The lockdown has kept the poor and ordinary people of the country confined in their houses. However, there has been no lockdown on torture by the government and its police. According to news reports, the Delhi Police has arrested a number of student and intellectual activists during this period. Draconian laws like the UAPA, have been imposed on them. Their crime --- they were involved in the protest movement against the CAA or the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC. Recently, a Delhi court granted bail to two arrested girls after their first arrests, saying the charges against them did not qualify for the implementation of draconian laws like the UAPA. But who cares, the police are so desperate that as soon as they were released on bail, they were arrested again and a new set of false allegations were imposed on them. The police did not stop here. They have been hunting for more students and youths with plans to rope them in with similar charges. All in all, the central government-controlled Delhi Police has framed the allegations in such a way, so as to prove that these activists were responsible for instigating the Delhi riots. Excellent! The Delhi police is unsurpassable. During the Delhi elections, Anurag Thakur, a BJP MP, incited heinous communal provocation by chanting the slogan 'Desh ko gaddaro ko, goli maro salo ko'. This slogan became the 'war-cry' of the extreme Hindu sectarians at that time. Another BJP leader, Parvesh Verma, not only gave provocative and confrontational communal speeches during the Delhi election campaign, but was one of the key persons who incited the Delhi riots. Did the police take any action against them? No, they did not. Did the police even bother to summon and interrogate them? No, they did not. However, those who stood by the poor people affected by the riots are being arrested by the Delhi Police on the pretext of inciting riots. This is the rule of law exercised by Delhi police! Of course, it would be foolish to expect anything more from them. Can we forget the role of the Delhi Police during the riots in Delhi? Instead of making any attempt to stop the riots, they actively participated in the riots in collusion with the Hindu communal forces. We do remember how the Delhi police brutally assaulted a Muslim boy and forced him to sing the national anthem --- an assault that did not stop till the boy died. In a nutshell, people who incited and organized the riots are left completely unquestioned and scot-free, while, those who stood for democracy and raised their voices against the discriminatory CAA and stood up against the riots, are being arrested. Anyone can understand the conspiracy.
But what is their plot? First, the Delhi Police wants to hide the role of the RSS-BJP activist and leaders as rioters and impose all the blame on the activists who in reality raised their voices against the rioters. Second, the student-intellectuals who are being arrested by the police are also active participants in the anti-CAA-NRC democratic movement demanding equal rights for all. By arresting them, the administration is desperate to weaken this movement and want to destroy it. It is important to note that they are determined to crush the continuity of the anti-CAA movement which went on unabated despite many obstacles, prior to the lockdown. Using the riots, they want to eliminate the possibility of a resurgence of the anti-CAA movement in the post lockdown period. This is why the advanced section of the working class must strongly condemn and actively protest against this attack on democracy.
Students, youths and intellectuals are protesting against this attack by the Delhi Police. Many democratic organizations are also protesting. We extend our support to these protests. We demand that the arrests must be immediately stopped, all the arrested mass activists must be released immediately and unconditionally, and the charges levied against them under various sections, including the UAPA, must be withdrawn.
We have seen that such protests so far have emerged primarily from a section of students, youths and intellectuals. Will it be possible to stop the continuous attacks on democracy by the RSS-led extreme Hindutva and fascist forces by the protests from these sections only?
In fact, one needs to keep in mind that another large section of this society has also been under the attack of these fascist forces for a long time. These are the vast majority of the country's people, billions of poor toiling people. The democratic rights of these workers and toiling people are being severely attacked. The right to organize and struggle for their livelihood is being curtailed. The toxic hatred of communalism is being spread instead of the right to bread and butter. Will the student-intellectuals be able to realize their demands for democracy by setting aside the fight for democracy of this vast section of society?
The question of the struggle for democracy needs to be viewed from another aspect. The real question is --- where will this attack on democracy end? There will be an attack on democracy, and we will protest --- there will be another attack, we will protest again ---- shall we continue to revolve around such a cycle? Simultaneously, we can, rather we are, revolving around another cycle. That is the cycle of change of governments --- the endless cycle in which one after the other, the established parties are spinning us around in their game of forming different governments. But the situation is not changing. No matter which government is in power, none of them care about people's democracy. It is true that not all the parties are fascist forces like the BJP-Sangh Parivar, but characteristically every party is undemocratic. And why shouldn't it be so? Every party is working hard to keep this undemocratic, exploitative society alive --- should anyone have any doubts about that? Is it possible for everyone to enjoy equal rights in a system that is based on the exploitation and oppression of the majority of working people by a handful of exploiters? Can the rights of the exploited and the exploiters ever be equal? Had it been so, the exploiters could never have oppressed the exploited. Hence, it is impossible to stand for democracy if this exploitative system has to be kept in order --- that is why every political party cease to stand for democracy after forming the government and attempts to take away the democratic rights.
