PEOPLE'S
VOICE
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PEOPLE'S
VOICE
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Internet
Edition: July 16-31, 2000
Published by the Communist Ghadar Party of India |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Monsoon Session of Parliament 2000 Fight for the reorientation of the economy to provide for all! As all political parties and organisations of the oppressed prepare for the monsoon session of Parliament in 2000, the right to livelihood remains the most burning issue demanding a solution. The ruling bourgeois class and its politicians in power claim that the program of liberalisation and privatisation is addressing the problems of the economy. But the economic conditions of the toiling masses of people are growing from bad to worse. The more they carry out market oriented reforms, the more do the basic contradictions of society get accentuated, the more does the dictate of the ruling party and its Cabinet become unpopular, and the more does the bourgeoisie resort to brute force to suppress any opposition to its rule. Food, clothing, shelter, water, education, health and electric power are the birthright of every member of society. It is the duty of the State to ensure that these needs are fulfilled. It has become the fashion for ruling politicians
to claim that the State cannot deliver anything efficiently and hence
it is better to hand over to private capitalists. This is how they are
justifying the privatisation program. But will any private capitalist
or multinational company run ration shops or village schools? Will they
take responsibility to take water to the remote areas of Rajasthan or
electric power to the villages of Eastern UP or Bihar? The working class must rally all the exploited and oppressed around such demands and challenge the rule of the bourgeoisie and its economic and political agenda. The struggle must be waged with the perspective that the affirmation of these rights will take place only when the working class seizes political power from the present ruling class. When the working class takes control over the means of production, it will be able to orient the economy in the direction of providing for all, ensuring the right to livelihood in practice, and continuously enhancing the material and cultural standards of the working people. |
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Oppose the proposal to extend the scope of contract labour! Uphold the right to livelihood! Many newspapers have reported that in the coming monsoon session of Parliament, the Vajpayee government will introduce legislation to further widen the scope of the pernicious practice of contract labour. Until now, it has been considered legal to use contract labour only in occupations of a peripheral or temporary nature, although in practice a huge proportion of the work force has been compelled to work as contract labour. But now, if the proposed legislation comes through, even these legal barriers to the practice of contract labour will be removed. This is something being demanded by the big capitalists, both in India and abroad, as part of the economic restructuring they want in order to maximise their exploitation of India’s working people. Contract labour is labour without any security, any rights, any protection. To understand what contract labour means, one has only to look at the wretched conditions of the construction workers, the largest (?) section of the workforce in our country outside agriculture. With no surety that they will have a job from one day to the next, with none of the laws pertaining to labour welfare applying to them, these men and women of all ages are forced to take on work on almost any terms. If they protest, their jobs can be terminated at will by their employers. The reality in India is that a large number of jobs that are actually permanent in nature are carried on on the basis of the contract system, with the employers deliberately terminating the services and re-employing workers, so that they cannot avail of the benefits due to permanent workers. In several industries the same jobs are performed by both permanent and contract workers. The man-eating capitalist system, which ensures that at all times there is a constant supply of unemployed who are desperate for any kind of work to support themselves and their families, is the source of this ruthless practice. At the same time, the state of the big bourgeoisie connives at the continuance of the contract labour system by itself getting a large share of its work, including massive construction projects, done by means of contract labour. The capitalists use the division of the workforce into regular and contract labour to keep down the wages and working conditions of the entire working class. Therefore, it has always been a consistent demand of the Indian working class as a whole that the system of contract labour be ended, and that all those who toil be entitled to regular employment with the same rights and conditions. It is because of practices like the widespread use of contract labour that the conditions of the Indian working class are already among the most miserable in the world. Capitalists in India and abroad have all these years exploited these conditions to derive super profits for themselves, with many foreign firms transplanting their operations onto Indian soil in order to benefit from the cheap labour of Indian workers. But now even this is not considered enough. Even the minimal and unsatisfactory protection currently applied to a small proportion of the workforce considered to be regular workers is viewed as a hindrance to the plans of the capitalists. Hence their demand to widen the possibilities of the use of contract labour – a demand that the government is hastening to fulfil in the name of "globalising" Indian labour laws. How is it that the big bourgeoisie and the Indian state are so eager to "globalise" Indian labour laws and bring them on par with international standards, but