FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION
Prepare for the Coming Revolutionary Storms
People's Voice
Organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India
Volume 29 – Issue 23
Condemn the terrorist killings in Uttar Pradesh
At least thirteen people are reported
killed and dozens injured in bomb blasts
in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow on
November 23, 2007. People's Voice
condemns these brutal terrorist killings
and conveys its sincere condolences to
the families of the innocent victims.
These latest bomb blasts were organized
in and around court complexes. The
Police and intelligence agencies have
immediately given out inspired leaks to
the media about whose hand lies behind
the blasts. Various “justifications” are
also being offered for why terrorists
chose the particular target of court
premises.
The police inspired media speculation
which immediately follows terrorist
Condemn the violence unleashed by CPI(M) in Nandigram!
This is not communism! It is state terrorism!
Violence and terror have been unleashed
in Nandigram, West Bengal, by the
Communist Party of India (Marxist).
In a pre-meditated and planned act,
a brutal assault has been carried out
on the peasants living in Nandigram,
by the party in power in the name of
“recapturing” this area. While the police
and CRPF were instructed to stand by,
CPI(M) openly deployed a heavily armed
force of criminals and musclemen, using
hundreds of innocent villagers as human
shields, to carry out this “recapture”.
They butchered men and raped women
and girls. This is state terrorism of the
worst kind.
Communists work to establish the rule of
the working class, in alliance with all the
oppressed classes and excluded strata
Contribution – Rs. 5/-
Terrorism is a preferred tool,
like communal violence, of
reactionary ruling cliques
the world over. It is used
by states to paralyse the
people, and to win support for
the demand that the state
arm itself with draconian
powers to allegedly put down
terrorism.
strikes follows a definite pattern. Before
any investigation is carried out, certain
shadowy Muslim sounding organizations
are blamed for them. Various people
from the Muslim community are picked
up, interrogated, jailed and tortured.
Later on, some one who is declared
of society. Communists justify the use
of force only when it is deployed in self-
defence or to break the resistance of
the exploiting classes to the forward
motion of society. In Nandigram, the
ruling CPI(M) has deployed force to break
the resistance of people to their party’s
rule and policy of land acquisition in the
interests of big capitalists. This cannot
be called revolutionary violence. It can
only be called state terrorism, which is
the most dangerous form of reactionary
violence, in the interest of the ruling
bourgeoisie.
The fact that the guilty party calls
itself communist must not be allowed
to obscure the truth. It is state
terrorism, and the guilty deserve to
be punished.
December 1-15, 2007
an alleged mastermind of terrorist
strikes is declared eliminated in an
encounter. No one is actually tried in
court for these crimes and punished.
No coherent picture of who organized
the terrorist strike, and why, ever
comes out.
People should be wary of the “stories”
spread by the intelligence agencies
through the media. The aim of these
stories is to convince people that
Muslims are terrorists, and that
all violence against and torture of
Muslim youth is justified in order to
combat terrorism. The UP terrorist
strikes have been organized to create
a surcharged communal atmosphere,
wherein even enlightened people like
Continued on page 12
The leadership of CPI(M) has been
trying to justify its crime by accusing
Continued on page 16
In this Issue
World 2-3
 Massive strike in France
 Political crisis in Pakistan
 Iran asks India
Voice of Party 4-5
 Demolition of the Babri Masjid
 Crisis in Karnataka
Lok Raj Sangathan 6-11
 Fourth All-India Convention of LRS
 Organising for People's Power
Letter to the Editor 12
Voice of Toilers & Tillers 13-15
 Bhopal – Collusion to defraud
 Traders protest corporatisation
World
Massive strike by public workers in France
Transport and other public workers in
France were just returning to work in
the fourth week of November 2007,
after more than ten tenacious days of
strikes to defend their rights.
Rail and other transport workers went
on strike from November 13, 2007, to
protest against government plans to
end retirement benefits which they had
won decades ago after much struggle
and sacrifice. They were joined by Paris
Metro workers, and supported by gas
and electricity workers. Teachers and
students too, went on strike, blocking
railway stations and 48 of the country’s
85 university campuses, to protest
against the Sarkozy governments’
plan to privatise the country’s top
universities. Civil servants went on a
massive strike on 20th November 2007,
and magistrates too went on strike to
protest against the governments’ plan
to shut down some court houses and
“overhaul” the judicial system.
The workers and youth of France
Dangers in the deepening political crisis in Pakistan
Pakistan's political crisis continues to
deepen. The actions of the main players
in the political drama in Pakistan seem
to be full of confusion and contradiction,
as each is trying to maneuver in the
present chaotic situation to come out
on top. Without lifting the Emergency
or restoring the judges whom he had
removed from the Supreme Court,
Musharraf has declared that elections
will be held in January 2008. As a sign
of his “good faith”, he has ordered the
release of hundreds of activists whom
he had jailed in the first days of the
Emergency, and also allowed his sworn
enemy Nawaz Sharif, whom he had
prevented from returning to Pakistan
just two months ago, to come back.
Benazir Bhutto is still keeping her
options open about whether to keep a
door open to Musharraf and strike a
deal to become Prime Minister under his
Presidency, or to throw in her lot with a
coalition of opposition parties. Nawaz
Sharif and other opposition figures
2 December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
have a proud history
of fighting for their
rights. In 1995, strikes
and demonstrations
forced Prime Minister
Alain Juppe to
abandon changes to
the pension system
and other austerity
measures imposed
in the run-up to
European monetary
u n i o n . L a s t y e a r,
students and workers
came out on the
streets to successfully scuttle a
proposed law enacted by Dominique de
Villepin’s government which would have
allowed employers to sack anyone under
26 within the first two years of their
employment. The ruling circles of France
however campaigned heavily to bring in
Nicholas Sarkozy as the Prime Minister
promising to “reform” the system and
make it more “efficient”. One of his
election slogans was “Work more to
earn more”. While the working people all
meanwhile are talking of boycotting
the elections as long as Emergency
regulations continue to be in force.
In the meantime, lawyers, journalists,
students, activists and others have
been coming out in protests every day,
and getting mercilessly beaten up and
thrown into jails by the security forces
that are fully utilising all the powers
given to them under the Emergency.
In the northwestern region of the
country bordering Afghanistan, military
operations against the local people
by the Pakistan armed forces, acting
as part of the US-led “war against
terrorism”, have been going full steam
ahead. The army has massed nearly
20,000 troops backed by tanks and
artillery for a major offensive in the
Swat district aimed at wresting control
of this district from the people. Whole
villages that have refused to surrender
or cooperate with the army have been
over the globe are in fact working more,
even the bourgeois media is forced to
concede that the rising global prices of
food and fuel means they do not get the
benefits of those extra hours.
As we go to the press, most of the
unions have called off their strikes upon
the governments’ offer to negotiate,
vowing however to return to strike if the
talks do not yield the desired result 
ruthlessly bombed, and many villagers,
including children, have been killed. These
operations are arousing ever wider
anger against the authorities, which
the Musharraf regime is trying to label
as “extremism” and “terrorism”. The
military establishment and its personnel
were the targets of two bomb attacks
in Rawalpindi on November 24.
The spiralling crisis in Pakistan cannot
be viewed in isolation, but is very much
part of the destabilisation of a broad
region of Western, Central and South
Asia caused by the rampaging US
political and military presence in this
part of the world. The US is using its
“war against terrorism” to establish
its dictate and strengthen its control
over the countries of this strategic
and resource-rich region. Through its
reactionary rulers, Pakistan has been
sucked into US designs in this region for
Continued on page 3
World

