• Fifty Two Years of the Indian Republic:
  Our Republic needs a thoroughgoing democratic renewal!

• Unite against the anti-social offensive of the ruling class and imperialism!
  Select and elect candidates who fight for people’s interests!

• Budget confabulations:
  Vigorously block the path to the second generation reforms

• Deepening crisis of capitalism throughout the world

• Interview with President of Lok Raj Sangathan

• Teachers of Delhi University take up cudgels on behalf of their colleague

• Increasing stranglehold of US imperialism in South Asia
  Great danger to the peace and security of the peoples

• Army commander replaced at US behest

• Increasing military collaboration between India and the Anglo-American imperialists

• Afghanistan round up
  Imperialists cash in on "rebuilding"

• Chinese premier visits India

• Oppose the amendments to the Contract Labour Act

• Draconian law introduced in Delhi

• US Military plans to undertake long term actions in Philippines

• Privatisation phase 2—
  Government declares monopoly bourgeoisie’s interests as supreme

• Oppose the anti-labour amendments to the Industrial Disputes Act!
  It is the duty of the state to guarantee the Right to Livelihood!

Fifty Two Years of the Indian Republic:

Our Republic needs a thoroughgoing democratic renewal!

Compared to colonial rule, the adoption of the 1950 Constitution marked an advance for our people in terms of their political rights. We gained universal suffrage, compared to the restricted suffrage that prevailed under colonial rule, where only educated men of property could vote.

However, compared to what the masses of people aspired for and what they could have gained, this was only a small advance. The majority of Indian people yearn for further advance on the road of affirming their rights and acquiring the power to influence the course of society. With the passage of time, this yearning has increasingly transformed itself into struggle for its realisation. However, this road is blocked by the forces of the status quo. The Republic, whose birth in 1950 marked an advance, has itself become the biggest fetter to any further advance. For the past 52 years, the road to further advances for the toiling masses has been blocked by the state of the Indian Union, which defends the interests of the big business houses and their foreign imperialist collaborators.

The Constitution of India has empowered the powers that be to ruthlessly violate the rights of individuals, collectives and entire nations, nationalities and tribal peoples within the Union. Terrorism, extremism, religious fundamentalism, or threat to the unity and territorial integrity of Indian Union have become the umbrella excuse for violation of all rights.

People have no say in the selection of candidates. They have no means to control or influence the decisions of those in power. They do not have either the right to recall of unsatisfactory legislators, nor the right to initiate legislation on their own. Power is concentrated in a small coterie around the Prime Minister. Money power and muscle power rules supreme. The right to vote has become empty—a mere illusion of power.

The massacre and persecution of people of the Sikh faith for a whole decade and more following the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, the persecution of Muslims right from independence till today, and the mounting pressure against Muslims at the present time, in the name of "war against terrorism", the persecution of Christians—these cannot be dismissed as acts of a handful of bigots. It has been proven time and again by women and men of conscience and repute that these have been organised by the Indian state as well as the dominant political parties.

The directive principles of the Constitution declare that the state is committed to look after the well being of all. In 1975, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi amended the Constitution to add the adjective "socialist" to the "secular and democratic" Indian Republic. However, in the absence of any change in the basic relations of production, including property relations, it is capitalism that has flourished in India for the past 52 years, alongside the remnants of feudalism, colonialism and increasing imperialist penetration. As a result, looking after the well-being of the masses has remained a noble policy objective on paper. The poor have remained poor or become even poorer, while the rich have fattened themselves and become enormously richer.

The Indian Republic has failed even on the most basic count of defending the political independence of India from the threat of external interference and dominaton. The clearest evidence of this is provided today by the growing interference and dictate of Anglo-American imperialism in Indian State, including the spheres of the military, intelligence, and various aspects of governance.

The Indian Union is a state that preserves the colonial legacy in terms of the exclusive concentration of political power in the hands of a very small coterie in New Delhi. It preserves the colonial legacy in terms of exclusive rights of the central state to alter and redefine state boundaries, to declare "President’s Rule" and to send the central armed forces to occupy different regions in the name of national security. A slave of the Euro-centric notion that a state has to be a nation state, and correspondingly that a multi-national state cannot exist, it is afraid even to acknowledge that India consists of numerous nations and nationalities and tribal peoples.

To defend the Indian Republic means to defend the colonial legacy. It means to block the road to the solution of the deep crisis afflicting the Indian polity. The solution to the crisis lies in taking the anti-colonial struggle through to its logical conclusion. That conclusion is to make a clean break with the colonial legacy and renovate the Indian political and economic system, with a new system that is consistent with the aspirations of the working class and toiling masses to have power in their hands.

The renewal of India will give rise to a system that puts the well-being of the masses at the foundation of society, as the aim of the economy; not merely as a policy objective but as the fundamental law of the land. It will give rise to a confederal state in which all nations, nationalities and tribal peoples will enjoy full equality and freedom. Such a state will provide full opportunity to all the peoples divided by colonialism to unite if they so desire. Such a new system will put a complete end to the colonial legacy and enable India to enter the family of nations as a most progressive force.

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Unite against the anti-social offensive of the ruling class and imperialism!
Select and elect candidates who fight for people’s interests!

Appeal of the Communist Ghadar Party of India to the workers, peasants, women, youth and middle strata of Uttar Pradesh

You will be casing your vote for elections to the State Assembly in a few days time. Uttar Pradesh, like the country as a whole, is at the crossroads. There is an increasingly sharp clash between two courses, two different visions, two programs. There is the vision and program of the ruling class and imperialism. And there is the vision and program of the working class and peasantry. It is in your hands, dear voter, to utilise the ongoing elections as one more arena of struggle to advance the program of the working class.

India’s ruling class has the vision of emerging as an imperialist power on the world scale. Its bargaining position on the world arena comes from being the ruler of a vast country of over one billion people, with enormous human and material resources to exploit. Its economic program to achieve this aim is globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation. Its political program is militarisation and warmongering, fascism and state organised communal violence and persecution against peoples on the basis of religious, caste or national identity. Through this anti-social economic and political program, the Indian ruling class aims to terrorise, divide, disorient and crush the hard working workers, peasants, middle strata, women and youth of our country. It aims to greatly intensify the exploitation of the people by disarming and diverting the people politically.

