Monthly Organ of All India Bank Employees Association web site: www.bankflag.in VOL XXVI No. 01 January 2021 16 Pages
Bankflag Salutes Netaji Subhas on hisChandra 125th BirthdayBose 23 January, 2021
Founder Editor ‑ in ‑ Chief : Late Tarakeswar Chakrabor Editorial Board : Kamal Bha acharyya, Rajen Nagar, C.H. Venkatachalam, Sonali Biswas BANK FLAG J01 ANUARY 2021 EDITORIAL here have been several writeups about the state of economy of our country. Majority opined that the downhill of India's economy started from the ill conceived idea of demonetisation. Owing to the illadvised policy of demonetisation several segments T of economy were hit hard and many had to close their doors. The economy survey tabled in the Contents Parliament does not paint a picture of revival. Jobs lost during pandemic may not been retrieved soon. Editorial 02 Millions lost their jobs. Worst hit were the migrant General Secretary's Desk 03 workers. Government had shown scant regard to the Organisa onal News lives of the unfortunate workers. Multiple agencies Le er to PM on administra on of have said India lost a third of its whitecollar jobs in the Covid vaccine to bank employees 04 four months, May to August. 59 lakh jobs were lost Jt le er by UFBU on 11BPS to RRBs 05 during this period. Demand on consumption is not increasing. Weakness in demand is resulting to lower Jungle law in MUFG bank 05 investment. Several economists have favoured more On farmers' Struggle public spending on social welfare and infrastructure to Solidarity to the Farmers' Agita on 07 promote economic growth and had also suggested News & Views on Banking transferring money to poor. Kerala bank employees' union oppse CSB' s plan to offer VRS to award staff 08 The political philosophy of the Central Government is On Na onal Economy privatisation. There is no full stop in this area. After Plunging Down merger of major nationalised banks Government is ‑ Prof. Prabhat Patnaik 08 now mulling to implement P. J. Naik committee's Obituary recommendations to establish Bank Investment Com Suryakant Mahadik 10 Company. The new entity would serve as a holding Company for Public Sector Banks. Matters of AIBEA App administration to business would be its domain Launching of ChatBot 11 including raising of capital. Market is abuzz with the Viewpoint news that some public sector banks are likely to be World is facing pandemic of privatised. Government is talking about Atmanirbhar authoritarianism: Amartya Sen 11 Bharat. Is it possible without a self reliant economy.? EPÚFÛF¶F Can there be a self reliant economy without financial õFk;F*ÎF 15 system not being under the control of the =+PæF¶FF Government! ;F¡FáF 15 - ÛF]ùÛÛF¼ ¡FÎFU×+ EFkõFFÞU ;FF¡FU Farmers are back to the agitation demanding' Repeal farm laws'. “ “
BANK FLAG J02 ANUARY 2021 GENERAL SECRETARY’S DESK
Await Budget – Await Reforms – Await Struggles he year that has rolled out has given us enough indication of what is in store for us in the days to come. The whole world has been reeling under the covid19 pandemic. More than 80 million people were affected in various countries. Our country was also seriously affected. About 10 million people were affected by the virus. We lost about 150,000 people due to this pandemic. The common people, the poor people, the marginal sections were the worst affected. Workers were the worst hit. Migrant workers suffered the most. But like Nero, the Government was busy in doling out concessions to the corporates and big business. T The economy is in virtual shambles. GDP has crumbled. Everyone knows that what is required now is consumption boosting and demand boosting measures. But Government is busy is heaping huge benefits to the supply side that is to the industrialists. We also observe that the Government is keen to expand the areas of privatisation and private investment including the FDIs. Every sector of PSU is the target for privatisation. Government's strategy is no longer hidden. Hence we can expect further announcements in the budget towards selling away our public sector undertakings. The Government's approach is very clear in their dealing with the agitation by the farmers. It is no secret as to why the Government wants to persist with the new farm laws. The Government is ready to surrender the agriculture sector to the corporate greed. Hence, we can no longer remain a spectator. Time has come for the trade unions to join their struggle through struggles and strike actions. Then we see the adamancy of the Government in relation to labour codes and their continuous attempts to make concessions to the employers. By forcing the amendments in labour laws and making them into labour codes, many important rights have been taken away from the trade union movement. More attacks are on the cards. Talking of banking industry, we all know what the Government wants. They did mergers and we see thousands of branches disappearing now. They are now talking of privatisation of banks. We have seen how the Lakshmi Vilas Bank has been generously donated to the Singapore Bank, DBS. Catholic Syrian Bank is now dominated by the canadian investor. They have no will to pressurise the corporate defaulters to recover the huge bad loans but they have the large heart to write off loans in their favour. More decisions will be announced in the Budget. Await Budget, await more reforms, await further struggles.