Hence, if one asks --- what situation can be created in the present society which will ensure the establishment of real democracy? If we rephrase the question a little differently, it may be stated as: is it possible to create a situation within this system where everyone would be equal --- no one would have a master over her head, no one would have a slave under his feet? Isn't this the real democracy? Whether there is a right to vote, whether there is freedom of expression --- these are just some of the external features of democracy. If there is no essence of equality within that democracy, the external manifestations will also remain transient and limited. So, the question for us is, shall we judge the struggle for democracy within the narrow confines of the present or will we project it to the future? To put it more clearly, shall we judge the struggle for democracy within the restricted limits of the current struggle for the survival of this limited and crippled democracy, or shall we associate it with the struggle for the establishment of true democracy? Even if we judge within the current restricted boundaries, it is clear that even the existing limited democracy cannot be sustained based on the fighting strength of the students, youths and intellectuals. Hence, the most important thing is the true democracy --- a democracy that can be established only when the working people assumes power.
Who can lead the fight for true democracy towards its real end? Of course, the organized working class, who have realized that their goal is not only to assert some rights in this system, but to break this system and move towards a new system, where power will be in the hands of the working and toiling people. They constitute the massive force of this society, and because of their very nature of existence, do not face the exploitation and oppression of this society singly, but are constantly forced to fight for their survival collectively. Their huge united force across the country is capable of bringing about the change. More importantly, they have full control over the country's major core production. If the toiling masses are united under the leadership of the workers, they can paralyze the whole society, impart a huge blow to the government. An oppressive ruler who could withstand the organized strength of billions of workers and toiling people, has not yet been born, nor will he ever be. When they stand up, their power can be so strong that it can overthrow any oppressive regime. So, it is not difficult to understand that advancement towards a real democracy is not possible without the struggle of the working people under the leadership of the working class, to change the system.
Looking at the condition of today's workers, one wonders if the working class will rise with such power ---- and even if it does, when will it do so? Questions are normal. But, the history of the world has demonstrated that the working class is endowed with this ability and social science has taught us that one day the working class will definitely rise with this strength --- no other section of the society will ever be able to take its place.
One can say that the workers are not fighting now. So, how can we rely on the strength of the working class? It is true that the workers are not in the battlefield now. Today, the workers and the toiling masses are shattered and disorganized due to the betrayal of their old leadership. But at the same time, it is a fact that protests are growing among the workers as they continue to be attacked by the ruling class. The ground for protests is being continuously created by the capitalist owners and their governments. In an attempt to survive the crisis, the capitalists have to attack the workers. Assaults by the capitalists and their governments are increasing day by day. All the rights that the workers had been enjoying for a long time are being curtailed. And, this attack will wake up the workers again. In fact, these attacks are slowly awakening the workers, and various indications are beginning to appear. Occasionally, protests against the factory owners are erupting in one or another factory in different industrial areas. In the face of all these struggles today, the question of rights and democracy is emerging again and again. Just as the students and intellectuals have begun to understand the need for democracy through the harsh realities of their lives, millions of workers are also realizing from their livelihoods in a much wider and more intense way. Although, presently they are disintegrated and scattered due to the betrayal of the old leaders and are virtually in a state without any organization, they are still showing various indications to arise in a new way. In order to be active in this struggle, the workers will also join the struggle for democracy from the need for their own struggle. Reality is gradually pushing the workers in this direction, they are slowly waking up, and at the same time the student-intellectuals fighting for democracy must look at the working people of the society, the power of the workers, the real transformative force for real democracy of the society. They also need to assume the path of help and cooperation as the workers and toiling masses begin to arise and awake. We must work to pave the way for the awakening of the huge working masses --- in the interest of building a proper response to the onslaught of the rulers and the fascist forces. In that fight, the working class will surely play its leading role. This preparation will pave the way for liberation from this repression, oppression, ruthless attack by the rulers. This is the real task ahead to get out of the present oppressive situation.
From
The editorial board of
FOR A PROLETARIAN PARTY
13.06.2020
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