• International Human Rights Day:
  Mass rally in Mumbai

• US-led war coalition decides who will rule Afghanistan

• An attack on one is an attack on all
  Scrap POTO!

• Indefensible POTO

• International Human Rights Day:
  Public meet in Pune calls for repeal of POTO

• Gill acknowledges role of state in fomenting terrorism

• Responsibility of the collective -

• 93rd Constitution Amendment Bill Passed
  On the making of free and compulsory education a "fundamental" right

• Universal education for all Indian children remains a policy objective

• Hands off Nepal!

• Indian government joins hands with US in "counter terrorism" efforts

• Meet calls for repeal of POTO

• Ban on shark fishing:
  Savage attack on livelihood of fishermen

• Condemn the government decision to ban People’s War Group and Maoist Communist Centre under POTO

• International Human Rights Day
  Public Discussion in DelhiS

• MFIL Union attends All India meeting of Unilever Unions in Hyderabad -

International Human Rights Day:

Mass rally in Mumbai

On behalf of the preparatory committee, its representative welcomed everybody to the meeting and explained the importance of the day and the struggle for Human Rights. He also put into perspective the current struggle of the human rights and democratic movement against POTO. He then introduced Justice (Retd.) S M Daud who explained in detail the provisions of POTO.

Major-General (Retd.) D’ Souza one of the highest decorated officers in the Indian army then spoke against POTO. He also recalled his experience in Hiroshima and Nagasaki where he was sent as a part of the UN team soon after the atom bombs were dropped and asked if that was not terrorism then what was? He said any attempt to communally divide the country will lead to disaster. Pillars of the nation like the armed forces are based on all communities and they will not accept it.

Dada Samant of Kamgar Aghadi then recalled his own incarceration under several black laws starting with Essential Services Maintenance Act in the Railway Strike in 1960 to date. He also recalled how the late Dr Datta Samant, his brother was also arrested under NSA and said working class opposes these black acts but also knows that the only way to fight them is in the streets, since it cannot influence votes in the parliament.

The speaker from the Communist Ghadar Party of India expressed his support for such anti-fascist initiatives and said POTO should not be accepted in any form amended or otherwise and said history has shown that it is the Indian state that is terrorist.

The speaker from the SUCI commented that there should be more attempts to mobilise public opinion against fascism as the current one. The speaker from the Vidyarthi Pragati Sangathan pointed out that students putting up posters in Delhi were arrested under draconian laws and political organisations like CPIML-PWG and MCC are being banned along with others in the North East. This itself shows that the government is not using POTO to fight terrorism but political opposition

Majeed Memon, well known lawyer and a leader of Samajwadi Party who has personally fought hundreds of TADA cases said that all the thirty odd MPs of Samajwadi Party will oppose POTO. It is a mockery of human rights that even the government appointed National Human Rights Commission opposes POTO, but the government totally ignores its recommendations. He said POTO in many respects is a copy of TADA which was found to be totally unacceptable and draconian. Why is the government introducing this after a gap of 6 years? It is not to fight terrorism but to fight political opponents. Com Jaywant Chavan of LNP-Leninist, Com Abhyankar of TUSC, Com Sukumar Damle of AITUC also spoke opposing POTO. Before the meeting there was a protest dharna outside Dadar station where a big group of people distributed leaflets and gave speeches. The meeting ended with a resolve to carry the work of building a broad democratic front forward.

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US-led war coalition decides who will rule Afghanistan

According to the terms of the Bonn agreement, foreign military forces, including US military forces, will be stationed in Kabul and Kandahar under the label of "UN Peacekeeping forces" for an indefinite period. In other words, a government of warlords, agents of the former King, and agents of imperialism is being imposed by the US imperialist- led war coalition on the Afghan people and the military occupation of Afghanistan will continue under the name of "peace keeping". The merchants of death and destruction are now preparing to don the garb of "peace keepers" to attain the same aims that have dictated the devastating war against the brave Afghan people.

The nineteenth century premise of "white mans burden" is being acted out yet again in horrendous conditions in the course of what has been termed by imperialist chieftain Bush as the "first war of the 21st century". The "peacekeeping forces" are allegedly necessary to ensure that different factions amongst the Afghan warlords do not embroil the country in further civil war. Thus the imperialists of today are all of the opinion that Afghans are not fit to govern themselves or decide their own destiny. Now the imperialists will give lessons to the ancient Afghan people what kind of political system they must have and how their economy must be run.