C.H. Venkatachalam BANK FLAG J03 ANUARY 2021 ORGANISATIONAL NEWS
employees have been working in the Bank Letter to Hon'ble PM on branches without any interruption all these months Administration of COVID19 braving all odds, risks and challenges.They have Vaccine to Bank Employees truly worked as Covid Warriors and it is sad to [We reproduce hereunder AIBEA's letter dated 8/12021] record that many bank employees and officers became a victim of this infection and have lost their To precious lives in discharge of their duties. Similarly many bank staff got infected and managed to get Shri Narendra Modi out of it back to normal health. Even now bank Hon. Prime Minister employees are working under such threatening Government of India, New Delhi circumstances.
Bank employees have extended their continuous Respected Sir, services to the people during the entire pandemic period. Buses did not ply. Trains did not run. Flights did not take off. Normal life of the people came to R E G : A D M I N S T R A T I O N O F C O V I D virtual halt. But Bank Branches, right from the VACCINATION – REPRESENTATION FOR metropolitan to the small hamlets, remained open INCLUSION OF BANK EMPLOYEES IN THE to serve the people our country. We are proud that PRIORITISED CATEGORY. bank employees covered themselves with glory with their sense of duty during these risky times.
We are very happy that these commendable After all the traumatic experience the country and services were duly taken note of by the people have gone through in the last 8 to 9 months, Government when their services came in for high there is a sigh of relief to hear that the vaccine is appreciation by your goodselves as well as by our getting ready. There are reports that the respected Finance Minister. Government would commence the administration of the Covid vaccination on certain priority basis to Hence this representation to you to include bank various categories of people who are more employees and officers under the prioritised vulnerable for the infection. category along with other Covid warriors for the purpose of vaccination. It is reported that the Expert Panel with the Health Ministry has recommended that the COVID19 Thanking you, Sir, vaccine is to be distributed first in three groups – health care workers would be the top priority, followed by frontline workers that include the Yours faithfully, police, armed forces and disaster management Sd/ volunteers, and lastly, people above the age of 50 years and those with co morbidities. C.H.VENKATACHALAM GENERAL SECRETARY The Government is well aware that bank
BANK FLAG J04 ANUARY 2021 Joint Letter by UFBU for C H Venkatachalam S K Bandlish Implementation of 11BPS to Gen. Secretary Gen. Secretary Regional Rural Banks AIBEA NCBE [We reproduce hereunder the letter issued on 4 January, 2021 by AIBEA, NCBE, NOBW & INBEF on Upendrakumar O P Sharma the above subject] Gen. Secretary Gen. Secretary NOBW INBEF
To
Shri Debasish Panda, Jungle law in MUFG BANK Secretary, (Bank of Tokyo) Dept. of Financial Services, Bank telephonically terminates 8 permanent employees Ministry of Finance, without any notice. Government of India, New Delhi
Dear Sir, MUFG Bank is Japanese Bank operating in our country with 3 Branches in Delhi, Chennai and Reg: Wage Revision for employees and Mumbai. Earlier this Bank was Bank of Tokyo officers of Regional Rural Banks consequent Mitshibishi and now, after take over, it is called to 11th Bipartite Settlement MUFG Bank.