Iran asks India to maintain independent foreign policy

The government of Iran has called
upon the government of India to
maintain an independent foreign
policy. This call was made in the
wake of growing tensions related to
the sanctions being imposed on Iran
by the US and western imperialists
on the one hand and the increasing
strength of the strategic alliance
between the US imperialists and the
ruling circles of India on the other.
Visiting India on 8 – 9 November
2007, the Iranian interior minister
Mostafa Pour Mohammadi expressed
his government’s unease with the
recent upsurge in Indo – US ties and
the US pressure on India to cut back
its cooperation with Iran. Saying that
ties between the two countries are
“deep-rooted” and “very old”, Mr
Mohammadi said, “We hope Indian
national interests and relations in
the region are not affected by external
elements.” Asserting Iran’s right to
peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the
minister stressed that Tehran will
stand up for its rights and ensure that
American sanctions are defeated. He
also said that Mr Manmohan Singh had
assured him that India too does not
approve of American unilateralism. “We
have received assurances from many
countries that they do not approve
of American unilateralism. The same
assurance has been conveyed to us by
India,” he said.
The Iran – Pakistan – India (IPI) gas
pipeline issue figured in discussions
between Mr Mohammadi and external
affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee
and the prime minister. “We have a
target of 2013 to build the pipeline
and we are doing our best to achieve
that,” he said, and added, “Both sides
agreed that technical problems
have to be resolved as soon as
possible.” Mr Mohammadi further
asserted that India and Iran had the
requisite technology to implement
the project with no need of external
help. It may be noted that the
US has consistently been putting
pressure on India in various ways
to come out of the IPI gas pipeline
project and also support its stance
of putting economic sanctions on Iran
and isolate that country.
Iranian
The US has sought cooperation from
India in isolating and containing Iran
for pursuing a clandestine nuclear
weapon programme and is not
favourably disposed towards the IPI
pipeline project. 

...crisis in Pakistan
Continued from page 2
many years, with the latest development
being its position as a “frontline state” in
the “war against terror” especially with
respect to neighbouring Afghanistan.
The people of Pakistan want freedom
and democratic rights, they want social
and economic progress, but the agenda
of their country is being manipulated
by the US imperialists and their allies.
George Bush's patronising statements
war on Pakistan's side of the border
with Afghanistan as well as to take
control of its nuclear establishment.
While the spokespersons of the US
government publicly talk of the need
for “democracy” in that country, plans
are afoot to further deprive the people
of Pakistan of their sovereignty. The
people of Pakistan must be vigilant and
alert to this danger, while they continue
their struggle against the tyrannical
regime for their democratic rights.
The developments in Pakistan should
be an eye-opener to those Indians
who are extremely eager to embrace
US imperialism as a strategic ally. US
imperialism is no friend of any people
in the world, and its role in Pakistan
is clear proof of this. It is extremely
important that the patriotic and anti-
imperialist people of both Pakistan and
India unitedly oppose US imperialism
and its growing penetration in this
region. 

Ghadar
on Musharraf and the developments
in Pakistan, the despatching of the
American Deputy Secretary of State

Jari Hai
Negroponte to 'advise' Musharraf in
the midst of the crisis, all point to the
arrogance of the US imperialists as well
as their intriguing in Pakistan's affairs.

There is a very great danger that the US

A magazine dedicated to the call of the times
imperialists will use the excuse and the - the Navnirman or Renewal of India
opportunity provided by a crisis-ridden
Pakistan to intervene even more directly Available in English & Hindi
in that country. Reports have appeared Suggested contributions Rs. 25/-
in the American press of various military
For Copies please write to:
“options” that are being considered
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December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23 3

