• Vajpayee’s US Visit

• Lok Raj Sangathan discussion meeting in Delhi
  What kind of constitution do the people of India need?

• Seven Fighters for Modern Communism Memorialized in Canada

• Issues in the US Presidential Elections

• What the findings of NFHS-2 for Andhra Pradesh reveal?

• Militant protests against increasing duties on fuel in Britain

Vajpayee’s US Visit:

Cementing a reactionary alliance directed against all people

The Indian bourgeoisie has been very eager to ensure more complete integration of the economy into the imperialist system, and the government has been handing out concession after concession to the monopolists. According to Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) president GP Goenka, the need was to "aggressively market" the Indian economy, that is, to make the imperialists fully aware that they were more than welcome to reap super profits from the exploitation of the land and labour of the Indian people. Just before Vajpayee left for US, government readied the ground for the "hard sell" opening up the Indian economy further for foreign investment in IT and telecom sectors. Indeed, it is the apex organisations of the Indian capitalists who have worked out the finest details of Vajpayee’s visit, including whom he is to meet and which treaties he is to sign.

The present rulers of India do not even care to pay lip service to the needs and concerns of the toiling people of India and elsewhere and their backbreaking exploitation by the capitalists and imperialists. They see no need even to talk of equality and justice in international relationships. They have not only accepted the world order dominated by the imperialists led by the US, they want to advance by hanging on to their coattails. Thus all the diplomatic and other efforts of the Indian officials has been to persuade the US imperialists that India is worthy of being regarded as aworth while and reliable partner in its drive for domination and exploitation of the world.

The Indian government has been using its more favourable relationship with the US imperialists to further attack and marginalize Pakistan in all international fora. At the Asia Society meeting in New York, and later at the UN millennium summit, Vajpayee poured out fire and brimstone against the rulers of Pakistan, alleging that India showed patience and restraint in the face of provocation by Pakistan, which misread its generosity of spirit and desire for friendly relations as weakness. The head of the Indian government, which has for decades been using state terrorism as a preferred means of ruling in several parts of the country including Kashmir, Punjab, the North East and elsewhere, stated, in reference to Pakistan’s alleged sponsorship of terrorism in India, that "terrorism and dialogue do not go together". This representative of the Indian ruling class, who has perfected the art of ruling the people by promising in words whatever they cherish while carrying out the exact opposite in deeds, stated, "the acid test of sincerity of purpose is not words, but deeds." Seeking to get more support from the US imperialists for their offensive against Pakistan, Vajpayee made pointed references to the alleged "proliferation of medieval religious extremism in India’s neighborhood and jihad". He also used the fact that Pakistan is currently ruled by the military, stating, "those who stifled democracy at home speak of freedom…". Indian officials gleefully claimed that this has struck the right chord amongst their counterparts in the Clinton administration, which is no longer asking both India and Pakistan to "resume dialogue"; they tend to agree with New Delhi that "dialogue can be resumed only after congenial conditions for it are created by Pakistan". The Indian government has been fully utilizing the visit to wrest concessions for itself in terms of weapons purchases, and acceptance of their status as nuclear weapon state: "Our policy is based on responsibility and restraint and we continue to press for universal, verifiable nuclear disarmament while safeguarding our strategic space and autonomy in decision making".

People’s Voice condemns the efforts of the Indian ruling bourgeoisie to strengthen their utterly reactionary ties with the U S imperialists. This alliance is directed against the interests of all the peace loving peoples of South Asia, who must oppose it tooth and nail.

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Lok Raj Sangathan discussion meeting in Delhi

What kind of constitution do the people of India need?

