• Condemn the Anglo-American military aggression on Afghanistan!
  Imperialist military forces, get out of the region!

• Protests against the War on Afghanistan mount

• Unite and oppose the growing tendency of government to outlaw all dissent

• Down with the "secret mission" of Tony Blair to South Asia!
  Defend the right of the Afghan people to determine their own destiny, free from interference of outside powers!

• Another indictment of state brutality

• Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy Opposes the US led war in the region

• Pune meeting Condemns US war against Afghanistan

• Vigorously oppose the renewed privatisation efforts of the bourgeoisie

• Condemn the terrorist attack in Kashmir!
  Condemn the letter of Vajpayee to Bush as an act of treachery
  against all South Asian peoples!

• LRS meeting in Mumbai opposes US imperialist attacks

• New fascist law approved by Union Cabinet in the name of "anti-terrorism"

• World wide protests against the imperialist aggression of Afghanistan

Condemn the Anglo-American military aggression on Afghanistan!
Imperialist military forces, get out of the region!

Statement of the CGPI, October 9, 2001

Through a combination of arm-twisting, blackmail, bribery, and unprincipled secret deals with various powers harbouring imperialist ambitions, the Anglo-American imperialists have cobbled together this "global alliance against terrorism" and begun to rain death and destruction on Afghanistan and her hapless people. In these moments of great tragedy for the fraternal Afghan people, the Communist Ghadar Party of India extends the solidarity of the Indian working class and people to the Afghan people. Together with all anti-imperialist and progressive forces in the subcontinent, and together with the millions of fighters against this unjust war who have taken to the streets the world over, we pledge to pour our energies to bring this unjust war to an immediate end.

The people of Afghanistan have been and remain the victim of great power, imperialist politics. Occupying a strategic position between West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia, Afghanistan has been and remains a bone of contention amongst the imperialists. If in the nineteenth century, Britain and Tsarist Russia fought over Afghanistan, the last quarter of the twentieth century saw the social imperialist Soviet Union and the US imperialists devastating Afghanistan as part of their contention for domination of this region. Millions were maimed or wounded, millions more turned into refugees.

The war launched against Afghanistan by the Anglo-American imperialists with collusion from Russia and other powers is a continuation of the US imperialist politics of redividing West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia and establishing its unquestioned suzerainty over Asia. It is ominous that the Anglo-American imperialists have declared that the war against Afghanistan is just the beginning, that other countries will be targeted in the coming period. The unfolding situation demands that the peoples of the region unitedly oppose the Anglo-American imperialists and their war. The peoples must demand of their governments that they end the policy of supporting the Anglo-American war.

The Communist Ghadar Party of India condemns the stand of the Vajpayee Government of support to the Anglo-American war against the fraternal Afghan people. The Vajpayee government is pursuing an agenda that is fraught with disastrous consequences for the freedom and sovereignty of India, as well as for peace in South Asia and the region at large.

The CGPI calls upon the communists and all anti-imperialist and peace living Indians, to rise to the occasion and vigorously oppose the Anglo-American war against Afghanistan. Only resolute and firm opposition to this unjust imperialist war, and to the imperialist system that gives rise to predatory wars of conquest of peoples and countries, can save our region and Asia as a whole from being engulfed in a wider conflagration. The peoples of India and Pakistan, the peoples of the rest of Asia, the people of the whole world have a great responsibility on their shoulders. Throughout the world, people are coming onto the streets expressing their complete opposition to the unjust imperialist war against Afghanistan. The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls upon the working class and people of India to unite firmly in opposition to the imperialist war.

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Protests against the War on Afghanistan mount

On 12th October, hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of New Delhi to the US Information Centre. They called for an end to the war and expressed opposition to the US imperialist plans for establishing hegemony over the region. The protesters carried placards and banners declaring "Stop the War against Afghanistan", "Down with US hegemonism", "US imperialism is the biggest terrorist", "US imperialism is the father of terrorism", and other such slogans. They denounced the Vajpayee government’s collaboration with US in this unjust war. A contingent of the Communist Ghadar Party of India participated in the demonstration along with the CPI(M), the CPI, the Forward Bloc, the RSP and the "Jang Roko Abhiyan".

On the same day, massive protests took place in Hyderabad and nearly 50 youth were injured in police repression.