are deadly opposed to doing anything that would bring the living and working conditions of Indian workers on a par with international standards, with what can be considered a civilised level of existence in this day and age? This is because the Indian big bourgeoisie is a thoroughly reactionary class, whose interests run completely counter to the well-being of the vast majority of our working people. The latest move to extend the contract labour system confirms that the globalisation and privatisation drive the Indian big bourgeoisie is pursuing in collaboration with imperialism is a thoroughly retrogressive trend, against the whole trend of advance of human rights and progress, which aims to take away from our workers whatever few rights they have won through their struggle and sacrifice. This move must be vigorously opposed by the working class as a whole, as a very important part of its overall struggle against the anti-social offensive of the bourgeoisie and in defence of the right to livelihood. The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls on all organisations of the working class and working people to come together to fight the proposed moves to extend the scope of the practice of contract labour! |
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Meeting organised by Lok Raj Sangathan on July 7 at New Delhi Step up the struggle against privatisation! In January this year, the Government of India carried out the disinvestment of the assets of Modern Food Industries Ltd. and sold off 74% of its shares to the multinational, Hindustan Lever Ltd. Following this, the government has announced the disinvestment of several other public sector enterprises. Workers in Modern Food Industries as well as workers of other public sector industries are militantly agitating against this policy of disinvestment. As part of this struggle against disinvestment and privatisation, a writ petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court by the Modern Food Industries Employees Union and the Lok Raj Sangathan, challenging the disinvestment of Modern Food Industries Ltd. To support the struggle of the employees of Modern Food Industries and to oppose the privatisation of the public sector enterprises, Lok Raj Sangathan organised a meeting in New Delhi, on July 7. T.S.Sankaran, President of the Lok Raj Sangathan, presided over the meeting. The spokesperson of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, Prakash Rao, made an important intervention in the discussion. Representatives of several public sector trade unions, political parties and other mass organisations participated in the meeting. These included leaders of the National Confederation of Officers Associations of Central Public Sector Undertakings, STC Employees Union, PEC employees union, Fertiliser Corporation of India Employees Union, Cement Corporation of India Employees Union, MMTC Employees Union, AICCTU, Workers’ Solidarity, Nirman Mazdoor Panchayat Sangam and representatives and office bearers of the Modern Food Industries Employees Union. Several facts regarding the disinvestment of Modern Food Industries were highlighted at the meeting. It was pointed out that Modern Food Industries has been sold to the multinational HLL at a value far lower than the estimated value of its existing assets. MFIL is not a loss making venture but a source of profits for the government, engaged in supplying bread to various important sectors and it had plans of expanding its operations. The job security and future of nearly 6000 employees of MFIL is severely threatened by this disinvestment. It was also stressed that the struggle against the disinvestment of MFIL is, in fact, a struggle against the privatisation of the entire public sector. The meeting called upon representatives of all the workers organisations to join hands and resolutely oppose this policy of disinvestment of our precious national assets, built by the labour of hundreds of thousands of workers and working people. It was emphasised that the bourgeoisie is doing its best to spread pessimism in the movement, declaring that there is no alternative to privatisation. It is also going all out to attack and discredit the workers of the public sector enterprises, by blaming them for the "inefficiency" and losses of the public sector. This must be vigorously opposed by exposing how the bourgeoisie has looted the people through the Public Sector. The struggle against privatisation must be stepped up with the revolutionary perspective, i.e. with the perspective of taking political power in the hands of the working class and oppressed. The ruling bourgeoisie, it was pointed out, has always been interested only in maximising the profits of the big capitalists and multinationals. It is this same interest that lies behind the present drive towards privatisation. Only the working class is interested in and capable of organising our vast natural and human assets for the well being and prosperity of the toiling masses, it was emphasised. In this connection, the necessity to combat the disinformation campaign of the bourgeoisie on an organised and planned basis by the working class was put forward as a urgent necessity. There was discussion on various methods of combating the disinformation of the bourgeoisie, including through the launching of a website devoted solely to this question. Such a website could contribute to bringing together the workers and working people of various sectors of the economy in the common struggle. The working class has to wage the struggle on all fronts, this was emphasised. On the legal front, the writ petition seeks to challenge the disinvestment of MFIL by challenging the very basis of the disinvestment commission. In this manner, the legal struggle is in fact a political struggle of the entire class challenging the plans of the ruling bourgeoisie to orient the economy for the maximum profits of the capitalists and multinationals. Anyone who belittles this struggle, or reduces it to "just a trade