• On the 75th anniversary of the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru:
  The call of our martyrs is to fight for an India without exploitation

• Support the struggle of the traders and shopkeepers in Delhi
  Statement of the Delhi Regional Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 25th Mar 2006

• Massive land grabbing by the capitalists!
  Statement of Maharashtra Regional Committee, Communist Ghadar Party of India, March 19, 2006

• Protest in Mumbai to Condemn the Supreme Court’s Reversal of the Mumbai High Court Judgement regarding the sale of NTC Mills

EDITORIAL

• The working class must fight to end capitalism

WORLD

• Massive protests in France against fascist law

• Meet opposes US war plans against Iran

• Massive protests against criminalisation of immigration

• Rising tide of anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist struggles in Latin America

VOICE OF TOILERS & TILLERS

• Call for an indefinite Hunger Strike by Bhopal Gas victims

• Relentless Struggle of the Narmada Valley oustees

• Kisan Mahapanchayat in Delhi

• Demonstration of residents of JJ colonies

On the 75th anniversary of the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru:

The call of our martyrs is to fight for an India without exploitation

Seventy five years ago, on the evening of March 23, 1931, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru kissed the hangman's noose and raised the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad!” for the last time in their lives. The whole of India, which had followed the epic struggle of Bhagat Singh and his comrades in jail and in the courts, came out on the streets in angry protests against the British colonialists and the Congress party leadership for killing three of the greatest sons of our motherland in the prime of their youth. They had been hanged for raising the banner of revolt against imperialism, freedom from colonialism and from all exploitation through a social revolution.

When asked what he meant by Inquilab, Bhagat Singh explained in the colonialist court that revolution did not mean terrorism, that their aim was not to kill individuals, but to replace the existing exploitative order by a new order of society.

Inspired by the ideals of Bhagat Singh and his comrades, youth from all regions of India took up the banner of revolution. Many of them rallied around the then fledgling Communist Party of India. They took up the mission of organising the workers and peasants of India for the overthrow of colonial rule, and uprooting the system of capitalism and imperialism from the soil of India

It is obvious today that the aim and aspirations for which Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev laid down their lives 75 years ago have still not been fulfilled. Bhagat Singh declared that India’s struggle will continue as long as a minority of exploiters rules the country; and that it does not matter if the exploiting minority is white or brown in colour, or a combination of both. Today, India is being plundered by a minority of exploiters, Indian and foreign capitalists in combination. What are the reasons for this state of affairs?

The anti-colonial struggle followed the path of Gandhi and Nehru and not the path advocated by Bhagat Singh and other revolutionary martyrs like him. The Congress Party leaders, representing the interests of the compromising bourgeoisie, led the movement towards achieving political independence while blocking the path to social revolution. Instead of establishing a new India on new foundations, the political institutions and theory of democracy inherited from the British occupiers were kept intact. The outcome has been the further expansion of capitalism alongside the remnants of feudalism, and further perfecting of the superstructure of colonialism and imperialism, which is strangling all the healthy forces of Indian society. The bourgeois class, headed by the big business houses, wants to use the state machinery and the vast resources of our country, including our youthful population, as the means for emerging as a big world class imperialist power by 2020.

The reason why it was possible for the bourgeoisie to become the leader of the anti-colonial struggle was that the leaders of the Communist Party of India tailed behind the leaders of the Congress Party. After the compromise with imperialism was struck in 1947, the Communist Party of India was not able to open the path to revolution by rallying the workers and peasants around their own political aim and program that is independent of the bourgeoisie.

Those who split the CPI and established the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1964 did not contribute to the creation of conditions for revolution. On the contrary, by splitting the party they caused grave damage to the working class movement. Today the leaders of CPI(M) appear as the greatest advocates of tailing the Congress Party, giving credence to the untenable slogan of liberalisation and privatisation with a ‘human face’.

The clarion call of Naxalbari reiterated the necessity for social revolution, and gave rise to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) in 1969. However, the CPI(M-L) was split into numerous factions by the infighting that was justified by the Chinese theory of building the party through ‘two line struggles’.