The United Nations was founded at the end of the Second World War on the basis of pledging to uphold the principle of respecting the sovereignty; the right to self-determination of every people. One of its’ important mandates has been to prevent wars. The pretext advanced by George Bush and his alliance for carpet bombing Afghanistan and conquering it are not different in essence from those advanced by Hitler or Mussolini before the Second World War, when they set about occupying other countries, annexing them in some situations and imposing puppet regimes in other situations. It is indeed shameful that the United Nations, instead of acting to stop the unjust war of annexation, is fully aiding and abetting the U S imperialists in their vile aims.

The aim of the US imperialists is, of course, to establish a regime that is completely under their dictate, where Afghans will kill Afghans at the US bidding, and Afghans will help transform their country into a base for the US imperialists against all the neighbouring peoples. They thus perceive the brave Afghan people as useful only as cannon fodder to fight for imperialist war aims. They can hope to achieve their aim only by completely crushing the age-old and indomitable spirit of freedom that has inspired the Afghan people in their successful wars against mighty regimes like the British empire and the Soviet Union in the past, and which, most recently, has made them take up the challenge thrown at them by the most powerful military force in the world today.

A very dangerous situation has been created in South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia. The US imperialists have for long been coveting a base from where their old plans to conquer the oil rich Caspian Sea region, put pressure on Iran, and ensure the military encirclement of India and China can be executed. All governments who support the US move to set up a puppet regime and ensure its continued military occupation of Afghanistan are thus playing a very dangerous game. It is truly tragic that rulers of India, as well as the rulers of various other countries, are playing this game, even though the consequences will be catastrophic for our peoples.

People’s Voice unreservedly condemns the US move to impose a puppet government on the Afghan people. People's Voice condemns the brazen role of the United Nations in giving the insidious actions of US imperialists a veneer of international acceptance. All political forces in India must unreservedly condemn and oppose the US and UN moves to impose a puppet government in Afghanistan and continue military occupation. They must give the call—Imperialists, Hands off Afghanistan! They must demand the immediate ceasing of the US bombing and aggression on Afghanistan and the withdrawal of all foreign troops. Let the Afghan people determine their own destiny!

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An attack on one is an attack on all Scrap POTO!

Brothers and sisters,

December 10 is International Human Rights Day. Members of United Nations, including India, signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on this day in 1948. This was a historic occasion.

However, we have seen this declaration violated more than observed, both internationally and in our country. Right now Afghanistan is being bombed. In our India, worst kind of communal massacres of dalits, Sikhs, muslims and tribal people have been organized after independence. Christian missionaries and nuns are being heinously and selectively attacked. All those who are questioning the misrule of the center and state governments in Kashmir and the North East are being dubbed anti-national and their human rights have been grossly violated by the security forces and the paramilitary in a clear cut case of state terrorism.

To top it all Vajpayee government has passed the draconian POTO (Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance), which gives arbitrary powers to the government to persecute anybody in the name of fighting terrorism, be they trade unionists, human rights activists, journalists or political opponents. It gives itself the right to arrest and detain anyone, without any shred of evidence, as terrorists or sympathizers. It has taken up the authority to ban any organization on ideological grounds and arrest their members and take over their bank accounts. We all know that real terrorists do not carry membership cards or easily identifiable bank accounts. So it is clear that government aims to use POTO against all those who disagree with its policies.

There is a whole history in India of using such draconian laws - the Preventive Detention Act in 40s and 50s, Defence of India Rules in the 60s, Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the emergency in 1975, National Security Act in 1979 and then TADA in 1987 - against all democratic dissent, trade union activists and political opponents of the ruling party. Mrs Indira Gandhi used MISA during emergency against all her political opponents including many leaders of the present government besides jailing thousands of trade union leaders and other democratic persons.

Similarly NSA was used in Bombay against Dr Datta Samant, four leaders of Tata Oil Mills, four leaders of Textile Workers and so on. The notorious TADA was used against Justice Ajit Singh Bains former judge of the Punjab High Court, Prof Dalip Singh, former vice principal of Khalsa College, Mumbai and over seventy thousand people including students protesting rise in milk price in Gujarat and workers who were on strike in Reliance Textile mill at Ahmedabad. Out of 77,000 people arrested and detained under TADA, less than 2 per cent were convicted. The vast majority of which were not even brought to trial because there was no evidence against them! Clearly these were not terrorists or anti-national people and such laws have become tools in the hands of the ruling party to brow beat all democratic dissent and all its political opponents.

POTO goes one step further, and makes confessions in police stations, taped and wire tapped conversations and so on as admissible evidence. In other words it allows the prosecution to "prove" its case against the accused by allowing it to manufacture evidence through torture and other dubious means including doctoring of evidence electronically!

POTO allows for over nine months of incarceration without trial or bail or charge sheet. Twenty three organisations have been banned under POTO in the first list with promises of more to come. The government does not have to justify why it has declared such and such organisation as "terrorist". The list of organisations banned shows very clearly that the Ordinance is to be used selectively against organisations of minority communities and those in the North East.

