A meeting on the world economic crisis and its impact on India was organised in Mullahpur village, near Ludhiana in Punjab on December 21, 2008. The Lok Kala Manch, an organisation dedicated to using folk cultural forms to enlighten the working people, had organised the meeting as part of the celebration of 20 years of its founding.

Workers, peasants, women and youth participated in the meeting. Comrades from the Communist Ghadar Party of India participated actively in the meeting.

Kawaljit Khanna began the proceedings explaining the work and aims of the Lok Kala Manch. Professor Sucha Singh, from Punjab University (Ludhiana), spoke at length on the economic crisis and how the capitalists of the world were trying to shift the burden of the crisis on to the backs of the working masses. Crisis was an inherent feature of the capitalist system. It could not be predicted how long or how deep the crisis would be, but already it is regarded as the worst crisis since the Great Depression of the 1920’s. The bourgeoisie is now demanding state intervention to protect its wealth after having attacked state intervention since the 1970’s. He called upon working class organisations to demand that government should deploy resources to the benefit of workers and peasants.    

Contributing to the discussion, Prakash Rao, spokesperson of CGPI, pointed out that all the wealth in the world was a result of the labour of workers and peasants. Capital itself is accumulated past labour, or dead labour. Governments did not create wealth. So when governments give handouts to this or that section of society, they are merely deploying what belongs to workers and peasnts in first place. He pointed out that the Keynsian system, which capitalist governments world over followed from the time of the Great Depression till the seventies, was actually aimed at saving the capitalist system from the repeated crisis, and guaranteeing the profits for the capitalists. It was not aimed at ensuring the livelihood of workers. When the capitalist economy is booming, the bourgeoisie starts promoting that “the state should not intervene”, but now when capitalism is in a crisis, the bourgeoisie is demanding that the capitalist state should bail it out. Working class must resolutely oppose all such bailout measures. Working class must have no illusions that India’s capitalist government will actually deploy funds in favour of workers and peasants and take measures to guarantee their livelihood. Workers and peasants must fight to overthrow capitalism and replace it with the socialist system, so that surplus generated by workers and peasants is used to ensure harmonious development of economy and well being of present and future generations. Prakash Rao pointed out that that the reactionary bourgeoise was trying to come out of the crisis by preparing for fascism and war and it was important for working class and peasantry to resolutely oppose this course.

Others who addressed the meeting included Jaspal Singh Siddhu (UNI), Dr Sukhpal Singh (Punjab Agricultural University), Prof Baba Singh and Gurmeet Singh. A vigorous cultural program followed.