There is no use in only singing praises to the name of Bhagat Singh today if we cannot take up the task of realising the aim for which he fought and laid down his life. This is the task of organising to end the system of exploitation and oppression and to build a new society where the workers, peasants, women and youth are the rulers. This task can be accomplished if and only if the revolutionary forces are deployed according to one single plan, under one unified revolutionary leadership.

The Communist Ghadar Party of India is committed to work for the restoration of unity of Indian communists on a revolutionary basis, by making a clean break with the path of tailing the Congress Party. It is committed to build the political unity of the vast majority of people against the anti-worker, anti-peasant and anti-national program of globalisation of Indian capital through liberalisation and privatisation. It is committed to work for the overhaul of the system and political process of democracy, to establish the rule of workers and peasants as the first and essential step to overthrow capitalism and build socialism.

The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls upon the revolutionary youth of India to take up this truly glorious mission as their own and spare no sacrifices for its realisation.

Support the struggle of the traders and shopkeepers in Delhi

Statement of the Delhi Regional Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 25th Mar 2006

Residents of Delhi!

Hundreds of thousands of traders and shopkeepers have been coming out on the streets over the past several days, protesting against the recent Supreme Court order on sealing ‘commercial establishments in residential areas’ of Delhi. The Supreme Court had ordered that all commercial establishments on roads of width 80 feet or more would have to be removed within 30 days, failing which they would be sealed.

On 21 st March, shopkeepers from all the major market and commercial areas of Delhi, including Chandni Chowk and Kamala Nagar in North Delhi, Vikaspuri and Naraina in West Delhi, Kalkaji and Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi and Pitampura and Lakshmi Nagar in East Delhi observed a bandh in protest against the SC order. The deadline for implementing this order expires on March 26, 2006, although the deadline has now been extended, provided a trader files an affidavit giving an assurance that the premises would be vacated within the stipulated date.

Coming close on the heels of the previous SC order on demolition of ‘unauthorized constructions’, the recent order on sealing ‘commercial establishments in residential areas’ of Delhi is an outright attack on the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small business owners, as well as many more who are employed in these establishments.

The Supreme Court claims that this will help ‘clean up’ the residential areas, which are allegedly cluttered up by shops at present, and authorized commercial complexes will be set up instead, where posh shops and shopping malls will operate. However, the vast majority of the small shopkeepers and traders are unable to afford a place in these posh commercial complexes. Shifting their establishments elsewhere would mean, apart from other difficulties, a huge loss of business and clientele. Those employed in these establishments are usually temporary workers who will instantly lose their only source of livelihood. The worst to be affected are the small vendors and pavement shopkeepers, roadside eating joints, fruit and vegetable vendors as well as small shops selling daily necessities and operating out of residential premises. Most of these have always operated under the constant threat of attack and will now face heightened danger of eviction and hence higher levels of extortion by the authorities and the police.

This Supreme Court order is said to be in accordance with the Master Plan for Delhi, 2021. However, the attacks on the rights and livelihood of small shop owners and working people are clearly revealing whose interests wil be served by this so-called Master Plan and by implementing the Supreme Court order. Will the interests of the millions of working people, professionals, industrial workers, small businessmen, small shopkeepers, traders, manual labourers, etc., residing and working in Delhi, be served by this step? Or will it serve only the interests of the super-rich who want to grow even richer, the big monopolies and Indian and foreign multinationals?

The Indian ruling big bourgeoisie, in pursuit of its aspiration to become a global power, has launched a drive to convert the big cities of India, starting with Delhi and Mumbai, into 'global hubs' where the big capitalist corporations, Indian and multinational, will be provided all the facilities they want, in order to reap their super profits. How this will affect the lives and livelihood of the millions of working people in these cities is of little concern to our rulers.

Millions of people living in urban slums and resettlement colonies are denied clean drinking water and sanitation today. Civic amenities such as electricity, transport and water are in some cases already privatised or on the road to privatisation, with soaring costs and no accountability to the residents of the cities. The new 'global hubs' that the ruling bourgeoisie envisions, and to create which the Delhi Master Plan 2021 has been made, are not aimed at solving the problems of the working people and small shop owners. On the contrary, the miseries of the majority will only go from bad to worse. The implementation of the latest SC order, for instance, will drastically change the very character of most of the residential areas of Delhi and impose a change of lifestyle to suit a small super rich minority.