British rule over India formally ended fifty-three years ago, while the constitution of the Indian republic was adopted fifty years ago. This constitution was drafted and finalised by select representatives of the ruling capitalist class and landlords. The people of India were not consulted about the kind of system of governance they wanted, or about the Constitution that would help them fulfill the dreams and aspirations for which so many had made the supreme sacrifice. As a result, the government that came into being in 1947, as well as the Constitution, which was adopted in 1950, have not helped to fulfill the aspirations of our people to this day. Throughout the country, the dissatisfaction of people is being expressed in many ways. Hence, Lok Raj Sangathan thought it appropriate to initiate a discussion among all forces involved in the struggles of the people and all individuals concerned about the state of affairs. What kind of political system is needed in the country? What kind of Constitution would help people fulfill their aspirations, so that power would vest in the hands of the working people who could decide about their own future?

Organisations of workers, women, students and youth, as well as many representatives of political parties, people’s organisations, cultural workers, intellectuals, as well as many working people, took part in the program.

Welcoming all present, the Secretary of LRS, Delhi, Ms Sucharita, stated that according to the LRS, the main issue in India today is how to change the situation which prevails wherein workers and toiling people are kept completely away from the seat of political power. She said that the state in India was that of the big capitalists and the Constitution is the basic law of this state, according to the provisions of which the ruling class makes the arrangements necessary to carry on its rule. Exploitation and oppression is a cornerstone of this rule, while some ordinary people are also given a few crumbs of office and incorporated into the rule of the capitalists. The 1950 Constitution did not incorporate anything progressive from the most advanced democracy of that time, the Soviet Union, nor did it draw from the rich experience of the Indian people in statecraft. Rather, it drew a lot from the imperialist and capitalists, such as the ruling classes of Britain, USA, and others. The apparatus for exploitation and oppression of our people built by the British colonialists was kept intact, and in fact, was strengthened further. As and when the ruling class felt the need for new arrangements to save its rule, the Constitution was amended to incorporate these requirements. Till today, it has been so amended almost 80 times, and today, there is talk among the ruling circles about the need for revising the Constitution again. Today, while the ruling capitalist class wishes to become a big power and the US imperialists are also intent on making new alliances to further their interests in South Asia, and the working people are facing massive attacks in the form of liberalisation and privatisation, then these new arrangements will also need to be incorporated into the Constitution.

She also pointed out that at this time, while the rulers, who, at one time, used to dub all those who questioned any aspect of the Constitution as anti-national, are today themselves talking of the need to improve the Constitution, we have two options before us. Some forces in the people’s movement want to preserve the existing state of affairs, giving the excuse that talking of reforming the Constitution would, in fact make things worse. These forces say that the present system, i.e. the system of unbridled capitalist exploitation and oppression, "should not be shaken". But this path would mean that the workers become a tail of the capitalists, it would mean splitting of the working people, and give more room for the capitalists to strengthen their rule and increase the exploitation and oppression of the people.

The other path for us is to strengthen the program of the workers and toilers, to intensify the struggle to empower the toiling people of India. LRS upholds this path, and it is in this context that the present discussion on "What kind of constitution do the people of India need?" has been organised. Using this opportunity when the rulers themselves are talking of the need for reforming the constitution, we should strengthen the struggle to empower the toiling people.

Th program was organised in three sessions. In the first session, a member of the LRS, Mr Venkatesh, explained that while the Constitution definitely states that the people of India were sovereign, that the people of India have enacted the constitution, this is a blatant untruth. Representatives of the rich drafted this constitution, while the common people had no part in writing it. He showed, through many examples, that there was no place for the workers and other toiling people in the system of governance brought into force by the Constitution. While discussing as to how people could be empowered, he said that people should have definite political rights: the right to select candidates who could participate in an election, the right to initiate legislation, the right to have control over their representatives to ensure that they worked only for the interests of the people, the right to recall representatives, among others. LRS is already fighting for people to be given these rights which will help empower them.