union struggle of workers of one enterprise" is actually playing a counter-revolutionary role in the struggle against privatisation. The aim of the political struggle of the working class is political power—nothing less. Only this can resolve the problems of Indian society in the favour of the workers and peasants. The working class has to build the broadest possible unity of all the affected sections of society in the struggle against privatisation and carry forward this struggle to its revolutionary conclusion, i.e. political power in the hands of the working class and people. This is the meaning of the political struggle, not bringing down the present government and bringing another set of scoundrels representing the same class to power. The powerful and growing opposition of the most organised section of the working class to its rule threatens the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie is trying to dissipate this movement through its tried and tested lieutenants within the ranks of the workers, those who conciliate with the capitalist system. During the heydays of the Tata-Birla socialistic pattern of society, these characters promoted the public sector as the socialistic sector, and prevented the most advanced and organised section of the class from taking revolutionary positions. Today, when this section is under attack, the same characters are spreading pessimism, disunity as well as the false hope that the false gods of yesterday will deliver the goods to the workers within this existing moribund capitalist system. This is where the cutting edge of the struggle is today. Representatives of all the organisations present militantly voiced their whole-hearted support for unitedly taking the struggle against privatisation forward. It was emphasised that in the face of the vicious anti-social offensive launched by the bourgeoisie against the working class and people, we must take the struggle of the working class and people to an even higher level. One of the leaders pointed out that the labour aristocracy sitting in positions of power in big central unions had been playing a negative role in making the workers defenceless against the capitalist offensive. Another pointed out that pessimism was being pushed into the movement precisely at the time workers were coming out on the streets. The leader of the Modern Food Employees Union, Govind Yadav made a passionate appeal to all the leaders of the public sector unions to fight without fear of defeat. Victory will be ours, if not today, certainly tomorrow, he said. The meeting concluded with all present signing a joint statement against privatisation. Many of the participating unions pledged to join the legal struggle launched by LRS by becoming co-petitioners. |
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Teachers fight against contract labour system The Maharashtra government has recently declared that teachers who are to be newly appointed to the schools and junior colleges receiving government grants for the 11th and 12th standards will be only on contract basis for a period of 10 months at a time. These teachers are to be paid between Rs. 3, 000 to Rs. 3,500 per month, depending on their qualifications. They may be considered for being given permanency of employment only if they have served successively in the same institution for at least five terms of ten months each! A few months ago, the government had taken a similar step against the teachers of primary and middle schools, as a result of which new primary teachers were to be paid only Rs 1,500 per month. In those institutions that are not government –aided, teachers are being employed only on contract. The government is now extending this unjust and harmful system to the institutions aided by it also. For centuries, teachers have been venerated in our country and respected. Successive governments in the state of Maharashtra have also reiterated that they have the best interests of teachers and students at heart. Their deeds have of course been the exact opposite of their words. For example, only recently, the fees for many courses were increased. There is already a lot of difference between the education that people belonging to different economic backgrounds are able to provide their children and this disparity is bound to increase. While the government decries the trend of private coaching classes increasing, it is the government itself that has turned coaching classes into a virtual necessity. It has permitted the schools and colleges to pack more than 100 students into one classroom, due to which it is not possible for students to learn anything in the regular classes. Due to low salaries and insecurity of service, it has become necessary for teachers of regular classes to teach in private coaching classes as well. The new steps taken by the government will increase this trend. In fact, the teaching profession will be the last resort of those who cannot get any other job, and they will quit teaching as soon as they are able to get employment elsewhere. The government has made teaching in private coaching classes more attractive for teachers than teaching in the educational institutions it aids. Can teachers, upon whom the Damocles’ sword of insecurity dangles so, really put their hearts into teaching? Privatisation of education started in the decade of the eighties. The new steps taken by the government are continuation of the same trends. The notorious sugar barons of Maharashtra have now become ‘education barons’ as well. The Congress and later the Shiv Sena – BJP politicians have set up educational institutions, and today, these are very profitable ventures indeed. The attack on the livelihood of teachers and the right of students to good quality education is part of the governments’ abdication of all its’ social responsibilities. While selling off the profit making Modern Foods, the Central Disinvestments Minister remarked, "making bread is not the governments job". From their actions in the education sector, it is clear that the government feels that "providing education is not the governments job". Then why do people need to have such governments over them? All such attacks must be resisted. Those teachers who are permanent should also come out in defence of their colleagues who are being attacked; else they may be the next targets of attack. Our people themselves are the biggest resource of our country. Receiving good education is a right of all citizens. It is the toiling people who should be deciding how resources are raised and allotted. In order to achieve all this, it is necessary to struggle to wrest state power in the hands of the working people. |