Voice of Party
15 years after the demolition of the Babri Masjid:
The struggle of people to ensure that the guilty are punished
shall continue
On December 6th 1992, in full view
of television cameras, and amidst
heavy deployment of police forces, the
Babri Masjid, a historical monument
dating back to the 15th century, was
destroyed by hordes of Kar Sevaks led
by the top leadership of the BJP. The
demolition of the Babri Masjid was
proclaimed as a “victory” for “hindus”
and communal passions were
deliberately inflamed all over
the country.
In the days and weeks that
followed, thousands of
people were slaughtered in
state organized communal
massacres, in Mumbai,
Surat and many other towns
of India. The majority of
those killed were people of
the Muslim faith.
It was clear to all that both the demolition
of the Babri Masjid as well as the
subsequent massacres of people were
the handiwork of the Congress Party
and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Prime
Minister Narasimha Rao ordered the
police to keep quiet while the monument
was demolished. The Congress Party,
ruling in states like Maharashtra
and Gujarat, actually supervised the
communal killings of the people of
the Muslim faith. 15 years after the
demolition of the Babri Masjid, and 15
years after the massacre of Muslims
in Surat, Mumbai and other places,
the guilty have not been punished. In
these 15 years, these two parties have
together conspired to ensure that the
guilty are never punished.
10 days after the demolition of the
Babri Masjid, the then Congress
Gover n m e n t o f N a r a n s i m h a R a o
appointed a one man commission of
Justice Liberhan to investigate into
the circumstances of the demolition of
the Babri Masjid. This Commission has
had its term extended 42 times, and
4 December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
it has still to submit its report! In its
15 years tenure, it has questioned key
figures in the Babri Masjid Demolition
—Narasimha Rao, LK Advani, Kalyan
Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma
Bharati, Rajnath Singh and others.
Meanwhile Anupam Gupta, the
Counsel for the Commission, has
disassociated himself from the report
Meanwhile Anupam Gupta, the
Counsel for the Commission,
has disassociated himself from
the report being prepared
by Justice Liberhan. He has
accused Justice Liberhan of
being “soft” towards LK Advani
and of not consulting him in
preparing the report. He has
accused the UPA government
of not being serious in its
submissions before the
Commission.
being prepared by Justice Liberhan.
He has accused Justice Liberhan of
being “soft” towards LK Advani and
of not consulting him in preparing
the report. He has accused the UPA
government of not being serious in its
submissions before the Commission.
He also felt that the then Prime
Minister Narasimha Rao’s inaction
at the time of the demolition was not
being taken serious note of. From
all this, it can be judged how much
credibility any report submitted by
this Liberhan Commission will have.
In their depositions before the
Commission, all the key political figures
in the demolition of the Babri Masjid
have incriminated each other. All of them
are guilty. All of them are responsible
for the communalization and
criminalization of the polity,
along with their parties,
the Congress and the BJP.
However, precisely because
organizing communal divisions
and communal massacres is
a preferred weapon of the
Indian ruling class to rule,
there is no question of the
Indian state punishing the
Congress party and BJP.
The demolition of the Babri
Masjid and the subsequent state
organized communal massacres
were the cover for the Indian ruling
class to launch the anti worker, anti
peasant economic reforms program
of globalization, liberalization and
privatization. While the resistance
struggle of workers and peasants
and working people were deliberately
paralysed by inciting communal
divisions, the bourgeoisie went ahead
single mindedly with its program. In
these past 15 years, state terrorism,
including state organized communal
massacres, as well as bomb blasts,
have been continually used to keep
passions inflamed, people divided and
paralysed.
The demolition of the Babri Masjid
brought home to the Indian people their
utter marginalization from political
power. It brought home to the people
that parties like Congress and BJP will
not stop at any crime, in their pursuit
of power. Subsequent events have only
confirmed and reconfirmed this.
Continued on page 14
Voice of Party
What does the crisis in Karnataka reveal?
President’s Rule has been declared
for a second time in Karnataka within
a short space of a month. This follows
the collapse of the 8 day old BJP led
government after Deve Gowda's Janata
Dal (Secular) withdrew support during
the Confidence motion.
The Assembly has been put under
suspended animation. It cannot be ruled
out that the main parliamentary parties
in Karnataka may yet again come up with
a new coalition government. However,
as all these parties are thoroughly
discredited and any government formed
will lack credibility, it is more likely that
the bourgeoisie will push to dissolve
the Assembly and organise fresh
elections.
What does the crisis in
Karnataka reveal?
Firstly, it reveals the venality of the
main parties in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Congress, Janata Dal(S) and the
BJP have been desperately maneuvering
to get the biggest share of the perks
of office.
40 months ago, the Congress under
the leadership of then Chief Minister
SM Krishna lost the elections to the
Assembly. However, neither the BJP,
nor the Janatal Dal(S) could get a
majority on their own. There was a
three way split. In these conditions,
the Congress maneuvered to strike a
deal with the JD(S). As part of the seat
sharing arrangement, a Congress Chief
Minister was installed. The government
collapsed when the Congress Party
tried to break the JD(S). 20 months
ago, JD(S) struck a deal with the BJP
and came to power with JD(S) leader
Kumaraswami Chief Minister. The deal
indicated that after 20 months the BJP
would have its Chief Minister as well as
other lucrative portfolios. Now the BJP
is crying foul that the JD(S) has gone
back on its word.
What are the crucial perks of office
over which the thieves have fallen out?
It appears, from media reports that the
The bourgeoisie is trying to
make out that the problem in
Karnataka has to do with the
fact that no single party came
to power, and with the venality
of some particular party.
The truth however is different.
All bourgeoisie parties come
to power, not only to serve the
bourgeois class, but also to fill
their own coffers.
conflict was over who should have the
ministries dealing urban development
and mining and geology. Deve Gowda's
party wanted to retain these lucrative
portfolios while BJP is demanding that
it has a "right" to these portfolios under
the power sharing arrangement.
The bourgeoisie is trying to make out
that the problem in Karnataka has to do
with the fact that no single party came
to power, and with the venality of some
particular party.
The truth however is different. All
bourgeoisie parties come to power,
not only to serve the bourgeois class,
but also to fill their own coffers. What
has happened in Karnataka is that the
blatant corruption and horse-trading
has become exposed, because of the
fierce, no holds barred attempts by
each of these three parties to get
the biggest share of the cake. In the
process, they have been washing their
dirty linen in public, and exposing their
“real concerns”.
What are these concerns? These are
how to make money in the quickest
possible time. It is known that at this
time, in Karnataka as well as many
other states, whosoever controls the
ministry of Urban Development is sitting
on a gold mine, as he/she has the power
to convert agricultural land to industrial
and commercial land. In Karnataka,
mining leases have also become a huge
source for revenue through bribes.
Such concerns, and not the well-being
December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
of the people of Karnataka are driving
these parties.
The party system of rule that prevails in
India ensures that the party or coalition
getting the majority in parliament or
the state assembly gets to rule on
behalf of the bourgeoisie. This party
or group serves the bourgeois class
as a whole through its policies, while
its MLAs and MP's fill their pockets
by looting the exchequer. Those in the
"opposition" expose the ruling party and
bide their time till they get a chance to
loot the people.
It is the task of the working class and
its party, the communist party, to
expose the working of this system of
representative democracy. This system
is designed to ensure that only parties
that are loyal to the bourgeois class can
come to power, to loyally implement the
policy and program of the bourgeoisie.
When a particular party or coalition
gets exposed in the eyes of the people,
then the bourgeoisie replaces this party
or coalition with another.
When a single bourgeois party comes
to power, then too there is fierce
fight for the perks of office within
its ranks. Parties even break up on
this question. This is one of reasons
why the bourgeoisie has brought in
the anti defection law, so that big
parliamentary parties cannot be broken
easily. However as the experience of
UP has shown, this law too has been
easily circumvented by those in power
to break other parties.
When a coalition is in power, and one
or two parties exist who can make or
break the coalition, then the bargaining
amongst the coalition partners for
the perks of office is very intense
and visible. This has been the case in
Karnataka.
Karnataka is a leading state in
terms of growth rates and industrial
development. It is not coincidental
Continued on page 15
5
Fourth All-India Convention of Lok Raj Sangathan — an
affirmation of the growing strength of the movement for people’s
empowerment
The fourth all-India convention of
Lok R aj Sangathan successfully
concluded on 17th November, 2007,
at New Delhi. Held under the theme
"Building the Future — Organising
for People’s Power", the convention
adopted the Report of Work since
October 2005, unanimously adopted
the Constitution of LRS and re-elected
the All-India Council (AIC), with a new
President. The convention also adopted
several resolutions, including political
positions and practical decisions to be
implemented by the newly elected AIC.
(Resolutions of the convention will be
published shortly).
The Convention was attended by
members from all over India, from
Ta m i l n a d u t o P u n j a b a n d f r o m
Maharashtra to Manipur. They came
from diverse sections of society –
workers, professionals, farmers and
peasants, women and youth.
6 December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
Presidium
The AIC elected by the Third All-India
Convention in 2005 was declared as
dissolved, and a Presidium, headed by
Justice Hosbet Suresh was elected to
take charge of the proceedings.
Report of Work
The Report of Work was presented
by the Convenor, Prakash Rao, on
behalf of the outgoing All-India Council.
The report highlighted the numerous
struggles in defence of people’s rights,
in which LRS had played a significant
role. It forcefully and convincingly
presented the principled positions
that LRS had taken on major political
issues and economic controversies
in the country. It was clear that LRS
had taken bold stands and contributed
practically to strengthen the varied
movements in defence of rights. It
had emerged as a unifying factor in
the people’s movement for deepening
of democracy and opening the door to
all-round social progress.
The report presented by Prakash
Rao covered a broad spectrum of
struggles and movements, including
the resistance to land acquisition
and corporate domination of trade,
demolition of slums and sealing of shops
in cities, the demand to repeal the
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and
other black laws, to punish the guilty
parties behind communal genocide and
all forms of state terrorism, as well as
the resistance to the Indo-US strategic
alliance and demand for amending
the Constitution to require people’s
approval prior to signing international
treaties.
The report highlighted one very important
lesson from the practical experience of
varied struggles for rights. This lesson
is that the necessary condition for
actualising rights is for the people to
become the rulers, the decision makers.
Without political power, without decisive
control over public policy decisions,
there is no way for the people to stop
the violation of their rights.
The past two years have witnessed
very active participation of LRS in the
political process, including elections to
state assemblies, to rural and urban
local bodies. The report summed up
this experience positively, showing how
LRS has cleaved a new path, a new
