Revolutionary Meeting in Southall London

On Sunday, 30th September 2007, Indian Workers Association (Great Britain) organised a memorable public meeting in London's Southall Community Centre to commemorate the birth centenary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Comrade Prakash Rao, spokesperson of CGPI was the guest speaker at the meeting. The large audience enthusiastically appreciated the political speeches, messages of solidarity, plays, poetry, patriotic songs, Bhagat Singh Giddhas and Bhangra dances were enthusiastically hailed by the large audience. Nearly three hundred men and women participated in this function. Throughout, the excitement of the audience remained at a high pitch. The hall reverberated with the revolutionary slogan of "Inquilaab Zindabad". The strong wave of emotion and pride felt by the audience in participating in such an important event was palpable.

Speakers began with the slogan of "Inquilaab Zindabaad" in unison with the audience. They spoke about the history of Bhagat Singh, his vision for India, his efforts to organise the youth and working people and the role model that he became for all people of all religions regardless of caste or creed to organise themselves and to take action to transform India. The meeting hailed him as "...a model for youth and working people all over South Asia...to take action and fulfil his vision".

The meeting began with Comrade Dalwinder welcoming the participants on behalf of the IWA (GB). He spoke on the life and work of Bhagat Singh and his vision for an India which is ever relevant today. He elaborated on the conditions prevailing in India today, which are crying out for the workers and peasants of India to take power. Comrade Dalwinder established through his presentation the necessity for workers, women and youth of South Asian origin in Britain to organise themselves under the banner of the IWA(GB) for their rights, in unity with the British working class. He pointed out that the Indians who had made Britain their home have the responsibility to support the struggle of the working class and peasantry of India for the revolutionary transformation of Indian society so that all forms of exploitation are ended in India.

Comrade Prakash Rao of CGPI warmly congratulated the Indian Workers Association (Great Britain) who had organised this meeting on this historic occasion, as well as all those who had gathered to mark this occasion. He pointed out that in the whole of South Asia, there is tremendous unity in holding high the legacy represented by Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. This was because these young men stood for the highest ideals of mankind. They drew inspiration from the revolutionaries of 1857, from the Ghadar revolutionaries, from the Great October Socialist revolution, and all the positive achievements of the world’s peoples. He wanted to not only get rid of colonialism, but together with it, the very system of exploitation of persons by persons.

Prakash Rao pointed out that when Bhagat Singh boldly mounted the gallows, this young man was very clear that the road ahead for the liberation of India was long and arduous. The science of Marxism Leninism, which he had begun to assimilate while in prison, gave him both the clarity about the complexity of the struggle, as well as the confidence in the continuation of the class struggle and the ultimate triumph of the socialist revolution. Comrade Rao pointed to the ongoing struggle of all sections of the Indian people against the course pursued by the ruling class and the UPA government. Dealing with the work of CGPI in these conditions, he reiterated the absolute necessity for organising the workers and peasants to take power into their own hands. The capitalist system of plunder that colonialism imposed on India, as well as the representative democracy which was imposed by the same colonialists to legitimise this plunder must both be overthrown for India to progress.

Further on, Comrade Rao spoke of the widespread and organised nature of the 1857 Ghadar, and the massive genocide of those patriots by the British imperialists. He spoke of the cultural genocide carried out consciously by the colonialists, as a result of which Indians, especially amongst the intelligentsia, are ingrained with the thinking that all knowledge and wisdom, science and technology, emanates from the West. We need to break the shackles of this colonisation of the mind, he declared. We must and will evolve a system by which the workers and peasant and broad masses of Indian people will have power in their own hands. It is when they have power in their hands that they will be able to solve all the problems confronting the society today.

Raj from IWA GB spoke on youth. He pointed out that South Asian youth in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, have grown up in the richest countries of the world. South Asian families are reputed as extremely hard working. However, these rich countries are still plagued with increasing costs of education and ever more expensive but failing health care system, and privatisation. Each year costs have been increasing for the gradually degrading services for basic human needs for the majority which have no say in how their taxation money should be used. Everything is done for the benefit of the obnoxiously rich who constitute a small minority. Is this the best the richest countries in the world have on offer for us? The news tells us India is rapidly developing, but do we want an India which merely copies the US or UK only offering what we already have today? Or do we want something far greater as was envisaged by Bhagat Singh? A system and society of which we can be immensely proud of India is on the move. At this historic opportunity, the youth must adopt the vision of Bhagat Singh and take action today and become the role models of tomorrow as is Bhagat Singh the role model for us youth today.

A children's drama followed which illustrated the barbaric violence of the Jallian Wala Bagh massacre by General Dyer against a peaceful mass protest. It depicted a scene of a trial of Bhagat Singh and Gandhi, bringing out the differences between their approach and visions for freedom. Gandhi's call for Dominion Status versus Bhagat Singh's demand for "total independence" was contrasted. Gandhi's view of transferring the power and state to Congress was compared with Bhagat Singh's call for "a Socialist Republic, ...a new social order, based on social prosperity and thus every sort of exploitation ends and humanity is ushered into the era of genuine and permanent peace". In the drama, while Gandhi calls for only peaceful protest to “win the hearts of the enemy”, Bhagat questions how many Lord Irwins and General Dyers hearts have been won in all the years of struggle.

Salvinder mentioned how British imperialists have tried to make us forget about our proud, patriotic history, languages and culture. These celebrations are a victory for all south Asians as these meetings are being held in the heart of British imperialism. He mentioned that the path of freedom advocated by Bhagat Singh to bring about a social system offering a life of security and prosperity for the majority stood in contrast to the path of collaboration pursued by Gandhi and the Congress Party. Unfortunately, power got transferred to collaborators of British rule. The struggle for real freedom continues. Salvinder called upon the community to build workers organisations loyal to the cause of working people.

The meeting was addressed by a speaker from the Pakistani community, as well as Lakhwiender Kaur, leader of the Gate Gourmet workers.

This was followed by a Bhangra performed by Baharan Punjab Diyan, patriotic classical songs sung by Badal in tribute, poetry by cultural artist Gurdial Sira and a gidda drama performance by Husan Punjab Da Group depicting Bhagat’s dedication to the cause for true freedom above all else in life.

The meeting ended late in the evening with the resolve to strengthen the organisations of the people, including the IWA(GB)and develop the work amongst workers, women and youth.