You are well aware of the Settlement reached 14 permanent employees are working in Bank in regarding wage revision in the commercial Banks the workmen cadre besides officers. All of them vide 11th Bipartite Settlement signed with the have been working in the Bank for past 25 years Indian Banks' Association on 11th November, and more. They are covered by our Bipartite 2020. Your office has also given its No Objection Settlement also. All of them are members of the to the IBA and Banks to implement the Settlement Union – All India MUFG Bank Employees due to which all the Banks are now in the process Association, which is affiliated to AIBEA. of revising the pay and allowance of the employees and officers. The Bank has been in the process of centralization of its operation in India. Employees have been You are also aware that in terms of the Award of the representing to the Bank to let them know the National Industrial Tribunal and the judgement of details of this process to ascertain the impact of the Supreme Court dated 31012001 and also the same on their job and job security. having regard to Section 17 of the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976, the salary and service conditions But surprisingly, on the evening of 29th of the employees and officers of Regional Rural December, 2020, around 430 PM, 8 permanent Banks need to be revised based on the recent employees of the Bank, 5 in Delhi and 3 in wage revision in the commercial banks. Chennai were telephonically terminated with immediate effect. Hence we shall thank you to consider and extend wage revision on the same lines in the Regional This was followed by an email to the employees Rural Banks and issue necessary instructions in informing their termination from the Bank's service this regard. with immediate effect from the close of business hours on the 29th December, 2020. Thanking you, They were also informed that their dues were Yours faithfully, credited to their account and they are not come to
BANK FLAG J05 ANUARY 2021 the Bank from the next day i.e. 30th December, To express our condemnation and strong 2020. protest against the illegal termination of the employees, we call upon all our unions to send While the employees were under utter shock, they the following protest by email to Finance were virtually evicted from the bank premises and Minister and Labour Minister. their Access Card, ID Card, etc. were snatched from them by the HR Head. Files and papers Respected Madam, belonging to the Union have been confiscated. We strongly protest against the illegal In the name of centralization, the Bank has made termination of permanent employees of MUFG hundreds of fresh appointments of employees and Bank – Seek your intervention to instruct the officers in Mumbai. But these permanent Bank to reinstate them. ………………. Name employees have not been given any opportunity or of Union ……. option to relocate to Mumbai and have been forcibly thrown out in the streets all of a sudden in a [email protected] most cruel and inhuman way. Respected Sir, These are pandemic times and Home Ministry has issued clear guidelines to deal with the workers in We strongly protest against the illegal private sector including instructions that termination of permanent employees of MUFG employees should not be deprived of their wages, Bank – Seek your intervention to instruct the etc. But it is so painful and disheartening that this Bank to reinstate them ………………. Name foreign Bank which has come to India to do of Union ……. banking business is flouting all rules, laws and All our units are to send these email under copy to guidelines and have thrown such permanent us. Further agitational programmes will be given employees out of job in a most illegal and unfair shortly. manner.
Members will recall that this Bank of Tokyo is already a notorious Bank and about 20 years ago, suddenly closed their Kolkata Branch overnight without any notice and which led a prolonged agitation including a call for All India Strike by AIBEA.
Shamefully, once again, the Bank has now resorted to such blatant and flagrant unfair labour practice by terminating the employees on phone. All rules, laws and norms have been thrown to the wind and Bank is terminating permanent employees in this brazen manner just like throwing tissue paper in the dustbin in the washroom.
Obviously this is unfair, cruel and inhuman besides being thoroughly illegal and unlawful. Obviously this cannot be accepted or tolerated. From AIBEA we have already taken up the matter with the Finance Minister and Labour Minister. We have also made the complaint to the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Govt. of India.
BANK FLAG J06 ANUARY 2021 ON FARMERS' STRUGGLE frontline role in such solidarity actions. The union activists participated in the programmes Central Trade Unions and for burning 3 Black Laws on Lohri Day, Mahila Independent Federations/ Kisan Divas on 18th January. We reiterate our Associations Reiterate Active support to the Mahapadav programme in state Solidarity To The capitals from 2325 January and then Kisan Farmers' Agitation Parade on 26th January after Republic Day parade is over. [The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Independent Federations/Associations calls upon the The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and working class and their unions countrywide to extend active Independent Federations/Associations calls upon solidarity support to the Farmers Republic Day parade on 26th January while asserting their own demands to scrap the the working class and their unions countrywide to Labour Codes, stall privatization etc. The following extend active solidarity support while asserting statement was issued to the press on 21st January by the their own demands to scrap the Labour Codes, joint platform of Central Trade Unions, independent stall privatization etc., to all the programmes Federations and Associations in solidarity with the ongoing taken up by AIKSCC in all the states and join in farmers' agitation.] thousands to the three days Mahapadav in the The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and state capitals on 2325 January 2021 and the Independent Federations/Associations conveys Farmers Republic Day on 26th January hearty congratulations to the farmers and their converting it to workerspeasants assertion organizations for