Record note of the meeting of the National Campaign Committee

Future Political Strategy
Record note of the meeting of

the National Campaign Committee for mobilizing support for a radical and inclusive political platform

Held in New Delhi on 13.07.12.

Dear friends,

Following is the record note of the NCC meet held in New Delhi on July 13.

The list of the participants is attached. Dr.Anand Teltumbade, Dr.Sulabha Brahme, Prof.K.B.Saxena and Ms Sudha Bharadwaj could not attend but had indicated their support to the collective endeavour undertaken by the NCC.

Shri S.P.Shukla opened the discussions. He pointed out that it was almost two years since the NCC first met in New Delhi. During this period, comrades and colleagues in the NCC including those working at the grassroots had been engaged in mobilizing support and carrying on struggles on the questions of land, mining, social justice, the suppression of  minority youths, Kashmir. Colleagues in UP had participated in the recent elections in UP. There was a widely shared feeling that it was time that we assessed our collective role and decided on our future course of action.

He added that the basic analysis and conclusions contained in the framework paper continued to be valid. Developments in the intervening years had vindicated our approach.

He drew attention to four specific recent developments over the last two years.

• First, the apparent placidity of the political scene brought about by the stasis in the structured political process has undergone a change. The political waters have turned turbid and volatile. The eruption of colossal scandals and scams has created a deep crisis of credibility not only for the government of the day but the ruling classes as a whole. The important segments of the corporate sector as well as the media have been exposed. The main official opposition which rushed to fish in the troubled waters got equally exposed in the process.

• Second, the apparently apolitical efforts to capitalize on the popular anguish and anger against the unprecedented venality of the ruling classes, and to divert the seething discontent into fighting shadows or symptoms and to denigrate the political process per-se, have lost steam as the people at large have recognized the futility and dangerous implications of such an approach.

• Third, the main religious minority seems to be seriously pursuing the option of forming Muslim political party. The development started at the time of the general elections of 2004. But it seems to be gathering strength and support in recent years. While the trust of the minority in the politics of the major political formations was eroding over the last two decades, the process was speeded up with the Islamophobic politics encouraged globally by the US-Israel combine and the Indian ruling classes adopting the policy of strategic alignment with that combine.  Discriminatory repression of democratic rights and freedoms of the minority youth in the name of fighting “terrorism” has only further alienated the minority community from the ruling political combine.

• Fourth, the absence of a credible political alternative at the national level has given a shot in the arm for the opportunistic regional politics.

On the one hand, the basic contradictions in the polity are deepening. On the other, the  ruling UPA  and  the main opposition NDA are being found more and more unequal to the twin tasks of correctly theorizing their approach  and mobilizing the trust and support of the  vulnerable masses. They are repeating the old platitudes. The main opposition is mouthing the corporate slogan of “policy paralysis”. And the ruling combine is swallowing that bait and has the gumption to offer “more of the same” policies in the name of the next generation of economic reforms.  And that too when the dire failure of such approach is dramatically unfolding at the core of the global capital.

Four main challenges are staring us in the face.

• The Land Question is becoming more and more explosive. Needless to add that the Land Question, broadly formulated will include the other vital natural endowments such as mines and minerals, forest, water.

• The Question of Unemployment is equally explosive and all talk of rapid growth providing increasing employment opportunities has been found empty and unconvincing.

• The democratic rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution are being severely restricted. The dissent is being suppressed ruthlessly in the name of “fighting terrorism” and dealing with the “threat to internal security”.

• The polity is undergoing severe stress. Its very integrity is threatened. Minorities are getting fast alienated. The multiple divides -- the divide between the accumulators and the dispossessed, the divide between urban islands of prosperity and the impoverished  rural hinterland, the divide between the ruling elites and the working people – are threatening to tear the polity apart.

Yet, barring the parties of the left spectrum, the politics of the main formations have degenerated into crude power play of money and muscle. The mainstream left is mainly confined to its traditional strongholds but its strength has been severely eroded in the parliamentary politics.  The left forces continue to be fragmented. The extreme left formation has isolated itself from the mainstream politics. The need of the hour is to form a broad democratic front of all forces representing the alienated, the downtrodden, the marginalized, the dispossessed – all those who are the victims of the neo-liberal onslaught.

The time seemed most opportune for building a radical and inclusive political platform on the basis of the approach contained in our framework paper. And yet we have not been able to concretize a political initiative.

The failure to act at this juncture would weigh heavily on our conscience. More important, anti-people, backward looking and semi-fascist tendencies in the polity would be the ultimate beneficiaries of such inaction.

 Shri  S.P.Shukla called upon the colleagues in the NCC to ponder over these issues, express their views frankly and contribute to a collective assessment of the political situation so as to reach a clear decision on the future course of action.