Under public pressure, leading representatives of the Delhi State Assembly, both from the ruling Congress Party as well as from the BJP in the Opposition, have been forced to appeal to the Urban Development Minister to intervene in the matter. However, the people of Delhi must beware of the two-faced nature of these parties of the big bourgeoisie. The performance of the governments run by the Congress Party and the BJP, at the centre and in the states, has shown that both these parties are committed to the program of globalisation of Indian capital through liberalisation and privatisation. They serve the interests of the big capitalists, while they pretend to care about the working people and small shop owners only in order to cultivate their vote banks.This is the reason that the Supreme Court has now been spurred into action, so that the Congress and BJP leaders can feign impotence before the ‘rule of law’ and continue to pretend to be the saviours of the people who are under attack.

The working class, all salaried people and small business families in Delhi must unite against the drive of the big bourgeoisie to transform the city according to their narrow self interests. The needs of the millions of working people must take priority over the profits of the monopoly capitalists, Indian or foreign.

Delhi belongs to the working people and all those who have made this city their home. We have a rightful say in deciding Delhi’s future. The Congress Party and the BJP are part of the bourgeois offensive and hence cannot be part of the solution to our problems. Let us make common cause with the small shopkeepers and traders and build the united political front of all the organisations of the people,to block the offensive of the big bourgeoisie.

The working class must fight to end capitalism

The massive and continuing protests all across France reveal two things. Firstly, the French working class and the student youth have come together in one of the most powerful and long drawn battle in defence of rights in many decades. And this popular struggle has drawn into its fold ever wider sections of the people. Secondly, the arrogant response of the French government that it will not repeal the fascist law attacking workers' rights reveals that the working class of France has to prepare to take the struggle forward to a higher stage in the coming days.

The attack on workers' rights in France is part of the world wide trend of stepping up of the onslaught on the rights of workers by the bourgeoisie. Capital is not only flowing to those regions and sectors wherein the maximum rate of profit can be guaranteed, capital is also using its enormous power to facilitate better conditions for itself in country after country. The clarion call of the imperialist bourgeoisie and the monopoly capitalists of every country has become "flexibility” in labour laws and regulations to ensure "global competitiveness". This means the "right" to hire and fire as they please, and to unilaterally alter the terms and conditions of employment. This is being done under the specious pretext that it is good for the country, or even good for the working people themselves!

Prime Minsiter Manmohan Singh has declared more than once that what is "blocking" India's "global competitiveness" is the existing labour laws. Indian and foreign capitalists are demanding removal of all laws that can potentially safeguard workers rights. These include the right to form trade unions, the right in factories employing over 100 workers to demand government intervention in case of closure, the right to strike, the rights of women workers, and so on. The Contract Labour (Prevention and Abolition) Act has been already watered down by successive Court orders so that today, in most sectors of the economy, workers can be hired on contract, with no obligations on the part of the employers. The bourgeoisie is demanding further widening of the scope of contract labour, so that practically all workers can be hired and fired at any time. The bourgeoisie is setting up Special Economic Zones where workers will have virtually no rights, and the demands of finance capital for 'flexibility' in labour laws will be fulfilled. State governments are rushing head over heals to provide the most favourable conditions for super exploitation of workers in these SEZ's. These SEZ's will be used to put pressure on the entire working class movement to accept "flexibility in labour laws" as a fait accompli. There are indications the UPA government is considering passing a slewth of amendments to labour laws in the next session of parliament.

Capitalism is leaving a trail of death and devastation world wide, with massive destruction of jobs in major sectors in different countries, even while finance capital is raking in super profits. It is facing the anger and opposition of workers at each step. In these conditions, the bourgeoisie in every country is trying, through its agencies in the working class movement, to divide the working class. It is trying to spread the lie that it is not capitalism that is responsible for the miseries of the workers, but this or that section of the workers themselves. It divides workers on the basis of race, citizenship, age, on whether they are "unorganised workers" or "organised sector" workers, and so on.