Justice Ajit SIngh Bains, prominent human rights’ activist and ex-judge of the Punjab High Court applauded Lok Raj Sangathan for this step. He said that the Indian ruling classes have preserved the exploitative and oppressive colonial system through this constitution. The rights of the working people have been violated in every sphere. He showed, through many examples, how the people are being oppressed in the most inhuman manner through the use of state terror and this is considered to be just under this constitution. He concluded by saying that this colonial legacy has to be smashed before people can become empowered.

In the second session, Ms. Kamala Sankaran explained that the majority of the people are denied food, education, health and such basic necessities under this constitution. Even the most minimal necessities for a decent human life have not been declared as fundamental rights but only kept as Directive Principles, so that they can be denied to the people at any time. She explained with examples, how no guarantees have been given for food, education and health for people, and from time to time the people are thrown a few crumbs by the bourgeoisie and made to fight amongst themselves for it.

She was followed by Shri.K.C Nahata of the Forum of Voters, who called for the voters’ right to reject all the candidates. He too congratulated LRS for organising this meeting.

The youth expressed their views with great enthusiasm. Gopal talked about how the majority of people in Delhi lived in the slums, without any such facilities as electricity, water, etc. and now under the "clean Delhi campaign" there is a move to render all of them homeless. He said that we need such changes in the constitution that will protect people’s rights.

Akhilesh and Lokesh condemned the false promises of the politicians and said that people should be empowered. Sanjay criticised the contract system. Santosh compared the Indian constitution with the Soviet and other constitutions and explained that the constitution had not been drawn up by the people but by the bourgeoisie. He declared that when the workers and toilers will take power in their own hands then they will write a new constitution in which primacy will be given to their rights.

Ms. Kamala Sankaran, speaking in the third session, declared that we want such a constitution that will have been made by the working people and that will secure the rights of the working people to rule themselves and determine their future. Other members of Lok Raj Sangathan like Sudha and Sidharth echoed this. Several workers expressed their views. Govind Yadav, the militant union leader of Modern Foods also spoke at the meeting.

Shri.Chandrabhan pointed how the bourgeoisie attempted to divert the people’s attention from the most important issues. Even now, they were trying to split people on the question of whether the constitution should be changed or not. The only way forward is to end this rotten system. He said that it was a very good thing that Lok Raj Sangathan has used this opportunity to raise the issue of people’s empowerment.

Shri.Birju expressed his view that it is important to take this discussion, on how people can to be empowered, to every nook and corner of the country.

Shri.Prakash Rao explained that the slogan "Workers, Peasants, Women and Youth, we constitute India, we are her masters" is the modern form of the slogan "We are her masters, Hindustan is ours ..." that was raised during the First War of Independence in 1857. He said that the aspirations of the countless of martyrs who fought against colonial rule are yet unfulfilled today, and it is to fulfil them that Lok Raj Sangathan has taken up the task of empowering people.

In conclusion, Ms. Shrimati Sucharita thanked everybody and applauded the enthusiasm, optimism and cooperative spirit with which the youth and members of Lok Raj Sangathan organised the whole programme and made arrangements for the participants’ food and conveyance, collecting contributions from the workers and ordinary people to meet the expenditure of the meeting. The meeting ended with the unanimous resolve to unite all the fighting forces to take the struggle forward to bring about people’s empowerment.

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The monument was formally dedicated on August 15, 1999, on the sixtieth birthday of comrade Hardial Bains who died in 1997 in Ottawa. Comrade Bains had immigrated to Canada from India for higher studies at the age of twenty. He became the founder of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) in 1970 and was its national leader until his death. He was also the architect of the founding and building of the Communist Ghadar Party of India. A delegation of the CGPI led by Party’s General Secretary, Comrade Lal Singh, attended both the dedication of the monument in 1999 and the addition of the new names in 2000.

