RSD, Vidhrohi, Lokayat and other organisations

India won freedom after a long and arduous struggle and innumerable sacrifices by the working people of the country, especially men and women of the Bahujan communities.

Till 1920, the struggle was mainly confined to the well educated upper castes, and was restricted to petitioning the government. Gandhiji transformed the freedom struggle into the biggest mass movement in the world. And Dr Ambedkar broadened the definition of freedom and brought the untouchables, Dalits, Adivasis, Nomadic Tribes and Deprived Castes, and women to its centre.

On the other hand, organisations like the Hindu Mahasabha, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Muslim League opposed the freedom struggle. The British supported these organisations to divide the people and weaken the movement. India won freedom in 1947, but the leaders of the freedom struggle—Gandhi, Ambedkar, Nehru, Sardar Patel and Maulana Azad—were unable to prevent the partition of the country due to the machinations of these casteist communal organisations and the British.

When India became free, the neighbouring country was formed on the basis of religion, and hence it later split. But the leaders of India’s independence struggle had taken inspiration from the ideals of Buddha, Mahavir, Basavanna, Sant Ravidas, Sant Kabir, Sant Namdeo to Sant Tukaram, Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule, people’s king Chhatrapati Shivaji and Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, and had organised the freedom struggle on the values of equality, democracy, secularism, fraternity and gender equality. Rising above cultural, language, regional, religious and caste divisions, the entire people waged a united struggle for freedom. These values of the freedom struggle became the pillars of the Constitution of India drafted under the guidance of Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The directive principles of the Constitution give directions to the future governments of the country on the policies they must pursue: that they must strive to build an egalitarian society, ensure that there is no concentration of wealth; provide equitable and good quality education for all children; ensure availability of adequate healthcare and nutrition to all citizens without discrimination; and, ensure that all citizens have the right to an adequate means of livelihood that ensures them a decent standard of living.

The Constitution and democracy that gave freedom and equality to all Dalits, Adivasis, Women, and Shudras-Atishudras, was not acceptable to some organisations and individuals from the very beginning. They were dead opposed to the tricolour flag, the Constitution, democracy and secularism from the very first day of independence. And so they murdered Gandhiji.

After independence, both the ruling and other progressive parties failed to make the people aware of the values of the freedom struggle and the importance of the Constitution. Due importance was not given to the economic programme proposed in the Constitution for the development of the most marginalised sections of the people. Meanwhile the reactionary forces continued to spread their falsehoods and deepen the religion, caste, gender and language divisions among the people. Ultimately, in 2014, the domestic and foreign corporate houses gave their full backing to the reactionary forces, and the RSS backed Modi Government came to power.

Ever since the Modi Government has come to power at the Centre, it has mounted a fierce assault on the inherent values and directive principles of the Constitution. It has mounted a vicious attack on the people’s right to voice their dissent. Laws are being enacted to deepen caste and religious divisions—in violation of the Constitution. Institutions tasked with implementing the Constitution are being weakened. The media has been pressurised into becoming a lapdog of the Modi Government.

The Modi Government has been running the economy solely for the profit maximisation of Ambani, Adani and other big domestic and foreign corporate houses. Its pro-corporate anti-people nature becomes most evident from the policies it has implemented during the ongoing corona pandemic.

It has enacted anti-worker labour laws to benefit big corporations, so that they can intensify their exploitation of the workers. It is implementing policies to drive out small farmers off their lands and allow agribusiness corporations to acquire control over Indian agriculture. It is handing over the country’s mineral wealth and public sector corporations to private sector profiteers at throwaway prices. Even public sector banks and insurance companies are being privatised—endangering the safety of lifetime savings of crores of working people. On the other hand, it has simply refused to provide an adequate relief package to the poor who were badly hit due to lockdown and the resulting collapse of the economy—leading to a massive increase in hunger, poverty and unemployment. It is the Modi Government’s low budget allocations for the public health system that led to its collapse during the second pandemic wave, resulting in deaths of lakhs of people.

Ever since it came to power in 2014, the Modi Government has been doling out huge subsidies to the uber rich and the big corporations, to the tune of lakhs of crore of rupees every year. To compensate for this, it has made steep cuts in its spending on providing welfare services to the people, like education, health, pensions, food and nutrition. More recently, it has steeply increased duties and taxes on petrol, diesel and gas to fill its coffers, sending inflation skyrocketing.

All the gains made by the people since independence are being rolled back.

In his final speech to the Constituent Assembly, the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had warned that so long as we deny equality in our social and economic life, till then our Constitutional democracy will remain endangered. Today, inequality in the country has gone to extremes, and the Constitution is under threat.

At such a time, it is necessary for all the progressive, Ambedkarite, democratic and pro-Constitution organisations and individuals to join hands.

• We need to bring alive the memories of those who sacrificed their lives for our country’s freedom.
• We need to educate the people about the importance of our Constitutional values.
• We need to make the people aware about the assault on our Constitutional rights and values, and the anti-people policies of the Modi Government.

Statement Issued by:

• Rashtra Seva Dal
• Adivasi Ekta Parishad
• Vidrohi Sanskrutik Chalwal
• Lokayat
• Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti
• Yusuf Meherally Centre
• and many other organisations.