November 16 - 30, December 1-15, 2006

Well over 100 people attended a Memorial Meeting in Coventry on October 22 to honour the life and work of Kewal Singh Purewal, late president of Indian Workers Association (Great Britain), marking the first anniversary of his passing. The meeting was organised by IWA (GB) and hosted by the local Coventry branch.

The front of the hall was tastefully decorated with red cloths, beautiful flowers, and a fine portrait of a smiling Kewal Singh Purewal. The meeting was chaired by Ajmer Singh Bains, General Secretary of IWA (GB), a long time comrade and friend. Ajmer Singh spoke movingly of the admirable qualities of Kewal Singh, a man of great sincerity and integrity, Ajmer Singh said, highlighting how much he had learned from him.

View of the Hall

The family were very well represented, with Kewal Singh’s widow and three generations of family members present. First the eldest son and later a great nephew spoke eloquently to the gathering on behalf of the family. Representatives of the local branches of IWA (GB) then came forward to give their tributes. They were followed by a succession of comrades and friends from Coventry itself. All spoke movingly of their respect and affection for Kewal Singh, some with stories of great humour. They painted a vivid picture of a man who could never do too much to assist in even the smallest problem in the community, and at the same time concerned himself with the profound issues facing the community, the working class of which he was a fighting member, and the world’s people at large.

Comrade Dalwinder Atwal paid tribute to Kewal Singh and conveyed a memorial message from the Communist Gadhar Party of India. Comrade Kewal Singh Purewal worked tirelessly for the full participation of Indian and other national minorities in Britain in the political affairs of their adopted country. He contributed actively to the work of our fraternal party, the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist).

Comrade Kewal never forgot the country of his birth. The liberation of the Indian people from exploitation and oppression, poverty and backwardness, continued to preoccupy him throughout his active life. He contributed actively to the work of the Communist Ghadar Party of India. He contributed actively to the building and strengthening of extremely close ties between the Indian and British working class.

These are times, comrades, when capitalist forces worldwide are carrying out the most brutal attacks on the working class and peoples, on all the rights won by the working class and peoples through struggle in the twentieth century. George Bush and Tony Blair are leading this offensive at the head of US imperialism and British imperialism respectively, but at the same time, other states like India are not lagging behind. Under the slogan of “war against terrorism”, they are fascising, escalating racist and fascist attacks on different sections of the working people, and preparing and carrying out wars of aggression against peoples and nations. They are trying their utmost to split the working class along racial, communal lines, so that the resistance struggle of the workers to the capitalist imperialist offensive is weakened. This is the situation in India, Britain, the US and many other countries.

Increasingly, the working class and peoples are seeing through the game plan of the imperialists and reactionary forces. World wide, the opposition to imperialism, fascism and imperialist war is intensifying and growing more united. The British working class, like the Indian working class, has been playing an important role in this. The working class and peoples are looking for an alternative to this capitalist imperialist system that breeds exploitation and oppression, fascism and racism, and imperialist wars. That alternative is the revolution and socialism. The tide of revolution will soon turn from ebb to flow. The Communist Ghadar Party of India is working in these conditions to prepare the working class and people of India so that they can take power in their own hands, when the situation matures.

Comrades we have an extremely crucial role to play in these times. The CGPI is confident that IWA (GB) will play a crucial role in the struggle for the victory of the revolution, both in Britain, as well as India, following the example of Comrade Kewal Singh Purewal.

The presentation to the Memorial Meeting on behalf of RCPB (ML) by its National Spokesperson Chris Coleman was warmly received. Chris Coleman began by saying that he was proud to be there on behalf of the Party – along with the family, friends and comrades – to honour the life and work of Kewal Singh Purewal, late President of IWA (GB), who was a cherished activist of RCPB (ML) since its founding, and a dear personal friend and comrade from the first day he had met him in the spring of 1972.

Speaking of today’s problems, Chris Coleman pointed out, even just one year after Kewal’s sad and untimely passing, we see a huge intensification of the offensive against the peoples and new and greater challenges facing the progressive forces. Recklessly, and with no care for the catastrophes being caused, the Anglo-American imperialists press ahead with their agenda of war, violation of sovereignty and all international law, of long-outlawed torture and massacre, in attempting to impose the rule of the great corporations over the people of the entire world. At home they intensify their attacks on the rights of the people, particularly at this time attacking the Muslim community, especially young Muslim men and women, as part of the attack on the rights of all the communities and people. In trying to cause divisions among them, they attempt to criminalise the very concept of the right of conscience, belief and ideology.

The Party is very confident, Chris Coleman said, that IWA (GB) will continue to rise to the challenge presented by today’s situation as Kewal Singh did. This will no doubt involve great political discussions and deliberations on the way forward and the step by step strengthening of the organisation in the course of developing the work. But the Party is sure that, with the spirit which imbued the life and work of Kewal Singh as guide and model, the work of IWA (GB) will meet with great success.

Salvinder Dhillon of IWA (GB) and Respect started by saying how proud must be the mother who gave birth to such a fine son. Kewal Singh’s family must be proud to have such a fine member. Salvinder pointed out the importance of building fighting trade unions and the need to support the conference being organised by respect on November 11th in London. The Gate Gourmet workers and many other similar struggles have tasted the bitter fruits of betrayal by some trade union leaders in alliance with multinationals such as Gate Gourmet and New Labour – The Unholy Alliance.

It is important for workers to bring forward genuine leaders who uphold the interests of fellow workers, are accountable to them and subject to recall if failing to uphold their interests. These Leaders must be selected and elected by fellow workers. The membership should set the agenda stemming from its needs. Elected leaders must implement the agenda set by the membership. Working people must demand that the economy be geared to serve their needs above all. Their elected officials must look to the emancipation of working people as being linked to the emancipation of humanity as a whole.

Trade union leaders must defend the interests of labour, the local communities and Britain as a whole, together with its peoples’ national rights, and contributes to the same internationally at this time when grave dangers threaten the whole of humankind. The values which the trade union movement has for long upheld and fought many battles of principle for are encapsulated in the slogan “An Injury to One Is an Injury to All!”

Salvinder called upon IWA (GB) branches to send delegates to the trade union conference being held on November 11th. He pointed out the necessity of building the IWA (GB) to meet the challenges that lay ahead.

Amongst the large number of comrades and friends paying tribute were Sital Gill , Dalbagh Singh, Sohan Singh Cheema, Mohan Singh, and Sucha Singh Bains. They all spoke of the cherished memories of friendship and warm love Kewal Singh has left in their hearts. Comrade Ajmer ended the meeting by calling upon all participants to build upon the fine tradition of Comrade Kewal Singh Purewal.