The seven new names referred to above are comrades Aziz Ul Huq, Lalit K. Panda, Bela Singh Thandi, Sukhdev Deepak, Amrik Nahal, Gurmej Dosanjh and Harchand Brar. Comrade Aziz was of Pakistani origin and studied at University of British Columbia in the 1960’s when he came in contact with the Internationalists, the precursor to CPC(M-L). He was killed in Pakistan by the military authorities in 1973 while carrying out political organizing work. Comrade Panda was from Orissa, pursuing graduate studies in a US university and died in a car accident while carrying out activities for the founding of the genuine Marxist Leninist Party in India in the aftermath of the disintegration of CPI(M-L) in the 1970’s. Comrades Thandi, Brar, Nahal and Dosanjh were saw-mill workers and anti-racist fighters in the tradition of Shahid Mewa Singh and had joined the communist movement in Canada in the 1960’s and 70’s. Comrade Thandi was the President of the East India Defense Committee for many years. Comrade Deepak was a communist youth pioneer and was only 15 when he succumbed to illness in Canada. Names of many other fellow fighters for modern communism will be added in the coming years.

The addition of the twenty-four names to the existing five names on the monument celebrates the struggles of the Canadian working class as well as that of the native peoples, settlers and immigrants for the victory of socialism and communism in Canada, in the heartland of imperialism. South Asian immigrants to Canada, who not only face capitalist exploitation but also racist discrimination and attacks, continue to embrace the banner of communism, revolution and progress as an extension of their patriotic and revolutionary traditions. The seven individuals of South Asian origin have reminded afresh that the struggle of the workers and peoples everywhere is one because the imperialist and capitalist system is one even though the form of exploitation and oppression varies from country to country. They have given concrete meaning to the notion of support for revolution in their mother country by immersing themselves in the struggles of the peoples in their adopted country. Their lives are a tribute to the quality of communists for whom communism is not a mere phrase or an idea but a conscious and organized movement of workers and broad masses within a nation or a country, expressed in concrete struggles to open the door for her progress.

People’s Voice considers the building and development of the monument in Ottawa as an advance in the movement for modern communism, which concretely expresses today in the demand for democratic renewal of anachronistic European values and institutions of the 17th and 18th century. It salutes the fighters of South Asian origin living and fighting abroad for rejecting the pressure to participate in "ethnic politics" and for joining the struggles of the proletariat and peoples of the countries of their residence for democratic renewal. Their struggle is an integral part of the monumental struggle of the Indian people against the anti-social offensive and for democratic renewal of India.

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Issues in the US Presidential Elections

The Clinton era is being widely presented by the US bourgeoisie as "years of prosperity". This, in spite of the fact that the last eight years in the US have been years of unprecedented anti-social offensive, with cutbacks in welfare, education, public health and safety, arts and culture, environment – essentially all the areas of economy that pertain to the collective wellbeing of the population or the expansion of social rights. The last eight years have also seen an unprecedented number of mergers and acquisitions leading to job insecurity, lower wage structure, vanishing social safety, etc. The take-over of the decision-making process by special interest money has been unprecedented in this period. The US ruling circles have in fact acknowledged that the gap between the rich and poor in the last decade has widened. The resentment of the population has been expressed in a multitude of ways: such as the opposition to WTO and the World Bank, the periodic ‘million-people’ marches in the capital, Washington DC, the protests against police brutality in Philadelphia, New York, and so on.

In these conditions, the Republican party has advanced the notion of "compassionate conservatism", while the Democratic party has presented its vision for "sharing the prosperity". The "compassionate conservatism" of the Republican party refers to letting the laws of capitalism run their course to create wealth at one pole and poverty on the other, while their government will create mechanisms for the wealthy to voluntarily participate in charity. The Democratic party on the other hand promises to enact or alter social legislation to deepen the process they began eight years ago of putting an end to existing social welfare programs. Neither of these parties are discussing the real problems facing the people – such as the serious situation facing the vulnerable sections of society, the rising homelessness, hunger (for the bottom 20% of the population), stagnating or declining incomes of nearly 75% of the work force, the plight of the elderly unable to pay for medical care, and so on, because that would only discredit the claim of "prosperity".