their determined struggles on against the destructive, antipeople and anti their just demands. It is more than 54 days since national policies of the Modi Govt. and in stout the stayin demonstration by lakhs of farmers defence of the national interests as well as the around the borders of Delhi braving cold, rains and rights and livelihood of the toiling people. inclement weather and also confronting police The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and atrocities in certain areas. The Joint Platform also Independent Federations/Associations deplores conveys their homage of respects to those the use of NIA, ED, Income tax department and brothers and sisters who lost their lives while imposing criminal cases to threaten and intimidate participating in the struggle and embraced the leadership of the agitation and innocent martyrdom. farmers. We demand that the Central Government The Joint Platform of CTUs and Federations / take cognizance of widening support to Kisan Associations also denounces the central agitation, stop delaying tactics and accept the just government for their utterly negative and egoistic demands of the Farmers graciously at once. approach in the matter of repealing the draconian INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, farm laws, the Electricity Bill (which is not even a SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC And Independent law) and also ensuring a legal guarantee for MSP Federations/Association. for all crops along with government procurement. The Joint Platform had condemned the vilification campaign against the struggling farmers and their organizations by the Govt. branding them as Khalistanis, terrorists etc. using the Godi media and their paid Troll Army. It is heartening that such liecampaign by the Govt. had no impact at all and everyday more and more people from all over the country are joining the farmers' stayin brigades around the borders of Delhi and simultaneously solidarity agitations are taking place in all the states countrywide. The workers are playing a
BANK FLAG J07 ANUARY 2021 NEWS & VIEWS ON BANKING period, as specified in the scheme. The implementation of the scheme will be Kerala bank employees' beneficial to the bank in the long run, both in terms union oppose CSB's plan of financial and customer service point of view, to offer VRS to said CSB Bank in the filing. Rajendran said the award employees average annual salary of the award staff is about [The implementation of the scheme will benefit the Rs. 11 12 lakh. bank both in terms of financial and customer service, ON INDIAN ECONOMY said CSB(Catholic Syrian Bank) Bank in the filing] The Indian economy is in a quagmire The All Kerala Bank Employees' Federation Plunging down (AKBEF) has opposed CSB Bank's plan to offer Prabhat Patnaik voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to award staff. [The author is Professor Emeritus, The Board of the Thrissur headquartered CSB Centre for Economic Studies, Jawaharlal Bank had approved the rollout of VRS on January Nehru University, New Delhi ] 19. Data released by the National Statistical Officer, which show the gross domestic product for the CD Josson, General Secretary, AKBEF, said that second quarter (JulySeptember) of 202021 bringing exitoption for award staff was most declining by “only” 7.5 per cent compared to the inappropriate when the bank needs to expand its second quarter of the previous year, have been services utilising the experience, expertise and hailed in official circles as “good news” on the local roots of the employees. contrary, they show the economy being stuck in a quagmire. If the management's plan was to replace permanent employees with contract and costto The first point to note is that while GDP declined by company mode employees, that would be 7.5 per cent, private consumption in real terms fell regressive and antilabour, he alleged. by even more – by 11.32 percent – which means that the share of consumption in GDP was lower KS Krishna, Joint Secretary, All India Bank compared to a year ago. Exactly the same is also Employees' Association, said at a time when the true of the first quarter of 202021, so that during government and private sector institutions should the entire first half of the current year private be ensuring stable employment, it is most consumption has fallen more than the GDP intriguing that CSB Bank is going ahead with VRS compared to a year ago. in the current pandemic situation, even after it has announced better third quarter (October This seems strange. When income falls people do December 2020) results. not lower their consumption proportionately. They run down cash reserves, or borrow, in order to CVR Rajendran, MD and CEO, CSB Bank, said maintain their consumption to whatever extent that 223 employees are eligible for VRS and if all possible. The ratio of private consumption to GDP, these employees opt for the scheme, the outgo for therefore, is normally expected to increase when the bank will be around 80 crore. GDP falls. The fact that the opposite has horned As per the bank's regulatory filing, VRS will be and the ratio of private consumption to GDP has offered to the eligible award staff, who have fallen safest that the incomes of the working completed 50 years of age and have a minimum of people must have fallen even more than GDP in 10 years of service with the Bank. The scheme will this period, so that despite running down cash be effective from January 25, 2021, for such reserves and borrowing, they still could not
