Ren Zhiqiang was not arrested for ‘anti-communism’

By Raymond Tyler posted on October 2, 2020

When influential, former property executive Ren Zhiqiang was given an 18-year sentence in China, the Western media were quick to label his imprisonment as due to alleged “anti-communist” activity. The Washington Post, CNN, the Guardian, and the New York Times parroted the same message: that Zhiqiang was imprisoned for being an “outspoken” critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC).

Their claim is that Zhiqiang was detained for publishing a critique of China’s response to COVID. This accusation is unfounded by the evidence generally available.

The logic of the Western media’s accusation can be summarized as follows: “If Ren Zhiqiang critiqued the CPC and was later sentenced, he must have been imprisoned for his critique of the CPC.” There’s a problem with this narrative. The charges brought against him were for embezzlement of an equivalent of $16.3 million in public funds. The accusation of embezzlement has not been disputed, and there is no evidence to suggest that the charges were anything else. Zhiqiang confessed to these charges. (tinyurl.com/yyswjrgd)

All the media outlets mention the charges of embezzlement, and even mention that Zhiqiang confessed, yet the lens of the Western media has distorted and excluded facts surrounding this case, leading to the narrative of him being a “political prisoner.”

The information that the public currently has about this case does not suggest corruption. What we do know is that the Western media have not let up on polemical attacks against China. If they give China any credit for successfully containing the outbreak of COVID-19, the credit is met with a disclaimer of other “draconian lockdowns” and “dictatorship.”

In the U.S. bourgeois media’s eyes every country with different systems and values is a “dictatorship,” even if those countries democratically elect their leaders. By contrast, the U.S. and its allies can sic their police on Black communities and protesters and not be considered authoritarian.

The standard for being labeled an authoritarian dictatorship is arbitrary and self-justifying. Any state that is labeled as a dictatorship is subject to endless attacks, sanctions and criminal charges against citizens in one of those “dictatorships,” which must, because of corruption and repression, therefore be “illegitimate.” Journalists may or may not be conscious of their xenophobic bias towards other nations with different systems. Yet in most cases their editors are.

The fact is that countries building socialism have done far better handling COVID-19. China was hit first and somehow managed to come out of this with under 10,000 deaths. The U.S. government, which was expressly warned about this virus and had time to prepare, has racked up over 204,000 deaths. (CNN, Sept. 22)

The Western media, with their anti-communist bias, cannot fathom how the richest country in the world – the United States – could do so poorly while socialist countries, labeled as “dictatorships,” have done so well. Ren Zhiqiang is the chosen martyr of truth. According to media narrative, he had the spine to speak out about COVID-19 in China. This attack and false narrative against the CPC serves one purpose: to dehumanize, ostracize and attack a nation that is wrongfully feared in this country. (Courtesy: Workers World)

CPI seminar to pay homage to Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha

Criticized Communal and obscurantist policies of BJP 

Ludhiana: 16th November 2019: (The Comrade Screen Bureau)::

It is time to strengthen the struggle against the communal and obscurantist forces and to save our constitution. In a seminar organised by the Communist Party of India District Ludhiana unit to pay homage to Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, Com. Charan Singh Sarabha, an educationist and former General Secretary of the Government School Teachers Union Punjab, said that Kartar Singh Sarabha laid down his life at a very tender age. He fought against the British  imperialism  relentlessly and did not bow down to their atrocities or diktats. He was part of the Ghadar movement with aim to throw the British imperial power and to build an India which is secular, democratic and a society based on justice and equality. They preached freedom of all religious beliefs, end to discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, religion, gender and financial status. It is unfortunate that their dreams have not been fulfilled even after seventy two years of independence. The spirit of constitution is being flouted. Right to freedom of expression is being curbed in a very subtle way. Those disagreeing are being labeled as anti national or are being eliminated. Silence by the Prime Minister on mob lynching amounts to tacit support to such heinous crime. Rights of the states are being curbed. Abrogation of article 370 in J & K and converting it into Union territory is a clear example. They are out to create Jingoism to garner votes.