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The anger of the peasantry against privatisation and capitalism is mounting The peasantry and working people of the countryside are outraged at the retrograde policies of the Central and state governments. This starkly came through during a meeting of the Lok Raj Sangathan in Sirsa, Haryana on Sunday, July 9, 2000. The participants in the meeting included employees of the state electricity board, water supply, postal department, leaders of the militant Brick Kiln workers union of the neighbouring Hanuman Garh district of Rajasthan, ex-servicemen, and leaders and activists of the Lok Raj Sangathan, Communist Ghadar party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India. The vast majority were linked with the land, engaged in agriculture. The speakers of the LRS presented the program and plan of action of the LRS aimed at ending the marginalisation of the workers, peasants, women and youth of our country and giving them a place of honour in the polity, which is synonymous with political power in their hands. The member of the CEC of the LRS, Gautam, gave a reasoned presentation on the anti-social offensive of the ruling class and the response of the workers and peasants and people at large to this anti-social offensive. He pointed out that political power was the crucial issue—will workers and peasants seize the reins of power or will it be held by the bourgeoisie. There is no third way. During the interventions, the broadly peasant character of our country was brought out in sharp relief. All were denouncing the anti-peasant agrarian policy of the government. An impassioned discussion took place in which the spokesperson of the CGPI elaborated on the agrarian question in today’s conditions, wherein capitalist relations dominate the countryside and the peasantry is at the mercy of capitalist forces. The peasantry has to necessarily fight for a pro-social program that puts the interests of the workers and peasants at the centre and calls for the nationalisation of internal wholesale trade and foreign trade, support prices for all agricultural crops, guaranteed inputs at reasonable prices of fertilisers, seeds, water and power to the peasants and guaranteed prices of agricultural products, particularly foodgrains, pulse, milk to the workers and working people of town and country. The program of the LRS is a program to ensure this. There is no third way in between, he pointed out. This was widely appreciated by the participants. Another issue that was dealt with was the question of the propaganda of the bourgeoisie and imperialists that growth in population would destroy India’s future. A reasoned discussion took place on what was the real block to solving India’s problems? Do we lack in human resources? Do we lack in foodgrains? Do we lack in sources of water or pure air? Do we lack in technical-scientific capability? It emerged from the discussion that it was the capitalist relations of production that were the real block to the development of productive forces in India, to the solution of India’s multifarious problems. One of the speakers, an ex-armyman pointed out that the bourgeoisie was trying to impose pessimism on the movement. We are optimists he declared, because the future belongs to us. Another speaker pointed out that we must organise in the mohallas, in the gallis, in the villages and smash the efforts of the rulers to divide us. Yet another called for a plan for building LRS as a countrywide organisation that would lead the workers and peasants and women and youth to power. One speaker from the electricity board pointed out that people should not expect anything from changing governments, either in the state or the Centre. The governments formed by various parties were like bottles where the wine was the same, only the label was changed, he remarked. A speaker from Rajasthan spoke of the terrible drought situation that is forcing entire villages to flee to distant lands. He exposed and condemned the drought relief programmes of the central and state governments as the most cruel farce. He pointed out that this mockery of drought relief is being carried out more to prevent workers and peasants and middle strata from rising up in rebellion than for actually providing any real relief. The middle and small peasants as well as traders are being looted by low prices of agricultural produce and high prices of finished products like oil, he pointed out. Comrade Mehboob chaired the meeting. In an atmosphere of optimism, the LRS executive committee for Sirsa-Hanuman Garh region was elected. |
