09) GHADAR CENTENARY RESOLUTIONS
The year 2013 has seen the Ghadar Party centenary being celebrated across the world at grand scale. While it is appreciated that the radical Ghadar history which remained hidden for years is getting due recognition at every level, we wish to express our strong disagreement with symbolic and tokenistic gestures of the establishments both in India and elsewhere and attempts to distort the Ghadar history and its appropriation by some vested interests. Through People's Voice we undersigned urge everyone, particularly the progressive groups to ensure the Ghadar centenary celebrations in a more meaningful and fitting manner:
1. Be it resolved that since the Ghadar Party was mainly established to end foreign occupation of India and denounced all forms of oppressions and colonialism, we strongly urge all progressive forces to challenge occupation and imperialism in the contemporary world. All the imperialist wars and attempts to topple legitimate regimes must be confronted. It has been seen that the issue of Palestine that continues to be under Israeli occupation is being ignored conveniently even by the social democratic forces in Canada and elsewhere. It's a shame that the social democrats in Canada have participated in Ghadar centenary celebrations, but they are courting big powers such as Israel instead of standing up for the rights of the Palestinians. It is the responsibility of the progressive forces to keep the struggle against this aggression alive. Likewise, the inhuman blockade on Cuba and occupation of Afghanistan must be opposed forcefully.
2. Be it resolved that since the Ghadar Party was opposed to pillage of the resources and wealth under occupied India, all the progressive forces should unite against the neo liberal economic policies being implemented under international trade agreements causing massive damage to environment and small economies resulting into poverty and misery.
3. Be it resolved that since the Ghadar Party was formed against the backdrop of racism in US and Canada, we urge all progressive forces to break silence against the ongoing racial violence and hate crimes. Let this be known that we stand in solidarity with all the visible minorities and people of colour, who have been under constant attack in these countries. We must recognize that the US and Canada are nations built on the stolen land of the indigenous peoples. We must also acknowledge that the language and the culture of the First Nations have been under assault ever since the colonists started coming to this part of the world. We must therefore reject the doctrine of discovery and other racist notions and join the ongoing grassroots level indigenous movements, such as Idle No More. A hate crime targeting any one particular group on the basis of colour, religion, language, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation should be seen as an attack on everyone. That's how the Ghadar activists fought back together and that's the way we need to stand up in unity against such challenges in the contemporary world.
4. Be it resolved that since the Ghadar activists fought for equal rights in US and Canada, such as right to vote, all the discriminatory immigration policies must be opposed. The current policies unfairly hurting refugees coming from war torn regions like Sri Lanka or discouraging family reunions need to be opposed.
5. Be it resolved that since the Ghadar Party believed in secularism and democracy, we must stand up against all undemocratic and sectarian forces anywhere in the world. It is rather surprising that many autocratic and communal political groups, particularly those in India are trying to appropriate the Ghadar movement to their advantage. Among them are the parties that promote religious hatred, such as the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party and its allies like Shiv Sena and Akali Dal, whereas the Ghadar activists denounced all forms of prejudices. Even the so called secular Congress party which has dominated the political landscape of India for years has also played religious card to whip emotions to remain in power. Although the majority of the Ghadar activists were Punjabi Sikhs, the Ghadar Party was secular in character and had members and leaders from among the Hindu and Muslim communities. The Ghadar activists also opposed the religious division of India in 1947 that resulted into creation of Muslim Pakistan and tried to save innocent Muslims from the Hindu and Sikh fundamentalists on the Indian side of the border. Yet the sectarian forces such as those seeking a theocratic Sikh homeland are trying to distort the image of the Ghadar movement by trying to portray it as "a Sikh movement". All such attempts must be questioned. Besides, all these groups including those holding power in India have time and again implied censorships and brutality to muzzle independent voices. What's the point celebrating the Ghadar history if they cannot guarantee religious freedom or right to free expression?
6. Be it resolved that since the Ghadar activists believed in social equality and stood for women and so called untouchables we must oppose all kinds of gendered violence both in India and Canada. The progressive forces must stand up in solidarity with the families of the missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada and the victims of the recent and past cases of sexual violence in India. Similarly, the ongoing caste based oppression and untouchability in India and within the South Asian Diaspora must also be denounced strongly by the progressive groups.
7. Be it resolved that since the Ghadar activists promoted pro-people literature and art through their powerful poetry and free publications, all the progressive forces should strongly denounce the trend of promoting commercial art and raunchy music to celebrate the Ghadar centenary. Rather, the idea of pro-people theatre should be encouraged by the groups that claim to be leftists and progressive.
8. Lastly, the Ghadar activists continued their struggle for social justice even in post independent India. Their fight was not confined to the struggle for freedom from foreign occupation alone. Some of them were thrown into jails or endured police repression even in independent India for questioning the establishment. Be it resolved that the struggle for social justice for women, "untouchables", poor and marginalized and religious minorities in India must continue.
Long live struggle of the Ghadar movement!
Sadhu Binning, Kimball Cariou, Varinder Dabri, Purshotam Dosanjh, Sukhwant Hundal, Saif Khalid, Makhan Tut, Harsha Walia, Gurpreet Singh
(The above article is from the November 1-15, 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.)