BANK FLAG J08 ANUARY 2021 maintain the share of private consumption in GDP. of the decline in GDP. It is because projects that were already being undertaken but has been Put differently, the period of the period of the stalled when the draconian lockdown was pandemic when GDP has fallen has also seen a imposed by Narendra Modi are now being fall in the share of the working people, and a completed, that too in a hurry before any new corresponding rise in the share of surplus, in GDP. lockdowns are announced owing to fresh spikes in This must have compounded the misery of vast cases. The current investment surge is bound to numbers of working people, to have not just a cut subside unless businessmen decide to undertake in incomes but a lerger than average cut in fresh investments. incomes. Fresh investments, however, depend upon the The second point to note is that the share of growth of GDP and since investment cannot just government consumption expenditure in GDP has feed on itself it depends ultimately on the growth of also declined during the second quarter of the private and government consumption. But this current financial year. Here again, when GDP growth has not only lagged being GDP growth but declines, and the government's tax revenue goes it also cannot even be sustained at its current level. down, its expenditure, a large part of which The growth of private consumption cannot be consists of salary payments, does not down to an sustained because households have either equivalent extent. One normally expects, borrowed or run down cash reserves for therefore, the share of government consumption maintaining it. Even if the GDP growth, starting expenditure in GDP to go up when GDP goes from the trough, continues at its current rate, down, that is to behave in a countercyclical rather private consumption growth will still slow down than a procyclical manner. That this has not because households will run out of their cash happened and, on the contrary, this share has reserves or come of against borrowing limits. actually gone down suggests that the Central Besides, they would have to repay what they have government, which has also become the arbiter of borrowed or rebuild cash reserves, which would state government finances these days, has cut impair consumption. back heavily on all current government expenditures in the second quarter of 202021. The growth of government consumption cannot be sustained at the level withnessed from the trough With consumption, whether private or because the Modi government is loath to offend government, being curtailed so heavily, the globalized finance capital that frowns upon fiscal recovery, such as it is, has been stimulated by deficits; and the fiscal deficit limit announced in the investment, or Gross Fixed Capital Formation. Its budget for 202021 as a whole already been share in GDP in the second quarter of the current exceeded by the end of October. If the government financial year has been marginally higher than in was hold enough to enlarge the fiscal deficit at the second quarter last year. present, it might actually arouse little opposition from finance because of the context of the Let us now look at the implications of these pandemic. But the government's pusillanimity vis findings for the prospects of recovery starting from svis finance keeps its hands tied. the trough (the first quarter of 202021) Between the first and second quarters of 202021, we find With both private consumption and government that as much as 58 per cent of the increase in GDP consumption not increasing even at the same rate from the trough is no account of GFCF alone as the GDP, starting from the trough, and slowing whose average share is normally around 30 per down for reasons we have mentioned, investment cent. too will flag after the projects in the pipeline are The recovery in GFCF is not because new completed. An autonomous increase in investment projects are being taken up in the midst government investment, that is investment not tied
BANK FLAG J09 ANUARY 2021 to the growth of the market but undertaken on OBITUARY independent considerations, will not occur for the same reason that curtails government consumption, namely fiscal timidity. Hence investment growth will come down, starting a downward spiral of stagnation in the economy, after some recovery from the trough has occurred.
An example will make the argument clear. Suppose, starting from the trough, GDP is growing at 15 per cent, with government plus private consumption growing at 15 per cent, with Com Suryakant Mahadik government plus private consumption growing at is no more 12 per cent and investment at 22 per cent. As the backlog of investment projects gets completed, General Secretary, investment growth will come down to, say, 15 All India Reserve Bank percent the as GDP growth. But when this Workers Federation happens, GDP growth itself will also comedown Com Suryakant V Mahadik, General Secretary of and so will the growth of private and government All India Reserve Bank Workers Federation, consumption, which will them curtail investment President of All India IDBI Employees' Association still further and so on. The economy will proceed and President of Trade Union wing of Bhartiya on a downward spiral that can go quite deep. Kamgar Sena (BKS), passed away at about 8.30 PM on 11th January, 2021, in Mumbai. In the current scenario, where economic activity is subdued everywhere, exports can scarcely be Com. Mahadik, a militant leader, a tireless fighter, fought all his life for the justice to the employees. expected to provide a stimulus for recovery. Such a stimulus will have to come from domestic He had great regards for the leaders of AIBEA, demand, where the government has to play a particularly for Com. Prabhat Kar, Com. H L major role. Either its own expenditure, whether for Parvana, Com. Tarakeswar Chakraborti and Com. consumption or investment, should be delinked D P Chadha and always proclaimed that he learnt from its revenue and allowed to increase, or it Trade Unionism under AIBEA. He was also former should hand over purchasing power to people to Joint Secretary of Maharashtra State Bank spend in excess of their incomes, Indeed, this Employees' Federation, the State Body of AIBEA. latter course, which many have suggested, will also provide some succour to the working people At the same time he was an activist of Shiv Sena party and elected as an MLA of Maharashtra who have witnessed a reduction in their share of Vidhan Sabha from Nehru Nagar Kurla GDP even in the midst of a fall in GDP. constituency. He became the President of Both these methods for stimulating the economy Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, the trade union wing of will require an increase in the fiscal deficit will Shiv Sena . beyond what the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget His death is a great loss to the trade union Management Act permits. But the Modi movement. We convey our heartfelt condolences government's kowtowing to globalized finance to the members of the bereaved family, members prevents it from doing so, which is why the of AIRBWF and AIIDBEA and to his followers and economy is caught a quagmire. admirers.
