Comrades in Kerala are up in arms against a Kerala high court order banning of roadside public meetings and the latest issue of CPM mouthpiece Peoples Democracy reflects the anger. An article titled Judiciary once again oversteps its jurisdiction dubs the judgement as an encroachment into the executives powers. It points out that the order would have far-reaching effects and notes that the court while giving its ruling did not desire to hear the government side and sent no notice to the government.
The article refers to Constitutional rights like freedom of speech and expression and freedom to assemble peacefully and without arms,to form associations or unions to criticise the judgement.Freedom of assembly includes the freedom to assemble in public places,to take part in a meeting and express views without any government restrictions. The constitution itself clarifies that the State shall not make any law which takes away or abridges the rights conferred by this Part (Part III of the Constitution which explains the fundamental rights) and any law made in contravention of this clause shall,to the extent of the contravention,be void. But now a court,which is supposed to protect the fundamental rights of citizens from any infringement due to state intervention,has surprisingly ordered a ban on public meetings by the roadside! it says.
Petrol maths
Rajya Sabha MP Shyamal Chakraborty looks into the recent petrol price hike in an article in Peoples Democracy. He points out that the production cost for petrol in the domestic market comes to Rs 23.02 per litre after refining. The rest is the customs and excise duty component. So the statement that the hike in oil price is due to the price rise internationally is a light year away from truth! In fact it is a classic example of a half-truth. And we all know that a half-truth is more perilous than a lie, he says.
He rubbishes the oil PSUs are incurring losses argument and points out that the finance minister himself in his budget speech informed that he has collected an amount of Rs 56,365 crore from increased prices of petroleum products. Has he given this amount to the oil companies? He could only spare Rs 14,058 crore for them. The rest,that is,Rs 42,307 crore was entirely digested by his ministry. Now he is talking of losses! he says.
Thirdly,he argues that much of todays crude oil price is pure speculation driven by four major oil-trading banks Goldman Sachs,Morgan Stanley,Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase and points out that the oil companies had alleged that these four trading giants manipulated the rise in oil price last year from $70 to $140 a barrel.
They are being patronised and supported by the US government to run their business. If the oil price shoots up to $140,a neat sum of $100 goes into their pockets. The more hoarding,the more is the profit… If there is the slightest hike in the global market,our great global FM Pranab Mukherjee who enjoys the blessings of our honourable global PM Manmohan Singh will rush to raise prices in the domestic market, he says.
Collaboration talk
The lead editorial in the CPM organ hits back at Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for accused the party of being hand in glove with the BJP for organising the bandh on the same day. Such temerity from a person who,in the first place,facilitated the formation of a government by the communal forces led by Vajpayee in 1998! Having served as a union cabinet minister,holding the same portfolio that she now holds in the Congress-led UPA government,she left the NDA in order to align with the Congress for the West Bengal state assembly elections in 2001. Soon after this alliance was trounced,she abandoned the Congress to rejoin the NDA,in the aftermath of the communal genocide in Gujarat. Having been an opportunistic bedfellow of the BJP,she now has the gumption to attack the CPM as collaborating with the BJP!
In the editorial,CPM leader Sitaram Yechury argues that the CPM and the Left parties had given the call for the hartal first. Later,the BJP and its NDA allies gave a similar call on the same date, he says. The CPMs credentials in fighting communalism and uncompromisingly upholding the secular democratic character of modern India is known to all. It must be recollected that in the 2004 general elections,of the 61 Left MPs in the Lok Sabha,54 won by defeating the Congress candidates. Yet,in order to prevent the communal forces from staking claim to form the government again,the Left parties extended outside support to a secular government headed by the very same Congress party, the article says.
Complied by Manoj C.G.