You, the people of Uttar Pradesh have had a bitter direct experience of this program. Today the ruling class parties are all competing with one another to whip up war hysteria, each one acting more patriotic than the other is. If you, a worker of one of the textile mills of Kanpur ask of the ruling class politician about your livelihood and future, you will get a lecture about terrorism, about religious fundamentalism. If you persist in your question, you will likely be called "anti-national", "Pakistani agent" and so on. If you are a worker of the ordinance factories which are being handed over to private capitalists and imperialists, and question this anti-national activity, god help you, in these times wherein the sellers of the defence establishments are masquerading as the greatest patriots. If the common man or woman of Kanpur, once known as the "Manchester of the East", asks about the death or decay of the businesses of the city and the massive unemployment, you will be told that the "Manchester of the East will become the "Singapore of India". What will be hidden is that this "Singapore" is planned to be built over the mass graves of workers and small business.

Globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation is the program of the big bourgeoisie of India as well as foreign imperialism. This program is ruining the peasantry, the workers, the small business, and offering the bleakest future to youth. Education is beyond the reach of the majority. Jobs are mirages. The rich are growing richer as they have always managed. The poor are getting poorer. The middle stratum is facing ruin. The imperialists are increasing their wealth by tightening their stranglehold, economically, politically and militarily.

Everyone in India and the world is talking about September 11 and the subsequent unfolding of events in Asia and the world. It is important that the working class and people have their own understanding of what is going on.

In brief, dear people, US imperialism as well as all the imperialists and reactionaries of the world are in crisis. This is an all-sided crisis with the economic crisis of capitalism at the base. People all over the world started questioning the economic program of globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation. In these conditions, world imperialism led by the US has launched the"global war against terrorism" to divert and disrupt the growing struggle of all peoples against the anti-social offensive. The ruling class of India, Pakistan, US, Britain, all are having the same anti-people vision and program. The Indian people must understand that imperialism and the bourgeoisie are very concerned about South Asia for two reasons. One, South Asia is very rich, economically speaking. And two, the ruling circles of the countries of South Asia, including those of India and Pakistan, are weak, as a result of the massive opposition of the people. "War against terrorism and fundamentalism" are convenient slogans for these rulers and their imperialist friends to crush and divide the people.

Workers and peasants of Uttar Pradesh! You have been waging many valiant struggles against the privatisation program of the ruling class! You have been opposing the communal and fascist terror! It is time we foiled the anti-people plans of the bourgeoisie and imperialism! The very best way to do so, dear comrades, is to advance a vision and program in the interests of the toiling people, and unite everyone around such a vision and program!

Hum hai Iske Malik, Hum hai Hindustan, Mazdoor, Kisan, Aurat aur Jawan!
Unite around a pro-social program!

Dear Workers and peasants of Uttar Pradesh!

This great land, its natural resources, belongs to us the workers and peasants, women and youth! A minority of Indian and foreign exploiters and oppressors continue to lay waste to our motherland. Today, the US and other imperialists in league with our rulers are desperately finding ways to strengthen their control and stranglehold over this country, including through militarisation and communal and fascist violence against our peoples. The vision that must guide us in our struggles is that we are the real masters of India, and we must empower ourselves in order to ensure the well being of the present and future generations.

The core of the program around which we must unite people is the thorough going democratic renewal of the political and economic system of our country as well as its relations with other peoples and countries. The key issue is this—the economic and political system and our foreign policy must serve the interests of workers and peasants.

We demand and fight to ensure that the economy must be reoriented to ensuring well being for the people, instead of its present aim of ensuring the private profits of a few. Security of livelihood, food security, education, health care is the right of every Indian. The crores of Rupees that are being spent on militarisation, and on paying off debts to the foreign moneylenders must be diverted into ensuring the livelihood and well being of the people.

We demand and fight for thorough democratic renewal of the political system and political process. Instead of the present system of political parties dividing the people and coming to power to run the country for the capitalist and imperialist interests, we must work for a system where political parties are barred from coming topower. The task of political parties must be to raise the consciousness of people and organise them to become real masters of society.

We must demand and fight for peace in South Asia, and for the expulsion of all foreign imperialists from this region. We must demand and fight for the abrogation of unequal treaties like the WTO which are against our national interest.

Workers and peasants, women and youth!

The ruling class is organising elections in UP with the old aim of deciding which party to entrust with the job of continuing with the anti-social offensive against the people. There will be a lot of mud slinging, demagogy, false promises, whipping up of chauvinist hysteria and war mongering.

You will have to stay clear of all this and concentrate on forging unity around your own program. You will have to avoid falling into the traps of the ruling class!

These elections provide the opportunity to strengthen the work of forging your political unity. Put forth candidates from your midst; ordinary men and women, who will voice your concerns, and fight for your program.

You, the people of Kanpur, have set an example by putting forth candidates who are known as fighters for the working class. Fight to ensure their victory. The bourgeoisie makes out that the issue of elections is which party should come to power. This only shows the utter narrowness of the vision of the bourgeoisie. You have seen every party coming to power, all have implemented the same anti-people program. Why should we workers look at elections in the way the ruling class wants us to view them?

We—workers, peasants, women and youth—look at these elections to advance our program and unite around this program. We will work for and fight for the victory of only those candidates who stand for this program.

Vote for the candidates of the Mazdoor Morcha!

Vote for democratic renewal!

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Budget confabulations:

Vigorously block the path to the second generation reforms

Each section of the bourgeoisie has been advancing suggestions and demands which will benefit it, sometimes at the expense of another section of the bourgeoisie, but without exception, always at the expense of the working people!

The textile and real estate bourgeoisie, for example, have been opposed to any reduction in customs duty because they will not be able to make the same super profit as before if cheap imports of textiles and pre-fabricated construction material are allowed.