In these conditions, the Indian working class has to clearly chart out its course of action. Enormous productive forces have been unleashed, which if properly harnessed can provide for all. But, clearly, capitalism can benefit only a minority, the capitalist class, while it is spreading death and devastation for the vast majority of the working class and people. Therefore, while waging their resistance struggle, workers must clearly put on the agenda the overthrow of capitalism in India, taking over of the means of production, and building the new socialist society. This struggle hits at the heart of the world imperialist system, of which the Indian bourgeoisie is an integral part.

Massive land grabbing by the capitalists!

Statement of Maharashtra Regional Committee, Communist Ghadar Party of India, March 19, 2006

There has been jubilation in capitalist circles with the Supreme Court upholding the government of Maharashtra’s formula to enrich the owners of closed textile mills in Mumbai by selling off the mill land. The leaders of workers of closed textile mills and various democratic intellectuals, who were agitating for a greater allocation of mill land for mass housing for the poor, have felt betrayed by the ruling, as they stored much hope in the earlier ruling of the Bombay High Court that would have given more land towards mass housing.

Indeed a citizen’s attempt to mitigate the problem of housing for the poor, has been ignored by the Maharashtra government and the Supreme Court. This is indeed a set back to improving the living conditions, of the growing population of Mumbai—the largest city in the world today.

The central government and state governments keep talking ad nauseum about Jawahar Urban Renewal Project, improving the infra structure of the cities, concern for over 50% of Mumbai’s population, that lives in the slums and so on. However, it is abundantly clear that these are words and promises to fool the people, while the actual agenda of the governments is something else.

Ever since a large number of the city’s 65 textile mills including those run by the government owned NTC mills, closed down in the early eighties due to several factors, the capitalists have been hungrily eyeing more than 600 acres of land occupied by the mills in the center of the city. Most of this land was leased to capitalists a very long time ago for a pittance to build and run their mills. According to property laws and town planning codes, land that is leased or sold for a specific purpose cannot be used for another purpose. If the original lessee is not able to use the land for the purpose allotted then the state can take over the land and reuse it appropriately.

When the mill owners expressed that the business conditions have changed and they could not run textile mills in Mumbai any more and that they be allowed to sell the land to pay the dues of workers and repay some of the creditors etc, it was clear as daylight that it was a subterfuge.

The state had every right to take over the land, pay the dues of workers and creditors, (most of the creditors were state owned banks and financial institutions, who had lent people’s deposits as loans to mill owners), and use the land for mass housing. The mill owners, having essentially declared bankruptcy, had no claim over the assets. However, succeeding governments have shown great sympathy to the “plight” of the mill owners and lauded their objective of “helping the destitute textile workers” and started working out schemes to do so. The first such attempt was the Development Control Rules of 1991, which needlessly recognized a one third claim of mill owners over the land. The Maharashtra government amended the rules, in 2001 and later clarified it further through a circular in 2003 to practically give away all the land to mill owners for commercial development.

This is a massive land grab, worth nearly 100,000 crores, by capitalists, with active connivance of succeeding governments in Maharashtra over the last 15 years, at the cost of millions of Mumbaikars.

But what is behind this? Is it a few builders and developers of commercial property or a few mill owners. If that were the case why did the government not act differently in the case of NTC mills, which it owned? Clearly there is much more to it than meets the eye.

The ruling class of India, the big bourgeoisie, has ambitions to become big global capitalists and imperialists. They very cleverly used the Indian state apparatus and political institutions in the first forty years of independence to grow in size and consolidate their positions in the domestic market. They did this with socialist and anti-imperialist sounding slogans under successive Congress governments. In the late eighties when it became clear that they had grown strong enough and the world situation was also changing the big bourgeoisie embarked on a programme to expand their horizons resulting in the 1991 policies of Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh of globalisation through liberalisation, and privatization of public assets. The last fifteen years of this programme implemented through Congress, Third Front and BJP governments has led to a new stage, wherein the Indian bourgeoisies is striking deals with the international bourgeoisie to enter the club of imperialists and multinationals.

