Updates from CPI (ML) Red Star September 2021

Great Significance of Mission UP UK, to Defeat BJP.

Present international scene when Taliban has re-captured Kabul after ‘two decades of US Efforts’ to keep it away from power, may apparently look like a great rebuff to US and its junior partners like Modi. Of course, considering the proclamations of US administration when it unleashed the most brutal blitzkrieg the world has ever seen using its most advanced  weaponry and firepower to oust Taliban from Kabul 20 years ago, spending about 3 trillion dollars to suppress it and to build a 2 lakh strong army and infra-structure, and Modi government assisting this effort, the way Kabul surrendered to Taliban is definitely a setback to US and its allies and junior partners. But the ‘efficiency’ of the US imperialists is that, as they have repeatedly proved, they are capable of turning such a defeat also in to  victory by other means, They are experts in moving fast according to emerging situation and to re-adjust their policy very fast!  According to many analysts close to Pentagon, during the Doha conference to work out the safe withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, it knew about possibility of Taliban’s victory and had worked out a deal with it which made its entry to Kabul so fast! This deal extends to close relations with the new Taliban regime also! For those who know about the post-Second World War history of the Arab countries, it is not difficult to understand how US maneuvers/manipulates to come out victorious in most difficult situations also. So, while the influence of China and Pakistan will increase manifold in Afghanistan, US will also get sufficient space to maneuver, as while US and China are contending for world hegemony, they are colluding against the world people also.

So long as US was in the driver’s seat in Afghanistan, Modi government was extending all logistical support to it, including building roads, hospitals and other infra-structure works.  While violently spreading Islamophobia against Pakistan, Afghanistan was not targeted by RSS for such attack. But with Taliban coming to power RSS has started launching vicious Islamophobia against it. Creating terror among the ‘Hindus’ about how it is going to dispatch thousands of terrorists against India through Pakistan,. Modi has denied asylum to Muslim refugees from Afghanistan.

Spreading communal hatred against Muslims more viciously, it will be used as a major weapon to win in the elections to UP-Uttarakhand (UK). As the popularity of both Modi and Yogi have fallen steeply during last two years, and as it faced reverses in recent elections to 5 state assemblies, RSS will take part more actively in the election campaign and it will be made violent and extremely divisive. RSS/BJP will be waging a life and death struggle in the elections to these two states as well as in all other coming state assembly elections.to create a tempo to win the 2024 elections to LS, which is strategically important for it to suppress all struggles against corporatization, mainly the farmers’ movement to repeal the 3 farm acts for corporatization of entire agricultural sector, and to declare India as a Hindurashtra, with a new parliament building built on Hindu, that is Brahmanical, architectural concepts, while remaining closely aligned with US imperialism.

So, the RSS/BJP has already started election campaign with the help of its immense un-auditd funds through PM-Cares, deploying thousands of RSS volunteers brought from all over the country, as it did in Bengal, but at a higher level. House to house campaign consolidating majoritarianism as a stable vote bank, winning over even most oppressed sections and women using decadent rituals and superstitions, and ‘identity politics’ like imperialist –promoted divisive concepts.

In such a situation, the initiative taken by the UP state committee of CPI(ML) Red Star to organize a Convention of all revolutionary left and struggling forces and all progressive forces on 17^th August at Lucknow, to form the Defeat BJP, Save Lokthanthru Manch was an important step forward. The enthusiastic response received by the call was reflected in the Convention Hall,, where  in spite of the very humid atmosphere and other inconveniences, representatives of 15 organizations as well as a number of left activists and individuals actively participated in the discussions and formation of the Manch with the determination to defeat BJP in both the states decisively. The Convention and the press conference on 18th August attracted attention of the left organizations in general. It was reflected in the deliberations and decisions taken by the State coordination of the farmers’ organizations held at CPI office on 18th August. 

Now our party’s task is to develop this tempo of the political offensive created by the Convention high by taking the message of Defeat BJP to all people, especially the left masses of toilers and oppressed people. We have to deploy experienced leaders and cadres and develop the campaign actively. At the same time, in the course of the campaign a common program should be developed as an alternative to the agenda of the ruling class parties, and campaign should be focused on this, explaining to the people to vote out the fascist BJP this time, and to create favourable conditions for vote for voting to power the revolutionary left alternative next time. To make it a reality, in the course of the present campaign, the revolutionary left forces should strive to become aware of the need to unite in to a powerful party or al least a common program based Manch as early as possible. If the revolutionary left forces can unite to launch struggles for people’s demands, launching class struggle along with caste struggle and gender struggle for basic socio-political, cultural change, the left masses can be united along with all oppressed classes and sections for a countrywide movement for capturing political struggle using all forms of struggle according to concrete conditions.

