On February 25, 2024, the Delhi Regional Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India recently organised a discussion on the ‘Way Forward for the Liberation of Women’, in the context of International Women’s Day, 2024. Students and youth participated enthusiastically in the discussion.
The discussion began with a presentation on the source of oppression and subordinate position of women in society, linking it to the capitalist system and the rule of the bourgeoisie. It was pointed out that capitalism in India has developed by perpetuating caste and gender-based discrimination and oppression. The subordinate position of women in society helps capitalists to maximise their profits by super exploiting women.
An important point raised was how the prevalent system of parliamentary democracy completely excludes the vast majority of women and men from political power, even though the illusion is created that through periodic elections “people bring in the government of their choice”.
The presentation emphasised the need for women and all the working people to unite and step up the struggle to end the rule of the bourgeoisie, headed by the monopoly capitalist houses. We need political power in our hands, in order to set the agenda, make crucial decisions that affect our lives and change our conditions.
Following the main presentation, the participants made important interventions on several of the issues raised.
A social worker highlighted her own experiences, of how people have no mechanism to select their candidates for election, to hold them accountable or to recall them. Elected representatives are answerable only to the high command of their political party and not to the people they are supposed to represent, she said.
A young teacher pointed out that there are no provisions within this system for people to propose laws or amendments to existing laws, even if they are anti-people. She explained that the New Education Policy will further exclude women from access to affordable and quality education.
A college student, who will be voting for the first time, commented on the recently passed law mandating 33% reservation for women in parliament and state assemblies. Increasing the number of women in these bodies will not end the oppression of women, she pointed out. This can be seen from the fact that women MPs and MLAs, like their male counterparts, vote in support of laws that attack the rights of the majority of women and men.
Another youth narrated his experience of how the Constitution promises various rights to women and men, but these are violated in daily practice. Relating the brutal attack by the government on the agitating kisans, he said that the right to protest is supposed to be a Constitutional right, but we are not given permission to hold any kind of protest demonstrations; instead, we are beaten and locked up and treated like criminals.
The discussion ended on the note that the real rulers of India are the bourgeoisie, headed by the monopolist capitalist houses. Every government, regardless of which political party heads it, is committed to fulfil the agenda of the ruling class. It cannot be expected to ensure the well-being, rights and dignity of women or any section of the toiling masses. We need to organise to take political power in our own hands, in order to bring about the revolutionary changes that women and the whole society are demanding.