By allowing state security forces to arrest, detain and torture innocent civilians, POTO actually encourages and promotes state terrorism. So clearly the intentions of the government despite all the noise about "safe guards" and even agreeing to include some suggestions from its partners, are highly suspect. In fact LK Advani, Union Home Minister has openly declared that those who do not support POTO are on the side of terrorists even using the same arrogant language as George Bush that those who do not support America in its war are supporters of terrorism.

Brothers and sisters,

The government wants to amend trade union act and other labour laws. Is there a need to amend the labour laws? Yes there is. In fact the right to livelihood needs to be introduced as a fundamental right in the constitution and several measures need to be taken to protect the rights of working people in the present condition of economic onslaught of the employers. But instead the government is trying to curtail the trade union rights of working people and introduce the alien concept of hire and fire in Indian factories and offices. Whatever meager protection, working people had under the old labour laws are being taken away in new amended laws. This is the kind of reform we do not want.

So, brothers and sisters, on this International Human Rights Day we call on all Indian people to oppose persecution by the state and defend the rights of every member of society. Let us all stand shoulder to shoulder, united across religious and other boundaries, with the consciousness that an attack on one is an attack on all.

Scrap POTO !

Statement on International Human Rights Day, Dec 10, 2001

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Indefensible POTO

During October 2001, the Bush government rushed through America’s Congress a new anti-terrorism law, called USA-PATRIOT (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism).

Soon after the law became effective, the US government rounded up hundreds of people and held them virtually incommunicado. The Justice Department of the US is not only refusing to divulge the name of the detainees, it has even stopped informing how many people have been arrested. The number of detainees is supposed to be in excess of 1200 and the treatment meted out to them should be a disgrace for the country claiming to be the champion of freedom and liberty. Many of the detainees have reportedly been held in harsh conditions and not allowed to contact a lawyer or to notify relatives of their arrest.

In the third week of November 2001, the British government introduced an emergency anti-terrorism bill, which it hopes to push through British Parliament before the end of the year. The bill will allow the British government to detain immigrants suspected of terrorism indefinitely without trial. This provision is clearly in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, and yet the British government has no hesitation in introducing it. The British government claims that only 20 people will be affected by this provision. If this is really true, why can’t the police monitor them closely, prevent them from carrying out their schemes and assemble the evidence to prosecute them?

The new bill also enables the British government to ignore any request for asylum by the suspected foreign terrorist, which the United Nations High Commission for Refugees considers a violation of the international obligations of Britain.

Another provision in the British bill gives powers to the government to photograph suspects and oblige protesters to remove disguises. Another clause will enable (and potentially oblige) communication-service providers to retain data, such as e-mail and mobile phone logs.

The bill extends the law on inciting racial hatred to include religious hatred (as well as making religion an aggravating factor in assaults, harassment and so on).

These are not the only powers with which these governments have armed themselves. America’s attorney-general recently imposed a change in prison rules allowing conversation and letters between suspected terrorists and their lawyers to be monitored without a judicial warrant, thus suspending the American constitution’s sixth amendment right to effective counsel. The American laws already provides ways to investigate and prosecute lawyers engaged in criminal conspiracies yet the attorney-general tried to sneak his rule past the American public with little fanfare and no reference to the Congress. Further, the American President has given himself powers to try foreigners suspected of being terrorists in a military tribunal. This tribunal can conceal any evidence by citing national security, make up its own rules, find a defendant guilty and execute the foreigner. The judgment of a military tribunal is not subject to review by any civilian court.

David Blunkett, Britain’s home secretary, sneered at anyone expressing doubts about the new anti-terrorism bill as living in an "airy-fairy libertarian" world. According to the Indian government, the opposition to POTO means support to terrorism.

It is evident that all the three governments-US, British and Indian- are using the pretext of the "war on terrorism" to arm themselves with the draconian powers and curtailing fundamental rights won after hard fought battles. The only difference seems to be that while the US and the British government seem to be targeting foreigners, the Indian government wants to target its own citizens.

- Sudha, Pune

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International Human Rights Day:

Public meet in Pune calls for repeal of POTO

Describing some of the most vicious features of POTO, the speaker from the LRS, read out excerpts from POTO document itself. He illustrated how the definition of "terrorist act" in POTO which even includes acts which will be used against all kinds of political activists. POTO is applicable even to those who are "sympathisers " of "terrorist organizations". Over 25 organizations have already been banned under POTO. Government is not obliged to give any proof for declaring an organization terrorist and organizations can be declared terrorist even on ideological grounds with out any evidence of its actually committing a "terrorist act". Furthermore, the government, under POTO, is empowered to tap or intercept any communication including phone, wireless, electronic mail etc. The evidence for any crime can thus be manufactured can be used as "evidence" in a court of law. POTO makes even the confessions made under police custody admissible as evidence. POTO has several such measures which makes it extremely dangerous for all those who are part of the democratic movement and wish to challenge government policies and acts. Reversing the burden of proof in POTO violates the basic premise of modern jurisprudence, that is, " innocent until proved guilty". POTO thus constitutes an outright fascist attack on the democratic rights of Indian citizens and it has to be scrapped immediately, he concluded.