Students of Srinagar University protested against the unjust war on Afghanistan, braving the lathis and tear gas of the police. Elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir also, many protest actions were organised.

Earlier, on 11th October, activists of the "Jang Roko Abhiyan", a coalition of womens' organisations, youth and student organisations, NGO’s and intellectuals marched to the Police Headquarters in Delhi. They were protesting the arrest of six students of Delhi University. These students have been charged with sedition, for the "crime" of distributing anti-war leaflets and denouncing the communal-fascist war mongering stand of the Vajpayee government.

A broad coalition of forces opposed to the war and the fascist attacks of the Vajpayee government on the rights of people is being forged. At a meeting held in New Delhi on October 12, representatives of numerous organisations of workers, women, youth, students, teachers, church representatives, NGO’s and others got together in an attempt to unite all the anti-war forces on one platform. It was also decided that an all-India movement with a broad character will be developed and links forged with the anti war, anti imperialist movement in South Asia and the world over. There are plans to hold a powerful protest action in the capital on October 30.

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Unite and oppose the growing tendency of government to outlaw all dissent

According to news reports, six activists of the AIPRF were arrested recently after distributing pamphlets in the Bhajanpura area falling in East Delhi. They have been accused of opposing the US-India collaboration against Afghanistan and saying that people of the Islamic faith are being persecuted by the state. The charges: sedition and spreading communal disaffection!

In a positive development, student and democratic organisations covering a wide spectrum have condemned this as an attack on the right to dissent.

Earlier, the Corporator of the Okhla region of Delhi was sent to jail for two weeks for putting up posters opposing the US war against Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, people of the Islamic faith are being regularly picked up, not only near Home Minister Advanis’ house, but all over the country, as potential terrorists. Reports have come in of people of the Sikh faith being harassed for bearing a resemblance to someone who the US imperialists say is the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks.

A climate of fear and terror it would seem is being deliberately engineered to pursue a program of outlawing all dissent. The targets now are specific individuals and communities. These are the initial, "easy targets". The ultimate target is the entire working class and people of the country. It would seem that the aim is to crush, divert and disorient the struggle of the people of India against the anti-social offensive of globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation that was on the upswing till September 11, 2001.

In a sense, what Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his war cabinet are doing, is not unlike what Bush, Blair and their war cabinets are engaged in. They are engaged in outlawing dissent on the world scale as well as in their own countries. The Anglo American imperialists have arrogantly declared that no country can be "neutral" in the present war. Either they agree and support the Anglo - Americans, or risk being branded by them as "supporters of terrorism" and hazard their countries being bombed and ravaged as Afghanistan is being now devastated.

The situation demands that progressive forces, in India and worldwide, recognise that fascism and war are on the agenda of the most aggressive imperialist powers.

It is the most reactionary, militarist and chauvinistic sections of the bourgeoisie of the countries driving towards fascism and war who are setting the agenda in these countries. The peoples will be the victims. The powerful united front of the peoples of each country, and the peoples of the world, against fascism and imperialist war, is the necessity of the times.

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Down with the "secret mission" of Tony Blair to South Asia!
Defend the right of the Afghan people to determine their own destiny, free from interference of outside powers!

Statement of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, October 6, 2001

In Moscow, Blair is reported to have discussed with Russian President Putin about the nature of the political arrangement that could be established in Afghanistan after the Taliban is brought down. In Pakistan, he is reported to have discussed two topics. First, he supposedly shared some evidence in secret with the Pakistan President, who then announced to the press that he thinks that Bin Laden is guilty and should be handed over by the Taliban. And second, he discussed the composition and nature of the regime that would replace the Taliban in Afghanistan, what kind of representation it would have of the Pakhtuns and so on.

While Blair was sharing some "secret evidence" with the leaders of the Pakistan Government, to convince them of the legitimacy of waging war against the Taliban Government in Afghanistan, a 17-page dossier that was presented to the British Parliament as evidence has been dismissed by leading legal experts in Britain as being thin on facts. Mr. Anthony Scrivener, a lawyer in The Times, London, stated that a legal case could not be made simply on the strength of motive and the fact that the attacks on September 11 bore "hallmarks" of a Bin Laden operation. It is reported that out of 70 points in the dossier, only 9 related to the September 11 attacks, and even these are in the nature of conjecture rather than evidence.

