सीपीएम की क्रांति

सीपीएम की क्रांति

नंदीग्राम लाल सलाम

हम एक लोकतंत्र में रह रहे हैं! 14 मार्च को हुई घटना और उसके बाद सीपीएम के बंद के दौरान गायब हुए दो सौ लोगों का अब तक कोई अता-पता नहीं है्. हां। कुछ लाशें हैं जो इलाके में इस हालत में पायी गयी हैं. क्या हम बता सकते हैं कि इन्होंने किस बात की कीमत चुकायी? क्या हम इसको लेकर आश्वस्त रह सकते हं कि हमें भी कभी ऐसी ही कीमत नहीं चुकानी पड़ेगी?

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2007

Napalmed!

Napalmed!

Napalmed!
Palash Biswas
(Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata -700110, India. Phone: 91-33-25659551)
Email: palashchandrabiswas@gmail.com
“This is my prayer to thee, my lord — strike, strike at the root of penury in my heart/ Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows/… Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifle/ And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love.…’’Rabindra Nath Tagore
Just as the inaugural session of the 14th Saarc summit seemed in danger of lapsing into yet another has-been conference, Bangladesh’s chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed rescued the morning by ending his speech with a Tagore poem.
Salim enters after the nandigram genocide and SEZ cap declared there. Amidst CPIM`s great Damage Control Campaign Salim reappeared in the writers!NRI businessman Prasun Mukherjee, a stakeholder in the Salim Group’s consortium, will meet Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Wednesday. After Nandigram was ruled out and Haldia, the alternative site, found not to have enough land, industry secretary Sabyasachi Sen said the SEZ size might have to be made smaller.
Buddhadev has got Green Signal for capitalist development not only from Party central Committee which committed a historical blunder few years back when it stopped the rise of a Red Star in the Indian sky pulling back Basu`s legs to become the first communist and as well as the first Bengali Prim Minister, but also fro the Prime Minister and super prime Minister! Let the state congress minnows bark alone and alienated!
Now it is very clear as we are Napalmed! Eminent Writer and Activist Mahashweta Devi has disclosed in her column, `AAMI JAA DEKHCHHI’ in bangla Statesman that Buddhadev is also enslaved by US. MNC Dows enters Bengal for Chemical Hub this time!Inspite of Nandigram, the CPI-M wants the West Bengal government to pursue its industrialisation drive vigorously, while protecting the interests of the peasantry. After a thorough review of Nandigram, the party’s central committee announced that action would be taken for the “mistakes” committed there. The committee favoured the industrial drive, asserting the state’s success story in agriculture had laid the “foundation” for industrialisation.
The government is likely to cap the maximum area for a Special Economic Zone at 5,000 hectares, reports CNBC-TV18. It is also likely to announce more rules for SEZs after the Empowered Group of Ministers on SEZs meet on Thursday. They are to meet tomorrow to resolve issues. EGoM is likely to cap the number of SEZs at current level. It is also likely to lift freeze on SEZs where land has been acquired.Land acquisition for SEZs by state governments is unlikely to be allowed. EGoM may cap area for SEZ at 5,000 hectares with retrospective effect.
“We must now make a break with the past and join hands to realise our common, shared destiny,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
Prime minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who has been stressing the need to unleash South Asia from the mental and physical bondage of partition through different “connectivities”, announced the unilateral liberalisation of visas for students, teachers, professors, journalists and patients from Saarc countries.
“The dream of regional connectivity will not be realised merely by building roads and railways,’’ he said, calling for a world-class South Asian university to engage the regional mind.
Exceedingly careful about not making any references to the dramatic political transformation taking place in the region, Singh could not help pointing out that “our governments are now addressing the bilateral political issues that have prevented us from achieving our potential”.
