordination Committee Convenor Com Raminder Singh, West Bengal
assault or any other type of sexual harassment before this or apart from PYL Secy. Ashim Roy, Bheemlal (NBS-UP), Com. Gummadi Narasiah (ex
the incident that they have recounted. MLA), Com. Aruna (state Gen. Sec. of POW), C.Y.Pullaiah (PYL state
Gen Sec), G. Sakroo (state Vice President PYL), D. Sai Reddy (Jt. Sec
state PYL) K. Kashinath (Treasurer, state PYL) and other leaders of
Phagwara (Punjab)
Telengana PYL.
Attack on Dalits Opposed Com. Umar Khalid highlighted the Modi Govt’s saffronizing of universities
and its attacks on Dalits, women and democrats. It is labelling all students
Annoyed by the successful Bharat Bandh by Dalits on April 2, in tehsil raising questions including about its role in the death of Rohith Vemula, as
Phagwara (Punjab), Shiv Sena and its associated organizations on April anti-nationals. Before Elections, Modi gave the slogan of ‘’Beti bachao’’
13 attacked Dalits who had put up flex boards of Sanvidhan Chowk at a but it actually meant saving girls from BJP leaders. However today the
crossing. They fired at and injured 4 Dalits. One of the youth, Bobby, died Modi Govt has changed its role to ‘Rapist Bachao’, he said, referring to the
during treatment. Those who fired are behind bars since April 28th. On this rape and murder of an 8 year old in Kathua in J&K. He said all facts point
issue RSS and BJP are pursuing their communal and anti Dalit agenda and that Justice Loya's death was linked to saving Amit Shah. He ended by
are demanding arrest of the leader of Dalit Lehar, Harbhajan Suman and stressing the need for youth to participate and lead the fight back to these
others in the FIRs already registered. After the funeral of Bobby on April 29 attacks.
the police registered a fresh case against the Dalit youth and arrested
another leader. This was opposed by the people and in large numbers they Com. Ranga Rao stressed that India is languishing under unemployment.
gheraoed SP Kapurthala who was present in the the SP Phagwara Office. Modi had promised two crore jobs to India and KCR promised one and a
Pendu Mazdoor Union leaders President Tarsem Peter and Kashmir Singh half crore jobs to Telengana. The youth should fight for employment and
Ghughshir reached the protest site and supported the cause. Seeing the also teach these govts. who are only working for the rich, a lesson through
people's anger the police were forced to release the Dalit leaders. their struggles.
Com. Hanmesh asked both Govts- Where are the jobs? He said the
Massacre of Unarmed rights and will do every thing to protect the interests of the corporate.
There has been opposition from the people to this Copper smelting plant
Demonstrators in from its inception in 1996 because of concerns about pollution. After it
received permissions from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB)
Thoothukudi (Tuticorin)
and the Ministry of Environment and Forests in January 1995, these were
challenged before the Madras High Court in 1996. The Company, however,
went ahead and set up the plant that commenced production in 1997. Fresh
petitions were filed seeking directions to take suitable action against the
At least 10 people, including a 17 year old girl, were killed and more
Company for alleged failure to take safety measures due to which there
than 50 injured on 22 May 2018 as police fired on demonstrators protesting
were pollution and industrial accidents at the plant. In September 2010, the
against Sterlite copper in Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) a port town in Tamilnadu.
High Court allowed and disposed the writ petitions with the direction to the
One of them was killed in a second incident of firing in the evening when
Company to close down its Tuticorin plant. The Company went in appeal to
protesters had gathered in another part of the town to protest against the
the Supreme Court which passed an interim order staying the High Court
earlier firing. Most of them had bullet marks on their face, chest or abdomen,
order. In 2013 on March 29, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board was
said a doctor attached to the Tuticorin district medical office. Video
forced to order closure of the plant after local residents complained about
recordings which have come to light later clearly show police personnel in
noxious emissions. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, on April 2, 2013, set
civilian clothes standing on top of buses, aiming and doing targeted firing.
aside the High Court order for closure, despite noting that in various
An around 20,000 strong demonstration was being held to mark the investigations the Company had been found to have caused pollution, it
100th day of the current round of protest against Sterlite Copper, a unit of had continued to operate without renewal of consent by the TNPCB for
London based Vedanta Resources, one of the world’s largest metal and some periods and that it had misrepresented and suppressed material facts
mining transnational corporations. This indefinite struggle was launched in its appeal. Instead it directed the Company to deposit Rs 100 crore
on 12th February 2018 to demand closure of the plant and refusal of within three months with the Collector. The money was to be utilised for
permission for starting another unit of the plant. The protestors had applied taking measures to improve the environment, including water and soil in
for permission for the 22nd May protest many days before but the District the vicinity of the plant. How this improvement could take place in the face
administration clamped Section 144 in the town to try to prevent the protest. of continuing pollution from the plant is a question that the Supreme Court
This further angered the protestors who marched to the District Collectorate never answered. Meanwhile, the Company went ahead with its plans to
where the police resorted to firing. Police brutality on the direction of the build another unit to double the capacity from the current 400,000 tons per
Govt. in the service of a mining giant (MNC) owned by Anil Agarwal, was year to 800,000 tons per year.
much in evidence as police not only stopped the people from exercising
The plant was closed since 27th March 2018 by the management
their democratic right, they started beating up the people to disperse them.
for so called maintenance for 15 days. Actually the license from the TNPCB
Police even dragged out a youth from a hospital and killed him. This
for operating the plant has expired on 31st March. The Company applied for
massacre is another instance of the crimes of the ruling parties against the
a 5 yr extension of license. However in the face of strong people's opposition
people of the country.
and agitation, the TNPCB was forced to reject the application on 9th April
Despite anger against this organized massacre, police continued 2018 citing five technical grounds, including non submission of the report
suppression of the people and killed further two persons in police firing on of the test on groundwater in villages in the neighbourhood of the plant and
23rd of May. It showed that the RSS-BJP Central Govt. and Tamilnadu the discharge of hazardous waste in violation of rules. The Company has
Govt. propped up by them, care little about the people’s interests or their moved the Appellate Authority challenging the rejection.