At the end of Blair’s visit, Pakistan joined the Anglo-American chorus, with Musharraf publicly asserting that Taliban can be attacked if it does not hand over Bin Laden. In return for this cooperative stand by the Government of Pakistan, Blair announced that further economic aid from the US, UK, World Bank and IMF would be forthcoming to Pakistan.

Blair arrived in India on Friday night and met with Vajpayee on October 6. Blair presumably shared the same "secret evidence" with him, although the Government of India needs no evidence to join the US-led "war on terrorism". Blair’s mission in India was focused more on appeasing the Indian bourgeoisie with some promised prominent role in establishing the new arrangement in Afghanistan.

The issue of what kind of state power and government should be there in Afghanistan is a matter for the Afghan people to decide. What business is it of Tony Blair, George Bush, Musharraf and Vajpayee or of any other outside power?

The war being prepared by Anglo-American imperialism to bring down the Taliban regime, with concocted "evidence" against Bin Laden as the justification, is an entirely unjust war that is in gross violation of all accepted principles of civilised conduct among countries, nations and peoples of the world.

The rulers of India claim that their own "national unity and territorial integrity" should not be violated at any cost, while they have the right to violate the sovereignty and integrity of Afghanistan. Vajpayee is willing to discuss with Blair what role India wants to play in bringing down the current Taliban government and in determining the shape of the regime that would take its place. But what right does India have to interfere in the political affairs of Afghanistan?

The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls on all progressive and peace-loving parties and political forces in South Asia to oppose the unjust imperialist war against Afghanistan from the principled standpoint that the people of Afghanistan have the right to determine their own political destiny, free from outside interference! All the peoples of South Asia have this right as well. An attack on one is an attack on all!

The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls on the communists in the Parliament to step up their opposition to the imperialist war plans and India’s participation in this unjust war. It is not only the use of Indian space by US forces to attack targets in Afghanistan that needs to be opposed. Any form of Indian cooperation with the Anglo-American plan must be opposed. All outside interference, including interference by the Indian State, in Afghanistan, must be opposed.

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Another indictment of state brutality

The stories of many of the acquitted persons, a number of whom were women, were heart-rending. Some had been detained for as long as nine years, even though the court eventually found them innocent. Some had been in jail for more than the maximum time they could have been legally imprisoned even if they had been convicted of the charges against them, which included things like providing food to the outlaws. Among the women released were those who had lost their husbands, sons and even all close male family members to STF bullets, and who literally had nowhere to go on coming out of jail, and no means of supporting themselves.

In an acknowledgement of the atrocities perpetrated by the STF on innocent people, the governments of Karnataka and Tamilnadu had been compelled to set up a corpus fund of Rs 10 crores. This fund is to provide compensation to STF victims according to the recommendations, which would be given by a pending inquiry conducted by the National Human Rights Commission. The Karnataka High Court, however, has stayed the proceedings of the inquiry commission, thereby depriving the innocent victims of the compensation, to which they are entitled, just when they need it most. At the same time, it would be right to ask what could possibly compensate, not only for the precious years-wasted away in jail, but also for the rape, torture and harassment that so many victims had to go through.

The release of 109 prisoners is a positive step. But the brutality and atrocities against ordinary people, especially from among the poor toiling people, goes on day in and day out. It is built into the system of "law and order" which sustains the unjust rule of the exploiting classes in our country. TADA itself has been scrapped; but there remain on the books many other pieces of legislation designed to terrorise and oppress innocent people. To put an end to this rule of tyranny, the masses of exploited people have no alternative but to fight for power in their own hands.

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Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy Opposes the US led war in the region

Leading members of the organisation from Pakistan, Janab Mubashir Hasan and Janab I. A. Rahman addressed the meeting, together with other members and activists of PIPFPD from India. A large number of political and social activists from many different organisations participated in the meeting and expressed their views. Activists of Lok Raj Sangathan also participated in the meeting.

The speakers voiced their firm opposition to the unjust war that the US, in collusion with other powers, was about to unleash on Afghanistan, a war that would have disastrous consequences for all peoples in this region. Denouncing the horrible crimes of the US administration against different nations and peoples, the overt and covert sponsorship of terrorism and terrorist groups by the US in various parts of the world, the attempts of the US to establish a new world order under its tutelage and its shameful political, economic and military interference in the internal affairs of other countries, the speakers called upon the peoples of both India and Pakistan to stand united and oppose this latest act of aggression by the US imperialists and their allies.