Bajaj Auto chairman Rahul Bajaj said that "We have asked Mr Sinha not to reduce customs duty as it will have an adverse impact on our industries. The Budget should promote employment and industrial growth and the country should not be reduced to a trading nation". At the same time, other sections of the bourgeoisie want the customs duty on raw materials and capital goods to be reduced so that their cost of production will reduce and profits will go up.

However, on many other issues all industry representatives of the big bourgeoisie are unanimous. They all demand that corporate tax rate should be reduced from the prevailing 35 per cent to 30 per cent, citing the slowdown in the economy. They want withdrawal of minimum alternative tax (MAT) which forced all capitalists to pay at least some tax. They are all for reduction in food, oil and fertiliser subsidies so that the savings in these subsidies can be diverted to tax concessions, subsidies and free handouts to capitalists. All of them vociferously vote for the stepping up of the pace of divestment so that they can dig their claws deeper into the land and resources of the Indian people. They demand the speeding up of the reactionary process of "reforms" of the labour laws. These "reforms" have been initiated to give freedom to the capitalists to hire and fire workers at will and convert their regular workforce to contract labourers without any guarantee of job, wages and statutory benefits. They stand for a cut in the interest rates, at the expense of small investors, so that their interest expenses will go down and profits will go up.

The bourgeoisie who own the tourism industry, which has suffered a sharp drop in business in the last few months due to terrorist attacks in the US and, more recently, on the Indian Parliament, want a lot of concessions so that they can preserve their super profits. The tourism ministry has taken up the cause of the capitalists with fervor, and has been recommending the extension of service tax waiver for hotels beyond the current financial year. The ministry is also pushing for an exemption in expenditure tax and luxury tax for hotels in the Budget.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has pointed out in its pre-Budget memorandum that larger private sector investment should be allowed into agriculture and that the state should create the necessary infrastructure for the bourgeoisie to step up the consolidation of capitalism in agriculture. Recent reforms in agriculture have been instrumental in hundreds of farmers committing suicide and thousands of them becoming bankrupt.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM, in a similar vein, in its pre-Budget memorandum has recommended that the state should step up its spending in such a way that demand for industrial goods is revived and the bourgeoisie can preserve its profits.

The main content of these Budget confabulations is to step up the "second generation of economic reforms". The content of these "reforms" is to prolong the life of , and expand the space for monopoly capitalism to flourish, and thereby block the path to the progress of Indian society. It is not only anti-worker, anti-peasant and anti-small producers, it is against the general interests of society as a whole. It is aimed at satisfying the greed of the biggest exploiters and plunderers.

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Deepening crisis of capitalism throughout the world

On November 19th, '01, the IMF presented its new estimates for world economic growth after the September 11 incidents. It forecast that the world economic growth will be around 2.4% in 2002. This satisfies the IMF criteria of recession, that is an annual economic growth of less than 2.5%. It has also predicted that the U.S., European Union and Japan will see a worsening, and not an improvement, in economic growth in 2002.

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) which makes forecasts of the U.S. economy has also observed that since there have been two successive quarters of negative growth in the U.S. economy, it has entered a recessionary phase.

A former chief economic advisor for the World Bank, Rudi Dornbusch, has concluded that the world is in recession. According to him, world economic growth, which averaged 3.8% over the past 35 years, has now fallen to about 2%. There is growing speculation whether the present economic crisis is going to be as severe as that of the early eighties, or even worse, whether there is a risk of depression.

For the working people of the world, all these statistics mean only one thing — further unemployment, poverty and immiseration. Using the economic crisis as an excuse the big monopolies and multinationals have wrought havoc on the livelihood of thousands of workers. To shore up their profits they have mercilessly thrown millions of workers out on the streets.

The current economic crisis has shown that in the era of imperialism, characterised by moribund and decaying capitalist system, each crisis is worse than the previous one. The crisis affecting the big capitalist countries, while threatening the livelihood of the workers in those countries, has also percolated down to affect each and every country in the world. The recession in Japan has bankrupted millions of workers, peasants and small producers in the south-east Asian countries. The crisis in the U.S. has already bankrupted the Argentinian economy and is now threatening the economy of other south American countries.

The current crisis, has completely torn to shreds the theories which the bourgeoisie of all capitalist countries have been giving over the years that the capitalist system is "stable" and capable of fulfilling the growing material needs of society. The "leisure society" that they promised has now given way to exhortations that people must "tighten their belts further". The promise that the "fruits of globalisation will percolate down to the poorest" has now become a mirage. The panacea of privatisation is now being re-examined when monopolies are demanding that the bourgeois state pull them out of the crisis through tax holidays, lowering interest rates and purchasing their goods through increased expenditure from the treasury.

The bourgeoisie is unable to extricate itself from this crisis. Having no clue to find a way out, it is relentlessly shifting the burden of the crisis onto the backs of the people. It has been forcing drastic declines in their real wages and purchasing power. It is threatening to impose wage controls and anti-worker legislation. It has been making wholesale cutbacks in services such as education, health care and social welfare. In order to maximise its profits even in conditions of crisis, it sees no other way other than to lower the living standards of the people. So much for its vision of a "consumer society" for the new century!

The crisis of capitalism has become increasingly severe because of the inherent contradictions which exist objectively in the capitalist system. A fundamental contradiction exists in the capitalist system between the private ownership of the means of production and the social process of production. The anarchy inherent in this mode of production and the intense competition and rivalries between monopolies have been asserting themselves with increasing vengeance in each crisis. However hard they may try, the entire subjective will of the bourgeoisie can never overcome this objective contradiction.

The dark shadows which the current spell of capitalist crisis has cast on the world’s people has further reinforced the necessity to replace the current system of oppression and exploitation with a new system in which the inherent contradictions of the capitalist system have been overcome through the transfer of power into the hands of the working people.

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Interview with President of Lok Raj Sangathan

Q: Why is Lok Raj Sangathan organising the conference on the issue of rights at this time?