The 130 year old Indian stock market is the oldest stock market in Asia. Now they have built share bazaar type of exchanges for agricultural and other commodities as well. Indian Banks and companies are looking abroad for expansion. They are buying businesses abroad to establish themselves in other markets. Indian goods and services are increasingly being exported all over the world. In this situation the Indian big bourgeoisie with the support of global financial institutions have decided to turn Mumbai into a global financial center like New York, and London. On March 18, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has reiterated it in a speech in Mumbai.

It is this agenda of the bourgeoisie that has heated up the land market in Mumbai. This is why builders and developers are ready to pay hundred and at times thousands of crores for a few acres of mill land. Because they expect to make good money as Mumbai becomes a global financial satta center.

Obviously in these calculations of the Indian and foreign capitalists the housing problems of millions of Mumbaikars or livelihood of thousands of workers do not count. This is the real face of capitalist system: greedy, cruel, short sighted, callous towards people and focused only on maximizing the super profits of big capitalists. All claims of Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and their supporters that their capitalism has a human face, is a lie.

So brothers and sisters of Mumbai’s working class, we have to unite and organize against this capitalist system and replace it with a socialist system that is genuinely caring for people’s interests, be it their livelihood, housing, health, education or cultural growth.

Down with the Maharashtra government’s policy towards mill workers!

Decent housing is a right of all Mumbaikars!

Protest in Mumbai to Condemn the Supreme Court’s Reversal of the Mumbai High Court Judgement regarding the sale of NTC Mills

On March 7 th, 2006 the Supreme Court passed a judgement allowing 5 NTC Mills, the Central Government run textile mills in Mumbai to sell their land to private builders. On October 24 th 2005 the Mumbai High Court had announced a stay on the sale of the 5 NTC Mill Lands, Jupiter, Apollo, Mumbai, Elphinstone and Kohinoor Mills. These had been sold over the past year for a total of over 2,000 crores to big Indian and foreign builders like India Bulls, DLF and even local politician cum builders like Manohar Joshi and Raj Thackeray. The High Court had also called for a halt on the “redevelopment” of land belonging to private mill owners who had closed down the once flourishing textile mills of Central Mumbai and thrown lakhs of workers on the streets.

Immediately after the High Court verdict, the NTC Mill management as well as the Mill owners had approached the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict. Under the pressure of the capitalist class the Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Mumbai High Court.

To protest the Supreme Court judgement, various organizations, democratic minded individuals, town planners, architects and environmentalists had come together under the Mumbai Peoples Action Committee to oppose the sale of the NTC Mill Lands.

A ten daylong continuous dharna was organized from 10 th March onwards in Lal Baug (Red Garden), in Central Mumbai to protest the Supreme Court judgement as well as to awaken the people of Mumbai. The organisations that took part in the 10-day dharna were Mumbai Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti, Kamgahr Aghadi, Lok Raj Sangathan, Communist Ghadar Party of India, Girni Chawl Bhadekaru Sangharsh Samiti, Rashtra Seva Dal, Ghar Haq Samiti, Shahar Vikas Manch, Jogeshwari Nagarik Sangharsh Samiti, Lok Rajnitik Manch, Banks, LIC, State Govt Employees, and Nirbhay Bano Andolan. The 10-day dharna evoked a spontaneous response from the people of Mumbai. Noted public personalities including sportsmen, theatre artists, etc also participated in the dharna. On Sunday, March 26 th, a Human Chain was formed to symbolically show the unity of the people of Mumbai against the Supreme Court judgement. The Communist Ghadar Party of India distributed thousands of pamphlets during the 10 day dharna explaining to the people of Mumbai, the plans of the big capitalist class to convert Mumbai into a Financial and Commercial Centre, while throwing or forcing lakhs of working people to leave their homes and migrate to the far flung suburbs of Mumbai.

