Lok Raj Sangathan, together with Social Democratic Party of India, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, United Muslim Front, Communist Ghadar Party of India, CPI (M-L)-New Proletarian, Welfare Party of India, Popular Front of India, Purogami Mahila Sangathan, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations and others, organized a massive demonstration of several hundreds of activists in New Delhi on July 16, 2017. The demonstration began at Ram Lila Maidan, marched through the crowded streets of the old city and finally culminated in a public rally at Jantar Mantar, in the vicinity of Parliament.
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Top photo: Procession reaching Barakhamba Road
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Participants in the demonstration carried banners and placards bearing slogans which criticized the all-sided attacks of the state on different sections of the people. There were slogans against growing unemployment and attacks on the rights of workers, slogans demanding guaranteed state procurement of produce of peasants at remunerative prices, against state organized communal violence and terror, in defence of the right to conscience, against political persecution by declaring all dissent as ‘sedition’ and for the right of people to be the decision makers of this country.
Speakers from the participating organisations addressed the rally at Jantar Mantar. They vigorously condemned the attacks on different sections of people – Muslims and other minorities on the basis of their religion and way of life, Dalits on the basis of their caste, workers through amendments in labour laws while the government promises the biggest Indian and foreign capitalist monopolies “ease of doing business”, peasants driven to bankruptcy and ruin due to withdrawal of guaranteed state procurement at fair prices, students for raising their voices against injustice, women, people of Kashmir and the Northeast who are opposing atrocities under the AFSPA, etc.
People are completely deprived of political power in this political system. Other than the right to vote they have no mechanisms to select the candidate of their choice for election, hold their elected representatives to account and recall them, or initiate legislation to protect their rights.
The present government, like earlier governments, works only to maximise the profits of the biggest monopoly houses. It is using state-organised communal violence and state terror to divide and crush the people’s struggles. In pursuit of its ambition to become a big power in the world, the Indian ruling class is building up its military might and strengthening its strategic alliance with the US imperialists. In the name of “fighting terrorism” it is strengthening its ties with the fountainhead of terrorism, the US, as well as countries such as Israel, who have caused untold suffering to the Palestinian people and other peoples of West Asia. It is gravely endangering peace and security in the region.
Speakers also pointed out that both the Congress Party and the BJP claim they are working for the people, but in reality they work to implement the policies of the biggest corporate monopolies. So, a mere change of government will not solve the problem because the root cause of all these problems is the present state and the economic and political system. The challenge before us is to organize for the empowerment of the people, so that they can play a decisive role in setting a new economic and political direction for the country, which will ensure the rights and well-being of all.
With the slogan “An attack on one is an attack on all!”, the participants in the rally declared that they will unitedly oppose attacks on every section of the people and work to organize the people to have a decisive say in setting the agenda of the country.
This rally was an important initiative in building the united resistance of all sections of people to the growing attacks on our livelihood and rights and advancing the struggle for people’s empowerment.
Those who addressed the rally included S. Raghavan, President of Lok Raj Sangathan; Shahid Ali from United Muslim Front; Sarafuddin from Social Democratic Party of India; Inamur Rehman from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind; Comrade S. Siddhantkar from CPI(ML)-New Proletarian; Comrade Santosh from Communist Ghadar Party of India; Siraj Talib from Welfare Party of India; Khalid Shaifulla from National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations and Parvez from Popular Front of India.