The contradictory notions of "prosperity" on the one hand, and the need for "compassion" or "sharing" on the other, have in fact created the biggest credibility crisis for the ruling circles. The talk of compassion or sharing makes sense if it is accepted that many voters have not benefited at all from the "new economy". In other words, if the prosperity had been real for the voters, then there would not have been any need to talk of compassion or sharing.

The objective situation has created conditions for the voters to reject the two major parties and their domination of the political process. The ruling circles are desperate to block the people from seeking any alternative to the existing party-dominated government. They have begun a massive disinformation campaign to ideologically and politically disarm anyone disillusioned with the present state of affairs. The election campaign itself is the biggest disinformation campaign of the day because it sows illusions in the minds of the broad masses that through these elections, they can participate in decision-making and can solve their problems.

The campaign message in this election is being centred around the notion of "inclusion". For a good part of the last decade, the theory and practice of the "inclusive society" has been gradually developed. According to this concept, the end of the Cold War brought about the end of the left-right divide, and everyone can belong to one happy family sharing in the prosperity. The rich and the big monopolies can be counted upon to fund NGOs and other non-partisan institutions (referred to as "civil society" organisations), whose task it will be to rally people around their missions of self-help. The political parties, who will still be responsible for forming governments and wielding political power, will thereby not be saddled with responsibility for the well being of the masses of people. Far from society being responsible for looking after the well being of all its members, society will be governed as a corporation where corporate allocations to NGOs will be determined on a cost-effective basis rather than the needs for progress of society. What this shows is that like their reactionary counterparts in other counties, the US ruling circles, lacking any solutions to the problems of society, are pushing medieval values in all spheres.

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What the findings of NFHS-2 for Andhra Pradesh reveal:

Capitalist growth is bringing more death and destruction for people

The survey reveals that 76 per cent of the population of Andhra live in rural areas in conditions of utmost poverty and deprivation while Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu boasts from the roof tops that an information technology revolution is sweeping his state.

While the capitalists of Andhra Pradesh are going gaga with web-based education and world class IT institutes, the survey reveals that one-third of males (33%) and more than half of females (54%) aged six and above are illiterate in the state. The survey further reveals that at the age of 15-17, only 48% of boys attend schools and only 30% of girls.

When the imperialist chieftain Clinton visited Hyderabad’s Mahaveer Hospital with Naidu and other representatives of the Indian ruling classes in tow, to administer a dose of TB medicine dramatically to a patient, the whole world was made to believe that Andhra Pradesh has made rapid strides in health. The NFHS-2 finding’s point out the startling fact that 1 in 15 children born in the state died in the first year of their life, and 1 in 12 died before reaching five. Piped water, which is so essential for health and hygiene, is available only to 52% of the people in the state, some 53 years after formal independence.

On the one hand a minority will enjoy air-conditioned malls and high rise apartments with contoured lawns and emulate the lifestyle of the West. On the other hand, as the survey reveals, 73 per cent of the households have no toilet facility and people will be forced to defecate in the open, spreading germs and bacteria.

The survey also reveals that Andhra Pradesh is a state with the highest proportion of stunted and wasted people in the country. According to the NFHS-2 survey, more than one-third of children are underweight (38%) or stunted (39%). 9 % of the children in the state are wasted. More than one-third (37%) of women are undernourished.

The Indian bourgeoisie embarked on the course of globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation a decade ago with definite aims. The central aim was to growth rich at the fastest possible pace in the new conditions at the end of the Cold War, by launching a massive anti-social offensive against the toiling masses. The philosophy that everyone must fend for themselves and that the state would only serve the interests of the big moneybags, Indian and foreign, was openly expounded and extolled by the rulers. Chandrababu Naidu has been one of the most articulate spokespersons of this vision, whose vision for Andhra Pradesh is that of a big corporate company of whom he is the malik, or CEO in today’s parlance. In this past decade, there is no question that capitalism has been flourishing at the fastest possible pace, not just in Andhra Pradesh, but in India as a whole. This is one side of the coin. The other side is the massive death and destruction of human and material productive forces. The NHHS-2 survey revealing starkly the destruction of human productive forces.