way to participate in elections in order
to change the system and political
process altogether. Based on its
conviction that the people are capable
of governing themselves, without a
political caste acting as intermediaries,
LRS has carried out mass campaigns to
encourage people to select candidates
from among their peers and neighbours,
to contest the stranglehold of so-called
recognized parties over the political
process.
The report highlighted the enthusiastic
participation of LRS in the Ghadar
Jari Hai Abhiyan. In the context of
the dominance of Eurocentric thought
and systems on India’s polity and
society, LRS has decided to pay serious
attention to the development of Indian
political theory in close connection with
the practical struggle to build organs
of people’s power.
The report concluded by reiterating
the central importance of building lok
raj samitis in as many local areas as
possible – as organs of unity and struggle
of the people and as the potential base
of people’s power in the future.
Discussion and adoption of the
Report
Several activists, members and
office bearers of LRS intervened
in the discussion that followed the
presentation of the report by the
convenor.
Justice Ajit Singh Bains, retired judge
and renowned fighter in defence of human
rights, expressed his appreciation
of the work for democratic renewal,
including the reconstitution of India as a
voluntary union. He exposed the colonial
foundations of the existing Indian Union
and the unprincipled nature of centre-
state relations, in violation of the right
to self-determination of nations and
peoples.
Justice Hosbet Suresh, member of
many commissions of enquiry into rights
violations and the outgoing President of
LRS, spoke at length on the atrocities
against the people and violation of their
rights. He concluded that “we must
first involve ourselves in every struggle
for empowerment – right to food,
right to shelter, right to education.
LRS must help people to strengthen
themselves, and once we achieve that,
then we can bring people to power. We
have to build this organization”.
S. Raghavan, founding member and
among the leading activists of LRS,
spoke of the successes achieved in
implementing the decisions of the
previous convention – namely, the
campaign to punish the guilty and for
renewal of the political process. In this
context, he reported on the enthusiastic
response among Indians resident abroad
to the award winning film Amu, which has
served to break the conspiracy of silence
about the communal genocide targeted
at Sikhs in November 1984.
Sucharita, Bijju Nayak, Dr. Sanjeewani,
P r o f. B h a r a t , S h i v a n a n d , G u r u j i
Hanuman Prasad, BB Taware, Dr
Kamala Sankaran, Lokesh, Tripti, Vimala
and Renu contributed to the discussion
of the report. The interventions
highlighted the role of the LRS in the
struggle against state terrorism,
in the struggle in defence of human,
democratic and national rights. They
highlighted the work of the LRS in
uniting the Indian people against US
imperialism and its striving for world
domination. The undemocratic nature
of centre-state relations and the
necessity for the reconstitution of
Indian Union on a voluntary basis was
also elaborated upon. Many of the
interventions emphasised the need to
build and strengthen Lok Raj Samitis
among all sections of the people.
Constitution of Lok Raj
Sangathan
The draft Constitution of LRS had
December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
been made available to all members on
the organization’s website. The draft
Constitution had been translated into
Hindi as well to make it accessible to
more members. The draft was read
out and unanimously adopted with
a minor amendment. The document
reflected the spirit of the organization
- empowering its members to affirm
their rights, and to fulfill their duties.
It affirmed the principle that only an
empowered membership can fight for
people’s empowerment.
Elections to the AIC
Elections to the All-India Council were
conducted by the Presidium, after
which the All-India Council unanimously
elected S.Raghavan as the President
of LRS. Prakash Rao was re-elected
Convener. The Vice-Presidents and the
Secretariat of AIC were also elected.
The results of the election were
announced by the erstwhile President,
Justice Suresh, who lauded LRS for
its efforts and wished it all success
in its struggle for empowerment. He
pledged his continued support to the
organization, even as he handed over
charge to his younger successor.
The newly-elected President,
S.Raghavan, concluded the meeting
with a call to build lok raj samitis and
to strengthen the organization at all
levels. 
7
Building the Future — Organising for Peoples Power
On December 18, 2007, a public
meeting was organised in the Rajendra
Bhavan Auditorium, Delhi with the
theme "Building the Future — Organising
for Peoples Power". This followed the
successful conclusion of the 4th
All India Convention of the Lok Raj
Sangathan the previous evening.
Participating in the public meeting
were delegates and observers who
had come from different regions of our
vast country to attend the Convention.
Also participating were comrades and
friends from other organistions with
whom we have fought shoulder to
shoulder over the years, in the long,
ongoing struggle in defence of rights of
the people and for people’s power.
Participants had come from far away
places, after completing arduous
journeys. From the desert region
of Rajasthan, the plains of Punjab,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, from the
heights of Uttarakhand and Himachal,
from Manipur, West Bengal, Karnataka,
Tamilnadu and Maharashtra, as well as
from Delhi, all had come to learn from
each others experiences.
For nearly six hours, over twenty
activists from different fronts of work
addressed the public meeting on the
theme of organising for peoples power.
The political unity amongst all present
was evident as they spoke with one
voice on the current political situation
and the necessity for organizing people
to take political power. The atmosphere
was extremely serious, befitting the
theme being discussed.
The Public Meeting was chaired by
Justice Hosbet Suresh.
The Convener of LRS, Prakash Rao
gave a rousing political speech that
drew similar spirited interventions
8 December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
from others who followed. Speakers
from the Bangladesh-Bharat-Pakistan
Pe o p l e ' s Fo r u m , C o m m i t t e e f o r
Human Rights-Manipur, Hind Naujwan
Ekta Sabha, Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind,
Manipur Students Association of
Delhi, People's Democratic Forum
from Karnataka, Rajasthan Shikshak
Sangh, Teesra Swadhinata Sangram,
National Coordinating Committee of
Unorganised Workers Union, Kisan
Sangharsh Samiti, and Uttarakhand
Lok Vahini addressed the participants.
Other prominent individuals - fighters
for human and democratic rights,
communists, worker, peasant, youth
and women activists also addressed
the meeting.
In his speech, Prakash Rao analysed
the present situation and called upon
all to build Lok Raj Sangathan as the
vehicle for peoples power. He pointed
out that the future we want to build
for our people is one where peace,
progress and prosperity is guaranteed
for all. We must re-orient the economy
and put in place a political system
which will guarantee right to livelihood
and all other human rights, as well as
democratic rights and national rights.
The Convenor of Lok Raj Sangathan
called for forging the anti imperialist
unity of Indian people against the
strategic alliance of India with the US.
US imperialism is the greatest enemy
of mankind, of peace and freedom of
the peoples. It is unacceptable that our
government dares to embrace the US.
We must rouse the people against this
strategic alliance. We must campaign
that all international treaties like
the 123 agreement must be placed
before the people and a vote taken in a
referendum.
The Convenor elaborated in his speech
that parliamentarism and state
terrorism were twin weapons deployed
by the rulers to deprive the people of
power. The work of LRS has contributed
to exposing how the present political
system and process actually keeps
the people in the margins. LRS stands
for active intervention in the political
process, by showcasing and acting
according to an alternative process.
More and more people must be drawn
into the organising work to build Lok
Raj Samitis and Councils. In these
samitis and Councils, people must
take up for solution all problems that
confront them, and they must also
actively intervene in the elections. We
must prepare for active participation
in the parliamentary elections of 2009,
and we are willing to work closely with
other forces who are committed to the
empowerment of the people. Prakash
Rao called for a united campaign in
defence of human rights against state
terrorism. Let us mark December 10,
International Human Rights Day, with
rallies and protests, affirming our
resolve to punish those guilty of crimes
against the people, to get rid of black
laws and to build a society where human
rights are guaranteed.
Justice Hosbet Suresh moved the
gathering with his deep conviction in
the correctness of the program of LRS
and his pledge of continued support
for its mission, notwithstanding that
he had just relinquished his official
post as President to a "more youthful
and energetic" activist. He recounted
a couple of the numerous struggles
for human rights that he has actively
participated in and led. Condemning
the Indian state for its genocide in
Kashmir and the North-east for the
sake of territory, he pointed out that
1947 was only transfer of power from
one set of rulers to another and not a
guarantee of freedom or justice for the
people. Describing LRS as “a unique
organisation, that relies completely on
its own strength and resources”, he
said that he had worked with numerous
organisations, but in the course of
his long association with LRS he had
come to realize that LRS is “unique”
in its single-minded commitment to
organising for people’s power.
The interventions began with the
representative from Jamaat-e-Islami
Hind – Rafeeq Ahmad. He pointed out
that this country is for all and as per
the Constitution; whatever religion,
whatever language, whatever class we
belong to, we all have equal rights,.
Condemning the selfish rulers who are
"selling everything in this country even
down to the basic need like water",
the speaker called for the majority of
people to come together and defeat the
minority elite in the interests of the
empowerment of the people.
Guruji Hanuman Prasad, President
of the Rajasthan Shikshak Manch,
observed that the current day rulers
are truly following the Machiavellian
theory – "the ruler should be strong
like a lion and cunning like a fox, reward
in public and hang in private." He
condemned their criminal principle of
"divide and rule" and called for political
power in the hands of the people as the
only way forward. We have to attack
this system, uniting with all fighting
forces, mobilising and organising people
towards real democracy, he said and
concluded with a confident "hum honge
kamyab".
Malem Ningthouja from the Manipur
Student Association of Delhi, a long
standing activist in the struggle of
the Manipuri people against state
terrorism for national rights, pointed
ou t t h at imperialism and state
terrorism are different faces of the
same coin. Opposing them are the
people who are fighting for Lok Raj, for
national liberation. He condemned the
conspiracy of silence in the country
about the atrocities against the
December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
people of Manipur and concluded that
the silence will end when the people of
Manipur achieve Lok Raj.
Manik Samajdar from the Bangladesh
Bharat Pakistan Peoples Forum recalled
the brave Titu Mir, the legendary
peasant rebel leader who had fought
a hit and run war in Bengal in 1831
against the British taxation policy and
compared it with the contemporary
struggle for Lok Raj. He reminded the
audience that long before the British
came, Indian society had a basis of
political rule, which was concerned
with the well-being of Lok, the people.
He pointed out that US imperialism is
planning to take over the whole world
by 2020, but the people must fight to
defeat US imperialism. He warned that
the fight for rights is not easy and we
will face bullets, but we are confident
that we will win.
Gopal Rai from the Teesra Swadhinata
Sangram spoke with passion on the
necessity of taking up the struggle for
Lok Raj with the same chetna of 1857,
the legacy we have inherited from
Bhagat Singh and from the Hindustani
Ghadar Party. He declared that "our
dreams and aspirations today are
the same as those that impelled the
fighters from centuries ago to fight
against the selfish domination of a
minority".
9