On behalf of LRS, it was also pointed out that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights signed in 1948 by all the nations including India promised to guarantee all the rights necessary for people to live a decent human life. It includes, in addition to the basic rights such as access to food, clothing, shelter, drinking water, sanitation facilities, education, health services etc., the right to conscience, freedom of expression, and right to self determination. Most of the people in the world are deprived of all these rights even today. Hence the struggle of people all around the globe to change their conditions of existence is a legitimate struggle, to affirm their human rights, to exercise their right to conscience. Instead of finding a political solution so as to satisfy the legitimate aspirations of the people, those in power term these struggles as a law and order problem and impose black laws like POTO to suppress them..

Dr. Sulbha Brahme while elaborating on the vicious human rights violations by US imperialists called it the biggest terrorist state in the world. She called upon all to fight state terrorism in all forms including POTO. The representative of the HNES asserted that the source and sustenance of terrorism is the world imperialist system. He emphasised the need to build political unity of all the fighting forces. The representatives of the CPI and SFI welcomed this initiative of LRS to organize people against POTO and promised all support in this effort.

The presentations were followed by vigorous discussion on the pros and cons of POTO. Some of the participants added that US state, a fountainhead of terrorism in the world, violates all international laws, conventions and treaties in its’ narrow self interest and imperialist aims and it can never be relied upon to fight terrorism. US state’s definition of human rights and terrorism are very self serving. President Bush declared that those who do not support American state in its war, are with the terrorists. It is tragic indeed that Indian union home minister also talks in the same language.

It also emerged during the discussion that there are many laws in India under which "terrorists" can be arrested and tried. But the state wants POTO because it wants arbitrary powers to declare anyone terrorist without any proof or evidence. In response to some suggestions regarding legal remedies being available against POTO misuse/abuse, several participants cited examples of TADA. Only a sustained campaign by the political activists, human right activists and democratic movement in the country helped defeat TADA.

The meeting ended with a call to unite against state terrorism in all forms including POTO.

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Gill acknowledges role of state in fomenting terrorism

According to a petition filed by the Committee for Information and Initiative on Punjab in April 1995, 2097 illegal cremations – 582 fully identified, 278 partially identified and 1237 unidentified – had taken place in Amritsar alone. Justifying this, Gill is reported to have said that "after every public cremation, thousands gathered and at least 10 joined the terrorist ranks; so it was kept secret". For Gill and his kind, all those who oppose the brutal state terror are "terrorists" and the state is justified in all kinds of crimes against people by declaring it will curb "terrorism". Gill also admits that in fact, it was the brutal state terror unleashed on the people of Punjab that drove some people to take the path of terrorism.

Ordinary working people do not like terrorism of any kind, nor do they indulge in terrorist acts that cause death and destruction to many innocent people. It is the state that is the perpetrator of terrorist violence; it is the state that converts political and social problems into "law and order" problems. When a people have been the victim of severe inhuman exploitation and state organised terror, when people find no other normal means to secure justice for themselves, then some amongst them will be able to justify resort to terrorism. Innumerable examples all over the country and the world prove this.

However, our rulers try to make a big mystery of why some amongst the youth and other sections of the people of specific communities that have borne the brunt of the state terror, etc. may take to the path of individual terror. They try to whitewash their own crimes against the people, the state terror that is systematically unleashed against people fighting for their rights or against specific communities, by pointing only to this or that isolated act of terrorism. Thus, while every act of terrorism goes against the interests of society, it by no means justifies intensification of state terrorism.

Today, our rulers are busy debating about whether the new "anti-terrorist" law POTO should be passed or not. There has been much outcry among the public against the utterly fascist terms of this newly proposed law and People’s Voice has done very good work in informing its readers about these. Some sections of the ruling circles are even talking about passing a modified version of POTO. Meanwhile, more and more organisations are being banned, people are being arrested and harassed under POTO, as was the case recently in Jammu and Kashmir. But there is never any talk of having a law to punish the crimes of the rulers against the people, the state terror that has been and is being unleashed against the people!