Marxists hated tagore and now they love Tagore! Rabindra Setu was the beginning, Rabindra bhavan was the epicentre, now it is all over Rabindra and Rabindra! Rabindra was the first man who taught us how to address Globalisation! He was the man who coined Indian Nationalism. He was the staunch supporter of Swaraj. He declared that doors for West is open but he emphasised to defend the roots, indegineous Production system and Indian Plural Culture!Contemporary neo-liberal globalisation has proceeded to normalize itself by creating a common-sense opposition between the global and the local.Indeed globalisation seems to be a magical process by which nation-states voluntarily agree to relinquish their power. The frameworks of trade and financial flows that are being put into place by agreements (WTO, NAFTA, FTAA and so on) are inter-national in their basis even as they seek to subject the powers of sovereign states to global regimes of economic power.
A global economy is inherently unjust, unstable and unsustainable...There is an accelerating gap between the rich and the poor. Widespread violence is tearing families and communities apart. And the planet’s ecosystems are deteriorating at an alarming rate.Globalization is essentially acceleration and expansion of industrialization and integration of national into regional or global economies. It is not going to dissipate or disappear, no matter how much some of us wish it so. It can be contained, but that could lead to worldwide industrial and economic stagnation - hardly a solution to the problems of global poverty, inequality, and violence. Global techno-economic systems carry vast opportunity for large numbers of dispossessed people around the world.http://www.stwr.net/content/view/217/37/
http://www.iie.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Pressroom/PublicationsPR/SpeechesPR/02-26-2001,_Globalization_of_Higher_Education__What_it_Means_for_India.htm
http://corporatepower.blogspot.com/search/label/Globalization
Culturally speaking, globalization is largely the spread (for better and for worse) of Americanization - from Big Macs and iMacs to Mickey Mouse.The idea of 'global consciousness' is suggested as an antidote to the poison of parochialism that feeds and justifies mercenary globalism that is killing the promise of a truly 'global society.' My commitment to this ideal is constantly reinforced by the lives of the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mother Teresa, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela. Their examples shine as beacon lights for social and economic justice in an otherwise not so enlightened but physically interdependent world. That ideological clash has now been replaced by cross-cultural denigration, racial and ethnic diatribe, violent regional conflicts, terrorism, and the ‘war on terrorism’ on all sides, not just the conflict between religious fanatics of all variety. This is not to suggest that there were no ethnic or regional conflicts before or during the Cold War.
Globalisation involves cluster of issues.The issues range from the role of IT in education in India to comparative sociolinguistic analyses of language and conflict in Nigeria and India, from imaginings of India in British diasporic cinema to the battles over the Tamil canon on the internet, from macroeconomic analyses of globalization and its impact on Indian polity and economy to the fractures and possibilities inherent in North East India.
In what ways does Tagore's notion of the viswa prevent a slide into a notion of globalisation that would not elide the question of assymetrical relationships between different spatial units? Read:Rabindranath Tagore’s Gora : A Vignette of the Indian Renaissancehttp://www.aasianst.org/absts/1998abst/sasia/s50.htm
Read:Explore the impact of Rabindranath Tagorehttp://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051018-1707.asp
Despite these conflicts, global interdependence in a finite physical world is increasing every day. Global warming is affecting weather and vegetation on the entire planet. Acid rain from pollution caused by industries in the United States can stunt Latin forests affecting rainfall and crops in the entire region (McKibben 1998; Mathews 1999). Water and food chain toxicity is no longer a local problem as fruits, grains, and vegetables are increasingly sold and consumed across national markets (Bright 1999). National economies instantaneously react to global political and economic upheavals. Events in the Middle East cause oil prices to jump everywhere. Stock markets dance in tandem. Currencies fluctuate together. So many diseases - Ebola, mad cow disease, AIDS, influenza, SARS - have been globalized due to the movement of people and products across nations. Over-population, poverty, hunger, war, and violence in some parts of the world threaten the entire world (State of the World 1999; State of the World 2000; State of the World 2001; State of the World 2002).
