in the Indian state of Gujarat, following weeks of brutal repression by Government forces against protests aimed at lowering prices.
What started over two months ago as a simple demonstration by students in Ahmedabad against increased food charges in their canteens has now developed into a state-wide upsurge involving all sections of the population. The Congress Government led by Chimanbhai Patel has been forced to resign, and the direct rule of the President has been imposed on the More than 60 innocent lives have been claimed by police marksmen in various towns, including Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Rajket and Bhavnagar. The movement has spread to the remotest towns and villages, A revolt of such proportions has not been seen in Guarat since the days hefore independence.
The movement against the Congress Government is led, significantly enough, not by any organised political party but by a non-party organisaton-the Nav Nirman Samiti (NNS. New Order Committee). This is a united front of various youth bodies, and is also supported by the 14ch August Committee", an ad hoc united front of trade union organisations in Ahmedabad, the state capital, and various other centres.
In this way the masses have strik. ingly demonstrated their lack of faith in the traditional political parties. However, the mass movement is supported separately by left parties like the Communist Party of India (pro-Moscow), the CPI (Marxist) -a centrist group, the Socialist Party. the Communist League (Indian section of the Fourth International), etc.
One of the first targets of the youth upsurge were the corrupt state ministers, known to be in league with the manufacturers of edible oil and the big traders. Prime minister Patel also came under attack because of his controlling interest in several educational As a first step, the NNS organised an "Ahmedabad Bandh" (strike) on 10 January aguinst rising prices and police repression. This was very effective, the only opposition coming trom the Congress 'Majur Mahujan' police and owners, kept the textile mills going.
step up the repression. In Ahmedabad, police opened fire on a demonstration, killing a 22-ycar-old student leader. There was also shooting in other parts of Gujarat as a series of local "Bandhs" took place.
With a successful state wide general strike- Gujarat Bandh'-called by the.NoS on 25 January, the struggle took on the form of a state-wide conTrontation between the masses and the repressive forces of the bourgeois QUESTION OF POWER But despite this explosion, none of the traditional parties of the working class posed the question of power -the need to overthrow capitalist rile even though it was implicit in the most basic demands of the movement, concerning the distribution of adequate rations at controlled prices. action against black market speculators, etc.
However, the NNS appear to have the possibility of developing into organs of alternative power or popular assemblies, albough so far they are still self-appointed ad hoc committees The Trotskyists of the Communist League were the first to recognise poor at all levels.
movement in Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat, has also called for the the violence of the police and the proprietors.
union, which, with the support of the by refusing to sell grain to the state The Government's response was to ised strength of the rural poor.
entire Congress Party, representing jon. So finally, after a good deal of hesitation, the central Government istry and impose President's rule on Gujarat.
movement, and the NNS attempted to take advantage of it by raising a new demand for the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly and fresh elections.
political parties, and also capitalist ers" Association, are also supporting this demand. They hope to divert this unprecedented popular upsurge out hopes of replacing the present corrupt legislators and ministers with honest representatives of the people. ions of the youth and trade union leaders in the NNS are trying to deepthis revolutionary potential, and have called for the formation of elected bodies of workers, peasants, and rural and rural poor.
The Communist League, which is involved in the youth and workers Tormation of people's defence guards to defend the mass movement against The latter-in particular the Khedur Samai farmers' organisation in Surat ures to control prices have been trying to exploit the chaos agencies. But they were soon forced to retreat when faced with the organPRESIDENT'S RULE In fact, it was not long before the the capitalist class and the rich farmers, Degan to heat a retreat. The army was called 1n to restore law and order, but could not control the situat more were injured.
was forced to dismiss the Patel minThis was a partial victory for the three days later, However, some of the right-wing bodies like the Ahmedabad Millowninto an clectoral channel, by holding Against this, however, some secten the struggle by raising the more lons basic class demands of the workers There are also attempts to extend -the struggle in Gujarat to neighbouring Maharashtra and other states.
The anti-Government agitation in Maharashtra is led by the Joint Action Council of Central Trade Unions, which organised a successful sentewide general strike on 2 January demanding effective Government meas On 22 Febuary, in response to a call from this body, the citizens of Bombay organised a spontancous "thali beating" operation (a method of enthusiastic protest developed in Gujarat, in which there is a mass beating of 'thalis' —metal dinner plates -to sound the death-knell' for the Government). But the reaction of the authorities soon turned this innocent form of peotest into a serious confrontation. Palice gunfire killed at least eight young people, and scores In response, a massive demonstration of more than 50,000 industrial workers, women, office employees and olhers marched through Bombay among the demands of the demonstrators were; 12 kilogrames of grain for every adult person each month, compulsory purchase of suff icient grain: price controls on basic necessities; a special wage for the unemployed; and employment for the landless in the rural areas loday Gujarat und Maharashtes are by no means isolated casca. In states Hke Kerala and Bihar the public food distribution system has virtually collapsed, and the market prices of foodstuffs and otber basic necessities have soared to dizzy heights. Protest at this situation has been reflected in 2 p.m. The defeats suffered by the ruling •Congress Party in recent state clectFor the first time, now, large sect ions of the people are beginning to realise that the food situation cannot be satisfactorily sorted out within the existing capitalist framework.
But what is lacking is a mass rev olutionary party capable of leading these emerging struggles towards a socialist transformation and establishment of a workers' and peasants' goveroment in lodia. The traditional working class parties like the CPT and CPI(M) are caught up in the concept of a two-stage revolution (the first stage being the 'national democratic' struggle) and are thus unable to make any clean break with the present apparatus.
However, the revolutionary mars ist forces-despite their numerical weakness-can intervene in these struggles and give thein a socialist oTientation. The immediate task is to encourage the masses in action to develop their own alternative leadership in the form of Soviet-type popular orguns of dual power, Stress must also be laid on the need for the masses to build up their own defence militia against semi-fascist thugs like the Shiva Sena in Bombay, who are out to foment conflicts based on communal, caste, and linguistic differences.
One thing, however, is already clear-Chat Gujarat and Maharasbtra reflect a pre-revolutionary situation which is developing all over India Kailas Chandra against Gujarat killings Sunday 7 April Assemble Speakers Corner. 1 p.m. March to Indian High Commission Organised by Indian Workers Association and supported by IMG
Red Weekly