Select and elect candidates who fight for people’s interests!
Appeal of the Communist Ghadar Party of India to the workers, peasants, women, youth and middle strata of Uttar Pradesh
Dear voter,
Select and elect candidates who fight for people’s interests!
Appeal of the Communist Ghadar Party of India to the workers, peasants, women, youth and middle strata of Uttar Pradesh
Dear voter,
You will be casing your vote for elections to the State Assembly in a few days time. Uttar Pradesh, like the country as a whole, is at the crossroads. There is an increasingly sharp clash between two courses, two different visions, two programs. There is the vision and program of the ruling class and imperialism. And there is the vision and program of the working class and peasantry. It is in your hands, dear voter, to utilise the ongoing elections as one more arena of struggle to advance the program of the working class.
Unite against the vision and program of the ruling class and imperialism
India’s ruling class has the vision of emerging as an imperialist power on the world scale. Its bargaining position on the world arena comes from being the ruler of a vast country of over one billion people, with enormous human and material resources to exploit. Its economic program to achieve this aim is globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation. Its political program is militarisation and warmongering, fascism and state organised communal violence and persecution against peoples on the basis of religious, caste or national identity. Through this anti-social economic and political program, the Indian ruling class aims to terrorise, divide, disorient and crush the hard working workers, peasants, middle strata, women and youth of our country. It aims to greatly intensify the exploitation of the people by disarming and diverting the people politically.
You, the people of Uttar Pradesh have had a bitter direct experience of this program. Today the ruling class parties are all competing with one another to whip up war hysteria, each one acting more patriotic than the other is. If you, a worker of one of the textile mills of Kanpur ask of the ruling class politician about your livelihood and future, you will get a lecture about terrorism, about religious fundamentalism. If you persist in your question, you will likely be called "anti-national", "Pakistani agent" and so on. If you are a worker of the ordinance factories which are being handed over to private capitalists and imperialists, and question this anti-national activity, god help you, in these times wherein the sellers of the defence establishments are masquerading as the greatest patriots. If the common man or woman of Kanpur, once known as the "Manchester of the East", asks about the death or decay of the businesses of the city and the massive unemployment, you will be told that the "Manchester of the East will become the "Singapore of India". What will be hidden is that this "Singapore" is planned to be built over the mass graves of workers and small business.
Globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation is the program of the big bourgeoisie of India as well as foreign imperialism. This program is ruining the peasantry, the workers, the small business, and offering the bleakest future to youth. Education is beyond the reach of the majority. Jobs are mirages. The rich are growing richer as they have always managed. The poor are getting poorer. The middle stratum is facing ruin. The imperialists are increasing their wealth by tightening their stranglehold, economically, politically and militarily.
Everyone in India and the world is talking about September 11 and the subsequent unfolding of events in Asia and the world. It is important that the working class and people have their own understanding of what is going on.
In brief, dear people, US imperialism as well as all the imperialists and reactionaries of the world are in crisis. This is an all-sided crisis with the economic crisis of capitalism at the base. People all over the world started questioning the economic program of globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation. In these conditions, world imperialism led by the US has launched the"global war against terrorism" to divert and disrupt the growing struggle of all peoples against the anti-social offensive. The ruling class of India, Pakistan, US, Britain, all are having the same anti-people vision and program. The Indian people must understand that imperialism and the bourgeoisie are very concerned about South Asia for two reasons. One, South Asia is very rich, economically speaking. And two, the ruling circles of the countries of South Asia, including those of India and Pakistan, are weak, as a result of the massive opposition of the people. "War against terrorism and fundamentalism" are convenient slogans for these rulers and their imperialist friends to crush and divide the people.
Workers and peasants of Uttar Pradesh! You have been waging many valiant struggles against the privatisation program of the ruling class! You have been opposing the communal and fascist terror! It is time we foiled the anti-people plans of the bourgeoisie and imperialism! The very best way to do so, dear comrades, is to advance a vision and program in the interests of the toiling people, and unite everyone around such a vision and program!
Hum hai Iske Malik, Hum hai Hindustan, Mazdoor, Kisan, Aurat aur Jawan!
Unite around a pro-social program!
Dear Workers and peasants of Uttar Pradesh!
This great land, its natural resources, belongs to us the workers and peasants, women and youth! A minority of Indian and foreign exploiters and oppressors continue to lay waste to our motherland. Today, the US and other imperialists in league with our rulers are desperately finding ways to strengthen their control and stranglehold over this country, including through militarisation and communal and fascist violence against our peoples. The vision that must guide us in our struggles is that we are the real masters of India, and we must empower ourselves in order to ensure the well being of the present and future generations.
The core of the program around which we must unite people is the thorough going democratic renewal of the political and economic system of our country as well as its relations with other peoples and countries. The key issue is this—the economic and political system and our foreign policy must serve the interests of workers and peasants.
We demand and fight to ensure that the economy must be reoriented to ensuring well being for the people, instead of its present aim of ensuring the private profits of a few. Security of livelihood, food security, education, health care is the right of every Indian. The crores of Rupees that are being spent on militarisation, and on paying off debts to the foreign moneylenders must be diverted into ensuring the livelihood and well being of the people.
We demand and fight for thorough democratic renewal of the political system and political process. Instead of the present system of political parties dividing the people and coming to power to run the country for the capitalist and imperialist interests, we must work for a system where political parties are barred from coming topower. The task of political parties must be to raise the consciousness of people and organise them to become real masters of society.
We must demand and fight for peace in South Asia, and for the expulsion of all foreign imperialists from this region. We must demand and fight for the abrogation of unequal treaties like the WTO which are against our national interest.
Workers and peasants, women and youth!
The ruling class is organising elections in UP with the old aim of deciding which party to entrust with the job of continuing with the anti-social offensive against the people. There will be a lot of mud slinging, demagogy, false promises, whipping up of chauvinist hysteria and war mongering.
You will have to stay clear of all this and concentrate on forging unity around your own program. You will have to avoid falling into the traps of the ruling class!
These elections provide the opportunity to strengthen the work of forging your political unity. Put forth candidates from your midst; ordinary men and women, who will voice your concerns, and fight for your program.
You, the people of Kanpur, have set an example by putting forth candidates who are known as fighters for the working class. Fight to ensure their victory. The bourgeoisie makes out that the issue of elections is which party should come to power. This only shows the utter narrowness of the vision of the bourgeoisie. You have seen every party coming to power, all have implemented the same anti-people program. Why should we workers look at elections in the way the ruling class wants us to view them?
We—workers, peasants, women and youth—look at these elections to advance our program and unite around this program. We will work for and fight for the victory of only those candidates who stand for this program.