Dear Editor,

We recently met with an interesting group of people in Mumbai who talked about peace. The peace they wanted to bring about was by telling people that they should not think in a communal manner! They showed us a movie on how all communities look at other communities derogatorily and pass lewd remarks about their men and women folk. What shocked me further is that they insisted that all people think like that about the other communities.

In our arguments with them I pointed out the danger of talking about the problem of communal violence so frivolously. If communal violence was due to prejudices held amongst the people, then how could they have co-existed for centuries respecting each others saints and helping one another in difficult conditions. The people of India are not communal and the communal hatred and suspicion are propagated by the state apparatus and the established political parties. The media is used to spread the message of hate. The group avoided talking about the nature of the state and its role in spreading communal hatred through the major parties like Congress (1984 riots against Sikhs) , BJP (Godhra riots and the Babri Masjid) and other parties who have all the police and state apparatus support to perpetuate the worst crimes and still manage to avoid getting arrested and certainly are never punished for their crimes.

When we asked questions to the group “leaders” they were furious and insisted that we were activists of some party and will not be allowed to put forth our views. They wanted children from the slums to listen to their views and have no understanding of the real nature of the state and its role in communal violence and instead to learn to blame people for all the communal riots that have happened.

The danger exists from such groups who avoid talking about the real problems of India and who hide the role of the state. They would like to avoid explaining that the Indian state works in the interest of a handful of big capitalist interests. To continue the growth for this section, it is important for them to divide the people in every possible manner by creating and consolidating prejudices and suspicion in the people so that they will not unite to fight for demands together.

Comrades, be aware of such a thought process and such groups who talk about peace and actually end up making people paralysed and not realise the real enemy.

Kusum Jadav
Mumbai