D P Maur – district secretary said that economic situation is very grave. India's rank is 102 out of 117 countries in the hunger indexThe GDP which was expected to be at 9% has now fallen to 4.2%. After demonetization and the way GST was implemented there is rampant joblessness which has reduced the purchasing power of the people. The crisis is obvious from the very fact that the government has taken 1.76 lakh crores from the reserves of the RBI. The corporate sector has been given a concession of Rs.1.46 lakh crores in the income tax whereas the ordinary people have to pay high indirect taxes. Dr Arun Mitra assistant secretary said that there is design to push society into backward situation by spreading completely unscientific ideas and are propagating obscurantism like the use of ‘Gau Mutra’. The very talk of putting head of elephant on human body in the ancient India is totally unscientific and a sinister design to keep the society backward.  Such forces need to be fought back relentlessly he said. Others who addressed include Com Ramesh Rattan, CPI National Council member Guzar Goria, Chamkaur singh, Maninder Singh Bhatia Gurnam Singh Sidhu, Avtar Chibber, Ranjt Singh, Kewal Singh Banwait. The seminar was presided over by Comrades Gurnam Gill and Gurnam Sidhu. Young student leader of AISF Kartika recited a poem on present situation. Seminar demanded that ideals of Shaheed Kartar Sngh Sarabha and Ghadar movement should be part of syllabus all over the country. Earlier the party leaders garlanded the statue of Shaeed Kartar Singh Sarabha.

AITUC meet at Ludhiana: A grand success

Com Gurudas Das Gupta, MP Calls upon the workers
Lead the fight against policies of the govt.
AITUC meet described the policies as Anti people & pro-corporate 

The UPA-II Govt. is increasingly working in the interest of big corporate business houses of India and the international cartels undermining the national interest. Latest decisions of the Govt. are enough indicators of the rightist shift in the policies detrimental to Indian growth and progress based on justice and equality. These are against the basic spirit of the Indian constitution which speaks of justice and equality as its mainstay.  The Govt. is more inclined to respond to the demands of the international finance capital and the MNCs while hitting the common man hard, even denying them basic amenities like food, shelter, health and education.  Therefore there is an urgent need for the working people to unite in strength to lead the struggle against these policies so as to meet the goal of sustainable development in the interest of all the people of the country. This was stated by Com. Gurudas Das Gupta, Member Parliament and General Secretary All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) while addressing the 19th State Conference of AITUC at Punjabi Bhawan Ludhiana today. On that score, the job insecurity and the job losses on the one hand and increased trends of contractorization and outsourcing,  contractualisation and casualisation of labour on the other hand is norm of the day. There is attack on unionization itself and pressure on existing unions to suppress and intimidate them to contain their activities. Bringing in FDI in retail trade is a virtual sale out of small business to the foreign companies. It will be big blow to more than 4 crore small traders, shopkeepers, marginal and poor farmers, other small producers of goods in home based and small scale industries etc. Recent announcement of 100% FDI in Telecom and raising of FDI limit in oil sector would further lead to perpetuate the economic crisis.  The government has been responsible for unprecedented rise in corruption at higher places with loss to national revenue and denial of rightful share of common people in the wealth being produced in the country. He further deplored that accumulation of wealth in the hands of few, whereas the vast majority is suffering under acute poverty and unemployment. The latest reports have indicated that 100 top rich families own assets to the tune of 16 lakh crores of rupees whereas 70% Indians are forced to live on meager spending of Rs.16.60 paise per day. With the policies being pursued will further hasten these gaps. 

He said, the govt. continues to act in ruthless manner against the common people and the response to people’s agitations by the Prime minister and some of his ministers are arrogant to the core.  The government’s announcement that only 21.9% of the population lives below poverty line is a shear mockery. How can anyone earning Rs.33.00 per day is above poverty line he asked. In this background he said, the trade unions have come out with their strategies to fight the attacks of government on working people. The successful two days strike by all the Central Trade Unions on 20-21 February,in which independent federations, associations and other independent trade unions also participated, first ever such action in the independent India have shown the unity among the working class and is a big challenge before the government.
Com Amarjeet Kaur – National  Secretary AITUC in her speech said that the workers charter of demands includes seeking check on price rise of essential commodities, end to labour law violations, for social security and pension to all workers, abolition of any ceiling on Provident Fund, gratuity and bonus, abolition of contract labour, steady regularization of them and equal pay for equal work, no disinvestment of public sector/ govt. sector enterprises and resources, national minimum wage to be raised to not less that Rs. 10,000, universal entitlement of maternity benefit to working women etc.