Members of PIPFPD as well as other participants at the meeting expressed the sentiment that the present situation provides an excellent opportunity for the peoples of both India and Pakistan to unite as one force against this US led war, since both face a common danger and will be affected simultaneously. The peoples of both our countries are bound by strong historical ties, we have both been the victims of the partition that was engineered by the colonialists, and we desire lasting peace and friendship between our peoples. However, the rulers of both our countries are playing a very diabolical game today, they are more interested in assisting the US imperialists in this war than in defending the peace and security of the region. Rather than using the present opportunity to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our two peoples in the face of our common enemy, the rulers of India and Pakistan are once again indulging in the politics of trying to turn our people against one another. This benefits only the US imperialists and other powers who want to establish their control over this region, the speakers pointed out, as they would like to see a weak and divided South Asia.

The meeting called upon people in both our countries to unite as one against the war in this region, to vigorously oppose the collaboration of our rulers with the US warmongers and to foil the attempts of our rulers to set our peoples against each other.

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Pune meeting Condemns US war against Afghanistan

Large number students from Pune University, Fergusson College, MM College of Commerce, PICT and representatives from Lok Raj Sangathan, Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) (LNP-L), Hind Navjawan Ekta Sabha, and Communist Ghadar Party of India, and ELGAR actively participated in the discussion.

Making the keynote speech, the Convener of Lok Raj Sangathan (Pune Chapter), pointed out that the aim of the "Global War against Terrorism" launched by US is not to end terrorism, but to establish US hegemony over South Asia and the world.

Speaking about terrorism, he emphasized that the origin and continued sustenance of terrorism lies in imperialism. US imperialism has been the most vicious sponsor of terrorism world over including South Asia, Middle East, Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, etc. The US definition of terrorism is self-serving.

Condemning the shameful decision of the Indian government to offer its military bases to launch war against Afghanistan as anti-national, he called upon people of India to actively oppose this war and create conditions to end the colonial legacy of "Divide and Rule" and defeat imperialist design in this region.

Referring to the "secret deals" of British Prime Minister Tony Blair with the heads of states of Russia, Pakistan and India, he asserted that no foreign power has right to decide what kind of state or government should Afghan people have. Any interference in the internal affairs of a country is violation of its sovereignty and against international norms of civilized behavior between nations.

Condemning the terrorist attacks in US, Kashmir and elsewhere he pointed that terrorism is a tool in the hands of the ruling circles to impose their dictate over people. Terrorism aims at depoliticizing people and removing them from the political arena.

Speaking on behalf of Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) (LNP-L), B.J.Kerkar, emphasized that terrorism is integral part of imperialism. America’s "War against terrorism" is not aimed against terrorists, but against the people fighting against the US imperialist agenda of globalization, liberalization and privatization. Declaring their opposition to War and imperialism, he stressed that people should be united and organized against this imperialist war.

The meeting concluded with a series of resolutions including, Condemnation of terrorist attack in US and Kashmir, and US declaration of war; Decision to unite people of South Asia against war, imperialist intervention, and sinister design of Anglo-US imperialism to impose puppet regime on people of Afghanistan.

Oppose US imperialist War against Afghanistan!

NO to India’s participation and support to the war!

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Vigorously oppose the renewed privatisation efforts of the bourgeoisie

The sell out of these two units is being pushed through by the Indian ruling class amidst a climate of war hysteria and terror that has been systematically whipped up in the country as well as the world over since the September 11 terrorist killings in the US. The government is pushing through with its agenda of privatisation hoping that in the present climate the working class will not oppose privatisation in the manner it was doing earlier.

The Government will get Rs 152 crores for its 51 percent stake in CMC and another Rs 55 crores for its 74 per cent stake in HTL. This sell out constitutes less than 2 per cent of the Rs 12,000 crores budgetary target, that the BJP government has set for itself this year. Two major issues emerge from this.

