INDIA:CPI (Maoist) - Red Salutes to the Martyrs who laid their lives on the soil of Bangladesh to achieve their demands Hail the militant student movement of Bangladesh

 

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA 

(MAOIST)

Central Committee

Press Release

Updated 31st August, 2024

Red Salutes to the Martyrs who laid their lives on the soil of Bangladesh to achieve their demands

Hail the militant student movement of Bangladesh

That toppled down the Fascist Hasina’s Awami League Government

Not the change of the government but the overthrowing of the exploitative system is the only solution

Oppose the communalization of the movement by the Brahmanic Hindutva RSS-BJP of India

The Central Committee of CPI (Maoist), PLGA and Revolutionary People's Committees pays its revolutionary homage to all those more than 560 brave and militant students and all other agitators of Bangladesh who laid down their lives for a democratic and a progressive nine-points demands and at the same time fighting to topple the fascist-Awami League Hasina's government. The people of Bangladesh, especially the students and youths have outrightly sent a message to all oppressive and exploitative ruling classes of the world that all repression of the ruling classes will be met with united and strong democratic mass movement. The student movement which began as a movement for quota reform, with blink of an eye turned into a movement adhering to political demand: “Hasina must step down and she must be punished”.

In the month of July, the High Court of Bangladesh passed a judgement to reinstall the 30 percent quota for the families of the freedom fighters in government jobs. On July 16, the students from various universities called the judgement as unfair and even against the constitution of Bangladesh. Hence, in every university and college in Bangladesh, students started getting organized and began agitations against the 30 percent quota for the Mukti-Bandho families (freedom fighters). The leader of Awami League and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheik Hasina called the students protesting against the prevailing quota system, “children of the razakars”. The repressive state apparatus of Bangladesh, the Police, fascist student wing of the Awami league Party/main ruling class party, the Bangladesh Chatra League, started hounding, attacking and killing the protesting students, both in the broad day light and in the darkness of night.

To crush the movement at lightning speed, Hasina’s government deployed the BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) a Para-military force in a big scale. In just four days, the fascist state paramilitary and police and goons killed over 100 students and soaked the soil of Bangladesh with youth’s blood. At last, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh gave the judgement in support of the students' movement. This victory pushed them a step forward and movement took a justifiable slogan that the Prime Minister must be punished for her innumerous crimes against the people and nation.

As per the latest information, the government of Bangladesh and its repressive forces has killed more than 400 students. The death-toll is absolutely higher as the information about the massacres is strictly manipulated by the ruling classes and its agencies, including media. In spite of brutal repression and worthful sacrifices, the people of Bangladesh especially the youth and students of that nation advanced their movement to achieve their just demands. The present massacres were committed by the Party that played a formidable role in the liberation movement of Bangladesh in 1960s.

But over the time, Awami League became the Party of the ruling classes- landlords, comprador bureaucratic bourgeoisie with the backing of various imperialist forces, and the daughter of the leader of that movement Shaik Hasina ruling the country as a Prime Minister like a dictator. Since Brahmanical Hindutva Fascist RSS-BJP government came into power in India, the Awami League Party of Bangladesh implemented the Indain expansionist policies and the LPG policies of imperialists with full force. Under the direction of Indian government, Hasina and her military forces ruthlessly purged the leaders and cadres of North-East Nationalities liberation struggles, who harbored that land for their just activities against Indian Expansionism.

Our Party is of the view that the pathetic socio-economic conditions prevailing in Bangladesh are due to exploitative and oppressive policies of the comprador ruling classes. Serving the interests of imperialism and Indian expansionisn, CBB and Big Landlord classes of Bangladesh and fascist rule of Hasina Government are the main reasons behind the outburst of the militant student movement in the form of reforming the quota system. The 40 percent of the population in Bangladesh are involved in the agricultural sector but the agriculture contributes a mere 11 percent of the GDP. According to bourgeois economists during 'Iron lady' Hasina's consecutive 15 years rule, Bangladesh has seen 'impressive' economy growth and millions of people were brought out from the poverty. But the reality is that this growth is jobless one and the talk about lifting millions of people from poverty is far away from the facts. Still Bangladesh is in turmoil of unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and many other. The present ongoing movement is the living example of the crisis that is existing in that country.