Dows is famous for Napalm bombs and associated well with Vietnam War against which the Marxists once cried- AAMAR NAAM TOMAR NAAM SABAAR NAAM VIETNAM! The slogan has changed meanwhile: AMAAR NAAM TOMAAR NAAM SABAAR NAAM NANDIGRAM! NANDIGRAM! NANDIGRAM! NANDIGRAM!Photograph of Napalm Bombs Exploding on Viet Cong Structures :http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blyviet76.htmDow Chemical CompanyFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, searchThe Dow Chemical Co. Type Public (NYSE: DOW) Founded 1897 Headquarters Midland, Michigan, USA Key people Andrew N. Liveris, CEO, President, & Chairman of the Board of Directors Industry Manufacturing Products Chemicals, Plastics, Agricultural Products, and other Specialized Products & Services Revenue $46.307 Billion USD (2005) Net income $4.515 Billion USD (2005) Employees 42,413 (2005) Website www.dow.com The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW TYO: 4850 ) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan.The Dow Chemical Company is currently the second largest chemical manufacturer in the World (after BASF)[2]. Dow Chemical is a major provider of plastics, chemicals, and agricultural products. With presence in 156 Countries and more than 45,000 employees around the world, Dow holds itself to be one of the top world companies in innovation and research and development,[citation needed] with more than $1 billion annual expenditure in R&D and the single largest concentation of PhD and Engineers in the United States.[citation needed] Its stated vision under the current CEO, Mr. Andrew Liveris, is to contribute to create a better world.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Chemical_Company
The company was founded in 1897 by Canadian-born chemist Herbert Henry Dow, who had invented a new method of extracting the bromine that was trapped underground in brine at Midland, Michigan.[1] While at first the company sold only bleach and potassium bromide, Dow today has seven major operating segments, with a wide variety of products offered by each.[2] The company's 2005 sales totaled $46.3 billion, with a net income of $4.5 billion. Traded on the New York Stock Exchange, as of 2005 Dow has about 105,000 shareholders.[3]
While Dow has a world wide presence both financially and due to product coverage, most consumers are aware of the company from press-releases rather than product usage. In recent times, Dow has been called a "Chemical companies' Chemical company" in that most of their product is sold to other manufacturers rather than to end users. Dow had periods of selling into the Human and Animal Health markets as well as into the Consumer Products market (the latter most visible with Saran Wrap), but all of these facilities have been sold over the years.
Dow Chemical is an active member of the American Chemical Association, and an active partner in different programs and initiatives in both the World Bank and United Nations.
Napalm is any of a number of flammable liquids used in warfare, often jellied gasoline. Napalm is actually the thickener in such liquids, which when mixed with gasoline makes a sticky incendiary gel. Developed by the U.S. in World War II by a team of Harvard chemists led by Louis Fieser, its name is a portmanteau of its original ingredients, coprecipitated aluminum salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids. These were added to the flammable substance to cause it to gel.[1]
One of the major problems of early incendiary fluids (such as those used in flamethrowers) was that it splashed and drained too easily. The U.S. found that a gasoline gel increased both the range and effectiveness of flamethrowers, but was difficult to manufacture because it used natural rubber, which was in high demand and expensive. Napalm provided a far cheaper alternative, solving the issues involved with rubber-based incendiaries.[1]
Modern napalm is composed primarily of benzene and polystyrene, and is known as napalm-B.[1]
Napalm was used in flamethrowers and bombs by the U.S. and Allied forces, to increase effectiveness of flammable liquids. The substance is formulated to burn at a specific rate and adhere to materials. Napalm is mixed with gasoline in various proportions to achieve this. Another useful (and dangerous) effect, primarily involving its use in bombs, was that napalm "rapidly deoxygenates the available air" as well as creating large amounts of carbon monoxide causing suffocation. Napalm bombs were also used in the Vietnam War to clear landing zones for helicopters.[1]
Though napalm was a 20th century invention, it is part of a long history of incendiary materials in warfare. However, historically, it was primarily liquids that were used (see Greek fire). An infantry-based flammable liquid fuel weapon, the flamethrower, was introduced in World War I by the Germans, variations of which were soon developed by other sides in the conflict.[1]Read More:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NapalmThe Independent August 10, 2003
US admits it used napalm bombs in Iraq
In-Depth Coverage By Andrew Buncombe
American pilots dropped the controversial incendiary agent napalm on Iraqi troops during the advance on Baghdad. The attacks caused massive fireballs that obliterated several Iraqi positions.