New Democracy English Com. Nandy was very keen to develop joint activities among the
communist revolutionaries especially to fight RSS-BJP’s drive towards
Pratirodh Ka Swar Hindi fascism.
Voice of New Democracy Telugu CPI(ML)-New Democracy pays its homage to Com. Vaskar Nandy and
(Telengana) offers condolences to the leaders and cadres of PCC, CPI(ML) and family
New Democracy Bulletin Telugu members of Com. Vaskar Nandy.
(A.P.) CPI(ML)-New Democracy wishes to continue developing joint activities
with PCC, CPI(ML) on people’s issues particularly in struggle against fascist
Biplabi Ganaline Bengali
drive of RSS-BJP as envisaged and supported by Com. Nandy.
Inquilabi Sada Rah Punjabi
CPI(ML)-New Democracy
Sangrami Ekta Odia May 5, 2018
Marx, Karl, was born... However, the reactionary policy of the government, which deprived Ludwig
Feuerbach of his chair in 1832, refused to allow him to return to the
university in 1836, and in 1841 forbade young Professor Bruno Bauer to
(Preface : This article on Karl Marx, which now appears in a
lecture at Bonn, made Marx abandon the idea of an academic career. Left
separate printing, was written in 1913 (as far as I can remember) Hegelian views were making rapid headway in Germany at the time.
for the Granat Encyclopaedia. A fairly detailed bibliography of Feuerbach began to criticize theology, particularly after 1836, and turn to
literature on Marx, mostly foreign, was appended to the article. This materialism, which in 1841 gained ascendancy in his philosophy (The
has been omitted in the present edition. The editors of the Essence of Christianity). The year 1843 saw the appearance of his Principles
Encyclopaedia, for their part, have, for censorship reasons, deleted of the Philosophy of the Future. “One must oneself have experienced the
the end of the article on Marx, namely, the section dealing with his liberating effect” of these books, Engels subsequently wrote of these works
revolutionary tactics. Unfortunately, I am unable to reproduce that of Feuerbach. “We [i.e., the Left Hegelians, including Marx] all became at
end, because the draft has remained among my papers somewhere once Feuerbachians.” At that time, some radical bourgeois in the Rhineland,
in Krakow or in Switzerland. I only remember that in the concluding who were in touch with the Left Hegelians, founded, in Cologne, an opposition
paper called Rheinische Zeitung (The first issue appeared on January 1,
part of the article I quoted, among other things, the passage from
1842). Marx and Bruno Bauer were invited to be the chief contributors, and
Marx’s letter to Engels of April 16, 1856, in which he wrote: “The in October 1842 Marx became editor-in-chief and moved from Bonn to
whole thing in Germany will depend on the possibility of backing Cologne. The newspaper’s revolutionary-democratic trend became more
the proletarian revolution by some second edition of the Peasant and more pronounced under Marx’s editorship, and the government first
War. Then the affair will be splendid.” That is what our Mensheviks, imposed double and triple censorship on the paper, and then on January 1
who have now sunk to utter betrayal of socialism and to desertion 1843 decided to suppress it. Marx had to resign the editorship before that
to the bourgeoisie, have failed to understand since 1905.) date, but his resignation did not save the paper, which suspended publication
in March 1843. Of the major articles Marx contributed to Rheinische Zeitung,
N. Lenin Engels notes, in addition to those indicated below (see Bibliography),[1] an
Moscow, May 14, 1918 article on the condition of peasant winegrowers in the Moselle Valley.[2]
Marx’s journalistic activities convinced him that he was insufficiently
Marx, the student acquainted with political economy, and he zealously set out to study it.
Marx, Karl, was born on May 5, 1818 (New Style), in the city of Trier In 1843, Marx married, at Kreuznach, a childhood friend he had become
(Rhenish Prussia). His father was a lawyer, a Jew, who in 1824 adopted engaged to while still a student. His wife came of a reactionary family of
Protestantism. The family was well-to-do, cultured, but not revolutionary. the Prussian nobility, her elder brother being Prussia’s Minister of the Interior
After graduating from a Gymnasium in Trier, Marx entered the university, during a most reactionary period—1850-58. In the autumn of 1843, Marx
first at Bonn and later in Berlin, where he read law, majoring in history and went to Paris in order to publish a radical journal abroad, together with
philosophy. He concluded his university course in 1841, submitting a doctoral Arnold Ruge (1802-1880; Left Hegelian; in prison in 1825-30; a political
thesis on the philosophy of Epicurus. At the time Marx was a Hegelian exile following 1848, and a Bismarckian after 1866-70). Only one issue of
idealist in his views. In Berlin, he belonged to the circle of “Left Hegelians” this journal, Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher, appeared;[3] publication
(Bruno Bauer and others) who sought to draw atheistic and revolutionary was discontinued owing to the difficulty of secretly distributing it in Germany,
conclusion from Hegel’s philosophy. and to disagreement with Ruge. Marx’s articles in this journal showed that
he was already a revolutionary who advocated “merciless criticism of
After graduating, Marx moved to Bonn, hoping to become a professor. everything existing”, and in particular the “criticism by weapon”,[13] and