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The Victory of the Working Class, the Victory of the Revolution and Socialism is Inevitable! With each passing day, the attacks of the ruling bourgeoisie on the working and oppressed people are increasing. In the name of privatization and disinvestment of the public sector, a vicious attack is being launched on the most organized section of the working class. The proposal to increase the scope of use of contract labour, if implemented, will be a most deplorable attack on millions of working people of various sectors. The move to amend labour laws, in accordance with the recommendations of the monopoly capitalists and the imperialist fianaciers, is a move to deny the workers even the most basic rights and conditions, that they have won through generations of struggle and sacrifice. In the name of controlling pollution, factories are being closed down, throwing thousands of workers out on to the streets. The peasantry is being attacked through cutbacks in subsidies for agricultural inputs and by the capitalist relations of production in the countryside. The living standards of the working people is being affected adversely by the cutbacks in food subsidy through the PDS, rising power tariffs, etc. Across the board, workers and working people in all sectors are coming out in struggle against these increasing attacks on their livelihood. Workers in the public sector are coming out boldly against the disinvestment plans of the bourgeoisie. The workers of Modern Food Industries are powerfully waging the struggle against the sell out of MFIL to the multinational Hindustan Lever. The workers of the textile mills of Kanpur, which have been lying idle after their nationalization in the ‘80s, are fighting against the non-payment of wages and the threat of an insecure future. Workers and peasants in Andhra Pradesh have been clashing violently with the police and state security forces, in militant protest against the rise in power tariffs. Many more sections of the working class and people are up in arms. While the working class and people are brimming with outrage against the bourgeoisie and its system that is responsible for these attacks, there are ‘leaders’ within the working class movement who are actively spreading the view that there is no hope for the struggle to succeed, that there is really no alternative to the privatization policy of the bourgeoisie or to the cutbacks in state subsidies. These ‘leaders’ are preaching to the workers in each sector that is being attacked, that their only hope is to work out the best possible deal with the bourgeoisie and thus try to minimize the impact of the attack According to these "gods of doom", the movement against the attacks of the bourgeoisie cannot succeed since "the working class is divided, confused and politically unprepared". The question one would like to ask these ‘leaders’ is: who is responsible for this condition of the working class? We cannot forget that these same ‘leaders’, in the ‘60s and ‘70s, were foremost in singing praises of the Nehruvian ‘socialistic pattern of society’ and creating maximum illusions among the working class about the public sector. They were the loudest propagandists of the ‘socialist’ character of the state sector, portraying it as something in the interests of the people, something that the working class could use to its advantage and to the advantage of the rest of the society. Among the workers in the public sector, they spread the illusion that their future was secure, that they could not be attacked or deprived of the conditions that had been given to them. They politically disarmed the workers by creating illusions about the ‘progressive character’ of ‘certain sections’ of the ruling bourgeoisie. Through all this, they strove to keep this, the most organized section of the working class, away from setting its own agenda in opposition to the rule of the bourgeoisie, the agenda of fighting for revolution, for an end to the capitalist system and all forms of exploitation. They worked might and main, to keep the program of the working class confined within the limits acceptable to the ruling bourgeoisie, a program reduced to working out the ‘best deal possible’ within the capitalist system and rule of the bourgeoisie. They worked to keep the organized section of the working class divided from the struggles of other sections of the working and oppressed people, the peasantry, the oppressed nationalities, etc. These ‘leaders’ who are today loudest in lamenting that the working class is divided, are the ones who have systematically reduced the working class to a vote bank of this or that section of the bourgeoisie. They have eliminated revolution from the program of the working class, or at best, made it a distant prospect, while they have reduced the program of the working class to tailing behind that section of the ruling class that they have declared "the lesser evil" at any particular time. Workers will recall how at various times in the recent history of our movement, the Congress Party or some other combination of parties in "Left Front" coalitions have been declared "sympathetic to the workers", "democratic", "secular", "anti-imperialist", etc. By these nefarious methods, they have divided the working class movement into "progressive" and "less progressive" sections, into "secular" or "communal" sections, into "terrorist", "secessionist" or "moderate" sections, caused divisions on the basis of caste, i.e. into "pro reservation" or "anti reservation" sections, and so on. And today, when most of these illusions, that they created earlier, are being shattered by the objective developments, they are shedding crocodile tears about how the movement is divided, in an attempt to once again sow pessimism and clamp down the lid on the movement. Their aim is the same, i.e. to keep the working class from fighting for revolution, for the overthrow of the rule of the exploiters and for taking political power into its own hands. The critical issue in the working class movement today is how to wage the struggle against the anti-social offensive of the ruling class? Should we again fall prey to those who are spreading pessimism amongst us, preaching that "only this much is possible" and are trying to limit our struggle to simply asking for a ‘better deal’ within this same system of exploitation? What we are suffering today is precisely a consequence of the fact that some of us have fallen prey to this in the past. The history of our struggle is full of evidence of this. Therefore, it logically follows that if we accept this today, then tomorrow the axe will fall on us even heavier. The other alternative before us is to wage our struggle with the clear understanding that only by ending this capitalist system of exploitation can we workers and working people of town and countryside hope to put an end to this anti social offensive of the bourgeoisie. We have to wage our struggle by building the maximum unity of all sections of the toiling people who are opposed to the anti social offensive, and fighting for the overthrow of the rule of the bourgeoisie, for taking political power into our own hands. Only when the working class has political power in its hands will it be able to organize the vast material and human resources of our land in such a way that we are able to ensure a life of security, peace and prosperity for all the working people. |