The Pentagon denied using napalm at the time, but Marine pilots and their commanders have confirmed that they used an upgraded version of the weapon against dug-in positions. They said napalm, which has a distinctive smell, was used because of its psychological effect on an enemy.
A 1980 UN convention banned the use against civilian targets of napalm, a terrifying mixture of jet fuel and polystyrene that sticks to skin as it burns. The US, which did not sign the treaty, is one of the few countries that makes use of the weapon. It was employed notoriously against both civilian and military targets in the Vietnam war.
The upgraded weapon, which uses kerosene rather than petrol, was used in March and April, when dozens of napalm bombs were dropped near bridges over the Saddam Canal and the Tigris river, south of Baghdad. http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030810-napalm-iraq01.htm

Welcome Salim!
Welcome Dows!
Welcome Napam Bombs!
Now India is the VIETNAAM!Salim Group guns for alternative site for project The land and land reforms department decided to stick to the price quoted for the Salboni site where the Jindal group is supposed to set up a steel pant Express News Service Kolkata, April 3: Prasun Mukherjee, the Indian partner of the Indonesia-based Salim Group, which had plans to build the chemical hub at Nandigram, is going to meet the chief minister to decide on an alternative site for the project. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=229963
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Chappell's contract is over: PawarTimes of India - 29 minutes agoPTI. MUMBAI, April 4: Cricket Board President Sharad Pawar on Wednesday confirmed receiving Greg Chappell's resignation as coach of the Indian team and said the Australian's contract with the BCCI was over.Greg Chappell must go! MerinewsUPDATE 1-Cricket-Chappell quits as India coach Reuters.uk
Calcutta Telegraph 'We'll take appropriate reply' - BCCICricInfo.com - 3 hours agoThe Board of Control for Cricket in India has said that it would take "an appropriate decision" with regards to the proposal received from Zee Telefilms to start a parallel cricket league.ICL not feasible without BCCI support NDTV.comSubhash wants to do Kerry Packer in Indian cricket Economic Times
Rediff AB, not Ash goes off work...SantaBanta.com - 3 hours agoWhile the Indian film industry, the media and fansd have been speculating mainly on whether Aishwarya Rai will continue to work after marriage, it's her soon-to-be father in-law who has stopped work.Aishwarya unveils unique Bollywood photo exhibition HinduIndia poised and shining PakTribune.com
Globalistion is also Realignment of Demography. Urbanisation is the easiest way to evict the hostile population! We should investigate the Demographic realignment whenever we talk on Industrialisation, urbanisation and Globalisation.
Without realignment of the population you may not create a Hindu superpower India Shining, Mind You!
We have read so many write ups by Left leaders in media! We have heard from so many Left leaders from different forums! The government violated Human Rights, Civil rights and the most hyped RTI!The Left leadership have said so many things centred on so called plot to oust the Marxists by Rightists and Ultra Leftists!
Is there any Marxist Rule in Bengal after all? Do the Marxists care for Ideology and commitment at all? Left Rule has become the best tool of Brahmin promoter raj in Bengal! Why the brahmin Ruling Class is out to oust Marxists while they have maintained the Rotten Manusmriti so scientifically in Bengal? Rightists are led by Brahmins. So are the Left and Ultra Left!Thus, The plot theory does not stand at all!
Suppose , there had been a plot! Suppose, the Marxists version of the story is nothing but truth! Why the West Bengal Government was trapped in a Genocide so unwanted? Why Writers Building was unable to control the situation? Why the party leadership was not minimum diplomatic to save the day? Why the Cadres were armed to annihilate the peasantry? Why they were in a haste to recapture Nandigram?
No CPIM or Left leaders seem s to be answer these uneasy questions!
Let Us Analyse a lttle bit!Basic question is how the Left Front avoids anti-incumbency factor in every election and is successful to hold the POWER for three decades? Even after Nandigram why Buddhdev and the Left leaders do not care for public opinion and the opinion of its longtime sympathisers and friends?