Indian people were witness to the consequences of the capitalist system as established in India during the 150 years of colonial rule. That brought death and destruction on an unprecedented scale and ruin of the vast masses. Formal independence in 1947 was heralded with the illusion that if only the capitalists were Indian, there would be harmonious development of society. The Nehruvian socialistic pattern off society was the formula of the Indian ruling class which ensured massive enrichment of native and foreign exploiters, ruin of the toiling masses and illusions turning into finally disillusionment for the middle strata of town and country. For the past decade we have a new mantra—globalisation through liberalistion and privatisation, put forward by the same forces who grew wealthy under British colonial rule, and under the Nehruvian socialistic pattern of society. The aim of this is the same—fastest possible growth in the wealth of the native and foreign exploiters through the ruin, and destruction of the workers, peasants as well as the middle strata.

Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, there can be no room for illusions that Indian capitalism can or will address the burning problems of livelihood, health education, and security of life for the broad masses of people. The issue is not of "correcting policies", as is promoted by bourgeois opposition parties in every state and in the country as a whole. The bourgeoisie has one program at a given time and the bourgeoisie hands over the running of the government to that party or coalition of parties, which can best effectively carry out this program and keep the people fooled at the same time. When ruling parties get discredited, as they inevitably do, the bourgeoisie then brings the "opposition" to power to carry out the same program. And the working masses remain losers while the capitalist class laughs its way to the banks.

Capitalism needs to be overthrown. The means of production must be expropriated and become the property of the working class. Only then can the working class and toiling peasantry utilise the enormous productive forces towards ensuring livelihood, health, education, and fulfilling the growing material, spiritual and cultural needs of the entire population. The working class needs to wrest political power from the bourgeoisie to carry out the above. How to ensure political power in the hands of the working class—this is the cardinal question of the time.

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Protestors started a go-slow towards Manchester on the M62. A 10-mile tailback formed from the Chain Bar roundabout at the M62/M606 Interchange for Bradford. A picket was in operation at the Stanlow oil refinery in Cheshire, hence tankers were not leaving the refinery, and most petrol stations in Cheshire had run out of fuel. Lorry drivers had blockaded fuel terminals in west Wales, promising they would not leave until the government gives in to their demands to lower duty on fuel, hence most filling stations in southwest Wales ran out of fuel.

Protestors blocked off Texaco’s Pembroke oil refinery, with others at the Elf site in nearby Milford Haven. A blockade of the BP Grangemouth oil refinery was going on in the Firth of Forth. Farmers are reported to have joined road hauliers in a major protest in Edinburgh. In the North East of England, most petrol stations were out of fuel. Esso stations were particularly badly hit in the NorthWest and South West of England. Sainsbury’s petrol stations were running dry, as were those of Total Fina Elf and Shell. Road hauliers, farmers and taxi drivers blockaded the BP oil terminal at Jarrow for more than four days. At Port of Sunderland road hauliers and taxi drivers blockaded the docks since September 12, ‘00 and oil depots at Workington and Dalston in Cumbria were also closed. In Bolton, taxi drivers have staged go-slows during the rush hour to protest against the price of fuel. Protesters were also picketing at the giant terminal in Trafford Park, Manchester, which supplies Esso, Texaco and Elf outlets

The Scottish National Party organised a "national day of action" on September 16, ‘00 to highlight the amount of tax being imposed on fuel prices by the Treasury, and called on the government to "listen and act on" the protests. Protests forced the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to abandon celebrations in Hull to mark John Prescott’s 30 years as an MP. Internationally, protests against high fuel prices also took place in Holland, Germany, Belgium and France.

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