A: Rights of individuals and collectives, of entire nations and countries, are under threat today. Nobody feels secure in India, even though the Constitution of India claims to recognise and protect fundamental rights. As you are aware, the government of the day has set up a National Commission on the Review of the Working of the Constitution. Lok Raj Sangathan, concerned as it is with issues relating to the empowerment of the people, felt that the time is opportune to throw open for public debate the whole question of Rights – Rights of individuals, Rights of groups and collectives, Rights of minorities and tribals and so on. Within the context of globalisation and all that it implies, even the rights of countries form part of the agenda. Strengthening our collective consciousness about our rights is essential at this time. It is part of the preparation for people’s empowerment.

We are told, ad nauseam, of education for all, health for all, housing for all, employment for all, and so on. We are told of the provisions of the Constitution of India, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, basic human needs, basic human rights, and so on. Despite all this, rights of people are violated at will. Some cases of violation of civil and political rights may hit the headlines, but the denial of equally basic rights of people, their economic, social and cultural rights, is allowed to go on, without any protests being launched. In this connection, the sort of agitations that have been organised against the WTO, etc. are a welcome development, in so far as groups of individuals have come together to take up cudgels against decisions being taken adverse to their interests and without consultation with them. Therefore, it is important to take up these questions.

What should be the obligation of society towards a human being who is a part of the society? What are the rights that accrue to a human being by virtue of being born into society? These rights become basic to that person and thus, to that society itself.

Within this, there must be specific rights for specific groups of people, youth, women, tribals, minorities, for people of specific areas and communities. If we look at the rights of collectives, we find that the society, as represented by the state, and the state machinery do not set much in store by these rights. Take the example of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. By allowing the Sardar Sarovar Dam to be built upto above a certain height, a large number of tribals and local inhabitants are going to be deprived of their traditional homes and livelihood. Any civilized society should be responsible for proper rehabilitation of people displaced in this manner, so that their right to livelihood is not violated. But in this case, this has not been done. Through the political process nothing could be achieved, so the affected people there went to court. By allowing the dam to be built up to the increased height, though the rehabilitation process had not been completed even for the dam at its earlier height, this right of the people there has been side-stepped. How does one protect these rights?

Again, take the example of the privatisation of BALCO. Land, which had been taken by the government from the tribals, with the promise that it would be used for their betterment, was sold to private hands. The Supreme Court said that privatisation is a matter of state policy and it can do nothing about it. The community affected by this can protest, but how does one protect their right?

In the case of the Koodankulam atomic power project in Tamilnadu, the local people were opposing it as they felt it would be hazardous to their lives and health. However, the Atomic Energy Commission claims that it is foolproof and safe and necessary for the larger good. How do we evolve a system where the rights of these people are protected? Who determines what is the larger good? These are some of the questions that urgently need to be discussed

Q: In the agenda for the conference, the rights of different sections are going to be taken up in different sessions. If the rights of any one section appear to be in conflict with those of another, how can these be harmonised?

A: The rights of specific groups, collectives, communities, nations and nationalities, etc. and their violation have to be put in focus, as well as how to safeguard these specific rights.

Political sagacity is needed in dealing with a situation in which the rights of one particular collective seem to be in conflict with those of another. The concerned collective would have to be convinced that the denial of some of its rights at a particular time is necessary for the larger good, and at the same time it has to be ensured that its own long term interests are safeguarded and not adversely affected.

The kind of conflicts that we witness today arises out of a situation in which the decision-making process is concentrated in the hands of those who are not accountable to the public. For example, the government is proposing that for a mining lease of less than 25 hectare extent, no public hearing will be required. All this reflects a certain attitude, a certain bent of mind, on the part of those who rule us – that "we will decide for them". This is the starting point of all the trouble.

Who should decide what is the "larger good"? How are all these different rights and interests to be articulated and accommodated within this "larger good"? Every ordinary Indian wants his/her voice to be heard, his rights and interests to be addressed. That is why this conference has been organised in this manner.

Each individual or collective gets certain rights but may have to sacrifice some right if it infringes on others’ rights. When a nation becomes part of a community of nations, it surrenders a certain amount of its sovereignty; similarly, for collectives and individuals. But to what extent should one sacrifice one’s rights for the larger good depends on who decides the larger good and how it is decided.

Q: What is LRS’s vision of a society wherein the rights of all sections of the people will be guaranteed and will not constantly be pitted against one another?

A: If I have a right, then it must be someone’s duty to ensure that I enjoy this right. Our Constitution says that the state will have to ensure that rights of various sections of the people are not violated. But take the example of POTO. If the state passes a law that violates one’s freedom of conscience, then what does one do about that? The Court has to say to what extent the restriction of rights is considered reasonable. But if the Court says that it is a matter of state policy and it cannot intervene, then rights become meaningless.

With rights come obligations, duties. For a person to enjoy rights, he must also have duty towards society.

This brings to focus the question of privilege. Some have all the privileges, some don’t have any and some have them at the cost of others. Having a privilege at the cost of another may mean that the other person loses some of his rights. When people are waiting in a queue and some minion of a minister or MP comes along and uses his official position to get his personal work done by jumping the queue, he gets his privilege by violating the rights of the other people in the queue. This kind of privilege seeking has now taken over the society. In this situation, the minions of the administration become larger than life. Procuring a ration card or electricity or water meter becomes an uphill task for the ordinary citizen. That is why people go to MLA’s etc. who appear to be in a position to dispense favours. This is the starting point of corruption in the society. If rights are violated by privileges, then how do we safeguard these rights?

How did we deal with these questions in our historical past? According to our ancient system of rights, it was the obligation of the Raja to provide for the security and prosperity of the people. According to this system of rights, it was believed that if the Raja did not fulfil this duty, he deserved to be overthrown. Once the total well-being of the society is ensured, then the individual, collective and other rights will fall into place.

How do we ensure this kind of a system in which the total well-being of society is ensured and within that, the rights of all? That is the key question. There is great pressure today to enact laws that will empower the state to further restrict the rights of individuals and collectives in the name of security and "war against terrorism", as well as in the name of globalisation. Lok Raj Sangathan believes that it is essential for the people to resist and overcome this pressure, so as to defend and affirm the rights of all. We hope this Conference will contribute towards this end.

