The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met at New Delhi on October 9-10, 2021.  It has issued the following communique:

Lakhimpur Kheri Brutality 

Ashish Misra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Misra Teni, the prime accused in the massacre of farmers has finally been arrested, after a Supreme Court indictment, five days later. 

Minister Ajay Misra Teni must be immediately sacked from the Union Cabinet for his role in this barbaric atrocity in which eight people have lost their lives, including four farmers and a journalist. Justice cannot be delivered with his continuation as Minster. 

The large volume of the recorded footage of the incident clearly shows the deliberate manner in which this brutality was executed.  The prime accused can be identified in this footage.  

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands the immediate dismissal of Minister Ajay Misra and stringent action against Ashish Misra on charges of brutal cold-blooded murder.

Urgently Intensify Pace of Vaccination 

Despite all propaganda and publicity, a mere 18.9 per cent of our people are fully vaccinated as of now.  48.7 per cent received the first dose.  This is the situation, despite the Central government's assurance to the apex court and the country that all adults will be vaccinated by the year end.  Meeting this target is now virtually impossible at the current pace of vaccination. 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the vaccination drive be intensified immediately. With the festive season having begun, this low pace of vaccination may well create conditions for the prolonged impact of the pandemic.

Intolerable Price Rise 

For six continuous days, the prices of petrol and diesel have been hiked.

During the last ten months, these prices have been increased by over Rs. 20 per litre. On an average, petrol costs around Rs. 110 and diesel over Rs. 100 per litre.  This is crippling the livelihoods of the vast majority of our people.  

These hikes have set in motion an overall inflationary spiral.  The higher costs of transportation have led to backbreaking price rise of all essential commodities. Cooking oil, vegetables and fruits, milk etc are all exorbitantly expensive.  In the first nine months of 2021, the prices of cooking gas cylinders increased by Rs. 205 and in many parts of the country, a cylinder costs more than Rs. 1,000.  The Consumer Price Index has seen a continuous increase.  

People who are already agonized and in deep debt due to the pandemic, growing unemployment, fall in incomes and poverty are being further assaulted by this price rise.  

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the Central excise duties on petroleum products must be immediately withdrawn.  In 2020, the Central government collected a whopping Rs. 3.61 lakh crores of extra revenue from these duties. 

Denounce Air India Sale 

The Central government continues with its relentless loot of India's national assets.  The iconic national flag carrier, Air India, has been sold to the Tatas.  This sale is tantamount to giving a free gift to the Tatas by the Modi government.  The Tatas will inherit Rs. 15,300 crores of debt, which will surely be restructured, paying the Central government a mere Rs.

2,700 crore for the national carrier, with all its core assets. Rs. 46,262 crores of remaining debt will be the burden of the government, which means that the people will bear the burden of clearing this debt.  However, all the assets acquired by Air India by its debt, including brand new fleet of aircraft, will be the Tatas' property now.  

Hence, this is not merely the loot of our national assets. This is the sale of prime public sector and India's national airline for a song to the Tatas making the people pay the burden for this. 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns such a loot of India's assets and calls for strengthening the protests against this. 

Jammu & Kashmir 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemned the recent killing of innocent people in the Kashmir valley.  The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) said that, "These killings have created a climate of fear that has not been seen in Kashmir since the early 1990s". 

The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution, the dissolution of the state of Jammu & Kashmir and converting it into two Union Territories directly under the Central rule were all proclaimed as the "true" integration of J&K with India and to end the problems of militancy and alienation in Kashmir. Instead, under the direct rule of the Central government at Delhi, J&K has been brought to this pass of heightened violence further alienating the people of the region.  Diabolically targeting religious minorities is aimed at sharpening communal polarization. 

Clearly, the Prime Minister's meeting with the leaders of J&K in June this year with promises of erasing `Dil ki doori, Dilli ki doori' remains an empty rhetoric.  Arbitrary detentions and excessive use of force cannot be the norm.  The confidence of the people of J&K must be earned to ensure peace and tranquility.

CPI(M) 23rd Congress 

The state conferences of the CPI(M) units have begun in the run-up to the 23rd Congress of the Party to be held in Kannur, Kerala in April 2022.  The state units of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have successfully held their conferences and elected delegates to the all-India Congress. All other state conferences are scheduled.