On the one hand, the fact that this is the first sell out that the bourgeoisie has managed after 6 months into the financial year points to the tremendous resistance that it has had to face from the trade unions and people’s organisations as well as from their own ranks on this issue. The valiant struggle of the workers of Modern Foods severely throttled the bourgeoisie’s attempts to steamroll their disinvestment programme and squarely questioned the democratic and constitutional validity of the sale of a public asset without the consent of the owners of the asset — the people. The severe opposition to the Balco privatisation from all quarters questioned the authority of the government to sell assets which have traditionally belonged to the tribal people for centuries. The widespread opposition to these two sell outs and the democratic principles on which this opposition was based demolished the arguments of the bourgeoisie that people gained by the sale of these "loss making" units to private capitalists and that it is not the government’s duty to guarantee the livelihood and well-being of the producers of wealth.

On the other hand, the manner and timing of the recent signals the resolve of the government to use the present international situation to step up the anti-social offensive through privatisation. Recently the government advocated a fast track approach for the sell-out of 13 undertakings and has set an accelerated timetable for this. The ruling class sees a wonderful opportunity at this juncture to push through these sell-outs. The Indian ruling class wants to push through various measures such as labour law amendments, anti-people and anti-democratic laws, sell-outs, export concessions to big capitalists, complete control over the use of people’s provident and pension funds and various concessions to the WTO against the interests of the people.

The bourgeoisie has already initiated sell-out procedures for Maruti Udyog and the two airlines Air India and Indian Airlines. The crisis in the airlines sector throughout the world is being used to retrench employees, as well as declare Air India bankrupt to sell it off at an extremely cheap price to private interests in the coming period.

The sell-out of CMC and HTL is a dress rehearsal for major sell-outs in the future. These sell-outs are going to involve thousands of crores of people’s assets and livelihood of tens of thousands of workers.

The working class and progressive people of India are confronting this offensive of the bourgeoisie with two major questions:

- How can the sell-out of people’s assets to capitalists and imperialists—whose very aim in life is to make maximum profits—be in the interests of the people?

- Is it not the state’s responsibility to provide security of life and livelihood to every citizen, including the workers in the so-called public sector?

The working class of India has a vision that is directly opposed to the vision of the bourgeoisie. The working class has the vision for building a modern and humane India in which the well being of the whole of society is the very raison d’etre of the economy. In this vision, public enterprises and assets owned by the people should be deployed in the interests of the entire society and not just towards providing maximum profits for a minority of Indian and foreign exploiters. It is with this vision that the Indian working class is forging ahead in its fight to establish a new society free from want and exploitation. It is fighting for this vision that will really safeguard the people’s well being and the security of India from the predatory interests of Indian and foreign big capitalists and the imperialists.

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Condemn the terrorist attack in Kashmir!
Condemn the letter of Vajpayee to Bush as an act of treachery
against all South Asian peoples!

Statement of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, October 4, 2001

Whoever was behind the suicide attack acted in the interests of the enemies of the people of Kashmir and the peoples of South Asia. Such indiscriminate killing of innocent people does not contribute to the cause of liberation of any people or to the cause of peace in the region. On the contrary, it leads to the further inflaming of passions and to a climate where warmongers and empire builders can intervene in the name of a "war on terrorism", with disastrous consequences for all the peoples of South Asia. And as far as any revolutionary or enlightened individual is concerned, suicide bombing is a cowardly act of escaping from the problems of the world. It is not an act of heroism. It does not contribute to the progress of society.

Immediately following the terrorist attack on 1st October, the Government of India began to accuse Pakistan publicly without presenting any evidence to anybody, exactly in the same style as US imperialism. Not only that, Prime Minister Vajpayee immediately sent a letter to the President of the United States, through his emissary, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. The main message of the letter is that it is not enough to attack the Taliban in Afghanistan but that it is also essential to isolate and attack Pakistan. While calling on the US to also target Pakistan, the letter declares that India, on its part, would be forced to take extraordinary measures against Pakistan in the given situation. Thus, the Indian rulers are not only threatening to launch attacks against Pakistan but also egging on the most ferocious enemy of the world’s peoples to dig its bloody claws more firmly in the south Asian region.

The response of the Vajpayee Government, rushing to US imperialism for cooperation to isolate and attack Pakistan, further adds to the problem and not to its solution. The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls on the working class and all peace-loving peoples to condemn the narrow-minded and dangerous response of the Vajpayee Government and its calls for war!

Since the September 11 incidents, the US imperialists have been applying tremendous pressure on all countries of the world to fall in line with their strategy to attack the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and step up their interference in the Asian region. Sinister moves are being made by this ferocious enemy of the peoples to turn brother against brother and turn this region into a devastating war zone. Peoples in the west, central and south Asian regions have been watching these ominous developments with deep fear and profound hatred. If it had been in their power, the peoples of this region would have never let the US imperialists get even an inch of foothold in the region, fully knowing from past experience that wherever US imperialism establishes its bases, there the land turns into a graveyard.