Ms Meena Menon broadly agreed with the foregoing analysis. She pointed out that the left was in disarray and there was a clear need for a political initiative of the type thought of. It was important that we concentrated on the immediate issues confronting us and engaged ourselves in working out short term action programmes. It was equally important that our actions were informed by a clear alternative vision. However, whatever we decided to do, we should not end up as one more faction of the left.

Shri S.R.Hiremath expressed broad agreement with the analysis as presented by Shri Shukla and stated that the situation in Karnataka was ripe for evolving a concrete political alternative. He said that the new mineral policy and legislation being envisaged by the central government would only strengthen the corporate control of the basic resources and continue to encourage the loot of the precious natural resources in the name of growth. The issue of community ownership and control of natural resources has acquired critical importance. We need to work on these issues and also fight the present regime in regard to exploitation of natural resources politically. He felt that the national political situation appeared ripe for alternative political initiative.

Shri Vineet Tiwari asked for clarity on the shape of the political initiative. He said that the short term programme of action that was being thought of must be well planned to have perceptible political impact.

Shri Darapuri broadly agreed with the initial analysis. He drew attention to persecution of Muslim youth on the pretext of fight against terrorism. He drew attention to need for evolving a cogent stand on the issue of reservation quotas and sub-quotas. He pointed out that the recent court rulings requiring quantifiable data in regard to reservation in promotion had negative implications and militated against the basic concept of reservations for SCs  and STs. He also emphasized the need to engage ourselves with the concrete, micro- level issues of immediate concerns of the people such as limited reach and corruption in PDS, health services, housing and rural employment guarantee schemes.  We have good capability of analyzing macro level policies and evolving alternatives. It needs to be translated into concrete, micro level engagement so as to establish a grass-root political base. 

Shri Ramesh Kushwaha agreed with the analysis and conclusions as presented by the Chair. He felt that time has come for having a one single political banner at the national level under which our various struggles should be carried out and which should also give us an electoral identity. He pointed out that  in the absence of such national level political alternative, sham alternatives were emerging from amongst the discredited existing formations. That only underlined how urgent it was for us to concretize our political alternative. He stressed that our initiative was distinct from the old type of the left alternative in that it was based on a broad, democratic front approach.

Shri Hemant was broadly in agreement with the Chair’s initial presentation and said that it was necessary to emphasise concrete, not abstract, issues. He stressed the urgency and importance of having a national identity and face for our political initiative. He drew attention to the organizational aspects such as the need for having two or three full time workers at the national level.

Shri Shoaib agreed with the analysis presented by the Chair and pointed out that the political process had been vitiated and distorted by casteism and communalism. The Muslim youth was experiencing a deep sense of insecurity. There are any number of instances of innocent youth being picked up and subjected to indignity and worse in the name of intensifying the so-called fight against terrorism. In his opinion, the Muslim youth would respond massively if they see a genuine political alternative building up as envisaged.

Shri Raghavendra Kustage expressed agreement with the Chair’s presentation. He said that four issues confronting the polity as mentioned by the Chair are political. They could be addressed only politically. There could be no half- way house. There should be clarity on this. A clear and quick decision on the formation of the political platform was essential.

Ms Seema Mustafa agreed with the Chair’s presentation. She informed the meeting of the initiatives taken through the medium of the Centre for Policy Analysis (CPA) in regard to Kashmir. She mentioned the recent public meeting organized in Delhi by CPA on the question of the arbitrary police action against innocent Muslim youth and the overwhelming response received. A number of political parties responded and participated actively. At that meeting, a decision had been taken to set up a fact- finding mission which would collect relevant facts in the states of Delhi, UP, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. She invited the participants in the meeting to associate with the mission. Eventually a detailed factual report would be prepared and published so that national conscience is awakened on this issue and the matter was taken up in Parliament.

Shri Lal Bahadur Singh agreed with the analysis presented by the Chair. He said that the ruling system had been exposed as never before. Inflation is deeply affecting the poor as well as the middle classes. Identity politics is coming to the fore in the name of a political alternative. No radical centre is emerging to rally round the people for a real political alternative. The need of the hour is to provide such a nucleus.

 Shri Ashok Varma found himself in agreement with the analysis presented by the chair and the tone set by the fore going interventions. He added that as far as Bihar was concerned, there was no emergence of a Muslim political party.

Shri Yashwant too, agreeing with the previous interventions including the Chair’s, pointed out that the phenomenon of the emergence of Muslim poltical party was weakening. He also felt that the issue unemployment perhaps could not provide an adequate or strong attraction for strategic mobilization of our political alternative.

