WORLD SOCIALIST PARTY (INDIA)

257 Baghajatin ‘E’ Block (East), Kolkata – 700086

Tel: 2425-0208 / 7378 (ISD: 091, STD: 033)

E-mail: wspindia@hotmail.com; Website: http://www.worldsocialistpartyindia.org

 

MINUTES OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING NO. 155

Head Office, Sunday, September 6, 2015: Called to order: 6:20 PM

 

Present (EC Members): Harisadhan Ghosh, Binay Sarkar, Pradip Singha, Sumitra Mondal

Absent: Biswarup Chaudhury (work), Dipak Bhattacharya (illness)

 

Attendees: Raghunarayan Chaudhury, Dipankar Roy

 

Election: Chairperson: Sumitra Mondal on motion of Binay Sarkar and Harisadhan Ghosh; Minutes Writer: Pradip Singha

 

EC Minutes No. 154 was read and confirmed on motion of Binay Sarkar and Harisadhan Ghosh.

 

Membership Application: None

 

Correspondence: Please note that any comments in square brackets “[]” are comments from the General Secretary.

Inward:

– SPC Newsletter via email – 01/09/2015

– Sher Singh sent his journal Faridabad Majdoor Samachar of July and August 2015 issues.

– Subhojyoti Ghosh called on B. Sarkar (21/08/2015) over phone and in the course of conversation expressed his intention to rejoin the party.

– Narendra Singh is going on extending support to B. Sarkar’s posts in the facebook timelines.

– Santanu Halder is supporting our facebook posts.

– Avtar. S. Pabla (24 Harold Road, Coventry, England, CV25LG): hand-written letter (24^th August 2015) highly appreciating the (1) Manifesto of the World Socialist Party (india), (2) B. Sarkar’s speech at the SPGB 1996 Summer School Birmingham and the Socialist Standard articles – (1) The rise and decline of CAPITALISM [October 2014] and (2) ‘Bandh’strikes: not the answer [June 2015]. Owing to his “poor health” and old age (84 years) and having no “no wife, no children” to inherit his belongings, he has sought B. Sarkar’s advice as to his wish to donate all his “personal financial assets” to the “Socialist Standard”. In reply (2 September 2015) B. Sarkar has agreed with him to his proposal. A transcription of comrade Pabla’s letter and B. Sarkar’s reply is being emailed to the SPGB for perusal.

– Gargi Sengupta – (Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science, Chapra Bangaljhi Mahavidyalaya, Nadia, West Bengal, Pin – 741123; Home address: Vill – Hatishala (North), PO – Dignagar, Dist – Nadia, Pin – 741401, India; Email – gargi.polsc@rediffmail.com): B. Sarkar (also on being prompted by comrade Adam Buick giving a net link) has read Professor Gargi Sengupta’s article – RELEVANCE OF MARX published in the Statesman on Saturday 22 August 2015. Subsequently, he has written a review and sent the same to Prof. Sengupta and emailed to the Statesman Editor for publication. The Statesman didn’t publish it for reason better known to its editor. However, just on receipt of it at her college (31/08/2015) Prof. Sengupta called on B. Sarkar acknowledging receipt and appreciating the review and asked for an appointment to meet. Accordingly, she and her husband Gobinda Biswas (a High School teacher) visited our HO on 6^th September 2015. The discussion (11:00 AM to 2:00 PM) covered our basics, Marxism, Leninism and Leftism. Comrade Biswarup Chaudhury also took part in the discourse. Being convinced they received a bulk of our literature including copies of the Socialist Standard, our books and two copies of our party Membership Application forms. They will attend our October EC meeting to submit their forms in order to join us. Prof. Sengupta has handed over to us a complimentary copy of her college journal ATHENA (a Bi-lingual Research Journal of which she is the Editor).

– Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya has submitted his resignation from party membership via email (05/09/2015).

Outbound: Responses as required to incoming correspondence.

MSC: To receive and file incoming and to endorse outgoing correspondence.

 

Matters Arising:

MSC: Since Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya’s letter contains his egotistic and malevolent allegations against our General Secretary, it is resolved that Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya has to write in details of the occasions – “fifth time at the least” – “quite a few times”– wherein he was “criticized” and “suffocated & insulted” as he claims – giving wherefore and in what manner; the matter will be taken up in a future meeting only after receiving his reply as such.

 

To mention just one occasion, as Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya himself reported in our Sunday Discussion meeting of 19^th April 2015 , in the election of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on 18^th April 2015, he voted for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate. This boils down to gross violation of our of our party’s principle and policy in this regard. Yet, considering his theoretical deficiency and ill health he was not even questioned why. Our GS simply showed him our Party and Movement’s Declaration of Principles No. 7 that reads:

“That as all political parties are but the expression of class interests, and the interest of the working class is diametrically opposed to the interests of all sections of the master class, the party seeking working class emancipation must be hostile to every other party.”

Also note that in his Membership Application form he declared and signified (26-01-2013):

“I, the undersigned, having read and understood the Manifesto of the World Socialist Party (India) and Rules and being in agreement with them accept Object and Declaration of Principles and policies, and accordingly submit my application for membership.”

 

Reports of Executives and Committees

– B. Sarkar reported that United Bank of India Ganguli Bagan Branch Manager has agreed to open our savings bank account without registration

 

Advancement of the Movement:

 

[B,Sarkar, G. Paramanik, and P. Singha are going on posting and interacting on Facebook timelines of all “friends”. Harisadhan Ghosh is writing letters and articles in Bengali which are being published in various Kolkata based Bengali dailies. Biswarup Chaudhuri is collecting party fund from sympathizers using receipts inscribing our Object and Declaration of Principles overleaf for campaign.]

 

The World Socialist Party (India)_Discussion Forum and the website: http://www.worldsocialistpartyindia.org are attracting new contacts.

Facebook: Forum membership till now stands at 1,926

Sunday Discussion: Every Sunday in the evening we meet to read and discuss Marxian Economics and other selected subjects.

Literature: Party literature distribution is going on

Socialist Standard: June and August & September 2015 packets arrived

Unfinished Business: None

New Business: AUTUMN SCHOOL & MEMBERSHIP MEETING 2015 will be held at our Head Office on Saturday, 31^st October and Sunday,1^st November 2015 from 11 AM to 2 PM.

 

Financial Report:

 

To open a Savings Bank Account

– Motion: moved by Binay Sarkar, seconded by Harisadhan Ghosh and carried unanimously:

 

Resolved that a Savings Bank Account be opened forthwith in the name of the WORLD SOCIALIST PARTY (INDIA) at the United Bank of India, Ganguli Bagan Branch, 84, 1, Raja Subodh Chandra Mullik Rd, Ganguly Bagan, Kolkata, West Bengal 700047, to be operated jointly by the General Secretary and the Treasurer (either or survivor).

Note: Presently elected: 1) General Secretary – Binay Sarkar and 2) Treasure – Pradip Singha

 

Collection of Dues:

Financial Report: August 2015: (Rupees)

Income: 870.00

Expenditure: 5,278.00

Deficit: 4,408.00

Deficit BF: 11,261.00

Net Deficit: 15,669.00

Membership Subscription & Donation: Included in “Income” above.

MSC: To accept the financial report and to receive donations with thanks.

Next EC Meeting: Head Office, Sunday, October 4, 2015, 11 AM

Meeting Adjourned at 8:00 PM.