14) VISITING INDIAN MP CALLS TO UPHOLD SECULAR VALUES

By Gurpreet Singh, Surrey, BC

            A visiting Communist Member of Parliament from India has called upon the South Asian Diaspora to the uphold secular values of the Ghadar Party. Speaking in Surrey on Sept. 7 at a seminar held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Ghadar Party, Sitaram Yechury, a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament, urged everyone to work together to defeat the

"nefarious designs" of sectarian and fundamentalist forces bent upon dividing people on religious lines.

            The Ghadar Party was established in 1913 by South Asian immigrants on the Pacific coast of North America, to launch an armed rebellion against the British occupation of India. The party was secular in character and vehemently denounced caste and religious prejudices. 

            A senior member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Yechury warned that India's unity and diversity are under threat from the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party. The BJP is indirectly projecting the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, as a future Prime Minister. Modi's government is widely blamed for the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat. Yechury cautioned that any attempt to turn a pluralist Indian society into a theocracy needs to be challenged.

            Yechury recently received threats for questioning a condolence motion that was brought in the Indian parliament following the death of Shiv Sena leader, Bal Thackrey. A staunch BJP ally, Shiv Sena is accused of bashing Muslims and non-Maharashtrians in Mumbai.

            Interestingly, Yechury shared the platform at the Surrey event with an Akali Dal MP, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. Akali Dal is another ally of the BJP, and supports Modi.

            The event was organized by the Indo-Canadian Workers' Association, a CPI(M) offshoot in Vancouver. The CPI(M) fought the last assembly election in Punjab in partnership with the People's Party of Punjab, formed by Akali Dal rebel Manpreet Singh Badal. The Indo-Canadian Workers' Association had expressed its support to Badal when he came here before the election.

            Yechury was also critical of Sikh fundamentalists who are trying to appropriate the Ghadar history. "The Ghadar Party was not just a party of the Sikhs. It had supporters from other religious communities as well. How can one ignore the participation of the Hindus and Muslims in the Ghadar movement?", he asked.

            He noted that the Ghadarites did not confine their struggle to the freedom of India from foreign rule, but continued it for a just society even after the country gained independence. According to Yechury, bigger challenges from imperial forces still prevail. He observed that the free market economy and liberalization have created a yawning gap between the rich and the poor.

            "As a fitting tribute to the Ghadarites we must keep this struggle alive," said Yechury, who also released a souvenir publication dedicated to the Ghadar history.

            Others who spoke on the occasion were Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, and local MPs Jinny Sims and Jasbir Sandhu. Former MLA Dave Hayer was also present. Among other notable speakers were the Counsel General of India, Ravi Shankar Aisola; prominent history researchers and scholars, Sohan Pooni, Dr. Raghbir Singh Sirjana and Naveen Girn; Indian Workers' Association leader from UK, Harsev Bains; and leaders of the Indo-Canadian Workers' Association, Surinder Sangha, Surinder Dhesi and Kulwant Dhesi.

(The above article is from the September 16-30, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)