BANK FLAG J10 ANUARY 2021 AIBEA APP VIEWPOINT Launching of ChatBot ‘World is facing pandemic of New utility feature added authoritarianism': in AIBEA App Amartya Sen: [Economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen was awarded ChatBot interacts with you the 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade on and answers your questions October 18. The ceremony took place in Frankfurt, Germany. Sen participated in the gathering through a live video transmission from the United States. In his acceptance speech, Sen emphasised the importance of freedom of expression and debate as prerequisites for All our units and members are aware that we freedom, peace and progress, noting that these values are launched our updated AIBEA App on the eve of the facing increasing threat today. He asserted that books play new year with new features. This was part of an important role in fostering a democratic culture of AIBEA's endeavor to improve its communication discussion and argument. We reproducehereunder channels and to provide easy information to our excerpts from the speech published by Scroll. in] units and members, particularly our younger generation members who are more used to these Excerpts from the speech: social media channels. Books and freedom We are happy to note that so far 10,700 members have already downloaded this AIBEA App and The Peace Prize is closely connected with reading have started to use the same. and writing, which makes it particularly attractive to me. My life would have been much poorer if my With the initiative of our Social Media Team, we passion – from my earliest days – for reading are now happy to launch the new additional whatever I could find, as well as my temptation to feature CHATBOT in our AIBEA App. write down the thoughts that came to my mind had You can now interact with the BOT and get been supplanted by some other activity, no matter answers on the features available in the App. how pleasing. I am very happy that my hosts have AIBEA App can be downloaded in all mobile found a little corner for me in the world of books. phones, both in Android and IOS. Reading books – and talking about them – can AIBEA's Android app is in Google play store entertain, amuse, excite and engage us in every https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jai.aibea kind of involvement. Books also help us to argue with each other. And nothing, I believe, is as important as the opportunity to argue about AIBEA app is available for iOS (IPhone and IPad) matters on which we can possibly disagree. https://apps.apple.com/in/app/aibeaofficial/id1546526816 Unfortunately, as Immanuel Kant noted, the The APP contains the following information. opportunity to argue is often curtailed by society – sometimes very severely. As the great philosopher put it:But I hear on all sides the cry: Don't argue! The officer says: Don't argue, get on the parade! About AIBEA Know your leaders th News Column Service Condi ons upto 11 The taxofficial: Don't argue, pay! The clergyman: Don't argue, believe! All this means restrictions of Our Social media AIBEA Circulars freedom everywhere. Achievements Office Bearers of AIBEA CC members State Federa ons of AIBEA Kant discussed why it is so important to argue. We Our Industry Women Council Members can make sense of our lives by examining what makes them worthwhile. When freedom of speech Our struggles Our Journals is curtailed and people are penalised for speaking their mind, we can experience serious harm in the lives we can lead.