Comrade D L Sachdev in his greetings  called upon the unions to prepare for the next round of proposed joint agitations which includes campaign on demands at grass root level to be followed by massive rallies in the state capitals on 25th September and then a march to parliament on 12th December to be adopted in a joint national convention of Trade Unions to be held on 6th August 2013 at New Delhi.
Addressing the conference Com Bant Singh Brar – President and Com Nirmal Dhaliwal - General Secretary of Punjab unit of AITUC said that the state govt. of Punjab is not following a different course as regards the economic policies in general are concerned. Rather it has been taking anti labour and anti farmer measures more aggressively.  There is increase in the unemployment and due to contractualisation of jobs the real wages of the workers in the state have come down. The workers protests are being crushed by using the police force. AITUC will resist all this.
The conference began with hoisting of AITUC flag by veteran trade unionist Com O P Mehta.
The conference was attended by over 250 delegates from various sections from different parts of the state. The conference elected Com Bant Singh Brar as president and Com Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal  as general secretary. It also elected a  working committee to run the affairs for the coming period.
Earlier Dr.Arun Mitra – Chairman Reception Committee welcomed the delegates.  A reception committee with Dr Arun Mitra as Chairman, Com O P Mehta as President and Com D P Maur as General Secretary worked day and night to make the event successful.
Today’s conference was attended by the elected delegates of various organisations of workers and employees from all over the Punjab. They included workers from different industries, Hosiery, Textile, Construction, Roadways, PRTC, Corporations, BSNL, Banks, Power sector, FCI Palledar, University, PSSF, Govt. Class 4 employees, Khet Mazdoor, MANREGA Workers, ASHA workers Anganwadi workers and other unorganized sector.

Com Gurudas Das Gupta, MP Calls upon the workers

AITUC again exposed the anti peoples policies of UPA-2

Six day workshop on cooperatives in agriculture

Mon, Mar 18, 2013 at 12:16 AM

Comrade A.B. Bardhan will give his opening remarks

Dear All

Joshi-Adhkari Institute of Social Studies invites you to attend the inaugural session of a six day workshop on "National and International experiences of Cooperatives in Agriculture." The workshop is being organized as a follow up of a primary survey of marginal farmers conducted by the institute in eight states of India. The purpose of the workshop is to discuss the possible role of cooperatives in bringing about a change in agrarian relations.

In the inaugural session veteran Communist leader A.B. Bardhan will give his opening remarks and the eminent economist Prof. Prabhat Patnaik will deliver the key note address on "Necessity of Cooperatives in the alternative development paradigm."

The workshop will begin with an analysis of agrarian crisis, a discussion on the question of land and water, and the necessity and feasibility of small farmers' collectives. This will be followed by a three day long detailed review of Indian experience of service and production cooperatives in agriculture and allied sector. In the next three days, experts from other countries would share experiences of their respective countries. The countries chosen for reviewing the international experiences are Spain from Europe, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Africa from Africa, and China, Vietnam and Nepal from Asia, and Venezuela and Cuba from Latin America.

Academics, scholars, and activists working in rural areas are coming to participate in the workshop. The participants are supposed to stay for the entire period of the workshop and think about the potential of cooperative structures to fight against agrarian crisis. The sessions will be interactive and followed by cultural programmes in some evenings.

Please do come.

Time               :           10.00 am to 12.30 am

Date                :           18^th March 2013, Monday.

Venue             :           Hindi Bhawan, 11, Rauz Avenue, On ITO-Bal Bhawan Road, Delhi.

Ajay Patnaik, Vineet Tiwari

Contact: 9811588100, 9818175205