Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India,
26 July, 2008

The televised spectacle of the debate and vote of confidence in Parliament on 21st and 22nd July has once again exposed the ugly face of Indian democracy. In this representative democracy parliamentarians speak in the name of "aam admi", while they pursue their narrow self interests and those of their corporate capitalist patrons. The vote of confidence showed that the outcome is not decided by the debate in parliament. It showed very starkly that the result had already been decided while the debate was a mere charade.

The events reveal that the Indian capitalist class, headed by the Tatas, Reliance and other monopoly corporate houses, is the one making the decision.  The capitalists want the UPA government to survive and have ensured this result. The bourgeoisie considered it worthwhile to invest several hundred crores of rupees to make sure that "Singh is king". Parliamentary approval was manufactured through whatever means at hand, including bribery, blackmail and kidnapping.

The capitalists of India and the world are happy that the Congress Party has won new supporters in place of the communist and left bloc. They are egging on the Congress Party to push through the nuclear deal and strategic partnership with the United States and accelerate the capitalist reform program. Their rising expectations are reflected in the upturn in the Indian stock markets. 

The capitalist corporations are looking forward to the increased private profits that can be reaped from nuclear industry and trade. They are looking forward to the passage of several pending Bills in the parliament. One is to privatise workers' pension funds.  There are bills to liberalise foreign investment in banking, insurance and multi-brand retail sectors. There are also amendments to labour laws, to permit employers to super-exploit workers. 

The bourgeoisie has managed to strengthen its position, both internationally and within the country.  The Parliament has once again served the bourgeoisie to legitimise its rule and the course on which it is leading the country. 

An important conclusion to draw is that Parliament is not an instrument of the people's will.  It is an instrument of the will of the bourgeois class. It is an institution to legitimise what is decided by a small minority in society – the capitalist class headed by the corporate houses, the Indian millionaires and billionaires. 

People must not forget the context in which the Manmohan government was formed. In 2004, mass resistance to the so-called second generation of capitalist reforms, spearheaded by the Vajpayee regime, had grown wider and deeper.  Workers and peasants were on the streets against the liberalisation and privatisation program. The BJP claimed that India was shining, but the broad masses of people rejected this slogan.  It was in such a context that the bourgeoisie backed the Congress Party to form the government with the promise of making India shine for all, by implementing capitalist reforms with a "human face". 

The formation of the UPA government and its so-called Common Minimum Programme were moves to pacify the masses, by once again sowing illusions among them that a 'middle path' is possible, that would allegedly satisfy the bourgeoisie as well as the toiling masses. With one section within the communist movement extending support to this 'middle path', the bourgeoisie succeeded in temporarily pacifying and confusing the workers and peasants. 

Four and half years after the formation of the UPA government, the so-called 'human face' lies in shatters. The ugly inhuman character of capitalism and market reforms is nakedly exposed for all to see. What the UPA government has pursued is the capitalist imperialist path, same as the NDA. This path is aimed at maximising joint exploitation and plunder of our land and labour by Indian and foreign corporations – and at India entering the elite club of top ten powers of the world. This is the path of liberalisation and privatisation, to serve the globalisation drive of the bourgeoisie. It is the path of intensifying state terror in the name of fighting 'Islamic terrorism' and 'naxalism'. It is the path of organising bomb blasts to create panic and justify further attacks on human rights in the name of fighting terrorism. It is not possible to stay on this path and at the same time satisfy the needs of the workers and peasants. 

While the confidence vote in favour of the UPA gives it another 4-8 months of life, the future in 2009 and beyond remains a big question mark. The bourgeoisie has cause to worry. Not only are both Congress Party and BJP discredited in the eyes of the majority of people. The entire system of parliamentary democracy faces a crisis of credibility. A lot depends on what the communists decide to do in this situation.

For communists to have any credibility among the people, it is essential to fight uncompromisingly against the liberalisation and privatisation program, and for a new economic orientation of fulfilling the needs of the toiling masses.  Communists must exploit the credibility crisis of bourgeois democracy, to boldly put forth a vision and program of radical overhauling of the political process, to make people the decision makers.  It will be treachery if communists advocate any illusory middle path and align themselves to a parliamentary front that would stick to the capitalist imperialist agenda of the bourgeoisie. 

The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls on all its members and supporters, and all Indian communists and revolutionaries, to rise to the occasion.  The immediate task is to build and strengthen a political front of lakhs of workers' unions and organisations of peasants, of women, youth, oppressed nationalities, victimised communities and religious minorities, and of all parties that are interested in defeating the offensive of the bourgeoisie, in bringing the toiling masses to power and opening the path to all-round progress. 

No compromise with the liberalisation and privatisation program!

No compromise with the imperialist foreign policy!

No compromise with communalism, state terrorism, and any violation of rights!