  In order to carry forward this campaign effectively challenging the powerful RSS campaign with the support of the state power, vast funds, and muscle power, our UP State Committee and the Defeat BJP, Save Democracy Manch need funds and cadres from all state committees and friends. Through this fund’s collection from the masses, the campaign we are starting in UP-UK to Defeat BJP, can be transformed in to a campign at all India level. We appeal to all party committees to get actively involved without any delay for strengthening the UP-UK Campaign for defeating BJP. Let us launch the social media campaign on these lines as intensively as possible.

Afghanistan: Helpless victim of super power intrigues, and inter-imperialist contradictions!

When a resistance to defend Kabul was expected, or such an impression was given by the US imperialists, the present president Ashraf Ghani propped up by US and its allies fled to UAE, and the Afghan army and police numbering about 3 lakhs built up US at a cost of 2 trillion dollars meekly surrendered to the advancing Taliban forces. A smooth transfer of power took place. Only a week ago the US president has predicted that their earlier calculation was wrong, instead of Taliban taking six months to capture power after their withdrawal, it may happen in three months. But it has happened within a week, and Taliban who was thrown out from power in 2001 in an invasion by the mightiest power in the world, US imperialism, has re-captured power within a week, baffling the US imperialists and its allies. So, now it will be Taliban rule once again, and the people of Afghanistan are counting the hours to know how it is going to impose its rule over the people using its own interpretation of Shariat!

A brief over-view of history:

After the First World War, the victorious British led forces, contrary to their promises demolished the Ottoman empire and divided West Asia among them arbitrarily. The British and US imperialists supported the Afghan kings who replaced the Amirs’ rule in 1937. The last king, Jahirshah was ousted by his prime minister Daud Khan in a palace coup. But he was thrown out by the popular upsurge in 1978 April, led by the Democratic Party of Afghanistan under the leadership of Noor Mohammed Taraqui. This DPA and its leadership were close followers of Soviet revisionists. Soviet Union which had become a social imperialist power contending and colluding with US imperialism for world hegemony, extended economic help and sent advisers to Tarqui regime. But there were many leadership changes with internal clashes among the revisionists reaching dirty levels. But by that time, intensifying the cold war with Soviet Union, the US had intensified it terrorist training and dispatch of armed Al Quaida and later Taliban forces led thousands of Mujahideens trained, armed and sent to Afghanistan, using Pak terrirtory as the centre. In the name of defending this regime from the attack of thousands of Mujahideens, the Soviet Army entered Afghanistan in 1979. But, it could not withstand the onslaught by the religious fundamentalist forces assisted by US, and had to withdraw in 1989.

Taliban took over the rule in 1996, massacred the DPA leaders of both Parcham and Khalk, and imposed a so-called Shariaat based terrorist rule driving the women back to their dark indoors. The US interfered massively from 2001 and threw out Taliban within months. For the last 20 years it was a US led dependent country trying to impose neo-liberal policies before even the feudal land relations or socio-cultural-educational backwardness was changed. The US was in a hurry, with their “war on terrorism” theme to subjugate all forms of resistance to it in Iraq or anywhere else using Israeli fascists as their front paw.

During the last two decades the economic condition of the people and socio-cultural scene went on deteriorating with various terrorist groups, once organized by US, but were opposing its military occupation now, intensifying their influence. So, after fighting the longest overseas war of attrition, the US was forced to withdraw to satisfy the increasing opposition from within US to this mad military invasion to subdue a people through its modern weaponry. Like what happened in South Vietnam, after the barbarous occupation there, once again putting an end to its longest invasion, the dirty Yankees had to withdraw from Afghanistan. And once Biden followed to implement the decision taken by Trump, the 2 lakh strong military, the administration and the whole ruling system, which had become already incurably corrupt and anti-people, crumpled like a pack of cards! The Afghan people are thrown from frying pan to fire with an absolutely uncertain future.

US imperialists were jubilant in 1991 when Soviet social imperialism collapsed, Soviet Union was no more and they were dominating Afghanistan and whole of West Asia. But the picture changed soon. US facing increasing crises in all fields soon had to face another super power China, which raised serious challenge to its hegemony in all fields by the dawn of the 21^st century. Pakistan became more loyal to China. Increasing close relations with the fascist Modi regime alone in the region is not sufficient to overcome China’s growing influence. In West Asia a new equation is becoming the dominant factor, with Iran, Syria, Pakistan and now Afghanistan coming under firm relation with China. Along with the military support from Pakistan, Iran, Russia and China helped Taliban in this spectacular victory, intensifying the inter-imperialist contradictions!