It is very clear that POTO, like its predecessor TADA, is not intended to really bring about the conditions that can end terrorism. Instead, if POTO comes into effect, it will mean an all-round intensification of state terrorism. POTO will be used first and foremost, against the working people who are fighting for their rights and against the injustice being meted out to them under the present system. POTO will be an outright attack on any individual’s, organisation’s or community’s right to speak and organise in defence of its views.

That is why it is an urgent necessity that all forces fighting in defence of the peoples’ interests get together and raise their voice that POTO should be immediately revoked!

Sunita, Lucknow

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Responsibility of the collective -

I am of the opinion that if such indeed is the manner in which the law is interpreted, then firstly all police officers and other corrupt officials must be incarcerated, as we hear of so much transgression on their part every day. Since the booty each snatches is shared by their "collective" according to well laid out hierarchial rules, it's obvious that ill - gotten gains obtained by one of these gentlemen benefits their odious collective, all members of the police and other officialdoms are collectively responsible and require to be apportioned penalization.

Of course, it would be naive to expect the honourable judges to so expound. Such an interpretation is doubtless reserved for the hoi polloi, the toiling masses.

Such contemporary interpretation of the law by our erudite judiciary is in my opinion stimulated by the growing unity of the toiling masses. We have, in recent months, witnessed the growing unity on the issue of opposing the unjust imperialist war on Afghanistan, and in opposing the continued membership by India of the WTO and other imperialist-controlled bodies. We have seen this unity strengthening not only in India, but all across the globe - from New York to Genoa, from Karachi to Berlin. Truly, the way forward for the toiling masses is to strengthen this unity and direct the mighty energy of this unity towards changing the rotten bourgeois - imperialist system!

Manju Kumari, Delhi

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93rd Constitution Amendment Bill Passed

On the making of free and compulsory education a "fundamental" right

The amendment states that, "the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to 14 years in such a manner as the state may, by law, determine." The authority being given in this way to the state to "determine by law" the way in which the right to education, which should be an inviolable right of all children, is to be provided, makes a complete mockery of this right.

What has been carefully avoided is the creating of enabling mechanisms to ensure that all children between the ages of 6 and 14 are actually provided quality education. In the absence of providing these enabling mechanisms, moving the right to universal education from the Chapter on Directive Principles of the Constitution, where it was earlier, to the Chapter on Fundamental Rights will not make universal education a reality for the sons and daughters of the poor and marginalised sections of our society, for girls, for the children of tribals, for children of the Dalits, or for the differently abled children. There is nothing in the Bill or the pronouncements of the Indian government to suggest as to what are the mechanisms that will ensure that education is an enforceable right.

It is also important to note that the Chapter on Fundamental Rights includes many rights including the right to freedom of speech, freedom of movement and Assembly, freedom to publish papers, freedom to organise, all of which are routinely violated by other laws and procedures of the state. In other words, the stark fact is that India’s people have no rights by virtue of their being born to society. Instead they are saddled with a Constitution which talks ad naseum about rights on paper, with the bourgeoisie retaining Supreme Power and the people deprived of even the right to protest. In such conditions, how will declaring the right to education "fundamental" make any difference in practice?

The mischief making and divisive potential of the 93rd Constitutional Amendment should not be overlooked. Under Article 51A, which defines the Fundamental Duties under the Constitution, clause 51A(k) has been inserted that states: "It shall be the duty of every citizen of India who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between the age of six and fourteen years."

What does this clause really mean? Is the problem of widespread lack of education of India’s children arising because the parents or guardians of children are against education? There are scores of reasons why girl children either don’t go to school or dropout early. There are scores of reasons why sons and daughters of the toilers and tillers are forced to drop out of school. All these scores of reasons translate into what can be only correctly termed as lack of enabling conditions for children to enjoy education as a right. For example, if older girls drop out of school to take care of their younger siblings because both parents go to the fields to work to earn their livelihood, simply declaring that education is a right for the girl and a duty for the parent means to foment discord in the family, while doing nothing to change the conditions that in the first place forced the child to remain away from school. If tomorrow, some one takes the state to court that children in the match factories in Sivakasi are being deprived of education and demand that the state provide them education, it is quite possible that the state will send its minions to arrest the parents of the Sivakasi children and charge them with violating the Constitution!

There are many who have worked in the field of education and know only too well the complexities of the problem. They know that right to education cannot be divorced from the right to livelihood, and other rights. A state that does not care about the inhuman living and working conditions of the vast masses of its people cannot be expected to suddenly care about educating its children. Educationists have raised the following important shortcomings in the Act:

· The Bill is silent on the quality of education, which should have been unambiguously defined and included in the legislation. This is particularly important today when the bourgeoisie is aggressively promoting non-formal and alternative education with open-air schools that have no facilities and under-paid and under-qualified "barefoot" teachers who are made to work for a pittance.