Shri Akhilendra Pratap Singh agreed with the Chair’s approach. He said that the political situation was ready for a concrete step towards building a political platform on a broad , democratic basis. He felt that the role of such a platform could not be seen as opposed to the left political forces. On the contrary, there would be a degree of convergence and cooperation on the ground. He cautioned that it would be counterproductive to engage in debates on issues such as the left unity which were best left to the left forces themselves to decide. He pointed out that the kind of political platform which was being thought of left scope for inclusion of a wide political spectrum of all individuals, groups and other formations engaged or willing to be engaged in radical, pro-people, democratic, political action. He said that the political programme that would be adopted would determine the political identity of the platform. Already, concrete policy objectives indicated in the framework paper adopted by the NCC provided a clear profile of the political identity. What was now needed was translation of those objectives into a prioritized political action programme to be followed in the immediate context.  He said that NCC had members who happened to be members of the left political parties. It was important that we remained sensitive to their concerns and continued to have their valuable cooperation.

There was a frank and detailed discussion on the immediate steps to be taken. There was a consensus that steps needed to be taken to form a political platform with a simple but evocative name. It was recognized that a common political identity was necessary to carry out struggles and participation in elections is necessary.  The political formation would need registration with the Election Commission. At the same time, it would be necessary to hold a public convention where the political formation would be announced along with the manifesto, constituents, office bearers, and programme. This would need a lot of preparatory work. It was envisaged that such a convention would be possible not earlier than February-March 2013.

As regards the name, various alternatives were discussed: Jan Morcha, Jan Morcha  (Inquilabi), Peoples Front, Peoples Democratic Forum.  Shri Akhilendra Pratap Singh informed that ‘Peoples Democratic Forum’ was already registered with the Election Commission and it could perhaps be used for our platform. He said that Jan Morcha as such may not be available as it was perhaps already assigned to some other body which was virtually defunct. An addition of “Inquilabi” may improve the chance of getting it registered for our platform. ‘Peoples Front’ appeared to meet the bill as it was simple yet evocative name. After some discussion, it was decided that Shri Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Shri Lal Bahadur Singh, Shri Darapuri and Shri Dinkar will pursue this matter with the Election Commission. Ms Seema Mustafa would render such assistance as possible.

As part of the preparatory work, it was decided that a national workshop be held sometime in November 2012 in Wardha. Shri Hiremath volunteered to take on the responsibility for logistics. It was felt that the national workshop could be suitably followed by regional workshops, possibly in Bihar( Shri Ramesh Kushwaha) and Karnataka( Shri Raghavendra Kustage).

The background issue papers would need to be prepared for the workshop. Four issues have already been identified in the presentation of the chair. Fifth issue of Social Justice should be added to the list in the light of specific concerns raised in this regard in the course of the foregoing interventions at the meeting.

It was felt that an overarching paper on the analysis of the political situation and the political process to be initiated should also be got ready for the workshop/s.

 It was decided that a fully participative and democratic approach should be followed in regard to work to be done.  While a few members had volunteered to draft the background papers on specific issues and other items of  preparatory action to be pursued, it was expected that every member would be making his contribution so as to ensure wider participation in and deeper commitment to the process. To that end , A Committee of the Whole should be formed open to all members while the responsibility of initiating the work be given to the identified members. There should be frequent interaction between the identified members and the other members of the Committee of the Whole through the internet or other means as necessary.

Accordingly, the preparation of background papers be taken up as follows:

Analysis of the Political Situation and the political process

to be initiated:       Shri S.P.Shukla

The Question of Land:   Prof. K.B.Saxena

The Question of Minerals and Mining and Other Natural Resources: Shri S,R.Hiremath

The Question of Unemployment:  Shri Lal Bahadur Singh

The Question of Democratic Rights and Freedoms: Ms Sudha Bharadwaj

The Alienation of Minority Communities:  Shri Shoaib

Social Justice and Recent Developments on Reservation Policy Issues: Shri Darapuri

It was also decided that work on preparation of the policy document/manifesto of the proposed political formation be taken in hand along with the preparation of working papers.  While the responsibility of initiating this task would be taken up by Shri S.P.Shukla, Prof. K.B.Saxena, Shri S.R.Hiremath, Shri Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Shri Darapuri and Ms Sudha Bharadwaj, it was expected that in accordance with the Committee of the Whole process agreed upon, there would be involvement of all the members of NCC in the process through the internet or other suitable means.

                    If there is any comment, kindly send it.

With regards,

Akhilendra Pratap Singh

Convener

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The list of the participants in the meeting

Shri  S.P. Shukla

Shri Akhilendra Pratap Singh

Ms Seema Mustafa

Shri S.R. Hiremath

Shri S.R. Darapuri

Ms Meena Menon

Shri Vineet Tiwari

Shri Hemant

Shri Raghavendra Kustage

Shri Ramesh singh Kushwaha

Shri  Mohd Shoaib

Shri Lal Bahadur Singh

Shri Ashok Verma

Shri Yashwant

Shri Ajit singh yadav

Shri Dinkar kapoor