Precisely when all the peoples of the region are vigorously opposing the interference of US imperialism and the heightened threat of war in the region, the Vajpayee government is pointing out potential targets in Pakistan and is acting as the closest military ally of the US imperialists and as one of the most blatant warmongers. In its blinding frenzy to immediately use the situation to gain an upper hand against Pakistan and the neighbouring countries, the Indian bourgeoisie wants to play the devil’s game, endangering thousands of innocent lives and peace in the region.

When he visited the Indian-Pakistan border during the inaugural bus trip from Delhi to Lahore, Vajpayee had said, "People may forget their history but they cannot forget geography". Has he now himself forgotten geography? Inviting the US, from the opposite end of the globe, to come and attack our neighbours in South Asia, certainly does not reflect any understanding of geography. The US should have no place in South Asia. This action constitutes a betrayal of the cause of unity of South Asian peoples against imperialism. It shows that the Indian big bourgeoisie is part of the imperialist camp. It is part of the problem and not part of the solution. The stand of both, the Indian and Pakistan Governments, on the question of US interference in our sub-continent is a betrayal of the people’s sentiments for peace in the region. By adopting the language of US imperialism and acting as its envoy to Afghanistan, the Government of Pakistan is also acting as part of the problem rather than contributing to its solution.

In this situation, it is important for the peoples of India and Pakistan to overcome the barriers erected by their rulers and forge unity among the peoples to prevent reactionary war in the region. It is especially important for the working class of India to take the lead in this effort, by openly and resolutely condemning the imperialistic and warmongering stance of its own rulers.

The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls on all communists, patriots and peace-loving peoples in India and Pakistan and the rest of South Asia to redouble their efforts to build solidarity among all peoples of South Asia against US imperialism and its unjust war, and against those governments in South Asia that are joining instead of opposing the dangerous imperialist war games.

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LRS meeting in Mumbai opposes US imperialist attacks

Justice Hosbet Suresh, the well-known human rights activist and LRS Vice President, commenced the proceedings with his speech. Exposing the policy and activities of US imperialism, he said that while US imperialism claims that its war is a war between terrorism and democracy, they themselves have supported oppressive and undemocratic regimes, for example in Pakistan and in several other countries. It was only US imperialism which killed hundreds of thousands of people in Cuba, Vietnam, Korea and elsewhere, and in the last decade itself, has brought over half a million people to the brink of death in Iraq. In 1984, the dreaded TADA act was promulgated by the government, according to the provisions of which the police could arrest any one on mere suspicion of being involved in terrorist activities and detain him indefinitely without bail. Over 73 thousand people were arrested under the TADA and detained for long periods. However the government had to withdraw cases against over 70 thousand of them since it did not have even a shred of evidence ! In the last 19 years, not even one percent could be actually convicted! Was the menace of terrorism finished by TADA? Kashmir and the North East are live example of areas suffering from the menace of state terrorism. Is it any surprise that people in this areas hate the Indian government? It is clear from the experience in India too that in order to defeat terrorism, we have to find out its root cause. Individual terrorism cannot be ended by state terrorism, Justice Suresh emphasised. Referring to the recent ban on SIMI, he asked why organisations like the Bajarang Dal which are openly terrorising people are not banned?

The speaker from the LRS then pointed out that the Indian government foisted its decision to support the US imperialist without any discussion on the people. Decisions of such great importance cannot be forced upon the people in the democracy. Expressing the sympathy of the Indian people for the ordinary people of America who were affected by the dastardly attacks on September 11, the speaker said that these attacks did not give the U.S. President George Bush the right to declare war on other innocents. George Bush if threatening all countries that they will be declared "terrorists" if they did not support the U.S. in this war. The US or other imperialists have been behind several acts of terrorism, hence they must be the targets of the fight against terrorism. The US imperialists are trying to make out that the Afghan people are backward and uncultured. But this is a big lie. The bonds of friendship between the Indian and Afghan peoples, forged over the centuries, were strengthened during the anti colonial struggle. It is now essential that the Indian people support the Afghan people in their war against imperialist terror.

