Challenging the establishment

A glimpse of the National People's Movement, Celebrating 58 years of democracy, we the citizens of India, feel that the martyrs of the freedom movement and the principles they died for are being forgotten. Not only do policies not reflect the values enshrined in the constitution like equality and justice, they are actively perpetrating inequality and injustice. The establishment's commitment to alleviating poverty is belied by the increasingly pro- rich and pro- business stance of the government. And in so doing, the corrupt and inefficient administration has in effect destroyed people's homes and livelihoods in cities and villages alike. At one end of the spectrum, this has meant the economic growth and display of richness by the industrialists, city dwellers, and capitalists and at the other end this has meant the further impoverishment of the majority. Dalits, Adivasis and labourers are exploited. Women and minorities are insecure as abuse; violence and bloodshed take over the country. Instead of committing to the security of its citizens, the government has decided to enter the global war on terror under the pretense of national security and spreading its own brand of terror- that of hunger, poverty, thirst, unemployment and homelessness- and keeping the fundamental liberties of the people in tight wraps. With the backing of the profit driven market and the nexus of businessmen, moneylenders and politicians, our 'democratically elected' government has turned against its own people and rendering them homeless and without livelihood. Instead to catering to the welfare needs of our people, the establishment chooses to cater to the luxury needs of the capitalists and in so doing they push the country towards its own destruction. There are many instances of this trend that has given rise to large- scale discontent. Even today, the archaic Land Acquisition Act of 1894 is being implemented brutally in acquiring land from poor farmers, village dwellers and adivasis for the purpose of 'development'. In another case, there is the Special Economic Zone Act that gives autonomy to private enterprises in areas sold to them for 'development' purposes. Far from being a social welfare measure, this is a business venture that benefits corporate heavy weights. All these 'development' projects have been successful in displacing people from their homes and from their livelihoods. When the majority of the people look towards the establishment to fulfill their basic, everyday needs, this pro- business trend of the government reflects a total lack of respect and consideration for the majority and there fore belies the fact that India is a democracy. Whether in Kashmir or the North- East, we view the spread of violence as the breakdown of the establishment. In fighting for hegemony, the state's resort to military and police repression, is meeting with failure. There is a lot of caste and class antagonism and people are divided along these lines and given this situation the government's commitment towards building a tolerant and peaceful society should be strong. In contrast, we see that violent and fundamentalist groups seem to thrive. We trust in the people's love of peace, harmony and development and we are sure that that the majority will work hard towards these ideals. And only this labour, the labour of the people, can put an end to the exploitation, capital accumulation and the market driven policies. The marginalized, the village outcastes, the urban slum inhabitants, farm labourers, factory workers, women, adivasis and all manner of oppressed people and middle class intellectuals and likeminded people have come together in an effort to bring to an end this injustice. We need a qualitative change in the system and pronto. The Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme must be implemented in its full spirit. Policies must take into account the security of the workers and labourers of the country and at the same time conserve the country's natural resources and make it accessible for the people. In other words, a sustainable development paradigm should be sought. We want an end to money borrowing, entry of foreign capital and exploitative trade. We demand a socialist development paradigm in a truly democratic spirit. We demand accountability from the government and we want to see an end to state sponsored terrorism and casteism.