Massive protests in France against fascist law

Widespread protests by youth and workers all over France entered the third week as we go to the press. During talks with the government on 24 th March 2006, trade union leaders called on the government to dump the fascist “First Job Contract” law which permits employers to dismiss young workers within the first two years of their job without giving any reason. A national strike as well as other protest actions have been planned to take the struggle ahead.

France has one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe; almost 10 % of the population is jobless. The figure among young people (below 26 years of age) is a whopping 23%, and among some sections, especially migrants, the figure is almost 50%! According to the government, the enactment of such a measure which allows employers to dismiss workers without having to give any reason whatsoever or warning is the only way to bring down unemployment! This law is indeed the essence of capitalist democracy – democracy for the capitalists and dictatorship for the workers – in which workers are warned that they have to give up their rights if they wish to work at all! The fascist law was pushed through Parliament without debate and is to take effect from April 1, 2006.

The working class and people of France however have a long history of fighting for their rights. The youth of France have taken to the streets, along with teachers, intellectuals and workers. They are demanding that the fascist law be scrapped immediately. The government ordered the police to come down forcefully on the protestors, and president Chirac declared that the government could not bend to pressure from the street. “When a law has been adopted, it must be applied," he said. Undeterred by this, the number of people joining in the protests has swelled greatly. On March 18, 2006, over two million people are estimated to have taken part in protests in over 150 cities and towns across France. Well over half of France's 84 public universities remained either closed or partially closed because of student blockades. The students have said that their demand for the complete scrapping of the “First Job Contract” law cannot be negotiated. Further protest actions are being planned for the last week of March and thereafter till this demand is realised.

Meet opposes US war plans against Iran

The opposition of the people of India to the ruthless US imperialist pressure on Iran and to the support given to it by the UPA government here is widening and gathering momentum in India.

A significant manifestation of this was the meeting on this issue called by Lok Raj Sangathan in New Delhi on March 19, 2006. The meeting hall was filled with a wide variety of people, including media personalities, lawyers, teachers, representatives of mass organisations, human rights activists, youth and students, and other concerned persons.

Speakers at the forum expressed their deep outrage at the anti-Iran campaign of the US imperialists, which is clearly a prelude to outright aggression on the lines of Afghanistan and Iraq. The Convenor of Lok Raj Sangathan, Prakash Rao hailed the massive opposition in India to US imperialism, which was visible in the huge demonstrations held across the length and breadth of the country during Bush's visit. He drew attention to the speech delivered by Bush at Purana Qila. Bush had publicly declared that “regime change” in various countries that refuse to accept the American dictate is the agenda of the US imperialists, and called upon the Indian government to collaborate actively with the US in this dastardly agenda which is completely against the interests of the Indian and other peoples. Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, the US imperialists and its allies are on a drive to make every country without exception follow their system and their scheme of things, and the reason they are so deadly opposed to Iran is because the Iranian people and government refuse to fall in with their plans. He said that the whole world is looking at India in this context, and it is up to the people of this country to show that they are completely opposed to the Manmohan Singh government's “strategic alliance” with US imperialism and that they wholeheartedly support Iran in its struggle to resist US pressure and domination.

Among the many others who spoke at the meeting were representatives of the Jamaat e Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, as well as lawyers, journalists, students, ex-army men, and cultural activists. The speakers exposed how the accusations against Iran on the nuclear issue were nothing more than systematic fabrications by the US to justify eventual aggression against Iran, which is part of the US imperialist design to extend its hegemony over Asia as a whole. The link between the anti-social offensive of globalization and privatization, and the war plans of the US and other powers, was also brought out. The close ties between the Indian and the Iranian people through history was stressed by several speakers. The participants also expressed revulsion at the stand adopted by the UPA government against Iran. Many condemned the attempt of a section of the media to suggest that the fact that Muslims had turned out in large numbers to oppose Bush's visit was responsible for the communal tensions and terrorist attacks that followed. The overwhelming desire expressed at the meeting was to build up and coordinate efforts to oppose the US war plans against Iran by various means, including mass agitations and putting pressure on the government in the Parliament to withdraw its support to the US campaign against Iran. A resolution was unanimously passed by the house (see below), condemning and demanding an end to the attacks on Iran.