· The term "free" education does not include meal, books, notebooks, slates, medical assistance, transport and other requirements for the uninterrupted pursuit of education.

· The Bill ignores the rights of children in the zero to six-year age group. Day-care, early childhood education, crèches—none of these are rights, which shows the lack of seriousness of the state in addressing the problem of universal education for the 6-14 year olds.

The modern definition of rights presupposes that human civilisation has sufficiently advanced to the point that it considers them as immutable, as second nature to their existence. Also, while the content of rights changes with the times, becoming more and more complex as civilisation advances, an inherent quality of rights is their inviolability. Therefore, rights cannot merely be a set of phrases remaining on paper as the "fundamental right to education" now enshrined as Article 21A of the Indian Constitution is bound to be.

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Every succeeding decade, a new committee has been set up to keep up the appearance that the Indian State really has some intention of providing guaranteed education. The Kothari Commission was set up in 1966. Among many recommendations, the Kothari Commission reiterated the responsibility of the state towards providing basic education and suggested that the government should allocate at least six per cent of GDP for education, if it is really serious about providing education to all the children in India.These recommendations remained a pious wish list.

The ruling class and their state had preoccupations other than education and enlightenment. In fact, during the nineties state investment in education actually declined! In 1997-98, the government allocated only 3.6% of GDP for the entire education sector including elementary, technical and higher education. India ranked 115th with respect to the measure of a country’s effort to educate its people.

The National Policy on Education devised in 1968 and again revised in 1986 and 1992 acknowledged that the Constitutional directive of universal elementary education has been long overdue. Successive five year plans promised the achievement of this goal ad nauseum.

In the Jomtien Conference held in 1990, which adopted the World Declaration on Education for All, the Indian government signed the Declaration and repeated its "promise" that universalise elementary education in the country as "early as possible".

A few years back, on the recommendation of the Saikia Committee, a Group of Experts was constituted to estimate the requirement of financial resources for making elementary education a fundamental right in the Constitution. The Group estimated that to provide reasonable access to schools, minimum instruction material and a minimum level of quality of education, at least Rs. 1369 billion spread over 10 years is required additionally. This meant that every year an additional Rs 137 billion needs to be added to the education budget. The group gave detailed calculations on how this is entirely possible with the current budgetary resources. The Group also dismissed two absurd propositions that i) the government cannot provide universal elementary education because it is too costly for a poor country like India and ii) that the only way to find funds for elementary education is by diverting funds from higher education or other development schemes. The government of the bourgeoisie never accepted this recommendation either.

The unproductive expenditure of the Indian state on just two items, interest payments and defence expenditure, far exceeds the money spent on elementary education.

For example, in the financial year 2001-02:

• a colossal amount of Rs. 1123 billion will be spent on interest payments.
• big capitalists owed Rs 624 billion in unpaid taxes to the government.
• More than Rs 800 billion is being spent on defence and militarisation
• Rs. 800 billion is locked up as non-performing assets in the public sector banks
• Such is the callousness of the bourgeoisie!

The 93rd Constitutional Amendment will not change the ground reality that universal education will remain a policy objective for the Indian ruling class, with scant chance of fulfilment in reality.

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The government of India has been very quick in "assuring all support", including military support, to the government of Nepal. The Indian government has also been talking of the need to deal with "coordination" between Nepalese Maoists and Indian Naxalites. India’s move to intervene in Nepal is fraught with grave consequences for the Nepalese people as well as all the peoples of South Asia. It deserves to be firmly opposed. What happens in Nepal, is a matter that the people of Nepal have the sovereign right to decide, free from all foreign interference. No one, least of all the ruling class of India, is entitled to interfere in any manner in their exercise of this right.

Thus far, the government of Nepal has firmly declared that it does not need India’s military "help" in dealing with the internal uprising. This is a positive stand taken by the Nepalese government. All Nepalese are painfully aware of longstanding hegemonic ambitions of India’s rulers towards their country. Any government of Nepal which capitulates on the question of sovereignty on any pretext will be considered by the people of Nepal as a government of national betrayal.

The Indian ruling class regards South Asia as its own fiefdom and has a long, bloody and shameful history of economic, political and covert as well as overt military intervention in the internal affairs of its neighbours. The communists and working people of India fully support the right of their toiling brothers in Nepal to decide their own future, and call on the Indian rulers to desist from any kind of interferencein Nepal.