Building the Future...
Continued from page 9
10 December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
Prashant Bhushan, noted advocate,
active in defence of the people's rights,
observed that the state is anti people,
no matter which government is in
power. This is reflected in the role of
the media and the judiciary, partisan to
the big moneyed and powerful interests.
He emphasised the necessity for people
to come forward in defence of their
rights, as LRS is organising people to
do. He urged the participants to oppose
representative democracy and work
towards a model of direct democracy.
Dr. Shamsher Singh Bisht from the
Uttarakhand Lok Vahini gave a touching
account of the struggles of the hill
people, deprived of even the most basic
amenities. He hailed LRS for its work of
organising for people’s power and called
on all present to " feel from inside that
we are all one and stand up for rights
of people wherever we are”.
Maruti spoke on behalf of the delegation
of the People's Democratic Forum
of Karnataka. He pointed out how
the enemies of the people were
deliberately whipping up communal
passions in Karnataka, while the
state was targeting all those who
opposed its anti people policies as
Naxalites. He pointed out that his
organisation had colloaborated with
LRS in organising public programs in
Karnataka. Elaborating on the work
for human rights by the Peoples
Democratic Forum, he hailed the work
of LRS and expressed his happiness
at being able to attend the Convention
and the meeting.
Hansraj Sharma, peasant leader from
the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Rajasthan,
gave a call to all present that "we must
all together demand, in one voice, that
those who rule today should relinquish
their power. When we face them
together and with one voice, they will
not dare to touch us”.
Ramapati, a veteran of the workers and
peasant movement from Uttar Pradesh,
militantly hailed Lok Raj Sangathan’s
work and the Convention.
Subhash Bhatnagar of the National
Coordinating Committee of Unorganised
Workers Union elaborated on the
persistent struggle for the rights of
the workers in the unorganised sector
and how it is a part of the struggle for
empowerment of the people.
Dr K. S. Subramanian, a retired police
officer and human rights activist,
who has been actively working on
police reforms, congratulated LRS on
its Convention and remarked on the
difference in quality of the discussions,
at this Convention as compared to
elsewhere among many sections of the
 elite who pretend to be concerned about
the people. He said that this is because
each one participating in this Convention
is dedicated to seriously addressing the
problems of the people.