BANK FLAG J11 ANUARY 2021 Unfortunately, significant restriction of the freedom After India's Independence, preventive detention to argue is not a thing of the past, and there are as a form of incarceration was halted, but then it more and more countries where authoritarian was reintroduced, initially by the Congress developments are making the freedom to disagree government, in a relatively mild form. That was bad harder – often much harder – than it used to be. enough, but under the Hindutvaoriented BJP There is a reason for alarm in the repressive government, now in office, preventive detention tendencies in many countries in the world today, has acquired a much bigger role, allowing easy including in Asia, in Europe, in Latin America, in arrests and imprisonment of opposition politicians Africa and within the United States of Americ without trial. Suppression of dissent in India Indeed, from last year, under the provision of a I can include my own country, India, in that freshly devised Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act unfortunate basket. India has had in the past, after (UAPA, for short), the state can unilaterally declare it secured independence from British colonial rule, someone to be a “terrorist”, which allows them to a fine history of being a secular democracy with send this alleged terrorist to prison, without trial. A much personal liberty. People have shown their number of human rights activists have been commitment to freedom and their determination to designated as terrorists and are in jail already remove authoritarian governance through firm and under this governmental arrangement, and many decisive public action, for example in the general others have been warned that the UAPA would be elections in 1977 in which the despotic regulations applied to them unless they obey the authorities of a governmentimposed “Emergency” were and stop being antigovernment. firmly rejected by the people. When someone is described as being “anti However, recently things have changed a great national”, this is, of course, a big philosophical deal, and there have been many cases of severe denunciation, but in today's India it may mean suppression of dissent. There have also been nothing more than the person has made some governmental attempts to stifle antigovernment critical remarks about the government in office. protests, which – strangely enough – have often There is confusion here between “anti been seen by the government as “sedition”, government” and “antinational”. providing grounds for arrest. This diagnosis has The courts have sometimes been able to stop been used to lock up opposition leaders. Aside some of these abusive practices, but given the from the despotism implicit in this approach, there slow movements of the courts, and the differences is also a profound confusion of thought here, since of opinion within India's large Supreme Court, this disagreement with the government need not be a has not always been an effective remedy. Human rebellion for violently overthrowing the state, or rights of individuals have been restricted in India in subverting the nation (on which the diagnosis of many different ways. Organisations – national and sedition must depend). international – that fight hard in favour of individual India is not the only country where such confusion rights have been put increasingly under pressure. can be found – in fact abuse of this kind is One of the most prominent defenders of human increasingly common in the world. However, as a rights in the world, Amnesty International, has proud Indian citizen, I have a sad duty to discuss been forced to leave India as a result of how autocratic the governance of my own country governmental intervention, including the closing of has become. its bank account. When I was in school in Britishruled colonial India, Persistent inequality many of my relations, who were nonviolently The pursuit of authoritarianism, in general, is agitating for India's independence (inspired by sometimes combined with the persecution of a Mahatma Gandhi and other champions of particular section of the nation. Specially unequal freedom), were in British jails under what was treatment often relates to established divisions of described as “preventive detention”, allegedly to race, colour, caste, religion, or immigration status. stop them from doing anything violent, even The lowcaste former “untouchables” – now called though they had not done any such thing. BANK FLAG J12 ANUARY 2021 Dalits – continue to get the benefits of affirmative doing harm to the nation. India was not like this until action (in terms of employment and education) that the power of extremist Hindu politics became as were introduced at the time of India's strong as it has recently become. independence, but their lives remain very Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu, and so was deprived. In terms of social relations, they are often Rabindranath Tagore – I should add, so am I –, but very harshly treated, and cases of rape or murder as Indians, they did not treat the HinduMuslim of Dalits by uppercaste men, which have become distinction as a matter of any political moment. common events, have frequently been ignored – or Tagore chose to introduce himself at Oxford, when covered up – by the Government, despite public giving his famous Hibbert Lectures, as someone protests. who came from the confluence of three cultural This type of inequity, while depressingly persistent streams, which – in addition to Western influence – in India under present rulers, is, again, not unique combined Hinduism and Islam. to India, but it is particularly intolerable in India Indian culture is a combined, indeed a joint, given its long history of fighting against caste product of people of different religious faiths, and based inequity, under the leadership of Gandhi, this can be seen in different fields of culture – from Ambedkar and other political leaders. music and literature to painting and architecture. However, unique it is not. For example, while Even the very first translation and propagation of America has been a pioneering leader in Hindu philosophical texts – the Upanishads – for advancing the understanding of individual rights in use outside India was done on the initiative of the general, and human rights in particular, the Mughal prince, Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of firmness of the whiteblack division in America, Queen Mumtaz, in whose memory the beautiful Taj originally connected with the institution of slavery, Mahal was built in Agra by Dara's father, Emperor has helped to sustain the deprivation and Shah Jahan. degradation of black Americans. The Hindu sectarians have done their best to The interesting thing about the recent expansion of suppress important facts about the joint history of protest movements