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Teachers of Delhi University take up cudgels on behalf of their colleague

We the undersigned member of the DUTA are deeply concerned at the manner in which Abdul Rehman Geelani, a fellow teacher and member of our union, has been arrested and kept under detention in connection with the December 13 attack on the Parliament. There has been a consistent and brutal violation of his rights.

Several members of the DUTA as well as civil liberties activists have visited Geelani in prison and they have been told that he was first illegally detained and subsequently subjected to physical torture. He was stripped and hung upside down and brutally beaten and abused in communal terms. He has been made to sign blank sheets of paper and to make a statement that he was not tortured. When produced befrore the magistrate in the presence of several high ranking police officers, he chose to keep quiet on the subject of torture fearing further physical violence. He told his visitors that his life has been under threat since he has been shifted from ward 8 to ward 2 which houses people charged with heinous crimes. For three days his wife and two minor children—a daughter of 10 years and a son 6 years old —were detained at the Lodhi colony police station and their whereabouts were not known to their family and friends.

To those who have met him. Geelani has repeatedly stated that he is innocent and had no direct or indirect connection with the attack on the Parliament. But his voice has found no space in the atmosphere charged with jingoism and war hysteria. He seems to stand condemned by society and the media just because he is a Kashmiri and a muslim.

The authorities have so far nor provided any evidence against Geelani. The rule of law in a democratic society demands presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Therefore, we urge the DUTA leadership to intervene in the matter by going and meeting him in the jail especially since he himself has expressed the desire to talk to his union leaders. Secondly, the DUTA should also ensure that his fundamental rights as citizen are protected while he is in custody. Thirdly, the DUTA should attempt to find out the reasons for his continued detention. If there is no evidence against him, we should urge upon the authorities not to continue to incarcerate him unnecessarily.

We would like to remind you that on an earlier occasion in 1985 under the presidentship of Murli Manohar Prasad Singh, the DUTA had successfully intervened in the case of Harmeet Singh of Khalsa College who had been wrongly booked under TADA.

Signed ..

Tripta Wahi, Vijay Singh, Rita Sinha, Neraaj Malik and several others.

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Increasing stranglehold of US imperialism in South Asia

Great danger to the peace and security of the peoples

The rulers of India and Pakistan are falling over each other like sycophants for winning the approval of the US imperialists. While the Indian rulers have struck a very belligerent stance against Pakistan, they have made it only too well known that they will not move an inch without the consent of their US imperialist overlords. The antagonism between the rulers of India and Pakistan has provided good openings for U S imperialism to stoke up tensions and increase its grip on the region while appearing to act as an arbitrator, now appearing to favour one side and now the other.

If US imperialist chieftain Bush expressed agreement with the "hawkish" Indian home minister L K Advani during his U S visit on January 10, ’02 that "Pakistan must act and not just talk", they expressed great satisfaction with Pervez Musharraf’ s speech two days later as "providing the basis for a Pakistani society of the future". L K Advani then nodded agreement, stating that he found the speech to be "path breaking". US secretary of state Colin Powell stated before he embarked on his South Asian tour on January 14, ‘02 that "the onus was now on India to de-escalate", and Pakistan foreign minister Abdul Sattar dutifully declared a few days later, on January 18 that "tensions between India and Pakistan had begun easing" following Powell’s visit. While meeting India’s rulers, Powell appeared to justify their position saying that he found it "perfectly understandable.. to see action on the ground". However, Indian defence minister George Fernandes who was in the USA at that time shopping for arms made just the kinds of remarks his hosts wanted to hear, about "things moving in the right direction quickly".

Meanwhile, US imperialism is increasing its control over the military and security apparatus of the countries of the region as well (see box items). Having completed the first phase in their war for redivision and conquest of Asia with the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the installation of the Karzai interim government, US imperialism is moving ahead with increasing its stranglehold over the rest of South Asia. These developments are extremely grave as they are fraught with the greatest dangers to peace, security and sovereignty of all the peoples inhabiting this region and must be stoutly and intelligently opposed.

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Army commander replaced at US behest

High cost of military deployment

Indian government sources gleefully claim that Indian military mobilization is putting a great strain on Pakistan’s finances. It is reported that a month-long mobilization of Pakistan’s armed forces, to counter Indian military mobilization, will cost between 400 to 600 US $, at least Rs 25 billion! Indian diplomats have reportedly told their Western counterparts that India’s military mobilization is expected to "bleed Pakistan white", besides keeping up the threat of war. The mobilization of India’s military apparently would cost even more than what Pakistan would have to bear, but the Indian rulers have more funds at their disposal. This shows the mean, malicious and malevolent mentality of the rulers, who do not mind "bleeding them white" at the cost of their own people’s land and labour.

A high – level delegation of "security experts" from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other undercover agencies of US imperialism visited India in the last week of January ‘02. The delegation, headed by FBI director Robert Mueller, formed part of a "joint action understanding" between the Indian and US governments. The FBI has reportedly given a list of 30 Indian nationals whom they want, which was "being processed" by Indian intelligence agencies. Mueller met the director of India’s Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) and other senior intelligence and security officers, besides other bureaucrats. The CBI and FBI have decided to "cooperate and coordinate" in all cases in future, it was reported.

The FBI director also visited other countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. This is clearly a move by the US imperialists to increase their grip over the security and intelligence apparatuses of these countries, as part of their drive to gain control over Asia.

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Increasing military collaboration between India and the Anglo-American imperialists

In the middle of January, defence minister George Fernandes made a highly publicized arms shopping trip to the USA and received consents for supply of a variety of expensive military hardware, including Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS). Indian AWACS are to have Israeli Phalcon early warning radars and communication systems mounted on Russian Illyushin – 76 heavy transport military aircraft. The purchase of just three AWACS is expected to cost over a billion US $.