Comrade Santosh Kumar from the Hind

Naujwan Ekta Sabha spoke spiritedly on
the collaboration between HNES and
LRS, and how much the youth have
learnt from working with LRS, on crucial
issues like state terrorism and the
electoral system. Hailing Bhagat Singh
and the martyrs of the anti-colonial
struggle, he said that in place of the
East India Company and colonial rulers,
we now have hundreds of corporates
looting our natural resources and
youth power, blessed by the rulers of
today. He elaborated on the experience
gained by HNES in working with LRS for
selection of people’s candidates for the
Municipal Corporation elections in Delhi
and endorsed the theme of this meeting
- "only when people have political power
in their hands can we talk of people’s
needs being satisfied".
Dr. Sanjeewani from Mumbai, Dr.
Pradip from Pune, Dr. L.P Singh from
Committee on Human Rights-Manipur,
Kumanavel from Chennai, Gulab Singh
from Punjab - all activists of Lok Raj
Sangathan, addressed the necessity
to oppose the narrow and self-serving
vision of the present rulers with the
vision for empowerment of the people.
They emphasized the necessity of
building the lokraj samitis, so critical for
the empowerment of the people.
Raghavan, the newly elected President,
closed the formal proceedings with the
optimism that LRS will advance its work
in the next two years. The ruling class
is bringing about tremendous changes
that are impacting the people in a very
severe way, intensifying the crisis, but
LRS has the vision and theory to take
them on. He said that the big task is to
build this Sangathan and take it forward
further for the big battles to come.
The meeting came to a close with
songs and poems rendered by young
and old activists and a resounding
bhangra performance by the youth of
the Rang Bhoomi Natya Samooh, a
fitting finale to a successful Convention
and Meeting. 

Internet Edition of
Mazdoor Ekta Lehar
(Hindi)
&
People's Voice at
www.cgpi.org,
e-mail:mail@cgpi.org

December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23 11

Letters to Editor

Shed illusions about the present system

Sir,
I am writing to thank the party for
posting a report entitled “Celebration
of the 90th anniversary of the Great
October Socialist Revolution’’ on the
party web-site. I was delighted to read
about the grand public meeting held
on November 4th, 2007 in Mumbai
marking the 90th anniversary. I
congratulate the party on its initiative
of carrying out a series of schools
across the length and breadth of the
country. The party will emerge as the
true vanguard of the working class as
it carries out these truly revolutionary
activities. The resplendent celebration
of the 90th anniversary of the great
October Socialist Revolution reflects
the deep yearning for socialism in
the Indian masses and no amount of
bourgeois propaganda to the contrary
can change this hard fact.
One of the achievements of the party
has been that it has been at the
forefront of the ideological struggle in
the defence of communism and socialism
by basing itself firmly on the ground
reality of the world situation, at the
time of the global retreat of socialism.
The party has shown that there can
be no substitute for revolution and
to that of wresting of power in the
working peoples and has fought against
all conciliation with the exploiters and
the bourgeoisie. It has also been at
the forefront of demonstrating that
the state apparatus in place in India
and the constitution on which the
statecraft is anchored is that of the
British colonial masters. The path
of Nehruvian socialism was from the
outset a framework to hoodwink and
deceive the Indian people to garner
their support for the objectives of
the big landlords and bourgeoisie. This
state remains in sharp contrast to
that of the state of the USSR whose
constitution was based on the most
advanced principles of that time which
granted the working people their rights
and which resolved the question of
nations that constituted the USSR.
The Indian constitution is the basis
for the dictatorship of private capital,
of the oppression of the nations
that constitute India. Therefore, no
matter which party comes into power
on the basis of the provisions of
this constitution, via the system of
Parliamentary Democracy; it is bound to
carry on like a colonialist. This is readily
seen in today’s India: no matter which
party is in power, BJP in Gujarat, NCP
in Maharashtra, CPM in West Bengal,
DMK in Tamil Nadu, Congress in AP, all
carry on in the same way.
The working people of India must shed
all illusions about the present system
and prepare themselves to be the
masters of their destiny. Recalling
the achievements of the glorious
October Revolution will go a long way in
strengthening their confidence.
Sincerely,
A. Narayan
Bangalore

killings in Uttar Pradesh...
Continued from page 1
lawyers, stand back and watch while
state terrorism against people of
Muslim faith is escalated. People must
not fall into this trap.
The Indian state has the responsibility
to protect the lives and liberties of
people. However terrorist strikes are
taking place with sickening regularity
all over India. This shows that the
state is either incapable or unwilling to
discharge this duty. Instead, it resorts
to state terrorism targeting innocent
people of Muslim faith. By doing so,
it is once again deliberately failing to
discharge its duty of protecting lives
and liberties of the people.
The people, independent of which
religion or region they belong to, abhor
terrorism of all kinds — whether bomb
blasts, or police terror, or encounter fact, historical experience in India and
killings. They want an end to terrorism other countries reveals that this is
and want the guilty to be punished. just an excuse to crush the democratic
strivings of the people against injustices.
Terrorism is a preferred tool, like People must therefore not give up their
communal violence, of reactionary ruling struggles for rights even for a moment.
cliques the world over. It is used by They must not succumb to the state's
states to paralyse the people, and to demands for more draconian powers.
win support for the demand that the They must not support attacks by the
state arm itself with draconian powers state on the rights of the Muslims or
to allegedly put down terrorism. In any other section of the people. 
Request to Readers
We request our readers to send in reports/articles on the
life and struggles of workers, peasants, women, youth and
every section of the working people. This will contribute to
strengthening the political unity and struggles of workers
and peasants for the renewal of Indian society.
send your mail to mail@cgpi.org