If we judge by the achievements of secularism, land reforms, rural development and panchayat system, we have to be spell bound to analyse the turnaround! Well, in West Bengal, if the Ruling Left works in the best interest of the Have Nots, the proletariat, It is a mystery why Nandigram had been thrown in the Blood stream and The Gestapo has its Run in Nandigram!
The Left Base in Bengal is a mystery and at the same time, not a mystery at all!Cadre power is well expressed in Singur as well as in Nandigram! What the Red Gestapo may do, it has become a history now.Calcutta High court and CBI team exposed a tip of the ICE BERG only. Media also played its sponsored role as well and we really got some footage of the Cold Horror! Then CBI works under the Government of India, led by UPA which may not go a step forward or backward without Left support. The meeting of Buddhadev with Prime Minister and Super Prime minster and the agenda of the central committee have sealed well the episode whatsoever! Now, it would be quite rude to expect anything fro a CBI enquiry. CBI could no do anything to discover the stolen Rabindra Nobel Medal! It could do nothing to expose the Keshpur Massacre! Nothing done in Nanur Case! Nothing happened in the Purulia Arms air Drop Case in Purulia! Without any political will, why the CBI should be so active? And political will depends with power bargaing. It is always in favour of the Brahmin Raj. Neither Judicairy nor CBI has any track record to save the underclasses, the dalits, the tribals and particularly, the muslims!
CPIM led Left holds the power in Bengal by propagating a Brahminical bangla nationalism which is quite different fro that of Bangladesh, mostly represented by Muslims and dalits! In Bengal, it creates bogey of fascist Hindutva and US Imperialism just to dodge the underclasses while the left government has proved itself a better tool of Brahminical Hindutava and Corporate Zionist US MNC imperialism!
In fact, Left holds the power enslaving the Dalits, BC, OBC, Tribals, Muslims and other minorities.In fact, Left has created a scientific rigging system with its well oiled election machinery supported by Police and Administration and run by the Cadres! It is called organisation. This organisation is fed by State Resources and revenue. Peerless Credit had been the source of employees` salary all these years. Now The tatas takes over. Some day it will be Salim or Sultan Or Dows! Panchayati raj ia praised all over which has got the responsibility of Rural Development. This is the avenue, where CPIMpays well its cadrebase! No wonder, the helpless opposition in Bengal wants the Panchayats. Thus, The Brahminical opposition wants to continue Nandigram resistance while Left is crying CEASE FIRE and PEACE all the time. Panchayat Elections are not too far away!
The key lies in all the Sixty thousand polling booths. You have to manage the booths very well to capture Vote. It is not the Vote Bank like the COW BELT which determines the electral results. It is the BOOTH and the AREA combined which decides the color of polity. Capture the area, manage the booth and ensure nintey percent Cast. This is the key of Success for the Left in Brahminical Bengal!
This booth management is not very simple as it may sound. cadres have to be in constant touch with the people. Party has to intervene in every petty day to day affairs of the captive population. Society sholuld be disciplined and has to be mad a habitual Left supporter.Party Local Committeee has to take over fro police and administration. In West Bengal, No FIR IS LODGED ANY WHERE WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF LOCAL COMMITTE. POLICE AND ADMINISTARTION HAVE TO WAIT FOR GREEN SIGNAL FROM CPIM TO ACT. WHICH ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN NANDIGRAM BLOODBATH!
Cpim local committees hold all the power of executive, judiciary and legislature. Laxman seth, Nirupam Sen, Amitabh Nandi, Sushanto Ghosh are few names which have become giants of Bengal. What Laxam Seth did in Nandigarm, issueing land aquisition notice, is nothing new. Somnath Catterjee did whatsoever he thinks GOOD for promoters in Shanti Niketan. Ashok bhattachary has become the DON of North Bengal!If you don`t support Left in Bengal, be ready to face dire consequences, Mental and Physical toture, social bycutts and liquidition! So, the witches are hunted so often! So lynching is in Vogue! Encrochment is never a crime in Bengal as long as you have got the party support!Areas should be captured. No area should be a FREE ZONEas Buddhadev cried in Brigade rally just before Nandigarm Genocide! Free Zone means out of Party control. So Nandigram is attacked constantly from KHejuri side. Thus janani Bricks factory was used by armed cadres for almost three months and the War continues.