Apart from AWACS, other items which have received consents include supply of US – made engines for the light combat aircraft project, and an assortment of spares and other equipment which had been placed on hold following the nuclear tests conducted by India in May 1998. These are apart from a list of 22 items which had been given to US defence secretary Rumsfeld when he visited India about two months earlier.

Another measure intended on strengthening Indo US military relations are the visits of the chiefs of staff to each other’s countries. Gen Richard Myers, chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff is to visit India in February 2002, and Indian army chief Gen S Padmanabhan is to visit reciprocally in April this year.

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Afghanistan round up

Imperialists cash in on "rebuilding"

Japan, hosting the conference, is itself expected to send up to US $ 500 million in the next two years as aid. US Secretary of state Powell, on a brief visit to Kabul on January 17, ’02, asserted that the US would "stand by Afghanistan", meaning of course that the US imperialists would expect to have a major piece of the "aid" pie, and pledged US $300 million in "aid" to Afghanistan.

Protests against inhuman treatment of POWs by US imperialists

The inhuman treatment of prisoners of war captured in Afghanistan by the US imperialists set off an international outcry. POWs captured in Afghanistan are interred in the most hellish conditions in the United States naval base at Guantánamo Bay, which is located on the island of Cuba. The tide of international criticism rose sharply after the US defense department released photographs in mid January, '02 that showed some of the prisoners kneeling before their captors, their legs in shackles, their hands bound in manacles, their mouths covered by surgical masks and their eyes blinded by large goggles with black tape. Critics said the United States was using sensory deprivation and other psychological control techniques to weaken the prisoners. Even the International Committee of the Red Cross, in a rare break with its code of not publicly criticizing detaining governments, said the United States might have violated Geneva Convention rules. Several governments, including some from the European Union, too joined the protests, saying the prisoners should be granted prisoner of war status under the Geneva Convention. Such status would accord them the highest level of protections. Officials have said the prisoners come from a range of countries, including Britain, Yemen, China, Saudi Arabia, besides Afghanistan.

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Chinese premier visits India

The strategic landscape of South, South West and Central Asia is changing and US military presence in these areas is on the rise. The US has also given notice of withdrawal from Anti – Ballistic Missile Treaty. It is in this context that Premier Zhu declared "As the largest two developing countries in the world, China and India have on their shoulders the important responsibility of maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in Asia".

The ongoing face-off between India and Pakistan and the desire of the ruling classes of these two countries to ingratiate themselves with the Anglo-American imperialists is also a factor of concern. In the past, China has been perceived as supporting Pakistan by the Indian rulers. This time, Premier Zhu has sought to soothe the Indian rulers by stating, "China is no threat to India", and that it will keep out of the Indo-Pak dispute on Kashmir.

China has definite plans of becoming an economic superpower. As is well known, many Chinese goods are far cheaper than those produced in other countries, including India. China is a now member of WTO and hence its goods cannot be kept out merely by levying anti dumping duties. Low cost Chinese goods such as textiles can take away markets from the garment industries of S Korea, South East Asia and even India. World bank estimate of loss to India in next 3 years following China’s trade expansion would be about $ 3.2 billion (0.6 % of India’s GDP) in 2005. In fact, the business delegation accompanying Zhu Rongji arranged a quick market survey of electronic and household goods and found that goods in India are 3 to 6 times more expensive than in China. Thus they see a huge scope for cooperation in terms of trade and investment, and representatives of over 25 Chinese companies were among the Chinese delegation, looking for tie ups.

The fact that China is a member of the WTO also means that goods and services can be exported more easily into China. In fact, for becoming an economic superpower, China needs to procure certain services, particularly information technology related ones, and India is one of the best and cheapest places this can be done from. "You have the software talent and we have expertise in hardware. Together, we can be the world’s number one", said premier Zhu while granting the Indian InfoTech major Infosys instantaneous approval to open an office in Shanghai.

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Oppose the amendments to the Contract Labour Act

To understand the full implication of the proposed amendments, we need to look at the history of the Contract labour Act and how the bourgeoisie and their courts have manipulated this Act in favour of capitalists.
Thirty years back, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 was enacted by Parliament. Prior to the enactment of specific legislation on the subject, contract labour was an issue in industrial relations like wages, bonus, etc. to be dealt with according to the procedures prescribed in the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. Workers and trade unions could raise demands for abolition of the contract labour system in particular establishments and for treating the workers employed under the system as the regular employees of the principal employer. If bipartite settlement of such a demand was not possible, then the workers could go to an industrial tribunal or court. In a number of cases, the employers concerned appealed to High Courts and the Supreme Court. Two basic points emerged from the judgements of these higher courts. One, that work which is an integral and essential part of the normal work of a capitalist enterprise and which was perennial in nature cannot be contracted out. Second, whatever the nature of work, the responsibility of ensuring that agreed wages and benefits were paid to the contract worker is ultimately that of the principal employer.

So many disputes came up to the higher courts that the Supreme Court was forced to recommend at one point in time that instead of leaving the issue of contract labour open as an issue between the capitalist and the worker, a specific legislation need to be enacted on the subject. The outcome was the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act.

The enactment of the Act actually legitimised contract labour. Trade unions and workers could no longer challenge the existence of contract labour under the Industrial Disputes Act. Any disputes arising out of contract labour had to be raised within the provisions of the Contract Labour Act, which by defining a narrow area where contract labour was not to be used, enlarged the scope for the use of contract labour by the capitalists in general.

Even the narrow definition of the abolition of contract labour in certain areas became narrower as the state of the capitalists began dismantling the social democratic provisions in labour laws. The Advisory Boards, which were appointed under the Act, actually upheld the hiring of contract labour as happened in the case of Air India in 1996. The Supreme Court later intervened and declared that the contract labour system in Air India should be abolished and that the contract workers should be absorbed as regular workers.

In the proposed amendments to the Act which is being considered by the Group of Ministers, it is this judgement which is being reversed. The forum of industrial tribunals and courts are being replaced with Advisory Boards, which have consistently upheld the case of the capitalists.