12 December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23

Voice of Toilers & Tillers
Bhopal – Collusion of the Indian State and American
corporates to defraud the people
Yet another anniversary of the Bhopal
gas catastrophe has come around,
and the horrors of that
night 23 years ago are
still unfolding. The world's
worst industrial disaster,
or “industrial Hiroshima”
as it has been called,
did not just kill off tens
of thousands of people
at one stroke, and leave
tens of thousands more
incapacitated by lung and
other diseases caused by
inhaling the poisonous gas
from the Union Carbide
factory.
As the time span of one generation
has passed since the disaster, it
is clear that there is a whole new
group of second generation victims.
Gene mutations caused by exposure
to the toxic fumes have led to an
unusual number of aborted foetuses
and children born with deformities
among the affected sections of the
population in Bhopal. It is also slowly
coming to light that severe and lingering
psychological trauma has also ruined
the lives of an unaccounted number of
“survivors” and their families.
A whole new set of ailments has
arisen from the failure of the state
to get Union Carbide to clear up the
toxic wastes in the plant after it was
abandoned. The poisons have seeped
into the ground and from there into
the groundwater and the water supply
of the area surrounding the factory.
Tests have shown that the radius of the
area thus contaminated is increasing
at a steady rate. Thousands of people
have contracted diseases, often
resulting in death, from consuming
the contaminated water.
All these facts have come to light
through the persistent struggle of the
gas victims themselves to get justice,
and through the dedicated efforts of
concerned groups and citizens. The
State itself, both in Madhya Pradesh
and at the Centre, has done very little
to rehabilitate the victims. What they
have done is simply inadequate when
compared to the huge dimensions of
the disaster, and smacks of tokenism.
What is more, the State has come in
the way of the victims' own fight to
get justice, by first assuming all right
to act legally on behalf of the victims,
and then miserably failing to prosecute
the case against Union Carbide and all
those responsible.
The indifference of the Indian State to
the plight of the gas victims can be seen
in a March 2006 letter signed by 20
American senators to Manmohan Singh
Indian Oil Corporation is
one of the public sector
enterprises that is seeking a
tie-up with Dow.
What this shows is that
the attitude of the ruling
Indian big bourgeoisie and
the big bourgeoisie of other
countries is one and the
same when it is a matter of
their own profits. The death
and torment of lakhs of
people is nothing to them.
December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23 13
which said: "It is difficult to understand
why few steps have been taken to
alleviate the suffering
of the Bhopal survivors.
The Indian government
has repeatedly said that
justice will be served,
but has exemplified no
commitment to this end."
This letter also pointed
out that "although it
has been more than 20
years since the disaster,
a p p r ox i m a t e l y 1 0 - 3 0
people continue to die
every month in Bhopal from
toxic exposure and around
150,000 people suffer
long-term health consequences.”
Recent developments point to clear
collusion between the Indian State and
American corporations with respect
to Bhopal. The State is actively
wooing the huge conglomerate, Dow
Chemicals, which has bought over Union
Carbide. The affected people in Bhopal
and concerned organisations in India
and around the world are demanding
that Dow assume liability for the
clean up of the factory site and other
responsibilities which Union Carbide
had failed to discharge. This has
become one of the major demands of
the movement. But Dow has blatantly
refused to assume the liabilities of Union
Carbide. And the Indian government
has been helping it. The Indian press
has carried reports on how the Prime
Minister's Office (PMO) and the Finance
and Commerce Ministries have been
trying to find ways to assist Dow to get
out of its liabilities regarding Bhopal, in
order to attract further investments
by this notorious company. Indian Oil
Corporation is one of the public sector
enterprises that is seeking a tie-up
with Dow.
What this shows is that the attitude
of the ruling Indian big bourgeoisie and
Continued on page 15
Voice of Toilers & Tillers
Traders protest against big corporations in wholesale
and retail trade
The entry of big Indian and foreign
multinational corporations in wholesale
and retail trade is being vehemently
opposed by traders, small shopkeepers
and farmers. Small traders and
shopkeepers are in danger of losing
their livelihood as a result of the entry
of these big corporations. With these
big corporations directly procuring
agricultural produce from the farmers,
the livelihood of these farmers will
also become endangered once these
corporations get monopoly control over
the market.
In early November, it was reported
that nearly 50 crates of fruits of
Reliance Retail were set on fire by
traders of the Agriculture Produce
Market Committee (APMC) of the Vashi
wholesale market in Navi Mumbai. This
occurred in the course of the protest
actions by tens of thousands of traders
and mathadis (headload workers),
against the granting of APMC licences
for procurement to Reliance Retail.
The protestors alleged that Reliance
segregates the fruits bought from the
market into the good quality ones (as
per Reliance standards) which are then
sent to their outlets and the rest are
dumped at throwaway prices in APMC.
This is affecting the prices of the other
fruits in the market and farmers are
unable to get a remunerative price for
their produce.
On November 7, small traders in
...demolition of the Babri Majid
Continued from page 4
If the guilty have to be punished, if there
is to be no repeat of state organized
communal massacres, then parties
like Congress and BJP should not be
allowed to come to power. The people
— the workers and peasants — must
be in political power. If the people are
in power, they will certainly ensure
that those guilty of committing crimes
14 December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23
Bhubaneshwar
observed a
complete shut
down of all trading
a c t i v i t y. O v e r
4000 traders
participated in
a rally organized
by the Rajdhani
Byabasai Jibika
Bancho Samiti.
They claimed
that Reliance has
bought land to
do farming, after
which they will sell their product in
the market at a much cheaper price,
thereby affecting the business of
the local traders and later, they will
increase the prices to exorbitant rates
and make it even more difficult for
residents and for the local traders to
compete. Similar protests in Cuttack
have also been reported.
Reliance Retail Ltd., a subsidiary of
Reliance Industries, is reported to
be investing nearly 6 billion dollars in
hundreds of stores selling a variety of
goods all over India. Reliance already
has more than 90 fresh vegetable and
food stores. It expects to start opening
hypermarkets in the next few months.
Traders’ protests are also targeting
Wal-Mart which launched a partnership
with India ‘s Bharti Enterprises to build
a chain of hundreds of supermarkets in
against the people will be punished.
If the people are in power, they will
ensure that no force will dare to rouse
communal passions or commit rape and
murder of innocent people under any
justification whatsoever.
The 15th anniversary of the demolition
of the Babri Masjid is an occasion for
the people to rededicate themselves
to the struggle to punish the guilty
by organizing to take political power in
their own hands.  livelihood and rights of our people.
August this year. Other big multinational
retailers, including Tesco of the U.K.
and Carrefour of France and German
company Metro, which have evinced
interest in India ‘s retail market, are
also being opposed.
In recent months, Reliance’s stores
were vandalized in Orissa, Uttar
Pradesh and Jharkhand. In November,
nearly 5,000 small retail traders
from all over the country descended
on Mumbai to lead a massive protest
rally against Wal-Mart and other big
corporations setting up big retail
outlets in India. Reliance Fresh and
Heritage Fresh outlets have also been
targeted by protesting traders and
shopkeepers in the Telengana region of
Andhra Pradesh.
The government has already opened up
single brand retail for FDI. However,
protest actions all over the country have
forced the government to temporarily
shelve its proposal of allowing foreign
direct investment (FDI) in retailing of
electronics and sports goods to 51%.
The growing anger and resentment
among the small traders, shopkeepers
and farmers, against the threat to their
livelihood is likely to find expression in
many more protest actions in various
parts of the country. People's Voice fully
supports this struggle – an integral
part of the struggle in defence of the

