WSP (India) EC Meeting Minutes Jan 2015

[Socialist Party Head Office]

 

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. 147

Head Office, Sunday, January 4, 2015: Called to order: 7:25 PM

 

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

Absent: Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya, Biswarup Chaudhuri

Attendee: None

Election: Chairperson: Sumitra Mondal – moved Binay Sarkar, seconded Harisadhan Ghosh; Minutes Writer: Pradip Singha

EC Minutes No. 146 was read and confirmed on motion of Pradip Singha and Harisadhan Ghosh

Membership Application: None

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

Inward:

– Sher Singh (Faridabad – Kammunistkranti group) – a ballad against work 2 – 03-01-2015 – http://faridabadmajdoorsamachar.blogspot.com/

 

– Binay Sarkar replied:

“Thanks. However, we are not "against work"; we are against labour – the buying and selling of labour power.”
 

– Alan Johnstone wrote (13-12-2014):

“I wonder if i could have the views of the WSP(I) on caste, dalits and adivasis, and the relationship with class. 

“For such an important issue in India and directly affecting hundreds of millions, i am a little surprised at the lack of Marxist analysis available on the WSM websites.”

 

– Binay Sarkar replied (14-12-2014):

“Thank you for your suggestion. 
“Yes! we should state our position on this question. However, I had long ago done it; I should let you know that I had written a pamphlet length article in Bengali on racism and casteism – NOT CASTEISM, BUT CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS – exposing in depth the historical origin, evolution and consequences of the issues (race, religion, caste, sex etc.) in 1988 Autumn. It was published in the LAL PATAKA (the then Bengali journal of the IBRP in India). Then onwards we have been going on using this text in our campaigns (with still remaining copies of the journal at our archive).
“Anyway, in compliance with your demand I'll translate it into English for our Website as well as for the Socialist Standard. But, one thing, I doubt, if the article could be accommodated in the Standards. Moreover, it will take some time to be accomplished. We'll discuss the matter this evening (Sunday Discussion Meeting).”

 

– On 18-12-2014 Binay Sarkar wrote: “Here's a chapter Sen Looks East which deals with the historical evolution of casteism in India. Have you seen it?

Looking forward to your comment,”

[See: A Socialist Critique of the BBC, Albert Einstein, Amartya Sen and Muhammad Yunus]

Link: http://worldsocialistpartyindia.org/8.pdf
 

– On 02 January 2015 Alan Johnstone has sent:

“I'm thinking of using this attached article on the blog or perhaps as the basis of a Socialist Standard article but thought i should run it pass you first for your comments and advice. 

 

“An earlier blog post on caste/hinduism can be read here. [see bottom of email]

SOCIALISM OR YOUR MONEY BACK: Sunday Sermon – Casting out caste

And another related articles on India themes here if you never had the opportunity to read them

http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2014/03/we-claim-world.html

http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-rich-rule-india.html

  http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2013/09/happy-onam.html

http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2012/12/rape-in-india.html

http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2012/02/disabled-and-discarded.html

 SOCIALISM OR YOUR MONEY BACK: Work And Death In The World's Largest Democracy

  

I posted your article on the SOYMB blog if you didn't spot it.

http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2014/12/professor-sen-looks-east.html”

 

– Binay Sarkar replied (02 January 2015):

“Thanks for the article and the links. I'm downloading and getting prints. We'll read them in our Sunday Discussion Meetings and make use of them as necessary. In this connection I'd like to let you know that I'm translating and shortening our 1988 LAL PATAKA article from Bengali into English (long and very tough!). I intend to send it to you as and when I finish with the task.”

 

Outbound: Responses as required to incoming correspondence.

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

 

Matters Arising:

MSC: That we wait for the SPGB EC’s suggestion and Gorachand Paramanik’s further action about his membership transfer from the SPGB to the WSP(I) .

Reports of Executives and Committees

Advancement of the Movement:

[B,Sarkar, D. Bhattacharya and P. Singha are regularly posting and interacting on facebook timelines of all “friends”. Harisadhan Ghosh is regularly (every week) writing letters and articles in Bengali which are being published in various Kolkata based Bengali dailies.]

The party website: http://www.worldsocialistpartyindia.org is attracting contacts.

Facebook: The World Socialist Party (India)_Discussion Forum membership till now stands at 1,524

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 December ’14 packets arrived.

Unfinished Business: None

 

New Business:

SPRING SCHOOL & TWENTY FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2015. 28^th February & 1^st March 2015

SPRING SCHOOL: 28 February, Saturday, 2PM – 8 PM (with breaks):

Subject: Marxism and the caste question in India: Speaker: B. Sarkar

ANNUAL CONFERENCE: 1 March, Sunday:

Session – I: 2PM – 4 PM:

Discussion

Session – II: 5 PM – 8 PM: Membership, Publication and Campaign

 

Financial Report:

[We are yet to open a new bank account]

Collection of Dues:

Financial Report: December 2014: (Rupees)

Income: 320.00

Expenditure: 688.00

Deficit: 368.00

Deficit BF: 13,186.00

Net Deficit: 13,186.00

[SBI S/B A/C: has been closed by the bank. Rs 2,607.34 are to be realized from the bank via a new Current Account that requires a PAN number. However, in the mean time we’ve received a PAN card with insufficient entry. So our new account has to be opened after we get our PAN card corrected]

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, February 1, 2015, 5:00 PM.

Meeting Adjourned at 8:30 PM.

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