Massive protests against criminalisation of immigration

Over half a million people came out on the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday, March 25, 2005 to protest against an anti-immigration bill known as HR 4437, that will criminalize millions of immigrant families and anyone who comes into contact with them.

Immigrants have historically provided cheap labour for the capitalists of US and helped them to amass the capital which has made the US one of the richest and most powerful countries on earth. Immigrants have also had virtually no rights, and have been forced to work in very bad conditions. In the early days of capitalist cotton farming, people from Africa were forcibly brought into the US as slaves, to toil on the plantations in terrible conditions. Slavery was abolished in the US only after the Civil War in the mid nineteenth century. For decades, migrants from Mexico and other countries of Latin America have been providing cheap labour to the US, as have migrants from Asia, Africa and the Pacific Rim countries.

The American state categorises immigrants into legal and "illegal". "Illegal" immigrants are the backbone of the economy in the most exploitative sectors of economy — where wages are low, work is seasonal, the conditions of work and living extremely hard. The "illegal" status, is used to perpetuate these conditions. The capitalists need these "illegal" immigrants for making super profits and to keep the wages and working conditions of the broad mass of workers under continuous pressure. At the same time, the state of the capitalists carries out targeted attacks on the immigrants, painting them as "criminals" and those "responsible" for unemployment amongst the workers at large.

Various countries, including India, UK and the US, have laws which make migrants who cross borders in search of livelihood criminals. HR 4437 passed by the House of Representatives, is the latest in a long list of such laws in the US, which stands out because of the sweeping provisions it contains, which makes it a felony for immigrants to be in the US illegally. Anyone who helps such immigrants in any way, for instance charitable organisations providing shelters for homeless people, would also be regarded as having committed a crime! The new bill also allows for the erecting of fences along a third of the US–Mexican border.

Rising tide of anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist struggles in Latin America

Recent weeks have witnessed an upsurge in the struggles of the nations and peoples in South America – against US domination and the policies of liberalisation and privatisation, in defence of the right to determine one’s own political system and economic orientation, without outside interference and pressures. Below are some of the highlights.

Ecuador

On March 14, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) called for a national uprising against the proposed free trade agreement being negotiated between the U.S. and the government of President Alfredo Palacio. Over the last decade, mass action by the people of Ecuador has driven out three presidents, most recently in April 2005.

The Kichwa indigenous people of Ecuador are demanding the nationalization of the country's oil, and have threatened President Alfredo Palacio with “regrettable consequences” if he fails to punish the U.S. oil corporation Oxy for illegal oil sales. “The proposal by the indigenous movement is for the state to recover and politically control the oil”, said Humberto Cholango, president of the Ecuarunari movement.

Dominican Republic

A massive patriotic demonstration attended by dozens of political organisations was held on 27 th February in the Dominican Republic on the occasion of the 162nd anniversary of national independence. A 10-hour rally in the southern city of Barahona condemned the presence of U.S. troops in that province.

Guatemala

Trade union members, farmers, women, indigenous peoples and others in Guatemala marched in front of the U.S. Embassy on 24 th February, chanting "No to the TLC" (TLC in Spanish stands for free trade treaty). They declared, “We are here to reject the TLC because it attacks small and medium-sized national enterprises and the right to health, since cheaper generic medicines would disappear”. Demonstrators burned a U.S. flag in protest of what is seen as U.S. intrusion in Guatemala, "We don't want to be a U.S. colony" was another popular slogan.

Peru

In Peru, a 24-hour strike in Cusco was called by the Workers' Federation and the Cusco Regional Assembly, aimed against the signing of the free trade agreement with the United States, which requires ratification by both houses of Congress. Several Peruvian organizations gathered over 45,000 necessary signatures to force Congress to vote on a bill to take the agreement to a public referendum.