Voice of Toilers & Tillers

Demonstration of rickshaw pullers at

Greater Noida Development Authority
Main demands

1. Those who labour must have the right to live with human dignity
2. Immediate halt to the exploitation and police oppression of workers
3. The state must organize for the education of children of workers and free
health services for their families
4. Workers must be given BPL ration cards
5. Bring into effect a new rate list for rickshaw pullers
6. Provide for covered rickshaw stand, drinking water and toilets for rickshaw
pullers.

Crisis in Karnataka ...
Continued from page 5
that it has been racked with political
crisis for nearly 4 years, with no end
in sight. The bourgeosie's course
of development—globalisation,
liberalisation and privatisation —does
not have the support of the masses
of workers and peasants. None of the
three parties that are staking their
claims to power, stand for the interests
of the workers and peasants.
While the majority of people are disgusted
with the development of events, the
system of representative democracy
that we have offers no alternative other
than the replacement of one set of
these parties by another, to carry on the
same anti-people agenda. Communists
and all forces that stand for the rights
of people have to critically expose the
system of representative democracy in
our country, and put forth an alternative
system of direct democracy in its
place. 

Bhopal – Collusion of the...

Continued from page 13
the big bourgeoisie of other countries
is one and the same when it is a matter
of their own profits. The death and
torment of lakhs of people is nothing to
them. The state in India is no defender
of the rights of the people, but is an
instrument in the hands of the big
bourgeoisie to safeguard and advance
their own interests, in collusion with
the big bourgeoisie of other countries.
The affected people of Bhopal have
set a shining example of not taking
injustice lying down, and of organising
and fighting to take on the powerful
front of the authorities working hand
in glove with the criminal corporations
who have ruined their lives.People's Voice
fully supports their demands that Dow
be made to assume all the liabilities of
Union Carbide with respect to Bhopal,
and that the Indian government and
public sector have nothing to do with
Dow as long as they refuse to do so.
The Indian State must also ensure full
rehabilitation, both in terms of health
and livelihood, of all those affected by
the gas catastrophe. 

December 1-15, 2007 – Volume 29 – Issue 23 15

 Lok Awaz Publishers & Distributors,
Voice of Toilers & Tillers E–392, Sanjay Colony, Okhla Phase-II, New Delhi - 110020

...CPI(M) in Nandigram
Continued from page 1
other parties and ‘Maoists’ of
organising the people of Nandigram
against its rule and policies. This is
not qualitatively different from the
arguments used by the Chattisgarh
government to justify state terror in
the form of ‘salwa judum’. It is also
not different from the argument of US
imperialist chieftain George Bush that
the bombing and armed occupation
of Iraq is justified because Saddam
Hussein was evil.
Buddhadev Bhattacharya, the Chief
M i n i s t e r o f We s t B e n g a l a n d a
member of the Central Committee
and Politbureau of CPI(M), has declared
that the opponents of his party have
been “paid in their own coin”. He
is trying to present the terrorist
crimes of his party as a justified act
of revenge!
In Nandigram, the ruling
CPI(M) has deployed force to
break the resistance of people
to their party’s rule and policy
of land acquisition in the
interests of big capitalists.
This cannot be called
revolutionary violence. It can
only be called state terrorism,
which is the most dangerous
form of reactionary violence,
in the interest of the ruling
bourgeoisie.
against all norms of democracy. For
a government to attack some and
protect others, depending on their
party affiliation, is in violation of the
principle that the State is duty bound
to protect all citizens. The conduct of
CPI(M) is an insult to the name of Karl
Marx and to the communist movement.
It deserves to be condemned by all
communists and all women and men of
conscience.
What happened in Nandigram is not an
aberration or excess. It is the inevitable
consequence of the complete merger
of the CPIM with the political system
and process in India through which
the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie is
exercised in our country, and its use
of the very same instruments and
methods to keep the working class
and peasantry divided and suppressed
as done by other bourgeois parties.
Nandigram shows that one must not
have any illusion about the CPI(M) led
government in West Bengal being a
factor in favour of the working class
and peasantry. On the contrary, this
Left Front Government is a factor
that favours the ruling bourgeois
class. It is a factor that harms the
interests of the working class and
peasantry, and the cause of socialism
and communism. 

Revenge-seeking by one party against

Demonstration of unorganised workers
another has nothing to do with
On November 21, hundreds of workers
communism. The conduct of CPI(M)
from the unorganized sector gathered
has nothing to do with the ideology of
at the Parliament to protest against
Marxism. For a party to use violence
the “2007 Bill on Social Security for
against its political opponents is
Unorganised Workers”.

The bill ignores the demands of the

People’s Voice lakhs of workers in the unorganized
sector. The protest was flagged off by
Subash Bhatnagar, the Converner of the
(Fortnightly) National Coordination Committee of the
Unorganised Sector Workers. 

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