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The sinister implications of such an agreement are only too clear. The Indian ruling class has, for some time now, been working towards greater involvement with the US plans in this region. Particularly in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the US and the US led war on Afghanistan in the name of "fighting terrorism", these efforts of the Indian rulers have intensified. The Indian government offered all-out support to the US in the war against Afghanistan, including the offer of American army bases on Indian soil. Earlier, it had been reported that the FBI was going to set up offices in India and that India and the US were going to collaborate against terrorism. This latest announcement of joint "counter terrorism" efforts would mean more active steps in the same direction.

India occupies a very strategic position in the US imperialists’ plans for domination in Asia. The Indian bourgeoisie too has its own hegemonic ambitions towards other countries in this region. It hopes that by tying up with the plans of the US imperialists in this region it can emerge as a big power, as the loyal gendarme of the US in this region and then use this position to browbeat and bully Pakistan and its other neighbours into accepting its hegemony. Towards this end, the present government appears to be only too eager to collaborate in every possible way with the US imperialists’ designs in this region, much to the detriment of the Indian people and the other peoples of this region. In the international arena, the present Indian government has shamelessly dropped its traditional support to many of the countries that have been opposing US imperialism and its interference.

This increasing collaboration between the Indian rulers and the US imperialists poses a grave threat to the freedom and independence of our peoples as well as to peace and security in this region. All facts show that US imperialism has been and remains the greatest enemy of revolution and national liberation, freedom and independence, peace and progress of all peoples. In the name of "counter terrorism", it is the working and oppressed people fighting for their rights and against foreign interference and domination who will be attacked. Great plots are being hatched behind the backs of the peoples and these moves of the Indian rulers must be resolutely exposed and opposed.

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Meet calls for repeal of POTO

Those who participated in the discussion included professors and activists from the JNU, D. Raja and Amarjit Kaur of the CPI, Prakash Rao of the CGPI and others.

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Ban on shark fishing:

Savage attack on livelihood of fishermen

This fish famine has been mainly attributed to large-scale fishing by mechanised trawlers, mostly international but also Indian. Big fishing companies have been fishing in the international waters of the Indian Ocean. In addition to this, the Indian Government had also given licenses to multinational fishing companies to fish even in the Exclusive Exploitation Zone (EEZ) of India.

Fishermen’s unions have pointed out that the average landing of sharks and perch, for the 12-year period (1987-1998), accounts for less than 40% of the total catchable potential. Therefore, fishing by the medium and small Indian fishermen present no threat to these specie. The real problem is permitting entry of foreign fishing fleets within the EEZ.

The fishermen’s organizations have demanded that the government must; i) Insert an additional clause to the notification, exempting the traditional fishermen from the purview of the Act, ii) Publish a status paper clearly showing the details of marine species endangered or vulnerable to over-exploitation, fish catch data, iii) Formulate a national management plan for fishery to ensure the livelihood security of local fishing communities and the conservation of marine life.

People’s Voice supports the just demands of the fishermen and condemns the callous attitude of the government towards the livelihood of the toiling fishermen of India. who are adversely affected by this ban.

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Condemn the government decision to ban People’s War Group and Maoist Communist Centre under POTO

Progressive and democratic opinion throughout the length and breadth of the country has come out in strong opposition to the draconian POTO. Parliament is in session, and many parliamentary parties have come out in opposition to POTO demanding its repeal. In such a situation, the invoking of POTO on two more organisations in addition to the existing 23 constitutes contempt of parliament and public opinion at large. It confirms the view of our Party and progressive and democratic opinion in our country that the NDA government is using the "war against terrorism" launched by Anglo-American imperialism to outlaw all dissent. It is part of the drive toward fascisation of the political life of our society.

"Preventing terrorism" is but a much bandied slogan to legitimise the crushing of the mounting popular revolt of the working class, peasantry, youth and students and the middle strata against the anti-social offensive of globalisation through privatisation and liberalisation. Capitalism and the colonial legacy, the greatest roadblock to progress for Indian civilisation, are going to be defended by the so-called "champions" of "swadeshi" with slogans shamelessly borrowed and applied from the Anglo-American imperialist war-mongers. The NDA government is showing its true colours as the great defender of capitalism and the colonial legacy, as the defender of the imperialist system of domination and plunder, at a time when its legitimacy and usefulness is being questioned by vast masses of our people.

The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls upon all political parties and progressive and democratic public opinion to condemn unreservedly the invoking of POTO against PWG and the MCC and many other organisations. Ideological differences cannot be used to obscure matters. The real issue for all serious political forces is "Which Way Forward for India". All Indians have views on this subject of deepest concern to them, and they have the right to express their views as well as organise around these views. The Communist Ghadar Party of India reaffirms it will fight shoulder to shoulder with all political forces for the repeal of POTO.