Bolivia

Bolivian President Evo Morales delivered an important speech on 22 nd February, one month after his government came to power, following the overwhelming popular mandate of December 18, 2005. In his speech he said, “We said we would govern obeying the people. That is why we have carried out over these 30 days some 300 meetings with social movements, institutions and business and civic organisations, listening to their proposals and learning from their suggestions … On February 21, we approved the Law of Trade Unions to defend the rights of workers in this country who feel exploited by labour deregulation. With the defence of trade unions, the workers of this country will have their rights protected; we have left behind those years of repression, jails and confinement of workers who are elected leaders and who defend labour rights.”

He also said, “The struggle of the social movements for the non-payment of the external debt and the pronouncements of the Catholic Church have not been in vain. Up to now, we have received a 100% debt cancellation with Japan (US$63 million) and part of the debt with Spain (which totals some $140 million).

What has become a decisive political battle in Bolivia began with the presentation on 7 th February of a government proposal calling for the election of a constituent assembly. This proposal explains that the Assembly's function is to change the structures of the state, to unite and integrate national territory, eliminate discrimination, recover Bolivia's natural resources and transform the republic's history of discrimination, plunder and submission.

Venezuela

On 7 th March, the Venezuelan chief public prosecutor, Isaiah Rodriguez, characterized a project aimed at separation of the state of Zulia as criminal treason. The attempts to separate this oil rich state from the mother country is considered by the Chavez Government as being part of US intervention to achieve a ‘regime change’ in their favour. William Lara, national coordinator of Movimiento V Republic (MVR), denounced the ambassador of the United States in Venezuela, William Brownfield, for participating in meetings in Zulia to encourage its separation from Venezuela. Martino, mayor of Maracaibo, second city of the country and capital of Zulia, has called this a project of the United States with the participation of Colombian paramilitary forces and of governor Manuel Rosales. Rosales is one of two governors of the 24 Venezuelan states that belong to the opposition to president Chávez.

Call for an indefinite Hunger Strike by Bhopal Gas victims

On 25 March, Bhopal Gas victims reached Delhi at the end of a 800-km march from Bhopal. They had come to raise their just demands for a national commission to look into the rehabilitation of the victims, punishment for the guilty Union Carbide and its erstwhile Chairman, cleaning up of the environment and a memorial in honour of those killed in the bragedy.

Students of Delhi University, JNU, activists of the NBA, residents of some of Delhi’s JJ colonies and several others demonstrated their support of the gas victims.

Relentless Struggle of the Narmada Valley oustees

The thousands rendered homeless by the Narmada dams, and activists of the Narmada Bachao Andolan have been on a hartal in Jantar Mantar since March 26; they were forcibly moved to this location from Shram Shakti Bhavan in Delhi, where they were sitting since March 21 in support of their demands for rehabilitation of all the oustees of the Narmada Valley on account of the Sardar Sarovar dam. The oustees and activists have demanded guarantees from the Minister of Water Resources and Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, that a rehabilitation plan will be made and implemented before any further increase in the height of the dam, as announced recently by the Narmada Control Authority.

Kisan Mahapanchayat in Delhi

Peasants from several organizations of tillers – Bharatiya Kisan Unions of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra, Karnataka Ryot Sangh, Tamilnadu Peasant Union and MP Kisan Sangarsh Samiti – congregated in a Mahapanchayat at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on March 21. Collectively, the peasant unions petitioned the Prime Minister to call a halt to the imports of five lakh tons of wheat at a price 20 times the price at which the government has been procuring wheat from the farmers. T hey also demanded that agriculture and fertilizer be kept out of the purview of WTO, guaranteed minimum prices and procurement quantities for crops be implemented, cheap imports and dumping stopped, privatization of water resources halted, outstanding debts of the peasants written off, and several other policy measures initiated that would bring some relief to the peasants from the ruin and distress that they are being condemned to in increasing numbers.

Demonstration of residents of JJ colonies

The angry residents of Delhi’s JJ colonies, who are being subject to attacks on their human rights to live and carry out their livelihood peacefully, took out a powerful demonstration to Mandi House on March 21. They demanded a stop to the attacks on their most basic rights, resettlement at one go for all residents of a jhuggi and a secure title for the land allotted to them so they can carry on their livelihood, and a law enabling the formation of a mohalla sabha which could participate in plans that affect the jhuggi.