As the superpowers and their allies with their junior partners intensify their hegemonic war games, blatantly interfere in the internal affairs of all dependent countries like Afghanistan, it is making the lives and livelihod horrible for the people, with the exploited and oppressed sections among them coming under increasing torture, exploitation and agony. Not only their old culture and glorious symbols of it, the life and livelihood, their very existence as a human being comes under challenge. This has to change. That is what the history of Afghanistan teaches us. These regime changes only bring more agony, what is required is a system change, which calls for a revolution. We have to subject the history of Afghanistan during the last one century as a test case to understand what happens to people under the vicious imperialist system. The Marxist Leninists should learn from these terrific human tragedies, overcome their sectarian inhibitions and find a way out to overthrow fascists of all shades, the religious fundamentalist monsters, the decadent culture, and to lead the toilers and all oppressed masses to a new world of socialism!

Is the Court also a ‘Facilitator’ of ‘Neoliberalism’? 

P J James 

The Kerala High Court on August 3, 2021, while considering a petition filed by a person who lost his government job after failing to submit an experience certificate on time, said that the practice of all going after government jobs exists only in Kerala. Sarcastically, the Court also said that the power to print currency is vested only on the central government, as if the latter is providing employment to all job-seekers. It went on observing that COVID-19 pandemic situation had affected the GDP and that the financial position of the country was not good. 

Implicit in the Court’s revealing observation is that the youth should seek jobs in the non-state, private sector. Obviously, we are now constrained to look at the concrete trends today. For instance, India’s GDP is reported to have experienced a 24% contraction during the first quarter of 2020-21 and the estimated GDP contraction during the entire fiscal 2020-21 was 7%. However, as calculated by Forbes, during this one year, Ambani has his wealth increased by 73% from $3730 crore to $8870 crore and Adani by 61% reaching $2520 crore, and in that order for many billionaires such that the total wealth of the first 10 Indian billionaires rose to $51750 crore (approximately Rs. 38 lakh crore) during the same period. In general, today around three-fourth of the additional income and wealth generated in India is gobbled up by the upper 1% of the super-rich and around 60 percent of the country’s total wealth is in the hands of upper 10 percent of the population. 

 However, the immediate outcome of these of horrific levels of inequality and wealth concentration and increase in the number of billionaires is unprecedented joblessness. Corporate capital, both foreign and domestic, is least interested in developing the employment-oriented productive economy; rather the private capitalists who flourish taking advantage of liberal tax, labour and environmental regulations under the cover of “Make in India”, “Atmanirbhar”, etc. enter into all kinds of money-spinning speculative activities, and in the process, instead of creating new employment opportunities actually end up in destroying even existing job opportunities – a situation characterised as “jobless growth” even by neoliberal economists. 

 Both Modi and Pinarayi governments (i.e., central and state governments) are, in fact, facilitators of this neoliberal-corporatisation process that transforms our country in to a “wasteland of unemployment.”  For instance, Modi came to power in 2014 claiming to generate an additional 2 crore jobs per year. But according to independent estimates, by the beginning of 2020 itself, i.e., on the eve of the pandemic, the country had lost around 14 crore jobs since 2014. And on account of the pro-corporate policies such as “ease of doing business” and “investor-friendly” moves of the central and state regimes during the pandemic, India today experiences the worst unemployment in its history. 

In this situation, it would have been in order if the honourable judges receiving handsome salaries from the government know that minimum real wages, job security and hard-earned democratic rights of workers in the private sector are all vanishing and the neoliberal, pro-corporate “labour codes” superimposed by Modi regime at the behest of neoliberal centres have transformed workers as mere wage slaves.  More than 95 percent of the 50 crore Indian workers are now condemned to subsist on “informal”, unorganised, part-time and contract jobs with no democratic rights. 

In this horrific situation, instead of appealing the youth to resort to non-state sectors with no guarantee, the Court should have asked the government, both central and state, to take up the task of providing employment to the youth through an immediate pro-people, state-led development program appropriately mobilising the country’s resources in its own hands, through raising corporate taxes, dealing with corruption and a massive public expenditure policies. This requires an immediate reversal of the pro-corporate neoliberal policies and the state itself shouldering the responsibility of providing employment to all. On the other hand, the High Court’s disapproval of youth’s so called obsession with government jobs in this critical situation is neoliberal in essence and hence against the interests of the common people.