The most advanced capitalist state of Maharashtra has now proposed to give permission to capitalists employing less than 50 workers to hire contract workers as well as declared a number of areas where work is of a perennial nature, but where capitalists are free to use contract labour. In the last budget, the Finance Minister actually proposed that capitalists should be given free licence to employ contract labour irrespective of the size of the undertaking and the nature of work. He argued that for Indian capitalists to be internationally competitive they should have the freedom to hire and fire workers at will and use contract labour to reduce costs. The current labour reforms thoroughly exposes the shallow nature of the Indian bourgeoisie’s contention that it has been opposing labour reforms in the WTO discussions. What is clear is that the Indian ruling class is opposed to only those labour reforms imposed by the big powers in the WTO with a view to weaken the positions of the Indian bourgeoisie. At home, the Indian bourgeoisie does not give a damn for workers interests.

The contract labour system is an inevitable product of capitalist accumulation, which requires a huge army of under and unemployed able-bodied men and women. Capitalism cannot exist and grow without a relative surplus labour population or a reserve army of workers. The relative surplus population exists in many forms. Every labourer belongs to it during the time when he is only partially employed or wholly unemployed. The contract workers are a part of this reserve army. They are a part of the active labour force, but with extremely irregular employment. Hence, they furnish capital with an inexhaustible reservoir of disposable labour power at very cheap rates.

For the past few decades, the proportion of non-permanent employees such as contract, casual, temporary and probationer workers has steadily increased disproving the lie that the various laws protect the interests of workers. The Annual Survey of Industries shows that the percentage of contract workers in the total labour force in the country more than doubled from 4.6% in 1980-81 to 11.6% by 1993.

We have to vigorously oppose the amendments to the Contract Labour Act, which are taking away even the meagre rights won by the working class. But, the working class movement cannot stop with this. It has to mount a concerted campaign against the contract labour system itself, which the Indian bourgeoisie has been using as a pawn in its gameplan to become a big power.

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Draconian law introduced in Delhi

Section 22 of the MCOCA states that if an accused is in possession of weapons or material or other evidence, like finger prints, which may probably link him or her to a crime, then the court shall presume him or her guilty unless the accused can prove otherwise. The prosecution now no longer has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that an accused is guilty. It only has to show evidence which "strongly suggests" that the accused is guilty. Thus, instead of the prosecution having to prove the accused guilty, the onus will be on the accused to prove himself or herself innocent.

According to the provisions of MCOCA, the prosecution does not have to establish that the weapons or other material recovered from the accused were actually used in a crime. Instead, the Act states that the accused shall be considered guilty if there is "reason to believe" that they were used.

MCOCA will also allow the police to initiate steps such as tapping telephone lines, recording phone conversations and intercepting computer data, by showing a Special Court "probable cause", i.e. on grounds of mere suspicion alone. The Act allows the police to attach property and question the source of a suspect’s income, as well as to take action against his relatives and friends. According to the Act, confessional statements made in the presence of a deputy commissioner of police as well as tape recordings and recorded phone conversations will be admissible as evidence in court. Certain sections of MCOCA even evoke the death penalty!

Coming in the wake of the notorious POTO, which evoked stiff opposition from various sections of the people all over the country, the decision to invoke the MCOCA in Delhi is yet another indication of the growing fascisation of the Indian state. The failure of the police to provide security to the people in their day to day lives is being cited as a justification for invoking this Act. However, what is very clear from the provisions of this Act is that it will be used widely, to terrorise and harass ordinary working people, rather than provide them with any sense of security. In particular, this Act can be used against all those individuals and organisations that work and fight for the rights and interests of the people, who oppose the policies and activities of the government and its officials, who resist police violence on any section of the people, etc.

The state of the big bourgeoisie, together with its police and security forces, is the biggest perpetrator of organised crime against the masses of working people. Laws such as the MCOCA only serve to intensify the state organised terror unleashed against the people and must be resolutely opposed.

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US Military plans to undertake long term actions in Philippines

It is reported that the US military may be averse to engaging itself on its own, and would like to use local soldiers as its cannon fodder. This is very similar to the manner in which the various factions combating in Afghanistan were made to work under US imperialist tutelage only a few months ago. In fact the operation is code named "Exercise Balikatan" (shoulder – to – shoulder), in a bid to ensure cooperation from the Filipino troops.

The ostensible target of the U S military action this time is said to be the Abu Sayyaf group, which is said to be among those fighting for independence from the Manila government. Patriotic forces in the Philippines have condemned the Gloria Arroyo governments decision to cooperate with the U S military there. They have pointed out that the Arroyo government claims that the U S military is only to assist in defeating the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in the south of the country are completely false because the U S military is also setting up quarters in Laur, a town in the north of the country. They also condemned the action of the Arroyo government in inviting the US military to help in fighting internal dissenters, and pointed out that the next target could well be the left wing guerrillas who have been waging a long campaign in defence of the rights of native peoples. Luis Jalandoni, leader of the National Democratic Front, said "by sending 650 combat troops with the approval of the puppet Arroyo regime, into a battle zone in southern Philippines, U S imperialism is deliberately setting up a trip wire to a new Vietnam"

People’s Voice forcefully condemns the action of US imperialism in expanding its war into the near Pacific. All patriotic forces everywhere, all forces standing for justice, must vigorously oppose the aggressive acts of the US imperialists, whose aim is the redivision and conquest of Asia.

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Privatisation phase 2—

Government declares monopoly bourgeoisie’s interests as supreme

When the government of India launched privatisation, it argued that PSU’s were "inefficiently run" and were incurring great losses. It argued that government was sinking public money in these enterprises, and it should withdraw from these enterprises. It argued that government was corrupt and inefficient and should withdraw from all activity that was not in the "strategic interest of India". It was left delightfully vague as to what was this "strategic interest".