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International Human Rights Day

Public Discussion in Delhi

Justice Ajit Singh Bains, prominent human rights activist and former judge of the Punjab High Court, who chaired the discussion, said that there was a long history of enacting black laws to browbeat and intimidate the people in India. From the time the Constitution was enacted in 1950 till the present day, there have been many such laws - The Defence of India Act, Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), Indira Gandhi's Emergency, Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA), etc. All these laws have been justified on one pretext or another, as POTO is now being justified "for controlling terrorism" by the ruling establishment. But just like its' predecessors, POTO's real target is the toilers and others fighting for their just rights.

Justice Bains demolished the pretext that POTO was directed against those who allegedly threaten the "unity and integrity" of the country. Its' predecessors, the black laws enacted by earlier regimes, were also sought to be justified by the same pretext. Justice Bains pointed out that in the North - East, in Kashmir, and elsewhere in India, there are peoples of many nationalities, whom the Central Government has "united" by its brute force of bullets. The unity of the country cannot be built in this way. Real unity can be achieved only when the toiling people have the right to livelihood, food and shelter, education and employment, health and security, and the right to conscience. Only when all the nationalities obtain their national rights, their right to self - determination, including the right to decide whether or not to remain inthe Indian Union, can they decide what kind of future they would like to work for.

An activist of the Lok Raj Sangathan (LRS) pointed out that India is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the UN in 1948, along with most other countries. However, the rulers of India, far from protecting these rights, have ensured their continued violation. Imperialists like the US and Britain do not respect the sovereignty of nations, as demonstrated recently in the war of aggression in Afghanistan. After the incidents of September 11, '01, it is clear that the rulers of India have, together with the rulers of USA and Britain, trampled human rights underfoot. What is the example given to justify POTO by our rulers? That the greatest enemies of freedom, of sovereignty of the peoples, of peace, and all human rights, the imperialists of USA and Britain are enacting similar laws! Is this not a great shame?

It was also pointed out in the discussion that the rulers of India wish to maintain the mindset of the colonialists, who partitioned the country in 1947. They have no real desire that the peoples of India are united and live in peace and harmony. Hence the attack, through black laws such as POTO, on specific communities and followers of specific religions. They are fully with the imperialists in their dirty manoevres, inciting communal hatred to serve their imperialist war aims in Afghanistan and around. They have openly invited the imperilists to set up bases in India! Are they not, therefore, the greatest enemies of the unity of the peoples?

In the name of "countering terrorism", state terrorism is being stepped up greatly, another participant pointed out. There was vigorous discussion on the question of the Indian government being the greatest terrorist of the land. The people are vigorously opposing the policy of liberalisation and privatisation being followed by the rulers, and POTO is a strong weapon with which they wish to crush this opposition.

It was agreed by the participants that the trampling underfoot of rights of the toiling Indian people, as that of the rights of the different nationalities which inhabit India, can only be stopped when the toiling people seize state power in their hands and build a new economic and political system which will ensure the well- being of the vast majority.

Summing up the discussion, Justice Bains stated that all of us must raise our voices to demand that POTO be cancelled forthwith. We must build and strengthen the broad unite to oppose the increasing fascisation. The meeting ended with a resolve to vigorously oppose state terrorism and POTO, and intensify our efforts to unite all democratic and progressive people in this struggle.

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MFIL Union attends All India meeting of Unilever Unions in Hyderabad -

Dismisssing the government's claim on privatisation, he asserted that it is against the interest of majority and for the benfit only of the big capitalists. Who had been benifited by the sale of 74% of the shares of MFIL? Certainly not the ordinary conumer of bread, nor the employees. In fact, none other than the mbig multinational, Hindustan Lever. Prior to the sale of the shares to Hindustan Lever, the company was making profits. But since it was decided to disinvestment, it started making losses of as much as 72 crore rupees!

He pointed out that only profit making public sector units are being put up for sale. Why would a capitalist buy a loss - making one? In case of the privatisation of lectricity distribution in Orissa, the American company A E C is planning to withdraw since it is not making the profits it desired to. Similarly, no company is ready to buy a stake in the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Board. The cost of power is being increased in Haryana and Andhra Pradesh, to maintain their profits.

Who has given the government the right to sell off public assets? This was a question also brought to the fore in the case of BALCO, where the tribals challenged the sale, on the grounds that tribal land was given for setting up the unit, which was to benefit the local tribal people. It is a lie to say that there is no alternative to privatisation, Shri Yadav said. The alternative is socialisation of the means of production, to benefit the vast majority.

The government claims that only employees of public sector units are opposing privatisation. They are doing this to drive a wedge between the workers of public sector units and other toilers. The struggle against privatisation has to be waged not only by the workers of the public sector units, but by the entire working class. In fact all the toiling people, including peasants and all oppressed, must be mobilised to support this struggle aginst privatisation.

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