Earlier Keshpur Kurukshetra was won in leadership of MP Laxman Seth and Minister Sushanto Ghosh. They tried it in Nandigram this time and unfortunately faced unprecedented Ressistance! Keshpur was won. Nothing happened. Nandigram Resists and everything happens. What not? Genocide! Gangrape! Molestation! Arson! Arrests! torture! kidnaps! Loot! Press Censorship! Everything and the world is shocked to watch the Truth limited!
bECAUSE THEY WON kESHPUR, BECAUSE THEY WERE LOSING GROUND IN MEDINIPUR WITH INDISCRIMINATE LAND AQUISITION IN NANDIGRAM, KHARAGPUR, SHALBVANEE, HARIPUR, JANPUT, EVERYWHERE, it became almost mendatry for the Left to recapture Nandigram! It got land slide victory in last assembelly elections and Buddhadev was overconfident to control and manange every thing as long as the Media and Intellegentsia supported the Left!
What went wrong with Buddha? What went wrong with CPIM and Left.Nandigram resisted. singur resistance continues despite the land transfer to Tatas, In 24 parganas, Nadia, Malda, Murishidabad, Hugli, Howrah, burdwan- everywhere the peasantry revolted.
No avenue was left for the opportunist Media and Intelligentsia to escape and they crossed the Fence. It changed the color of the censored, sponsored and managed informations leaking out of Bengal.
Buddhadev entrapped PLUMB!
And the irony is that Left has no way to oust Buddha as he represents well the BHdralok Brahmin Bengal ruling Class and he serves in the best interest of the Ruling Hindutva Zionist Class!
It is rue that Nandigram had been a strong base of the Left thanks to Enblock support from the majority Muslims.As soon as slim entered, the scenerio changed suddenly. In the last assembelly elections CPI candidate Ilius Mohammad won the set with 69,376 votes! Then, TMC candiadte Shaikh Supin got 65,553 votes! The Congress candidate provided the Escape route as he polled 4,953 votes.
CPIM had to Bear This!Left is never habitual to face any resistance. It is so despotic that it has left no space for democracy. Thus Nandigaram Had To Be Recaptured!
IN New delhi: Under fire from its detractors over the Nandigram incidents, the CPI(M) asked its West Bengal unit to examine what went wrong as it admitted that "some mistakes" have been committed while handling the affair. The three-day meeting of the party's Central Committee, the first after the police firing, deliberated the issue and concluded that it was unfortunate that ordinary people have died in the violence which should not be repeated again.
"The Central Committee has noted that some mistakes have been committed in the handling of the affair as stated by the West Bengal Chief Minister," said party General Secretary Prakash Karat.
In Kolkata: Condemning the state government’s attempts to coerce farmers into giving up their plots of farmland for industrialisation, the artist fraternity today demanded a speedy inquiry be conducted into the Nandigram carnage. The main demand in the 10-point memorandum submitted to Governor Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi today was that the true number of those killed or wounded in police firing on 14 March be investigated and severe punishment be meted out to those responsible for the carnage. The role of police in the incident should be looked into and the state government should arrange for the treatment of the wounded, the memorandum read. Intellectuals under the banner of Forum of Artists, Cultural Activists and Intellectuals, demanded the murderers of Rajkumar Bhul and Tapasi Malik in Singur be identified without delay. They further urged the government to return those plots of farmland that had been forcibly taken away from farmers in Singur for the Tata Motors small car factory. The location for an industry should be decided on only after consultations with peasants, environmentalists, social scientists, soil scientists and industrialists, the memorandum read. The letter also sought the Governor’s intervention to reopen the closed tea gardens in the Doars and to ensure re-employment of workers who were currently jobless. n sns
India’s Growing Pains
Why are both Washington and Tokyo interested in SAARC? When does an organization, be it of the people or of governments, become relevant? When it gets noticed, to start with. By that yardstick, the 21-year-old South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation may be said to have turned a corner at its cu... Read:http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070404/asp/opinion/index.asp
Indian activists protest government land seizures. (AP/Gurinder Osan)April 4, 2007Prepared by: Lee Hudson Teslik