The speaker from the Manav Mukti Morcha gave instances of police terror in India and said that it was necessary to fight against this state terror as well as the terror if the imperialists.

The speaker from the CGPI expressed sympathy for the America people in the wake of the barbaric attacks on them. The speaker recounted some of the atrocities perpetrated by the American armed forces and its intelligence agency, the CIA in various countries around the world, affecting millions of people – from Guatemala in 1954 where thousands of peasants were killed, between 1965 to 1970 in Indonesia, Chile in 1973, E. Timor , and the killing of over 3 million people in Nicaragua and other countries of Central and South America. The Indian government also has a similar history of atrocities – more recently in Punjab, Kashmir and in the North East. Hence the war against terrorism be led neither by the US imperialists nor by the Indian government. The Indian government desires a situation of tension and war in this region. It is essential for the Indian people to put pressure on the government to make it desist from supporting the US imperialists in the unjust war.

Resolutions were passed in the meeting denouncing US imperialism as the greatest terrorists in the world, opposing the support given to them by the Indian government, and expressing support for the struggle of the Afghan people in defence of their sovereignty.

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New fascist law approved by Union Cabinet in the name of "anti-terrorism"

One of the harshest provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) 2001 empowers the state to attach the property of an arrested person. Under TADA, only an absconding accused could face such an extreme action. POTO also empowers the government to clamp a ban on any organisation which the government claims is involved in terrorism, without any "bureaucratic delay" (read, checks). Anyone arrested under POTO has no hope of getting bail for at least a year after the arrest. Government has to produce no documents or even file the First Information Report (FIR) giving details of the charges against the accused.

POTO makes it mandatory for everyone, including the press and the media to "furnish information about terrorist offences" to investigating officials. This is an attack on all journalists and others working for the mass media, who can now be thrown into jail for not acting as stool pigeons of the authorities.

People’s Voice condemns the decision of the Union Cabinet to promulgate this new anti - democratic ordinance under the signboard of "preventing terrorism". The experience of other previous similar laws such as TADA clearly show that far from "preventing terrorism", such unbridled powers in the hands of the police ensure the systematic violation of human rights including the right to conscience. Under TADA, people were incarcerated for years on end and many continue to languish in the jails even after the TADA has long since lapsed. The state has not compensated all these people, most of whom were innocent for the terrible travails they and their families have had to undergo.

While TADA was touted as a law to "prevent terrorism", the record shows that throughout the period when it was in force, terrorist attacks on the people, both individual and state sponsored, continued unabated. The same will happen now with POTO. What is happening is that faced with increasing opposition to the anti - social offensive of the ruling class by the workers, peasants and middle strata, the Vajpayee government is attempting to criminalise all dissent. This portends grave consequences for the whole of Indian society. It is significant that POTO is being passed as an Ordinance behind the back of Parliament at a time when heated debates in Parliament had stalled its’ earlier version and the National Human Rights Commission, a government - appointed body, had raised its voice in opposition to such a law.

The situation demands that all political parties and forces, all those concerned about human rights, raise their voices in protest against POTO.

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World wide protests against the imperialist aggression of Afghanistan

Since then, and especially after the US - UK aerial aggression of Afghanistan commenced, these protests have grown in number and strength. Within only a couple of hours after the first bombs were dropped on Afghanistan, over 15,000 people came out in a demonstration on the streets of New York city, venue of the terrorist attacks of September 11, ’01. They clearly showed the entire world that the war in Afghanistan could not be justified in the name of bringing retribution to them.

Following this, vigorous protests and demonstrations also took place in many other cities of US, as well as in other countries such as UK, Germany, Greece, Italy, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan and India. At the time of going to the press, protest actions have been planned in even more cities and towns all across the globe - London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cambridge, Sheffield in England; Bologna, Rivoli, Assisi, Torino and other cities in Italy; Berlin and other cities in Germany; as well as many in cities and towns of Austria, Belgium, Poland and other countries of Europe. People in countries of Asia are also demonstrating stern opposition to the war on Afghanistan. Huge protests have been held in cities of Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, China, and India.

At a time when the capitalist imperialist press and mass media are attempting to show that the unjust war is being supported by people all over the world, it is very important for the people to show their opposition to the path of destruction unleashed by the US - UK imperialists so that the forces really behind terrorism can be exposed and brought to justice.

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