However, when the first phase of privatisation began, two things became clear. Precisely the companies which were profit-making in the capitalist sense or were capable of making profits in the capitalist sense were offered for sale. Secondly, the unproductive expenditure on the parasitical state apparatus, on militarisation, interest payments, as well as handouts to the capitalists have been greatly increasing. In other words, the main reason for selling off PSU’s was because Indian and foreign monopolies were eager to grab these enterprises, built up at great cost, at throwaway prices, and not out of concern at waste of public money. That is, the underlying reason behind privatisation was the demand of the big bourgeoisie and imperialism that the Indian state hand over all the resources of society for plunder and provide all assistance to the capitalist class in this plunder. The "strategic interest of India" was the interest of the Indian big bourgeoisie, nothing else.

Now the government is selling the remaining shares of Modern Foods to its partner HLL because "it perceives it as being well-run by the strategic partner". What does the government mean when it says Modern Foods is now "well run", as opposed to the earlier "inefficiency"? We do not know whether the balance sheets of MFIL have been scrutinised by Arun Shourie and Company. What we do know is that HLL referred Modern Foods to the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) last year, and the BIFR had not yet had its first meeting with the Modern Food officials when the Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment gave the clean chit to HLL! It is significant that a company whose management refers it to the BIFR because it has lost 50% of its net worth in the past 4 years(2 of which were under HLL management), has been declared as well-run by the government! In other words, the government wants to push the BIFR to give a clean chit to the demands of the HLL for "restructuring" (which means closures of various units, retrenchment, etc) and simultaneously declare it "well-run". A question of course arises. If Modern Foods is so "well-run", why is the government desperate to sell off shares whose value are bound to increase over the next year, a year ahead of schedule? Why is it giving "daan" to HLL?

Meanwhile, according to media reports, the ALC(Central) has issued a labour license to Modern Foods. This has been done when cases are pending before the Labour Commission Enforcement Cell of Delhi Government on the practice of hiring contract labour by Modern Foods while keeping regular workers as well as casual workers off duty, and the practise of sub-contracting bread production to other private sweat shops. This has also been done after the Supreme Court decision on SAIL. Supreme Court clearly ruled that only Public Sector Companies come under the purview of the Union Labour Ministry and all private sector companies come under the purview of state labour boards! In other words, when it suits the big bourgeoisie, Modern Foods becomes a Public Sector Company even though its controlling share is held by HLL. However, when workers raise issues related to Modern Foods with the Union government, as the Modern Food Industries Employees Union has been consistently doing, they are told it has been privatised and they should deal with the problems with the appropriate state governments and departments! What we are witnessing in the second phase of privatisation is a Union Government bending over backwards to fulfill the greed of HLL to maximise the exploitation of workers through contract labour to make it even more "well run"...

Taken together, what Arun Shourie and his men mean by a "company being well run" comes through as follows. It must have a track record of maximising profits through acquisition of companies, retrenchment and closures, and taking over of brand names after jettisoning workers. It must close down plants and threaten workers with retrenchment and VRS. It must resort to hiring contract labour and subcontracting production. Savage capitalist exploitation to ensure maximum profits for the monopoly is the meaning of "well-run".

The Indian big bourgeoisie and foreign imperialism are demanding that the Indian state remove all restrictions on their ability to exploit the land, natural resources and the labour of the Indian people. They are demanding that the Indian state ensure the complete subordination of the whole of society to the interests of the big bourgeoisie and imperialism. They are demanding that government openly declare that the interests of capitalists override the interests of society.

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Oppose the anti-labour amendments to the Industrial Disputes Act!
It is the duty of the state to guarantee the Right to Livelihood!

The Cabinet will now consider and adopt these amendments. Throughout India, workers organisations have been vigorously opposing these amendments. The proposed changes, intended to help Indian capitalists face international competition, were vehemently opposed by trade unions when the Finance Minister announced them in his Budget speech.

The amendment in Chapter V-B of the Industrial Disputes Act will enable factory owners employing up to 1,000 workers to more easily implement retrenchments, lay-off and closure of their units. At one stroke, such an amendment will ensure that 90% of workers who are at present offered a modicum of protection by the existing law will lose that too. In modern day conditions, it is known that capitalists do not want 1000 workers under one roof, and have already devised methods to divide their production into much smaller units in different plants.

Under the existing law, the employers engaging more than 100 workers have to take prior approval of "the appropriate government authority" to shut down their establishments or to effect retrenchment and lay-off. The employers’ associations have been arguing that the law denied them any labour flexibility and they could not face international competition, particularly in the liberalised WTO regime.

With this recommendation of the Group of Ministers, the NDA government of the capitalists and imperialists has thrown the gauntlet at India’s working class that it is going to step up the attacks on the rights of labour at the bidding of the big capitalists and foreign monopolies. The working class accepts this challenge.

India’s workers are not slaves to existing labour laws, which actually serve more to reconcile the class struggle in favour of the capitalists than to protect the workmen from the assault of capitalism. The central demand the workers’ organisations and all their well-wishers must advance today is the issue of security of livelihood for all, which includes food, clothing, health, education, and guaranteed work for all able-bodied men and women.

That India’s labour laws need a complete overhaul has never been under dispute in the working class movement. Workers have been in the forefront of struggles demanding the scrapping of the conciliation machinery, the tripartite boards, the acts that prevent strikes in essential services, the ban on strikes and other forms of protests without notice, etc. Workers should demand that all laws that restrict their space for organising and fighting for security of life and livelihood must be forthwith scrapped.

The time is here and now for India’s working class to provide a unified challenge to the onslaught of the reactionary bourgeoisie. This can be done only by presenting a comprehensive alternative to the anti-social offensive of the bourgeoisie and imperialism. This alternative must squarely place the security of life and livelihood for all workers, peasants, women and youth at the centre—something which the state is duty bound to ensure.

The interests of capitalists and imperialists can in no way take precedence over this overriding concern of toilers, that is the guaranteeing of the right to livelihood. All political parties and forces who think or act otherwise are going to be condemned by history. Finally, workers must demand from all political forces, particularly those calling themselves communists, to stop fire fighting exercises on behalf of the bourgeoisie, and take up the challenge of forging the revolutionary front of workers, peasants, women and youth. Let us build a new India in accordance with the vision of workers, peasants, women and youth, and not the vision of capitalists and imperialists.

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