INDIA After the anti-muslims pogroms N. Vasudevan calls on the « mobilisation of the labour movement » in order to impose a « fair enquiry that will reveal the truth »
The disturbing tragedy unfolded in India’s capital city, New Delhi, during February 24-26, which took over 42 lives, both Muslims and Hindus, injured 200 men, women and children is a matter of serious concern. That tragedy took place after months of massive protests by the Indian people to the attempt to divide them and discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs. It took place also after Modi’s party, the BJP, suffered a severe electoral setback in Delhi.
The tragedy took place in working class areas. Houses and shops were burnt down. Hundreds are without shelter and food. Hindus and Muslims in the local area have shown tremendous empathy with each other. The communal flame was incited by ruling BJP leaders who vowed to retaliate against those opposing the new Citizenship Act in India, particularly women sitting in Shaheen Bagh for over 70 days.
Despite US President being in Delhi on February 24 the government did not deploy police or army to save life and property of common people. Those indulged in violence, killings, looting were outsiders and were given free hand to play mayhem as happened in Gujarat during 2002 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of the state then. The Delhi communal killings is a blot on Democracy and Secularism. Only an impartial enquiry would bring out true facts about the perpetrators of the heinous crime. To impose that, a strong and united mobilisation of all those who have shown their will to defend democracy and secularism, and especially a show of strength on the part of the labour movement, of the trade unions, is necessary.
Nambiath Vasudevan, trade unionist in Mumbai,
and coordinator of the International Workers Committee against war and exploitation, for a workers International (IWC).
« This struggle concerns the workers and peoples
of the whole world »
“The massive protests against the discriminatory laws edicted by the Modi government have changed the political landscape of India since December 2019. This wave of protests started mainly among the youth and students. On January 8th 2020, the main trade union centres as well as independent trade union organisations called for a 24 hour general strike against the anti-working class policies of the Modi government. The 8th of January gave an opportunity to unite the struggle against the anti working-class platform of the government and the struggle against its anti-democratic plans expressed in the discriminatory measures which target the Muslim citizens of India. In the strike and in the streets, unity was achieved between those different aspects of the same struggle.
More than any other section, the working class need democracy, unity and secularism to make its demands prevail. The labour movement, its trade unions should naturally be at the forefront of such a struggle.
That struggle concerns workers and people the world over. That is why the IWC regards as its duty to widely circulate all information about that struggle and to express its strong solidarity with those engaged in that struggle.
We are convinced that the struggle of the Indian workers and people, in the spirit of the Mumbai international conference held in December 2016, will be central in the international conference against war and exploitation, for the workers’ International, to be held in Europe, in November 2020.
Daniel Gluckstein, Nambiath Vasudevan, IWC Coordinators