in America, such as Black Hindus and Muslims, making India a lesser Lives Matter, is not that they receive support (it country. Led by the Government's current could hardly be otherwise), but the fact that the ideological priorities, school textbooks in India are, issue of equity of African Americans has been so to a great extent, being rewritten now to present a slow in getting effective recognition despite the seriously revisionist history, reducing – or ignoring vigour of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s altogether – the contributions of Muslims. and 1960s. Despite the government's power to call anyone a Happily, the need for racial equity is, at last, terrorist under UAPA, those accused are typically receiving considerable attention in America now, committed to nonviolent protests, in the way that but it is surprising how much resistance – and Gandhi had advocated. This applies particularly to sometimes opposition – the movement can even newly emerging secular resistance, often led by now encounter, in implicit as well as explicit ways. student leaders. For example, Umar Khalid, a Religious divide Muslim scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University and a major student leader, who is appreciated by Returning to India, and considering another kind of Hindus, Muslims, everyone, has been arrested inequality, the present authorities have been and imprisoned as an alleged “terrorist” through particularly severe on the rights of Muslims, even the use of UAPA, has eloquently expressed the to the extent of restricting their citizenship rights, political commitment to peaceful protest of the compared with nonMuslims. Despite centuries of secular movement he leads: peaceful coexistence between Hindus and Muslims, there have been striking attempts in We will not respond to violence with violence. We recent years by politically extremist Hindu will not respond to hate with hate. If they spread organisations to treat indigenous Muslims hate, we will respond to it by spreading love. If they somewhat like foreigners who are often accused of beat us with lathis [sticks], we will hold aloft the Tricolour [the Indian national flag]. If they fire BANK FLAG J13 ANUARY 2021 bullets, then we will hold the Constitution and raise office by campaigning for the alleged necessity of our hands. higher wages of the military (whose help they As commentators – at home and abroad – have needed) and through its promise to save the pointed out, the political activities of Khalid and country from such conservative nightmares as other student leaders have not given any room for samesex marriage, homosexuality, affirmative the government to call them “terrorists”, no matter action, abortion, drug liberalisation and what license the Government has given itself to call secularism. The pursuit of autocracy is clearly a anyone anything they like, for keeping leaders like manysplendoured thing. Khalid in jail. Authoritarianism imposes direct penalties on Authoritarianism worldwide people, including the violation of liberty and political freedom. But going beyond them, social As a school boy, I remember asking my uncle, who advancement depends greatly on human was imprisoned by the British Raj under preventive cooperation, and a splintering of society through detention, how long would the injustice of arbitrary the persecution of disfavoured groups can make imprisonment continue in India, and he had then collaboration for progress that much more difficult. given me what he thought was a pessimistic answer: “Until the British rule ends”. It appears, It is not my intention to argue that no social alas, that the end of British rule may not be quite progress can ever be made in an authoritarian enough. I saw in the papers today that the system. That can sometimes happen, but there Government has decided to try them for sedition tend to be serious obstacles to progress when immediately. arguments and critical discussions are prohibited, and the interests of some people are persistently I have been mainly talking about a couple of ignored. As Coleridge had noted, it is possible to countries – India and the USA – to illustrate the read Shakespeare “by flashes of lightning”, but hold of autocracy and inequity in the modern world, there is a case for doing our reading in normal light. but I could have talked about many more – at least twenty or thirty other countries. The exact process The world does face today a pandemic of of the imposition of authoritarianism and the authoritarianism, as well as a pandemic of disease, justifications presented can vary between one which debilitates human life in distinct but country and another, but the end results have a interrelated ways. Given our global connections considerable similarity. and the importance of our shared humanity, there are reasons for us to be seriously concerned not To start with an example from Asia, the use of only about our own country, but also about others, despotic power in the Philippines by the ruling taking an interest in problems all over the world. government has been championed as something essential for stopping the drug trade and other Dr Martin Luther King Jr wrote in 1963, in a letter criminal activities. That power has often been from Birmingham Jail (not long before he was widely used for killing people without trial. assassinated): “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. It would be hard to find a more In Hungary the government has grabbed urgent social need today than global resistance to authoritarian powers in the name of stopping growing authoritarianism across the world. immigration of refugees from outside Europe, and for the alleged need to control the media and to The needed resistance can come in many different silence opposition parties, claimed to be ways, but greater use of reading, talking and necessary for orderly governance. In Poland, arguing would undoubtedly be a part of what several individual rights have been abandoned to Immanuel Kant saw as “freedom to make public help in giving priority to the government's policy of use of reason on all matters”. persecuting homosexuals, including the The opposition to political tyranny is inspired by establishment of particular regions of the country ideas and books. For Martin Luther King, as for the that are to be kept as “LGBTfree zones”. young student leaders today, it has to be a non To add an example from Latin America, the violent process. It is also a journey towards durable intolerant present government of Brazil came to peace.
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Published by Shri Kamal Kumar Bhattacharyya on behalf of All India Bank Employees Association, 3b Lal Bazar Street, Kolkata-700001 & E-Journal by Wings Media, www.wingsmedia.co.in Editor – Shri Kamal Kumar Bhattacharyya. BANK FLAG J16 ANUARY 2021