India’s torrid economic expansion over the past five years delighted investors internationally, but the inevitable shakeouts of rapid growth are starting to rub some nerves raw at home. Thousands of Indian farmers battled police (Telegraph) in the country’s West Bengal state in March, protesting government plans to confiscate their land and turn it into a special economic zone (SEZ). After fourteen deaths and chastisement from groups like Amnesty International, the state abandoned its plans for the SEZ. But after reviewing the SEZ policy, India’s Prime Minister announced in late March that new zones will continue to go up across India (Jurnalo).http://www.cfr.org/publication/12980/indias_growing_pains.html?breadcrumb=%2F
Crisis for Punjab farmers over SEZ is non-existentChandigarh/ New Delhi, Apr 2: Rumours of farmers in Punjab acing a socio-economic crisis because of the State Government's move to coercively acquire their lands for proposed Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is non-existent and incongruous with facts.http://www.dailyindia.com/show/130234.php/Crisis-for-Punjab-farmers-over-SEZ-is-non-existent
How 'they' can spoil India Inc's dream Govindraj Ethiraj April 04, 2007
Sometime in the mid-90s, in the era of 17 per cent interest rates, I was speaking with an on-the-ascent industrialist with interests in, well, mostly steel. Sitting back in his recently refurbished office in Mumbai's Nariman Point, he spoke of the many new opportunities that were springing up, in telecom, power and even the media.
The conversation turned to the location of his plant in coastal Maharashtra, where most of his present investments were going. I remarked that another metals company was going to set up a large plant there. "Oh that," he said, "they won't allow it to come up." "How do you know that," I asked. "Just wait and watch," he said.
He was right, the company in question had to pack its bags and go south, where it faced a fresh round of environmental problems but come up it did. My interlocuter's own diversification efforts into power, announced with considerable fanfare and ministerial blessings, ran into truckloads of opposition later. "They" did not spare him, either. Even today, it's not clear where that project, worth billions of dollars, stands.http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2007/apr/04guest.htm

SEZ hopes float on trade policyCalcutta Telegraph, India - 1 Apr 2007Guwahati, April 1: Assam industry minister Pradyut Bordoloi today described the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, 2007, ...
Kerala zeroes in on animation SEZEconomic Times, India - 30 Mar 2007“This is the second phase of development happening in the park and we have decided to make it an exclusive animation SEZ. It is the first of its kind in ...
SEZ policy that is sustainableRead More:SEZ cap plea, silent prayer: A Telegraph story OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT New Delhi, April 3: Cautious after Nandigram, the CPIM plans to propose a 5,000-acre cap on special economic zones (SEZs) but could be silently praying the Centre does not accept it.
The party also announced that it will review all industrialisation projects — not SEZs alone — in Bengal that require large-scale land acquisition and where the farmers have not given consent.
CPM general secretary Prakash Karat told a news conference the politburo has decided there should be a 2,000-hectare (5,000-acre) ceiling on SEZs.
“Some of the proposed SEZs have huge tracts of land,” he said.
At least two such have been planned in Bengal: the Salim Group’s chemical SEZ spread across 10,000 acres that was to come up in Nandigram and a 12,500-acre multi-product SEZ.
“Whether it is Salim projects or not, the party has asked us to take the farmers into confidence and strengthen the political process wherever a big chunk of land is needed to be acquired,’’ central committee member Benoy Konar said.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee — and his party, which fully backs his industrialisation campaign but must be seen in public as speaking up for farmers — will be hoping the Centre rejects the ceiling so that the CPM can have its cake and eat it, too.
“The government will first have to accept the cap,” Karat stressed.
He might be banking on a section within the Union cabinet, which is a strong votary of SEZs, to ensure the ceiling is rejected. Some Congress-led state governments have planned SEZs bigger than 5,000 acres. At present there is no cap on land.
In February, the CPM had suggested that SEZs larger than 5,000 acres be developed by the government or PSUs. This was before 14 people were killed in police firing while resisting land acquisition in Nandigram, putting Bhattacharjee and his party in the dock.