This states the crisis that has hampered the growth of agriculture like all semi-colonial and semi-feudal countries. It is a well-known fact that Bangladesh is the biggest exporter of garments in the world. But the working-conditions of the garment workers in Bangladesh is much worse than in sweat-shops. The real wages of the working class barely keep them alive to reproduce their labour-power. The unemployment has surged to 3.5 percent and this data comes from the government agency -Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). A total of 59.80 million people was employed in the informal sector in the year 2022, as stated by BBS. Bangladesh pays some of the lowest wages in the world and is in the top 10 nations in terms of repressive labor laws. The inflation has reached 10 per cent and prices of basic commodities have nearly doubled during the past few years. The currency of Bangladesh 'Taka' has depreciated by 30 percent.

Inequality and concentration of wealth has surged too, mainly after the ‘Pandemic crisis’ like in India. The nations' 10 percent billionaires control 41 percent of the wealth. The tax to GDP ratio is continuously declining in Bangladesh and the landlords and CBB in Bangladesh are being given enormous tax-concessions. The students and the youth from the working-class background and middle class, aspiring for government jobs are struggling to get jobs. Most of the government jobs are being accumulated by the ruling classes' power blocs of Awami League in the name of 30 percent quota for the freedom fighters’ families. To cover its failure and delegitimize the student’s movement, which has turned into a broad people’s movement, the ruling classes in Bangladesh and in India are giving a communal angle; of course, there may be some forces in it to cash the movement for their power thirst, but that in no way changes the essence of the movement which is democratic and anti-fascist. Hence CPI (Maoist) vehemently opposes this divisive and communal approach of the Indian and Bangladesh ruling classes to hide and divert the real scenario of real issues of that country.

CPI (Maoist) condemns the dual stand of the Indian state. The Indian Government openly said that the issue is internal of that country but has received main culprit from the backdoor and provided shelter to Sheik Hasina. Our Party demands to send back that dictator to Bangladesh. Already many neighboring countries of India have developed strain relations with the Indian government due to its expansionist and pro- US imperialist polices. The inter-imperialist contradictions are intensifying in this region to dominate it.

It is crystal clear that the role of Indian government and the Soviet Social Imperialists in the 1960’s Bangla liberation movement. The people did lot of sacrifices in it but could not achieve real freedom and democracy with that movement. The present movement reflects the broad masses aspirations for not only real freedom and democracy but also against the loot and plunder of exploitative rule and their wishes to come out from the clutches of all socio-economic-political problems. The dictator Prime Minister panicked with unity of the people and the militancy and courage of the all agitators of that movement and resigned from her post and hand over the power to the Military and fled away to India. At the same time, the military which has permitted a dictator to escape has come into the fore front and took the power of the country. The movement did not accept the military rule and demanded forcefully for a civil government.

The movement went to such a militant level that the protesting masses burned down 450 police stations out of total 600 police stations in Bangladesh and seized the arms from those police stations with Vikalpo Aami slogan. But the regime change is not the ultimate solution for the people’s demands. Whether it is Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jamiaat, all are the agents of the ruling classes. The indications of the interim government of Noble laureate and who is well known as a leech of the people, Mohammad Yunus, which was brought in to power by the military is showing that it wants to stop the movement and implement the imperialists policies in a new form.

The people of Bangladesh through revolutionary movements, by smashing the old state machinery and by creating a new people's state, they can take a breath a live of dignity and self-respect and free from the loot and plunder of domestic and foreign enemies. Our Party and the revolutionary masses of India and the world firmly believe that the people of Bangladesh will not let the blood of their comrades go in vain.

Let us remember this by heart “What is life but marching together shoulder to shoulder flying our flag, what is life but a fist raised high in righteous resistance”. At the same time our Party is fully confident that the real vanguard of proletarian of Bangladesh will be in the forefront in this heroic movement to unite the broad masses in the direction to build the new people's power.

So, our Party appeals to all the working-class vanguard parties to unite against all the imperialist forces and the Indian CBB and its expansionism especially in South Asia. It is the need of the hour to unite the people and organizations and forces to fight against Indian state expansionism, imperialism and reactionary ruling classes including communal forces in South Asia for the establishment of real national independence and sovereignty, genuine democracy and self- reliance, progress and peace, fraternity and mutual cooperation in the South Asia which also serve the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal movements and working class movements all over the world. It is the need of the hour to be in front and lead all the democratic and revolutionary movements in respective countries by the Maoist Parties and forces in South Asia. Vikalpo Aami (We are the alternative), advance with this slogan, we are with you.

Abhay

Spokesperson

Central Committee