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Garment workers in Vasai continue their struggle On July 3, 2000, a meeting was organized in support of the garment workers of Leela Fashion and Leela International in Vasai near Mumbai who are continuing their struggle. Over 150 workers from garment and other factories, restaurants, as well as political activists attended this meeting. Workers marched to the meeting militantly, lustily shouting slogans – "Mazdoor Ekta Zindabad! Malikon ki goondagri nahin chalegi! Eenth ka javab patthar se denge!" (Long live workers’ unity! Down with the terror of the owners! We will give a fitting reply to the attacks on us!) The last issue (Vol. 22 Issue 9) of People’s Voice related the terror tactics, which the owners of these establishments and goons hired by them attempted to use against the workers. They wanted to split the workers and form a sweetheart union. Workers from other factories congregated at the meeting in support of the valiant struggle of the workers of these establishments. Representatives of the Kamgar Adhikar Sanghathan, Lok raj Sangathan, Communist Ghadar party of India, Janwadi Mazdoor Union, SUCI, and other organizations addressed the meeting. Some local leaders such as the municipal corporator also attended the meeting. While commending the workers for their resoluteness, the representative of the Lok Raj Sangathan pointed out that there was no way for the workers and toilers other than uniting and fighting against exploitation. The state machinery today works in favour of the capitalists, no matter which party runs the government. Hence the aim of our struggle should be, to take the reins of the state into the hands of the workers and toilers. The representative of CGPI stated that all the means of production are in the hands of the capitalists, who thoroughly exploit the workers to earn super profits, while the workers often find it difficult to eat two meals a day. The state is that of the capitalists, hence in every aspect of the economy and society, it is the interests of the capitalists that are safeguarded. On the other hand, workers are pushed into deprivation and starvation. The day India’s workers seize state power in their hands, the day when workers become owners of the means of production, they will show the capitalists of the world how society can be organized to safeguard the interests of the workers and toilers. Those who attended the meeting were highly inspired, and the meeting ended with a firm resolve to carry forward the struggle. |
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Misuse of labour laws by Modern suitings, Alwar The workers of Modern suitings, Alwar, have been subjected to several atrocities. The directors of the company have got it declared as an "Assisted undertaking" under the "Rajasthan Assistance to Undertakings Rules, 1961". As a result, Industrial relations laws, Labour Compensation Act, etc. have become inapplicable to it, and the management is free to attack the workers in several ways.
Despite all the hardships they are undergoing, the Modern Suitings Staff Union are determined to fight for their rights and are hopeful that their struggle will end in their victory. From Padam Sharma, Rajasthan |
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Poverty is caused by capitalism, not population The media and bourgeois politicians of our country have for long been spreading the myth that the cause of poverty in our country is the increasing population. This is a great falsehood spread about our people. Did the people have all the facilities necessary for living a decent life when they were fewer in numbers? No, and the few facilities which they did have were reduced day by day. On the one hand the production of material wealth in our country has gone up tremendously. Then the question of people living in abject poverty simply should not arise. The Prime Minister proclaims from the Red Fort that the farmers have produced so much grain that we do not have enough godowns to stock it all. But the prices of food grains keep rising nevertheless. Does not the majority of the population, whom the bourgeoisie derides so much, toil hard? Do the capitalists labour in the factories themselves? Have not their profits grown several-fold in these years? When one mans labour is sufficient to feed ten people, why is it that the common toiler cannot be sure of two square meals a day? All the bourgeois parties are involved in scams involving thousands of crores of rupees of people’s money. Does this not contribute to the poverty of the people? The capitalist system wants people to accept that they themselves are responsible for their poverty and unemployment, so that people do not direct their fire against the capitalist system. Hence the TV, newspapers and the media as a whole spread this canard incessantly. This false propaganda is not without its effect on people. But we must teach people to question their propaganda too. For example, why are the public sector units being sold off to multinationals? Is it not a sign that the country has assets and wealth? The propaganda of the bourgeoisie is one of their ways of ensuring that they can continue to rule the country and continue to increase their profits. Santosh Kumar, New Delhi |
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