Defend the Popular and Revolutionary Movement
In the last decade India was largely ruled by the Hindu-chauvinist upper caste-class BJP coalition government which systematically aligned with the US and Israel. It did not only implement the notorious ultra-liberalist recipes demanded by the IMF and the WB which let the Indian and as well as Western business community rejoice faced with the huge fortunes they could make in a few years only. They also stood for Hindu upper caste chauvinism (Hindutva) unleashing ferocious repression against the lower castes and especially the Muslim community which have been collectively tapped to be terrorist – in line with the US crusade against Islam. The climax was the genocide of Gujarat in 2002 where thousands of Muslims were slaughtered by the Hindutva militias with the active support of the state forces explicitly claiming the continuity to the destruction of the Babri Masjid ( mosque) in 1992 which then sounded the death knell to already rampaged Indian secularism.
Last year´s return of the Congress-led left coalition to power was helped by the high hopes of the popular masses to end the BJP´s “India Shining” which was only shining for the elites. They promised not only to change the economic policy in favour of the poor but also to stop the repression which was incarnated in the “Prevention of Terrorism Act” (POTA), the Indian counterpart of the American PATRIOT Act. Facing the growing strength of the Naxalite revolutionary movement the UPA coalition won support explaining it as a result of socio-economic problems and not of terrorism. After taking office negotiations with the Maoists, which have unified their forces, started. But only one year later all those hopes have been frustrated.
While POTA was formally repealed, it has been substituted by amendments which are partially even more Draconian. Until now the victims and those defending themselves against the Hindutva mob linger in prison under POTA. Dalit (untouchable), Adivasi (indigenous people), Muslim as well as national and revolutionary activists defending the elementary right of the increasingly impoverished peasants are being killed, tortured and thrown into prisons en masse.
As the government displays the Naxalite insurgency as the main “security” problem, the negotiation has been broken by even threatening the independent emissaries. Not only the Maoist-led armed peasant self-defence movement but also unarmed political and social struggles are being violently suppressed. Even the Ghandian-type movements can no more feel safe.
On April 27, 2005, Washington has included the CPI (Maoist) to its notorious black list of terrorist organisations, i.e. organisations actively opposing the US Empire. This is also a sign for the Indian rulers to repress the liberation movement.
Also the national liberation movements spearheaded by the Northeast “Seven Sisters” and Kashmir are continuously repressed while Indian expansionism is supporting the military dictatorship of the Nepalese king against the Maoist-led people´s war fighting for a democratic popular republic.
And last but not least Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remains the model pupil of the IMF. Every day the pages of the newspapers hail the Indian race with China competing for being the bonanza of capital. While an extremely small capitalist elite with a limited middle class, growing much less fast than we are told, is building a “First World” within the “Third World” the latter is turning into a “Forth World”. Hundreds of millions of peasants, especially Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims, are getting poorer and poorer literally starving to death. The south-eastern Dekkan state Andra Pradesh, is a striking example. The internationally successful IT businesses of its metropolis Hyderabad are surrounded by the most extreme urban and rural poverty rendering the state to a stronghold of the revolutionary movement.
What we are actually experiencing in India is the implementation of the US-style bi-polarism where “left” and “right” in office is essentially the same. As in Brazil all the social and democratic promises – nurtured by the “World Social Forum” have taken place in those two countries – vanished within months leaving nothing then the Washington blueprints. Therefore the only way out is a popular anti-imperialist social revolution which after the global roll-back in the 90s is consolidation itself in India for which Nepal serves as a forerunner.
Support the all India anti-repression week also from Europe (May 15 -21, 2005)
Actions are scheduled to take place in
Rome, Italy, May 20, 3pm at the Indian embassy
